This is one of our favorite restaurants! Unique food, especially for the area. The staff are super…read morefriendly. Only thing negative is music can get pretty loud if you're there late.

both the gumbo and steak and cheese trash gumbo taste like…read morewater steak and cheese uncooked

Very excited to find a great Cajun restaurant! The service was excellent and the food outstanding…read more We will definitely be back.

The food here is amazing! Especially the desserts…read more It's one of our go to spots to enjoy date night.

I don't know much about pimento cheese. (OK, I don't know anything about pimento cheese.) But the…read morepimento cheese at Bottom of the Stairs is mighty tasty. I was with a group, and one of the people in the group was a pimento cheese aficionado, and she said it was amazing, so there you go. The pimento cheese is served warm with kettle-cooked potato chips. Because I was in a group, we ordered a bunch of things for the table. The pimento cheese, but also the TOTSchos (tater tots covered in beer cheese, pulled pork and cole slaw), and some smoked wings. All of these things were delicious, but my favorite was the TOTSchos because I'm a tot lover, and I love when the tots get kind of soft from the melty cheese and still kind of crunchy from the spots that don't have the melty cheese. BOTS (what people who live here call Bottom of the Stairs) is known for their smoked meats and barbecue. Some of the people at my table got pulled pork and things, but I was feeling like something slightly lighter, so I got the blackened catfish. It comes with slaw and two additional sides, and I picked mac & cheese and collard greens. Well, my meal wasn't light in the slightest, but it was delicious! The fish was tender and had that smoky flavor from the blackened seasoning. I got the Bots Mule to drink, because if I'm not drinking wine, I like to drink gin. Someone at my table got the Pickle-tini, and they did not enjoy it as much as I enjoyed my mule. Gin goes down a treat, I tell you what. Plus! They put your Bots Mule in a plastic BOTS cup that you get to take home. Free souvenir! Bottom of the Stairs exists because there is a Top of the Stairs. At the top of the stairs is an adults-only bar. BOTS is the family-friendly counterpart.

I decided to get the platter with two meats here, from which I selected 1 fried catfish fillet,…read morebrisket (came in 2 pieces), and this came with slaw, and two sides, where I chose tater tots and mac and cheese The first thing that absolutely shocked me was the size of this plate. It was incredibly large. My first thought when seeing the food was "there's no way I'm going to finish this". The catfish fillet stretched across the entire plate to cover basically the entire thing. I didn't expect the brisket pieces to be so large either. Also, the amount of tater tots on the plate was significant as well. That's not even to consider the mac & cheese and slaw coming in separate, decently sized cups. Starting with the brisket, I thought this was quite good. What jumped out to me at the start was how well this seemed to be cooked, with beautiful char marks throughout and excellently charred edges. The pieces I had that really nice smoky flavor, and the fat in the meat (since brisket is rather lean - there wasn't too much of it) tasted really good as well. I do think it was a bit dry, as cutting it with a knife required a little bit more effort than cutting a perfectly juicy brisket was, and i did notice some of the meat to be somewhat tough, but I do think both pieces were pretty solid Moving to the fried catfish, I loved how well the breading was seasoned. It had some pepper and other spices that gave it that extra flavor. I liked this less than the brisket, however, due to a) how paper-thin the breading was and b) how easily the breading broke apart from the catfish itself. The entire fillet seemed like it was on the verge of collapse. After my first cut with a fork and knife, a lot of the breading came off, and a good amount of the inner fish spilled out onto the plate. I did think the fish meat was certainly not dry and tasted pretty good, though The tater tots were also fantastic, and there was a lot of them. the fried batter on these was thick and they were quite crunchy as a result. I also appreciated the relish-like sauce that came with them. Another thing that was really good was the slaw - I found the dressing especially to be really flavorful and the vegetables were done well. I liked the mac and cheese less, though, so when it came to prioritizing, I only ended up eating a few bites of it As I already mentioned, the portion size here was pretty insane, and for a price of only around 15 dollars for everything, I thought this ratio was astoundingly good. I would recommend ordering just one for two people, as even as someone who can eat a lot, I had to leave a lot of the mac & cheese and tater tots as I prioritized finishing the main dishes. They certainly don't skimp on size - whether it's the main meat or a side

I LOVE all the food that they have, especially the Fried Oysters! Mandey and the staff are very…read morefriendly and welcoming. Also, the atmosphere is comfy and unique - displays of local artwork and the Jazz is exceptional! Truly the place to go for a real NOLA experience! ( I've been to NOLA many times.)

