Everyone loves a good hot dog and that's including me. And today, as I was driving along Brandon…read moreAve in Southwest Roanoke, I happened to notice this hot dog joint named "Roanoke Weiner Stand #2 ." As you can expect, I pulled over their parking lot and since it was around lunch time, I got out of my Lexus and went to try them out. A friendly gentleman behind the counter greeted me and took my order. The menu on the wall was not too specific on the kinds of hot dogs they had, so I asked if they had one with sauerkraut. The order taker immediately said no, not that one. So I asked for a hot dog with chili, mustard, and onion, which was on the menu, and asked for another one with ketchup, mustard, and relish. I also ordered some french fries and a fountain drink, which there was a sign that clearly stated: "No Refills." and "$2.07 for a refill." It didn't take long for my two hot dogs and fries to be ready. I took them to a table and ate them. The hot dogs themselves were the short kind which are soft inside, but they were nice and tasty. These as different from the ones sold at a hot dog cart which are long and firm inside. The buns were fresh and soft, and the fries were nice and crispy. The chili, however was disappointing in texture and taste. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the quality of their food. Before leaving I asked the order taker if this restaurant was of the same owner as the Roanoke Weiner Stand in downtown Roanoke, and he told me they were different owners, but basically the food menu was the same. This one was opened in 1984 by Gus Pappas after he took over the family business. Overall, I enjoyed the tasty hot dogs, but not so much the chili. Their fries were nice and crispy and freshly served. The atmosphere of the place was warm and nostalgic. The service was fast and the staff was friendly. I wouldn't mind eating here again when I'm around the area.

Not friendly hotdogs are just ok fries are really good we told it was our first time there and they…read moredidn't talk to us. They weren't friendly at all.

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.

Today I took the road less traveled and ended up in a little gem of a family-owned and operated,…read moreneighborhood restaurant since 1982 by David and Penny Price. Located in Salem, Virginia, this warm and cozy restaurant with window view to the Roanoke River is known for its popular burgers, especially the "Hot Rock," and other casual American fare like sandwiches, subs, hot dogs, onion rings, and crispy fries. Small in size, yet it has received many awards throughout the years, including "Best Burger" from The Roanoker Magazine in 2013. When I arrived to the place, I parked my Lexus over a bed of rocks parking lot, right outside, in the front area of the restaurant, and walked towards it. Inside, there was a small foyer with a bulletin board that had a copy of the menu, some Best of Salem Gold Awards, and some business cards from members of the community and customers of the restaurant. Then there was a bar on the left with a pool table on the right, and many Sports memorabilia on the walls of the establishment. It seems the owner was a great fan of the Virginia Cavaliers. Then in the back there was the dining room with a few tables, and a couple of them had a window view of the Roanoke River. Shortly after I arrived the friendly and very hospitable owner, came out of the kitchen and gave me a warm welcome, asking me to take a seat where I liked. I went and sat at one of the tables with the window view. To drink I ordered a Coke and to eat I ordered their famous "Hot Rock" Burger at the owner's recommendation when I asked him what he would recommend for this my first time dining there. The description on the menu of this burger was a "Hand formed fresh lean ground beef, provolone cheese, grilled onions, bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo, hot peppers, Italian dressing on pita bread." It was served with potato chips and pickles, or for an extra price you could have it with crispy fries or onion rings. I ordered it with onion rings. While I waited, I looked around at all the pictures and memorabilia on the walls, and I looked through the window at the Roanoke River water flowing. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the quality of their food. When the food arrived, everything tasted fresh and delicious. The burger was cut in half for convenience in eating it. The onion rings had a thick batter that kept them together and were easy to eat. The owner came by to check on me and see if the food was of my liking. We also talked about how he has owned and ran this restaurant for over 43 years. At first the restaurant was also opened at night, but now it's only open from eleven in the morning until two-thirty in the afternoon daily, and closed on Sundays. This makes it easier on him now that he's older, but you can tell he enjoys to continue running his restaurant and serving his customers. Because of its quality food, reasonable prices, and friendly service. I can see why this little restaurant is a local favorite for lunch or a casual meal and I completely give it my total support and urge you to do the same.

One of my favorite spots! Great food! Have been coming here for 45 years and other restaurants…read morewould have a hard time beating these burgers,dogs, subs, pitas,french fries and other food they serve. You should definitely take the time to try, oh and a ice cold beer goes really well with and food choice!

Enjoyed the tacos from the ~famous~ Tacos El Tico! We got chicken tacos with cheese! The cheese was…read moremixed into the chicken, which was so worth the extra 25¢! Definitely recommend & support a small business!!

10/10 love this place great food great prices. This is the place to go if ur local. So affordableread more

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!

I alway love eating at food trucks because I never know what I am going to get! Generally on…read moreTuesday they are park by food lion. When I saw them I instantly parked my car and approached the truck. The menu looked really small, but they say they rotate their menu a lot so who knows maybe they won't have these items next time. I looked at the menu and saw that they had spring rolls! When I got to the window the lady at the register told me they ran out of the pork ones so I got three vegetarian spring rolls and a spicy tofu rice bowl! Service was really friendly. The food came out pretty fast. Now the overall meal was quite pricey even for a food truck. Each spring roll was $2 and the rice bowl was 8.99. So I brought it back to my place and was ready to chow down. I started with the spring rolls, and man were they good. I never had Thai spring rolls before so I was a little surprised, but they had noodles in them! Spring rolls I would say 5/5 a must get item. Now for the rice bowl it looked appetizing so I went in for the first bite and noticed I hit celery... It always shocked me when I ate Asian food how some places add celery to something. I am not a big fan of celery in Asian food so I took it out and kept eating. The sauce was spicier then I thought it would be. So I struggled trying to finish. What was amazing though was that green cilantro sauce they had. If I could I would just buy that sauce it is amazing! The tofu was also cooked well. I give the rice bowl probably a 3/5. Overall, I gave the rating of 4 because I just averaged the scores. I say if your going to this food truck, definitely get the spring roll. It is a little pricey, but out of the two items I thought the spring roll was far superior. I'll definitely come back to try their spicy pork rice bowl and the panang curry.

