Terry's Take: Steinhilber's, Virginia Beach

There are restaurants in this town, and then there are institutions. Steinhilber's on Thalia Road is the second one. It has been serving dinner on the Lynnhaven River since 1939, it is still owned and run by the family that opened it, and it is one of the oldest family-owned restaurants in Virginia. If you want to know where Virginia Beach goes when the occasion actually matters, this is it. That is the whole point of this review.

Let me give you the backstory, because the backstory is the place. Robert Steinhilber bought the old Lynnhaven Golf and Country Club property in 1935 and opened the restaurant there in 1939. Think about that for a second: a golf course became a dinner house, and it has been feeding this town ever since. His daughter Jeanne runs it now, with her son Brady. Three generations, same family, same spot on the water. I have spent my whole career surrounded by family businesses, so I know how rare that is. Most places do not last three owners, let alone three generations.

What to Order

Start with the she crab soup. That is the test of any seafood house in Hampton Roads, and theirs passes. Rich, crab-heavy, a little sherry on top the way it should be done. Then get the fried shrimp. This is the dish people drive across town for, and there is a sauce that comes with it that I would bottle if I could. It has been on the table at Steinhilber's longer than most of us have been alive, and I am not going to pretend to know what is in it. I just know I use every drop.

The crab cakes are Chesapeake style, which means lump crab, very little filler, and enough proper seasoning that you do not need to touch a thing. The oysters are great if they are on. And ask about the twice-baked potato, because it is not a side dish, it is a whole meal. The famous shrimp and twice-baked potato is a classic for a reason. If you are more of a steak person, the prime rib and the filet are done right, and the beef Wellington is one of those dishes you almost never see on a real menu anymore. For the bar, the pineapple mojito is the signature drink and it goes down a little too easy on the patio.

The Experience

Here is the honest part. Steinhilber's is not a quick Tuesday night kind of place, and it is not cheap. It is dinner only, four to nine most nights, later on Friday and Saturday. It is business casual, and you should make a reservation, especially in season or on a weekend. You do not go for fast, you go for right. You sit by the water, you take your time, and the staff treats you like they have known you since you were a kid, because some of them have. There is no hurry here, and that is the point.

I grew up in a family where the business was the dinner table conversation, both my parents were in real estate for over 30 years, so I notice things other people miss. Places like Steinhilber's survive because somebody cares about the small stuff every single day, not because of one big moment. Same plates, same recipes, same standards, year after year. That consistency does not happen by accident. You can feel it as soon as you walk in the door.

Why I Send People Here

This is the place I tell clients about after a closing, when we actually have a minute to celebrate. It is where I send out-of-town buyers for a dinner that makes them say, "okay, I could live here." There is something about that river view and that old wood and a table full of crab cakes that does more for a relocating family than any welcome packet I have ever written. When someone is moving to Virginia Beach on orders or for a job, I tell them to do a weeknight dinner at Steinhilber's and just watch the place work. You will learn more about this city in one evening than from a month of brochures.

Location and Hours

Steinhilber's is at 653 Thalia Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23452, right on the Lynnhaven River. The phone is (757) 340-1156. Hours are Sunday through Thursday from 4:00 to 9:00, and Friday and Saturday from 4:00 to 10:00, dinner only. Reservations are the way to go, and if you want to talk through availability and timing, calling between 11:00 and 5:00 usually works best. The website is steinys.com.

The Bottom Line

Steinhilber's is the kind of restaurant that does not need me to write about it, and that is exactly why I wrote about it. More than 85 years, one family, one stretch of riverbank, and the same honest seafood that has been there since 1939. Go for the anniversary, go for the closing dinner, go because you finally want to see what all the fuss is about. Call ahead, dress like you mean it, order the shrimp, and take your time.