You rarely find a little restaurant in the middle of nowhere that makes you feel at home from the moment you walk in. Delicious food, a welcoming atmosphere, and attentive service, are the best words I can use to describe this gem of a restaurant. After being awarded the NC Triad Yelp Squad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last year, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, celebrating their contributions and accomplishments throughout the year, 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 entirety. And Lews Restaurant in the Hollins neighborhood of Roanoke, Virginia, is a perfect example. From the moment I parked my car in their small parking lot and walked over to this cozy little restaurant with a slanted shaped roof, I was first welcomed by one of their customers who held the door open for me when he was entering the restaurant and saw me headed that way. That particular gesture was so meaningful to me that I abstained from taking a photograph of the outside of the restaurant and hurried along to catch the door. As I stepped inside, the unique architectural design captivated me. The slanted wooden ceiling, peaking in a true cathedral style, lent the space a feeling of immense height while still maintaining a warm, inviting atmosphere."  It didn't take long for me to notice the sign that read: "Please SEAT YOURSELF." But almost at the same time that I had finished reading it, a friendly young lady, who ended up being my server, greeted me with a smile and a warm welcome, and invited me to sit anywhere I wished. I chose a booth next to a collage of photographs depicting major scenes from the Star City of Roanoke. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and its food. My friendly server came by to take my order. Given that they sold Pepsi products, I chose an ice-cold Pepsi. Then I ordered the Tavern Burger and requested they add bacon. This burger was topped with fried egg, mustard, pickle, and American cheese, and served on a sesame seed bun with a side of their Beer Battered Fries. From the fresh and soft sesame seed bun,to the freshly fried egg, to the juicy and quality beef patty, and the thick, satisfying bacon and pickle, every component of this burger contributed to an amazingly delicious final result. Needless to say, my server checked back to see how I was doing at the appropriate times and provided me with refills of my ice-cold Pepsi. To my surprise the only dessert they had was Fried Oreos and no ice-cream to accompany it. I realize that many restaurants hold on having dessert to expedite customer flow, but at least for me, a meal isn't a meal without a good, sweet dessert. And I make the recommendation of adding a few unique desserts special menu such as Peanut Butter Pie, Vanilla Ice Cream to the Fried Oreos, and a Mango Crème Brûlée. You'll be surprised, you may have customers attracted to eat here just for any of these simple but unique and delicious desserts. In conclusion I highly recommend this little and cozy restaurant for its warm and friendly environment, its wonderful satisfying food, and last but not least, its excellent customer service. All contributing to an amazing dining experience. read more

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This place is a disaster. Every single time we wait for an hour just to get a handful of wings or a pizza. The place is filthy. The girls behind the counter are rude. Don't know why we keep giving you a chance. read more

My family was served moldy food and management not only refused to make it right, but also refused to acknowledge that it was very clearly moldy read more

This place is so dirty, nasty from floor to ceiling. When you touch a menu, insert or S&P shaker you will wonder if you should eat the food

went at an off time. only table. got roast beef sandwich with diet dr p and hamburger with fries. think we had 3 different waitresses but they did the job and very well. food was great! big thank you! this is such a little thing....diet dr p tastes terrible when at fountain or flat. mine was a 10! read more

It's a hole in the wall kind of place . We were pleasantly surprised by having great service . She knew how to pace the food and drinks she was attentive and personable And knew the menu. Ordered wings, steak hoagie, fries and chicken Parm . Every thing,including fries, was piping hot which I so appreciate! The food was good and prices fair. We will be back read more

Solid 5 stars for service, bar food, atmosphere and beer selection Carter took FANTASTIC care of us. Love seeing local brews available! Food was fast and delicious, especially for the price! If you love ran h dressing, this is 10 stars read more

Lews Restaurant - Broadway Joe - Pizza Near Me - Roanoke, Virginia

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Great food and servers! The salads were fresh with unique ingredients. Outdoor deck allowed our puppy too. Will be back!! read more

My wife and I came here for lunch today. We were told to sit wherever we liked, so we sat at a booth uncomfortably crammed behind several tables full of people squished together. Our server came over and got us our drinks, we said we needed a minute to look at the menu. We had no idea that this is the last time we'd ever meet. We waited patiently, but she never came back. She was only about 10 feet away at the kitchen/bar the entire time, but she never looked at us once. She was leaning over looking at her phone, crying, laughing, and who knows what else. Seemed like she was having a great time. Wish we had too. We stared at her and exchanged awkward glances with about everyone else on the staff in the small lobby, as well many other guests, but no one came to help us. After about 15 minutes we just walked out. Super disappointed, especially considering I'd heard good things about this place and had been looking forward to visiting for a while. Now I don't know if we'll ever be back. read more

The food and service here is fantastic!!! We had phenomenal subs that were some of the best we've had in a long time! Our server was very friendly!! You won't be disappointed. read more

Good food! The fries are great! But damn the waiter - the one who looks like the Backstreet Boys and Guy Fieri had a baby was literally the worst. He came two our table 3 times, with 15 min in between. I could see our food sitting on the counter and another waitress brought it to us. I had to make extremely uncomfortable eye contact just to get this man to walk over here and stop following the waitresses around talking to them. Honestly he made the experience bad. read more

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Pretty good food, lots of options. Although the guy behind us ordered a veggie salad wrap (Boring) hahaha. I added pics except our wings, but they were great. read more

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Love their wings, good pizza, good salads, great prices!! Usually our Friday night pick!

