The Ten Top

Wow the food is amazing. Best tuna melt I have ever had in a restaurant. My husband had the north Carolina bbq and it was as good as North Carolinas!

LOVE the food and the vibe of the place. Seating is cramped. It is serve-​yourself and counter-​ordering which I don’t love but I would stand in a long line for the potato salad so I can tolerate coming up to the counter to order. Some people love the homemade ginger ale, I found it disgusting. The food can’t be beat and the portions are enormous.

The best «hidden» gem on Colley avenue for food by far. Right in the «heart» of Ghent this quaint little food spot delivers the best variety of cuisine compared to anything in the area. I always get the Greek lamb hoagie with the potato salad. The crispy bun with the perfectly cooked lamb really goes well with the sauce, the melted cheese and sauteed spinach.
(They have the best potato salad I have ever tasted (sorry mom/​grandma).)
I would recommend somewhere else (or get it to go) if you have a party of six or more because the place is small and fills up relatively quick whenever I am there (all the time). Follow them on social media to quickly know about their delicious food specials that change daily.

Recently, a friend forwarded me an article written up about 10 eateries in Virginia that everyone must try. The Ten Top was one of 2 Hampton Roads restaurants featured, so I figured that I would check out their Unilocal page to judge for myself. After looking at the first few pictures, I was sold and knew that a visit was imminent. My wife and I were able to make our way to Ghent last week and give Ten Top a try and we were very very pleased! The food was out of this world amazing, the atmosphere was relaxing and inviting, and the people working behind the counter were super friendly and very helpful.
My wife and I decided on what we were going to order based off of Unilocal pictures, so ordering at Ten Top was a breeze. I chose the Tuna Melt and she chose the Greek Hoagie. The plan was to split the hoagies. After my first bite of the Tuna Melt, I wanted to snatch the other half I had shared with my wife out of my her basket. I literally felt like Gollum from Lord of the Rings, but instead of obsessing over a precious ring, I was obsessing over the other half of my precious Tuna Melt. The Greek Hoagie that my wife ordered was delicious as hell, but something about the Tuna Melt sent my taste buds to the moon. I grew up eating my father’s delicious tuna salad and over the years, I had yet to find one that touched his until now! Ten Top makes a Tuna Melt that my father would be proud of. In fact, I am going to find a way to get him there. He is a car nut and the parking situation would potentially give him a heart attack, so I will certainly have to pick him up and do the driving.
I cannot wait for our next visit to Ten Top. I don’t find my way down to Ghent very often, but I will now find a way since their Tuna Melt is my new obsession. I highly recommend giving Ten Top a try if you haven’t already!

Great food, reasonably priced, will return again. Highly recommend it! Pulled pork and potato salad was tasty!

1 St time eating here, and was not impressed. I ordered the pulled pork sandwich. The pork was good but, without asking they put too much hot sauce on it. Most places would let their customers put on their on seasonings. This ruined my sandwich. Based on this I would not eat here again.

I had the roasted mushroom and potato soup + warm goat cheese and walnut salad. Boo had the ten top chicken wrap with pasta salad. We love that this place is small and cozy. Love that they post on Facebook the daily specials.
The roasted mushroom and potato soup was SOOOOO good! Like seriously, I crave it and get sad when I don’t see it on their daily soup menu. PLEASE MAKE THIS SOUP MORE OFTEN!
The warm goat cheese and walnut salad is huge, really. I probably only was able to eat ¼ of it and had to take the rest home.
Boofriend’s chicken wrap was massive too! Size is definitely not an issue with The Ten Top. I like that the chicken salad wasn’t overly dressed with mayo and stuff. Pasta salad was like a typical Italian based pasta salad, but for some reason that night it was just really good, or we were just really craving for the taste of pasta salad.
Overall, definitely worth a buck there in terms of portion size. I don’t think you could go wrong with any choice here.
PS: Parking can be a serious b*tch, but then again, where isn’t it in Ghent?

My husband and I were so jazzed to try this place and were sadly disappointed. A lot of the items we saw on Unilocal are no longer available. In fact, the meal was pretty forgettable that I don’t even remember what I got. My husband got the meatloaf, which was okay. The service was really good and the staff super helpful :). Our bill came out to around $ 35 with tip – a lot of money for a forgettable meal. I had high hopes, but haven’t returned since. The atmosphere was chill, so I may try again.

