I can't believe that almost three months have passed since this gem of a restaurant opened its door…read moreon Orange Avenue in Roanoke, Virginia and I knew nothing about it. After having been selected as number 4 of the Top 50 most prolific Elites of 2025, a year when I also was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Photographer of the Year Award at their Yelpies 2025 Award Ceremony, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, and where last year I was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Yelper of the Year Award, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants 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 totality. And Tacos Los Toros #3 Restaurant, in Roanoke Virginia is a perfect example. This family-owned Mexican restaurant is committed to bringing you "the best of Mexican Cuisine made with love and care." Owner Jimmy Santos started the business years ago out of a food truck with the recipes from his grandma from Guerrero, Mexico. Not long after he opened his first brick-and-mortar restaurant on Hershberger Rd. And it was so successful that on October 22, 2025 he opened Tacos Los Toros #3 with Juan Albarez as its general manager. I found out about this restaurant by word of mouth from a friend who had ordered from them via DoorDash and loved the food. Today, right after a snow storm and an Extreme Cold Warning with more snow on the way, I decided to take a Lyft, because I don't Iike to drive my Lexus in the snow, and go have dinner there, never imagining that I would find authentic Mexican Cuisine like no other before. When I arrived, I was fascinated by the size and welcoming ambiance of the place. It had a large full bar in the back and dining areas divided by black walls with enlarged artworks of portraits of bulls, and enlarged color wall size photographs of Guerrero, Mexico. A friendly, young lady welcomed me and took me to one of the booths. I asked if they could make me at the bar a virgen Mango Margarita to drink. For appetizer I ordered the Queso Fundido. Grilled chorizo with melted cheese, and served with chips and salsa. I was told that the chips and salsa were made fresh daily, and they surely were. I could taste the difference. By then the manager came by to greet and welcome me to the restaurant and to confirm the drink. He talk to me about the items on the menu and as my main entrée I ordered El Paisano, a grill steak, chicken breast, and chorizo, cooked with grilled onions and chiles, and served with rice and beans, and flower tortillas. It was amazingly delicious, and one of the most genuine and best Mexican Cuisine that I've had in a long time. For dessert, I had something that I had been looking for since I moved to Roanoke and hadn't found in any of the Mexican restaurants: a genuine Mexican Fried Ice Cream. The ball of ice cream was covered with a special batter and then fried. It was delicious! I thanked the manager, who ended up being my server, for such a wonderful dining experience. I highly recommend this restaurant for a genuine Mexican Cuisine fine-dining experience.

This place is a gem!! Had the #birriatacos . Absolutely delicious! Beef was so tender and…read moreflavorful. Huge portions...you definitely get your money's worth. Salsa is excellent. Tableside guacamole service. Very friendly staff. Will be returning.

