When you're in the mood for a nicely crafted cocktail, Twisted Liquid has that panache that you're…read morelooking for in a cocktail bar. They have the smoke and the foam and the cool-looking, Instagram-worthy drinks. Don't get it twisted, though: Twisted Liquid ain't cheap! But you're paying for professional bartenders creating creative beverages. You want to come here to impress a date, not get buzzed on Michelob Ultras. I visited strictly for a drink, so I didn't check out their food menu. But apparently, they do serve food here, mostly starters, snacks and small plates, but also a few mains. My love for gin is never-ending, much like my love for Lewis Carroll and Alice in Wonderland, so when I saw a drink called Painting the Roses Red, you know that's the one that I got. It is a white tea-infused gin with elderflower liqueur, Pinot Gris, lemon juice and rose water. A little ice rose came floating in the drink. It was so pretty, and pretty potent! I like when my adult drinks actually have alcohol in them, and mine certainly did. Our bartender was lovely and knew how to make a lot of drinks with a little flair for each one. I came with a group, and we all sat at the bar and had a wonderful time.

I wanted to share feedback regarding our recent dining experience to celebrate my son's graduation…read morewith family and friends as it was unfortunately very disappointing -- especially considering the price point and expectations presented for your restaurant and event reservations. First, the menu was extremely limited for both food and drinks. While the cocktails were enjoyable, the food quality and portions did not come close to justifying the $300+ we spent. We ordered the shrimp and wagyu skewers expecting thoughtfully prepared dishes. Instead, the shrimp appeared comparable to pre-made shrimp cocktail shrimp placed on a stick rather than freshly grilled seafood. The wagyu skewer lacked the quality and presentation expected from a fine dining establishment and honestly tasted more like beef stroganoff without noodles. I also ordered the lobster bisque, which was served lukewarm and tasted as though it came from a can. The Caesar salad with smoked trout was acceptable, but the trout resembled salmon more than smoked trout, and the dressing tasted bottled rather than house-made. What made the experience more frustrating was the lack of transparency regarding the menu prior to the event reservation. For a restaurant that strictly enforces reservations and cancellation fees, customers reasonably expect a much higher level of quality, preparation, and overall dining experience. Our server was kind, attentive, and did their best throughout the evening, so I truly appreciate their effort. However, much of the remaining staff appeared stressed, overwhelmed, and unwelcoming, which added to the uncomfortable atmosphere. Overall, the experience felt far from the fine dining experience being advertised. The drinks were honestly the only standout part of the evening. I also have to mention that the food we received looked nothing like the photos posted online and in Google reviews. It genuinely made us wonder if there was an issue in the kitchen this evening, because the quality and execution were nowhere near what was being represented publicly. I sincerely hope this feedback is taken constructively because there is a significant disconnect between the pricing, expectations, and actual dining experience being delivered.

I must admit...I was afraid to dine here with the prices and prior reviews. It seemed as if this…read moreplace was living on by its golden days of past. I was in town for the Winter Commencement for VA Tech. I was pleasantly surprised. The staff was more than accommodating for our large party. They were so nice and professional. I tried the shrimp appetizer and a Caesar salad just to play it safe. I would def return. The food for the party looked pretty good. The ambiance was nice and the staff was so amazing. Thank you for everything.

Pasta excellent Fish overcooked…read moreSaw great reviewsso tried it Debating if i will go back, probably not

Of your then owner off this pace not your best employee letting no one in This place could be so…read moremuch better Ok well found out getting in only 2 bartenders barely able to keep up This has to be the worst run bar in blacksburg

Found them on Yelp while looking for a place open past 10pm. We wanted a full meal and this place…read moredelivered. Staff: awesome service! Kudos to the main guy taking our order and bringing it to our table. He was the all around order taker, drink maker and very patient guy. Food: Bar food at its finest, and I say this with all appreciation. The fries are the best we have had in a long time. Perfectly seasoned and fried fresh and a huge basket. Most of our group ordered the generous portions of French dip. We also got the pirogies with house made onion dip. His cocktails were yummy and a nice heavy pour. Ambiance: straight up bar atmosphere complete with a front room dart area. Bathrooms are clean, tables are high tops with lots of seating. Would be nice to have more lighting but hey it's a pub. Crowd looks local and a bit older than the average college demographic. We will definitely be back.

Had the Gobbler bowl and it was delicious. Biscuit equally as good. Blueberry pie with vanilla ice…read morecream was the perfect ending. Delightful staff. Will be returning.

