The Pink Dinghy in Virginia Beach

Fridays are for fun lunches, and after a rough week at work last month, I needed to treat myself. While searching for a restaurant I hadn’t been to yet, I realized it was a perfect day to dine in the sunshine at The Pink Dinghy.

The Pink Dinghy is among the amazing locally owned eateries in Virginia Beach’s ViBe Creative District. The restaurant got off to a bumpy start a few years ago, facing unprecedented challenges—along with, you know, a global pandemic—but was finally able to open in summer of 2020.

The restaurant has an adorable pink façade, outfitted with matching picnic tables on the front patio and additional seating on the back patio and inside. The Pink Dinghy is part restaurant, part market. While I was focused on food during this visit, one of my foodie friends praised their natural wine offerings inside the market.

It wasn’t super crowded—although more people did roll through around noon-ish—when I arrived, so I was able to get a whole table to myself. I started with the Mango Mojito, which I had to force myself to drink slowly because it was so good, and browsed the menu.

The Pink Dinghy’s menu is Latin American fusion with Caribbean inspiration and other flavors. Basically, chef and owner Stephanie Dietz does what she wants to do with her food, and she does it VERY well.

Whenever I get to a restaurant, I take a look around at what everyone else is eating. The common thread at The Pink Dinghy? Empanadas. The Pink Dinghy offers three types of empanadas: Sweet Potato & Vegan Chorizo, Pork and Beef. Unfortunately, they were out of two of the empanadas, but that was fine with me because I would’ve gone with pork anyway.

These crispy-on-the-outside, juicy-on-the-inside empanadas were filled with tender pork and melted cheese. Crunchy to the bite, all three were topped with pickled red onions and a green sauce. Now, I don’t know what exactly the green sauce was. It tasted very bright, bold and fresh. I would truly eat it on anything or simply with a spoon.

Typically, I won’t order the same protein for my appetizer and entrée, just so I can try more of the menu, but I broke that rule at The Pink Dinghy. The pork from the empanadas was so good that I had to indulge myself in more, so I ordered the Al Pastor sandwich.

Somewhat similar to the flavors of a Cuban sandwich, The Pink Dinghy’s Al Pastor sandwich had a thick serving of braised pork. Pineapple added a touch of sweetness, with heat from jalapeños, some acidity from pickled red onions, along with shredded lettuce, cheese and chipotle mayo. At the time of my visit, the bread was made by local bakery, Tosca, in Norfolk. After Tosca closed, The Pink Dinghy announced that they’d be using bread baked by Virginia Beach-based Angie’s Bakery.

While I doubled down on pork, The Pink Dinghy menu also features chicken, lamb, a rotating fish and vegan and vegetarian options, offering something for every type of diner. The menu seems to have a few variations, depending on when you visit, but what remains a constant are the innovative, flavorful dishes that keep people coming back for more.