I went to school in C'Ville (lo those many years ago) and would go to Aberdeen Barn way back then because of the great service and great food. I still go to C'Ville about once a month and still go to Aberdeen Barn for the same reasons. Have to give special mention to Kathleen (server) and Susan (bartender) for always making my experience special. Great job! read more

Can't say a bad word. From the breadsticks & cheese on the table when we were seated, to the wine, rolls, salad, clams casino, scallops and to the last bite of filet mignon. Delicious. Fantastic service, as well. Would definitely return. read more

The atmosphere is terrible, the service sucked and they can't even cook a steak properly. I spent $400 for a meal that couldn't even stand up to Ruby Tuesdays. Go somewhere else! read more

Great family owned steak house. Highly recommend the prime rib. Kathleen was our server and she was friendly and knowledgeable. Has worked there for 29 years! read more

Waiter and wine were good. Otherwise, do not recommend. Overpriced, food was okay but you can get same steak at a chain restaurant for less $$$. We were early for our reservations, asked to be seated early or sit outside for drink, restaurant would not accommodate request and did not offer any options. So we walked up to a place called brothers behind the sex toy shop and was met with a really nice lady who was happy to seat us and serve us a drink. Giving brothers a 5 star review. Next time I will walk downtown and take my chances. This place was in the middle of no where, not within walking distance of downtown. Avoid if possible. read more

I would reiterate that the negative reviews here seem like aberrations. We had 5 people in our party and all went away happy. The waitstaff were very accommodating of our one picky eater. Prime Rib was very good and cooked perfectly. Dessert selections were more numerous than usual for restaurants of this type as well, with the unique creamsickle cake a nice change from the ordinary. The price to quality ratio was about right, and portions were generous to boot. Nice wines by the glass list too. read more

So many better choices in Charlottesville. This restaurant has definitely seen better days. Steaks were overcooked. Just not impressed at all. Service was ok. Breadsticks were extremely stale. read more

Ol school classic steakhouse. Nothing "hip" or "funky" but great steaks, salad, potatoes and cocktails in a nostalgic building.

Best prime rib around.. great bread and scallops also. Great service . I have never gotten a bad meal here.

The food is as great now as it was when they first opened as I have been a patron from the beginning. Bud Edwards read more

Wow, what happened to the Aberdeen Barn that I remember. Still the same throwback Decor as always which I like but the service we received on Wednesday June the 20th was not the Aberdeen Barn I used to go to years ago. It took over an hour to get our entrees. Other parties who came in the same time and after us finished their entrees before ours was delivered. When I visit a place with the history of this establishment I don't expect servers to reach over other guess to set my plate, fill my water glass, or serve appetizers. I expect a little more fine dining etiquette. The cut of my steak was no better than what I would have gotten at Outback Steakhouse. It got to the point that I had to stop our server and tell her that we had tickets for a show that started in 40 minutes and we would like to have our entrees. This is after we had already been seated for an hour. Her comment was don't worry I'll get you there on time...8 minutes before our show was to start was when I finally had to stop her again to get our checks. We then had to drive across town for our event. We had made reservations with plenty of time to arrive and enjoy a meal before leaving for our event. Should have been a casual, enjoyable dinner with friends before an entertaining night out but instead the stress I felt when I left Aberdeen Barn put a damper on a large part of the night. What was once one of my favorite eating establishments in Charlottesville is one now that I may never return. I am very sad. read more

I am not a picky diner and do not usually leave negative reviews. However, my dining experience at Aberdeen Barn deserves the effort. This was the worst $300 for 4 person meal I have ever had. - Musty 1970's decor, dark and saloon-style furniture - Dirty seating - My daughter's glass of wine was served in a dirty glass (food stuck to outside) with cork floating in it - An inattentive wait staff that needed to be asked for refills and addressed each of us as 'Honey' - Steak sauces had to be requested, not offered - No horse radish or au jus for prime rib - While an extremely large cut, it was served completely on its own - Escargot tasted fishy and I didn't trust it after trying two of them - Everything was luke warm, including the skillets two of the entrees were served on and my broccoli - The Yelp pricing need to be adjusted - I don't think there's a single meal you can purchase for under $30 - High end prices without any of the high end services or food When I have a meal where a normal tip exceeds $50, I expect a professionally trained staff, clean dishes and utensils and excellent food. I did not experience any of those basic services at The Aberdeen Barn! read more