Don’t let the modest outward appearance fool you — this place is legit. I had the baked caprese sandwich and it was absolutely phenomenal. Beautifully ripe tomatoes, the perfect amount of basil, topped with an unhealthily perfect amount of mozzarella, all baked to perfection on a hoagie roll. Absolute 10!
I also had one of the bottled root beers they sell. That was also delicious and hit the spot.
The price was right, too. With tip, I paid less than $ 13.
The only things that would make this better would be a little investment to modernize the place, add in a way to accommodate bigger groups, and put beer on tap. Until these things happen though, don’t miss out on this rare gem!

This was our first stop in Norfolk, VA (thanks to Unilocal) and I’m happy it was!
My boyfriend ordered the Tuna Melt, and I ordered the chicken, apple chutney, and provolone wrap. Everything was SUPER fresh, and really delicious. The only thing that would’ve made our lunch better would have been home made tea or lemonade. The only options offered were bottled drinks.
I would recommend to anyone for a filling, bang for your buck, lunch.

I really wanted to love this place, but our sandwiches were very OK.
We got them to go, since there isn’t much seating in the place.
I ordered a caprese sandwich, my fiancé ordered the pimento cheese sandwich and we shared both.
The caprese just wasn’t proportioned right. When eating it, you want both the tomato and mozzarella to be in each bite, but this sandwich crammed all the unripened tomatoes to the bottom of the sub style roll making it pretty much impossible to eat them with the cheese.
The pimento sandwich just didn’t work with the roll it was on. My fiancé was complaining about how hard the bread was, probably because all the soft cheese would ooze out leaving most of it on the plate and not much left on the bread. It was really salty as well.
I did love the grapefruit soda. That was delicious. And for sides the potato salad was spot on — perfection on creaminess and the potatoes were cooked just right. The staff was also very helpful and nice.
We’ll go back I’m sure but I’ll be trying different things on the menu.

This is really more of a 3.5 for me. I like most of the food I’ve tried, but the bad items are really bad and the specials could do with some more variety — it’s usually a slab of meat with a side of flavored mashed potatoes and plain steamed mixed veggies (not even salt!). Their tomato parmesan soup seems to be very heavy on the parm and light on the tomato — very salty and overall unpleasant.
Part of the draw for this place is the «healthy» options. Most of the options ARE healthier than other neighboring options. However, the portions are beyond huge and are best split up into two meals to actually be completely healthy both content AND portion-​wise. I generally end up with so much food that if I can’t split it with someone it goes to waste because I’ve already had too much whatever/​mashed potatoes/​plain boring veggies. It also comes in flimsy thin plastic containers so I’ve also had some problems with getting my meal safely home.
My favorite option is the baked caprese sandwich even if the bread usually ends up being too tough to eat it like an actual sandwich. It’s healthy without being a giant food bomb that needs to be slept off like a thanksgiving meal. I would probably come here more often if there were more light but not salad vegetarian options. Most of their options are just so heavy and require more than a one-​meal commitment which keeps me from coming back more often.
Compared to most of the competition within a few blocks, this place is dynamite when it comes to food and service.

