VIRGINIA BEACH — A new restaurant that’s an old favorite in Hampton Roads is coming to Virginia Beach’s marina district at Rudee Inlet.
Kelly’s Tavern will open its ninth location next spring at 530 Winston Salem Ave., where event venue The Water Table is currently located.
The large, two-story waterfront building overlooks marina docks on Lake Rudee. It will undergo renovations and the restaurant will open in mid-spring, said Boyd Melchor, owner of Kelly’s Tavern. He will lease the space in mid-October after The Water Table finishes up previously booked weddings.
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“We’re going to fix it up,” he said. “It’s going to be really super.”
Melchor had been eyeing the spot for some time, he said.
“There are a lot of really good factors here — visibility, parking, nice size building, obviously the atmosphere, the boats, the water, outdoor seating,” he said. “The decks are going to (be) phenomenal.”
Several boat slips will be available for customers to come by water. A banquet hall on the second floor will remain for private events.
Restaurants have occupied the site for decades. In the 1970s, the beachfront restaurant Surf Rider was moved there, mostly intact, from 4th Street and later became Chart House. A portion of the existing building was constructed in 1985, according to city records.
Kelly’s Tavern first opened on Colley Avenue in Norfolk in 1983. Additional locations opened and closed across Hampton Roads over the years. Seven are currently in operation. An eighth one is coming to Chesapeake’s Grassfield area this fall, in a former Applebee’s.
The restaurant is known for its American pub fare, particularly it’s wide selection of burgers and sandwiches. Melchor said he may add some new seafood choices at the Rudee Inlet eatery. He’s looking forward to drawing nearby neighbors from Shadowlawn and other Oceanfront communities as well as tourists.
“I think it will go over well there,” he said. “We’ll make it nice it for the locals, and the tourists will follow.”
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com
