Pendulum Fine Meats Review

One of our favorite places in Norfolk! Their hot sandwiches are delicious. The brisket sandwich, burger, and hot ham and cheese are all to die for. The fries and garlic aioli are ADDICTING. Such a great place!

Pendulum is unequivocally the best head-to-tail butcher in Norfolk and absolutely the first, last, and only place you should bother with when putting together a charcuterie arrangement. Hands down. They also have a wide variety of fabulous butcher cuts as well as supporting attire like cheeses, butter, fresh made pizza dough & mozzarella etc. Of course none of this is to mention the absolutely brilliant dining there supported both by Pendulum and by Codex depending on the hours. The staff are also amazingly knowledgeable and friendly, and have never done any less than to go out of their way to help me the dozens of times I've been in. This place absolutely deserves your patronage... particularly in these trying times - take comfort in charcuterie!

This is by far the best butcher shop I've ever step foot in! Everyone there is so amazing and the meat is well worth the price. I would live there if they let me.

Wonderful food good atmosphere. Definitely will go again.

I used to come here quiet often for some chorizo and butter. When I feel like steak, this is the only place I will drive 45 minutes for to get a couple ribeyes. Always worth it.

Butcher shop & deli by day. Ramen shop by night. All amazing quality, quantity, and variety. Classes on butchering, a collection of records, it's own food reference library, book swap section, and decent selection of craft beer and wine. Seating is limited and it is very busy. If you order the herbed fries, get them to go and let them steam a bit to infuse the flavor of the rosemary and garlic cloves more...trust me.

Favorite restaurant by far. I HATE roast beef but I routinely drive from Richmond just to get the roast beef sandwich. It's by far my favorite meal. Food network was good to cover this.

The staff is so friendly! The food and atmosphere are great!!!

Clean. Fresh young faces smiles with great service. The open face brisket could bring world PEACE. Vegans try the best damn french on earth. I will visit them with my last.

It was odd eating our food before we paid. I think I would rather do it first thing and then just get up and go. Regardless of this the food is good, atmosphere was nice and place is clean. Not much table space so time it wisely.

Both sandwiches were amazing but we favored The Butcher. Especially with the habanero chips. Dave had the idea to put some inside of the sandwich...OMG. it really added a nice touch to it.. The chips were super hot when you eat them alone but putting a little inside of the sandwich gave it a nice 'kick' and the crunchy texture was a perfect touch to the amazing flavor of the roast beef that seemed to melt in your mouth.

Excellent food. Most friendly staff. Very clean and light atmosphere. Gluten free and dairy free possibilities. Will go back when in the area.

I LOVE Pendulum. The sandwiches are amazing! The quality of the meats is awesome. The service is fantastic. This is a little known secret I am glad I discovered. I tell everyone I encounter about it.

I cannot comment on the dining... but to call this place a butcher shop is ridiculous. Hardly anything to choose from (2 steaks on a Friday at 5? Really?), uneven cuts, indifferent service and a freezer stocked with things butchered somewhere else. Bummer

Favorite local place...great sandwiches, employees and owners are amazing...great CSA with Va local meat. Can't get better than this

Awesome food with super friendly service. The smoked brisket is not to be missed. The fries are incredible and are actually cooked in beef tallow like the old days and are served with an incredible smoked garlic aioli.

Awesome food! We came in today because we caught a rerun of a June airing of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives last night. Having watched what effort goes into the flavors, we felt we had to try it out. We will be back to try the other sandwiches AND the boudin I saw in the cooler!!

Confusing to find as it was located in the middle of a neighborhood but they had parking which was a plus. Nice cozy atmosphere, staff was hospitable and explained the menu which was helpful, food was tasty.

Great local butcher shop. Wonderful stop for lunch. Very friendly owners and staff. The meats are great.

Really really good sandwiches....good prime meats and have a good glass of wine..... What a jewel of a place

Nice selection of fresh meets. Also a great place to have lunch with friends.

Didn't eat here. Bought some meat from the butcher shop. Probably the best cuts of meat that I have ever bought. The place has been featured on the Food Network and I think the prices reflect that. Definitely go if you want to treat yourself/ family/ friends

Love the smoked meats and craft beer selection!! I need to visit this place more often!

