Quemar

Great vibes, amazing drinks! 🍸✨ The tuna tostadas and oysters were super fresh, and the main dish was full of flavor. Perfect spot for a chill night out—definitely coming back! 🙌🦪🌮

Quemar is now my favorite restaurant in Virginia Beach! The ambiance is perfect and the smoky aroma from around the restaurant is so unique. All the drinks and food were phenomenal and our waitress, Toni, was incredible and so friendly! 10/10 already planning the next time we come!

Such a nice place. I've been there several times and it never disappoints. It's elegant yet not stuffy. Great rotating menu with lots of vegetarian offerings as well as great beef, chicken and seafood. Really nice "Spanish" vibe almost. It's hard to put a finger on it, which makes it fun. Great drinks, wine and desserts finish it off. This is a great place to take a date on a romantic dinner. But wait! That's not all! There is also a large beautiful bar. Last time we were there we saw a DJ setting up. So go early and hit the bar before dinner.

We had an amazing time for a special occasion with family. For our reservation, we had the private patio. The decor is so beautiful. Food was absolutely divine, and the service was great, a little slow, but we were a large group. It was such a lovely experience with valet parking and live music and dancing. We were so happy we were able to have our dinner here. It turned out amazing, especially after being turned down by a lot of places because they were booked up.

Have been wanting to try this place for a while. Finally attended on a Friday night around 9:30. Atmosphere is lively, music and nice ambience. Came with a party of four and was seated right away. Ordered a strawberry mojito which was refreshing. For appetizers had oysters, the potato’s with chorizo (can’t think of name) and the guacamole. Oysters were great, wasn’t fond of the spicy sauce that came with. Potato dish was flavorful and guacamole was fresh. Entrees we had chicken Al pastor, carne asada and fish tacos, all were great but keep in mind they are tapas so small. Friend also ordered arroz con pollo which she expressed was well seasoned. Over all the service was great, food came out quick and music was great. Will cost again as I was dying the ribeye also. Check them out!

Great experience! Fast and good service; extensive menus of authentic and flavorful options. Romantic and classy atmosphere. We're not vegan, but lots of great vegan options. Wife and I were hungry and decided to go full tapas! Queso and guac were both very nice, drinks are well-balanced and well-crafted. Croquetas were fantastic - our favorite, very flavorful, a must-try! Torta ahogada, pork anticuchos, and asparagus were all delicious as well, definitely recommend, lots of tasty and unique sauces. Burger was amazing and yuca fritas are unique and great! Leche cake and chocolate chess cake for dessert were awesome as well. Care clearly put into everything on the menu - nothing disappointed, everything very satisfying! Update 07/2024 - Almost 2 years was way too long to wait to return! Everything so flavorful and delicious! Carne asada loaded guac absolutely amazing, a must-try! Mixed greens salad is very fresh, love the thin-sliced apple and cucumber, and roasted jalapeño-agave dressing is so unique and refreshing, just a little kick on there, not too spicy. Cocktails (Guava and the Grove and Jamaica margarita) good, certainly plenty strong. Esquites corn dish a wonderful combination of flavors, as is grilled carrots. Pan con Queso another incredible dish, definitely recommend adding chorizo, superbly flavorful and savory, as is, similarly, the short rib burrito, another pair of must-tries! Fantastic churros for dessert, wonderful and outstanding meal overall. Only drawback to this place is mandatory valet parking seems kinda silly, but maybe they have their reasons for it.

I enjoyed the vibe of this restaurant as soon as I pulled into the parking lot. There is valet parking. My daughter and I sat at 1 of 2 bars. I ordered the carne asada tacos medium rare. She ordered the smoked brussel sprouts. The tacos had a avocado cucumber relish, goodness they were phenomenal. Our bartender was Abby and she was great. It's not a large menu so be prepared for that. It's a wonderful place to go on a date or a girls night out.

We had one of the best servers I've ever experienced. We had a difficult person to deal with in our party, and she was patient, positive, professional, and entertaining. This restaurant is amazing, and I recommend it to any and all people. The food is very tasty, the atmosphere is second to none, and the service is outstanding. They have a lounge area, a bar area, and a DJ on Fridays (9p) & live music on Saturdays (and 1 week other day).

Very classy. On par with Hunt Room Cavalier and Orion’s roof, if not better. Atmosphere is chic with a very sleek dark romantic vibe. Food is definitely carefully thought out and delivered in an aesthetic flavorful manner. I had the 24 oz rib eye steak, which easily fed two, and was cooked perfectly medium rare with a nice char crust. 5/5 highly recommended. Thursday summer night also offers great drinks specials.

