Hemingway's Restaurant & Bar Pilar

Staying at the Holiday Inn which this restaurant was connected to and decided to try this place out. Holiday Inn gave us coupon to use for this restaurant which was nice. The food was very good considering we ordered take out. Ordered out and ate dinner by the beach which was very nice. Definitely try this place out if you’re in the area.

We were walking along the boardwalk to see what to get for dinner. We looked over the menu and then continued up toward neptune statue. We decided to give Hemingways a try as the meals sounded tasty. We arrived around 6 and walked in noticing how clean the restaurant and hotel lobby looked, we were greated by the hostess and brought over to a table in the bar area by the windows. The bar tender Erica was our attendant. We had a really nice time talking to the staff, Erica was alot of fun while also knowledgeable about the drinks that they could offer. I had a great salmon dinner and my wife enjoyed her meal of black bean burger. I got to have some of the fries from her plate later in the meal and although they had been sitting on our table and went warm anymore, I was impressed at how good they were cold. I can only imagine if they were hot like she recieved them. I don't know why we have never ate here in the years past, but if it continues to be the way this night was we will be enjoying more meals here.

Really good food. Fair prices. I have eaten here 2 days in a row so far. I had the bourbon chicken flatbread and the fish tacos. Both were pretty good. If I had any critique, the fish tacos didn't have a lot of flavor outside of the fried fish and tortilla themselves. However, it is early May, so the fruit (mango, I think?) is probably just not in season; it was firm and crunchy. Over all, I'd still definitely eat here again. The bartenders have all been very kind, attentive, and friendly. I saw dolphins off the back patio today at lunch. Yesterday, I saw a few blackhawks flying over the water and a naval ship pretty close by. Cool environment!

We needed food and were on the lookout for a good mojito so we landed here with absolutely no regrets. Great view and Paige helped us add a memory to our vacation with perfect mojitos. I had the Boardwalk Tacos with fried shrimp and they were the best shrimp Tacos I've had. My friend's burger looked amazing too!

Very nice place with a nice view. Very good food as well. Delicious grilled shrimp tacos, the best I’ve had in a while. Fish burger was good as well, and the fries were also delicious. I’m usually not a dessert person, but the key lime cheesecake was really good. They also have a great drinks selection. The staff was very sweet and friendly as well.

This restaurant was a solid 4 stars. The ambiance was lovely (there were no tables available outside because they only have a few, so we had to sit inside), but we didn't mind. The frozen drinks were tasty, our waitress was lovely, and the peanut butter dessert was one of the best we've ever had. For dinner I ordered the grilled shrimp tacos. I was expecting more for a $17 entree. It came with 3 soft tacos, each stuffed with only (I believe) 4 small pieces of shrimp (aside from mango and veg). No side of rice or anything to go with it. Tasted fine, but couldn't really justify the price. Spouse ordered a burger and seemed to enjoy it.

Very clean and well kept restaurant in Holiday Inn Oceanside 21st. St. Excellent breakfast buffet with a lot of choices including freshly baked croissants, bread, and scones. Warm and tasty eggs, waffles, chicken biscuits. Thick cut crispy bacon and breakfast potatoes make a great side. Fresh fruit, cereals, muffins, bagels,and pastries. Very courteous and attentive staff. This is my first stop every morning during my stay. Highly recommended! Price of buffet is $17 and change after tax.

This place is AWESOME with bartender Tray (a female so you know). I don't drink much but because I was on vacation, I asked for her recommendations. SHE DIDN'T DISAPPOINT!!! All 3 of the drinks she recommended (1 being a secret recipe!!!) were wonderful!!! The secret recipe was like applesauce or apple cider - it was delicious!!! As for the food, while the lunch/dinner menu is small, what we got was superb!!! The chicken quesadilla was really good and of course we ate it with sour cream and salsa. The Mexican fried shrimp was a really unique item that tasted awesome! We highly recommend it!!! The pound of shrimp also tasted good, with old bay and cocktail sauce. It was the usual great stuff. Tasted fresh and on point. Last but not least, the all you can eat breakfast buffet from this restaurant is really great too!!!! $15 per person, but we got it for free because of our hotel rewards status. Add to that the fact that you get a discount if you are staying in the hotel where the restaurant is located, and you have a super great deal!! See the receipt for the discount. I was also impressed by the size of their napkins! Again, please see the picture where you you can see the size of the take out box and the size of the napkins!! You can use that thing as a bib if you are a messy eater or if you're like me and just appreciate large quality napkins!!!!

