There are times that you discover restaurants that you wish you had known since they first opened…read more You really feel at home in its clean and laid back environment. They treat you like if you're part of their family. And their food is like the one Gradma used make when you were growing up. What better compliment can you give a restaurant! 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 Uncle D's Take Out, in Roanoke, Virginia, is the perfect example. And it's not just for Take Out anymore. Word of mouth is still the most effective way of making your business known. And in this day and age of modern technology a review in the form of words and photographs is as effective or even better. As I was searching on my cellphone for a place to eat, Uncle D's caught my attention. Mostly positive reviews and very captivating photographs of their food. Yet the words Take Out and very few photos of the interior of this restaurant somewhat detracted from the desire to go visit it. Yet in the past I've found that oftentimes restaurants with high take-out orders are also the ones who have a high level of in-house customer followers. So I decided to go dine in and what I uncovered by experience was amazing news: Uncle D's is not just for Take Out anymore. Dining in is a wonderful experience in and of itself, alone or with family and friends. Located in a contemporary looking strip mall across from the Oak Grove Plaza Shopping Center, where popular restaurants like Wildwood Smokehouse and Highlander Pizza are located, you can find Uncle D's next to The UPS Store. Parking was very conveniently located and as I walked to the restaurant their sign high above spoke quality in its design and in the food of which it represented. Inside I found a nice size, clean and colorful little restaurant with Golf items decorating its walls, reflecting the importance that golf played in the owner's life and the love that he has for this sport he has now placed in this restaurant. I was greated by a friendly gentleman with a warm welcome that immediately made me feel at home. He talked to me about the restaurant and it's most popular items in the menu of which I had on the table where I was seated. A really nice and friendly lady, who was the cook, looked at me from out of the kitchen with one of those looks that only grandmas know to give in anticipation of watching you eat her food that she had prepared with much love. I ordered their Grandma's Pot Roast with a side house salad with Ranch dressing, mashed potatoes with gravy, and added a side of Fiesta Corn. To drink a picked a can of Coke which I drank with one of those straws that bend for the convenience. The food was served in a reasonable time. The salad was made with fresh ingredients, was a nice size, and tasted wonderful with the Ranch salad dressing. The Pot Roast was amazingly delicious, soft, moist, and very full of flavor. The amount was more than enough to fill me up. I could go on and on but a picture is worth a thousand words. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of it all. For dessert I has a slice of their Coconut Cream Pie which was also very good. If you're ever in the mood for good hometown Southern Comfort food, I highly recommend that you visit this restaurant with family and friends. For the full dining experience is definitely worth while. And experience that I will never forget.

Accurate menu pictures, turkey and pot roast were amazing, not a bad price either. They DO have…read moreseats inside btw

This is a tiny second location in Roanoke for Inka Grill. The larger business is their downtown…read morespot. They do offer a few other cities such as Greensboro which I've dined at. Parking is challenging when capacity, but do drive around back and try. The lot was clear of debris. Our party was immediately placed on a wait and asked to move to the two seat bar, ha! Yep two seats. No one asked for drink orders which was disappointing. They were slammed! The atmosphere is blah, hole in the wall joint. But if the food is good it will make up. Within 10 minutes we were seated in a booth and provided menus including traditional Peruvian cocktails by a friendly staff. A short time later drink orders were taken and my son got a Passion Sour, a OJ concoction with egg that he enjoyed. The entire menu is traditional Peruvian. So you're sure to find a favorite. My wife and I ordered the Bistec and my son Lomo. Orders took around 25 minutes to push out, but they all came out correctly and same time. Also looked yummy! My medium well Bistec was cooked to perfection and delicious. The plantains were like candy, it's been a long time since I've had them. My son enjoyed his meal as well and has had it a few times at other places. A follow up to our entrees was not preformed, but luckily not needed. Much later a follow up to refill waters. I'm a soft 4 stars on Inka Brambleton location. The food was all very strong which propped them up. However, service was slow to lacking. 3.5 rounding up.