We went to Quemar for my husband’s birthday and Mary was our waitress. It was our first time and she was so awesome & knowledgable. The service was quick, precise, and excellent. We will definitely be eating there again soon!

This place definitely gets a thumbs up for me. Quemar's is a whole vibe in its self. It has a nice classy atmosphere. I really enjoyed our waitress, she gave us a little history of the restaurant and the owner which intrigued me more. She was very detailed and informed on each dish and how they were prepared. The food was amazing. I was not disappointed. I had the Short Rib Burrito and my friend had the Chicken Tinga. Great place for date night. And for the extra plus ... I ran into one of my favorite basketball players 🤗 but I'll keep that one to myself 🤫 You guys enjoy.

Had a great first experience! Parking - valley only, the guys are super nice, there is no fixed price for valet from what I understood - so get some cash with you for a tip 😉 Hostesses are friendly, there is a lounge area where you can grab a drink and wait for either your friends to arrive, or for your table to free up, I do recommend making a reservation though, we didn’t have one, but still got lucky to get a table, which wasn’t maybe the one we wanted, but was the only available one 🍽️ Our server - Destiny - was very nice and professional, provided great attentive service! Gave a great recommendation for a drink that I absolutely loved - some chocolate martini (I don’t remember) 🍸 Food was delicious: mushroom tacos, fish tacos, yuca root fries, fish of the day 🌮🐡 Interior is absolutely stunning!!

A friend recommended this restaurant and we decided to give it a try and they did NOT disappoint! The food was great, we had the Sangria Chicken Tinga, Street Corn, and Squash and Mushroom enchiladas. However, our server Toni made our evening that much more pleasant!!! She was so friendly, passionate and took a great deal of pride in her job. She took the time to explain the menu, the preparation process and answered any questions we sent her way. We need more Toni's in our lives :-)

This place is definitely the place to be if you’re looking for something with great food, drinks and atmosphere. Also, it’s not noisy at all and I enjoyed that most. I highly recommend. I ordered the Birria Happy Hour Tacos, Birria Dinner Entree with a margarita and Veramonte wine!

Whats not to like about this establishment. We've rode by this place plenty of times and finally decided to check it out for dinner and were not disappointed. We went on a Thursday night, walked in with no reservation, and was seated immediately. The restaurant is beautiful and romantic. They had a dining area and what looked like a lounge area that was so nice. We sat in the dining area. They had someone playing the keyboard and singing the night we went in the lounge area. The sound was awesome and a great touch to a romantic evening. Our waitress was helpful and polite, and the service was quick. We had the guacamole, which was delicious, and our entrees were very fresh and flavorful. The short rib burrito is one of the best things I've tasted in this area. We also got the double smash burger. 10/10 recommend

Visiting Virginia Beach with a friend, we had stopped in here because we had heard it had a great atmosphere and we weren't disappointed. We made it in during happy hour and took advantage of the Tacos & Margarita special for $18. The tacos were amazing, and the margarita was just what I was looking for. Definitely recommend stopping in and giving them a try. I think next time I might have to try the Short Rib Burrito or Birria Enchiladas.

I give the service a 4 because our waitress Mallory didn't seem knowledgeable about the menu and she went long periods without checking on us until the Chef/owner showed interest in us. We were sitting at the Chef's table after all so we expected the waitress to give us our first pour, explain the menu, tell us more about the restaurant because we told her it was our first time. Other than that, the rest of the experience was great and the good was cooked to perfection and was flavorful. I recommend it for a nice date night or any night really. Try this place! You won't be disappointed.

Brussels (not pictured), birria enchiladas and arroz con pollo are made to perfection! We also enjoyed our cocktails. Don’t remember what mine was called but it had mezcal and chocolate bitters! I think it’s the smoking chaqueta? The drink pictured is not on the menu on the website but it was also really good. Something otoño And our server was lovely! Don’t remember her name but she snowboards! We loved her.

Amazing staff, food, and atmosphere! It’s so hard to find a good quality restaurant these days, but this place is very good. A special thank you to Toni (toni with an i 😉) for taking such good care of us and making us feel special on our first visit (of many soon!). Highly recommend it here!

