About - The Local @ ORF
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Amenities and More
Offerings
- Alcohol
- Beer
- Coffee
- Quick bite
- Wine
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible entrance
- Wheelchair accessible parking lot
- Wheelchair accessible restroom
Atmosphere
- Casual
Top Reviews
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Some of the reviews for this place are pretty terrifying but by and large I think The Local is getting dinged for simply being a generic airport bar/restaurant; it's by no means an establishment I'd go out of my way to visit but it's there and could be a lot worse. I unfortunately drew the short straw and just missed a potential flight back to Newark by a few minutes, so I had close to five or six hours until my official flight back (maybe if we'd known that beforehand, a trip to nearby downtown Norfolk would have been in order, but no matter). I was in Terminal B but the dining options there looked pretty bleak. An employee told me this one was slightly better so I did something I NEVER do and certainly wouldn't entertain if this were a busier airport - I walked back out past security, knowing I'd have to go through again in the near future, and made myself comfortable at a six-top near the bar. My waitress was phenomenal and honestly one of the few selling points here - I THINK her name might have been Tori. She also bore an eerie resemblance to actress Valorie Curry, who I don't think I've seen on screen since The Following a decade ago. Anyway. Very nice and basically let me just hang out for several hours taking up space (which was probably an easy sell given that the restaurant wasn't particularly busy throughout my visit there). She had a ton of tables in the front section to visit and always found time to check in with me. As an aside, I was there long enough to see quite a few informal interactions amongst the staff, and there was a lot of good vibes there and co-workers who clearly enjoyed spending time with one another; definitely not a given but a positive for sure. I wasn't insanely hungry off of two pretty hearty meals that morning and prior night, so I just got the crab dip to munch on, along with a glass of sauv blanc. Honestly, the crab dip itself was perfectly fine but in what I'd consider an unforced error, they've made the decision to coat the top of it with this rubbery layer of cheese. Mystifying. I was able to eat around it with minimal drama but that should 100% be removed from future crab dips - you're actually ruining the best part of the app. Otherwise, it was good though. It came with some pita crisps for dipping and a side of chips. If they removed that one annoying ingredient, this would be pretty legit. The prices to me are way too high. Yes, I think you should expect some upcharge given that you're at an airport, but this is an airport that doesn't appear to have been upgraded since 1991 with minimal travelers. The glass of wine was $22, which is just insulting; I'd be mildly annoyed at that if I were in my home airport of Newark though would at least understand it to some extent. And having reasonable pricing would lessen the impact of the mediocre food. At least you'd be getting what you pay for. Certainly not a full-throated endorsement here. I didn't sample any of the other sit-down restaurant options, and there's arguably a downside to picking one outside rather than inside security. But in defense of that decision, I was literally the only person at TSA both times and this wasn't terrible. It helped pass the time, and I think that's literally its primary purpose. So it checks off that box at least.
Our group ordered The Local, the Chicken Quesadilla, and the Buffalo Wings - they were all delicious! The crab dip was the BEST of all of them!
Right before the security check point. The food was amazing! Deborah customer service was excellent. I have been flying in and out of Norfolk for years never tried the food. Glad I went there today was worth the cost and time.