The Seafood Trilogy From No Frill Bar & Grill Was A Blockbuster Hit!

No Frill Bar & Grill

Address: 806 Spotswood Ave, Norfolk, VA 23517

No Frill Bar And Grill! That's the popular restaurant in Hampton Roads. Even though there's a location in Virginia Beach, I was invited to go to the one in Norfolk in the beautiful Ghent area.

The atmosphere was surprisingly pleasant. It's family friendly, but not corny and very down to earth. In fact, it had a very cool vibe of eclecticism.

Abstract artwork hangs on the walls and a metal sculpture hangs near a bar made from bike pieces. However, this is not an art museum, but a popular watering hole that gives me a coffee house-like atmosphere. You know, that set from the show, Friends. That kind of vibe. 

The dining area may be described as small, but it was so comfortable that I prefer the term, "cozy."

And, I know it doesn't show well on the pictures or help those images at all. But, if you eat during the late afternoon, the lighting seemed engineered to have that nice late afternoon glow.

Now, the food! How was it? I tell you what, if you're a fan of big portions at affordable prices, then there's no frills about it. This is the place to be! 

 

 

They don't skimp out on the sizes or the quantity of the dishes for that matter. They seem like they want to fill up your stomach.

Also, not only do they want you to leave full, they want you to leave satisfied.

I ordered the Seafood Trilogy, myself, because it had a whole section of an ocean.

 

It had fried shrimp (and they were bigger than usual), homemade crab cake and Cajun marinated catfish. It also came with the Norfolk Canyon Ale sauce, corn and black bean salsa and white rice.

The catfish was surprisingly, well, a real catch! I mean it was really packed with a punch of flavor. It had a nice slightly smokey taste on the outside, but it was really tender once you got into the core. How did I let this one get away from me for years? Well, I finally hooked it! And, it finally hooked me, I wanted some more!

The fried shrimp also caught a wave in regards to flavor. It was cooked seemingly perfectly! The not so little sea creatures were fried with flavor on the outside and tasty and tender on the inside! And, did I mention they were huge pieces?

But, that homemade crab cake can make your taste buds dance. It will remind you of the happy childhood moments that you spent at the beach yourself as you hit a tidal wave of very pronounced, yet very delicious flavor!

Of course, the sides rounded everything out and, if you combined them, it felt like your mouth went on vacation to the tropics!

It may be called The Seafood Trilogy, but I wouldn't mind a sequel. In fact, I am sad that the saga is over.

But, that's not all! Washed up ashore was the dessert and it splashed me with tasty sweetness! The Lemon Mascarpone Cake was recommended by our server, who was really good by the way at her job. And, I'm glad I took her advice. It was creamy and tart and the sugar was at the right amount and not overwhelming.

I also had a special soda served from this place called Roy Rogers. If you're tired of the usual or standard soda affair, then give this one a sip. It's not necessarily Cherry Pepsi, but Pepsi mixed with grenadine. It definitely quenched my thirst!

Overall, an excellent experience with reasonable prices where you can take your kids to and where you can enjoy huge meal portions with excellent flavors!