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.

It's been over a year now and I still remember that bowl of delicious fried Okra I had the first…read moretime I ate here. It was very significant to me because as I was growing up I learned to eat Okra from my grandmother's home cooking. And I can't think of no better way to describe this place as this. 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 it would be appropriate this year to go back to this restaurant and write a follow-up review, since my initial review was one of my reviews that contributed to me obtaining this highly esteemed Award. Pok-E-Joe's has become one of the most loved BBQ restaurants in Vinton, Roanoke, and nearby cities and towns. And key to its success is their quality meats and slow smoking cooking process that lasts for hours, turning their meats into award-wining Southern culinary masterpieces. Today, when I arrived a friendly young lady greeted me at the Host's station and after giving me a warm welcome, and inquiring as to where I wanted to be seated, took me to a comfortable booth next to the window. There I enjoyed looking over the menu with all the unique and delicious Southern BBQ foods such as the Pulled Pork, the USDA Prime Brisket, the Smoked Sliced Turkey, and others. Not long afterwards, my very friendly server, Jessica, came by with a big smile to greet me and take my order. I ordered an Iced Lemonade to drink. And to eat I ordered the Build Your Tray. I first asked for the Brisket Tips, which I had heard so much of, but they didn't have any today. So I picked my meats for the tray 1/4 lb of Pulled Pork and 1/4 lb of USDA Prime Brisket. For my sides I ordered Fried Okra, a Side Salad with Blue Cheese dressing, and Straight Cut Fries. The tray also included 3 Hushpuppies. I also wanted to include in this review their Pok-E-Cuban Sandwich, so I also ordered this with the idea of taking home the leftovers to eat tomorrow. My server Jessica did an excellent job taking my order, seeing that it was delivered, and checking on me at the right times. Everything was to good to the point of being exquisite. The flavor of the meats were out of this world, and they were so tender and juicy. The Salad was made with fresh ingredients and tasted refreshing with the Blue Cheese dressing. The Fried Okra and Hushpuppies were magnificent. And the Fries were the perfect cut and fried to perfection. As to the Pok-E-Cuban Sandwich, it surpassed all the others that I have had, with the slow smoked Ham and Pulled Pork, pickles, Swiss Cheese, and their house-made Spicy Mustard. All this, and at a very reasonable price. The ambiance of the restaurant was clean, warm, and relaxed. And contributed to the amazing diving experience. For dessert I had a Chocolate Chip Cookie Bowl Sundae. It was the dessert of the day and tasted amazing. Even the quality of the Vanilla Ice-cream was tops and creamy. This restaurant is very detail oriented, with fine food, cooked the right way, and provided with excellent customer service. And this makes for an extraordinary dining experience.

My wife and I were visiting Roanoke, and we stopped at Pok-E-Joe's for supper. We were very…read moreimpressed with the ribs, the jalapeño cheddar sausage, the smashed potato with pulled pork, and even the potato salad. Ryan was our server. He was very attentive and friendly. Keep up the great work!!

When I first reviewed this little Mexican Restaurant located in a Marathon Gas Station in Vinton,…read moreVirginia, they had just started out and its restaurant's sign was just a custom vinyl banner covering up the U-Haul sign of the business that was there before. Yet the word out there was that this hole in the wall little restaurant had good food at reasonable prices. 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 it would be appropriate this year to go back to this restaurant and write a follow-up review, since my initial review was one of my reviews that contributed to me obtaining this highly esteemed Award. Today, this Hispanic family-owned restaurant remains a "hole in the wall" dining establishment, housed in a space out of a Marathon Gas Station. Their delicious Mexican Food from their origins in San Diego, California, and their reasonable prices, remain the same. Yet now they have a professional outdoor storefront sign, and they've changed their logo somewhat. The word Burrito in Spanish not only means the Mexican food item. It also means a little donkey; and originally their logo was a cute caricature of a little donkey. This was The house of the Little Donkey Taco Shop and Mexican Food. Inside the restaurant they still have a framed glass with this logo painted on it. Now they've substituted the little donkey with a food burrito. I'm not sure why they did the change. Maybe it was to promote their burritos. But whatever the reason, their delicious and inexpensive, authentic Mexican food remains the same, as well as the simple decor of the restaurant itself. And they still charge for their chips and salsa, justifying the way it's done in Mexico. The complimentary Chips and Salsa is an American Tradition that started in Mexican Restaurants here in the States. As I approached the counter to order my food, the enlarged menu was posted on the side wall. A friendly young lady in uniform greeted me and gave me a warm welcome. She answered some questions that I had about the menu and took my order to eat in. I ordered two Corizo Tacos as appetizer and a Adobada Chimichaga Combo (Marinated Spicy Pork), served with rice and refried beans. To drink I ordered a Pineapple Jarritos soda. I asked the employee if they had any physical menus. And she told me they didn't because customer would take them home. I would recommend to the owner of the restaurant room have some small menus designed and printed, and give them out to their customers because they would be a perfect marketing tool to bring in customers and also increase their Take Out orders sales. They currently don't have desserts. Some restaurants do this in order for customers to spend less time in the restaurant and allow others to sit and dine, thus increasing their sales. The young lady who took my order asked me to sit down at a table in the dining room and she would bring me the food when it was ready. It was amazingly delicious as always, and for the price you got more than your money's worth. I highly recommend this restaurant for when you feel like eating good Mexican food in an informal, relaxed environment.