Flat out excellent. Best Cuban I've ever had. Environment is welcoming and friendly.

What a great place. The food was awesome. The meat case was beautiful. The Guys working there were great. They make an Alolie bbq sauce that I can't get enough of. It was a little pricey...( $27 for lunch for 2) but it was really good. Hubby loves it! We will definatly eat there again!

Although it's a popular spot, I'd still call this a hidden gem. Open 11-4, Pendulum Fine Meats' Luncheonette is a perfect lunch spot for Solo or smaller parties.

I've had an assortment of their sandwiches, but I mainly stop on Fridays for their burger special. There are no frills: "The Burger" is a classic style burger with fixins. What sets it apart is the premium beef patties, cooked to a perfect medium-well. I recommend adding bacon.

The atmosphere is like a small indie coffee shop. Exposed brick walls, old hardwood floors, butcher block tables. Seating is quite limited (so don't linger too long after lunch!), but they make good use of the space. I wouldn't recommend dining in for a party any larger than 4. It's always quite busy, and finding a table to accommodate might prove tricky.

Along the perimeter of the space are a lot of treats to bring home or supplement your meal. They've got a case with unique local and regional meats you can bring home and cook. There's a good assortment of wine, ciders, beer, Mexican Coke in glass bottles.. Fresh cookies bakes daily, slices of cake, fancy gourmet chocolates. They've got a well curated selection.

I'd give them six stars if I could. This place deserves the praise it receives from locals.

If there were more than 5 stars I would have given it. But must try is Big tex. Perfect combination of crunchy bread with flavoutful tender meat chunks. Must try.
Went there again to try their 6 dollars Friday cheese burger. Well they didn't disappoint me. The best best best cheese burger I have ever had..

Clean, fun and hip place to have lunch. Great atmosphere including a turntable sound system. The staff and owners are very friendly and attentive. I had the brisket and it was tender and tasty almost like the best pot roast. It was served over thick toast with bread and butter style pickles. The baked goods (cookies and cakes) are homemade and unreal. I can't wait to go back.

Great cuts of meats and you learn where the animals come from. Sandwiches are phenomenal, friendly and helpful staff.

Love, love, love this place! Their burger and fries are sooooooooooo amazing!

This place is awesome! You get what you pay for and more! Beautiful cuts of meat, a fantastic location (it has it's own parking lot in Norfolk which is rare), excellent lunch specials and a super friendly set of employees. I've bought a lamb saddle roast, lamb chops, a bone in leg of lamb, house made bacon, bone in rib roasts, and a wide variety of lunch meats and different cuts of steak and I was impressed with every choice. If you've never had mortadella then please ask for a sample, it will change the way you think about lunch meat.

Saw this in an episode of DDD and when we found ourselves in Norfolk we had to give it a try. We were overjoyed at the experience! The food and service were wonderful. The sandwiches are shareable sizes but we had to get our own to try other options. Each choice was delicious. The fries are a feature of their own. Grabbed a bottle of wine and some blocks of cheese from the cooler as an appetizer and enjoyed that during the short wait for the main attraction. They have their own parking lot which is also a bonus during peak times.

Pendulum is a hidden gem, having a range of food that hits the spot. I enjoyed the chicken wings and soup. It was FULL of FAVOR. The amount of time to prep for food was worth the wait. The ambiance was very different, giving the place its own unique character. I was glad to stumble upon Pendulum.

all Around, great place. A gem in Norfolk. Great quality meats, killer lunch menu. This is a must. Go for lunch, leave with dinner fixins.

Best fries I've ever had, great meat selection, very friendly and helpful service, and a sweet selection of bottled and tap beer. Honestly the greatest business in Norfolk.

Lunch sandwiches are awesome, has all the fries and aioli! But the hot dogs are the best you'll ever put in your mouth. Period!

the staff working there is super helpful and accommodating. they answered all my questions and even let me get some of their butchers twine!

First time there. The staff is super nice. The place has a cool atmosfere with old machines, LP's and legos going on. The burguer was def fresh and tasty. The fries are delicious with herbs and garlic. The beer selectiob is not ample but varied enough and they have wine bottles too. You pay after you eat which I like. The space is small though, it seems like a house with tables all around Lol its cozy but at lunch time is crowded and stuffed. It takes like 20 min to get 2 sandwiches. O.O The price reflects the freshness maybe?