Our second visit and we love it. We both had prime rib and it was wonderful bone in, perfectly cooked. The wine was great as was the service. For those of you who go to chain restaurants, try the Barn and your life will make a move to the better. Finished the night with a perfect Old Fashioned. read more

To come here is like stepping back in time. Admittedly, the name fits the decor, but the decor is a bit dated. That's not why you come here though. You come here for the food. The steaks were great. Well aged, and well prepared. Service initially was atrocious, but after identifying the issue to the manager, she promptly switched servers for us, and we enjoyed the rest of our evening and our meal. read more

The server was very kind and considerate. He helped me choose the perfect steak. It was very juicy and cooked to exactly how I asked. It has an interesting setup, but overall I'd return. read more

5-star service, extremely attentive wait staff, and nice atmosphere. 3-star food. I had the charcoal grilled ribeye, sherry mushrooms, and fries. Not bad, but not what I expected for the price. It is nice to be pampered, so it still might be worth a visit if you're in the area. read more

Best Prime Rib ever !! Been going since 1976 !! Always amazing food and great service. My family absolutely loves this restaurant. Bill Koch has his favorite table and they know us so well it's always ready. Great food always !! Once again you didn't disappoint !! Excellent Dinner read more

I have never seen such a miserable display of culinary efforts. I'm not a professional chef by any means, however the chefs that work here are by all means unskilled in cooking fish, all listed red meats on their menu, chicken, and the potatoes good lord. The fish I ordered last time had absolutely no seasoning, to include no juices/hydration- fish should not crumble in its striations if it's cooked correctly. The meat should not be dry and chewy, the potatoes shouldn't be hard to dig your fork into. However with the absolute absence of flavor, the staff were quite pleasant- one of the women in charge of seating were rather unpleasant and inattentive with seating us, but that's admissible. Rather I'd rather be verbally abused with a meal that would sensate my tastebuds than be politely bullshitted with a poor quality meal. The prices are outrageous for what you cook, and the side dishes are ridiculous and unpairitive for what you're serving. Consider a revision of the menu and staffing, I'm sorry to write this review. read more

We celebrated my sister's graduation and my birthday here. The service was good and our server was very nice. I got the porterhouse and we were underwhelmed. It was burnt on the edges for being medium. The meals in general were just fine, but not great. read more

After waiting 20 minutes for a table, with a reservation, we were seated in the bar. We were there for a special occasion but apparently that doesn't clue the hostess into the fact that we would like an intimate space. The waitress was nice but the food was just plain average. A small, overpriced Porterhouse and half cooked onion rings. I've regularly dined at the Palm, Peter Lugers and Charlottesville's Downtown Grill. I know a good steak so I suggest if you want a decent meal and a hostess who gives a $&@?... go to the Grill. read more

All in all I enjoyed our dining experience at Aberdeen. Their staff was absolutely amazing, never once did I have to ask them for anything- they made sure our drinks stayed filled and our bellies were full to our content. They start you off with a yummy basket of pretzel sticks that's accompanied by cheese. The escargot they brought out smelled heavenly but I wasn't touching it haha, I had the lobster bisque which was very tasty. My fiancé ordered the Prime Rib which was #amazing and I had the surf and turf- I requested medium rare but I felt it was just rare, my lobster was okay but not something I would write home about. Next time we venture here I'll try the Prime Rib and this amazing looking strawberry shortcake someone ordered. It took an hour for our food to come out but I'm guessing in Charlottesville that's standard, I think people enjoy taking their time out that way. read more

I am so excited to be heading back down tomorrow. Already planning on coming for a late lunch/early dinner (depending on traffic through DC). Bringing the significant other this time. He has been told about this place for years and finally making the trip with me. Hope nothing has changed. If it's not great, I won't hear the end of it. Lol read more

I was pretty disappointed with the steak I got here. I was looking forward to an outstanding steak from such a prominent restaurant but that's not what I got. I was with a coworker and she was so excited about getting to eat here again since she hadn't been in a few years. The sesame seed breadsticks with cheese was really good. They're the little hard kind you get from a box at the store. That was a surprise! The salad was ok, but do yourself a favor and pass when the waitress asks if you want fresh cracked black pepper. I thought I was going to choke on it. I heard the lady beside me take the pepper on her salad too and she was coughing with the first bite, just as I was. I heard her say "that pepper got me". I feel your pain, ma'am, I feel your pain. LOL! When my steak arrived I couldn't wait to dig in. It was cold and tough. I couldn't believe it but I didn't won't to say anything since my coworker was so excited about the whole place. The baked potato was good. The table beside us ordered the "barn potatoes". They smelled and looked good. Wish I had tried them. The service was good and the place started filling up after we got there. I would probably pass this place on by and eat at a chain steakhouse the next time. read more

