Our dinner cooked right on the grill by Greg and his crew. Amazing food and fun in Altavista!read more

Was in Virginia for an event went there for dinner a line around the building, but man was it worth…read morethe wait one of the best steaks I've ever had.next time I'm up that way. I will definitely be back.

A place like this sets an expectation before you even sit down. Between the name and the way it…read morepresents itself, you expect a certain level of care. We came in for breakfast, missed the cutoff, and ended up ordering lunch instead. That shift ended up defining the experience. **FOOD** At the table, we had three different sandwiches, and each one had its own issues, but they all pointed in the same direction. I ordered the Handcrafted King Burger. The name suggests something made in-house, or at least something with a bit of character. What came out looked like a prefab patty. Perfectly round, evenly flat, with the kind of surface you usually see from a frozen product. Flavor was fine, but it didn't match what you expect from a brisket burger. The toppings were standard, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise, but the lettuce portion was skimpy and the tomato was sliced so thick it threw the balance off. I ended up cutting it down myself just to make it easier to eat. The fries were fine. Nothing wrong, just nothing memorable. My wife ordered the French dip. It came out dry, which is the one thing that sandwich really can't afford. It didn't seem like it had been dipped at all before serving, and the meat leaned overcooked. The au jus on the side helped once we started using it, but by then you're correcting something that should have been handled in the kitchen. We ended up swapping meals, which usually says enough. My mom went with the BLT, and that was the most disappointing of the three. The bacon was overcooked to the point where it broke down into small pieces instead of giving any real texture. It ate more like bacon crumbles than strips. The tomato had the same issue as mine, cut too thick, and needed to be adjusted at the table. She did like the house chips. Those were crisp, not oily, and easily the most complete item that came out. Across multiple plates, the Swiss cheese stood out, and not in a good way. It had the look and texture of a lower-end processed slice rather than something you'd expect from a deli. It showed up more than once, which made it feel like a standard shortcut rather than a choice. **SERVICE** Service was steady. Our waitress stayed on top of refills and checked in without hovering. Orders were taken correctly, food came out in a reasonable time, and nothing got missed. **AMBIENCE** The space is clean and organized, and it's clear they take care of it. It's a little smaller than it looks online, but it works. Nothing feels out of place, and it's comfortable enough to sit and eat without distraction. **CLOSING** This feels like a place that might do one part of the menu better than another. Based on this visit, lunch didn't hold up. Too many small things were off across multiple plates, and it adds up. We'll likely come back and try breakfast, but there's not much here that would bring us back for lunch. **RATINGS** Food: ** Service: **** Ambiance: **** Overall: *** Personal Disclaimer: I value small, independent restaurants and want them to succeed. This review reflects a single visit and may not represent every experience. EVERY RESTAURANT IS WORTH TRYING FOR YOURSELF. Go, see what you get, and be honest in how you evaluate it. I've worked as an executive chef, restaurant manager, and owner. I tend to hold places to a higher standard. Execution matters. Freshness matters. Effort shows. Cutting corners usually does too.

The food is good. Breakfast is pretty much like a diner experience. The biscuits are excellent…read morehowever I do wish they expanded the breakfast menu. Dinner was above average however nothing to write home or say this place is a must try.

So wonderful the first morning of our stay at Smith Mountain Lake that we returned for the 2nd!…read moreFood, service - all top notch! Old Oak Cafe is situated in a strip shopping center, but is designed to make you feel like you've stepped into someone's home. The back room houses a faux (I assume) fireplace and round oak dining tables. The southern hospitality we received from the staff is as inviting as the space. They also have a large bookshelf of children's picture books and activities. So thoughtful and a wonderful option for tablet-free families. Our first visit was around 11:30 am on a Sunday and there was about a 20-min wait with the post-church crowd. The interior waiting space was full so we opted to wait outside. They offer a buffet breakfast on the weekends for $14.99. It looked to have biscuits and gravy, eggs, a variety of meats and fruit. We opted for menu options. I noticed they offered foam plates for buffet-goers, which made me cringe. I hope they will consider changing to something more environmentally-friendly. We were greeted as soon as we sat and offered coffee. Our server on both visits were incredibly kind! On Sunday, our server was a bit slower with coffee refills, but it was incredibly busy so I understood why. On our first visit, hubs had the cinnamon sweet potato pancakes while I chose multigrain. Both were so fluffy and delicious! The sweet potato pancakes drew us back the next day. They were topped with a cinnamon sugar butter and fresh pecans. The flavor was out of this world! Even the multigrain pancakes were light, fluffy and so yummy. I got blueberry pancakes on my 2nd trip and wish I had ordered these. The blueberry, while tasty, were more dense and not quite as flavorful. The Sweet Potato and Multigrain pancakes are worth 5 stars alone, but the service and value set Old Oak Cafe over the top. I'm ready to plan another trip to SML solely for this breakfast!

