We visited the Yard Bird Tavern in downtown Roanoke. Finding a spot can be a bit of a gamble;…read moreunless you're lucky enough to snag a space at the curb, you should expect to pay for parking. ​Atmosphere & Menu ​Upon entering, we found the restaurant pleasantly sophisticated, though it was nearly at capacity. While we opted not to explore the drink menu, we were eager to see what the kitchen had to offer. The menu itself is concise, focusing primarily on wings, sandwiches, and pizzas, supplemented by a few small appetizers. ​The culinary style is quite eclectic. They feature several unconventional toppings and flavor combinations that might seem a bit eccentric at first glance. ​The Culinary Experience ​I decided on a flatbread-style pizza topped with: ​Smoked chicken ​Pickles ​Peppadew-style peppers (which resembled small cherry tomatoes) ​A tangy, zesty sauce reminiscent of an enchilada base with an extra "zing." ​My wife opted for a "build-your-own" pizza featuring red onions, pepperoni, and bell peppers. Although she realized too late that she had forgotten to request light sauce, she noticed the oversight immediately upon the dish's arrival. ​Service Observations ​The service was a bit of a mixed bag. Our waitress was professional but remarkably brisk. She lacked the usual pleasantries or "small talk" one might expect, focusing instead on efficiency. While her haste felt a bit impersonal, I couldn't complain about her attentiveness--she was incredibly prompt at refilling my iced tea the moment my glass was empty. Make sure you bring your pocketbook this pizza brings a sting at the register.

Ace of Spades Pizza was missing key ingredients, like the basil and hot honey, and looked like it…read morehad been sitting for a while, definitely and sadly not like any of the photos I'd seen. Was basically a very thin pepperoni and pepper pizza. I contacted Jaybird Tavern a couple times via email regarding this issue, hoping to get some resolution, but they refused to respond. Would not recommend.

Just the other day as I was driving around doing some errands, and looking for a place to have an…read moreearly dinner, I discovered this fresh casual restaurant in the heart of Downtown Salem, in Salem, Virginia. At first, I was attracted by its white building front with light green awning and pink highlights around the building and its front door as well as around the restaurant's front sign. Its small patio in front with black iron outdoor dining furniture also attracted my attention. So I drove around looking for a place to park my pearl white Lexus, and I was lucky to find just across the street a few empty free 2 hour parking spaces. I parked in one of them and proceeded to walk to the restaurant. On one of its front windows it read: "Freshens - Fresh Food Kitchen." As I walked in, I immediately felt comfortable in this clean and bright environment with modern decor. The walls were brick walls painted white and decorated simple, with framed enlarged photographs of close-up of fruits & vegetables like tomatoes, corn, and strawberries, just to name a few. The floors were light color hardwood floors. Lit menus were located above, behind the counter, with items such as Smoothies, Grilled Flatbreads, Salads, Artisan Melts, Acai Bowls, and Rice Bowls. When I finally found the "Order Here" sign, located above an area of the counter, a friendly, young lady employee greeted me, and when I told her this was my first time there, she tried to find me a paper menu, but they had ran out. I ordered from the menu on the wall. To drink I ordered a Maui Mango Smoothie, that had mango, strawberries, and bananas. And to eat I ordered their a BBQ Bacon Chicken Grilled Flatbread. The Maui Mango Smoothie had just the right texture and tasted amazing.The mixture of its three fruits made it tast almost like guava, which is also one of my favorite tropical fruits. When my Grilled Flatbread was ready, they called me to pick it up. It tasted amazingly delicious! While I was eating, several other customers came by. Most of them had ordered already and just came to pick up their food "To Go." Others stayed and ate it there. The food and the smoothie were so fresh and healthy that I felt great after I finished them up. Oh, and for dessert I had a sliced of their Peanut Butter Pie and it was so soft and tasty, that made me want to return soon. After I returned home, I did my research and found out that this establishment was recognized as the 2026 leading Vegetarian Restaurant in Salem, Virginia. I highly recommend it and had wonderful healthy dining experience there.

They were really helpful on the phone with my call in order, walked in staff was super cool and…read morewelcoming and the smoothie is just what I needed. Stuff is really cheap I will definitely be back.