Hemingway's is easy to get to on the oceanfront. When the accompanying hotel has enough guests, there is free valet parking on the premises. Then you enter into a spacious and modern hotel lobby which leads right into the open, modern equally spacious bar of Hemingway's. The ceilings are high and beautifully designed and the view of the ocean is among the best of ground level restaurants on the Oceanfront. Patio dining is also available. The staff is very friendly and attentive. My wife is from Atlantic City where the subs excel. Most subs we get outside of NJ get the thumbs down. But, to our astonishment, the steak sub here was juicy, flavorful and above par! Who would have thunk? The fish tacos were beautifully presented and fresh. They were not the best on the beach but you won't be disappointed. French fries were great. Only pictures can convey the unusual design and features of the room. For a nice lunch on the Oceanfront,in our experience, you can't do better. This is a calm refuge from the more touristy offerings on the oceanfront. Easy access, great service, good food, great view and spacious surroundings- enjoy.

Decent restaurant hotel with some good flavor to all of the food dishes that we tried. The burgers were done very well, and the boneless wings come in various flavors as expected but were also done well. The menu is a little limited but with everything being tasty as it was, it all worked out. Breakfast is a buffet that they have but you do need to be somewhat of an early riser. However, did try one day and that was highlighted by eggs, French toast, sausage, bacon, potatoes, cereal and then other breads and fruits. Overall a good experience, and the waitstaff were pretty much all very engaging and fun to talk with. They also have a nice outside patio to enjoy the beach view, which also has rocking chairs if you just want to chill.

Sara Beth is awesome!!! Friendly and so fast with the service!!! Food was amazing full of flavor and fresh off the grill!!

It is located in the Holiday Inn on the beach. It had a very "beachy" feel and a nice small bar. it had outdoor seating on the patio overlooking the boardwalk. Waitress was OK and Mandy who was at the bar was friendly and very helpful. I had one big complaint is the resturant is suppose to be open at 6:30 AM and the four days I was there it would open somewhere betwen 6;45 and 7AM. Irritating since I had meetings and on the last day had to get a flight so being open on time would be nice.

This is a restaurant in the Holiday Inn hotel. The outdoor seating is very nice with a great view of the beach and ocean. Since we were staying in the hotel we came down a couple of time for drinks. The food is fine but nothing exciting. Service was fine - we did have to send a couple of drinks back when we asked for a margarita and they made it with mezcal instead of tequila. They were accommodating and resolved the issue. If you are walking on the boardwalk and thirsty, this could be an option for a rest stop.

Meh the food was acceptable. For amazing seafood, go across the street up one block to 21st Street Seafood Company. Honestly, since we were staying here, we just came downstairs so the kids could have the free kids meals. To not be charged for the kids meals, get vouchers from the front desk first. The waitress was great- attentive and friendly. Loved that we could sit in the breeze on the deck. But the food was lukewarm and the bun in the fish sandwich was soggy.

Paige service was great!! the food was great, drinks were great! it was a very relaxing vibe.

We had a group of 11 and were seated promptly, which was a pleasant surprise for such a large party. Our server Sarabeth was fantastic--friendly, attentive, and efficient. She made sure we were taken care of from the moment we sat down. Food and drinks came out incredibly fast, and she kept everything flowing smoothly the entire time. Excellent service all around--we really appreciated her attention to detail and positive attitude!

