Freemason Abbey Restaurant Review

Enjoyed a nice Sunday brunch.Would have been even better with more attentive service!

Went in for lunch pleasant atmosphere friendly staff food was good no complaints

Food was fine. Nothing special but had hoped it would be. Got the 3 course special. Coffee meatballs... flavor was not good, not bad but the texture... terrible. EXTREMELY dense.

2nd course was the pork shank. This was ok. Would have returned it but we get to the worst part of the night and that was service. Was this her 1st night on the job?

Never gave us her name. She brought out the bread and left us with no utensils! Passed us twice and ignored us when we tried to get her attention... looked and ignored us! Had to get another server to help us.

Drank the iced tea... several of us and u got it. No refills. She served apps and disappeared again. There was no request for cocktails to be replenished. She delivered our dinners and again... disappeared until, of course, it was time for the check.

To add insult to injury a gratuity is to for service. The better the service the greater the tip and this group has a reputation for up to 30% gratuity. This service was terrible and not deserving of the 18% required.

I would return for another meal. It could have been seen off day. But I wish I got the server name. I would boycott her! Why didn't I complain? It was birthday dinner for a companion and we didn't want to upset him because he chose this location.

Great food, atmosphere, and service. Depth of flavors were amazing!

Whenever I got relatives visiting, this is where I take them. It's top notch American comfort food.

Yummy food and amazing atmosphere! Will definitely return!

Really beautiful building and interiors..very warm and cozy. Food was delicious and our server was awesome, very sweet and attentive!

Great, attentive service. Good crab soup and yummy salmon.

Great hidden treasure, a little out of the way but worth the trip. My food was excellent and the staff was very knowledgeable and friendly.

There has never been a time where I wasn't happy at Freemason Abbey. Not least of which being the time I proposed to my fiancee

Delicious She Crab soup! Beautiful setting for lunch!

The she crab soup is epic! French dip with au jus was amazing! Bread pudding delicious. Beautiful building. Wonderful and friendly staff.

I love this place and so does everyone I took there! The foods that we had were delicious. It took a little while to get it, but it was worth the way. Service was good! Try the banana bread pudding!

I have been dining at Freemason Abbey for years with friends and family. I have never been disappointed in the meal or the service. The she-crab is the best any where. It's our favorite place, especially for brunch and special occasions.

We went here for our anniversary dinner. The restaurant was once a church and is beautiful on the inside and out. The food was great, service was excellent and fairly priced. The only problem could be parking, but do not let that drive you away. A must-try in Norfolk.

Good food and service! Excellent options for gluten free and vegetarian customers! The French onion and she crab soups are the best in the area!

Great food, interesting atmosphere, and wonderful service.

The she crab is as good as they say it is. The pasta was lacking sauce but overall good experience! Will def be back to try another menu item.

Unique place that served great food & great service.

WOW! Service is great! (KELLY!) She crab soup, amazing, salmon spring rolls melt in your mouth! The vegetable curry bowl is very flavorful and filling. WILL BE BACK!

Love the she crab soup! The atmosphere is wonderful and if you are into eating game meats they have a club that you can join that offers you dinners that offer such meats as ostrich, bison,venison and other exotic types that you can try.

Nice atmosphere, knowledgeable staff, food spot on.

A friend and I came during happu hour for restaurant week and absolutely loved it. The hostess seated us right away, the bartender made our drinks to perfection, and the food was amazing. Will definitely be back!

Service was great and would not change one thing about the food!!

Great food and great atmosphere. Definitely try their shecrab soup

This is a favorite, a restaurant I return to again and again. Great menu, the crab soup is marvelous. The staff is pretty fantastic too!

The service was excellent as always. I got the Crab Cake Dinner. It was delicious. The cakes were fresh, light n fluffy. I got the asparagus grilled just right, with the crispy bite to it and loved my rice.

Our server, Josh, was excellent. The crab cakes were the highlight of the meal, but everything was super delicious.

Quite a pleasant supersize. Ambiance is suitable for a date night, but it was affordable and there were children. Booths feel cozy and it was quiet enough for conversation, even upstairs. Food was interesting and nicely prepared. Great she-crab soup (think New England Clam Chowder for the south). My partners chicken dish was melt-in-your mouth delicious. My stuffed pork chop was very tasty, but perhaps a tad overdone to be officially mouthwatering.

Great menu! It's high end food, but it's all the good stuff. Superb staff! And the ambience is outstanding.

Very nice selection for lunch and dinner. Clean environment and friendly staff.

yummy food and friendly servers make a great dining experience. Wild game night on Friday night, I think. (If not, them Saturday hahahaha- I don't remember!) We used to eat here often when we first moved here... I have no idea why we stopped, never had an issue here! Glad we decided to come back, it was very good all around.

Always enjoy going on Tuesday for the beef and duck meatloaf

This restaurant is an icon in downtown Norfolk. Its been there for what Seems like forever went for our anniversary the staff made the the evening wonderful even though most of the city fell victim to the Media hype and closed for rain showers they stayed open and provided a memorable evening thank you.

Wonderful place! Atmosphere is inspiring and the food is worth visit. The staff is friendly and prompt.

If you like crab don't pass the she-crab soup. Very rich and delicious

Great place to eat, food was wonderful and the staff were extremely professional.

Lunch was great. Half a chicken salad sandwich on sourdough bread with a fresh Abby side salad with raspberry dressing. Delicious!! Raspberry sweet iced tea a great complement. Service wonderful.

The food was good. Unfortunately the service was SLOW! 1 hour and 15 minutes for lunch, and I ordered the express lunch.

Food is good wild game night is usually very good as well. Average price

Absolutely amazing food and service! Beautiful place to enjoy history. We have not had a meal of that quality in a long time.