Best lunch deal in town. Delicious and yet healthy! We eat at the Brambleton Ave location and look…read moreforward to trying their downtown location

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

Based on noticeably high prices we went expecting a high end dining experience and got just the…read moreopposite! The server was friendly and helpful but that is the only positive comment. 1. The Caesar Salad was really small, over-dressed and croutons, dry, hard and not bite-sized. 2. Fried Oysters were greasy, tasteless, overpriced, mostly breading, overly watery. Not an appropriate way to prepare Oysters. 3. The deep-fried Grits were breaded with Panco, not the right product as they are grease sponges and the Grits were mushy, too few and came with no dipping sauce. 4. The Tuna Tacos were the best item but only average at best. Very little tuna tartar and not chopped, not much flavor, served over tiny, raw, corn tortillas that should have been buttered and crisped in a pan. 5. The live Jazz with Lenny Marcus was great but the PA system was poor and one could not understand the vocals. 6. Seated right under a ceiling fan on high and AC set low and was quite uncomfortable.

Roanoke's Historic Grandin Village has many restaurants of all sizes and types but one that stands…read moreout is Rockfish Food & Wine. Founded in 2005 by Olivia and Rocky Byrd, this family-owned and operated fine-dining restaurant was established to bring a high-end yet relaxed seafood and wine dining experience to this area. It offers a seasonal menu and an extensive wine list of over 270 selections. After being ranked 4th among Yelp's Top 50 Most Prolific Elites of 2025, a distinction recognizing my consistent community engagement and high-quality contributions, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants, businesses, and establishments, and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to go back and write follow-up reviews on those places that impressed me the most during 2025, and Rockfish Food & Wine located in the heart of Grandin Village, one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Roanoke, Virginia, is the perfect example of one of them. After making a 5 o'clock reservation on the Toast platform from the restaurant's website, I did some errands and then proceeded to drive to the restaurant located at 1402 Grandin Road. (This is considered the Main Street of this neighborhood) The restaurant's building is located next to a small 7-Eleven, and doesn't have parking, but I found plenty of on-street parking spaces good for an hour or in some cases two, and free after 5 o'clock. I picked one of them and parked my pearl white Lexus there. When I entered the restaurant, a young, elegant lady greeted and welcomed me behind the Host's station. Soon after she took me to the requested booth, I found out her name was Kayla and she would be my server. While I was reviewing the menu, she brought me a carafe of cold water with a glass, and a small dish with slices of a baguette and butter. She then took my order. To drink, besides the water, I ordered a Strawberry Fields Mocktail. It had just the right taste and was brought to my table by the bartender herself. To dine I started off with a Crispy Oysters appetizer which was delicious. Followed by a Dinner Mixed Green Salad, which was one of the most delicious salads I've ever had at a restaurant. It had many ingredients and tasted amazingly delicious. For my main entrée I had their Ribeye Filet Au Poivre median rare. It came served with roasted mushrooms, green beans, and cheesy mashed potatoes, and was cooked medium-rare just as I ordered it. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the high-quality food. My server provided exceptional customer service, filling my glass with water, and pointing me out the restaurant's owner who was an elegantly dressed, distinguish looking lady with lots of charm and a great personality, who had moved here with her husband and co-owner from California's central coast with a vision of creating a fine-dining restaurant which they felt the local area needed. I also found out through my server that every Thursday the restaurant had live Jazz music to a full house audience, and I would need to make reservations early. Seated at the table next to mine were a distinguished looking couple which I established conversation with and found out that the lady was Dr. Laura Treanor, the fifth president of Virginia Western Community College, who began her term on July 1, 2025. She had succeeded Dr. Robert "Bobby" Sandel, who retired after over two decades of service, and is leading the college with a focus on institutional effectiveness, instructional quality, and student success. For dessert I had their Vanilla Cheesecake with mixed berry sauce, which had missing the fresh berries described on the menu. I had just had such an extraordinary dining experience that I didn't even mention it. Before leaving and after paying the bill with my Harvard Alumni World Mastercard, I had the opportunity of meeting the founder and co-owner of the restaurant, Olivia, and thanking her and her husband for such a wonderful dining experience I had today and always whenever I dine there.

