Since 2014, chef and restaurant owner Stephen Marsh has been creating a culinary following in and around North Colley in Norfolk with his “finer diner,” LeGrand Kitchen.
Soon, Marsh was featured in a who’s who of local publications from Distinction Magazine to Coastal Virginia Magazine. He would open his second establishment, Shiptown, in late 2016. A little more than a year after he began welcoming people to the fryer-free seafood restaurant, Marsh decided to retool and change concepts. The "fun" at Shiptown, it seemed, was missing for Marsh.
In January of this year, the transition was complete. Shiptown became Hoyt's Lunchonette, named after Marsh’s young son. It’s a concept that has been with Marsh since he first opened LeGrand.
“Originally, LeGrand was supposed to be a lunch spot, but it molded into what it is today, and I love that,” Marsh explained. “Here, I'm looking to have more fun than I was having with Shiptown. I want to bring some different demographics into this place. I mean, who doesn't love a good sandwich? I grew up as a skateboarder. I get growing up frugal. I want to feed college kids and guys that work with their hands.”
Hoyt’s food, with dishes priced 12 dollars and under, draws from Jewish deli classics like matzo ball soup, and its number-one-selling Reuben sandwich, but also has playful fusion accoutrements like the kimchi kraut on the Reuben and Korean-style sausage (one of the house-made sausages they do daily).
Fans of the inventive food at LeGrand will find some kinship with the menu at Hoyt’s. LeGrand’s acclaimed, “The Burger,” whose praise is sung by many Marsh devotees, is on the menu at Hoyt’s, and as the chef remarked, “Other cool stuff that we’ve been putting in the memory banks at LeGrand is on this menu.”
Early feedback for Hoyt’s has been glowing from some notable indie food media around Hampton Roads.
Food podcaster Marc Frank of Spark and the WizardBug proclaimed on social media: “Hoyt’s Luncheonette was on point! This Jewish deli style lunch spot was exactly what I grew up eating at Uncle Louie’s and every other place my parents dragged me.”
Notable food photographer and Instagrammer J. David Hillery said of his experience at Hoyt’s: “The genius of Stephen Marsh strikes again. A niche not fulfilled in Norfolk will now be met with an authentic NY style deli.”
Kyle Siebels of Virginia Digest remarked: “Quite literally in my opinion, the best burger in Norfolk. [The] Potato Kugel, topped with dill and [garlic] yogurt [is an] excellent compliment to the burger!”
As positive consensus continues to accumulate, much like Seibles thoughts on the kugel and burger, Hoyt’s Luncheonette, in time, may be seen as the right complement to LeGrand.
ABOUT SOUTHERN GRIT MAGAZINE: Southern Grit Magazine is a food publication based in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia and aims to open an honest dialogue about food in the region. Each issue is themed, and highlights different food-related issues within that theme. Southern Grit features recipes and reviews as well as more creative content spinning off each theme.
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