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Since Charlottesville is a college town, most restaurants are very casual. You will need reservations for popular fine-dining options like the C&O, and business casual is more appropriate for these upscale venues.
You may have to wait in line at this locally owned establishment (which has three locations), especially at breakfast, but locals swear these are the best bagels south of the Big Apple. In true New York style, bagels are boiled before being baked, and all 10 varieties are true water bagels made with no fats or preservatives. Lunchtime is also popular, and the low prices appeal to both students and visitors. There are also locations at 505 Preston Avenue and 1609 University Avenue.
Ever eaten gator bites or buffalo crawfish? Be sure and try them at Boudreaux's. What started as a project in business marketing for a pair of Virginia Tech students is now an established part of Blacksburg's downtown. The canopied rooftop is a particularly relaxing place to enjoy jambalaya or Cajun catfish, and they serve brunch on both Saturday and Sunday. Live bands often perform in the evening.
This lively downtown eatery was voted "Best Live Music Venue" in a reader's poll in a local publication and is also lauded for its great sandwiches and burgers. The dinner menu features steaks, pasta, and seafood with Southern sides like mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables. The restaurant is housed in the former Strand Theater in the historic district, and hosts live bands from rockabilly and country to bluegrass and jazz on Friday and Saturday nights.
A neon sign reading "Get in here" sits in the window of this intimate local favorite. The menu is Southwestern cuisine, with quesadillas, burritos, spicy pork tacos, enchiladas, and potent margaritas. Cactus plants decorate the front window, and the booths have funky lights. It can get crowded and convivial, and customers like it that way.
Located on the historic riverfront, Depot Grille offers classic American favorites including steaks, pasta, chicken, barbequed pork ribs, and lump crab cakes. An extensive kids' menu and the sound of passing trains make this a good choice for families.
This former motel diner 5 miles west of Charlottesville fills up early, and because they don't accept reservations, be prepared to wait up to 30 minutes. The fanciful menu, which changes daily, emphasizes fresh, seasonal fare in its seafood and pasta dishes. Appetizers may include lamb and green peppercorn pâté with grilled bread. Several fish selections appear daily on the menu, along with specialties like veal sweetbreads or duck breast, served Continental style. While there isn't a kids' menu, the chef will make a burger or kid-friendly meal, and also accommodate vegetarians and other special diets.
The enormous growth in seating since 1980, from 10 to 250, testifies to the popularity of this establishment in downtown Salem, as does its continual title as "best local restaurant" in an annual poll. Sports memorabilia line the walls of the attractive redbrick building near Roanoke College, and sporting events are likely to be on the many TVs near the bar. The menu runs from hamburgers to steak to seafood to pizza. If you have a big appetite, try a fully loaded calzone, which flops off the sides of your plate.
A homey restaurant with plenty of booths, Rowe's has been operated by the same family since 1947, and still maintains a rock-solid reputation for inexpensive and delicious Southern meals. The fried chicken—skillet-cooked to order—is a standout. A local breakfast favorite is oven-hot biscuits topped with gravy (your choice of sausage, tenderloin, or creamy chipped beef). For dessert, try the mince pie in fall, or the rhubarb cobbler in summer.
This elegant steak-and-seafood house is in the converted tobacco warehouse district known as the Bluffwalk. With warm exposed brick walls and an urban sensibility, the restaurant offers a wide variety of steaks, chops, and classic seafood dishes. Think traditional, with a variety of cuts and preparations, in addition to seafood standards from surf and turf to shrimp cocktail and lobster bisque.
Bring a big appetite with you on the drive up and over Catawba Mountain to get to the Homeplace. Famished Appalachian Trail hikers and diners in their Sunday best eat side by side family-style in this farm home in a tiny country hamlet—so come as you are. Old-fashioned cooking is dished up with all-you-can-eat fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, pinto beans, baked apples, and hot biscuits. It's a popular spot, so be prepared for about a 30-minute wait.
The original building, circa 1836, served as a public library and debating hall before becoming a retail space. In the Victorian era it was an ice cream parlor, and today it houses a full-service restaurant with both indoor and alfresco dining. Wood booths line the walls of the plant-filled room; the pressed-metal ceiling is original. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, and the menu features traditional salads, burgers and sandwiches, and steaks and pasta.
Part of a complex of five historic buildings, this restaurant is in a gristmill that dates from 1700. A walk-in wine cellar, set among the gears of the original waterwheel, has 100 wine selections; diners may step in and choose for themselves. The dining area is decorated with Currier & Ives and Audubon prints. Some menu favorites are fresh smoked trout and chicken Fantasio (breast of chicken stuffed with wild rice, sausage, apple, and pecans). Desserts include such Old Virginny recipes as a deep-dish apple pie baked with bourbon. On Sunday, try the hearty but affordable brunch.
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