I went back and forth between 3 and 4 stars at least 3 or 4 times... ;-) My wife simply loves Prime Rib, as do I, so we split the large extra thick cut. The food got the 4th star. Service OK, not great.....the least service I've ever had at A/B. Rare Prime Rib w/ excellent horse radish...not the shaved pieces on the plate...so almost 40 yrs later A/B has changed. It's moved into the 1990's in appearance. The Prime Rib was more than enough for two. You will know you're in a steak house as soon as you walk in the door.....look to your right for the see the glass panes steak cooler. I still like the place! read more

Awesome place. It's like going thru a time warp back to 1980. Food is awesome too. Now realize this is not a Ruth Chris. It ain't no outback either though. The food is seriously good and big. The apps (oysters rockefellar!) are awesome, but with the breadsticks n' cheese, salads, steak, potato side.......your stomach may bust. I don't recommend getting high end wine here. Stick to something cheaper and tastier........not sure about the storage of their finer wines. But hey......that's not why I go back time and time again. read more

I love this place because it is stuck in the 70's. The down side is the service staff is stuck in the 70's too. You are on their schedule. You may wait 20 minutes for a refill or for the waiter to take your order. read more

My BF loves the prime rib here, so he wanted to take me. Liked the piano music, but otherwise, ambiance was kind of strange to me. Really reminded me of a Steak and Ale!! I had a filet, which was very good, but rest of food was just OK to me. Service was prompt but the waiter wasn't overly friendly. read more

Overpriced, Over-hyped, very dated decor. I get the barn motif but I was expecting high end when the pictures show the wait staff in tuxedos and white table linens. We were walked to the back of the restaurant first where apparently serves as a sports bar. I just got married and honeymooning and was thinking a quiet and romantic evening. We were seated back into the dining room. We ordered champagne but we had to request an ice bucket twice. I ordered the filet mignon and lobster. it was cold red in the middle and charred on the outside. They offer this pretzel and cheese spread as you wait for your dinner -- it's awful. open a bag of chips anyone? The bread with dinner was not restaurant made, the potato loaded doesn't include cheese and you pay to have the extra condiments added. The waitress suggested that i use that cheese spread. I did. ruined a potato. We could not wait for supper to be over. For the price, I expected fine dining - it was absolutely a deception. My VISA bill wasn't. read more

So old school. Just wonderful. A step back in time with timeless quality. A Charlottesville treasure. Not to be missed on a football weekend. The cheese spread for the crackers is sharp and good. The blue cheese dressing. I love the prime rib. Lamb chops are also top notch. read more

Take a step back in time - without feeling like you are in some rundown cheap eatery. Feel the ambiance of a classy time gone by. Is that Don Draper sitting over at the bar having a Manhattan? Is that a piano bar, and I can actually have a conversation with the others dining with me, instead of hearing some loud music or dishes clanking? Was the service great? Food amazingly good. I hadn't been here in several years, and it was so enjoyable. An old-school restaurant that has retained it's sense of respect for dining. A full-course meal with wine was about $50, but I pay that at the trendy restaurants where it's more like a cattle call. I can't wait to return to Cville and will go again! read more

Loved the atmosphere, however the sporting motif didn't fit. PRime rib was wonderful, melts in your mouth. Crab cakes had good flavor but deep fried. Salmon was a tad bit overcooked. Rolls were wonderful, service very good, my date....questionable. read more

Disappointed. The worst part arrived when we literally tasted double salt in our lobster bisque...your body just physically stopped you from a second try because it was so scared.. read more

First off, the only reason I'm giving this place a two is because the service was good. The food was meh. The steak I got was so burned I had to drown it in steak sauce to cover the charred taste. The baked potato was good tho. read more

Over-priced. Service was friendly but not on par with prices. No bread before meal - only stale breadsticks out of a box. New York Strip was $29, came with baked potato, a 'meh' salad, and two cold onion rings. Had to ask for butter. Served on a cast iron skillet - which was not even warm to the touch. Outdated furnishings (wagon wheel chandeliers, for crying out loud!) frayed carpets, and limited wine list. Disappointing in all areas and I won't be back...too bad as this meal was celebrating my son's arrival at UVA and they just lost the opportunity for 4 years of big dinners from me. These shortcomings can be easily remedied - hope they do. read more