Lengthy menu, but I'm picky. Love the chicken tenders and fries. Pizza is good, but I wish it had a thicker crust. My wife enjoys their burgers, & the service has always been great. read more

We had a group of 5 gals. Drinks delivered promptly. Ordered food after 15-20 min. We waited 45 min. No food. Inquired. Said that got hit with several orders at one time but they are cooking. 10-15 min later. We inquire again. "Takes 25-30 to cook 1/2 burgers, onion rings take 25 min, anything from back is extra 25-30 min". So we wait another 10-15 min. They tell us it would be another 15 min to get some of our food and 40 min to get all of it -- mainly the onion rings my Mom was eager to get. Apparently sandwiches & pizzas are cooked fast. The rest, from the back, is 1-2 hours. The sad part was the lack of empathy & understanding from the wait staff. They seemed horrified that we were hungry and leaving after nearly 1.5 hours of waiting for food. We paid for our drinks & left. They seem to be having a major cook staff issue! It needs to be communicated with patrons & at a minimum, have empathy for patrons who are waiting for 1-2 hours for food without any communication because this is certainly poor service & abnormal. read more

My husband and I were headed back home after our trip to Roanoke and just happened to look up "places to eat burgers near me" & im so glad we did! The service was amazing and our food was DELICIOUS! It goes down as one of the best burgers we've ever had. Yes, we keep track of places like that. I am still thinking about it even though it's been a couple days. read more

Service was really good and so was the food. We tried the wings, kids meals (spaghetti, burger, and nuggets), and the BBQ burger. All of it was very good and kids meals were unexpectedly good and great portions. Bonus was the beer was cheap and cold! Great Job tonight! read more

Frozen pizza crust with toppings on top of uncooked crust very poor for what the price is !! Worse then the 5 dollar take out from other chains at least they make there own crust and less $$ read more

Lews Restaurant - Yuck - Pizza Near Me - Roanoke, Virginia

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Nice little place to grab a sandwich or burger, and as with its other location, the real stars are the crispy French fries. Absolutely the best around! My pepper jack chicken club arrived as a sub sandwich, which threw me off a bit, but it was pretty good. I liked the slaw, which is finely chopped and made with a very light dressing, which I prefer, though it needed salt. Others at the table ordered sandwiches on buns which had to be eaten with a knife and fork - they were too huge to be manageable. Bathroom report: The ladies' room was immaculate and smelled like it had just been scrubbed down. Major points for this! read more

Went here today for carry out, I called and a chicken salad on croissant. With a small bag of chips, and a 16 ounce soda, the total came to nearly $12. I want to support local, but there is no way that I am paying this again. I am very disappointed at the price, and the size of the sandwich was about half the size of the chicken salad sandwich at other places. Very small, very disappointing. read more

Lews Restaurant - Chicken Salad on croissant with chips and drink to go - $11.97. Seriously?!?! - Pizza Near Me - Roanoke, Virginia

Not sure I ordered the right thing here as they had a huge pizza walk-in traffic. Low key, a few TV's, and a huge menu. I had the Rueben, and it was OK, I did not expect my meat to be chopped up, but not that big a deal. So the best part of the evening? The continuing conversation on the customer who left her underwear on the floor in the booth!!! No lie!!! If I'm back, I may try the pizza!!! read more

We went there for lunch the pizza was terrible the flies were everywhere and the service wasn't that great won't be bad

Drinks came very quick. Menu full of decisions. Buffalo wings were hot, big, saucy an' flavorful. 14" thin crust pizza (large) was very good. Service was adequate. Beer an' ice water were cold an' plentiful. All in all a good, if not spectacular choice. A bit pricey, but who isn't these days read more

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Nice place close to the highway. So many options under $10! I ordered their Avacado Burger. Cut into it and it was cooked throughout, nice medium and not dry. Onion rings were crispy and the sweet tea was solid. Only comment: the burger was bland. I sprinkled salt on it and it made a WORLD of difference. Overall a nice, solid place to eat. read more

Lews Restaurant - Avocado Burger (sriracha mayo, cucumbers, avocado) with onion rings & sweet tea. - Pizza Near Me - Roanoke, Virginia

