If you love seafood, then you know that all it takes is one bad meal to ruin your experience. From preparation to presentation, learn how to sniff out the very best seafood restaurants in Virginia Beach so you have an amazing meal each and every time.

Ingredients are fresh or freshly imported

A great seafood restaurant uses seafood that has been freshly caught either locally or imported within 24 hours from other nearby ports. The last thing you want to eat is fish frozen and imported from another country (up to 85% of seafood consumed in America is imported this way), as this can compromise your dining experience. Not only will a great seafood restaurant in Virginia Beach serve you only the freshest seafood, they will happily tell you where they get their fresh produce.

Note: A telltale sign that seafood is not fresh is if you detect a taste or smell of ammonia. When your fish has an ammonia taste, it is in its decomposition stage, and is not appetizing nor fresh to eat.

What you order is what you get

Great restaurants not only list the best in king crab, halibut, salmon, and more, but actually serve you just what you have ordered, instead of a cheaper seafood substitute they think tastes the same.

Cleanliness is not an issue

When you first walk into a seafood restaurant, what you should smell should make your mouth water, not your eyes burn. A fresh seafood restaurant should have a slight sweet buttery smell, and not smell at all like a salty sea harbor. If what you smell is butter, lemon, herbs, and fresh sizzling seafood, you've likely come to a great restaurant. If what you smell is the raw ocean, then you may want to seek a meal elsewhere.

A reputation second to none

Seafood lovers know a great restaurant when they see one, and they are the first to let all their friends know. If you know of a restaurant in Virginia Beach that is known for their steamed clams, odds are their food is as good as people say it is. Seafood eaters can be picky about what they put in their mouths, and their word of mouth is as good as gold in the seafood industry.

Great seafood in Virginia Beach all boils down to knowing the best restaurants to dine at. When you know just what to look for, you can find a new fabulous place to enjoy a terrific seafood that will tease your taste buds perfectly.