Just-opened deluxe sports bar in Virginia Beach offers high-tech golf simulators, a cigar lounge, private event spaces and more along with a chef-inspired menu
By Rachel Kester
A new luxury destination has opened its doors in Virginia Beach. One designed to transport visitors into a unique world of entertainment.
Hackers at Hilltop, the brainchild of Edward Ore, officially opened to the public on November 19, 2023. The deluxe sports bar, situated along Laskin Road in the Hilltop East Shopping Center, features golf simulators, a restaurant and a private cigar lounge.
Ore, who also owns Great Neck Doggie Daycare and Salon Versace, wanted to create a distinctive getaway in the Coastal Virginia region where people could get out and have fun.
“I had been to a couple of golf simulators in the Northeast and Midwest and thought that would be really good to have in Virginia Beach,” says Ore. “I was trying to find a way to mix sports, good food and indoor activity.”
After meticulous planning, Hackers started coming to fruition in mid-2021. The building, a former restaurant, underwent countless zoning and city council approvals before demolition began in March 2022. Restoration soon started in late summer 2022 with 3,000 square feet added for additional enclosed seating and the cigar lounge.
“It’s a great location,” says Ore. “The spot is an easy way to catch locals or visitors coming in during the summer months.”
Hackers’ main draw is its indoor golf simulators. Situated inside seven private rooms, up to eight people can virtually practice their skills in each space. The simulators provide different course options and the technology calculates analytics like launch angle, ball speed and spin rate.
Prices start at $40 per hour during breakfast and lunch and go up to $50 after 4 p.m. On Friday and Saturday night, costs increase to $60 per hour. This sports lounge also has a spacious VIP area that accommodates 25 people. The exclusive room contains a 22-foot curved flatscreen TV and a beer tap with eight kegs.
Unlike similar venues that usually serve greasy fried food, Hackers’ fare is far from it. Ore, whose mother was a chef and has many friends in the restaurant business, sought to offer quality meals.
The menu features dishes named after golfing terms and offers everything from fluffy Belgian waffles to charcuterie as well as gourmet pizzas, crispy and flavorful wings and sophisticated tapas like seared salmon, cavatappi pasta, bacon-wrapped dates and grilled skirt steak with chimichurri.
Guests can enjoy a drink from the plentifully stocked bar that has diverse beers on tap, including some from area breweries. Wine, vodka, tequila and spiked teas are also available alongside mocktails.
Being a cigar enthusiast, Ore also wanted a dedicated space where other cigar lovers could sit back and unwind. In the secluded lounge, smokers can puff their own cigar or savor Hackers’ offerings which include AVO, Montecristo, Arturo Fuente and My Father.
But that’s not all. The business is testing a golf cart shuttle service as well. After calling the main desk, a golf cart will pick up guests within Hackers’ expansive 120-spot parking lot. “If it’s rainy or windy we can go help pick up people from their cars,” says Ore. “Some people might not have ever been in a golf cart before too so it’s a fun little novelty.”
Despite its very recent opening, there has already been a resounding positive community response for Hackers, one that’s set to keep growing. “We just want people in Tidewater to have a good experience,” says Ore.
Learn more at hackersathilltop.com.
Photos by Jacqui Renager, Performance Foodservice Virginia or courtesy of restaurant
Rachel Kester