Wonderful butchers shop. Try the hard lemonade! Had to get two growlers of it because it was so good.

Very friendly staff and nice facility. However, when I went in the other day for steaks, they only had new York strip which had already been butchered. I'll chalk it up to coming in at the wrong time because the gentleman said they have the cow but haven't broke it down yet and additional cuts of steak would be available in a few days. I appreciated the honesty but I would expect a butcher shop to be better prepared.

This place is amazing! I love to cook and learn new tricks in the kitchen. That said, I can enjoy a store bought frozen medium rare burger I threw on the grill one day and prepare a Beef Wellington for my family the next. No matter what your tastes, Pendulum has what you need. I called on a whim when I was thinking about the Beef Wellington as Walmart does not typically stock Tenderloin. Not only did they have it, they cut it custom and had it ready for me on my way home. It was an amazing meal. Since then I have stopped in a few times for a quick lunch. They have a great selection of sandwiches sure to satisfy. Fantastic knowledgeable staff, great location, selection, and atmosphere... you can literally forget you are in a butcher shop. If you are not used to custom cuts you might be shocked at those prices, but that's only for the unique stuff you don't get everyday. When it is time to try something new, believe me it is worth it!

Fantastic selection of meats, wine, beer and other locally sourced products. The lunch menu is concise and fantastic. They allow up and coming chefs to open pop-ups in their kitchen at night and sometimes offer butchering classes for those looking to learn a new craft. This is one of those Ghent treasures that should never be overlooked.

This place rocks!! They really deserve all the stars!

Great butcher shop. They make you feel welcomed. Preferred the sliced brisket to the chopped. Fries were on point. Will be back!

Finally a butcher in Norfolk! Great quality cuts of meat from a modest but decent selection of animals.

Delicious meats, tasty condiments, even the bread was to die for. The staff were all super nice and attentive. We are just sad we have never been here before!

Went to codex, which is the pop up restaurant inside from Wed - Sunday evenings. Service, wine and food are all A+.... The pork shoulder with blistered tomatoes was on point. Never a disappointment. Try the burger or fresh fettuccine dish... Both were some of the best I've ever had locally!!!!! Bravo!

This little place is a gem in downtown Norfolk. The luncheon counter is worth a visit for the freshness of the meat and the fabulous sandwiches. The sandwich pictures is their burger with fries. It was the Friday special for a very reasonable price -$6 ($8 with bacon). Since this is a butcher the meat was fresh, the toppings complimented the beef very well, the brioche but added the right of sweetness to the whole dish. The fries were outstanding, dusted with salt, pepper, garlic, parmesan and deep fried with rosemary. I will be coming back!

Pendulum is a really cool spot. Its a hip hangout with friendly staff that are more than happy to help you and advise the best option for your taste. They serve stellar sandwiches and the best part is the meat is fresh, organic, grass fed and local. I got a 45 day dry aged ribeye and it was simply stellar. Absolutely full of rich flavor.

I also liked that they offer a good selection of local kombucha (Blue Ridge Booch), beers, ciders and wines. Highly recommend Pendulum for fresh local meats and great service!

Wonderful shop, wonderful employees and fantastic sandwiches! After I finished my sandwich, I left with a very nice lamb chop , some cheese and a new wine to try. Can't wait to come back to try more!

First time visiting this place today, recommended by a co worker, i must say it was a great suggestion. nice small place butcher shop/ restaurant. i will def be returning soon. had the jerk chicken sandwich GTG!

Best Cuban sandwich I have had in a long time! The real start was the French fries though. Friendly people, cool place. Worth the money.

If you like great meat and good people, you absolutely have to shop at Pendulum. For the year and a half that we lived here in Ghent, we subscribed to their Primal CSA and were constantly and consistently impressed. Both through the shop and their CSA, we got clever and tasty sausages, tender cuts of all kinds of meats, pasture-raised turkeys for thanksgiving, even build-it-yourself pizza kits and eggs! Beyond that, whenever we needed something special from the butcher's block whether it be a charcuterie tray, a whole organic chicken, or just about anything else, Pendulum always came through in spades. These folks are fantastic. I wish we could take this store and all of its people with us when we move. Give them your business; shop local!

