We stopped into Downtown Grub on a rainy Friday night. It looked pretty empty from outside but…read morethere were two other folks inside waiting for their food and someone waiting to pick-up a doordash order. The interior has lots of hints to music (art and decor) which I like but I'm not sure how it ties into the Downtown Grub name. The cashier gave us time to review the menu (on the wall). We ordered cheesesteak eggrolls and a two hot dog plate with fries. We wanted to get different toppings on the dogs but that was going to be difficult with their new POS system. We offered to just get the same thing but we were told that they'd get it and she wrote down our topping choices. After paying we were told it would be 20-30 minutes. That was longer than we were hoping dinner would take but I know kitchens can be tough. Our food comes out and the server says "I don't think those hot dog toppings are right." And, lo and behold, she was right. I'm not sure I've ever seen a server bring food to the table knowing that it's not what was ordered. She offered to fix it but after 20 min, we were just ready to eat. The hot dogs themselves were ok. Chili had good flavor. The first bite of the fries was great. They were really well seasoned...was what we thought. But they quickly became super salty. The cheesesteak eggrolls seemed to be just chopped steak eggrolls. They were massive but I didn't taste any cheese in the mix. I also wish they were crispy. For us, after a long wait, the meal just let us down.

Rating: solid 4.7/5.0 OM.....G! So I finally made it to Downtown Grub. The vibe is amazing, [seems…read morelike a family affair that YOU'RE a part of. They are seriously that friendly] Even the other customers were amazing during my visit. (Full disclosure: I am the type that feels this world needs more friends and less strangers and have ZERO qualms striking up a convo if the vibe is right) Now, the costs are a touch pricey but not outrageous and more a reflection of the current economy (Boooo inflation!). Blessedly, that is more than off-set by.......the quality and taste!! It seemed that everyone was up on the buffet angle, and it definitely seems the way to go. Deep fried shrimp, fried steaks and gravy, okra, each dish made fresh repeatedly and palette pleasing EVERY TIME. The green beans were so good I actually had to complement the chef (Do your thing Dom!! It was an honor to meet you all!) It was.... Wait a minute......actually disregard all I've said. (Last thing we need is unappreciative riff-raff with the taste buds of a 4th grader, and horrible Kens and Karens making wild requests and slowing down the line and ruining a _GREAT_ thing). So, umm, I forgot to mention the roaches! Huge! With 3 inch teeth and razor claws! Never seen the like. We barely escaped with our lives. I fought off two of them at once and escorted a couple customers to safety. Also, it's in high-crime neighborhood. M....Machine Gun Kelly came out of his grave and hit thr bank across the street! It'll be on tonight's news for sure!! New rating: .0067/30 Stay away from the store and the green beans! Ya greedy so-and-so! Cheers and love to all

Friendly servers. Quick service. Good homestyle food. My father got the meatloaf and I got the…read morevegetable plate. Green beans were little under seasoned for me.

Good food for a fair price and the ladies are great and friendly. Love the breakfast menu.read more

This was a great local stop at the tail end of a weeklong road trip. The patio outside was relaxing…read moreand inviting. Food was terrific (if you've had enough fried shrimp at the lake, the tex-mex burger is SOLID) with sincere, attentive service. Folks here are working their you-know-whats off to deliver, and they do with grace. Skip the chains by the interstate and let these folks do you right.

Nice little place we decided to stop for lunch 1/2 way to Johnson City, TN…read moreFriendly service and great food. Sorry, no pics but 3 of the 4 of the us got Philly Cheesesteak which were excellent and we could only eat half of it. The 4th person got the burger which was cooked to perfection. Recommended stop or visit if you are nearby!

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.

Historic Building with good food and drink. We enjoyed the bowls (forget the names), with chicken…read moreor beef, mashed potatoes, gravy and macaroni. Liked the outside, where my dog was welcome. Parking available. Also check out the murals inside

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.

Seriously an outstanding experience…read more Our food, both appetizers and entrees, were absolutely excellent. This spot has some of the best food I've ever had. Genuinely we had such a fantastic meal. The ranch and pimento cheese were outstanding. Our waitress, Brittany (sp?), was seriously the greatest waitress we have ever had! The marketplace had such great gifts and goodies. We had a great time shopping here. The cutest farmhouse ambience. We also got a few little chocolates from the case, which were fantastic. Next time we look forward to trying the coffees, which looked and smelled amazing.

Ok! Lunch on a busy Friday. I had the chicken salad croissant and my wife had the turkey Gilmore…read more WITH sweet potato fries. We were very happy with the meal. The fries had a cinnamon sugar spice to them and were flavorful. We would recommend the Draper easily!

GREAT find, just a few miles off of I-81, but darn worth the short hop over along the way…read more Mom and Pop (and Grandma) business with home raised bison. Nice menu in-house, also order / take-out with good take home bulk stock both in the refrigerator and the freezer.

I drive 2 hours to go to this restaurant in the small town of Riner. It's close to Christiansburg…read moreand VA Tech. Each day there are home cooked sides along with a selection of buffalo entrees. I love the burgers! Today I got the low carb double buffalo burger with fresh mushrooms and home cooked fries!! Save room for dessert because these homemade pies and cakes. Today we had the mandarin pie. Oh my!!!!! It's creamy and light and delicious. Reminds me of my grandma's pie. The service is one of a kind. The sweetest people you will ever meet and they feel like family. we had another great visit.

It's amazing here. The best authentic Mexican cuisine I've ever had and they have some really fun…read morepool tables! Very nice atmosphere with incredible staff.

Wow! Charlie at The Hampton Inn across the street recommended this place, and am I GLAD he did!…read moreThey had the sirloin and two sides on special for about $16- marvelous! I had the beans and rice- deliciousness! The salsa was perfect for my mellow taste buds; the atmosphere is fun and not too loud; the decor is beautiful; the staff so friendly and helpful (Misty was my server and I loved her!). I HIGHLY recommend this place and The Hampton Inn!

Super friendly and personal service. Fried grits were amazing (never had it before). Ordered the…read moreorange chicken wasn't was I thought it was when I ordered it. It was better!! Decent portion. When I am back in the area next year, i'll be back!.

They say this is a "unique" experience... I might say weird. The dining room is an interesting…read morefrontier, colonial vibe. The "garden" and out buildings are hard to describe... kind of a House of Blues meets the Sanford and Son junkyard. We couldn't decide if it is perpetually dilapidated or under renovation or if this is Appalachian-chic. The food was not bad. The food was not good. I thought it seemed kind of institutional, like plated cafeteria food. My wife correctly observed that it just seemed pre-fab, like from Sysco or Schwan's. Our waitress was perky and friendly and did a fine job. The hostess at check-in was more personality-free. Glad we went. Once is enough.