I discovered this relatively new restaurant while driving with a friend a few months ago, and…read morequickly went and added the business to Yelp. At that time they were so new that they only took cash as payment, and since neither one of us had enough cash we weren't able to eat there that day, nor was I able to be the first one to review it for Yelp. But it so happened that while searching for new restaurants in Yelp, I found the review of the first person who did, and this motivated me to drive back the hidden path where we first had discovered it, to go try it out. After being awarded the Triad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last year, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants 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 totality. And El Mexa Breakfast & Lunch in Roanoke, Virginia, is the perfect example. This relatively new family-owned restaurant is located in a small outdoor strip mall named Starkey Station on Merriman Road, in Roanoke, Virginia. It is so much out of the way that you had to have known about it to find it or just happen to take that hidden paths on your way to somewhere else to discover it, the way we did. And today I found out while talking in Spanish with the owner that another way people have been finding out about this place is when they have been coming next door to pick up their Domino's Pizza. They have seen it, entered and taken a menu, then ordering take outs from home over the phone, and coming to pick their orders up. What's interesting is that even though they focus on breakfast and lunch, since they close at 7:00pm daily, they have an opportunity of reaching the early dinner crowd and by offering their breakfast menu to some day round, this is opening the doors for more people to come at anytime of the day from 7:30am to 7:00pm. Their menu consists mainly of fresh Mexican pastries which they have dropped off daily from bakeries in Vinton and North Carolina. They have a variety of handmade Mexican Tacos, Tortas (which are gigantic sandwiches), Sopes (which are a traditional Mexican dish consisting of a thick, fried corn tortilla with raised edges base, topped with various savory ingredients), Taco Salads, and a Deluxe Quesadilla (a tortilla filled with cheese and other ingredients cooked on a griddle or stove until the cheese melts). After meeting and talking with the owner for a short while before other customers started to come in, the owner took my order at the counter, after letting me know that they now accept Credit Cards. To drink I ordered a Boing Mango Pulp Beverage which I picked up at their beverage refrigerator. To eat I had a Torta Cubana, which was a sandwich made in their typical large oval fresh bread, that contained a breaded steak milanesa, ham, Mexican sausage, chorizo, and Oaxaca Cheese. Included was also mayo, tomato, onions, avocado, and Chipotle. Usually, the wife is here to take care of the customers and their orders, while he does the cooking and fulfills the orders. But at this time of the early evening, he did everything while the wife had to do an errand. What impressed me the most was that even though this was a small place, everything was so clean and organized, and the food was so fresh and delicious. I invite you to view my photographs and videos that accompany this review to get a better sense of what I mean. I highly recommend this place for when you're in the mood for some genuine Mexican food prepared by very friendly and warm people, in a clean and comfortable environment. You know, very often it is in these hidden places that we find the most delicious culinary treasures.

I finally stopped by here for lunch today and thought it was really good. I got two chicken and two…read morecarnitas tacos and thought they were delicious. They just had a really good homemade taste and they were not greasy. I overheard another customer say that the Mexican bread in the display case was very good. The inside was simple and clean. The gentleman preparing the food was even wearing a hairnet!

We dined at Suerte for the first time last evening. We had high hopes, as we had been there for…read morecoffee a few days prior and really were impressed with the ambiance and bar area. Overall, the food was good - we ordered 7 (!!!) tapas and 2 entrees across 4 people. Stand outs were definitely the lamb, croquettes, and the potatas bravas. We felt the shrimp and calamari tapas were lacking in flavor. The portions were VERY small. I understand the concept of tapas, but 4 small meatballs or 4 regular sized shrimp for 12 dollars seemed a bit steep. The lamb entree was 24 dollars for 2 small skewers with no sides. It felt more like a tapa than an entree. I would expect maybe some greens on the side or something for that pricepoint. We enjoyed our experience, nice ambiance, good drinks, but we left still hungry. Would probably return for drinks and pre-dinner snacks, not sure for a whole meal.

Since Café Suerte opened its doors at the Promissory Hotel in downtown Roanoke, I have enjoyed…read moregoing there for breakfast and enjoy some of the culinary delights from their Breakfast Menu. I love the contemporary architectural design of its dining room with high ceiling and open kitchen, decorated by the colorful oil paintings that dress its walls. When I arrived today, Alexis the barista and morning server, once again greeted me and thanked me for my loyal patronage of the reasantly opened Spanish cuisine Café. With my ancestors coming from Barcelona and Asturias, Spain, it is only natural that I enjoy the Spanish cuisine of this one-of-a-kind Spanish restaurant in the Star City of Roanoke, Virginia. After some small talk, she went ahead and took my order. This morning I had a big appetite so I went ahead and ordered several items from their Breakfast menu which I wanted to taste for a while now. I started out with their Gazpacho Tomate, a chilled tomato soup with olive oil, and which was served with a fried Manchego churro. For my main entrée I had their Chuletas Adobadas Bocadillo, a grilled pork loin in adobo, with onion mermelada, garlic mahonesa, and bitter greens on Pan de Cristal. The Gazpacho soup tasted very genuine and true to the Spanish cuisine, like the one I had years ago when I visited Spain. The grilled pork was also very tasty with the Adobo which stands for Spanish seasoning. It came with a small salad that I truly enjoyed. And to end my breakfast with a sweet touch, I had a Flan and a Café Mocha Latte. What a memorable breakfast and extraordinary breakfast dining experience. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and its amazing Spanish cuisine. Once again I highly recommend this Spanish Restaurant / Café to experience a culinary journey into Spanish cuisine.

