On the oceanfront in Virginia Beach, 21st Street Seafood Raw Bar at 2106 Pacific Avenue has long been a stop for anyone craving seafood in generous measure.
The sign out front is hard to miss, but it’s the sound and smell inside that make you stay: shells cracking, butter hissing, trays hitting tables stacked with crab legs and platters of blue crabs. Locals pull up alongside sunburned travelers fresh from the sand, and the room hums with easy laughter and clinking glasses.
I came in with little more than an appetite and left feeling part of a larger ritual, one built on seafood, community, and a rhythm that feels tied to the shore itself.
Saturday Blue Crab Feast
The room feels electric when the feast begins. Buckets thud, shells scatter, and voices rise over the rhythm of mallets breaking claws. The vibe is festive and slightly chaotic in the best possible way…