Hell's Kitchen

I have been eating lunch here virtually every weekday for the past ten months (I work about a half a block away).  I gave five stars, though all is not perfect (no such thing in reality), but I figure it is a close as I will ever see.  I have tried about three-quarters of the items on the menu and a significant number of the daily off-menu specials.  I have only had one meal that I was displeased with, and that was a result of my waitress not hearing my order properly (combination of hearing loss on the waitress' part and the loud music playing in the background), not low quality food.

All-in-all, the staff is quite friendly and courteous (see below) and very prompt and attentive.  These people know what they are doing and do it quite well (again, see below).  As a whole, the staff is dedicated to ensuring that each guest has a pleasurable dining experience.

The appetizers are generously portioned - the only one I have not tried to date is the Tuna Bites, as I am not a tuna fan, personally.  All of the other appetizers have been quite delicious (my favorite is the Seafood Nachos ... mmmm ... drool ...).  The pizza (I have only had the traditional, with pepperoni) is an exquisite thin crust, but be warned - it comes from Satan's oven and is hotter than Hell itself!  The sauce is not too sweet and not too heavily seasoned, while there is a generous portion of cheese and pepperoni.  The crust is baked to crispy perfection!

Their pasta dishes are sinfully indulgent.  I have enjoyed the Seafood Mac and Cheese, the Seafood Alfredo and the off-menu Rattlesnake Pasta (not for the faint of palette).  All are quite heavy (as should be expected, it is after all, pasta) and delicious.  The Seafood Mac and Cheese is served in a cast iron skillet (once again, be warned, as this also is baked in Satan's oven!) and comes to your table bubbling with flavorful goodness.  The Seafood Alfredo is my go-to dish for a long day when I know supper will be delayed for a significant amount of time.  A rich, creamy alfredo sauce envelopes pennae pasta and a generous portion of lump crab meat, topped with shaved Parmesan and is accompanied by grilled shrimp and garlic toast.  Take away the shrimp, substitute grilled chicken for the lump crab meat, add fire roasted jalapeno slices, and top with Cajun seasoning and you have the off-menu Rattlesnake Pasta.  Caution, this snake bites twice, if you get my drift!  Well worth the price that is paid (figuratively).

Try their BBQ Ribs!  Fall-off-the-bone goodness that leaves you licking not only your fingers, but the plate!  Their wraps, salads, soups and entrees are all quite delicious (trying to cut down on the item by item descriptions - I could go on for days ...).

Now, remember that I said all was not perfect at Hell's Kitchen.  Here is the bad that comes with all that goodness.  The music can be quite loud (I understand that it is considered part of the atmosphere, but at times it even drowns out your loudest thoughts), thus impeding conversation with anyone accompanying you for your meal.  There are also a couple of servers that have trouble controlling the thoughts that flow from their brains and out of their mouths.  Some (at times, very boisterous) conversations go WAY past a PG-13 rating!

I would (and have done so) recommend Hell's Kitchen to anyone seeking a gastronomic retreat from greasy spoons and sandwich shops.  Come on in and enjoy!

Good place to go for a drink and lice music in downtown Norfolk!

Absolutely love this place!  The atmosphere, the food, the staff, you name it, I'm for it!

Started coming here about a month ago with my coworkers for lunch and sometimes after work to get some drinks.  For lunch we'd always get pepperoni pizza and I can honestly say that it has never been bad.  Their standards are always up to par.

So, I recently took my wife out here for a date night and I ordered The Classic Hamburger and she ordered The Crab Cake Sandwich, my burger was cooked exactly the way I ordered it (Medium Rare) and it literally melted in my mouth.

My wife's crab cake was fresh and excellent, cooked and seasoned to perfection, and the fries are amazing!!!

I would highly recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a place to enjoy excellent food, in an atmosphere and staff that is out of the norm.  Like they have printed on the back of their shirts, "The way we look, it has to be good."

GO AND CHECK 'EM OUT!!!