Overall: 3.5 stars Average food for a fair price with good…read moreportions. Heard great things about this food truck from other people but was not very blown away or overly impressed, however, look forward to trying other menu items. Food Quality: 3 stars Ordered the Spicy Pork Rice Bowl, which as AVERAGE. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great either. The pork was cooked well, not dry/overcooked, and had plenty of kick from the spicy tomato sauce, but felt like it was missing something. Maybe not enough sauce? The cilantro-jalapeno dressing was good and I wish there was more, drenching the dish. All of this was over a bowl of white rice. The Spicy Pork Rice Bowl costs about $10 after tax, which isn't bad since it is deceptively filling. Although I probably won't try this menu item again, I don't regret trying it and look forward to trying their other items. Service/Experience: 4 stars No problems with the service/experience. They rotate their location throughout the New River Valley area, from Blacksburg, Christiansburg, Radford. They post their menu items and schedule on their website. The menu items posted on their website is their entire menu, however, they select a few items off that list to sell for that day. Food came out relatively quickly and the workers were friendly and helpful. They do accept credit/debit cards which is convenient. I visited the food truck when they were parked at the Auto Spa in Blacksburg, which has plenty of parking around the area.

The Roanoke Weiner Stand is a classic family restaurant that has been around since 1916…read more Conveniently located in the heart of Downtown Roanoke, right next to the Center in the Square, and the Roanoke City Market, this place is full of local history and mystic. After all, hot dogs are deeply embedded in America's food culture. After hearing so much about this local family restaurant and the important role it has played in the lives of the people of Roanoke and its visitors throughout the years, I decided to go visit for myself, explore the restaurant, taste its food, study its interior design and ambiance, and experience for myself a taste of the famous Roanoke Weiner that everyone is talking about. First of all, I was very impressed by the cleanliness of the restaurant and how it managed to mix the old with the new in its contemporary interior design, furnished with new but furniture design from the restaurants of the 60's, and souranded with artworks and photographs relevant to the long successful history of the restaurant and it's founder. Branded as the Hot Dog King and Roanoke's Oldest Restaurant, customers of all ages will have memories of the time when they visited their old location and soon to be new customers as they visit this new location with a historic resilience. All focused on one simple but delicious American cuisine item: the hot dog. When I entered the restaurant for a late lunch it was already full of customers eating there; some arriving and others leaving. Some even mentioning how they have been customers of the place for years. Above the ordering counter was a large menu for one to study while the customers in front ordered their food. When my time came up to order, a young lady greeted me and took my order. I ordered a hot dog. A sloppy Joe, french fries, homemade banana pudding and a small drink of Iced Dr. Pepper. As the lady took the order, a gentleman prepared and brought it to the counter. I went to sit down at a table where I could see the inside of the restaurant and at the same time view through the front window the Historic Market Building. The hot dog was a quality yet simple hot dog served in a fresh and soft bun with mustard, chili, and onions. The French Fries were crinkle cut. The Sloppy Joe Sandwich was served on a Hotdog bun. The hot dog and fries were delicious. The chili was a bit too salty for me as well as the sloppy Joe. I would also have appreciated it in a burger bun. The Banana Pudding could have used more sugar. But the dining experience was very unique and worthwhile. And I discovered a great place to enjoy some time alone or with others.

a roanoke star life attraction.as child we used to go buy by bags.my my husband our daily…read moreattraction for any hotdog..there used to be a man hero star forever memory of roanoke..cozy friendly.views.decor.a must visit for roanoke va.

I've been following their social media for awhile now and finally had the chance to try their…read morelobster roll! I'm a fan of a Connecticut style roll (hot buttered lobster roll) so this was on my must-try list. The roll was expensive ($25) for a very small roll (we finished it in three bites) BUT it did contain both claw and tail meat. The roll was fresh and buttery and the lobster was cooked well. I only wished the lobster contained a little more butter. They had other items on the menu such as crab fries, coconut shrimp and on Facebook they show snow crab rolls coming soon (yuuum). The staff were really kind and even threw in a few fries for us to try. Overall, a nice experience but just expect to spend some money!

Note that this review is for the food truck when it was in RVA…read more Ok, so I should have tempered my expectations because this is a food truck, and I'm not in Maine, though with the lines and the social media hype, I was hoping to be blown away. Sadly, I wasn't. Service: I stood in line for 40 minutes before I ordered and then another 12 minutes for my food. Yes, there was a line ahead of me, yet there really was zero sense of urgency to move that line at above a snails pace. I also had to ask for forks and napkins Sandwich was pretty small, and lobster was chopped up and heavily seasoned. IMHO, it didn't taste fresh either, like maybe the seasoning was an attempt to cover the quality or freshness. Roll was not sturdy enough to support the lobster (pretty sure it was a cheap hotdog bun) Two sandwiches =$52. Alot for what it was and for lunch at a food truck My rating rationale Service +.5 Food~Taste/flavor/quality +1. Presentation +1 Atmosphere/vibe Value