A nice specialty grocery with deli counter…read more I was too late to catch the deli counter but browsed and got a loaf of sourdough from a vendor. From my limited experience I would return.

Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined such an extraordinary Grocery and Cafe that opened…read moreits doors in 2019 after quality extensive renovations to Tinnell's Finer Foods, when it closed its doors after 82 years of serving the South Roanoke community. When I came to visit this place for the first time I had no idea that it had a close relationship to the River and Rail Restaurant which I reviewed last year, giving it the highest rank of my Five Star reviews ever. When doing my research for this review I found out that the long-time Roanoke residents, Whit and Lauren Ellerman, the owners of Crystal Spring Grocery, are also the owners of the River and Rail Restaurant, located on the same block as Crystal Spring Grocery. The Ellermans clearly have an eye for recognizing the possibilities of vacant buildings and the talents of others and a vision of how they can come up with something as wonderful as this establishment. Gourmet grocery store and Cafe is a short definition of what Crystal Spring Grocery Company is all about. But I must go more in depth of what makes it so special and unique beside being gourmet. First of all I was very impressed with the interior design of the building space. Simple yet beautiful in its simplicity. I particularly loved its shiny whitish gray floors, and the green furniture and design, throughout the Grocery as well as Cafe. Also, I was very impressed with the windows and lighting treatment of the place. Second, I was very impressed with the quality and organization of the food items and wines, in the Grocery area. Third, with the menu items and quality of the food coming out of the kitchen of the Cafe. I had an Iced Sweet Tea to drink, and a Chicken Sandwich with Fries to eat. Everything was amazingly delicious. And last, but not least, I was highly impressed with the quality of your employees; with the ones behind the counter up front and the ones taking the orders and handing them out in the Cafe area. They all were so friendly and welcoming and at the same time so knowledgeable and organized, providing exceptional customer service individual and working as Team players. I highly recommend this Grocery and Cafe to everyone reading my review and viewing my photographs accompanying this review. This place is another gem in the this neighborhood.

We visited the Yard Bird Tavern in downtown Roanoke. Finding a spot can be a bit of a gamble;…read moreunless you're lucky enough to snag a space at the curb, you should expect to pay for parking. ​Atmosphere & Menu ​Upon entering, we found the restaurant pleasantly sophisticated, though it was nearly at capacity. While we opted not to explore the drink menu, we were eager to see what the kitchen had to offer. The menu itself is concise, focusing primarily on wings, sandwiches, and pizzas, supplemented by a few small appetizers. ​The culinary style is quite eclectic. They feature several unconventional toppings and flavor combinations that might seem a bit eccentric at first glance. ​The Culinary Experience ​I decided on a flatbread-style pizza topped with: ​Smoked chicken ​Pickles ​Peppadew-style peppers (which resembled small cherry tomatoes) ​A tangy, zesty sauce reminiscent of an enchilada base with an extra "zing." ​My wife opted for a "build-your-own" pizza featuring red onions, pepperoni, and bell peppers. Although she realized too late that she had forgotten to request light sauce, she noticed the oversight immediately upon the dish's arrival. ​Service Observations ​The service was a bit of a mixed bag. Our waitress was professional but remarkably brisk. She lacked the usual pleasantries or "small talk" one might expect, focusing instead on efficiency. While her haste felt a bit impersonal, I couldn't complain about her attentiveness--she was incredibly prompt at refilling my iced tea the moment my glass was empty. Make sure you bring your pocketbook this pizza brings a sting at the register.

Ace of Spades Pizza was missing key ingredients, like the basil and hot honey, and looked like it…read morehad been sitting for a while, definitely and sadly not like any of the photos I'd seen. Was basically a very thin pepperoni and pepper pizza. I contacted Jaybird Tavern a couple times via email regarding this issue, hoping to get some resolution, but they refused to respond. Would not recommend.

We liked Wildflour's Sunday brunch so much that we went two Sundays in a row. The pancakes, Wagyu…read morehash and Chesapeake Benedict were all delicious: perfectly cooked and well-flavored. Micah was an excellent server. We are adding Wildflour to our Sunday rotation.