Although this restaurant/bar has been renamed to something I can never spell (Rugaroo), it will…read morealways be Imbibe to me. Located in the heart of the UNC Chapel Hill campus, this establishment brings the feel of real New Orleans with the food and beverage selection. The owner Mandy is usually there working, is one of the nicest people, and makes you feel at home. Her mom makes the desserts (hence the rotating dessert menu). There is always a fun calendar of events featuring jazz musicians.

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.

While The River and Rail has many things going for it: great location, adorable atmosphere, fancy…read moreand delicious cocktails and delicious food, one thing they don't have going for them is their ability to stay true to their operating hours. My friend and I walked in at 9 o'clock EXACTLY on a Thursday night to have a drink. The sign on the door said they were open until 10:00. There were 4 or 5 tables seated, enjoying dinner and cocktails. 5 or 6 people at the bar. There was no one to start with at the actual hostess stand and servers saw us standing at the door but did not approach us even though there was an hour left on their operating time. So we walked directly to the bar and sat down. We had just eaten at Fork in the Alley so all we wanted was one drink and we figured an hour was plenty of time to get that done. The first thing the bartender said to us was "The kitchen is closed." Not "hello" or "Hey what can I get you?" but the kitchen is closed. I said "oh I'm sorry I thought you closed at 10:00." He said "well, that's up for debate we were actually discussing that right now. We're basically closed but you can have a drink because it's not like the rest of these people are going anywhere." What do you mean that's up for discussion? Your hours say you're open till 10 o'clock, it's 9 o'clock I have an hour to eat and have drinks! The other bartender, or perhaps he was only a bar back, gave us a very disapproving look. I get it, I work in the food service industry. I'm a server at a 4 diamond restaurant, and I hate when people walk in minutes before we close and want to sit down. But if we post that we're open until 10 and you walk in at 9:45 I'm going to serve you and treat you like anyone else that walked in at 6:00 because it's your tips that pay my bills and put food on my table. It's definitely not the hourly wage I get from my employer! And as a server I never walk into a restaurant with less than 30 minutes to close. And it's more like an hour if I'm looking to eat a meal. I know you want to go home. When it's the end of the night and I'm at work, so do I! But there's an hour left and I wanted one drink. That's it! We continued to get disappointed looks from a few other employees even though we weren't the last people in the place. I told my friend (it's 9:45 at this point) that we obviously need to go since servers are standing around looking at us like we've got the plague. We paid our bill and promptly left. Two couples still at the bar. It's 9:59 right now as I'm writing this at home (you're still technically open btw) but I left feeling like I had stayed hours past your closing time. It's a real shame because we really enjoyed our drinks! They were super yummy! And I'm always getting asked by guests where's a good place for a late night cocktail and I used to recommend The River and Rail right along with Lucky's because we had a shuttle that would take guests out, but after tonight I won't be doing that anymore. Because there's nothing worse than feeling unwelcome at a restaurant that is still open.

I really liked this spot. I was brought here by friends while I was in town and found the entire…read moreexperience enjoyable. Our waiter was a nice guy (didn't get name, longer hair and mustache) and was attentive without being intrusive. They have a really good wine selection. I had several things off the menu, including the mussels and the brisket, and I thoroughly enjoyed everything. The garlic bread was prepared well without being too hard. The space is a little loud but not overly so; we were still able to have a pleasant conversation. Highly recommended.