We have been eating here for about 7 years. The food is not the problem. Things have changed in the…read morelast couple of years with customer service. The last time we were in the restaurant, my husband waited in the lobby for quite some time. No big deal, these things happen. But what bothered was his experience. After placing the order, when the employee went to hand him his change, he extended his hand and rather than place it in his hand, she placed it on the counter. We got over that. That may not bother some people, but we are old fashioned to have that expectation? We returned last week for another takeout. We watched as customer after customer walked in after us, placed their order, but left before us. He finally asked "did I upset someone"? Found out the food had been left at another station and sat there. For a good amount of time. All she says was "the burrito is still warm, do you want to feel it?" Of course the burrito is warm. It has potatoes in it. (by the way, we should have taken a photo because compared to what we used to get, the burrito was not the same). What upset us is she had an opportunity to apologize, but not a word. It felt as if she didnt want to have much to do with him. (just how it came across) The owners are not like this so we dont hold it against them, but do wish we would feel more like a valued customer having eaten there with my family for so many years. The food is still good, the customer service sucked.

Great food and beer! Stopped in for a flight and a snack, and was pleasantly surprised at the…read moreamount of options with both food and drink. We ordered some truffle fries and the jalapeño popper burger, and both were delicious. The beers were all fantastic, but J particularly enjoyed the pecan amber ale. Our food and drinks came out quickly and we were very well taken care of. We had a nice seat outdoors on the patio area and people watched. We will definitely be back when the tap list rotates!

It's pretty clear that this place has no idea how to make pretzel bites. You should advertise them…read moreas salad croutons. Didn't taste anything like pretzel at all. Also the buffalo chicken macaroni is one of the worst I've ever tried. I'm glad this place isn't in my hometown. They would have closed by now.

Tucked away inside the historic city market building the Laughing Bull has a variety of menu…read moreoptions and the staff was friendly and the food came out hot and quick. There are tables inside a spacious hall decorated with greenery and interesting architecture. I'm not sure I ordered the best thing on the menu, the Teriyaki chicken panini was lightly sauced teriyaki chicken and Swiss cheese on thick Texas toast type bread. It could have been better honestly, it had a weak flavor and was pretty messy and hard to eat. The French fries were good, maybe a little overly salted but good. I would give it another try.

In a word, OK. In the Market Building food court in downtown Roanoke, Va. comfortable common-area…read moreseating, staff brought the food to us after ordering at the window. Very nice staff, answered our questions, and were quite friendly. Ordered two gourmet burgers and a 'cheese steak' panini. All three came with fries and were visually appealing. The burgers were stacked, had nice veggies but the meat was rather tasteless, a real disappointment. The panini was inedible. The "steak" was strips of very tough and chewy meat that pulled right out of the bread, and the peppers overrode all other tastes. A real disappointment. The staff came and checked on us twice, very attentive. I would try it again, just to try another of their very creative dishes, but I am not running back. Good for a stop if you are downtown.

This is our go to Mexican restaurant in Roanoke. The food is fantastic. The service is great. The…read moreatmosphere is welcoming and everyone has fun. Mexican food at its finest!

Highly recommend and very yummmmyyy!!!!! I really enjoyed my Arroz Con tejo (ACP). I added veggies…read morelike onions, mushrooms, peppers to it. It came with chicken, shrimp, and beef on a bed of rice and melt goooeey cheese. SUPER GOOD!!! My boyfriend got a burrito and a Al pastor taco and I loved his food as well. Overall, GREAT food!!! The service was quick the food came out super fast. Portions are huge and prices are great. It was $30 for 2 entrees, one beverage, one taco. Ambiance is super casual. They have a lot of good looking cost effective drinks. Parking lot of small.

Many, including myself, have highly praised this pizza shop located in Vinton, Virginia for its…read morehigh-quality New York-style pizzas, but did you know that besides pizzas, they make the most amazing Cheese Steak Subs around. 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 New York Pizza in Vinton, Virginia, is a perfect example. The other day I felt like having one of their Cheese Steak Subs which they call "Cheese Steak Special," and contain steak, cheese, mushrooms, fried onions & green peppers. Yet, I didn't feel like going out. So I got my cellphone and ordered one through the DoorDash app. At $16.95, plus tax, delivery fees, and tip, it might seem expensive for a foot long sub delivered, but when you think of the satisfaction you will get from its taste, it becomes priceless. At least to me it is, for when I consider the fresh, soft bun it comes in, the high-quality of the seasoned steak chopped in little pieces (to give it more flavor), in very generous amount, and the other fresh ingredients, together with the flavorful cheese, it totally makes my day. I'm filled up after having a extremely tasty sub. It was delivered hot (inside a styrofoam clamshell that are considered excellent for keeping hot foods hot) by a friendly DoorDasher who arrived in the promised time, providing exceptional customer service by storing it in a special container to further keep it hot along the way, ringing my doorbell, and thanking me for the order and the tip I left for him through DoorDash. I invite you to view my photographs and video accompanying this review to get a better sense of the high-quality, tasty sub. And then I highly recommend you try it out, either at the restaurant or in home ordered through DoorDash. I can assure you you'll love it.

Any bad reviews here are from self-righteous dog lovers. They have great Pizza and service. I've…read morebeen eating here for 24 years. Appalachian Americans are mostly opinionated and stupid. You should all care about humans as much as you do this alleged animal abuse.

The best sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit I have ever had! So delicious and home made everything…read moreexcept the cheese! The baked apples were phenomenal and perfect in my opinion, though my mom said they were a bit too sweet for her taste. The home fries are amazing with sweet onion in them! Really... I came here from out of town and wasn't sure what to expect, but dearie me was this place good! I wish it was closer!

I've been here many times but it's been over 5 years since I did a review. Still great service and…read moregood fresh ingredients. The place is nice inside too. The only thing I don't like about their breakfast is there is no platter that includes gravy you have to pay $3 more for it. The gravy is great and the bacon is cooked perfectly