I stopped by for a late lunch and was in awe of the decor and ambiance. As a lone eater, I typically sit at the bar - which also adds to the overall experience, since the bartenders are such an integral part of the team. Cassidy was amazing! She was friendly, quick to greet and helpful with suggestions - even as she diligently worked on squeezing the fresh juices used in their drink creations. I'm looking forward to returning to experience the dinner menu!!

My friend made us reservation at this spot after seeing it on IG. First the parking is a bit distracting because you must Valet, but once you get into the place it’s so we’ll decorated. Someone really thought about the design, everything is intentional. Even in the ladies bathroom they had real candles burning for a vibe. The lighting is low but enough that you can feel the vibes. The sheer curtains that offer natural filter light also helps with the vibes, oh and the lounge area is so pretty! We didn’t get a chance to hang over there long but I’ll be back. So for dinner I was a bit nervous because I’m super picking with food and a vegan style diet. The menu had a variety of options that I could enjoy. I ended up ordering the Yuca Fries: they were fire! I mean cooked to perfection and the hot peppers on top weren’t super hot. So good! Then I order just a side of beans and rice and they were delicious too. I can eat beans and rice everyday. The beans had a little spice to them and with the hot peppers from my yuca fries my mouth was on fire but I kept eating. I also had the guacamole with chips and also popped! I didn’t finish it all there but the doggy bag was a hit at 2am when I was up snacking. I loved everything about my experience here and I cannot wait to come back and enjoy the lounge and live music with some more good eats.

Delicious food and beverage Latin Twist Busting with Flavor with a nice ambiance to enjoy the night out. We were a party of 4 adults and 1 child. To start I ordered a spicy margarita and he ordered LaFamilia. The oysters were so so fresh and tasted amazing with the cilantro oil. The ceviche was also very fresh. This place is known for wood fire oven and the grill so we ordered from De La Parilla on menu - I had the Fish of the day - Halibut and it was flakey and cooked to perfection. It came with mashed potatoes, mustard greens, almonds and chimichurri sauce. He ordered the Picanha with all the sauces. We ordered more specialty drinks, squash, yuca fries, and then finally for dessert, we had the churros with rum sauce. The best churros we have ever had. It was so fluffy and airy. Overall it was a nice night and we spent a pretty penny. We would go back for the tequila tasting and churros!

I made a reservation for the chef's table for someone dear to me 19th birthday!! They did not disappoint and made sure to recognize her on her special day!! Let's start off with the valet guy--Anthony. He was a hoot and showed my boyfriend how to operate his own car lol. Upon entering the restaurant was so clean and the ambience was nice. We were seated swiftly at the Chef's table and it was a vibe and cozy. Mary approached us and immediately welcomed us with open arms. She was charming, informative, and very nice. She gave us so much attention but was never overbearing or pushy. She was one of the best servers I've ever had at an establishment. I myself am in the service industry and even I took notes off of her that's how amazing and meticulous she was. Mary brought out another server and she sung happy birthday Stevie Wonder style && we ALL LOVED IT. The food was good as well. Mary made our night a whole experience tho and made our special occasion so so so SPECIAL. Thank you so so much!!

I had a very large dinner party for my birthday on 1/24. Not only was quemar able to accommodate all of my guest but the service was phenomenal. i was truly impressed. From not having to wait too long for our table to our waitress, Lindsey, i believe was her name. She was truly amazing , very organized , awesome customer service & handled the large party by herself like a pro. The kitchen and bartender deserve kudos as well, our food came out perfectly timed and the drinks weren’t delayed at all. All of my guest were happy with their meals. thank you Quemar for making my birthday dinner special ❤️

An incredible dining experience from the welcoming staff to the delightful culinary creations of chef Jeff Ullom. The ambience was trendy but classy, upbeat but still private. The waitress was helpful, attentive but not overly bothersome. Tacos for the table was the perfect start of the meal, followed by perfect cooked beef skirt and the one of the best puré de papas I've ever had, and brought together with a lovely Xicaru mezcal. Overall a memorable night out and will be visiting again.

helped my boss host his wife’s 40th birthday party here. it was fantastic. they were on top of everything. bartenders were great. food was amazing (my faves were the guac and birria tacos, the tortillas are homemade). after the party ended at 9pm, the room opened up to normal patrons. the DJ was killer. they played house music and i lovedddd the vibe. what an amazing night! valet parking (this was a saturday night) so uber unless you get there early ish!

Went for a birthday dinner, it’s a restaurant/lounge atmosphere. The food pictured was 10/10, very tasty, the margarita was flavorful but not “strong” at all. It’s not pictured but the beef shank and carne asada guacamole is very good as well.