We love Succotash and will absolutely return. The music, atmosphere, New Orleans ingredients and…read morecharm, and genuinely good Texas-style brisket are what keep bringing us back. This review is offered as constructive feedback to the staff, management, and ownership of a restaurant we want to see succeed. Today we stopped in during Sunday brunch and placed a takeout order for one pound of brisket and jambalaya. The wait was approximately an hour. I understand that brunch is busy, and the restaurant appeared to be working with two servers, a bartender, a busser, and several people in the kitchen. The front-of-house staff seemed to be doing what they could. The issue appears to be kitchen execution and order flow. Operationally, an order consisting primarily of slicing a pound of already-prepared brisket and portioning jambalaya should not remain in the same production queue for an hour. This is less a staffing criticism than a process problem. Management may want to look at ticket prioritization, a dedicated expediter during peak periods, separation of simple takeout orders from full dine-in tickets, and clearer ownership of orders from receipt through handoff. When the food is already prepared, throughput should be measured in minutes, not an hour. That matters because a restaurant can have excellent food and hardworking people and still lose customers through a bottleneck in the process. The objective shouldn't be to make everyone work harder; it should be to design the kitchen flow so the same people can work smarter and move appropriate orders through faster. Parking has also become increasingly difficult and is worth considering as the restaurant continues to draw a crowd. None of this changes what we enjoy about Succotash. We love the food, the music, the authenticity and the character of the place. We'll be back. But an hour for this particular takeout order points to an operational problem worth fixing. Great food deserves equally great execution.

My waitress was Josie and whole meal was incredible. I take a lot of recommendations when I eat out…read moreand she helped me through entire menu. Gin cocktail was good. Appetizers of broiled oysters (w spinach/caramelized onions) we're very filling, unique, and I am now a huge fan of oysters broiled. Other appetizer was the artichoke, which had this incredible lemon caper sauce. For dinner I had a crew that was extremely refreshing, bright and the last dish had this Worcestershire/almost Buffalo sauce that was also one of the best things I've eaten.

Fantastic experience from start to finish. Not only was our server (wish we got her name!)…read moreknowledgable and quick, everyone from the hosts to the food runners were all very sweet and welcoming. We started with raw NC oysters and crawfish & shrimp croquettes, then to our main dishes of red drum and shrimp & grits. All dishes were unique and overall delicious. The service was outstanding, food was delivered not too late and not too soon (which means nothing is sitting!). Also, I highly recommend the Notorious F.I.G. cocktail, as recommended by our server. Not too "figgy" and not too sweet, well balanced and dangerously good :-) Finished with a delicious banana pudding that I would come back for, just for that. Not to mention a gorgeous little patio that's dog-friendly (give them a call for a heads up of your pup). 10/10 will be back!

Loved my seafood bowl! Sauce had really good flavor and my seafood was super fresh. I would…read moredefinitely go back again.

I have only been here a couple of times but each time was a good experience. The staff is always…read morefriendly and the food was great. This time I got a shrimp boil....so much great flavor! The seafood is always fresh. The restaurant is clean..that's always a plus. Oh before I forget, my husband enjoyed his oyster po boy...immensely!

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

Enjoyed a taste of the Big Easy for lunch. Our waitress was a joy but I didn't catch her name…read more Service was on point. Atmosphere was fun with some great bar specials. We were there for lunch and wanted to try everything. I ordered the Muffalotta with she crab soup. I ordered the 1/2 Muffalotta and I was sure glad I did. It was huge. Ended up taking some home. Unlike the ones I've had in NOLA, this sandwich was grilled. And I loved it! Added an extra crunch and melty cheese. Yum. My husband ordered The Taste of Loisianna. Serving sizes were plenty. He opted for the gator instead if shrimp. After trying everything. Our favorite was the sausage and beans. It had the best flavor. The jambalaya was very rice heavy. And the gumbo was just ok. Nothing was overly spiced. We met one of the owners on our way out. He mentioned they are hoping to add steam tables. This would allow them to offer oysters and shrimp. So keep an eye out for this! It was be a great addition!!!

service was good, but the Cajun food was not authentic, and there was absolutely no heat to the…read morejambalaya, red beans and rice, or gumbo. The rice in all 3 dishes was overcooked and mushy. Key lime cheesecake was delicious.