It's a toss up. When it is good it is four stars when it is not it is two, but it is hard to know…read morewhat you are going to get when you sit down. There are multiple food options for anyone and nice options for dessert. The space is kind of dark and laid out weird and service makes us feel like we are in the way.

Food, service, ambiance, all amazing and I was hooked from day one. I have been to bother multiple…read moretimes location which are located in Christiansburg and Roanoke. My go to are the bibimbap and tonkotsu. I've also had several smoothies, personal favs are the açaí and the green detox.

I wasn't expecting much from Rainbowl, but the chef's special burrito bowl was delicious. Perfect…read morefor quick, easy, on-the-go dining. The place is clean and the owner was really friendly. Customer service from the staff behind the counter wasn't the friendliest. Still worth a stop if you want something fast and tasty.

Just the other day as I was driving around doing some errands, and looking for a place to have an…read moreearly dinner, I discovered this fresh casual restaurant in the heart of Downtown Salem, in Salem, Virginia. At first, I was attracted by its white building front with light green awning and pink highlights around the building and its front door as well as around the restaurant's front sign. Its small patio in front with black iron outdoor dining furniture also attracted my attention. So I drove around looking for a place to park my pearl white Lexus, and I was lucky to find just across the street a few empty free 2 hour parking spaces. I parked in one of them and proceeded to walk to the restaurant. On one of its front windows it read: "Freshens - Fresh Food Kitchen." As I walked in, I immediately felt comfortable in this clean and bright environment with modern decor. The walls were brick walls painted white and decorated simple, with framed enlarged photographs of close-up of fruits & vegetables like tomatoes, corn, and strawberries, just to name a few. The floors were light color hardwood floors. Lit menus were located above, behind the counter, with items such as Smoothies, Grilled Flatbreads, Salads, Artisan Melts, Acai Bowls, and Rice Bowls. When I finally found the "Order Here" sign, located above an area of the counter, a friendly, young lady employee greeted me, and when I told her this was my first time there, she tried to find me a paper menu, but they had ran out. I ordered from the menu on the wall. To drink I ordered a Maui Mango Smoothie, that had mango, strawberries, and bananas. And to eat I ordered their a BBQ Bacon Chicken Grilled Flatbread. The Maui Mango Smoothie had just the right texture and tasted amazing.The mixture of its three fruits made it tast almost like guava, which is also one of my favorite tropical fruits. When my Grilled Flatbread was ready, they called me to pick it up. It tasted amazingly delicious! While I was eating, several other customers came by. Most of them had ordered already and just came to pick up their food "To Go." Others stayed and ate it there. The food and the smoothie were so fresh and healthy that I felt great after I finished them up. Oh, and for dessert I had a sliced of their Peanut Butter Pie and it was so soft and tasty, that made me want to return soon. After I returned home, I did my research and found out that this establishment was recognized as the 2026 leading Vegetarian Restaurant in Salem, Virginia. I highly recommend it and had wonderful healthy dining experience there.

They were really helpful on the phone with my call in order, walked in staff was super cool and…read morewelcoming and the smoothie is just what I needed. Stuff is really cheap I will definitely be back.

I have not been to a McAllister in forever! But I've always liked and when I saw wanted to try…read more No issues with parking by the building and the area was clean. Upon walking in on a Saturday afternoon it was surprisingly dead. The dining room was clean. Service is by counter and was friendly. I got a veggie with side of cup of chili. My order came out within 10 minutes, or so. Everything was really good! Definitely recommend checking them out.