I really wanted to give this restaurant 5 stars. First off, the food is amazing. The combination and explosion of flavors is almost without a match in VA Beach. The loaded Yuca is full of flavor, the pork and the enchiladas are exquisite, the chocolate creme brulee is unique yet good, and the drinks are well made and balanced. We were only disappointed in the service, but this one was a bit difficult to rate so low. The waitress was not rude and did OK, she just was not engaging at all. Not even a smile. It was almost as if she did not want to be there. We heard other waiting staff around us and kept wishing that they were waiting on us. In fairness, she may have had an off day when we visited. In any event, we finished our meal and went to the bar for a couple of extra drinks. The bartender was out of this world. He is very skilled and extremely nice. We'll definitely give it another try and truly recommend others to eat there when visiting VA Beach.

We were offered a complimentary amuse bouche since it was some of the family’s first visit. While the food was delicious and flavorful, there was a snafu in the kitchen regarding one of the meals on the specials menu. My daughter ordered the scallop and shrimp special but received her meal way after the rest of us finished ours. I heard the waitress tell other patrons that they ran of our scallops. But we had to flag her down to find out what happened to our order. She said they’re working on the plate and that we would get the last one available. The manager brought out the meal. My daughter was happy she got her plate but I think there’s should have been some compensation or something else offered at least for the wait. My daughter is only 10 yo and she was being very patient, whereas I could see myself getting hangry if it was me. Overall we enjoyed our meal, complete with apps and desserts. We spent a quite a lot on dinner, the only happy hour items we ended up getting were one drink and my son’s dinner. We could’ve at least gotten an offer of one of the desserts comp’d for the inconvenience.

First visit and will certainly return again. The decor and space are fantastic. Great bar with an open wood fire kitchen concept. Lively crowd and a mostly pleasant staff. A large portion of the restaurant was closed off due to a private holiday party (was a second bar and lounge area) looks like a fantastic space to hold entertainment for sure. Even though the private party was packed the noise level wasn't over the top. Not a quite space overall for sure due to the design but nothing overbearing by any means. The food was pretty solid overall a few winners a couple small misses and definitely on the $$$ side of pricing for portion sizes. The wood fired vegetable dishes were surprisingly the winners for me this evening. Smashed beets with mustard greens were incredible and the grilled carrots were another very nice addition. Carne Asada tacos came in strong as well. The salsas were a miss for me but the homemade hot sauce hit the point on the tacos. Nice bar selection and a pretty solid drink menu. Service was a little hit and miss but was a very busy night and certainly had some shining moments. Valet was great. Potential for 5 stars for sure. Strong first visit. Cheers.

Ambiance was great. Wait staff was very knowledgeable and kind. We had the esquites, brussel sprouts, carne asada tacos and birria enchiladas. All very delicious! Only problem I had was the tortilla from my tacos. For them being made directly from a "tortilleria", they were very dry. Not the tortillas I grew up with. (Im Mexican). All in all, a phenomenal place. Cocktails were delicious. Tres leches cake was not moist. But delicious nonetheless. Definitely would go back.

The service was wonderful, we had a great table right in front of the Grill Kitchen. The people were very nice, and we loved the atmosphere. I had the Short Rib Burrito, which looked terrific, but was a bit lacking in flavor and Short Rib. The sauce on my burrito lacked a good deal of flavor. A lot of the food I saw was really good looking. We'll give it another try because I had high hopes for it. I'm not giving up on them.

Our first time visiting and definitely will be back again. The atmosphere is great; the lighting is low and I love that! I recommend the Birra Enchiladas, they were amazing! And the Creamsicle margarita, 10/10! Other than the valet attendant, who was extremely disrespectful, the staff was great! But the valet attendant alone will make you not want to return

A strong 3.5! The valet parking and decor gives the ambiance an upscale feel. The live music was a really nice touch, but it didn't match the vibe of the place as a whole. The food looked amazing! However, it was mid at best. My burrito was cold upon arrival, and the tacos didn't really have much flavor beyond the spiciness. The waitress introduced it as an "Elevated Latin Cuisine," so maybe it just wasn't appeasing to my palette.

Quemar is a mix sports bar, classy restaurant and lounge. Unfortunately, we don’t think it’s a good fit. Valet parking gives the place an upscale feel. The dining area dark and trying to look trendy. After being seated and not receiving service for along time we flag down a waitress to get service. There is a special reduced fee drink menu available anytime of the day. We choose food from the taco menu. Asked the waitress to pace the food which never happened. Food arrived before the drinks arrived. Food was uneventful and nothing special and so were the drinks. The lounge featured a live artist that didn’t match the restaurants theme at all. Sorry this was a miss.