Five star service from Jack! The food was delicious. We stumbled across this restaurant while walking the boardwalk and decided to get an early dinner. We were greeted and seated immediately, and our server, Jack, was so pleasant. We ordered drinks, and he provided refills automatically when he noticed they were getting low. He helped us with the menu and accommodated our modification requests. Let's get into the blackened chicken pasta. My partner irder it and let me taste a sample. OMG, the champagne sauce was so rich and creamy, and the spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes gave this dish extra flavor. The chicken bourbon flatbread was really good. If you don't like sweet bourbon glaze, this dish is not for you. I'm a fan of bourbon chicken, so this was well executed for me. The Flatbread was soft with a slight crip and the cheese melted perfectly on top. Our visit is 5/5, and we will return if we are in the area.

I have been coming to this Holiday Inn and Hemingways for almost 9/10 years now and a few years ago I started to notice quite a bit of turnover throughout. I guess my final straw was on yesterday evening when I placed an order for food over the phone for my daughter and her friend and myself. When I went to pick up the food, I asked about adding a drink and was told that the drink machines had been broken down for the night ( it's 2130 and the place closes at 2200) but I was told that the young lady could make something using grenadine, so ok. I then proceeded to pay the bill and noticed that the advertised flatbread pizza was $2 more than it should have been on a Wednesday ( daily specials) so I brought this to the young lady's attention and was told that she would have to get the manager because she was unaware of any specials.. after 5 minutes she alerted me that the manager " had gone outside for something" , so I said ok and waited patiently. While standing and waiting I checked the food to see if it was still hot and fresh and to my disappointment it was lukewarm warm at this time. A few more minutes went by and a young lady came up to the register and I asked if she was the manager and she said yes and proceeded to correct the check . So, I during my whole process from start to finish the one common thing that I was told when I asked a question was " I'm new and don't know or can't correct the issue" I get turnover but we have to properly train people before they take on these positions of attending to guests. After all this and my wait time needless to say our food was cold, wings dry, flatbread dried out and fries not fresh, I asked for blu cheese dressing and only got ranch, asked for extra napkins and only got 2 and still dont know why I received mustard and mayo

We actually went here three times during our stay just because of the convenience. The food was always up to par. But the service was not, but that seems to be happening a lot in this industry.

My mom and I were staying at the Holiday Inn where this restaurant is located. Lovely staff and bartender! We ordered the Southwest Burger with sides. That burger was so stinking good! My mom and dad have been to this hotel a few times and she said that this restaurant was pretty good and I have to totally agree! Also, great view of the ocean!

Overall a pretty solid restaurant with nice decor reminiscent of Key West & Ernest Hemingway. Had excellent service by a friendly bartender named Amber, great drinks, and some very good Mahi & grilled shrimp tacos on a busy Saturday night!

My hubby and I were walking the boardwalk looking for somewhere to eat. This place had promising reviews and outdoor seating. You had to walk inside from the patio to the host desk to be seated back outside. The inside had nice decor. We took a lounging type table because that's what was available so our table was at our lap level instead of say elbow level. We had an unobstructed view of the ocean and the seats were comfy. We were promptly greeted by our waitress. They had a nice drink selection but we went with iced tea. My husband is vegetarian so he ordered an impossible burger which came with guac and pico. Kinda made for messy eating. The brioche roll looked good. He said it could have been seasoned more but he's a definite spice kinda guy. He said the Tatar tots seemed like they weren't cooked in hot oil because they absorbed a lot of oil so that was disappointing for an $18 burger. The printed menu that day was $2 higher then their menu online. I was originally hoping for a crab cake because it's on the online menu but the printed menu that day didn't have them. I had the chicken penne pasta with spinach, mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes. The menu says roasted tomatoes but I much preferred the sun dried. They were the highlight of the dish. The chicken was cooked well and a little dry. It was more of a cutlet than a regular chicken breast. The garlic breadstick was good. All and all the place was a little underwhelming. For us personally, with my husband being a vegetarian, there weren't a lot of options. We won't rush back but it could be a backup to our normal go to Catch 31.

