If you find yourself in Urbanna after 4 PM and you’re hungry, and if you’d like to sit and relax and soak in some spectacular scenery and enjoy a fine dining experience, head down to Urbanna Creek and visit Portside Grill.
We have been coming to Urbanna for nearly 15 years, generally to the Oyster Festival in November, but this year we slipped away for a long weekend to enjoy a little Indian summer weather, to fish and crab and just relax. My daughters and families had joined us, but on Monday night, it was just me and Nancy and we decided to eat out. She had seen a sign down to the harbor for Portside Grill. We headed in that direction.
Portside Grill is located right on Urbanna Creek. You can smell the salt air, watch the gulls trade pole positions and listen to the rattle of sails in the wind. Dozens of beautiful sail boats were moored within a few yards.
We ate outside, naturally, but the inside of the restaurant is well appointed if its windy or chilly.
The newly opened waterfront restaurant (2019) located at the Urbanna Port Marina offers a casual waterfront dining experience featuring New American Cuisine, Southern Comfort Fare and Seafood Classics. There is dockside dining, a full bar, a cozy lounge and a family friendly atmosphere. It’s the only waterfront restaurant on Urbanna Creek.
Portside serves mostly grill food, but the menu is fairly extensive, offering everything from steaks to crabs.
We ordered some oysters on the half shell as an appetizer and they were scrumptious. For an entrée, Nancy ordered an Oyster Po’boy and I chose the Pan Seared Crab Cakes. I also tried their Fried Brussels Sprouts – very good. We were both pleased. The only kicker was that it took a really long time between our salads and dinner, but the view of the harbor made the wait worthwhile.
Contact Portside at 804-695-6240 or go toportsideurbanna.com.
We’ll definitely eat there again. It’s a beautiful spot and the food was very good. What more can you ask?