Over the past few months, a short stretch of Norfolk where Pleasant Avenue meets Shore Drive has added a Southern and seafood dining room, a second Chelsea Bakehouse with an Italian pizza oven and a golf simulator. An ice cream shop, a burger bar and an outdoor play area are still on the way. These openings come from two separate developments on opposite sides of Shore Drive. Each is filling in on its own schedule, so what's open changes nearly every month.
This guide covers what's open there now, how the schedule slipped from early summer to late fall, and what's still to come this winter.
Two Developments, One Corner
The north side of Shore Drive is East Beach, where the shops share Pleasant Avenue addresses. Magnolia & Marlin sits at 4201 Pleasant Avenue, Suite 101, with Mermaid Creamery in Suite 102 next door. Riffle Farms, a market and co-op, is just up the street at 4301 Pleasant Avenue, Suite 104.
Across Shore Drive is East Beach Square, a shopping center at 9545 to 9581 Shore Drive. It used to be East Beach Shoppes. The Virginian-Pilot reported that EF Capital bought it in November 2024 for $7.5 million and renovated it to match the look of the East Beach neighborhood across the street. The new tenants replaced five businesses whose leases ran out right around the sale. WTKR News 3 put the renovation at $1.3 million. Next to the Square, COVA Brewing, a brewery and coffee house, operates at 9529 Shore Drive.
On a map, those are three separate properties. The businesses on the East Beach side are counting on shared foot traffic. In a September 30 WTKR News 3 story, Will Johnson of Riffle Farms said the new restaurant next door is "gonna bring in a whole different array of folks, maybe people from outside of this little area," and added, "We feed off of each other."
How the Summer Openings Moved Into Fall
Most of the Square's businesses were supposed to open months ago. In March, the Virginian-Pilot reported that five businesses had signed leases: Frank and Patty's, Chelsea Bakehouse Pizza and Bakery, Lolly's Creamery, The Back Nine Golf and Fit Body Boot Camp. EF Capital managing partner Brian Ehardt said most hoped to open by June. The planned outdoor area behind the center was expected to be finished by April.
By mid-August, the schedule had moved. WTKR News 3's August update found Fit Body and a new boutique, Splash, open. Back Nine and Chelsea Bakehouse had their signs up, and Frank & Patty's and Lolly's Creamery were still under construction. Ehardt told the station that Back Nine would open in "probably a month and a half," Lolly's around October, and Frank & Patty's in "December to January 2027."
Ehardt named two reasons for the delays. Negotiations over tenant renovation allowances took time, and the playground and community space still needed city approvals. In August he said, "We can hopefully have a permit the next week or two."
Magnolia & Marlin Is Open, With a Few Pieces Still to Come
On the East Beach side, the first big opening of the fall came after a long lead-up. WTKR News 3 reported that it spoke with the owners of Magnolia & Marlin on Friday, September 25, as they prepared for their first official dinner service, and the station's September 30 story described business as strong since opening. The menu focuses on elevated Southern and seafood dishes, including cornbread, greens and fried catfish, and the owners plan to add to it as they refine recipes.
The neighborhood was involved before the doors opened. "The amount of presentations we made to the HOA and the Civic League," Angela Reddix told the station. "I'm so proud that we went through that process and we engaged them along the way." Carl Reddix told the station that people had been "pulling at the door wondering when we're gonna open up."
Opening didn't mean the restaurant was finished. As of mid-October, Magnolia & Marlin's website says "We're open! No alcohol yet." Its Virginia ABC license is still in process, so it's serving handcrafted mocktails for now. A few details are useful before you book:
- Hours: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m.; Sunday from 5 to 9 p.m.; closed Wednesday.
- Age policy: The dining room welcomes guests 12 and older, with no exceptions.
- Menu: The site says the menu is "growing weekly."
The Square is following the same pattern. The businesses opened first, and the extras are arriving later.
A Short Walk From Riffle Farms to COVA
Here's the route as it stood in mid-October, from the East Beach side across Shore Drive to the brewery:
- Riffle Farms, 4301 Pleasant Avenue, Suite 104. The market and co-op was already open when WTKR visited in late September.
- Magnolia & Marlin, 4201 Pleasant Avenue, Suite 101. Dinner service starts at 5 p.m. every night except Wednesday.
- Mermaid Creamery, 4201 Pleasant Avenue, Suite 102. The shop is next door to Magnolia & Marlin, but its website still says ordering is "Coming Soon!"
- Chelsea Bakehouse, 9567 Shore Drive. Across Shore Drive at East Beach Square, Chelsea's second location has a Polin oven imported from Italy and serves a New York-style version of its pizza. Chelsea's pizza page lists an Ocean View location with online ordering, and that order page shows pickup at 9567 Shore Drive. For now it is "Only accepting scheduled orders."
- Back Nine Golf, East Beach Square. Back Nine's East Beach location is taking tee-time bookings online. It also offers members 24/7 access to the facility.
- Fit Body Boot Camp and Splash, East Beach Square. Both had opened by the August update.
- COVA Brewing, 9529 Shore Drive. The brewery and coffee house sits next to the Square on the same side of Shore Drive.
Still on the Way Through Winter
Three openings could change the block most this winter, and each is moving on its own timeline.
Lolly's Creamery was expected around October, according to Ehardt's August estimate. As of mid-October, Lolly's locations page still lists only its Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and Colley Avenue shops. When it and Mermaid Creamery both open, the corner will have an ice cream shop on each side of Shore Drive.
Frank & Patty's is the Square's latest scheduled opening, with a December 2026 to January 2027 window. The Virginian-Pilot reported that the burger and hot dog bar opened in Virginia Beach's ViBe District in 2024, and that East Beach Square is its first expansion.
The outdoor area will matter most to families. According to the Virginian-Pilot's March report, it will stretch behind the center toward Pretty Lake Avenue, behind COVA Brewing. Plans include covered picnic tables, couch seating, cornhole, playhouses, a stationary train and a pirate ship play set. Ehardt described his hopes for it to the paper: "I picture it as a place I'd love to go to grab food, hang with my kids in the back for a couple of hours, watch them play on this pirate ship, watch them play on the train and just enjoy Ocean View." The last update on the space came in August, when the permit was still pending.
The March report also said the Square still had three spaces to fill: two of 1,250 square feet and one of 10,000 square feet. Before heading out for one of the newer spots, check its website or order page, since opening dates and hours are still changing.
If you live near Shore Drive and want to talk about how all this new activity is changing East Ocean View, I'd love to hear what you're seeing. Reach out to Michelle Stanek any time. I'm always happy to compare notes on the neighborhood. Let's Connect.
