Big Woody’s Bar & Grill

What happened! Arrived and the deck was busy but not full. Told there was a long wait due to being short on staff. Should have left but didn’t. Got seated inside and waited, waited, waited. Hostess came back and the first thing she said was «Sorry for the wait». We would hear this phrase every single time we saw our waitress the rest of the meal… which wasn’t often. Won’t bore you with the details other than to say that the food was bad, the service was bad (couldn’t even get a refill on soda) had to go to bar to get napkins and never got silverware. I guess it’s all finger food. Did the obligatory restroom check and it was a hot mess. The place is a train wreck. The only reason I am giving two stars is that the staff was friendly when the showed up and they did tell us they were under staffed when we arrived. I am torn if we should ever go back because I think there are fatal flaws with management/​owner. If you want to risk a visit so you can try to sit outside on a dirty deck and overlook a marsh as the cars roll by then go for it but don’t say you weren’t warned.

My husband and I decided to vist last night and had a nice time. The parking lot and the place was packed, but we managed to get a table even though it was very wobbly. It was around 5:30 so there wasn’t any music yet. The atmosphere was very laid back. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. A football game was on the tvs so every so often a cheer erupted from somewhere. We had our favorite appetizers, calamari. It was actually quite good. My husband had the ribeye and I had the fish and chips. The only complaint with the meal was that my husband ordered his steak medium but received medium rare. My fish and chips were fine. The service was good even though the place was packed. We thought about hanging around to see the band but decided against it. Maybe next time.

I was here last night and I had a fantastic time overall. The people there were very friendly. The man playing acoustic guitar definitely has some amazing musical talent. Happy Hour is Mon thru Friday 11 am to 7 pm and 11 am to 9 pm Saturday and Sunday. I had the hot wings which some say are the best in Hampton Roads and honestly I can say they are indeed good but not the best I’ve had. The best wings I’ve ever had were at a place in Bellmawr NJ outside of Philadelphia at a place called Dominic’s Tavern. There fat daddy sauce is amazing but back to Big Woody’s in Great Bridge this place is super chill everyone is friendly, the girls are hot and the beer is cold!
My friend Steve had the fish and chips which is the special of the day on Sunday and it looked and smelled amazing be sure to check their website to find out the daily food specials. The burgers looked amazing too!
You will not find a better bar in Chesapeake it’s just too bad the #14 bus stops running around 6pm since I rely on HRT if I’m alone and not with friends who drive. Forget about overpriced Kelly’s Tavern or Buffalo Wild Wings. This is your go to bar/​nightclub. Get your tail down to Big Woody’s asap jabroni if ya smell what they are cookin!

This is a super chill spot to hang out in the summer time with their back deck. They have really good bands to come and dance too or a dj to jam out too!
Their food is above average and the prices are consistent with most bars/​restaurants.
They have specials daily. I know about the taco night I think it is on Tuesdays. They have a discount on the burrito or taco. I can’t remember. They also have a discount on a mexican type beer
I visit woodys periodically when I’m looking for a good time in chesapeake, where there isn’t much to do as far as nightlife out there. Maybe 2 – 3 bars total.

First time eating here. Got the Saturday Evening AYCE wings. Best wings I have ever ordered, anywhere. They are real! Simple menu, good food, good burger. Came before the band played. Meaghan kept our glasses full and was very knowledgeable of the food with great advice. One downside is the smoker smell from outdoors, but if you smoke, you got one place to go.

Awesome and cozy place to have lunch/​dinner and enjoy with your friends or family. Service is great here. There are always great specials going on for drinks and food. So far, the food has been pretty good. We’ve tried the rang tang shrimp, different flavored boneless wings, steamed/​fried shrimp, and French dip sandwich. The wings are sometimes dry or over-​cooked. One night it was extremely busy and the wings were cold. However, the servers seem to be very accommodating. Also, there are live bands that play (different music) and is very nice.
But lately here, when did big woody’s turn into big hoody’s?

