This place is in a pretty dead shopping center far away from anything. There are a couple of tables…read moreif you want to eat indoors, but I got takeout. I came seeking an arepa, the South American grilled corn sandwich of note that is hard to find in this area. By getting takeout and taking it home with me, I probably waited a bit too long on it, but the arepa was still quite satisfying. The best thing in it was the beans, warmly spiced with a note of bay leaf, but cheese and plantains made for a rounded flavor experience, of course accentuated by grilled corn. Their more conventional pizza and garlic bread delivered basic satisfaction. I also enjoyed a cake slice with finely chopped nuts the next day. The arepas are far more notable that the pizza, but if offering pizza and locating themselves in a mall next to a karate studio and an orthodox church is what it takes to get some diversity in the local culinary scene, I'm for it.

The food was amazing and the service great and very friendly. There was about 4-5 tables and a…read morepickup for to go orders. There were also great lunch specials that were very reasonable

I stopped in with my family for dinner on our way to a national park, and I am so happy we did! As…read morea recent transport from Miami, the food was fresh and authentic. As soon as we walked in, the owner José greeted us and invited us to sit where we'd like. The service was timely and polite, and the restaurant is adorned with a massive, REAL philodendron! I can't wait to come back on another trip with more family members!

My 20-year old son (who attends Virginia Tech) and I were pleasantly surprised to find authentic…read moreCuban cuisine near the Roanoke airport. We found this place through Yelp for an early Saturday dinner. The restaurant was full of customers at 5:30pm - so we ordered takeout to bring back to our hotel. The service is warm with a family-friendly vibe. I would strongly recommend the vaca frita - which was outstanding and ideal for carryout. The red beans and rice were also delicious. I tried the ropa vieja (which is a bit more messy for takeout - but a great option if you're dining in). We also enjoyed the vanilla flan dessert which was very sweet (ideal with coffee). Overall, this was a great surprise in Roanoke - we hope to return to Cuban Island Restaurant on our next trip to Blacksburg, VA.

During Hispanic Heritage Month, I wanted to eat in and review a few Hispanic restaurants. One of…read morethe ones I picked was Aji Fusion, a Peruvian food restaurant which reasantly opened its doors in one of the store fronts of the historic Patrick Henry Building in Roanoke, Virginia. Conveniently located in a very central location in front of the Roanoke Social Security office and next to the Rookie's Ice Cream Shop, it has on street parking spaces where you can park to get there When I arrived, I was greeted by a friendly hostetest who also served as my waitress. She spoke good English but was extremely happy when she found out I spoke perfect Spanish, the language we both used to communicate from then on. She took me to my table and handed me the menu. I was already familiar with some of the items on the menu through their nice website with beautiful pictures of their food dishes. To drink, I asked her to give me a special fruit juice from Peru. She brought me a Chicha Morada drink, and it tasted deliciously refreshing. I ordered a house salad to start with and a Bistec a lo Pobre as my main course. She took the order and quickly walked to the kitchen without asking me how I wanted my steak cooked. This is a detail that should never happen in a restaurant when ordering a steak dish. As I waited for my food, I looked around and observed a very clean restaurant with open space and beautiful hardwood floors. The walls were nicely painted in a lightly pink-creamy color with a few framed pictures all around the walls. This gave the restaurant a relaxed yet distinguished decor that gave one a comfortable feeling alone as well as with family and friends. The first item that arrived at my table was the house salad. The waitress also had forgotten to ask me what dressing I wanted, so I asked her if she could change the one she brought me to a balsamic vinegarette. Besides being one I liked, I find that salads photograph very well with this one. The salad had carrots, tomatoes, avocado, onions, and lettuce, of course. I found everything in it very good except the lettuce was the cheapest kind and that is something I would rather not eat. Then as I was still eating my salad, my waitress brings me the main course. This odd timing broke the tempo of being able to enjoy a relaxing dining experience. The Bisteck a lo Pobre, the main course tasted well, even though the steak was well done and I like my steaks more medium rare. But it was juicy and well seasoned, and the entire dish was very flavorful. Overall, I feel that if management acts on my positive feedback given here and trains the waitresses better, this restaurant would be very successful, and therefore recommend it as a relaxed place to eat for family and friends.

Flavorful, juicy, and cooked to perfection! The Tacu Tacu ended up being just what I was looking…read morefor right down to the big bites of tomato and onion. The presentation was beautiful and creative. It felt like eating a delicious bowl of artwork. Finished things off with the tres leches cake, which was pure melt-in-your-mouth milky goodness!

Steak entrees were excellent: cooked as requested. The big…read moredisappointment was that the lamb option was not available as part of the restaurant-week menu, and there was no substitute of equal quality and substance offered. (Many people do not eat pork, the only RW alternative to steak.) The butternut squash soup was like puréed baby food: not like soup. The server was very pleasant. The ambiance is quite plain: a little decorative effort would be worthwhile as the food is quite good. The atmosphere should be more special to be in-line with prices & quality. I would go back!

This is one of the first restaurants I have tried solely based off of yelp reviews in…read moreCharlottesville. I usually get a lot of recommendations from coworkers, friends, and family to try new places but no one had mentioned this place to me. I think a lot of that has to do with the location. It is tucked away in the corner of an extremely busy shopping center that includes the Alamo. There are lots of food options near them but somehow they have managed to stand out. The service here is top notch and should come as no surprise since it is family run. It has feeling of getting a home cooked meal from Venezuela. It's as advertised. The food is exceptional and really matches the prices reflected on the menu. The picanha was tender and well seasoned. I will be coming back and trying more of this menu. Could not recommend more