This is a bar/restaurant in a hotel lobby. We sat at the bar and were pleasantly greeted by the one…read moreand only server. I ordered a grilled salmon dinner that included a small salad and a serving of garlic mashed potatoes. My wife ordered chicken strips and fries. The salmon was good. The salad was good. The potatoes not so good. The chicken strips were good. There are a few booths along a wall as well as the bar area to eat. Biggest gripe is the wait time on your order being cooked. It must be a one man show in the kitchen( at least the night we were there). Overall the food was ok/good. Service was friendly and fast but......there are better places around town to eat. If I could add a 2&1/2rating that's what it would be. My very good rating max is 4 stars so I couldn't put a 3 star rating here. Sorry guys. Might have been a bad night for dinner but I'm telling about my experience that night

For perspective I am Diamond level member with IHG, this means nothing other than I stay in a IHG…read moreproperty 3-4 nights a week and have ate many a dinner in their onsite restaurant. Never once have I had a single issue worthy enough to mention. Also for perspective it's 8pm, it's been a 14 hour day and I surly was in no mood to get into my car when it's less than 20 degrees outside and the wind howling, but I did. Sat at a table for over 15 minutes, bartender avoided me as she was in deep conversation with another patron I suppose. Moved to the bar. Got a TUDE from her with a "I would have came over, you didn't have to move". Then another guy just walks up, she gives him a menu and then his drink, I have neither. Finally she comes over my way, I asked if I could place a take out over. She grabs a menu, drops it in front of me and walks to the other end of the bar without asking or taking my drink order. She starts at the other end of the bar taking drink orders for all the other patrons who already have a drink in front of them. My daughter was a waitress while in college so I'm extremely empathetic toward wait staff, my lowest tip is 20%, good service 30% and excellent pays 40%. Tips are how they earn a living. Walked out.... also the menu is vastly different than what is offered on their website. Also I guess it may have been the chef- working extremely hard the entire time holding up a wall. What's sad in the end is I'll bet a 100 to 1 that not even a peep will come of this review from hotel or restaurant management.

I LOVED BROOD. The chique bar area was our first nights dinner. The bartenders was FANTASTIC. His…read moreknowledge of cocktails and the menu made it a true experience. The food was well made and tasted like home. Rich, delicious, and unique. Highly Recommend

Sometimes in the smallest of places one finds the most exquisite food and the most precious of…read moredining experiences. After having been selected as number 4 of Yelp's Top 50 most prolific Elites of 2025, a year when I was also awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Photographer of the Year Award at their Yelpies 2025 Award Ceremony, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, and where last year I was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Yelper of the Year Award, 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 totality. And Brood Restaurant and Bar in the heart of Salem, Virginia is a perfect example. Hidden in a small but cozy spot with a small but beautiful bar of only a few chairs, off East Main Street in Salem, Virginia, is one of my favorites fine dining restaurants: Brood Restaurant & Bar. The name means: "the children of a family," or "the chicks of a hen." It is meant to describe a warm place where people gather and feel just like in the best of homes: safe, cared for with unconditional love, and well fed with food that is made from the heart. A simple wood framed glass door with the restaurant's name written on it in capital letters with a classical font, is all one sees from the outside. But once you open the door and enter you encounter a space with lots of character coming from an exposed red brick wall and lovely dark wood hardwood floors. The furniture is elegant but comfortable. And the people treat you like if you were right at home; practically one of the family. On this occasion I arrived 15 minutes early to my five o'clock reservation time, yet I was greeted and received with open arms by a hospitable gentleman who seemed to be the bartender but with the distinction of the manager of the place. I was taken to my table in a perfect location in the wall facing the middle of the restaurant. The bartender prepared me a Guason Mocktail that all I can say is that it tasted devine. To dine I ordered their Sea Scallops appetizer with a roasted garlic emulsion and a bacon and fried onion crumb. Followed by an Arugula Salad. And the main entrée being the Steak and Frites. Everything was amazingly delicious and served in the appropriate timing. The scallops tasted out of this world in its unique sauce. The salad was wonderful. And the steak, an 8oz CAB Manhattan cut New York Strip cooked medium-rare and served with vaudouvan compound butter was one of the tastiest steaks of this nature that I have ever had, along with some fries with a cut that brought out the best of them. My server and bartender visited my table at the right times to see that everything was to my satisfaction and see if I needed anything and when he was busy made sure to send one of the other servers who all worked very efficiently as a team. Even at the end of my meal when the restaurant was almost completely full. For dessert which I consider the "Grand Finale" of a great meal, I had their Belgian Waffle Bread Pudding. It was amazing. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the high-quality food. Needless to say I highly recommend this restaurant which has become one of my favorites for its delightful ambiance, exquisite food, and excellent customer service, together leading towards an extraordinary dining experience.