I wasn't too impressed with the menu selection. It was a bit limited. However, the food was well seasoned. I took issue with the $1 charge for extra crema; the nachos were huge but lacked crema/sauce, making them a tad dry. My biggest issue was that the portions were disproportionate to the price. The waitress was attentive and courtesy. The valet staff were wonderfully pleasant.

Giving this one a 3 unfortunately. Food was great but the service wasn’t the best in my opinion. For starters we were ordering tapas style for a party of two and sharing everything. A few apps came out before cocktails and the server didn’t offer share plates/drop any off, we had to ask someone else in passing. We kept having to ask for water refills when all surrounding tables had their own water bottle. Lastly went there to celebrate a birthday, requested a candle in dessert and didn’t receive one, pretty disappointing after spending $180 before tip and only coming here to celebrate the occasion. To top it all off when leaving the valet gave us the wrong car key, we drive a Tesla and the valet couldn’t start our car for a while, it was visible from the front door so my bf told them not to worry and we got it ourselves since we can operate the car from our app. As we were pulling out they ran over to tell us they swapped our keys with someone else and that’s why they couldn’t get it to start..we switched keys back and left. Again food was great, but the service gaps didn’t align with the restaurant’s prices and ambiance.

The place looks really nice, but the food didn't have much flavor (everyone in our party ordered different things and most agreed). The server also took forever to come back even though they weren't busy at all. Not worth the price. Oh they also make you "valet park," in quotes because its just a regular parking lot they've sectioned off with cones 😆 There's absolutely no need for a valet service.

I want to correct my previous review and share how disappointed I am now. I came with a friend for a girls’ night, expecting a nice experience, but it ended up being really frustrating. From the beginning, the host told us it would just be a few minutes and suggested we wait at the bar. We agreed, but there was barely any service at the bar the entire night. A bartender only showed up maybe once an hour, and that seemed to be just when they noticed people were waiting. The restaurant wasn’t even that busy—lots of open tables—yet no one ever called us to be seated. After more than 30 minutes and scattered interactions with different staff, we finally got our food, which I have to say was the one good thing. The kitchen was fast, and everything tasted amazing. But even then, we didn’t get any utensils—not when we ordered, not when the food arrived. It took another 10 minutes just to find someone we could ask for forks. And when we finally got them, the cloth napkins they were wrapped in had huge oil stains—definitely something that should’ve been noticed. Then, even after we were finally given the bill—which is a clear sign we’re ready to wrap things up—it still took forever for someone to come take our payment. Only at the very end of the night did a staff member show up at the bar who actually seemed to know what she was doing and gave the level of service we had hoped for when we walked in. Overall, such a letdown. I hope management sees this and makes some changes, because the kitchen deserves better front-of-house support.

Let me start by saying, this is my third time dining at Quemar, and the reason we choose this restaurant to celebrate big occasions is because in the past it typically is PERFECTION. This last time though? Woof. We made a reservation to celebrate a new job over a week ago. We made the reservation for 7:00pm We arrive at Quemar at 6:47. When we check in with the hostess, she says they are finishing up our table now and it will be ready right at 7:00. She invited us to have a drink at the bar and check back at 7:00 when our table should be ready. Cool. Cool cool cool. My fiance and I go order drinks in the lounge, and return back to the hostess stand at 7:00 as we were told. When we check back the hostess said “we are just bussing your table, it should just be a couple of minutes. We will text you when it’s ready.” Again, not a problem. This time we stand by the bar by the hostess stand so she has no problem finding us when it’s our turn. The problem with that, however, is that “a couple of minutes” quickly turned to 30 minutes. This is by no means an exaggeration. This was only made worse by the fact that we could see empty tables, and tables checking in after us were being seated. Confused, my fiance asked a different hostess about being sat, and her response was they had a “lack of silverware” but we would be sat in the next 5 minutes. Listen, I totally get things happen, and times are truly crazy right now, but waiting 35 minutes FOR A RESERVATION, especially one celebrating a special occasion, especially without anyone even apologizing or mentioning that it would take a while, just made us seem like they truly didn’t care we were there. By the time we sat down it was 7:40. Food was good and fast, but tainted by the entire experience with the hostess. Overall just really bummed.