There doesn't seem to be a lot of eating establishments open during the off season in VA beach. We found Hemingways since it was next to our hotel and located in the bottom floor of a Hilton. Red flag But let me tell you the servers was awesome. His name has slipped my mind but he had short hair that was dark and he wore glasses. He was awesome. He was friendly, charming and made our dinner a pleasure. We were having dinner in a Tuesday night so they were pretty empty. We dined in 3/22 at about 7ish. The guy was about To leave for the day. Anyway. The nachos were terrific, the cheesesteak was banging. It was spicy and cheesy and they even toasted the bread. The fries were perfectly seasoned. The hubs pasta dish was good. It's always weird when restaurants leave tails on shrimp in an actual dish. But he said it was good. Hands down we'd go back!

Decent selection of beers overall, but wish they had more local offerings. Tried an orange crush IPA, which was delish, as well as complimentary pub mix snacks as we sat beachside on the outdoor patio. All of the staff were friendly and helpful and service was attentive. Background music was enjoyable and volume was pleasant.

At the beach for the Doobie Brother's concert and Hemingway's was walking distance from our ocean front room. Decided to have an early dinner. They have our door boardwalk seating so we chose to eat outside. I had the Fish & Chips with a local IPA . My wife had the Shrimp Tacos, both plates were delicious and the service provided by Alexis was superb! Definitely will eat again at Hemingway's we we come back to VA Beach!

My friend and I stopped here to get off of the Atlantic strip to get a drink. I tried the Beachtini first. It looked amazing and was very strong, which I doubt I would get at a regular bar. It was made with pineapple vodka and curacao, but I wasn't crazy about the taste, though that could have been just a personal preference. That said, I absolutely loved the Mango Crush! It was made with orange vodka, crushed mango, and orange juice. It was probably the best cocktail I've ever had! I remarked to my friend that I wouldn't mind drinking 3 more mango crushes right then and there. It was a nice, quiet visit that gave us downtime to relax between walking along the strip at night. The only concern I had was the server told me she forgot we were there, which could have been an issue if we needed something in the interim. However, we will probably return in the future when we're feeling parched!

Hemingway's is inside of the Holiday Inn. The interior design of the restaurant was beautiful. The service was great. I never get tuna when I go out but I decided to try the teriyaki tuna and it was so good! The presentation was good as well. I did start with the crab cake appetizer and I will say it was full of crab meat. I expected a lot of filler, but I was surprised it wasn't. I would def recommend trying them on your beach day!

My husband and I came here for lunch and i was honestly not too impressed. I had ordered the spinach bacon salad that came with a warm bacon balsamic vinaigrette. The dressing was honestly awful. Way too sweet! So I decided to eat my salad without dressing. My husband ordered the fish tacos which he seemed to enjoy, although the mango salsa was lacking in taste. Overall, the experience was blah. It took an extremely long time for the food to come out and the place had maybe 2-3 other tables.

The food was ok but the service was bad. We went at 5pm on a Friday and there weren't many people there. It took over 5 minutes for the waitress to come take our drink and appetizer order. My husband ordered a beer and I got a glass of wine. Our appetizer came before our drinks. While the waitress came over to get our entree order I had to remind her that we still hadn't received our drinks. We got the nachos which were good. I had the shrimp tacos and my husband had the fried fish tacos. Both were good, but nothing special.

As a restaurant worker, the disrespect from the staff and waitress was insane, i've never been treated this bad, the host seemed bothered by our presence and the waitress (Paige) gave us a completely different treatment compared to the table next to us, she had a attitude with us for no reason, which i found totally not fair? We had to wait 15 minutes for DRINKS.

1) we got Hemingway burger but the meat was so flavorless. It didn't have salt or any seasoning. So the burger was pretty dry and less appetizing to eat. 2) I got chicken avocado wrap... I had hard time finding the avocado itself. I would think they'll have decent amount of avocado since it's in the name. 3) we got Philly cheesesteak. It was...let's just say like kids meal size! It didn't fill an adult. 4) drinks came out ok. Frozen Margarita didn't have salt on the rim and we didn't bother to ask as it was hard to flag down any staff. The staff we found that we asked plastic utensils for our child kept bringing our steak knife, and butter knife. So pretty hopeless there! will I come back? No... even though it's downstairs to our hotel!

Menu is inaccurate with online. We order over medium eggs and they were over hard. So I suggest you order over easy most likely will be cook all the way anyways. Not recommended unless is free breakfast. Customer service was ok and potatoes where ok too.

