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    Car Wash Cafe

    4.4 (169 reviews)
    Open 8:30 am - 2:30 pm
    Updated 2 months ago

    Car Wash Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    CAR WASH CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Car Wash Cafe

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    She crab soup for the WIN!!!
    Robert M.

    All the rave reviews and stellar write ups of this spot are all too subtle & under whelming compared to actually going there! This is a real-deal gem of a spot. The parking is a bit wonky and the dining area is tight & tiny, but all of that is well worth the pilgrimage to the top of the mountain for what you receive. What you receive (or actually what we received) was an amazing staff, wonderful people around you, and absolutely divine food from the cook team. I can not say how much I enjoyed this and am drooling thinking of returning. Based on the advice of my bank teller down the street (thanks, Tanya!) I went with the tuna sandwich and she-crab soup. Yes, it was a splurge. Yes, it was more of a lunch than I was intending. Yes, I would do it again every day of my life and enjoy the indulgence. The she-crab soup was SO rich and creamy with just tons of chunky crab meat in it. I'm in love with anything that has crab in it and this just made my day. I ordered the ahi tuna sandwich and probably gave the cook a disappointment. I do not like things lightly seared. I had it well cooked and they did exactly what I wanted which is rare. With the wasabi mayo it was just perfect. I didn't realize I had a side choice (plan ahead if you are reading this! read the side items before you have to order) and went with a great coleslaw. All in all - this is an awesome place. Just be patient if it gets crowded and be as warm hearted as your new friends/neighbors when you are seated.

    Exterior- breakfast time
    Mary Y.

    Great food! Plus awesome customer service... we got the eggs Benedict with crab cake & a side of grits. softshell crab, BLT, delicious and crispy! Plus a cup of the she carb soup! The soup was fresh and delicious! The service is always spot on! this location very welcoming and has a small town home feel. Do not let the outside fool you! The cooking is delicious ; like eating in your grandmother's kitchen.

    Frittata with spinach and onions and sour cream, and it was good!
    Kim H.

    I definitely ate when I was in Kilmarnock, VA. This cafe was close to where family and I stayed for the weekend, and found this cafe. The staff were friendly and just a nice vibe. Usually I do not eat all my food, but I did that day! The food was really good and no take out box for me! Thanks for the great service and that hometown vibe!

    the counter and chairs
    Austin G.

    While staying at nearby The Tides Inn from Washington, D.C., Yelp directed us to Car Wash Cafe, a cafe attached to an actual car wash. Walking in without a reservation on a Saturday around 10 a.m., we snagged their last open table. The menu is massive and has plenty of country food to pick from. My wife ordered their hash and LOVED it. It's worth every dollar. The space itself is perfect- no frills and a throwback to the 1950s. Service is very kind and fast. Our server treated us like family! The only con was the coffee. It's literally Folgers or some brand like that. It tasted like water. For better coffee, go to The Local in Irvington, VA.

    Side salad with homemade blue cheese
    Meredith S.

    Absolutely spot on! Such a cute place. It's located in a former gas station/car wash? Super well done with an open kitchen. Nothing hidden here. We stopped in for lunch on a Saturday in July. It's definitely a popular spot, but lucky us, we got a table right away. I started with a side salad with blue cheese dressing. Super fresh and the dressing is definitely homemade. I appreciate the blue cheese chunks. I ordered the burger with cheddar and I'm a mid-rare kind of girl. You can't scare me - I have kids. The burger was cooked to perfection! Hubby had a BLT and it was packed with bacon. And hello? Who doesn't love shoestring fries when they are fried perfectly (not too crunchy, not too limp)?! So hard to find a place with shoestring fries anymore. And definitely harder to find a place that does them right. The service was fast and oh SO friendly!! This is just a great, unique place to eat. And if you have to wait, I promise that it's worth it. We will definitely be back when in the area again!

    Triple Chocolate Cake
    Danny L.