My family loved this place. If you are in the area (or have errands nearby) stop in. There are a…read morehandful of restaurants around Kroger/Movie Theater. If you want something other than Cancun or pizza, make a visit. Great food.

The food was down home delicious and the train station atmosphere directly added to the experience…read more Service was excellent and very friendly . Service

Vibe: 8/10 - it can get loud inside, but the theming is so nice! The outdoor area is also excellent…read more Service: 7/10 - kind, but can be very slow. Don't go in a rush! Value: 9/10 Black and bleu: 7.5/10 Greek steak salad: 8/10 Overall: 7.7/10 (3.85/5) [To clarify our review system: 10 = we'll never have anything else as good as this in our lives (we use 10 very sparingly!) 9 = extraordinary 8 = great 7 = above average 6 = average Anything below 6 is being critical]

I'd seen this place after shopping at Elba's butcher shoppe and wanted to try it. It's a walk up…read morespot with outdoor seating. The ice cream side was closed so couldn't try the float. Had a cheeseburger and onion rings. Hubby had a "loaded" hot dog. Both were good with a nice batter on the onion rings. I wouldn't put onion on my burger next time though. They put a whole slice of onion...too much for me. But I would eat here again!

My food was brought to me home and it was so good! I haven't had Jack's Quick Snack in so many…read moreyears.

Food is excellent and service was great. If you are in the area I would definitely recommend but…read more interestingly the do take reservations so get there early or call ahead and make reservations.

My steak sub with peppers, onions and mushrooms was good, the fries were cooked well, the prices…read morewere reasonable and the service was just fine. A good lunch spot on our travels.

Disappointing location. They seem to constantly have inventory issues and / or just don't pay…read moreattention to orders. Ordered my kid a cheeseburger kids meal and (without telling me) replaced it with chicken nuggets instead. They also didn't include a kids meal toy. Other times I've come here they are always out of something (or sometimes EVERYTHING) -_-. Altavista is in need of at least 1 decently run fast food establishment.

Worked their a few weeks. Never saw a more disorganized eating place in all my 56 years of life…read more Failed 2 Food inspection audits in 2 weeks. Both during shift changes... Had multiple panel interviews for management position and was planning on training at different store... However after seeing multiple food safety violations and reporting this, promotion and training was canceled....what do you expect when you got a 19 year old kid in charge with under 1 year experience...current manager needs to be removed, and replaced, with someone with experience to clean place up.....just not recommended. Inventory issues, food safety issues, equipment issues, lack of training issues...its just a royal mess....location is good, but people, food are not, just avoid....

I have been visiting M&A since I was just a kid. Its a FAMOUS take out spot, call ahead of time and…read moreget your order hot and fresh by the time you arrive. Because they are famous, call ahead by 25 mins or so. Jose is wonderful, so kind, so friendly. Its a small old country store but stocked with selection and if you want an item back, just ask and they will get it done.

Love the food!!! Get the sausage poofs or biscuits and gravy. French fries and great too!read more

The food was delicious. The service was excellent. I didn't get photos of our food but the Mac n…read morecheese was very good. The bbq fries were so good they were hard to stop eating even after you were full. Their special burger with pork bbq and onion rings is huge! The sauce on that burger was so good. I definitely recommend that you stop by for friendly people and tasty food.

Great lunch/dinner spot right off 220! Home cooked food, pleasant ambiance, and friendly staff.read more

Sometimes, ordered Garlic Delight, they gave me 2 Hunan beef. Not that welcoming at times.read more

I have had their vegetable fried rice which was very good. I asked why they no longer have the…read morebuffet and the owner responded that the buffet has been closed since the Covid with no plans to ever open it again... IT IS NO LONGER A BUFFET.