Sometimes during these cold Winter nights one feels like staying home and ordering out food…read moredelivery. While on DoorDash the other night I felt like having a sandwich, so I looked under the Sandwiches category and McAlister Deli came up. This called to mind one time they had in their menu one of the most delicious sandwiches that I have ever had at a deli: The Cuban Sandwich 12". It had tangy Pulled Pork, Black Forest Ham, and Swiss Cheese with Yellow Mustard and Pickles served on a Toasted Baguette. It was so good that every time I ordered out, I kept on ordering this sandwich at McAlister Deli. Then all of a sudden one day when I went to their website at DoorDash I noticed it was missing from the menu there. I contacted the restaurant manager to inquire as to why it was missing. She agreed with me that this was one of their most delicious sandwiches, but told me that sometimes Corporate changes the menu and removes some items, and that in the future they can also bring it back. So I thanked her for her feedback and told her to look at her records and see all the times that I had purchased this sandwich from their Deli, since actions speak louder than words. I then contacted their corporate office to inquire as well and they gave me the same answer. So I had to resign myself to be without that sandwich anymore and stay just with the memories of how good it had tasted when I was fortunate enough to have tried it. Tonight, when I was looking for sandwich places to order a sandwich delivered. I said to myself (since I'm a person of high Hope), let me look at the McAlister Deli site and see if by any chance (although many of times I had repeated this action with no results) they had brought it back. After all, in this Holiday Season anything is possible for those who believe. And you wouldn't guess what happened next. Right there, in their menu, was my favorite sandwich, that I had wished for for so long. Needless to say, I went and ordered it right away through DoorDash without even thinking to go to their website and ordering it from there like I used to. As I waited, I thought of how some things in life are priceless, without being expensive. And how maybe a simple request from one person can make a big difference in an important decision as if to bring it back. But for whatever reason it was back, and once again, McAlister Deli's became one of my favorites restaurants because of this. I followed the progression of the DoorDasher through their app until "headed your way." Then very soon the doorbell rang and the DoorDasher delivered my sandwich, which arrived well-wrapped and in perfect condition. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the quality of McAlister food. Needless to say that when I've eaten at their restaurant they have had friendly and welcoming employees who have provided me with excellent customer service, in a clean and cozy environment. The Cuban Sandwich 12" was amazingly delicious, just like always. The combination of all of its fresh ingredients and the baguette made it delicious. The only thing missing was that it wasn't toasted. As you all know, part of the secret of a successful Cuban Sandwich is this. Which involves using a sandwich press or a heavy skillet to compress and grill the sandwich until the bread is crispy and the cheese is melted. It's a distinctive step that gives the sandwich its signature crust and is essential to what makes it a true Cuban sandwich. I truly hope that when the management of the restaurant reads this review, they take steps to see that this doesn't happen again. And knowing them, I'm sure it won't. Because this is the attention to detail that makes the big difference.

Came in Monday around 1:00pm. Not that great. Got my bowl, it had a black hair in it. I brought it…read moreup to the manager Leslie, she rolled her eyes and insisted it was mine. I've had my hair red, ginger, fire-engine red, since July. The hair in the bowl was black. Similar to the managers (just a reference, not accusatory). I was only offered a refund after I said I was leaving a review... overall disappointed. Very unprofessional. Definitely needs more training. Not only is she rude to the customers, but also her employees. As I was choosing my sides, she comes to the front and says to the girl making my bowl, "why are you using that many toppings, it's only one spoon. You should know this by now.". Then rolled her eyes and kept working. There's a Chipotle and Qdoba within 20 feet, that are notably less expensive, so I'll just give those a try next time. Plus they don't skimp on toppings! Imagine charging $13 per bowl, to only give out teaspoons worth of the sides. We literally get offered more sauces than sides . I only tried this place because it's newish and close to my job. The house-made drinks were good though. Overall, pricey for the value, poor customer service, wouldn't recommend. Especially with current management.

Despite being annoyed by their one scoop policy, the food is delicious. They don't have sunflower…read moreseeds nor do they offer you complimentary pita bread. I guess every location is privately owned.

My boyfriend & I came for lunch & sat outdoors. It's such a cute place! We shared a house salad…read morethat was very fresh and I had the basil cheesy bread which was very good. We had a friendly server & it was great!

Went on a Sunday, the outside bar was packed but there was no one but our party inside. It was…read moreswelteringly hot. There are fans but no air was moving. We had 2 different people working the table so things were being confused and orders were being taken twice. The waitstaff was aggressively incorrect. We would tell one that our drink order was taken by the other and they would say that it wasn't, we'd order again, and the first server would get mad about it. It took over an hour to get an appetizer. Pizza was undercooked and incredibly greasy. Pulled pork had no flavor other than yellow mustard. Drinks were good, but way overpriced and also slow to arrive. All of that and the food is SO overpriced. It was nearly $100 for 2 people. I'm not paying that kind of money to eat in a room with no AC. I love a neighborhood bar, but that is not neighborhood prices or service.