I ordered online. For some reason, the order for my beverage didn't convey to them, but I showed…read morethem the email receipt and they got it for me quickly. I came seeking pupusas, and theirs were deliciously grilled and delivered satisfaction. The price was a bit high for lunch, but I could not accuse them of shorting me, either with respect to the abundant flower buds embedded inside the pupusa, or the pleasantly pickled sides. I took a chance on a tropical fruit I'd never heard of, and I got a ton of it that took me two days to drink, with a fascinating flavor and enough pulp to make it clear this was real fruit (although I'm guessing they add sugar to these things). I wish their menu made it clear whether the beans were vegetarian and I could have done with the ability to mix and match pupusa flavors rather than getting three of the same one, but my basic craving was fulfilled.

One of my wife and my favorite places. Friendly, inviting staff. Locally owned. Clean, well…read moremaintained dinning room. Great flavors! Honduran and other Latin dishes

River and rail is a gorgeous restaurant with an eclectic mix of food choices, all prepared with a…read moregreat deal of tremendous care. My only regret was that I wasn't hungry enough to order more food. The drinks at the bar were fantastic and poured extremely well. I can't wait to come back!

This year I chose this restaurant above all others to celebrate my birthday, and I wasn't…read moredisappointed. It highly went beyond the highest of my expectations, and delivered an extraordinary dining experience. After making an appointment for five o'clock and mentioning that I would be celebrating my birthday there on that day, I wondered how it would be, for everytime I have dined there, their attention to detail has been superb, and their cuisine has been exquisite. The day finally arrived and I was standing by the door at five minutes to the hour. Inside I could see through their large front windows the movement of all the staff getting ready for the opening of the restaurant. At exactly five o'clock, the hostess approached and opened the door for me to enter. She warmly greeted me and apologized for not being able to give me the table I requested because they needed it to unite with other tables for a large group they would be having. But they had prepared another one in front of the open kitchen for me, where I would be able to observe the Chef and other cooks preparing my food. It was definitely to my satisfaction, and when she took me there I was very impressed with the small detail on the table of a Happy Birthday card from the restaurant signed by everyone there and suspended by a little stand. Things like that are priceless in my eyes. Shortly afterwards, my friendly and efficient server Ivy, came by, wished me a Happy Birthday and took my order. To drink I had my favorite Mocktail there, the Butterfly Kisses. As appetizer I ordered the Oyster Wraps. And for my main entrée, the Hanger Steak, my favorite item in their menu and that of all the other restaurants around the area. My server did an excellent job of bringing out my ordered items in a well-paced manner. I noticed the small but significant detail that the chef had of serving me a slightly larger amount of Hanger Steak than the usual, and this meant more to me than any of the other complimentary desserts which are given in most other restaurants on your birthday. The Hanger Steak was so delicious. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the high-quality of their food. Also to read my former review where I explain what a Hanger Steak is all about. For the Grand Finale of my Birthday meal I had their Panna Cotta dessert deliver with a burning birthday candle on top, another wonderful detail that many restaurants leave out now-a-days yet is so meaningful to many of us. This was truly a memorable dining experience. One that I will always remember and cherish dearly.

Great food, great service, and a great atmosphere! Everything was fresh, flavorful, and served hot…read more Definitely one of the best Mexican restaurants around. We'll definitely be back! The flaming desserts are so worth it!!