    We were visiting Kilmarnock for the weekend and had no idea where to eat. While driving and exploring we came across this little gem. As the name indicates, it's attached to a car wash. As we walked up, we noticed six well-distanced outdoor tables, two of which were empty, but needing to be bussed. We were greeted promptly, but told it would be a few minutes. We quickly noticed why. There are only 2 servers on during the Saturday shift. We were seated after about 5 minutes and the wait staff took excellent care of us. They were busy, but attentive to all their tables. She explained to us the daily specials and we chose the grouper sandwich. It was lightly fried to perfection and delicious all around. The homemade potato salad was a nice compliment. The only complaint was the serving of sweet potato fries with the second sandwich were a bit scant. Don't leave without getting a dessert, even if it's to go. We ordered and shared two - the triple chocolate cake and the triple c (carrot cake, cheesecake, carrot cake). The former was fudgey and the latter was simply brilliant. This place is worth a stop of you find yourself in town.

    Crab Cake Benedict

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    3 months ago

    Food is always good service very friendly sometimes hard to get a table, stays busy. It's great when the weather is good to eat outside.

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    7 months ago

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    5 months ago

    The food is good and the service is great ! The fresh flowers really added the touch.

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    1 year ago

    I had the blacken grouper it was excellent. The service is always 5 stars. N ever had anything but 5 star meals at the car wash.

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    2 years ago

    The food is fantastic. Best place to go for breakfast. The servers are the best and are always smiling.

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    3 years ago

    Price $$$. Small cozy inside atmosphere. A little loud. Friendly staff. Awesome food and best deserts around.

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    Ask the Community - Car Wash Cafe

    Lee's Restaurant - I adored these hush puppies.

    Lee's Restaurant

    4.0(85 reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $$

    Came to Lee's for dinner with my son on an early Friday night in December. Pro-tip: this place gets…read morepopular full quick! It is popular, for all the right reasons, so take that into your planning. We were seated quickly because we arrived before 5:30! By the time we left there weren't many open seats. The waiter was great, well timed and very competent. Inside it was cozy and ready for the Christmas holiday's. Something possessed me so I ordered a margarita. Pretty good! I have crazy margarita standards and this one hit the mark. We also started with hushpuppies. Since I used to have a summer job where ALL I did was make hushpuppies at a fish fry shack, I can personally rate hushpuppies and these were outstanding. I'm a sucker for crabcakes. So, of course, I had to have a crabcake sandwich. I didn't want to go all in on the meal and the sandwich seemed the perfect fit for me. And it was! Just the way I like them and wouldn't have it any other way. I went with mashed potatoes gravy as one side. It was very good and will be my new staple. I wanted a good vegetable that I could identify, but the only option that appealed to me was the cucumber salad. I don't remember the last time I ordered that. After the edition, I should order it more! The reason this has been a successful family run business for the last 80 years is because it is reliable, tastes great, and would be the poster child of a place that excels at "comfort food". And I write that with pride.

    Great service. Shimp is very good all seafood is highly recommended. French fries above average.read more

    Photos
    Lee's Restaurant - Surprisingly empty at 5:20. Wasn't empty later!

    Surprisingly empty at 5:20. Wasn't empty later!

    Lee's Restaurant
    Lee's Restaurant - Outside of Lee's

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    Outside of Lee's

    Kilmarnock Inn - Lobster roll and crab cake

    Kilmarnock Inn

    3.8(59 reviews)
    0.8 mi

    We stayed here for a work trip since there wasn't much else around - it was a great recommendation!…read more It was super easy to check in, our room was very clean and well taken care of. Modern but still captured the old coastal feel. It was super musty and smelled like it. There was a dehumidifier but it was so small, in two nights we actually had to dump the water bucket 4 times. And if we left all day, we came back to a damp room. I'm not sure what causes that - we live in a super humid area and don't have the same issue, but maybe a larger humidifier would help. The breakfasts were fantastic - you can order anything off their restaurant menu. I didn't have anything bad, everything was super fresh and came in huge portions. I do wish they had an espresso machine but the coffee was okay. Check out was also a breeze. This isn't a luxury location, my main complaint was the price for it feels steep, but it's one of the only spots in the area which is probably why they can charge so much. Overall, a great stay and I would definitely come back here if I was in the area again.