5 stars for the attempt-everyone there is working hard to get the food out and up to standards and…read morethe cashier was delightful. They just need more people working. 3 stars for efficiency. I ordered my wine over 30 minutes ago. This is a great place and hopefully my to go order will be as yummy as usual. I thought I was being clever ordering a nice glass of wine to sip as I waited but that has gone astray. They are def in the weeds tonight! Ok-5 stars for the food. I guess if you want it this good there's no way to get it out fast on a busy night

Taziki's Mediterranean Café opened its doors to the public today and I was fortunate to be among…read morethe first to visit and discover that it's like no other Mediterranean restaurant that I have ever been to before, just better, in all the sense of the word. 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 wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and bring them to the attention of the public. And Taziki's Mediterranean Café is the perfect example. It is located on Franklin Road in Southwest Roanoke next to the restaurant First Watch. The building has been completely renovated and has a bright and airy contemporary decor. As I entered, I was greeted and welcomed by all the eager employees that were behind the counter, which they refer to themselves not as Team members but as Family members. They were all so warm and friendly that they immediately made me feel relaxed and at home. Like if I was already part of this great Family. The order taker did a great job of explaining the menu and the ordering process. Another staff member explained how to download their app and sign up for their Rewards Program, so that I could get points starting from today with my first order. I ended up ordering a Sweet Peach Iced Tea to drink. And a Build Your Own Feast as my main course. It consisted of the Grilled Beef cooked medium rare, as my protein, the Mediterranean Salad with Balsamic vinaigrette dressing, and the Basmati Rice as my side. They gave me a cup for my drink and a number to place on my table so when the food was ready they knew where to take it. All the food was so fresh and delicious and the Medallions of meat were so soft and tender, and cooked medium rare just as I had requested. I thought to myself: The ordering process is so easy and the food is so good and healthy that I definitely have to come back soon. I was fortunate to meet the manager and congratulated her for the wonderful selection of staff members, and for their wonderful food selection. For dessert I had their Baklava Cheesecake. It had an amazing flavor. I definitely highly recommend this restaurant to all. And plan to return to dine here again, real soon.

Excellent Lamb Shawarma and Samosas. Lamb was crisp and flavorful. Greek salad was delicious with…read morelots of feta and veggies. Cant wait to try more things on the menu. You can tell this place is authentic and Family run. We will definitely be back.

This relatively new and unassuming family-owned and operated restaurant and market is known for its…read moreauthentic Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. Located in the Cave Spring area of Roanoke, Virginia, I decided one day to going with a friend to try it out and see for ourselves if it offered an authentic Mediterranean dining experience. While we were driving in search of the restaurant we couldn't miss it. It small size with a cute and unique architectural design structure immediately caught our attention. It's prominent triangular roof and black square sign stood out from the normal restaurant designs. The front of the restaurant was one large window with a red framed glass door. It had a covered front porch with a dining table for 4 on each side for the convenience of customers who enjoyed dining outdoor during nice weather. We parked in their small parking lot and walked in. To our surprise, it had a simple minimalist interior design decor with white tile floors surrounded by black grout, white painted walls with poster size photographs of places from the Mediterranean hanging from the walls, and simple tables with different colored chairs. One ordered from the cashiers counter located in the middle of the restaurant / market with a display case next to it with the desserts in individual plastic containers. The menu with photographs of the main dishes was high above as well as one posted on the large window outside, and small size regular menus as well. Both my friend and I ordered a Kufta Kabob Sandwich and bottled drinks. My friend ordered a Freez Pineapple Coconut and I ordered a Mango Peach one. We were asked if we wanted fries with the sandwich and we both said yes. I also asked them to include a Falafel appetizer, that oddly enough the price charged for it was $7.22 before taxes. At the end they told us what the total price was and I paid, since I was inviting today. And then was given the receipt. Later on at home I saw that we were charged a Make It Combo fee of $8.22 just for including the fries, because the drinks were charged separate a $5.18 charge. After the order we went and sat down at one of the tables in the restaurant side of the business while they prepared our order. The fact that the Market was on the other side of the small interior of the business detracted from dining ambiance of fine dining, especially with having unopened and some partially opened boxes all around. After we finished dining, we walked around the Market to take a look at the different products they carried for sale. Now as to the food, the 6 Falafels were good but a bit towards the dark side meaning overcooked. The sauce that came with it was very good however. The Kufta Kabob Sandwich was amazingly fresh and delicious and the accompanied fries were well seasoned and nicely fried. And the sauce that came with them was also one of a kind. Judging from the friendly and welcoming attitude from the owner and another employee we met, from the variety of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern items on the menu, and the amazing flavor of the food we had, this is definitely the place to go if you're in the area for Mediterranean cuisine.

Unexpected find while we were spending the night in Roanoke during our travels. Great service,…read moreamazing food! Fish tacos were perfect! Wish it wasn't 4 hours from home!

