Hampton Roads has a halal hibachi problem that is really a geography problem. The region's Muslim population is spread across Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Portsmouth, and the halal dining that exists is spread thin across all four with tunnels and bridges in between. For Japanese food specifically, the options have been close to none, which is why plenty of families have simply stopped looking.
We are at 5802 E Virginia Blvd, Space #130, Norfolk, VA 23502. Here is the honest case for the drive, from wherever in Hampton Roads you are starting.
From Virginia Beach
The oceanfront and the Town Center area are both a straightforward run west on I-264, and depending on where in the city you start you are looking at fifteen to thirty minutes. That is a real drive for a Tuesday and a reasonable one for a Friday.
What you get for it is a menu where everything qualifies rather than one dish that has been adjusted. 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 no cross-contact conversation. Sauces are made in our own kitchen rather than bought from a distributor, which is the step that catches most hibachi restaurants out, because commercial teriyaki and eel sauce are routinely built on mirin or cooking sake.
If you are making the drive, make it worth a full order. Two plates plus a roll travels better than one plate does.
From Chesapeake and Portsmouth
Chesapeake comes up I-464 or 64 depending on where you start, and most of the city is inside twenty five minutes. Portsmouth is through the tunnel, which means the drive time depends entirely on the hour rather than the distance.
For both, ordering ahead is the difference. Everything is cooked when the ticket lands, so putting the order in before you get in the car means you collect rather than wait. Our hours are 11AM to 11PM Monday through Saturday and 11AM to 10PM on Sunday, which leaves plenty of room after a tunnel backup.
From Naval Station Norfolk and the base communities
This is the shortest trip of the lot and the one that generates the most weeknight orders. The base runs on shift schedules that do not match restaurant hours, and our 11PM close covers more of those than most kitchens in the area do.
For a shop or a division feeding a group, wings scale further per dollar than anything else. Fifty pieces is $67.99 and a hundred is $130.99, across fourteen flavors. Call 757-937-3543 the day before for anything over fifty.
Fall in Hampton Roads
September resets the region. Old Dominion and Norfolk State are both back in session with home football schedules, and the Saturdays those produce fill the area around Norfolk with people who need to eat before or after a game. High school football runs Friday nights across all four cities. The weather turns from unbearable to excellent, which pushes everything outdoors and then indoors again by 9PM, hungry.
The practical effect on this store is that Friday and Saturday evenings compress into a tight window. If you are coming from Virginia Beach on a game Saturday, order from the road.
What to order in Norfolk
Steak Hibachi, $13.85. Any two sides included. The order that justifies the drive.
Chicken Hibachi, $10.85. The baseline, and a complete hot meal under eleven dollars.
Chicken, Beef and Shrimp Combo, $15.85. Three proteins, two sides. The order for two people.
Chicken and Beef Bento, $14.85. Hibachi, vegetables, rice or noodles, a 4-piece California Roll, dumplings and spring rolls, in a closed box. The best thing on the menu for a thirty minute drive home.
Green Dragon Roll, $10.85. Halal sushi in Hampton Roads, which is not a sentence this region could say easily before.
50-Piece Wings, $67.99. Fourteen flavors. The group order.
How the plates are built: every hibachi comes with any two sides from fried rice, white rice, lo mein noodles or vegetables. Extra chicken is $3.45 and extra salmon, beef or shrimp is $4.45, which is the cheapest way to stretch one plate across two people.
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.