    Made an unexpected stop for dinner and arrived at 5. We were the only customers at the time. We've…read moreeaten here often and usually enjoy it. Tonight was not one of our better experiences. My wife's house salad was very tasty but had several pieces of wilted greens that she picked out. I started with the French onion soup, which was very salty. Almost too salty to eat. My wife had the salmon and I had the Shrimp in the sambuca sauce. The salmon was cooked good and very flavorful, the asparagus was cooked perfectly and good tasting. The shrimp were cooked well but the dish itself was lacking flavor. I was surprised at the absence of the sauce. It barely covered the pasta. The waitress did offer to add more sauce to it, and actually brought out some more sauce with a little more sambuca in it. It did improve the dish,but not one of my favorites. So 5 stars on the salmon dish. 3 stars on the salad. 1 star on the French onion soup, and 3 stars on the shrimp sambuca sauce dish. I have had the French onion soup before and it was good, so this was just a bad night. We will still go there because they usually are very good, and everyone can have an off night. The waitress told the chef about the sambuca sauce and she said he agreed with me and tweek the sauce.

    Photos
    Kilmarnock Inn - Front room

    Front room

    Kilmarnock Inn - Shrimp in sambuca sauce

    Shrimp in sambuca sauce

    Kilmarnock Inn

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    Small Town Burger - Big Malasada, Small Town Burger's Big Fried Pastry Dusted In Cinnamon Sugar

    Small Town Burger

    4.5(43 reviews)
    0.9 mi

    Service was quick and friendly. Lots of cozy seating! Nice little thoughtful touches like dog water…read morebowls and a cornhole set. Lobster roll was excellent, and I've never met a curly fry I didn't like! The lobster roll was so buttery I definitely could have had another!

    Burgers are expensive but great! The fries have old bay on them which I don't understand with a…read moreburger. I always ask for no seasoning on my fries. The lobster roll was ridiculously bad. The sauce that the lobster was tossed in was so watery that it completely soaked the roll and it became a flat piece of wet dough that you could not even pick up. It was disgusting. I had to go ask a fork just so I could eat the lobster without the roll. Anyone who has had lobster rolls before understand that the role is very important and it should not be flat mushy and wet. When I went to get the fork, I was asked why I needed a fork for the lobster roll and I told them that the role was ruined and wet and I couldn't even pick it up. I was then told that the next time I ordered a lobster roll I should get the one with the butter. I was then informed that I must not have been aware of what I was ordering and that's why it wasn't what I expected. I informed them that I was very aware of what I was ordering because I used to own a seafood restaurant and market and that what was served to me was unacceptable. I won't be getting lobster rolls there again, but I will go back for a burger.

    Photos
    Small Town Burger - Plenty of great seating, but be prepared for some fierce flies.

    Plenty of great seating, but be prepared for some fierce flies.

    Small Town Burger - Big Dog included a premium 100% all beef Hot Dog cooked to perfection in a crisped brioche bun

    Big Dog included a premium 100% all beef Hot Dog cooked to perfection in a crisped brioche bun

    Small Town Burger - Great food from the food truck and great staff each time we've come.

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    Great food from the food truck and great staff each time we've come.

    Dredge - French fries

    Dredge

    4.1(84 reviews)
    4.4 mi

    Went out for my husbands birthday and what a treat! Our server happened to be sharing a birthday…read morewith him and what fun we had! The food was great, especially the oysters, the atmosphere was happy and perfect for a birthday night out!

    The Dredge is a nice dinner spot offering indoor and outdoor seating in a modern pub meets sit down…read morerestaurant feel. The service is good and staff were all very friendly. Food wise, this restaurant offers a serious seafood steamer feast and we did not miss out! We went with snow crab and shrimp. Cooked just right and cleaned well. We also ordered scallops served on the half shell - Thai chili style. A little bit of a let down as they were slightly overcooked. The chili is quite hot and I like spicy food so it was good with me but too much heat for others at the table. If a good amount of heat is not your thing definitely order the scallops basil style. We are not oyster fans but if you are oysters are a specialty of the house. For sides we had fries and hush puppies. Fries were very good, and the hush puppies were outstanding. Whole pieces of corn inside and cooked to a perfect crunch on the outside I would highly recommend these. We finished off our meal with fried plantains for desert, served with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. A fantastic steamer meal. There is a lot of menu to explore here and entrees seemed to lean toward seafood Mexican style dishes including tacos, burritos, etc. For drinks, the restaurant offers a good selection of beers on tap, wines and a full bar. Definitely recommend and suggest trying a seafood variety steamer style- it was a lot of fun! Cheers, and happy eating!

    Photos
    Dredge - Lots of seating.

    Lots of seating.

    Dredge - Steamer feast

    Steamer feast

    Dredge - Peel and eat shrimp

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    Peel and eat shrimp

    Car Wash Cafe - newamerican - Updated June 2026

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