This weekend I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Kirk & Soul's Second Soft Opening and it…read morewas amazing. 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 totality. And Kirk & Soul, in Downtown, Roanoke, Virginia, is a perfect example. I loved the interior renovations of this new restaurant. Its beautiful hardwood floors contrasts perfectly with the lovely and very elegant black dining furniture, comprised of booths, tables and chairs, and bar counter, all with outstanding black marbalized table tops that give the place class. The restaurant's simple decor seems to emphasize its best features. Its high ceiling painted black also gives it a nice touch. And the large windows that go all around the corner bring in the light making the hardwood floors and table top shine to highlight their best features.The restaurant also has an open second floor, as well as a corner three steps high stage for bringing live entertainment that will provide the place with another exclusive detail to attract its clientele. I had an opportunity to meet the restaurant's manager, Blake, and he had great ideas that, when implemented, could most likely make this place one of the most talked about or highly regarded restaurants in the heart of fine dining in downtown Roanoke. Owner Justin Hayden described the menu of this Second Soft Opening as "a soul food Caribbean-style menu with a New Age twist." It included dishes such as Jerk Chicken with rice and beans, Oxtail Rasta Pasta, Classic Cheese Burger, Loaded Fries or Nachos, Wing Basket with your choice of sauce, and Garden Salad. Hopefully in the future they will also include other Caribbean dishes from other Caribbean Islands such as Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico, who have excellent cuisines. Today I ordered the Oxtail Rasta Pasta and a Coke to drink. I was the first one there and had to leave early because I had another commitment. The dish looked and tasted delicious, with just the right amount of seasoning. I highly recommend this new restaurant to all, and am looking forward to returning when it's in full function.

All I can say is catfish catfish and more catfish!!! The hot honey catfish is amazing. The fish is…read morenice and flaky, fried perfectly and the hot honey sauce is the perfect mix of sweet and spice. Also loved the thick cut curly fries on the side. The jerk chicken egg rolls were really great too! Our waitress was very friendly and knowledgeable and eager to help with anything we needed. I'm from California but would at at Kirk & Soul all the time if I was a local. The place looks like it is a fun night spot too.

Food was amazing. Service was excellent, thank Matt…read more We had a great experience. Seafood, pasta and Veal dinners were cooked perfectly.

Let's start with the previous reviews... they are pretty much on point. Graduation week at VA Tech…read moregives these businesses the upper hand. It doesn't matter that customers have made reservations months in advance. It doesn't matter that when the owner calls to confirm your reservations and you request indoor seating. What matters is they want you to eat there despite what you've requested. Our group sat outside on the semi covered outdoor porch. Nearby other customers were VERY unhappy that they had been given outdoor seating despite previous requests to sit indoors. Most of these customers left. We stayed because we wanted a decent meal and we wanted to celebrate. Service was spotty. It took nearly 10 minutes for a server to come outside and offer to take our drink orders or even pour us water. Yes, we were parched while sitting outdoors in 55 degree windy weather. The owner of the restaurant walked past us several times to count the vacant outdoor seats. She never acknowledged us and only looked at us after we called out to her. She was RUDE to say the least. Our server was friendly and apologetic, not sure why he didn't come out to acknowledge our group of 7 diners. The food: yes, other yelpers had concluded that the bread seemed very similar to Mrs. Schubert roll. If you know them you know. The other shocking revelation was when they called to confirm our reservation, they informed us that they were only serving the prix fixed meal of $69. Most of us ordered the "hand cut 8 oz filet", served with over cooked green beans. The salads(most of us got Caesar), was not a hand tossed dressing, not quite sure what the dressing was made of and the cheese seemed like a bagged shredded parm. We were so cold that we ordered our desserts(included) to go. Eating in the warmth of our cozy hotel dining lobby was our goal. The desserts were not anything special. The key lime pie was a disaster(crumbled and squishy), the rest of them not worth noting. Finally worth noting is their "wine", a semi inexpensive bottle of wine was out of stock so instead of coming to let us know, they brought out a cheaper local Virginia wine. Disappointing. Stay away if you are in doubt.