You know how sometimes on a first visit you are unsure where it lands on the olé 1 – 5 scale? Well I would say that is a fair assessment of how things went today. I did not love my sandwich, but really thought the small place was chill. Not to mention service was excellent. What made this all change was a woman named Elvira. She sat in the corner starring at me and I must say it was a turn on. So what began as an average lunch later turned into an exhilarating Friday trist.
I met a friend around 11:30 AM to get a head of the crowd. That worked out pretty good until it came time to park. So let’s get to the most challenging item to be concerned about. If your driving and attempting to park at peak times it may be a big hassle. It was not bad for me after some effort. Parking is either going to be on parallel on Colley, or curb on Shirely for the most part. That is unless you hit the lottery and score one of their two spaces directly in front of the building. The laundromat beside The Ten Top has signs up «for customers only» and unless you feel like getting towed I would not push it. Keep in mind if you do park on Shirley to kiss the curb and don’t block a drive. It is very narrow and I imagine a mirror, or two, or there has been knocked off.
Fliers are neatly taped to the inside of the window creating an awesome community board collage. The vibe was definitely hippie and no shock there. We aren’t in Kansas anymore Dorthy, this is hip and trendy Ghent. As I opened the glass door and it was surprising how small the sandwich shop was. A few tables, counter directly in front and I loved the open air kitchen. Concrete floors and menu boards decorated the walls. The counter was full of tiny nick knack toys the kids are sure to mess with and I’m sure that’s why they are there. I immediately felt comfortable with the 4 – 5 others enjoying lunch.
I don’t know about you, but it is always kinda awkward the first time your at a walk up, especially if you have not familiar with the line up at all. So when I saw their paper menu on the counter it was intimidating with lots of choices. I pulled the olé what would you recommend that is a tried and true method used for centuries. The Greek Lamb Hoagie was one of a few recommended by the hip young blondie woman. I did not hesitate and said go for it. Prices seem fair and it you want a drink it’s all bottled up in the cooler to grab.
My friend and I found a table by the window. Tables not occupied were cleared and clean. The floors clean and overall appearance was that they take care of the dining room which is always a great start for me. Sorry to disappoint those that want a view, but other than some people watching on Colley if you stretch out a bit there is none. I also checked out the restroom prior lunch delivery and found them tidy.
This is when I spotted her in the corner looking so sexy. Unless you are a pinball enthusiast you may not be get as worked up as I. Elvira and The Party Monsters Pinball by Bally’s is a 1989 machine. I have not laid eyes on her since college when we were a hot item at my pizza hangout. It took every bit of restraint in my body to not be out in out rude and leave my friend and play her. But I’m an adult and had restraint, not to mention lunch was being served.
So let’s talk food. The Greek Lamb Hoagie had spinach, mozzarella baked in a French Baguette and topped with cucumber dill dressing. It is one of their most popular sandwiches. However, I felt bread was so crispy it was difficult to even approach with dill dressing filling the bread type bowl up. The taste was okay, just too much dill for me, but the meat once I could get to it was really good. The side of potato salad was fantastic and I loved. My friend got the pulled a pulled pork sandwich and pasta salad and he said it was delicious. That is what I should have ordered, oh well next time.
The young woman at the counter came over to our table and cleared plates. It is not a self bus, but was still very impressed with how attentive she was. The visit was a solid 3, recommend and i will be back. But wait a minute, what about Elvira and if our still reading my boring review notice I gave them a 4.
After my friend left I said goodbye at the car and he went on his merry way. I got in my car too, even started it… then got out and went back to be with my lost love from college. The nice young woman at the counter provided quarters for the machine and I was ready to have Elvira make my dreams come true. After so many years of s. I tossed in 50 cents for 5 balls and channeled my inner pinball wizard and boy did I have a blast! I even popped her twice, but sadly could not achieve the high score after approximately 45 minutes.
So, to wrap up. Cool place would return and get different sandwich. Service was excellent. Elvira you rock my world. What better time than the approaching Halloween season to come back and spend some quality time with the Mistress of the Dark.

After reading reviews and seeing how high of a rating this place had, I about «lol’d» when I actually walked in! What a surprise, random, small little place– with great food. Places like this are great for when you’re not wanting to spend a lot of $ but want some good quality meals.
The menu is all over the place!!! We were looking at it saying, WTF, there’s just about any cuisine represented here, where do we even start… I had been really craving pasta, so I got their tortellini. And man was it good. A little heavy on the butter, but I loved that it included zucchini, squash, tomato, and spinach in with the sauce. I was very satisfied. Actually, it was such a huge portion I took it home for lunch the next day.
Everyone else at my table was satisfied as well. One person had the pear ham sandwich (which was actually a large slice of ham, not pre-​packaged deli style), another had the chili, and another had the salmon salad. We left feeling full and happy, that’s for sure.
Like I said, the place is really small, and doesn’t have much more than «ten» seats, but its got charm. The staff was helpful, the meal came quick, OH and they have some really good bottled soda to choose from. Loved it.

