When I first reviewed this Downtown Roanoke Restaurant, I focused on their drinks and food. But…read morethis time around I couldn't help it to discover why this place is the center of Roanoke's night life. 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 it would be appropriate this year to go back to this restaurant and write a follow-up review, since my initial review was one of my reviews that contributed to me obtaining this highly esteemed Award. I arrived on a Thursday evening with a 6:15pm reservation which I'm glad I had made because later I found out that this place gets to be a full house on Thursdays. A young lady host greeted and welcomed me at the Host's station as soon as I arrived. She checked my reservation and had my table all ready for me. Located in the middle of this very popular Restaurant Bar, gave me a nice view of the entire place, and with a light high above I had a perfect lighting to photograph my drink and food as part of my review of the place. My server Jillian arrived soon after I was seated. She had a wonderful personality and welcomed me with a friendly smile and very pleasant attitude. After answering me some questions about their Mocktails, I ended up ordering their Raspberry Burro. For dinner I ordered their BBQ Bacon Chicken Kababs with a side of their special fries and a salad. While I was waiting for my food to arrive I observed the place quickly filling up and I found out that tonight was Music Bingo and Live Music at 9:30pm with no cover charge. It brought me back to my college days in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, where the night life was a thing to look forward to. Suddenly I discovered the key of Martin's popularity and the important role it plays in contributing to making the City of Roanoke a Star City indeed. I enjoyed my drink and the Chicken Kababs with the side of special fries were amazingly delicious, as well as the salad. They have a good variety of quality items on their menu and their chefs amazingly deliver. I invite you to read my first review where I celebrate their Cuban Sandwich and Slaw, and view my photographs that accompany my review. What a night. Besides the food, I enjoyed playing the Music Bingo, which one of the card titles was The 1970's. One of the best years of my life, when I attended High School in San Juan, Puerto Rico and College in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts. During that time I also won a Saltwater Fishing Tournament at the young age of 17 by catching a 405 pound Blue Marlin off the coast of Isla Verde, Puerto Rico. It was the best of times for me. My server Jillian provided exceptional customer service, checking on me at the appropriate times. For dessert I ordered their Glazed Doughnut Bread Pudding, and it was so good, I can't wait to return to have it again. What an extraordinary dining experience I had that night. I highly recommend this restaurant and bar for when you feel like having a good time, alone or with family and good friends. I promise you will be able to sabor what a Five Star review is all about, and experience for yourselves why Martin's is one of the City of Roanoke's most precious gems.

I was told to check this place out while I was in town. When I arrived they had a trivia contest…read moregoing on, I didn't participate but sounded like fun. The service was good. Sat at the bar and had a burger which was pretty good.

It is said that valuable things come in small boxes, but never in my wildest imagination did I…read moreconceive of a place like Stellina. After having been selected as number 4 of Yelp's 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 Stellina, in Downtown Roanoke, is a perfect example. Stellina (which means "Little Star" in Italian) is a secretly hidden little bar within the very popular Italian Restaurant Fortunato, but with its own entrance through a door on the right of the restaurant. Its only indication of its name is a small letter board behind one of its front windows, stating its name and hours of operation. This bar was constructed with reclaimed wood from the Old Crow distillery and opened in December of 2016. Since then its gain a reputation as the ideal spot for hand-crafted cocktails in a cozy and intimate atmosphere. It seats only about 20 people, with 7 at the bar. Not that long ago it gained recognition by being featured in the New York Post as one of the world's best small bars. All that I can tell you about this place doesn't do justice to the experience of visiting the place for the very first time. After stepping inside, I was mesmerized by the simple yet effective, elegance of the establishment, complimented by the beautifully dressed young lady, server/bartender. Her elegant style and mysterious personality contributed to the character and ambiance of this one-of-a-kind relaxing place. The very hospitable young lady welcomed me and handed me the drink menu, while asking me if I also planned to dine there. I answered in the affirmative and asked her if they had any Mocktails. To my surprise, she pointed out that one side of the Drinks Menu were all non-alcoholic drinks, including mocktails, bottled mocktails, wine by the glass, and beers. I ordered one of the mocktails and by the end of my meal, I think I must have tried a few. She then brought me Fortunato's menu, and I ordered the Fritto Misto as appetizer and the Pork Milanese as my main entrée. I enjoyed both course immensely. A lady employee brought me the food from Fortunato's Restaurant through a door that led to the restroom area of Fortunato's Restaurant, pass the kitchen. For dessert, that Which I consider the "Grand Finale" of a wonderful fine dining experience, I ordered their Tiramisu and Hot Chocolate. They were absolutely mouthwatering. I highly recommend this place and can't wait to return in the near future.

