There are times that the simple things in life bring the most pleasure. For instance, I enjoy…read morediscovering out of the way breakfast restaurants and then on my days off, getting up early in the morning and going to these small but cozy, one of a kind places and enjoying a nice hometown breakfast in a relaxed environment and meeting new and interesting people; the owners, cooks, and servers of these small businesses who provide a product and service that bring joy to the members of our community and to those who are visiting it. After spending some time searching for one of these places, I found one called Jerry's Family Restaurant. I was attracted by the name of the restaurant, but also by the red building in the shape of a country barn, where it was the restaurant was housed. As I arrived at the place following my GPS, the red barn shaped building got closer and closer, and I could read Jerry's Family Restaurant, "Home Style Eats." Breakfast and Lunch Daily. Precisely what I was looking for. As I entered the place, I was impressed by how even though the building was old, it was very clean and painted and decorated in simple but very good taste. Chad, who was doubling up as my host/server, greeted me warmly, took me to my booth, and handed me a copy of the menu. Before even reading the menu, I looked around and admired the very well maintained Walnut hardwood floors contrasting with the light beige and white painted walls and ceilings. I ordered coffee to drink with cream and sugar, and Chad, my server, didn't take long to have the hot and freshly brewed coffee on my table, together with a glass of cold ice water. For breakfast, I ordered Three Eggs over easy with Bacon, Fried Yukon potatoes, w/onions, and white toast. And with French Toast as a little something extra. As I was waiting for my food, many other customers came in and were seated, and a lady came in with a "to go" order as well. Whom I guess was the owner/cook, a very nice lady, came out from the kitchen area and up to me and said hello, making me feel at home, as I waited for the home cooked food. Then Chad brought me the food and filled my coffee cup with some more freshly brewed and hot coffee. Everything tasted delicious. Take a look at my photographs, and you will be able to appreciate it better. After all, they say that "A picture is worth a thousand words." Then read the menu that I also photographed to be able to read the nice variety of both breakfast and lunch items available. And somehow eating my food in this cozy, warm, and friendly environment made it taste even better. I highly recommend this place to everyone reading my review and can assure you that you'll have a unique dining experience like no other.

Food is mediocre and the prices are astronomical considering how basic the dishes are. Also an…read moreoverwhelming cleaning solution smell.

This looks were deceiving this would be the place! I pulled up to this restaurant, thinking this…read morewas just some kind of dive bar, and the food/service was not gonna be anything special. However, the moment that I stopped, and I was greeted like a regular, kristi I believe her name was Went above and beyond! Then, when it came to the food, oh my goodness for a little while I had to pay, it was some of the best food I've had in this area ! The cheese sticks were everything you would want in the cheese stick! The sandwich was beyond tasty! I will definitely be back many times

From the owner: Home cooked meals made every day, great night life and the cheapest coldest beer in townread more