MJ is an outstanding host and bar tender. She produces beautiful cocktails and makes sure that your experience is the best it can be!

Beautiful restaurant in a hotel on Virginia Beach. Service was fast for breakfast and during Happy Hour with servers being friendly and quick to serve. Typical breakfast buffet and reasonable priced!

Could not accommodate a softball team and their families. Literally turned us away. Hotel participates in pay to play tournaments and was sold out so can't understand how they are not prepared to be able to accommodate. Very disappointing.

Friendly, hardworking staff, great breakfasts, clean and bright. Cool decor too. Bar Pilar has great ambiance.

(5/22/21), here with a group of members celebrating a graduation. Though I've never been her before the food was ok ( different ) but ok. Staff professional and courteous as well. The Men's Restroom was in bad shape--returning from a Pandemic Sanitation should be a must--not trash can overflowing to extent that it was running excessively over in the floor and the door was open. That's bad for business. Lastly, it took the server (4) times to get the receipt corrected for (13) people. Training needed ( Justin )

Got hungry after walking on the boardwalk. Stopped at Hemingway's for a quick bite to eat before heading back to our hotel. It's in a convenient location along the boardwalk. Didn't have to wait long to be seated. MJ recommended the Margherita Flatbread. It was tasty. I'd come back the next time we're in Virginia Beach.

This place has a great view of the beach but everything else is just ok. Our large party of 7 (5 adults and 2 toddlers) waited almost 45 minutes to be seated outside. There really weren't many tables that fit such a large party outside. They had to combine two small tables. The restaurant itself is in Holiday Inn. The food itself was ok. Not terrible but nothing special. The table ordered tacos, burger, blackened chicken penne pasta, fish and chips, and 2 kids menu items. Everything was just ok. The service was incredibly slow and really because there was one server for the whole restaurant! She really should get some help. We saw a couple of runners that dropped off our food but that was about it. Probably won't be back as we had just got into town and needed a place to enjoy the scenery with kids in tow! Btw, no one really had mask on since the mandates were lifted in VA.

Let's start with the good things about this place. 1. The ocean view! That's the best part! 2. My server was exceptionally kind and sweet. She was also the bartender and had a lot going on. Now, the reason(s) for my low review. The prices are high for what you get. I was looking forward to an ocean view breakfast - even on a rainy winter morning (I will never get tired of an ocean view). I ordered the French toast, a side of bacon which I asked to be soft, limp bacon (I don't like it crispy), and 1 scrambled egg. When the sweet server brought my food out, the bacon was black and super hard (you touched it and it crumbled). She took the plate with my French toast and bacon back, but left the eggs. The eggs needed a lot of salt - blandest eggs ever. Eventually the rest of my food came back out and the bacon was still cooked more done than I'd like, but I wasn't in the mood to send my plate back yet again. The French toast was more like French toast flavored bread. It was cool and soft like a loaf of bread out of the bag. My bill for this was about $20. That included a glass of apple juice, which was probably the beat tasting part of my meal. I hope their drinks and happy hour are better than breakfast. Avoid this place for breakfast!

The service was really good but that being said the food was mediocre.The Asian Gochujang wings we ordered were too sweet.The restaurant is inside the Holiday Inn hotel.Really good ambience and also right at the beach.

Everything was incredible. Service, food, drinks, and atmosphere was superb. Can't find one thing to complain about. Need not eat anywhere else in Virginia Beach!

Cocktails were great and they even had choices for kids! Went back for lunch and the tacos were AMAZING.

Good food, awesome view, awesome bartender that keeps the bar open till the last guest but drink prices were high, $10 for a pint!!

My family ate lunch here while we were out at the beach! The Beyond Beach Burger was absolutely fantastic, as well as the sweet potato fries! Would definitely recommend, especially to anyone who is vegetarian! The burger does come with cheese, but if you are vegan I'm sure you can get without.

Omg, the food was amazing, try the shrimp tacos with those tasty, cooked to perfection tator tots The coladas were refreshing, the perfect drink to match the cool beach vibes. This was the perfect spot for me to relax and enjoy my vacation.