Tried to get reservations at Fortuna, but could not. Stellina offers their menu and is right beside…read morethem. Stellina is small and on a Friday they were packed in. Scored at the bar which worked fine for me. Service was lukewarm, but still ok. Service started out slow and improved. However, no check-ins were performed at all. I was given a cocktail and food menu. I knew I wanted an Old Fashioned and dropped an order for their lamb meatballs. Shortly after I decided on the eggplant Parmesan main. My drink with Rittenhouse Rye bourbon was tasty, just not much of it price at $17 steep too! I also ordered a specialty hot rum drink with pumpkin spice at $10 that was amazing! The meatballs hit quickly and were devoured! So yummy! About 15 minutes later the main dropped and was huge! Really quality and flavorful for a vegetarian dish. Overall the food was better than the service and prices were stretched. 3.5 rounding down due to service.

I have been in many Sports Bars and Lounges, but none of them can compare to The Hangout, which I…read morevisited today for the very first time. After having been selected as number 4 of Yelp's 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 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 The Hangout Sports Bar and Lounge in Roanoke, Virginia, is a perfect example. Located on Williamson Road, in the Hollins area of Roanoke, Virginia, The Hangout is a sports bar, restaurant, and lounge, with a casual, friendly, and lively atmosphere, offering a mix of food, drinks, and entertainment like pool tables, live music, and karaoke, among others. People gather there for lunch, for dinner, or just to have a drink or two as they spend some time chatting with their friends. I arrived around three o'clock to have a late lunch and visit the place for the first time. The bar was completely full with customers drinking and having fun conversations. Other customers were enjoying themselves playing pool on one of the many pool tables. During the day, customers are welcomed to play pool for free and in the evenings for a small fee. I walked over to the bar counter and asked the friendly bartender, Mitch, if they were still serving lunch and if I could seat at one of the booths. He told me they were and to go ahead and have a seat at the booth of my choice. Soon after he came by with the menu and took my drink order. I asked if he could make me a Piña Colada Mocktail and he did. It tasted amazing. Beside the regular menu they also had an All Day Specials menu for every day of the week from Monday through Friday. To dine I ordered a BBQ Burger from the regular menu. It was served with fries. Meanwhile everytime a customer came in, you could immediately tell he was a regular by the warm greeting he received from the bartender and other customers there. When my server/bartender brought my burger, it looked wonderful. Fresh burger buns with an all beef 1/3 lb burger, topped with white American cheese, bacon, BBQ sauce, and onions. I poured some ketchup on it from a squeeze bottle by server had brought me and put on my table. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the quality of their food. My server introduced me to the owner of the place, Lori, a very warm and welcoming lady who opened this establishment in 2021and since then has made it a very popular place focusing on making it a casual environment and a fun spot where locals and visitors can socialize and have a good time. After all, its slogan, written under its front sign, states: "Good Food, Good People ... Great Times." Featuring a full bar, including draft beers, hard liquor and cocktails, quality comfort food at affordable prices, entertainment such as indoor and outdoor stages for bands to play live music, karaoke, and games like pool and cornhole, and a friendly crew to top it off, the only negative thing that I could find was tight parking, but at night customers can park on the parking lot of the business on their left and in a space across the street. I highly recommend this place for some good times and can't wait for the Spring and Summer to arrive to return with friends and enjoy all the creative things they have to offer.

Looks like MyNewHangout. Went originally to play billiards (complimentary until 17:00/5pm)…read more The manager, Lori Edwards, is very outgoing/socially energetic! Andrew the bartender was very proficient and friendly, along with a great, fun Karaoke DJ, Libby! I've also enjoyed excellent Salisbury steak, roast beef, and chicken tenders for lunch, and, I returned for karaoke & dinner. "Ambiance"; this place is relaxing/cozy/comfortable.

The buffet is always good and has enough food to please everyone's palate . Desserts are good as…read morewell .

I just attended a wedding here last night and couldn't get over how lovely it was! The staff was SO…read morenice, the grounds were beautiful, the food was awesome, LOVED the dance floor and how they still had the up lighting outside with the covered roof. The waterfall outside during cocktail hour was such a nice touch and so were the twinkle lights and beautiful benches that went from the ceremony to reception as the perfect places to sit and relax. I can't wait to see the photos from this wedding. Bravo to the entire team that made this happen and congratulations to the beautiful couple!

Stayed at the hotel so came in for dinner one night. The lobby bar is excellent, spent some time…read morethere as well, make a mean old fashioned For dinner I had the onion soup and the shrimp and grits. Dessert was a berry pie French onion soup was very tasty. Little too much bread for the small bowl for me. Soaked up all the broth! Could have used a little while longer in the broiler as well, cheese wasn't nearly brown enough for me. Was very good though Shrimp and grits was very good. Was far more than it looks. I was stuffed after I ate it. Shrimp cooked perfectly over creamy grits Pie was very good, was full but really wanted to try it, comes with ice cream and I ate as much as I could Service was good, drinks come from the lobby bar and were excellent Nice inside, felt like back in time vibes Overall a nice meal