Excellent food but atmosphere and history of building made experience an occasion rather than just a meal. Perfect holiday venue.

It's not only a beautiful place but has some of the best food on our trip. My husband had the club wrap and he said it was probably the best wrap he's ever eaten! My cousins split a Ruben sandwich which was piled high with meat - they commented that it was alot to eat even splitting it and that it was delicious! I had a very fresh side salad and a bowl of She Crab soup. The salad was very good and the soup was the best I've ever had anywhere!! Kind of wishing that we would have purchased a quart to take home.

We went on a Monday night that they offered a $30 dinner for two offer. The artichoke appetizer was very good but the entrees were terrible. The servings were very small and the flavor was cafeteria quality. I had a sirloin which was only 5 oz. That in itself was fine but the cut was barely 1/2 inch, like the type you get at a diner for steak and eggs. It was so tough I could not eat it and twice needed to spit it in my napkin. My partner had an asiago chicken dish which had a breaded chicken patty. Nuff said. We ordered coffee with desert and got only 2 creams. We asked for more cream and the waiter brought 2 more. We felt like our server rationed our food to us because we ordered their special. If you offer a discounted special you should not treat the diners who accept the offer as if they were second class. We will never go here again.

A very beautiful and historical building, but both my boyfriend and I found the vegetarian options to be mediocre. The quinoa burger's bun was clearly not made in-house, and the curry was your very typical average type. The curry bowl was the only gluten free and vegetarian option, although they do have a full gluten free menu.

Service was good and the server was knowledgeable about food ingredients.

Overall, not great alternative options and the restaurant and customer both would be better off sticking with the seafood.

Highly recommend this place! And I love the mural at the back of the restaurant!

Today was my first time at the restaurant and I really enjoyed the food it was awesome

This is a great restaurant. Very cool atmosphere on the inside in an old church. It s two stores on the inside with a large bar as well. The menu has a lot of variety. They also have great lunch specials. I usually come here for lunch as it s one of the least expensive lunches downtown. I highly recommend it.

I come several times in the past, but this time I was very disappointed and embarrassed. The Prime Rib in the past was excellent, and looked forward to having it again. I recommend it to others members of my 16 guest. The Prime Rib that was served, was subpar. It was half the thickness, loaded with fat and gristlel, and and color did not look like what I have received in past visit. It looked like it was boiled. I was so embarrassed. Other guest, openly expressed their disappointment about prime rib.

Wonderful atmosphere with great food, deserts and coffee. Very nice service and experience with the waiter and staff. Highly recommended.

Freemason Abbey was great. She crab soup was great, desserts were great, staff was friendly. An adjacent parking lot makes it easy as well. Definitely going back here next time I'm in town.

Service was awesome, food was great and dessert was magnificent!!!

Food was good. They were understaffed for the amount of customers. Staff were all courteous and attentive as possible.

The lighting was a little dark but the restaurant is solid. In an old church, this food is to dye for. Service was great and food phenomenol.

Good service, decent food and a good deal! Only issue, my bread pudding had temperature fluctuations in it.

Took my wife here for date night and it was by far the best dining in Norfolk. The off street parking is a bit harsh but that's Norfolk. The restraunt inside a an old reclaimed church. It's a very warm and inviting with an upstairs seating area. They have managed to capture and restore all the charm to this church leaving you looking around in awe. The prices reflect the menu and are very decent. They have fresh game from all over the country and world for main courses.

The best Vegetable Fantasia and fried green tomatoes. I can hardly wait to get back to Norfolk.

Service was fantastic and so was the atmosphere. The French onion soup and prime rib were wonderful as always.

I was expecting more based on reviews. Place is historic and food was well served.

Great food, fixed price menu is the way to go, always leave stuffed with the dessert to go

Had the bison stew and grilled mahimahi. Both great.

Three words: Best. She-crab. Soup. My family always loves to come here when they visit, and the food is amazing. The staff is great, too. I really recommend the salmon!

Awesome atmosphere excellent food, fall in love tasting she crab soup!! Just a place you want to enjoy every time you're downtown!!!

Excellent dinner place!
Very cool restaurant setting.
I had a $28 October deal with a three course dinner.
Had the She Crab Soup which was superb!
A flat iron steak was fabulous with a pumpkin cappuccino sauce.
And for dessert I had the apricot bread pudding and it was as delicious as you would imagine!! A must try (along with the soup!)
Also try the Seafood Fantasia- it s also amazing!
Would come back to Norfolk just to eat at this restaurant again!

Friday night wild game always has different selections. Make sure you get a reservation!

To say that we enjoyed ourselves would be an understatement. The food was amazing, the atmosphere was easy going and the decor was beautiful! If you want a great family night out or a special first date this is the place for you!

Wait staff is always great here. Food was awesome had a good time.

Super food, great staff, and we were there with great friends and family. Oh, yes, beautiful atmosphere!

Tremaine was an excellent server. He ensure our glasses were filled before they got near empty. The food was served in a very timely manner and tasted fantastic. No question about it, we will return.

Expected more but was disappointed by below average lunch sandwiches. She crab soup was good. You could actually chew and taste crab meat. Ruben was good, but not outstanding. It was a bit greasy, too smothered in butter for me. The fries were flavorful and good, but bits of small pieces. The lunch special, Asiago chicken sandwich was awful and tasted very acidic. They totally missed it and messed it. For a restaurant everyone raves about, I will skip it. If their lunch is this disappointing, I'll skip dinner.

Some of the best food in the area! Great atmosphere to go along with it. Perfect place for a fancy date!

Went for Restaurant Week. Selection was good. I had the ribs which were tender and delicious. Looking fab going again. Staff was pleasant and attentive.

They have parking which is a plus! Food was good but the drink menu is awesome