Been meaning to stop at this place since I moved into the area a few weeks ago. Although the location is somewhat isolated, the parking is pretty stellar.
Inside the bar, there’s at least 30 seats AT THE BAR and a huge selection of bottles and hard liquor. There is plenty of room on the inside, which gives their live band plenty a good-​sized audience. There is a patio/​deck in the back, which can also seat a large capacity. I got a glimpse of the live band schedule for the month and there is about 18 – 20 dates filled with a live band (which starts at 9pm). If you come here late Saturday or Sunday, I can only imagine this place can get packed for football or MMA.
My waitress appeared to have a consistent smile. Believe it or not, attitude can go a long way when it comes to the customer service realm. All the waitresses (including the bartender) seemed to have mastered the resting bitch face, or appeared hungover; literally everybody walked around dragging ass (waitresses), or stood there with their arms crossed (bartender). The uniform for this location is a company t-​shirt and yoga pants. There was an older gentleman there wearing a Big Woody’s hat and company shirt; I wasn’t sure if he was an employee or the owner, but he should be more represent himself better and appear more approachable… like, ask me how my meal was, etc.
As for the service that I received, it was stellar. My waitress was Miranda was on her game. After I was seated, I was approached within two minutes and received my drink within three minutes after. I ordered an appetizer and received them within six minutes. Miranda was extremely fast, paid attention to what I ordered, and I felt like I was put first. There was no crowding around (like previous reviews) of the waitresses, and not one person pulled out their cell phone.
They fried pickles were very good and tasted homemade, which is a very good positive. Miranda recommended the Mediterranean Burger, and it was insanely delicious. It oozed of vinaigrette and was perfect; adding a sweet tea, and a bottle of Bud Light, my total tabs was $ 21.50, which is super cheap.
All in all, it was my service that will make me return.

Wow. Did I just have the worst experience in dining out that I’ve had in a long time, and at one of my favorite spots no less. I get that it was crazy busy tonight, but it’s still no excuse to make me wait nearly an hour for 12 fucking wings!
I know damn well that waitress, who shoulda been left a hostess cause she can’t serve her way out of a paper bag, never has been able to since she left her hostess station, forgot to put our order in after she left us high and dry for 20 fucking minutes. Says your order should be up real soon. 25 minutes later. No food. Then she finally appears again, she can tell we are pretty over it and tells me «oh I’m waiting just like ya’ll are»…the hell you are chick. I’m sitting in this horrible yellow back room full of kids and a birthday party after I asked not to be sat in the back room, staring at this awful yellow paint job, waiting for my dinner. I’ve maybe walked out on my order a few times in my life, it’s rude and I have served plenty in my day so I don’t like to do it, but I’m sad to say I don’t think I’ll be back to this local. Chesapeake Square is worth the drive and the wings are just as good. It’s also a lot cleaner and open. It’s a sad sad day.

Went to woodys with a couple of friends Saturday night, I though to give it a try even after reading some bad reviews, but it was actually nice. We sat outside, and it had an awesome view :) our waitress was great! Always checking on us. I had the chicken wings, I did not like them since they where really dry, but my husband said they where good. (I like wings with a sauce) my husband enjoy d he’s meal too. After 10pm it was packed! And they had a band inside, they where playing old hard rock which reminded me of the bars back home (PA) I actually wish I was inside dancing :) only bad thing ppl smoke outside, but nothing that would ruin our night. It was a good night to hang out and have a couple of drinks, def get there early to get a table. If you are planning on talking with your friends I wouldn’t sit inside. Music was LOUD!

This could be a fun little place if they amped up their menu and drinks selection. We tried a bunch of different apps — fried shrimp, steamed shrimp, crab balls and the fried calamari. Everything was just about okay, nothing super delicious and nothing tasted too fresh either.
I had a pink lemonade which came in a red plastic glass — not a great idea if you can’t see the color of your drink =) My colleagues commented the wine selection left a lot to be desired and they would have liked to see more options.
The outdoor section is nice and the service was cheerful.

The deck is nice, service good but food is mediocre. I’ve had the appetizers before and they were good but got a taco salad with chili and could have made it at home, when I was broke. It was mostly lettuce, not much chili, cilantro salsa was plain jarred salsa, no cilantro. Next time we’re going to Kelly’s across the street, they’ve got a deck too and the food’s better.

The deck is a nice place for partaking in some outdoor drinking. The food is just okay. The inside is just too dark. Needs a good renovation. This place could be great with some improvements.

Great view out on the deck, lots of seating outside and inside. Very good food, especially the garlic parm wings. Friendly crowd, friendly staff.

A great place for wings. They offer different specials throughout the week. We usually attend during the wing specials. We’ve dined at both locations and had success both times. The wings are prepared fresh and the sauces are spot on. It could be a little hotter, but that’s just the kind of food eater that I am. Wait staff was attentive. We need not want a refill or another order of food, they are on it.