Pendulum Fine Meats is located in a green converted brick house behind the NARO Theater off of Colley and Shirley Ave.

The first time I ever heard of Pendulum Fine Meats was from a coworker, who was a chef a long time ago, raved about how good and fresh their meats and sandwiches tasted. He also knew someone who worked there. So, I decided to try them out a few times. Their roast beef sandwich (The Butcher), house ham and turkey sandwich (The Count), and their herb fries with the aioli dip were all amazing! The quality of their sandwiches were consistent. I haven't tried the burgers yet, but my other friend told me their burgers were very delicious. On Fridays, they have a $6 burger and fries special. Unfortunately, you have to order the sandwiches before 4pm because it changes over to Codex (currently). Tables are limited. They do have a parking lot area, but it's somewhat small. Staff was friendly and helpful.

We had The Butcher and the Texan BBQ. First, the food. The Butcher was tender, a perfect mid-rare and full of flavor. The Texan had probably the most tender brisket I've ever put in my mouth, possibly because it was sliced very thin. The bbq sauce is a perfect pairing to the smoke in the brisket. Very unexpected! Order fries! It's like they seasoned each fry perfectly one at a time. I ordered mine extra crispy.

We went on a cold January day... Don't sit in the corner seats on the edge of the restaurant... The vents blow ice cold air, but the building is old so... In any event, this will be a favorite for us!

I expected this to be a butcher shop, and it is, marketing local meats, cheeses, beers, pizza dough, veggies, and way way more. But it is also a wonderful sandwich shop! I just finished what I'd probably the best roast beef sandwich I have ever had! Holy crap! Also, the staff were very nice, and took extra time to ensure we had a great experience.

This place is top notch. A proper butcher shop with great cuts of meat. Grab some food and a beer while you are there, you won't be disappointed.

Their burger is one of the top 5 burgers that I have ever had. Their prices are amazing. Go there on a Friday. You'll eat one there and bring two home. Lol. The owners are incredibly nice, too.

best in region, outstanding quality and affordable!

I saw this place on triple D, had to try the Brisket, it was awesome, fries was hot and fresh, definitely will be back. service was great!!! best sandwiches, whenever I'm in the area I always stop in.

Fabulous local gem! Small but cozy. Fresh and local selections to eat in or take home! Local butcher shops are a rarity, and this one is fabulous! You can stay for a bite in house or get some fine elections to take home with you to prepare yourself. The ambience is wonderful. You won t be disappointed.

This was my first time purchasing anything from Pendulum. I'd heard about it and gone in a few times, but went in for some Chuck Roast. The guy who assisted me was very knowledgeable and courteous. It was pricey but you get you pay for and my roast is amazing! I have never had a pot roast turn out so tender or amazing. Honestly, I could tell the difference in the quality of meat, as I was preparing it. This is definitely something I'll build into my budget.

Wow!!!!!! From the decor to the music from the record player, this place is an experience. Everyone from the host, to the butchers and the owner were very friendly and professional. They made me feel like I was at home with my family. The food......the food. The best way I can describe it is this way: Even if you'd just finished stuffing your face somewhere else and you were turned off by the sight of food; you would still lick your plate clean after having any one of Pendulums options set in front of you. I will be going back dozens of times!!!

The short wait for your sandwich is absolutely worth it. Plus they have a nice beer, wine, and pop selection.

Super friendly, cozy place. The food is one of a kind amazing!!! I go as often as I can.

Besides being a good butcher they also serve several delicious sandwiches for lunch. Lots of other local goods for sale also.

Delicious meat, the best roast beef sandwich, good drink selection, and a great atmosphere

We really enjoyed our sandwiches. Looks like they have a great meat selection.

The roast beef absolutely melts in your mouth. They also carried unique meats that were also delicious. I even got some pigskin treats for my dog

Great sandwiches. Plus they give you a lot of food.

Best damn burger I have had in quite a long time. A great place that sticks to the basics and does it well.

Amazing!!! Their Cuban is mouthwatering good. I'm a huge fan of their bread loaves too!

Love Pendulum Fine Meats! Their custom services are outstanding. Their customer service is beyond compare.