Enormous portion sizes; Excellent service; Friendly staff;…read more only down side was the music was way too loud

Crab Du Jour is definitely on my top list for roanoke visits! It was my first time dining here and…read morei can say i had an amazing experience. I was immediately greeted by the host and seated even on a busy saturday night. Had a small booth perfect for me and my partner. Our server Lori was amazing, remembered all modifications, checked in on us frequently, worked quickly. Lori took our order at 8:43 and the food was out by 8:52! Build your own catch (2) (1)- 2 clusters crab legs +1 free when you dine in on saturdays! , 1/2 lb shrimp head off, corn, potatoes, egg (2)- 2 clusters crab legs +1 free, 1/2 shrimp head on, mussels, corn, potatoes ticket totaled to $130.60 The shrimp was flavorful and cooked perfectly. Sauces and seasonings were delicious. Everything came hot, sweet tea was perfect (coming from a sweet tea addict). Overall i'd say i had a great experience and will definitely be back. 10/10 i'll request Lori again :)

It's been a while since we have been wanting to try this place out, something always came up and it…read morewas always fast food. However we recently took the time to try it out and we were pleased with both the service and the food! It was on a Saturday afternoon that we decided to try it out, no wait time, we were immediately seated at a booth. Everything looked clean, there were several families already dining. Definitely family friendly! We ordered Combo D with extra potatoes and extra corn and we also decided to add noodles. We went with Original Cajun Seasoning Mild (just because the hubby can't take it spicier ) guys, it was seasoned right, not too salty, very buttery, so delicious! We also ordered the fried calamari, it was absolutely crunchy and delicious, loved that it comes with 2 different dipping sauces. This place is a must try if you like seafood! There's alot on the menu we have yet to try but we definitely liked this place! Will be coming back

Friendly staff..amazing food...very warm and classy atmosphere! Definitely will visit again when…read moreI'm in town.

I have eaten at some of the best restaurants in the world, but in none have I had such a wonderful…read moredining experience like I always do at Bernard's Gastropub & Eatery. 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 bring them to the attention of the public, but also to return to those special ones, that have made a difference in my life and highlight them, for the benefit of the public, so they too can have an opportunity to appreciate the qualities of a one-of-a-kind fine dining experience. And Bernard's Gastropub & Eatery in Downtown Roanoke, is a perfect example. Bernard's was born out of the love of two culinary aficionados turned professionals that in someway have managed to create a restaurant with an environment that transmits this intimate love to the hearts of their customers through the attention to detail in its extraordinary customer service and amazing culinary masterpieces. Today, I felt like dining at this restaurant, which I admire for its consistency in always far exceeding my high expectations of what a fine-dining restaurant should be all about. Not knowing if they would have a table for me at this late time on a Saturday early evening, I drove in my pearl white Lexus to the nearest private parking lot and gave them a call to inquire as if they could give me a reservation for the next ten minutes. A gentleman, who later I found out was named Matthew, and would be my server, answered the phone with a very polite and welcoming voice; answering my question of what was the special dish of the day and to come on down, that my reservation was assured. As soon as I arrived to the small, very elegant foyer in front of the Host's station, he came out to greet me and instantly recognized who I was. My only request was that he give me a low table because at my age seating at a high table was a bit uncomfortable. He went back to see what he could find and ended setting me up with what I consider one of the best tables of the house, and I was so appreciative of his last minute accommodation. The menu was already setup on my table. He poured water from a special bottle into my water glass and asked if I wanted something else to drink. I asked for a Mocktail and since he also was a bartender, he prepared me one of the best mocktails I've ever had. To dine, I started out with their Mussels Carbonara appetizer, which came in a bacon parmesan cream sauce that was simply amazing, and served with toast points. As my main entrée I had the Dinner Special of the Night, the Seafood Trio. It had a delicious, giant size crab cake in the middle, scallops, and shrimps, with parmesan risotto sautéed heirloom tomato, spinach, and nice size asparagus, with a burre blanc sauce. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the high-quality of their food and magnificent ambiance of the place. Everything was so delicious that only one word could ever describe them: priceless! For dessert I had their very famous Butterscotch Banana Pudding, which the chef makes at the moment ordered. It looked spectacular and tasted amazingly delicious: a culinary work of art. What a great way for the Gran Finale of an extraordinary dining experience!

