Today I’d like to introduce Hotrodders Café to those of you who may not know them. If you do know them we’ll just have to see if you agree with me on this one. This will be interesting for me to write considering I don’t have notes on them. I carry a notebook with me and usually write some notes about a restaurant once we leave. Well I have none for Hotrodders Café. I do have lots of pictures though. Also, this post will be about multiple visits here. I’ll explain as I go.

Where is Hotrodders Café?

Hotrodders Café is located at 1457 Mount Pleasant Rd. in Chesapeake, VA. I call it near Great Bridge. They are in a shopping center at the intersection of Centerville Turnpike and Mount Pleasant Rd. We’ve been there from several different directions. Even stumbled upon them by accident once when just out doing a Jeep ride. They’re not hard to find at all.

The Restaurant and Staff:

The restaurant is average sized. Its décor is, as the name says, hotrods. There’s a lot of pictures of some awesome cars and trucks all around on the walls. Want to go to a car show without the crowd? Here you go. They have quite a few Mustangs, Camaros, and various Mopars for your enjoyment. Other than the cars and trucks the dining room is set up similar to a 50’s style dinner. I really like the décor.

The staff is wonderful. The manager, Amber, has greeted us each time we’ve been there. Our first couple of visits we were waited on by her daughter, Abby. Both were out of their way friendly and very attentive to all the guests. Yes, this is a family owned and run restaurant. Amber and her husband form the culinary team. We haven’t met him yet. He stays busy in the kitchen. When you arrive you’ll be greeted and seated, usually anywhere you’d like to sit. It’s just a very friendly atmosphere.

So, how about the food? Like I said we’ve made several trips here so there’s a lot to talk about.

Our Choices at Hotrodders Café:

I’m splitting this up to try and keep things a little easier to read and understand.

So, “Our” choices came with the appetizers. We have had fried green tomatoes a couple of times. Simply killer. They also come with a ranch type dipping sauce that has a little kick to it. I like it a lot but it has too much bite for Tammy. She just asks for some ranch to dip in. We also have tried the fried pickles. These were good but I liked the green tomatoes better. Tammy loved the pickles. In addition to these I’ve tried the vegetable beef soup. I may go back on a cold afternoon and just have that for lunch someday. Thus far there are no disappointments.

My Choices at Hotrodders Café:

Even though I went to Hotrodders Café with every intention of checking out their bbq, I became so sidetracked when Amber began talking to me about their seafood. I cracked and went for it. It being the Seafood Platter. No bbq this trip. This platter came with a fresh flounder fillet, a crab cake, jumbo shrimp and clam strips. Along with that came the slaw and fresh cut fries (fully loaded). This was some awesome seafood. Fried to perfection and just wonderful. To me, I’d have to go to the Outer Banks to get seafood this good.

I did resist the seafood on my next visit and tried out their bbq. It is not prepared in house but Amber told me that they have a supplier in Carolina and he cooks it up. Since this is a bbq blog I’ll tell you that the pulled pork is good. It’s good but just not as good as “cooked out back and served fresh”. I

don’t want to discourage anyone from trying it. Some of the restaurants with in house Pitmasters serve better. And some serve worse. So give it a shot. I believe you’ll enjoy the experience. If you zoom in on the picture you can see the smokering and it does have a pretty good NC BBQ taste. The baked beans were also very good and back to being prepared in house. Then, just look at those loaded fries. Hurt me.

 

 

In addition to the bbq I also tried out their Brunswick Stew. The stew here is exceptional. Lots of meat and veggies in a tomato style stock. Great flavor. Definitely give it a try when you visit.

 

Tammy’s Choices at Hotrodders Café:

Tammy chose a Hawaiian Burger with Fresh Cut Fries as a side. The burger itself is awesome. Add to that some cheese and pineapple and you’re ready for a luau. Did I mention that all this is served on a homemade bun? Yes, take note of the letters “HR” on top of the bun. If you’re in the mood for a home cooked burger but just don’t want to take the time or clean up the mess afterwards Hotrodders Café offers several different takes on the burger. Another sure bet if that’s what you’re in the mood for.

Desserts:

We have had some outstanding desserts at Hotrodders Café. On our first visit alone Tammy actually went for their homemade Banana Pudding. This is a true shock since there was chocolate on the menu.

 

However, it was really good. I’m glad she chose it so I could try it too. Just to keep things different, I went with a Blackberry Cobbler with Ice Cream. Normally I don’t go for blackberry but went for it this time. Another homemade delight. These desserts were great as have been the others that we’ve had since our first encounter. The hard part is saving room for them. I usually don’t and go for a nice miserable ride home after diner.

Final Thoughts:

I guess this is one you can see where I’m going with them. I love this place. And as you’ve seen, not just for bbq. Hotrodders Café has a wonderful menu with several different styles of food choices. I don’t think you can go wrong with anything you try here. I need to go back for the Bay Burger, a 1/3 pound burger topped with a crab cake. Need I say more? I’d definitely recommend them. I do suggest you look them up on line and check out their menu. That way you’ll know what they serve and can be ready for working your way through the menu. Just don’t try to do it in one night.

Now For Your Thoughts:

So how do you feel about Hotrodders Café? If you’ve been here drop a comment off and let us know what you thought. We’d love to know how others feel about them and how your experience there went.

What do you regulars think?

And you regulars out there. What do you think? Here’s an opportunity to let others know how you feel about your restaurant. Give Amber and her family a few good comments for everyone else to see. Get your comments in and I’ll post them as soon as possible.

I look forward to hearing from you.

 

I always encourage you to share this review on Facebook and other social media sites. Follow us on Facebook to see where else we go.

 

You can check out their website at: http://www.hotrodderscafe.net/

You can also find them on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/HotroddersCafe

 

Enjoy the ride, good eating and thanks for stopping by.