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Tuesday pizza days are a win for sure. Great pizza and salad for a good price. The draft list isn't bad either. Nice local spot, great patio. Our waitress was so kind and attentive, I don't remember her name, but she was pregnant and was outstanding! Really enjoyed my visit! read more

We were on a trip out of town and decided to try Lews! The best burgers we have ever tasted. Brian was awesome and very attentive. I recommend this place HIGHLY! read more

Fast and the fries! Amazing fries like the best french fries I have ever had. My burger was also amazing. I ate until I was stuffed read more

Lews Restaurant - Omg fries and burger amazing! The fries have some kinda crispy stuff on the outside of them...I did some damage to those fries - Pizza Near Me - Roanoke, Virginia

We were looking for a nice place to eat not far away from I 81 N and found this cosy restaurant. Just 5 min drive from highway. The burgers were really delicious and side dishes were big enough. read more

Lews Restaurant - Double cheeseburger with fries 12$ - Pizza Near Me - Roanoke, Virginia

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This place is PHENOMENAL! Their turkey and bacon sandwich is genuinely one of the best sandwiches I've ever had in my life! The staff is also very nice. I recommend this place a lot! read more

Pizzeria and grill with a big menu, friendly service and great prices. read more

Lews Restaurant - Pizza Near Me - Roanoke, Virginia

Seems like things going down hill..................in Hollins! On Wednesday,June 26, Server tried to maintain rapport, however when it takes 1 hour to get a burger and a small pizza,something bad wrong. Plus burger didn't come as ordered and bun was hard. Restaurant was crowded and hot. People sat down next to our booth,ordered,ate and left before we got our food. This place used to be much better. Wonder if 2nd location isn't taking away from owner/management. Looks like another gold mine played out! Sad :( read more

My first visit to Lews. Nice lunch spot with extensive menu. I had the French Dip - nothing fancy, just a solid well built sandwich providing exactly what I wanted. My server Shay was top notch! Quick to refill my coffee, ensured it was fresh enough, check in on me often. The restaurant is comfy and has a nice energy, there's a pleasant buzz of conversation without being overwhelming. Decor is casual "Roanokeana". read more

Service: atrocious, rude, condescending 6 tables were full. 2 tables came after us. 9 total tables. We got our food last. 45 minutes. Appetizer came after me. Server said "that happens sometimes" and walks away. She made an excuse about being busy. They were not busy. Server blamed me for not remembering the name of my burger and made multiple snide comments. Food quality: we were served burned burgers that were somehow cold. When I left, I was greeted in the parking lot by 4 employees on a smoke break. Par for the course I guess? Verdict: should have gotten McDonald's read more

Absolutely fantastic. Friendly staff, great food with huge portions at a great price. Treat yourself to a fantastic meal.

Lew's was recommended by the lady at the front desk of the hotel we were staying at. It's a dive to be sure. The food was quite good (greesy and on the spicy side, which I liked, but my wife did not) and the service was fine. The "Dino nuggets" were probably bought frozen at the Kroger down the street and my daughter didn't much like them. My other daughter, however, enjoyed her burger. The place was not particularly clean. Still, it's a dive in all it's glory, so all of this is to be expected. The food was generally tasty, such as it was and the prices were reasonable. I'm not sorry to have gone there, but probably won't go back next time we pass through. I should add too that their beer-batter fries were excellent. Edit: I happened back this way and gave this place another try. Instead of Lews they should call it Loo - since I spent the next morning mine wishing I'd given Lews a pass. read more

My wife and I eat here weekly but will NEVER come back after this experience! I ordered a bowl of chili to go and after getting home to eat I noticed the hamburger was uncooked . This is the nastiest restaurant in Roanoke . This is also the second bad experience I have had here in the past month and the manager of the restaurant is very rude and doesn't care about his customers. read more

Went a couple of weeks ago with my partner for dinner. We went to the Walnut Avenue location in Old SW. Everything was delicious and we will definitely go again. read more

The lady who was at the counter was so rude. She has absolutely no personality for working with the public. She just said how many, it will be 15 minutes and handed us a pager. She never said hello, welcome to Lew's - nothing!! Luckily the food and server was great. Just get past her and things will be fine. It still kind of puts you off right after you walk in the door. Sour puss face read more

I f I could leave a review with negative points I really would. These people do no understand customer service or really care. They are slow and not even close to being efficient. I have been 4 times and have had the same result each time. First time they got order wrong. Second time so slow I had to leave. Third time could not have had any slower service. And today my order to go was wrong. They not one time apologized. Not one time. I will not be back read more

Didn't know what to expect but was very pleasantly surprised! the food was amazing - the staff was super friendly and helpful! 10/10 would recommend if you're looking for a family-friendly establishment and high quality food with reasonable pricing! read more