The hostess was paying attention to her phone , twice I said good morning before she looked up…read more I told her we would be 4 people for the buffet . She took us to the other side of the restaurant where, without a word dropped off 3 menus for alcohol and left. After 5 minutes a waitress came in and directed us to the other side where the buffet is. The orange juice in the mimosa was rancid, no spoon was brought, just a knife and fork. I ended up having to use a straw to mix the cream and sugar in my coffee. No one but the owner behind the omelette station . The eggs are already mixed kept in a glass container and not kept in ice or any type of refrigeration. They were just kept out all the time as well as the ingredients. The water had a very strong taste, so I did not drink it. The only other time we were approached by a server was on the way out that we asked whom did we pay. It was quiet around 11:15 am. The price is reasonable but not worth it.

We liked Wildflour's Sunday brunch so much that we went two Sundays in a row. The pancakes, Wagyu…read morehash and Chesapeake Benedict were all delicious: perfectly cooked and well-flavored. Micah was an excellent server. We are adding Wildflour to our Sunday rotation.

It's a toss up. When it is good it is four stars when it is not it is two, but it is hard to know…read morewhat you are going to get when you sit down. There are multiple food options for anyone and nice options for dessert. The space is kind of dark and laid out weird and service makes us feel like we are in the way.

Friendly staff, excellent service, and the food was fresh and very flavorful! It's part grocery…read morestore/part restaurant, but not fancy. Regardless, the food was superb! I got a gyro with fries. Highly recommend for a quick meal.

Food was great! Flavorful and fresh to order. Staff was helpful and friendly. Will definitely…read morereturn.

I have not been to a McAllister in forever! But I've always liked and when I saw wanted to try…read more No issues with parking by the building and the area was clean. Upon walking in on a Saturday afternoon it was surprisingly dead. The dining room was clean. Service is by counter and was friendly. I got a veggie with side of cup of chili. My order came out within 10 minutes, or so. Everything was really good! Definitely recommend checking them out.

Sometimes during these cold Winter nights one feels like staying home and ordering out food…read moredelivery. While on DoorDash the other night I felt like having a sandwich, so I looked under the Sandwiches category and McAlister Deli came up. This called to mind one time they had in their menu one of the most delicious sandwiches that I have ever had at a deli: The Cuban Sandwich 12". It had tangy Pulled Pork, Black Forest Ham, and Swiss Cheese with Yellow Mustard and Pickles served on a Toasted Baguette. It was so good that every time I ordered out, I kept on ordering this sandwich at McAlister Deli. Then all of a sudden one day when I went to their website at DoorDash I noticed it was missing from the menu there. I contacted the restaurant manager to inquire as to why it was missing. She agreed with me that this was one of their most delicious sandwiches, but told me that sometimes Corporate changes the menu and removes some items, and that in the future they can also bring it back. So I thanked her for her feedback and told her to look at her records and see all the times that I had purchased this sandwich from their Deli, since actions speak louder than words. I then contacted their corporate office to inquire as well and they gave me the same answer. So I had to resign myself to be without that sandwich anymore and stay just with the memories of how good it had tasted when I was fortunate enough to have tried it. Tonight, when I was looking for sandwich places to order a sandwich delivered. I said to myself (since I'm a person of high Hope), let me look at the McAlister Deli site and see if by any chance (although many of times I had repeated this action with no results) they had brought it back. After all, in this Holiday Season anything is possible for those who believe. And you wouldn't guess what happened next. Right there, in their menu, was my favorite sandwich, that I had wished for for so long. Needless to say, I went and ordered it right away through DoorDash without even thinking to go to their website and ordering it from there like I used to. As I waited, I thought of how some things in life are priceless, without being expensive. And how maybe a simple request from one person can make a big difference in an important decision as if to bring it back. But for whatever reason it was back, and once again, McAlister Deli's became one of my favorites restaurants because of this. I followed the progression of the DoorDasher through their app until "headed your way." Then very soon the doorbell rang and the DoorDasher delivered my sandwich, which arrived well-wrapped and in perfect condition. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the quality of McAlister food. Needless to say that when I've eaten at their restaurant they have had friendly and welcoming employees who have provided me with excellent customer service, in a clean and cozy environment. The Cuban Sandwich 12" was amazingly delicious, just like always. The combination of all of its fresh ingredients and the baguette made it delicious. The only thing missing was that it wasn't toasted. As you all know, part of the secret of a successful Cuban Sandwich is this. Which involves using a sandwich press or a heavy skillet to compress and grill the sandwich until the bread is crispy and the cheese is melted. It's a distinctive step that gives the sandwich its signature crust and is essential to what makes it a true Cuban sandwich. I truly hope that when the management of the restaurant reads this review, they take steps to see that this doesn't happen again. And knowing them, I'm sure it won't. Because this is the attention to detail that makes the big difference.