The service was fine and the ambiance was nice but really???? They served a breakfast buffet that was like what you would get free at the hotel buffet. Except this cost $15.99!!!! Luckily the kids eat free if you get a voucher from the front desk. Plus they gave us a 15% off but it was still overpriced. I sure hope the lunch and dinner is better but the breakfast was just ok. Sure loved the hotel and the view from our room which was awesome at the Holiday inn Virginia Beach!!!

I was not pleased at all. We went for something quick after my daughter graduation. After call and was told that they could accommodate a party of 15 to come, we did. After arriving we were told that they couldn't accommodate us then to tell us they could sit us in different areas. Ok that's fine. But it took forever for the waiter to come just to take the order for the drinks. Then another forever to take our orders. We told the waiter who would be on what ticket together. Well fast forward when we finally got our food and not within 15 to 20 min. at check out time everything was wrong and it took a hour before he got some of the tickets right and in order to get some of the others straight we actually had to go up to the waiter at the register and tell him our order just to check out. Not impress!

Stayed in the hotel. Daughter ordered the Santa Fe burger with fries. She said it was one of the best burgers she ever had and she is a Red Robin fan. I tried a bite and it was really good. Fries were okay until we added ketchup. lol.

The food was cold when I got it and the drinks were weak! The chicken on my nachos tasted microwaved The bartender was unapologetic even after we said we tip well and pay more. Don't waste your money here.

Terrible service. I understand the problems with short staffing, but the service today was simple negligence and lack of communication between staff. I stated my order by the name on the menu and was given the wrong item. I then listed my order off by ingredient, but they messed it up a second time. I also explicitly stated my food allergy. That must not have been communicated to the kitchen as it is almost 12 hours later and I'm still having a reaction. To top it off, our appetizer arrived after our meals, just as we were getting ready to close out our bill. Save yourself the disappointment, eat somewhere else.

This place is being operated by the most incompetent wait staff I have ever met. We were a large group, but all of our food came out wrong (different dishes, different people, calling sandwiches salads). Not sure if this is a chain, but there is no manager or sue per visor. Food tasted like it was microwaved. Had to go to bar to get waters. 0/10

Pray you don't get JANET as a server. This woman had an attitude with our table from start to finish. I only ordered a drink, the pasta dish, and a split appetizer, but when I got the check I was charged for a second drink that wasn't mine. When I asked her to take it off she brought back a check that was even $5 more than before. When I asked where the five dollars came from she just slammed down $11 cash on the table for the one drink and said "just take it and have a good night" as she puffed away. I understand having a bad night but this was a grown women acting like a child. I'm a server too and only showed her respect and was understanding the whole time, we did not deserve this kind of attitude. I also still paid the extra $5 and never found out where it came from, so thanks Janet!

Look, it's good food. Fish and chips was good but fish was a single plank of something you could probably get in the frozen food section. I was impressed that it was good and that the place caters to family fare. Nothing fancy but thankfully edible when having to stay at a beach hotel on orders with military. Worth eating at again since I'm stuck here fir two weeks. Just learned that as a guest I should have gotten 15% off tab? Guy never asked? Guess I just won't go back even though I'm here for a couple weeks! Ugh

We came to Hemingway's on our family's weekend getaway and the food was exceptionally good! I got the Oceanside Salad and the blood orange vinaigrette may be my new favorite salad dressing. I also had a few of the teriyaki chicken wings and they were the best I've had for a while. The macaroni and cheese tasted homemade as well! My only gripe concerning Hemingway's was that our service was a little...subpar. Our server forgot that someone in our party ordered a drink and didn't check in with us but on the flip-side I think our server had their hands full with a large party that came in not long after us. Other than that, Hemingway's will definitely be on my radar when I come and visit VA Beach again!

I had the best ocean view breakfast by a nice friendly staff, I got there a little too early tho since their bar was closed but the manager was nice enough to open it and make me a mimosa.

Cute little place for a light dinner/happy hour! The food selection is a little limited but the food we selected was fantastic! Crab dip and mahi tacos were the way to go! We went there twice and both times the service was excellent!