It's not easy to be able to find a Philipino restaurant near by, but we're very fortunate to be…read moreable to have one here in East Vinton, just next door to Roanoke, Virginia. And what an amazing cuisine it has. A woman owned small business, it reasantly opened it's doors in a location that was closed for nearly 5 years. Franchesca, the owner and chef of the restaurant and store is a proud Philipina entrepreneur living in the US with a passion for food and cooking of her native land cuisine, and a fervent desire to share it with all living in her neighborhood and communities near by. She majored in Hotel and Restaurant in College and as soon as she was presented with an opportunity to make her life dream come true she went for it. I first found out about her restaurant and store by discovering its website online, which by the way was wonderfully designed with useful information about her native cuisine, with an extraordinary menu with professionally taken color photographs of the different mejor items on the menu. Besides her great cooking and business skills, she also has wonderful technology and communication skills. When I phoned her restaurant's telephone number to double check the hours of operation of the restaurant and make sure it was already opened, a recording answered wirh a request to leave a message with any question for her about the restaurant. I decided to call again later rather than leave a message and as soon as I hanged up I received a text message explaining that she had to travel to the Philippines for a short period of time and the date when she'll be back to open the restaurant again. When I called again after she was back, a friendly voice answered the phone, so happy that I was interested in visiting her restaurant and trying out her food. She explained about the trip like if she had known me for a long time with a warm and friendly welcome and positive attitude. She confirmed that the restaurant would be open this Tuesday from 11:00am to 7:00pm, and every Tuesday through Saturday at these same hours. So I invited a friend of mine and we went on Tuesday and arrived around 4:00pm. The restaurant store was located on Stewartsville Rd in East Vinton. Housed in a humble yet very clean, relatively small building. It had a large color poster behind one of the windows with a composite of professionally taken color photographs of many food items of the menu. There were plenty of parking spots in front and around the restaurant, including Handicap parking. The small parking lot Restaurant's front sign was placed over the previous old sign. Inside, the place was clean and comfortable with the dining area on the right with burgundy color booths and the store on the left, and the kitchen in the middle. The owner greeted us behind the counter at the entrance with a warm greeting. She gave us a copy of the menu, asked us to have a seat, and took our drinking order. We both ordered Thai Tea and went to seat at a booth with our menus. In a short while she came to take our order. I ordered a Pinoy Lumpia as appetizer, a Crispy Pork Kare-Kare as my entrée, and my friend ordered a Lechon Kawali. The appetizer was amazingly delicious: crispy on the outside and with shredded pork with tasty sauce in the inside. My entrée was the Filipino famous peanut butter stew with crispy fried pork belly. It tasted just amazing. My friend's entrée was the Lechon Kawali: deep fried skin-on pork belly served with jasmine rice. It also looked wonderful and according to my friend, tasted delicious. For dessert I had their Tiramisu y my friend had the Signature Ube Mocha Cake. Everything was amazingly delicious. While we were eating several other customers came in to dine as well, and the owner of the restaurant came by at the appropriate time to talk to us and bring us water. I highly recommend this restaurant and their amazing cuisine. They have the best deep fried skin-on pork belly, and other amazing entrées, and the owner chef had such a great personality. It truly was an extraordinary dining experience.

Wonderful place to enjoy home-cooked Filipino dishes. Food…read moreand service were great. Price was reasonable. Go-to place If you are craving for something different! Ordered Lechon Kawali, Sisig, Mongo, Pancit Bihon, and Lumpia. Wife was all smiles as she delightfully ate their version of Mocha Cake with Barako coffee. They also have a small store for Pinoy products and other stuff.

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!

Salty Salty They have potential to be good…read more But they use the same seasoning on fries - and French Onion Soup. Sub par food expensive. Not worth it.

For our last night of our stay in Roanoke we wanted to have a special dinner at a local restaurant…read more I am really glad we found Hollywood's. Debbie, our waitress was fantastic. Great stories and excellent service. I had the Catfish Matrimony, my wife had the Club, and the rest had the half rack of ribs, filet and meatloaf sandwich. The portions were huge. The Catfish was fresh and cooked perfectly. The half rack of ribs was a large portion of very meaty, tasty and tender ribs. The meatloaf sandwich had enough meatloaf for another meal. The filet was great and my wife loved her club sandwich. We were all so full, we had to take dessert to go. The carrot cake cake was great. Thank you again Debbie, we had a great farewell dinner.

Excellent service and food. A local favorite in Roanoke. Desserts are divine! Highly recommend.read more

Amazing burgers and get the loaded fries. The fried Oreos are also a super nice treat.read more

My sister and I stopped at Jack Brown's Beer & Burger Joint in Roanoke after two ladies at the L&L…read moreshop downtown recommended it, and it turned out to be an amazing experience. The place is small but quaint, with dim lighting, a full bar, and a fun mix of music genres that keeps the vibe relaxed but lively. I ordered the Gregg Brady, and my sister had the Doctor Gozo, both made with 100% Wagyu beef. You can taste the quality immediately. I added mushrooms and grilled onions for a small extra fee, and had my BBQ chips that come on it, on the side. We shared the crinkle‑cut fries, which came with their incredible house sauce. The sauce was so good I asked if they sold it, they do not, but the waitress sent me home with some samples for free. Service was fast and friendly. The waitresses were dressed in black tank tops, black shorts, and black shoes, and every one of them worked with a smile, like they were glad you came. The restaurant entrance itself is handicap accessible, but the bathrooms are not, they're very clean but also very small and too tight for a wheelchair to fit inside. One of the coolest things about Jack Brown's is their Beer Club. If you drink 100 different beers, you become a "Notcher." If you drink 1,000, different beers you become a "Saint." On Saint's Day, Saints get all food and drinks free, unlimited, with no tab. It's a huge part of their culture and adds to the fun, and a loyal community. Overall, the food was phenomenal, the staff went above and beyond, and the atmosphere made the whole visit top notch. I will definitely be coming back the next time I roll through this part of town. How to Become a Notcher (repeat for the Saints) To achieve Notcher status, individuals must follow these steps: 1. Visit a Jack Brown's location: Start by walking into any Jack Brown's Beer & Burger Joint. 2. Request a Notcher list: Ask for the Notcher list to begin your journey. 3. Try 100 different beers: Sample 100 different beers to reach Notcher status. 4. Join the community: Once you hit 100, you become part of the Notch Club, which includes various events and celebrations. This program encourages beer lovers to explore different flavors and styles while fostering a sense of community.