If you're into Southern Home Cooking then The Blacksburg Tavern In Blacksburg, Virginia is sure to…read moreknock your socks off. They offer a nationally acclaimed menu that's been featured on NPR, Southern Living Magazine and even the ACC Network. They offer their own parking lot in the rear A huge rarity in a college area. It was clean and maintained. It was a treat to meet the owner in front of the tavern tending to landscaping needs. The historic homes facade presents beautifully. There is also outdoor seating. Our party of seven enjoyed a Sunday brunch while knowing little about the establishment. We were promptly greeted with a smile and menus and seated on the front room. Each of the four interior rooms has a fireplace and nostalgic photos adorn the walls. They also have a small bar with a focus on bourbon. The menu had one hit after another with authentic Southern cooking. The description calls it a "Traditional Regional Farmers Menu."No question the fried chicken is the hero. Five out of seven got the fried chicken. Others the chili and meatloaf. A plate of biscuits and cornbread were placed on the table after drinks placed. The history of the tavern on the menu is worthy of your time. The owner, originally from Blacksburg moved from California to restore for his own home. Later opening the restaurant. His goal to keep the structure original and true to purpose as a tavern. The owner himself comes from a family of tavern proprietors. I digress too long! The FOOD ALREADY!!! Well as you have probably already guessed it was impressive and exceeded my expectations. Every main, every side was a home run. From the mash potatoes & gravy to the macaroni & cheese, backed apples and green beans, to the rarely found succotash. All fabulous! Only starter was ham biscuits which were good. Mains of chili and meatloaf strong. But it was the fried chicken that brings local and tourist alike in the door. The chicken was cooked up to perfection and deliciously moist The breading was exceptional as well with no dripping grease and a medium crispy finish. The only desert ordered was the brownie & ice-cream. So yummy! The owner Daniel checked in on us before departing which made our experience even more special. The Blacksburg Tavern is a Southwestern Virginia gem that's a must to dine at. Checkout was efficient and prices affordable for large quality dishes. I will return later this year and hope to catch live music. Highly recommend.

We can't say enough of this place. We had a wonderful visit for Sunday brunch. Ty (bartender and…read morehost) was excellent and very friendly. This was our first time here celebrating our son's birthday. I got the chicken biscuit which was excellent. The chicken and waffles were really good to. This really could be for two people. The drinks were excellent. We will definitely come back to try their lunch/dinner menu.

It was ok. Service was a bit slow and not as attentive as I would like. The steak was okay a bit on…read morethe fatty side and the broccolini was sparse. It looked like portion sizes varied by person. We were seated upstairs in the private section so it was very peaceful. Downstairs and outside was pretty packed.

Good wines & cocktails The three piece band on 19-Aug also…read morevery good Service had good recommendations Had a few wines, Porto & charcuterie plate & hummus plate that was a nice evening Only wish would be a nice pasta dish :)

Just had dinner here. Been wanting to go for a while and was not disappointed at all. Appetizers…read moreand sandwiches were amazing. The wine choices incredible!

The price here is an amazing value for what we thought was a really good Japanese meal…read more The sashimi Deluxe was a work of art, and really good variety of sushi. The fried rice that came with the chicken katsu don was great, smokey and flavorful from the hibachi. The unagi don comes in a nice wooden box with a lot of fish and tamago. The chicken katsu was even better than the typical katsu found at Japanese restaurants. Overall I would highly recommend Ocean Samurai, it was a great value and really great food.

I came by on a weekday for lunch and got to take advantage of the lunch specials. I ended up…read moregetting the Unagi Don, which consists of eel, some veggies, and a sauce, over rice. I've always been a big fan of eel based dishes, and this one was not the best one I've had. It still tasted good, but it didn't pack as much of a punch as some of the other similar dishes I've had. However, service was good and the pricing was very fair. I didn't get a chance to try the sushi, but it's Blacksburg, so I don't feel like I'm missing out on too much.