Great casual restaurant in the Hotel Roanoke. The lobby bar is also great and I had a terrific…read morecocktail there (Virginia Vardier, maybe?) with super service and a very chill vibe. This review will focus on the actual restaurant, where I had lunch with my husband and our friend. It was quiet the day we were there so we got a lot of personal attention. We started with unsweetened iced teas and then since we weren't starved, we ordered some appetizers to share. We had: -deviled eggs (good but the filling was too solid and cold...I like the yellow to be a little creamier and light); -fried cauliflower-the star of the show; it tasted almost like a sweet Korean fried chicken; -Butternut squash salad- also delicious, with nicely roasted butternut squash chunks and a really good dressing; -Pimento cheese dip- excellent dip served with toast. Pimento cheese isn't much of a thing in NYC where I live so I've been trying it every time I see it in Roanoke. We really liked everything we had and the service was so nice. The room itself is gorgeous and feels historic. I'm a fan.

We had a wonderful night with a party of 6 after a dance recital. We were seated and greeted…read morequickly! Our server Terry was on the money! Never had to ask for refills, food tasted fresh and hot, she kept our table clean, and was such a sweet person! Restaurant was clean, good taste in music and ambience. We hope to visit again highly recommend. Food wise: scallops delicious, pizza awesome and salads super fresh and I believe all in house dressings.

This restaurant is a gem! Everything from the cocktails to the apps to the entrees were…read morespectacular! The atmosphere wasn't too loud and the restroom was clean! I hope to be back the next time I'm in town!

Soumas on Shenandoah in Roanoke is one of those places that feels more like a neighborhood living…read moreroom than a "destination restaurant"--and that's exactly the point. Now run by the son, Mike Dean, it's got the same down-to-earth vibe that makes locals keep coming back. If you're looking for white tablecloths and quiet fine dining, this isn't your spot. But if you want a place where you can shoot a friendly game of pool, get treated like you belong, and eat food that tastes like it came straight out of your grandmother's kitchen, you've found it. Comfort food, good company, and no pretension--Soumas is a Roanoke classic done the right way.

First of all the the service sucks. And it's only one waitress or server has a real attitude that…read moreneeds checking. So far as the food, I've never had any issues or problems with whatever I've ordered. 3stars. Out of 10

I love coming to sidewinders to dance! The food is delicious especially the Sidewinder fries!read more

For some time now I had been passing by this venue not knowing what it was nor what they had to…read moreoffer; but today I decided to give it a visit for an early dinner and find out first hand all about it. On Friday, October 18, 2024, the Chris Ryan Band was scheduled to perform. I was not prepared to stay until 10:00pm to watch their performance, but my intentions were just to visit the Steakhouse for an early dinner and checkout the place. When I arrived there were very few customers: a few at the bar and a few seated for dinner. The host warmly greeted me at the door and asked for my ID to scan it. Afterwards I was asked to go sit at any table I liked. Most of the tables were high tables and chairs, but two of them were low tables and I went and sat at one them, on the right side of the stage where the music is played and the songs are sang. In front of the stage is a medium size dance floor. There are two bars: the main one on the left when you enter, and another one on the back far right near where I was seated, but this one was not opened yet. The decoration was interesting. There were framed photographs of many of the Country Singers who had performed there, together with a ticket for the performance and their autographs. In front of one wall there was a leather saddle, and on another wall there was a taxidermy head of a Buffalo. My server Hannah arrived and gave me a warm welcome. After answering my question if they had Mocktails in the negative, I ordered a sweet tea to drink, a House Salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing as appetizer, and an 8oz Sidewinder Filet cooked medium rare as the main entrée with sides of Sidewinder fries and Macaroni 'N Cheese. For dessert I ordered the Deep Fried Cheesecake. Everything was very good. The fries had such an original shape that I had never seen before. The salad was a good size with a nice combination of ingredients. The Filet was a good quality meat the only problem was it came out medium well instead of how I had ordered it medium rare. I didn't want this to spoil my everything so I ate it like this without complaining but didn't enjoy it as much as if it would have been cooked medium rare. I urged management to talk with the cook so this doesn't happen again. A pleasant surprise I did have while dining was that the Chris Ryan Band came up the stage and rehearsed a few country songs. I admit that before now Country music was the least of my favorites. After all, during my younger years I was raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, listening to Latin Music, and while in College in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts, I listened and enjoyed Pop and Disco Music. At one time I even lived in an Apartment in Kenmore Square where all the great discotheques were located. But today, here in Roanoke, Virginia, listening to this group singing Country Music, you can say I not only started to appreciate it better, but fell in love with it. And I hihighly appreciate Sidewinders for introducing me to this wonderful music. I definitely will come again to some of the late night featured Country Singer performances. When the live band retired I also enjoyed the selection of Country music being played from recordings. The City of Roanoke is very lucky to have this wonderful Country-themed joint located here in Downtown Roanoke. It is said that: "La musica es el alma de Los pueblos." "Music is the soul of the people." And this place clearly gives tribute to this.