Food was amazing authentic Jamaican cuisine. Service was excellent. Nice ambiance for a small…read morelocally owned restaurant. I would recommend the curry chicken, oxtails and the curry goat

The first time I visited this new hometown restaurant, I found it closed with a sign on the door…read morethat they were at their Church's Summer Camp and would be closed during this time. Today, after making sure it was opened, I decided to go visit and have lunch there. When I arrived and entered through their door, I found a clean yet simple decorated restaurant with my favorite Bible quote hanging from one of the walls. There were a couple of customers waiting to be seated, and one was waiting for a to go order. Then Andrea, the owner's wife, came out of the kitchen and told us to sit wherever we liked and gave us copies of the menu. It was all so informal and without protocol, yet after later meeting the owner, David Gusler and his wife Andrea, in more depth, I was impressed with their beautiful hearts and Christian behavior. They made us feel at home in this restaurant. Greeting us and talking to us about the items on the menu. More customers were coming in, and some of them were steady customers, while others like me were just trying out the place for the first time. I enjoyed the relaxed homey atmosphere and the wonderful personalities of the owner and the flavor of good homemade food.

After several visits to this Macado's I decided to finally write a review about this extravagant…read morerestaurant. According to their website, "Macado's started in downtown Roanoke, Virginia, in 1978 and became popular for its eclectic decor and moderately priced food, especially with the college crowd." The chain emphasizes: "a comfortable and enjoyable atmosphere for a diverse clientele, including families."  Today, as I was seated in the booth the Host had brought me to and observing the Macado's logo on the paper napkin laying on my table, I thought to myself: What is the meaning of the "Just to be there" located under the restaurant's name in its logo? And I thought to myself that It's possible "Just to be there" might be a phrase associated with the feeling of camaraderie or the comfortable atmosphere that Macado's aims to provide, and thus a popular spot for people of all ages and social classes to get together, eat, socialize, and be merry. I remember the very first time I ate here. It was for a lunch invitation from a good friend of mine I hadn't seen in a while. The first impression I got of the place was amazing. I loved the building where the restaurant was housed and all the interesting decorations. It was almost completely full from the lunch crowd, yet this provided a warm and cozy feeling knowing that so many people had taken the time to come eat here even though they knew it would be crowded. I was fascinated by the large and extensive menu, and after carefully reviewing it, ordered the Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Burger. It came with half a pound of meat, a soft fresh bun, and a whole bunch of krinkle fries. It was so big and delicious I can't forget how full I was when I finished eating it. Just eating there for the first time and I couldn't wait to return. I had set such high expectations of the place that many of the other times I visited the place I was disappointed. It could have been by the lack of training of the servers on the Knowledge of and explaining menu items, or by the timing on how to serve them. Or it could be by a mistake from the cook in cooking or preparing an item. Like today, I ordered Bang Bang Shrimp as an appetizer and the shrimp arrived overcooked almost to the point of burnt with the Assian Crisp Noodles a bit stale. So much so that I had to ask to see the manager to formally complain. The manager was a friendly young lady who listened to me and admitted the shrimp could have been fried before they had just changed the oil. And she came up with possible solutions to the question: "What can I do to make it right?" Of which I choose for her to not charge me for the burnt shrimp and the bad dining experience they had caused me. I went on and ate the Lone Ranger sandwich with Onion Rings that were cooked right, and because of the manager's handling of the situation in such an effective way, I am sure to return, because there is something about Macado's that makes you want to "Just to be there."

Avoid at all costs! Not the place we thought it was! They don't value the customer experience or…read moretheir employees. No more money from our regular, daily customers!