Best burger in the city. The fries are also amazing. If you like actual smash burgers (not…read moresomething called a Smash Burger that is still an inch thick), this is the place. Seek them out. You will not be disappointed. Bonus points: they're also super nice people who seem to genuinely enjoy what they do.

I attended the friends and family soft opening tonight and what a beautiful evening for this food…read moretrucks debut. There were many in attendance and with my family present, it was great to have such a smorgasbord to taste! For starters, all the ingredients are fresh - except the fries - and you can really taste the freshness. Smash burgers were on point and many options left you wanting to try each one. I think we had at least three different ones - including the classic smash, the Kenny smash and the plain smash. All served on amazing soft Martins potato buns. We also had a couple hot dogs - the manhattan and the Star City. Loved the Dr Pepper chili sauce and the NYC onion sauce was a mix of mustard, ketchup in onions and spices and blended nicely with the sauerkraut and spicy mustard. French fries are crispy and battered and cooked perfect. My brother in law ordered the Gahbage plate - a favorite from Rochester, NY and it is not for the lite eater! It is a packed meal of hamburger, hot dog, on top of the fries and topped with chili meat sauce, mustard and a side of macaroni pasta salad on top. Wow. A lot of food!! My sister had the chopped cheese and it was fabulous. We also purchase a couple of cookies that were being offered from a local bakery and they were gobbled up as well. Prices are amazing and felt we could have easily paid more for each item! This was the inaugural kickoff of the food truck and I easily see this as being a favorite in the area. Service was awesome - friendly staff wanting to make you full and hope you return. And yes - we will be following this truck and yes. we will return. Great job!

To be clear, this is a food truck, and I am rating it as such. It is set up in a gas station…read moreparking lot. They did put out a single table for me to eat there, but it has nothing to offer in the way of ambience. Weather may also be a factor, and when I arrived at the post opening time they were still setting up. The reason I have a high opinion of the place is not any of those things, but that it offers the distinctive home-cooked taste of a cuisine that is not otherwise available in the region to my knowledge. It is vegetarian South Indian and most of the options revolve around lentils and spices. I sampled a preparation I hadn't had before of ildi, a steamed rice and lentil cake, with some mouthwatering spicy powder. My spicy dosa, which I made it clear I wanted really spicy, was indeed fiery, but also possessed the delightful crispness and mix of sour and savory flavors distinctive to this cuisine. I also note that sometimes the salt in sambar overwhelms me but I didn't have a particularly tough time here; the flavors of the spices were enough without the ridiculous oversalting that some restaurants do. It is a taste that I would be happy to come back for in the near term and I would try virtually everything they offer.

Last year, I tried this place during Festival of India. The food was good. My dosa was huge and…read moretasty! The line was a bit long but definitely worth the wait. If I make it back to Roanoke, I'd try Sudha's again.

Just the other day as I was driving down Brambleton Ave, Southwest Roanoke, on my way to Brambleton…read moreImports to have my Lexus washed, after having experienced a snow and ice storm, I happened to pass by this lively color food truck with the name of The Rad Shack Shaved Ice. Then and there, I decided to stop and visit it on my way back. After having been selected as number 4 of Yelp's Top 50 most prolific Elites of 2025, a year when I also was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Photographer of the Year Award at their Yelpies 2025 Award Ceremony, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, and where last year I was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Yelper of the Year Award, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and businesses, and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And The Rad Shack Shaved Ice in Roanoke, Virginia, is a perfect example. Established in 2023, by Sean W, who also teaches Church History at a Christian school, this veteran-owned food truck specializes in rad hot dogs and shaved ice. Sean and his wife started the business because they value the simpler times in life. Their vision was that "people would make memories by sitting back and relaxing without the cares of the world." And I had an opportunity to experience this first hand, when I stopped by and visited the place. Sean's welcoming and hospitable personality immediately made me feel at home there. He explained the menu, and I would have liked to order one of their Rad Chili Dogs, if it were not that I just had lunch not so long ago, and a Shaved Ice served as a dessert. I ended up having a medium Mango Shaved Ice with vanilla ice-cream, melted marshmallows, and sprinkles. By having it this way, they call it: "Making It A Rad Stack." I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the quality food and shaved ice. As I was enjoying my shaved ice, a friend of the owner ordered a Rad Chili Hot Dog and it looked so good. Next time I'll have one. While there, I also had the opportunity of meeting Sean's wife and learning about their favorite hobby of running, and his enjoyment of teaching Church History. I've eaten at many food trucks before, but I consider this one special, because it's one where you not only enjoy some quality shave ice or rag hot dogs, but hang out and enjoy some quality time with the owner, family, or close friends.