For some time now I was wanting to visit this Mexican family-owned Seafood Restaurant that proudly…read morecalls itself Don Camaron (Mr Shrimp). With a cute, friendly, caricature Shrimp Chef design in it's logo, and the slogan: "Fresh Seafood Made To Order," how can one go wrong? Located in an unassuming and relatively small building painted light blue on the outside, and with a simple sign on the roof above the entrance that reads: "COME ON IN / NEW MENU / DON CAMARON SEAFOOD," this very unique seafood restaurant located on Brambleton Ave in Cave Spring, Virginia, is more than just your ordinary Seafood restaurant. It's Mexican heritage cuisine brings to the menu items some flavors that contribute to the seafood taste more delicious than ever before. When driving down Brambleton Ave you can't miss a tall orange sign with the name and logo of the restaurant, placed right in front of their huge parking lot, providing convenient complimentary parking to all its customers. The restaurant building itself looks small from the avenue because is in the back of the parking lot, but once you get closer you will begin to notice the difference. Its log cabin architectural building design seems to give it warmth and as you enter its doors, all the wooden accents in the interior design of the building, together with the blue lighting treatment of the bar, and logo cabin look of the main dining area creates a cozy, warm, and friendly environment, perfect to enjoy a good meal and quality time with family and friends. As soon as I entered the restaurant, a friendly young lady greeted me with a friendly smile, took me to a table of my choice in the dining room, and handed me the menu. One can learn a lot about a restaurant from its menu. In this case, it was a beautifully designed menu, with its name, logo, and slogan on the cover. Open the menu and inside I found a good selection of seafood items, cooked in a variety of styles, with an easy to read font and highlighted with professionally taken photographs of the main items on the menu. Just from viewing the menu you can't help it but to want to return to taste some more of their delicious cuisine. My server, a very friendly young lady with a welcoming smile came by, introduced herself and took my order. To drink I had an Horchata, which is a sweet non-alcoholic drink made with rice and sugar, and very refreshing with lots of ice. They also had domestic and imported beers and wine on the menu. As my main course, I ordered the Camarnes Gratinados (Shrimp covered in bacon and melted cheese), with the two sides of French Fries and Hushpuppies. I found all the items of the menu to be reasonably priced and served abundantly. My food arrived in a reasonable amount of time and you can even watch this in one of my video clips accompanying this review. Everything on the plate was amazingly delicious, quality, and plentiful. The shrimps were fresh, plumpy, tasty, and cooked to perfection. The Fries were the right cut and fried just right to be crunchy on the outside and soft in the inside. And the Hushpuppies were amazing. My compliments to the Chef for such an extraordinary cuisine. I believe that the success of good tasting seafood lies in the way it is prepared and cooked. No dinner is complete without a good sweet dessert. So as the grand finale I had a Flan. Now this was no ordinary flan. I invite you to look through my photographs accompanying this review and see for yourself. It was homemade, made with the riches of ingredients, and tasted splendidly. One of the best, if not the best Flan I ever had. In conclusion, I had an extraordinary dining experience and highly recommend this Seafood Restaurant. What the owner and chef of this restaurant have created can't be described in words but experienced for yourself. Let's go visit and give it our support, so quality restaurants like this will flourish and enrich the quality of our lives.

Food was inedible and they did nothing about it. They couldn't understand what I was saying and…read moredon't know how to cook their seafood. Probably bought cheapest seafood they could find I hope this place goes out of business absolutely awful. Service was awful too. And only two people in the whole restaurant.