There are very special days in our lives and for those days what better gift than a fine dining…read moreexperience at one of the restaurants that I consider one of my favorites of them all in this Star City of Roanoke, Virginia. Located up on a hill in the Cave Spring area of Roanoke, this upscale dining restaurant has a one-of-a-kind elegant ambiance with large windows offering beautiful mountain views, comfortable seating, one of the best quality steaks and seafoods around, cooked by a stellar chef and kitchen crew that deliver culinary masterpieces, brilliant bartenders that can work magic creating unique drinks, a General Manager that runs the restaurant with class, and last but not least a warm and friendly team of servers and staff with lots of attention to detail to make your dining experience an exceptional one. For in the fine dining and culinary world, industry experts point out that reputation belongs to the establishment itself, while the accolades belong to the kitchen leader. Today I made this special reservation on the OpenTable app for four-thirty and arrived right on time. I was welcomed by a friendly young lady hostess who took me to my designated table next to the windows with a beautiful view. Soon afterwards, my server Ashlyn, with a beautiful personality, gave me a warm and friendly welcome and took my order. To drink I ordered a Mango Margarita from their Margarita Series Menu and had it crafted as a Mocktail. It had an amazing flavor! To dine I started with the Scallops appetizer which tasted devine, followed by their Classic Caesar Salad which was delicious as always. And for my main entrée I ordered an 8oz Filet Mignon cooked medium-rare and Lobster Tail. As sides I had asparagus and asked for a loaded baked potato. Everything was cooked to perfection and tasted amazingly delicious. My server did an excellent job also bringing me some freshly baked special dinner rolls with a little bowl of whipped butter which made it so convenient to spread and very tasty. It is my belief that you can tell a great restaurant by the bread and butter they serve. Judging from these, this promised to be and is an exceptional one. But even above the food itself, the service that I received from my server was above and beyond any that I have ever had. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to appreciate better the quality of the food and service of this masterpiece of a restaurant. As the Grand Finale of the evening I had for dessert a slice of Key Lime Pie decorated with sugar shards which pastry chefs use not only to make desserts look more attractive but tastier as well. More sweet one can say. This dining experience was so extraordinary, that made me forget the special occasion for which I was dining there today. For one can make any day special just by dining there. Simply put ... priceless!

We had dinner here one night while in town. We were greeted walking in and seated in the same…read moremoment. A large eatery that sits on the hill overlooking the area. An impressive view is a part of the draw to this establishment. This is supposed to be white table cloth dining. We were having a slow leisurely meal the night of our visit and our server who was professional and courteous brought us menus and water, and took our initial drink orders. A Stella and a Sangria. We started with a dozen Oysters on the half shell. We had a mixed dozen of four types and they were good. Basic presentation but freshly brought in, prepared and served on ice with lemon, vinegar and hot sauce. Next, we tried the Marinated Olives, a nice serving of pitted olives with cheese and pimento. Savory, nice flavor and a good add to our meal. After going over the menu, I had the catch of the day, Halibut. It was okay but overcooked. Served with a baked potato and a bowl of mushrooms, the presentation was lackluster and at the price point one expects a finer presentation. My partner had the seared scallops, tiny little scallops that looked more like the small appetizer ones than actual dinner scallops. It was excessively expensive as well. This entree was north of $70 bucks and was not much more than an appetizer. It was okay but not at the level you expect for the price point presented. At the price we paid, the experience was lacking. This place has seen its glory days gone by. From the dated interior to the overpriced entree. It just missed the mark. 3 Stars an okay meal but nothing special as was hoped, and for the price a let down 01191