Wonderful Business. Best Shaved Ice, and so many flavors. Owner is nice and friendly, outgoing…read more We like the coffee shaved Ice with ice cream in the center. My partner will try the hotdogs soon. I highly recommend you try them. Every flavor shaved ice under the sun. With whipped cream, and or ice cream added if you choose. Made my day when I was trapped at a tire place for almost three hours. Go try them! Business is located in Fishburn park, so plenty of parking. Picnic bench outside.

For some reason it's on yelp and says open but when I call no one ever answers. I think that they…read moreneed to update their website.

Better than any grilled cheese I've had in town and the tomato bisque with it makes for perfect,…read moresoul fulfilling comfort food. Perfect!

Minority owned by a husband and wife, although if you ask the husband he says she is the boss!…read more The menu is ever changing. Just as they opened the owner brought out a plank with the newest additions, from a creek burger to a pickle burger with ranch and toppings. My wife had the pickle burger and said it was delicious, while I had the bacon cheese burger with thicker cut bacon. (Note this is not what was listed in the other yelp write ups, the owner said the thick cut was replaced with a slightly thinner cut.) The fries weren't much to speak of, shoe strings but they were hot! Everything was. All was delicious. If you see this place, read the menu and enjoy!

Great place great staff great food. Great venue. Mark it a stop awesome and it's local who doesn't…read morewant to support local

This family-owned Mexican Restaurant is like no other that I've have ever seen before. The family…read moreis from Jalisco, Mexico, and after some time of sharing their native cuisine through their food truck, around March of this year, they opened this brick and mortar restaurant in the Southwest neighborhood of Roanoke, Virginia. I literally found out about this place today, and immediately made plans to go visit for dinner. After being awarded the Triad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last year, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And Birrieria La Vaca in Roanoke, Virginia, is the perfect example. Jalisco is a state in western Mexico. Known for its capital city, Guadalajara (the second-largest city in Mexico), and its cultural contributions, including mariachi music, charades (Mexican rodeos), the Mexican Hat dance, the wide-brimmed sombrero, tequila, and birria, a traditional meat stew. Its culinary scene is diverse, with dishes like birria (a savory meat stew) and tortas ahogadas (a pork-filled sandwich soaked in sauce) being local favorites. Sweet treats like jericalla is a popular dessert, similar to a flan or custard, with a slightly caramelized or burnt top. Tequila, made from the juice of the blue agave cactus, is Jalisco's best known product. The restaurant Birrieria La Vaca is located on 5th Street, Southwest Roanoke, in a renovated old building. Its front of the building is painted with a unique, dark, bright, red color, so you won't miss it when driving by. As you enter the first thing that catches you attention is their beautiful renovated original hardwood floors and a section of original tiles in great condition. Most of the walls are painted dark, bright red, with one dark red, and one white. The place is very clean with some booths and some tables and chairs, and even a counter area for ones dining pleasure. It has been modernized with two large screen TVs behind the counter. One is continously showing color images of the food from the menu, and the other shows a video with scenes of Guadalajara, Mexico. Then on the two side walls are two gigantic size screen TVs which at the time were showing a soccer game. It also had a modern TouchTunes Jukebox on one of the walls, with a touchscreen so you can select and purchase songs that will be played in the restaurant. When I arrived a friendly young lady with a big smile greeted and welcomed me to the restaurant. She took me to one of the booths and handed me a copy of the menu. Later I found out that she was not only my server but also the daughter of the owner. We talked a little about Jalisco, Mexico, the place where her family is from, and then after she brought me an Horchata that I had ordered to drink along with a glass of water, I ordered the Queso Fundido Con Chorizo appetizer to enjoy with my chips. And for my main course I ordered a California Burrito al Pastor (with marinated pork). The food was all amazingly delicious and different from other Mexican restaurants; they had that homemade flavor to it. Their chips were fresh and reasantly fried. Thin and tasty. Their salsa was a bit too watery rather than thick like in other Mexican restaurants. You could tell that the tortilla used to make the burrito was made in-house because of its flavor and texture. And the pork was seasoned to perfection. For dessert I had their traditional Jericallas. It was served in the aluminum container where it was made. Nothing fancy, but tasty and sweet. Before I left I got to meet the other daughter who also was working as a server, as well as a cousin of theirs who was visiting, and their father. I had a great time and an extraordinary dining experience. Definitely I would recommend this restaurant and I expect to return soon to try out more of the items from their menu.