I first ate at the original location when it opened in 1996, where the Nazef Char Grille sits today at the intersection of Colley and Harrington Avenue. I became an instant fan and followed them to their next and current location on Shirley Avenue, where I became a regular customer.
My dining habits later veered off into a different direction, marked by my absence of several years. It was only during the past few weeks that I made my return, which has given me the opportunity to revisit and enjoy a few of my old favorite dishes. I can honestly say that they are every bit as good as I remembered, if not better. They include the following:
BLACK BEAN & CORN CHILI: «Our expertly seasoned black beans topped with mozzarella, tomatoes, sweet corn, and scallions over brown rice, served with French or multigrain bread.»
This is an intensely flavorful dish, one that is so very healthy at the same time. Their black beans are cooked to a soft and creamy texture that combines beautifully with the brown rice and other ingredients to form a wonderful taste combination. I chose the multigrain bread, which exhibited a nice flavor I enjoyed even more when I dipped it into the chili.
It is available in two sizes, small and large, and I recently ordered the large size during two separate visits. The portion sizes were enough to provide me with three solid meals; one for dinner and two more for lunch. Its flavor actually seemed to improve when reheated a day or two later.
THAI PEANUT NOODLES: «Carrots and red & bell peppers stir fried in a spicy peanut sauce with linguini topped with scallions.»
I ordered this one for a take-​home lunch one day and had forgotten how dangerously delicious it could be. The flavor of the spicy peanut sauce exhibited a remarkable depth, full of zest, and with a thickness of texture that was a perfect match for the linguini. The portion size was easily enough for two meals, but I was unable to restrain myself as I devoured all of it in one sitting.
I also used to enjoy their evening salmon specials, which still appear randomly about once a week. I enjoyed this one during a recent visit:
RED CURRY GLAZED SALMON: «Over coconut brown rice ‘risotto’, steamed vegetables, salad, and bread.»
The salmon piece was huge, succulent, and was served with some of its skin intact, which provided an extra layer of flavor. Its flavor profile was heightened further by its delicious red curry glaze. The coconut brown rice risotto was out of this world, and the vegetables included pieces of fresh and nicely cooked broccoli, squash, zucchini, and carrots.
The salad, which was boxed separately for my take-​out order, included lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots with a lemon based dressing that was very flavorful. The multigrain bread was enjoyed as well. The volume of this dish was enough to last me for two meals for an outstanding value.
BLENHEIM HOT GINGER ALE: This is available from their cabinet of drinks, and I love to sip on a bottle of this one while waiting for my take-​home order. It is my all time favorite ginger ale, and I love its hot and spicy kick. It comes with a red cap, and the counter person will usually warn you of its heat level before you pay for it.

The charming and whimsical atmosphere and décor, which have been well described in other reviews, have hardly changed over the years. I especially love the quotations from famous writers and philosophers that are etched upon their wall. Some quotations from William Faulkner were featured one week, with my favorite being «Pouring out liquor is like burning books.» I will certainly drink to that.
During the following week, some quotations from Lord Byron were featured, one of which was: «Those who will not reason are bigots, those who cannot are fools, and those who dare not are slaves.» I wil be looking forward to seeing who will be featured next.
During a recent lunch stop, I also sampled one of their sandwich specials:
SMOKED SALMON, AVOCADO, APPLEWOOD BACON, ARUGULA, & SUN DRIED TOMATO AIOLI ON A FRENCH BAQUETTE. I just have one word to say: Awesome!
This leads me to one suggestion. Although their lunch specials are posted online daily, I would love to see them do the same for their dinner specials as well. This would alert me to their delicious salmon specials more often when they become available.
This restaurant is a truly unique gem in Ghent’s dining scene, and I am so glad to have returned.

With almost 200 reviews, The Ten Top (TT) doesn’t really need another review – but I’m going to do one anyway. Because of that, let’s shake things up a bit, shall we?
~ The Ten Top’s Top Ten ~
1) Primo location in the wonderful business district of Ghent.
2) Their potato salad is pretty outstanding. Like award-​winning potato salad. O-​o 5*
3) Apple Turkey Club – it has cinnamon bread, yo! 5*
4) The Bacon Date Flatbread Pizza is the only date you need. It comforts you, fills up your tummy, and satisfies your tastebuds. 4*
5) The service is friendly and they always put napkins and utensils in my to-​go order.
6) If you don’t like potato salad (who doesn’t like potato salad?!), their pasta salad is delicious, too. They use rotini and it’s cooked perfectly – nice al dente instead of overcooked pasta like most places. They also add zucchini and squash, which is a nice touch. 4*
7) Value, value, value! The other day I ordered the Turkey Apple Club with Pasta Salad for $ 7.95. That sandwich itself is huge, and the portion of the side is extremely generous – I was able to turn it into two meals. Now that’s value!
8) They have lunch specials and they post them on Facebook every day. (
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9) TT’s interior has a hipster, unique, laid-​back vibe that I dig.
10) And last, but certainly not least, they are a local business and that’s what Ghent is all about.

