Virgil's Gullah Kitchen & Bar Merc Benz Stadium

First time visiting, will return. Omario was an excellent server and made is feel welcomed. He recommended the sweet potatoes cornbread and it was a great option. I don’t drink, so he recommended a mocktail that was tasty (but I’ve already forgotten the name 😅). I’m leaving a review because I eat out often and it’s easy to forget which restaurants I enjoyed after awhile, so this is for me just as much as anyone else who is curious about the experience. Prices are higher than your average soul food spot, but the portion sizes are very generous so we felt it as worth it. Food Collard greens - 3/5 Not bad, has a bit of a twang, greens are just one of those sides that’s hit or miss depending on how you grew up having them. Pork chops - 5/5 Not smothered for me, but still tasty and fried well. Came with plain rice which would have been perfect for those of you who prefer smothered chops. Mac and cheese 4/5 I could tell it was baked (my preference) and it wasn’t overly cheesy. Could have used a smidge more flavor but I enjoyed it. Sweet potatoes cornbread 4/5 Really soft, tasty and sweet. One point off because they may have been a bit too sweet for me. They did well retaining the taste of sweet potato and the texture of a traditional cornbread muffin. Eggrolls 3/5 If you want something lightly flavored I’d try them. The main flavor was the rice despite having shrimp and cabbage. I’m not a sweet and sour sauce fan so I’d try them again with a different dipping sauce. Mocktail 4.5/5 Sweet but not too sweet, the citrus added a nice balance. My sons ratings (17) Geechee pasta 5/5 “Food was flavorful, I really liked the chicken sausage and the shrimp. The crab was good as well. Was cheesy and the spinish helped balance the Parmesan flavor” Sweet potato muffin 5/5 “I like the addition sweet potatoes because I feel like it added a needed sweetness. The leaves on top gave a nice minty flavor as well” Egg rolls 4/5 “It was a nice light flavor to start off the meal” Ambiance 5/5 We were upstairs inside. The in-house DJ played a nice selection of songs. A good mix of old school and current hits. My son says the vibe of the restaurant was old school but given he’s 17, I’m not sure what that means lol Overall 4/5 One point off for the automatic 20% gratuity. I was unaware of it until I received the bill. I would’ve given a tip anyway because I enjoyed the food and the service. It’s possible that I overlooked it somewhere on the menu. I would return again and try some of their other options.

Ok, so I had to try this place after traveling to Sapelo Island. My first impression was this restaurant was a day party that served food. Who knew my initial visit would come with a DJ on site. The music was too loud. DJ was playing hits but I could barely hear the hostess in front of me. Luckily the food and mocktails were scrumptious and service was great. Seating is limited whether its indoor or outdoor (patio). The bar has additional seats along it. Parties larger than 4, call ahead. Menu items are colorfully colloquial titled. Pricing is a little high but portion sizes makes up for it. They do provide 2 hrs of parking validation at the parking lot adjacent to its neighbor. Now for the cons: No food substitutions. Feel free to ask your server details about the entrees before ordering. An automatic 20% gratuity is added into your bill no matter your party size or servie received. Check your bill before you fill out the Add'l tip line. After all that, I totally will keep Virgil's in my restaurant rotation.

Virgil's Gullah Kitchen & Bar was chosen for Happy Hour 3 - 5 pm for My Friend's Birthday celebration. She and I had selections from Happy Hour Menu, the smaller portions of their very enticing selective meals. The restaurant is welcoming with an atmosphere for lunch with friends, celebrating with friends with food and drink. We had An Awesome Server, Friendly, Prompt, and Fun to talk to, (no badge I don't want to misprint Her name) We ordered the Jam-up wings, came out on a skewer sat on top of a garnish of spring greens, fried and drizzled with a delicious sauce. For Me the Right Crisp, just hard enough, juicy and crisp. Red Rice, Crab Rice could have had more crab, seasoning good, I prefer sauces and gravies. Crab Deviled eggs, delicious, Fried Green Matis (tomatoes) w/ corn salsa, hot to trot sauce drizzle, the corn salsa and drizzle delicious. Dessert was Banana Puddin' Cheesecake, Delicious and enough for 2. This was first visit and the first impression will have Me going back❣️ The establishment has indoor/outdoor dining, upper level with cozy decorum.

We had an amazing experience at Virgil's Gullah Kitchen & Bar! From the moment we arrived, you could feel the energy—there were people lining up outside and tables filling up fast, but the team handled everything with impressive teamwork and professionalism. It was beautiful to watch how smoothly they kept things running despite the rush. The traditional soul food was absolutely delicious—every dish was full of flavor and made with care. You can truly taste the authenticity and passion in their cooking. Everything was great, from the food to the service to the atmosphere. We really enjoyed our time and will definitely be coming back. Beautiful experience all around!

We had a party of 7, and it took about 10 minutes for us to be seated when the downstairs was pretty empty, but we were finally directed to a table. Once we got to the table, the waiter was prompt in getting our drink orders. They didn’t have a large selection of drinks at the time, because their drink machine was out of order. We order appetizers, which were GREAT!!! I mean the wings, the crab and salmon rolls were phenomenal!!! Every single app hit the spot. The main course meals hit the spot also. The atmosphere was definitely a quiet place to take a date on or just stop in for a bite to eat. The downstairs was small, but there is an upstairs space…. Back to the food…. Everyone said they throughly enjoyed their food. I especially enjoyed my fried catfish, fried clams, a giant crab cake, and wedge fries. My wife enjoyed her salmon and rice. Daughter loved everything about her meal except the green beans. I tasted them, and felt they were missing some flavor. They had a slight vinegar base, but something just wasn’t catching. My son had the shrimp and grits. He complained that the grits were too watery, but flavorful. Even though the waiter was extremely pleasant, he had some missed opportunities to get more on his tip. For instance, I feel the drinks should have been complimentary because they didn’t have the majority of their drink selection. At least some of the non refillable beverages, like the bottled water. But overall, the place was spotless, I would definitely recommend, and would definitely visit again. The staff was A1. Thanks for hosting our small family gathering. PS THOSE DEVILED CRAB EGGS ARE 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