The food here was really good! Everything came out fresh and tasty, and the flavors were on point…read more My favorite was the Taco Birrias, definitely worth trying. The service matched the quality of the food. I'd for sure come back again.

We drifted off the beaten path to check out this place out traveling between Atlanta and Lexington,…read moreVA. It's a fair bit away from the Interstate, but I can tell you that it's worth the trek. When we got here for lunch, there was a line out the door and the smokers out back hard at work told us this was the place to be. We got served pretty quickly and found a table. The place is neat and clean with a decent amount of seating both inside and out. The missus had a brisket sandwich and I got the pulled pork with slaw, pinto beans and mac&cheese for the sides. The servings are HUGE and that smoke ring isn't just for looks. The meat was done perfectly with the smoky flavor and not dried out. I also tried one of their homemade sausages. Absolutely fantastic! Snappy casing with a filling that included creamy cheese hunks and a level of spicy that was just right. We pride ourselves in having high standards when it comes to BBQ, and this joint didn't disappoint! We've been to numerous BBQ joints including the famous award-winning Big Bob Gibsons in Northern Alabama and this place comes in well over that. We visited with the owner (Kelly) and had a great experience. The staff we interfaced with were both friendly and engaging. I would give this place 6 stars if I could. Highly recommended!

Yes--the main upgrade is adding the restaurant's no-frills character from your photo, sharpening…read morethe texture description, and giving the collards a more memorable moment. Here's the elite version: One look at Mama Jean's handwritten chalkboard menu told me this was a place that lets the food do the talking--and the fried ribs backed it up. The fried-rib special was the undeniable star. Topped with Buffalo sauce, hot honey, Gorgonzola cream sauce, Gorgonzola crumbles and green onion, these ribs were an absolute revelation. They were fried hard--the right way--giving the outside a satisfying bite while the meat remained tender inside. Sweet, spicy, tangy, creamy and savory, it was a bold combination that somehow worked beautifully from every angle. The pulled-pork sandwich refused to be overshadowed. The pork was moist, tender, well-seasoned and piled ridiculously high on a soft bun. This was a serious portion of properly cooked pork--not a sandwich relying on sauce to carry it. Then came the collard greens, which unexpectedly became the star of the sides. I expected them to play backup, but they had enough presence to stand beside the barbecue. The mac and cheese was good, but those collards were the side I kept returning to. Mama Jean's is not a barbecue spot you want to miss if you're anywhere near Roanoke. The setting is casual, the portions are generous and the flavors are unapologetically big. If the fried ribs are written on that chalkboard, don't overthink it--order them before they're gone. Top-notch barbecue

I had hoped for better food from this food truck. My spring rolls were dripping with oil and had…read morevery little filling. Our shrimp tacos had 3 tiny bay shrimp the size of a quarter, and no shredded cabbage or any other standard taco filings. The panini looked like they were from a kids menu. They charge a lot for very little food of substandard quality. I would not recommend this food to anyone. Plus, there was no bacon on the menu.

From the owner: Scratch made and locally sourced sandwiches, fusion tacos, soups and salads.read more

I ordered from them online and showed up and it didn't even exist. I called the phone number listed…read morefor their business and it was a wrong number. $20 wasted. It sounded great, but they need to not accept orders if they don't even exist anymore.

Been spoiled by the jerk chicken, don't know which meat to try next, sausage, steak or chicken…read morefilet. Incredible!

Came to Parkway Brewery to get a beer and eat and this food truck was there. I ordered the mac and…read morecheese bites and pulled pork sandwich. Food was okay! Not the best sandwich I had but it filled me up. Had to wait about 10 minutes for the food to come out but the person I ordered from was friendly. It was hard to find a table near the food truck. The mac and cheese bites were pretty good. I was very hungry so this tasted good.

This is a hidden gem that exceeded our expectations during our recent breakfast visit. The daily…read morespecials caught our attention our attention, and we were delighted with the variety and the quality of the food of the food. The food was excellent and the service was top notch! With indoor seating of a train car. They have excellent daily specials! The great music playing was enjoyable for all ages. I would definitely recommend it and we will be returning for more!