I rarely eat food after 9pm, but you make exceptions for places like this. My top-tier chum who…read moreliterally went to the school of hospitality (down the street at VA Tech!) and I came by here this past Tuesday night after a few other potential dinner spots fell through - the week after graduation is not the best for college town restaurant reliability. This was one of the few businesses with a kitchen still open, and had the distinction of being the only restaurant she'd actually been to when she was in college here over 20 years ago. Certainly a testament to the power of Mexican food and the young pups who will eat it any hour of the day and night. Unlike her last visit, El Rodeo apparently isn't as dark and divey as it used to be. A shame in my view, but it is what it is. The walls are painted a bright white, and if you didn't have the menus and margaritas roaming around, it could have hosted any genre of cuisine. There was an outdoor dining area that was pretty hopping but we opted for indoors and were immediately seated in a spacious booth with views of giant TVs showing a wild Cavs/Knicks playoff game. I wasn't obscenely hungry so I avoided eye contact with the burritos and instead went for a chicken/cheese quesadilla and a large glass of water. The quesadilla showed up within a few minutes and honestly really hit the spot. It was SUPER cheesy (in terms of flavor, not quantity, which I liked - I'm all about an ingredient equilibrium with my food), and I loved the crispness of the tortilla. The chicken was nicely shredded and seasoned, and it was generous portion to the point where I was only able to eat about half of it. The rest came back to the hotel with us to be consumed at a later time. The service was excellent. The turnaround time of the food was insanely quick, and the only noticeable delay was when our waiter understandably needed to attend to a wild 21st birthday celebration at a nearby table. Happy Birthday to her, and I hope the margaritas treated her well. College town restaurants kind of are what they are - it's not really the land of bougie gastropubs but rather affordable tasty shizzle that you might impulsively eat in the middle of the night. Solid recommend.

I got the Arroz Con Pollo, along with a Jumbo Pina Colada Margarita…read more This dish isn't a traditional Mexican dish - it's actually more Caribbean - but due to the massive demand for it in the South, it's a staple of menus here but not really found anywhere else in the US - that's why I had to make sure to get it while I was here as I hadn't had it before and I know this place is known for it This food was absolutely fantastic The dish came with a TON of grilled chicken pieces on rice, along with a lot of vegetables, and a cheese-like dip Starting with the chicken, it was really good, and as I mentioned, there was a lot of it it was also soft and not quite juicy - but definitely not overcooked/dry either. it was really satisfying to bite into it wasn't super well seasoned - but there was enough that it was detectable the rice itself was pretty nice and well-flavored. it wasn't anything too special but it served as a solid base for the rest of the toppings the vegetables were pretty fantastic - and served as a great complement to the chicken. I was especially a big fan of the grilled onions and the peppers, as these were cooked really well. however, the tomatoes weren't great. charging extra for these was a little strange, but I didn't mind it what really brings the dish overall together and takes it to another level is the cheese dip that mixes throughout everything if this was too cheesy - it would ruin the entire dish by making it practically inedible if it didn't have a strong flavor, the entire dish would basically feel plain however, this was just perfect. It had a hint of cheese, but most surprisingly, it had a bunch of other flavors in there too that created a sauce that coated every part of the dish and significantly increased the flavor of everything it touched this resulted in the overall meal having a comforting, deep flavor profile that was really, really good The margarita was also decent - it was super sugary and you couldn't taste the alcohol that much, but it was enjoyable to drink For the price, this was a pretty great deal. When adding the vegetables onto the ACP, it came out to around 15 dollars, and this was a really nice portion size given that price. The jumbo margarita was also a really large drink for around 9 dollars

I have always had amazing experiences at Mellow Mushroom. Today was no different. Food was…read moreexcellent and amazing! The only problems were related to service. It took a while to get seated, and it took a while to get our food. Other than that, our experience was amazing!

I'll give it a 3/5 because the food we ordered was decent. However, the customer service was a…read morecomplete turn off therefore it dropped the review down. The waitress tried to pressure us into feeling bad for giving her over 10% tip stating she expected 20%. M'am respectfully, if you don't do anything beyond your job why do you expect 20%?! Last I checked, tips were meant as a bonus for doing an exceptional job. Just dropping off our food with a smile or taking our order with a smile is the bare minimum when you're in a service oriented job. Not sure when people started becoming so entitled, but if you received a tip worthy of the work you did that should be enough. Definition of what a tip should be: A tip (or gratuity) is a voluntary, discretionary sum of money given by a customer to a service worker (e.g., servers, barbers, valets) as a token of appreciation for a service performed, over and above the base price. Overall, food was good. The staff just made a scene and made everyone at the table feel uncomfortable. It was a party of 4 we got a few drinks and appetizers I think in total we spent like $60. So it's not like it was a gigantic group and she was working her arse off.

Wow! We had a great time at the Milk Parlor this week. Drinks were fast and everyone was so nice…read more We got some food that was really good too. We will for sure go back.

The manager is objectively just awful. Yelled "why are you whispering" when I ordered despite me…read morescreaming over the band, and then left out a portion of my order after we had back and forth talked about what exactly I wanted (it was literally just a koozie that she decided the price on on the spot). After the interaction, two other customers that saw it mentioned their bad experiences with her that night. Then she proceeds to give a koozie for free to a guy. Also will straight up ignore you and not serve you if she decides she doesn't like you. Get a real job if you don't want to bartend as a manager at YOUR understaffed bar.