Doc Taylor's Restaurant
Rating
Family of 4
$35-$55.
Duration
45-75 minutes
Best Ages
All ages
About
Doc Taylor's Restaurant is Virginia Beach's quintessential breakfast spot, housed in the former medical office of Dr. Ivan Taylor who practiced medicine on the oceanfront for 56 years. The building's medical history is preserved through memorabilia, vintage equipment, and old prescription displays that give the restaurant a unique, eccentric charm.
The menu is classic American breakfast — eggs, pancakes, omelets, bacon, sausage, French toast, and breakfast burritos — prepared with care and served in portions that border on absurd. The pancakes are famously enormous, covering entire plates, and the breakfast burritos are stuffed to the point of structural failure. The quality is consistently excellent, and the prices are remarkably reasonable for an oceanfront Virginia Beach restaurant.
Doc Taylor's attracts a devoted following of both locals and returning vacationers. Many Virginia Beach families make a Doc Taylor's breakfast their first-morning tradition, fueling up before a full day at the beach. The restaurant's location just one block from the boardwalk at 23rd Street makes it easy to walk off breakfast with a morning beach stroll.
The atmosphere is warm and communal. The dining rooms are cozy (the building is a converted house, not a restaurant space), and the staff moves efficiently through the busy morning rush. Kids are welcome and accommodated without fuss — high chairs are available, the kids' menu is thoughtfully priced, and the general vibe is casual enough for sandy flip-flops and bedhead hair.
Doc Taylor's serves breakfast and lunch daily, closing at 2 PM. The breakfast rush peaks between 8:30 and 10:30 AM on summer weekends, when waits of 20-30 minutes are common. Early birds (before 8 AM) and weekday visitors rarely wait. The restaurant has become such a Virginia Beach institution that many families plan their entire morning around the meal.
Age Suitability
Parent Logistics
Stroller-Friendly
Kid Meals
true
Setting
Indoor & Outdoor
Rainy Day
Great option!
Plan Your Visit
Best Time to Visit
Early (7-8 AM) before the rush; weekdays have shorter waits
Wait Times
15-30 minutes on summer weekends; minimal on weekdays
Nearby Food
Doc Taylor's IS the breakfast destination. For lunch or dinner later: Waterman's Surfside Grille (5-min walk), Catch 31, Lager Heads, and numerous boardwalk restaurants.
Why Kids Love It
Doc Taylor's is Virginia Beach's most beloved breakfast spot, and the building's history makes it even more fun — it's housed in the former office of Dr. Ivan Taylor, who practiced medicine here for 56 years. The dining rooms still look like a doctor's office, with medical memorabilia, old prescription bottles, and vintage equipment on the shelves.
Kids feel like they're eating breakfast in a time capsule.
The food is classic American breakfast done exceptionally well. Pancakes the size of hubcaps, perfectly crispy bacon, fluffy scrambled eggs, and breakfast burritos that require two hands to hold. The portions are famously generous, and the quality is consistent — there's a reason locals and tourists alike line up every morning.
The atmosphere is warm, bustling, and unpretentious. The staff treats regulars and first-timers with equal friendliness, and kids feel welcome from the moment they walk in. It's the kind of breakfast that powers an entire beach day.
Pro Tips from Parents
- Arrive by 7:30 AM on weekends to avoid the 8:30 AM rush — the wait can be 20-30 minutes after that.
- The pancakes are enormous — one order is enough for two kids to share.
- The breakfast burrito is a local legend — stuffed with eggs, cheese, sausage, and peppers.
- Located just a block from the boardwalk at 23rd Street — walk to the beach after breakfast.
- Cash and cards accepted. The restaurant closes at 2 PM — breakfast and lunch only.
What to Bring
- appetite
- patience for weekend waits
Cost Info
Estimated Cost (Family of 4)
$35-$55.
Adult breakfast plates ~$10-$14.
Kids' items ~$6-$8.
Family of 4 with drinks: $35-$50.
Tips to Save
- Portions are huge — share plates between kids.
- Arrive early (before 8 AM) to beat the line and get a table immediately.
- Weekday breakfast has virtually no wait.
Hours & Contact
Hours
- friday
- 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM
- monday
- 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM
- sunday
- 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM
- tuesday
- 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM
- saturday
- 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM
- thursday
- 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM
- wednesday
- 7:00 AM - 2:00 PM