Norfolk is a two-campus football city, and from September through November the Saturdays show it. Between Old Dominion and Norfolk State, the city fills with students, alumni and families who all have the same two problems: what to eat before a game that starts in ninety minutes, and what is still open afterward.
We are at 5802 E Virginia Blvd, Space #130, open until 11PM Monday through Saturday. This is the practical version of that answer.
Before the game
The pregame window is short and everyone uses it at once. Between roughly 11AM and 1PM for an afternoon kickoff, every kitchen in the area gets the same rush at the same time.
Two rules make it work.
Order from the road, not the counter. Everything is cooked when the ticket lands. A ticket placed twenty minutes out means you collect and go. A ticket placed at the counter means you stand there while it cooks.
Order food you can eat standing up. A hibachi plate is a sit-down food. A bento closes and travels, which is the entire reason it exists. The Chicken and Beef Bento at $14.85 comes with hibachi, vegetables, rice or noodles, a 4-piece California Roll, dumplings and spring rolls, all in one container with a lid.
For a tailgate of any size, wings are the correct order. Fifty pieces at $67.99 covers twelve to fifteen people. A hundred at $130.99 covers thirty five to forty and is the lowest cost per person on the menu.
Fourteen flavors: Rim Fire, Mango Habanero, Hot, Mild, Thai Chilli, Lemon Pepper, Garlic Parmesan, Buffalo Gold, Teriyaki, Sweet and Tangy, Honey Garlic, Honey BBQ, Chipotle BBQ and Old Bay. For a mixed group, split across three.
After the game
This is where Norfolk gets thin, and where the 11PM close earns its keep. A 3:30PM kickoff ends near 7PM. A 6PM kickoff ends near 9:30PM, and by then a lot of the area is winding down.
The postgame order is different from the pregame one. People are tired, they want a real hot meal rather than something to carry, and price matters more after four hours of concessions.
Chicken Hibachi, $10.85. A complete hot meal with two sides included, under eleven dollars.
Steak Hibachi, $13.85. The one to order if the result went your way.
Chicken, Beef and Shrimp Combo, $15.85. Three proteins, two sides, feeds two people who are done making decisions.
10-Piece Wings, $15.99. A meal on its own, and the thing to order if you are still not sitting down.
Matcha Milk Tea, $8.15 or Brown Sugar Milk Tea, $7.49. Ten toppings available. The thing people order instead of another soda.
For students
Both campuses have a real halal need and neither has much nearby that meets it, which is the specific gap this location fills.
Hibachi plates start at $10.85 with two sides included, which makes a full hot meal cheaper than most fast casual in the area. Splitting works better still. The Chicken, Beef and Shrimp Combo at $15.85 plus a California Roll at $8.85 comes to $24.70 for two people, which is twelve thirty five each.
For an org meeting or a study group, a 20-piece wing order at $28.99 with Fried Rice at $5.45 runs about eight sixty a head for four people.
The add-on trick is worth knowing: extra chicken on a plate is $3.45 and extra salmon, beef or shrimp is $4.45. One plate with an add-on costs less than two plates and feeds two people.
Why the whole order is halal
There is no halal section on our menu and no special request to make. The entire menu qualifies at every location.
Chicken, beef and lamb come from halal suppliers. No pork is served, stored or cooked anywhere on the premises, which means the flat top has one job and there is nothing to work around. Our sauces are made in our own kitchen rather than bought from a distributor, which handles the mirin and cooking sake routinely found in commercial teriyaki and eel sauce, and which is the step most hibachi kitchens cannot answer for.
For a group order with mixed requirements, that means one list rather than two. There is also a Tofu Hibachi at $10.85 and a Tofu Bento at $13.85 for vegetarians, from the same order.
Visit us
Halal hibachi in Norfolk, open until 11PM. Flame Japanese Hibachi Norfolk, 5802 E Virginia Blvd, Space #130, Norfolk, VA 23502. 757-937-3543. Mon to Sat 11AM to 11PM, Sun 11AM to 10PM.
