Blue Pete’s Restaurant

Sandbridge exists specifically because it is not the boardwalk, and the Island Restaurant matches that energy exactly: fresh seafood and an unhurried pace next to a wildlife refuge instead of a t-shirt shop.

The crowds thin out at Sandbridge and the vibe loosens up considerably. Baja pours the margaritas that fit that particular stretch of quieter, better-kept-secret Virginia Beach.

The Cabana Bar sits right at the mouth of Rudee Inlet watching the fishing fleet come home, which makes it one of the most genuinely waterfront bars on a strip that sometimes forgets it is actually next to the water.

Oysters Rockefeller and clam chowder at 3001 Atlantic Avenue have made Rockafeller’s a fixture for diners who want their ocean view served with actual culinary effort attached.

Big Sam’s still does the raw bar the old way, cold oysters by the dozen and zero interest in the polish that has crept into the rest of the strip.