I adore The Ten Top.
I adore the friendly staff who work here.
I adore their lunch specials.
I adore that they k.i.t. via facebook.
I adore their sides (potato salad, holla!)
There is a good reason this place has amazing reviews, trust me!
I’ll just chat with you about my most recent visit.
It was a rainy day, but I conquered the weather along side my co-​worker and trusty umbrella to get a little sumthin’ for lunch. My partner in crime had never been to Ten Top, but frequent (ed) Chipolte across the street, I’ve changed that!
We both decided on the lunch special that day which was a crab cake sandwich with bacon, avocado, arugula… I’m sure there’s more, but you get how amazing that sounds, I’m sure. This was the first time I opted for the potato salad as a side and I will honestly never even think about another side again… marriage proposal? Okay, thats going too far, lol, but it was super tasty.
If you’re going out with friends and this is on your list, honestly, you can’t go wrong here.

I’d heard so many great things about this place over the years but had never made my way here until recently. I have been missing out!
It’s a cozy little restaurant tucked inside a small street that I probably would have missed if I wasn’t looking for it. We’d actually passed it and had to come back around to look for parking! The restaurant itself is pretty small with just a couple of tables and a counter with seating. You order at the register and they bring your food to the table.
My food was delicious! I got the turkey apple club sandwich and a side of cole slaw. It was so good that my mouth waters just thinking about it! I really enjoyed my meal!
The server was very nice, and she checked on us frequently to make sure we were doing ok. She was very quick to get us what we needed.
I really like this place and can’t believe I’ve been missing out for so long! I would definitely come back!

Let me begin with the service. To the cashier with blonde hair & glasses, one should never assume that a customer, who doesn’t include a tip up front when paying by credit card for his or her order, will not tip with cash at the end of the meal.
Cashier was all smiles at first. After we paid, there was no hiding the emotionless facial expression. Wasn’t even fake friendly so it went all downhill after that:
1. came by with 2 cups of water without saying a word.
2. table next to us who placed their order way after we did got their food first; wouldn’t doubt if it was set aside on purpose.
3. brought our food without the chips; had to go up and get it myself
4. unlike the same table, she never bothered to check if we needed anything.
How people can be so terribly rude is beyond me!
First time doing a review where I didn’t start off discussing the food. We ordered the catfish special and the lamb hoagie with potato salad. The catfish sandwich was very good. Not a fan of the lamb.

Another mark off my list of local places to try around Hampton Roads, and I must say it was excellent. This place is kind of hidden, but if you’re on Colley, turn down the side street inbetween Chiptole and Red Dog and its right by the laundromat. Initially walking in the interior dosen’t look like much; however, don’t let that deter you, both the food and the service here are excellent. Came here with two of my friends and immediately after we walked in we were greeted by the nicest host, who directed us to the paper menus so we could decide what to eat.
Looking at the pictures on Unilocal I was torn between Rick’s big meatloaf sandwich and the Greek lamb hoagie. Since my friend decided on the Greek lamb hoagie, I decided to go with the meatloaf and just swap a little piece of our two sandiwiches. Both sandwiches were amazing and were served in generous portion. I especially enjoyed how the BBQ mayo complimented the giant slab of meatloaf. The potato salad was pretty good too. The next time I swing by here though I’m going to get the lamb hoagie with the pasta salad, because my friend said he really enjoyed it.
The prices are pretty reasonable for the quality of food, but beware getting a drink will tip your total over. But they’re had to resist because they sell a lot of gourmet sodas/​drinks that you can’t get just anywhere; when I saw they had orangina, I just HAD to get one. The also have homemade cookies and brownies too. I got the peanut butter cookie and it was pretty good. Overall I was really impressed by this place.