4 Best Restaurants in Williamsburg and Hampton Roads, Virginia

Saws, pitchforks, ox yokes, and the like hang on the barn walls, but the wood tables are lacquered, and the napkins are linen. Specialties include slow-roasted prime rib; baby-back Danish pork ribs barbecued with a sauce of peach preserves and Southern Comfort; and shrimp Dijon. An ample wine list offers a wide variety of domestic and imported choices. After dinner try one their specialty coffees including Tennessee Mud with Jack Daniels or Franciscan Coffee. A children's menu is available.

This former church near the historic business district has been drawing customers for a long time, and not without reason. It has cathedral ceilings and large windows, making for an airy and dramatic dining experience. You can sit upstairs, in the large choir loft, or in the main part of the church downstairs. Beside the bar just inside the entrance is an informal sort of "diner" area, but with the whole menu to choose from. Regular appetizers include artichoke dip and crab-stuffed mushrooms. There's a dinner special every weeknight, such as lobster, prime rib, and wild game (wild boar or alligator, for example). Vegetarian fare is also offered.

With vaulted ceilings and hardwood floors, the Trellis is an airy and pleasant place. The imaginative lunch and dinner menus change with the seasons. A good wine list complements such dishes as homemade sweet red pepper soup, beef tenderloin with cabernet sauce, and grilled market fish. The seafood entrées are particularly good, and many patrons wouldn't leave without ordering the rich Death by Chocolate, the restaurant's signature dessert. There's also great people-watching from the terrace.

The last freestanding restaurant on the beach not inside a hotel, this aqua-painted clapboard building houses a family-owned seafood grill. Inside, the ocher walls heighten the sun rays penetrating the ceiling-to-floor windows. Awnings shade the outdoor patio where live musicians perform in season. A local menu favorite is the Crab Ripper, a crab-cake sandwich topped with mozzarella and crisp bacon. A fried seafood sampler, fish and steak platters, steamed fish, appetizers, salads, burgers, and other sandwiches fill out the menu. Banquet facilities are available, and the Beach Nut Gift Shop is also on the premises. It is home to the original "Orange Crush," an alcoholic drink made with fresh-squeezed oranges, vodka, Triple Sec, and Sprite—the drink of locals. The website also has a webcam, great for people-watching and checking out the weather. Valet parking saves the hassle of difficult-to-find parking.