Big woodys good place for wings hamburger burrito steak and entertainment if you like crowds great view nice deck that is to die for in the summer. Good place definitely into throw a few back and listen to country or eighties music… For Great Bridge it is the best bar to go and mingle and me friend

First and far most, I love how this restaurant sits on the water and offers outdoor seating in pretty much all types of weather.
I visited here last Sunday (my first time) and had the chance to sit outside on the patio (which seats about 45 people). Yes, it was 50 degrees, but they have some awesome covers that shield the not so friendly temperatures/​weather. This gives patrons and the outdoor bartender a somewhat comfortable experience, instead of dining inside.
When we arrived only two other patrons were outside. But it was like once we sat down, people just started flocking to the patio. This was a slight turnoff, because from what I know now, they allow smoking on the patio. And it just seems like at the particular hour we decided to dine, everyone wanted to smoke and drink beer, outside. Ugh…
Oh well, I was able to get past that.
Now, I’ve heard many things about this place and seemingly they were a great spot for wings and shrimp. But I opted to try something different. I’d rather try the wings and shrimp when they are offered at a discounted rate. I believe on Mondays and Thursday is when they go on special. So I will definitely return.
Nevertheless, I had the buffalo chicken wrap and my side, broccoli. This was mighty tasty. I was full and enjoyed it wholeheartedly! My guest had the «Sunday Fun day» special which consisted of 2 pieces of fried fish, fries, coleslaw and hush puppies. I did try his fish and it was good. A little greasy for me, but good!
I ordered a Margarita in honor of National Margarita Day, but it was watered down and not good at all. Instead of complaining, I sucked it down anyway. Next time, I will try another drink, and perhaps give the Margarita another try, but from a different bartender.
The menu is full of goodies, it took me about 15 minutes just to decide what I wanted. It is very overwhelming. Especially if you don’t have a taste for anything in particular.
Not sure if I would consider this place a family environment, but children were present on this particular day. Yes it’s full of cheer, but still keep a close eye on your children if you decide to bring them here.
I’m looking forward to visiting again!
Have fun :)

Graham is the best bartender in chesapeake. hands down. people… come let him make you feel goid!!!

I went in with my boyfriend for half off wing night and was disappointed at the lackluster service. As soon as we walked in we were ignored by the host as she was chatting with another employee and didn’t even notice our entrance. I asked if this was a seat yourself and she gave me a dirty look but sat us. The server was very nice but didn’t seem very experienced as she rarely checked to see how we were doing and the restaurant was completely empty. She also took my water to refill it and never returned with it not to mention it took forever to track her down to get the bill. The wings were good but the service will probably keep me from coming back.

Wow… gotta say this is going to be the worst review I’ve given in long time. From the get go I felt a weird vibe when we stepped in for lunch. No one seated us so we ended up sitting at the bar. After listening to some of that chatter at the bar I realized, there may not be a rebel flag hanging on the wall but the ‘old south’ sure seemed to be alive here.
Our bartender was nice and got us some iced tea and my co-​worker and I ordered lunch. I chose the Spicy Garlic Parmesan wings and he ordered a Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. While waiting for lunch I noticed they had both kinds of music on the radio. Country and Western. A waitress who was had been filling salt and pepper shakers at a table behind us dropped them all over the floor. No matter, she picked them up and disbursed them on the tables like nothing had happened.
Our food eventually arrived and I received my wings in one basket and the fries in second one. My wings had been coated in something, but I’m not sure what. No sauce I’m familiar with. They also smelled funny. Not bad per say, but different. There was nothing spicy about them, or any garlic on them from what I could tell. I could see some Parmesan but that’s about it. This is not the kind of place I would send my food back to the kitchen so I ate about half the wings and left the rest. The fries were okay. I also noticed after lunch I had to wash my hands a couple of times to fully remove the odor from the wings as well. My co-​worker said his sandwich wasn’t any better. I know this is a bar per say, but even for bar food this was pitiful.
We paid the bill and left. I’m obviously never going to step foot in here again as there are so many better wing choices in the area. However if you’re out on your swamp fan boat or just in need of a good slumming, this is the place for you. Enjoy.

This is our new favorite place. This is another of the local places I kept meaning to try. We finally did about a month ago and have been 6 times now. I’ve gone with just my husband, just the kids, and as an entire family. Early, it’s a great family place. The kids can run around and it’s noisy. Later, there is live music. They have great dinner and drink specials before 7. They have bike parking, cornhole tournaments, etc.