My husband and I were looking for a nice steakhouse to take my daughter and son-in-law to over the holidays. After much research, we chose Aberdeen Barn. We were overwhelmingly disappointed. 1) Dirty Seat and Poor Service - When we were first seated, my daughter's seating area had something nasty on it. She took her napkin and scrubbed for quite some time before she was able to get it clean enough to sit down on. During that time (say, three minutes) none of the staff seemed to notice, and if they did, they certainly didn't offer to clean it or re-seat us. 2) Dirty Wine Glass and Floating Cork - We ordered drinks and one of our wine glasses looked like it had not been cleaned. It had something dried and crusty on the outside and there was a piece of cork floating in the wine. 3) Escargot Appetizers - Two of us ordered escargot as our appetizer. I have eaten escargot in several countries, including numerous times in France. Sometimes it is very good and sometimes it's just OK. But here, it smelled and tasted fishy. That should never be the case. I did finish mine, but my husband stopped after two - he just couldn't get past the smell. 4) Drinks - Although our server was good about asking the three of us who were drinking alcoholic beverages if we would like another, she was very inattentive in refilling my husband's iced tea. 5) Cold Food - When our entrees came we were warned to be careful because the skillets were very hot. Indeed they were not. We could have held them in our hands with no fear of getting burned. Although our steaks and prime rib WERE each served the way we ordered them (rare and medium rare), the steaks themselves were barely warm. My husband ordered broccoli as his side dish, and even though it was cooked to a perfect crisp-tenderness, it was so cold that it would not even melt the butter he put on it. Now ... If this had been a Texas Roadhouse or Longhorn Steakhouse, the quality of the food and service would have been acceptable. But this meal cost us $255.90 WITHOUT tip. (That included six alcoholic drinks and four appetizers, but no coffee or dessert.) With the $45 tip it was a $300 meal for four. If the service and food had been great we wouldn't have minded paying that much. We knew before we went there it was going to be an expensive meal. As it turned out, it was also a very expensive lesson learned. Aberdeen Barn is positioning and pricing itself as an upscale steakhouse but delivers as a mediocre steakhouse chain. read more

Really enjoyed the meal and the service. Had the prime rib with creamed spinach and enjoyed both. The server was very friendly, Jim, and quite the charmer. Prime rib was a perfectly cooked medium rare and melted in my mouth. read more

Loved the ambiance. Very cozy and older in appearance. I had their prime rib and while it was delicious I was disappointed that it was not very warm. My husband had the ribeye and it was overcooked. He ordered MR and it was closer to MW. The other gentleman ordered a New York strip and his too, was overcooked. However both said the flavor was great! I felt the prices were a little high. The service was just okay. He forgot about a couple of things and had to be reminded, but he was friendly. Overall I am giving it a 3 because I would probably go back if I were in the area. read more

Excellent steaks! Great cuts of beef...this is what you are paying for. Everything on the menu is a bit pricey, but I don't mind paying more for quality meat. The appetizers are excellent as well, with the exception of the shrimp cocktail. They charge $13.00 for it, and the shrimp isn't all that large, doesn't taste fresh, and doesn't seem to be cooked correctly. Strangely enough, one of the things that I enjoyed the most was the baked potato! It was the best tasting potato I've had in years. Almost had a sweet taste to it. Nice big size, as well. The salads are average fare, as are the sides. But who cares...it's the beef that you come here for! The wait staff is terrific....couldn't ask for better service. I would have given them five stars, but the prices were just a little too high all across the menu. Despite that, I'll be back for more great steak! read more

This place has been around for a while and it shows. The Barn wants to be an upscale steak place but misses. The decor needs to be cleaned up. Look pass the big picture and you'll feel the tired gloominess. The prime rib is just OK. It comes out at room temp and it's nothing special. The wait staff appear to be bored with the repetitiveness of the serving process. In a place like this I would not expect to have to handle my plate when served. The Barn equates to a tired, old man. read more

Salmon is incredibly dry! Basically tasted like a chicken; SO over cooked. Breadsticks (pretzel) and "cheese dip" was placed on our table and the "cheese dip" was cheezwiz!! Steak is good but nothing special. This place was just a dressed up, overpriced diner. Could get steak for just as good for half the price somewhere else! read more