Hope they stay open, a staple in the valley forever for great home cooked southern food

You want real southern cookin? Searching for the best fried chicken out there and the comforts of home? Look no further, because the Home Place has it all. Nestled just a mile from McAfee Knob in Catawba, this plantation home has been turned into a family style southern cookin family spot. Rocking chairs along the front porch, fresh brewed sweet tea and homemade lemonade await you inside. They serve up southern foods family style. You choose the meats you want either two or three and it comes with all the fixins. We went with the fried chicken and roast beef and it comes with gravy, mash potatoes, mac n cheese, green beans, pinto beans and coleslaw. Oh! And their biscuits! Drool worthy. Slather some butter on them and their homemade apple butter and you're in for a surprise! Apple butter better than any other spot you've had before. Their sweet tea is done just right, not overly sweet or under sweet. The lemonade is one to quench your palate. Mix the two for an Arnold Palmer if you wish. Now, we're originally from Virginia, and southern cooking like this was always done by my aunts and nana. My southern twang resurfaced while being back home and the fond memories while enjoying our meal of being at my nana's again. Our waitress was sweet and had a southern drawl that just made you feel like you were family here. Once you run out of one food item they ask if you want more. It's $14 for adults and it's all you can eat. Our beverages were constantly filled at the half way mark. This meal was so earned as we had just hiked 8 miles at McAfee Knob and this meal was the perfect thing after. I grabbed that chicken breast and I enjoyed every single bite. I ate it before I tried anything else on my plate. I haven't had fried chicken in years and to have it again.....this is the best fried chicken I've ever had in my entire life. The fixins were on point. Mac n cheese and mashed potatoes oh lord! I could hardly finish my plate! But I managed to and even saved room for some warm peach cobbler. My first time enjoyed a cobbler and I was in heaven. If ya'll really have the craving for real southern food and comfort then visit the Home Place. You'll be glad you did! read more

See all

Meh. I feel like this place is a bit of a tourist trap. It's certainly not bad by any stretch; I thought the fried chicken was decidedly above-average. I just don't think it deserves the reverence it receives from a lot of people. The house it's in is beautiful and the people were super nice. It was a really good experience eating there. That said, the food as a whole was a little bit bland besides the chicken. Some of the sides were slightly cold as well. Once again, this isn't to say any of it was bad, it just wasn't incredible and I didn't think what I ate in the family style setting was worth the $20 I paid for it. It's definitely worth the experience once, but it's not someplace I could see myself going back. read more

When I first told my friends that I was spending 5 weeks in Roanoke almost every single person told me that I MUST hike McAfee's Knob and then eat at Home Place after. I was able to check them off my list this weekend and I can definitely see why this cute restaurant is a Roanoke must. I, also, will continue to recommend this same routine to everyone else who visits the Roanoke area! (A short plug for McAfee's Knob - a really great hike! 8 miles is daunting but the view is breathtaking and completely worth it!) At 6PM the place was packed! And from what I hear there rarely is an occasion where you won't have to wait for a table. I called ahead to gauge our wait time and was told it would be 45 minutes for 3 but when we arrived we only had to wait about 20 minutes to be seated. Also, although they close at 8PM as long as you are seated by 8PM then you will still be served. There is an indoor waiting room but there are chairs on the front porch and gazebos on the lawn to enjoy the fresh air while you wait. The ambiance of the restaurant feels like you're being served a home-cooked meal in a family's home. The decor is cozy and the dinnerware has a southern touch. The food falls nowhere short of amazing. For $14 you have your choice of 2 meats (or you can pay $1 extra and get 3 meats) and all the accompanying sides--ALL YOU CAN EAT! Meat selection comprises of roast beef, fried chicken, and ham. On Thursdays you also have a choice of BBQ pork. Sides consists of coleslaw, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, biscuits, pinto beans, and an additional vegetable of the day. On the day we went it was corn but I hear that they sometimes have mac and cheese. The apple butter that comes with the biscuits is really good! We chose the roast beef and fried chicken as our meats but I really could have just eaten fried chicken the entire time. You can also add all-you-can-eat dessert for $2 and you can choose from fruit cobbler or ice cream (or choose both for $3). The service was attentive and quick. We were given about 3-4 pieces of chicken at a time and our plates were always quickly refilled. Even as busy as they were, there wasn't a time where we were sitting and waiting for food to be returned to the table. Although it's stated that they will charge for leftovers being taken home we were still offered a box for our food at no charge. Please eat here if you're in the area! You won't be disappointed! read more

Best home-cooked southern food I have had in a very long time!! The menu is very simple and is UNLIMITED. :) You pick your choice of meat (fried chicken, country ham, roast beef, or pulled pork) and all the sides are included (homemade biscuits, green beans, pinto beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn) as well as your drink choice. It is very reasonably priced!!! And the location and setting is beautiful! We can't wait to go back! read more

My first experience was very comfortable My wife and I enjoy the friendly staff and food was amazingly good. I know I will be making a trip back cause it most certainly not my last time coming read more

The Homeplace - American Near Me - Catawba, Virginia

See all

I left home near DC very early on. Sunday morning in order to be able to get off I-81 and stop here for lunch a couple weeks ago after a few years of passing by the area outside of operating hours. I was not disappointed. My wait was minimal as a single just few minutes after opening on a cold day, once I wiggled my way up to the host stand through all of the groups waiting. Fried chicken, ham, and sides reminded me of the cooking of my grandmother who was born in Oklahoma and married into a PA Dutch family. The service for one was enough for a filling lunch and a takeaway box for an ample dinner. Service was efficient and friendly. read more

See all

I have lived in Salem my entire life. The Home Place is always something that people say is "awesome" or a place you cannot pass up. My first experience will be my last. We waited for over 2 hours. Inside was hotter and muggier than outside..so, we waited outside. A very unfriendly fellow who took our names for our table was also the "speaker." Every few minutes he literally SCREAMED into a microphone with a very annoying southern twang with the next table's accompanying name. The lady who took our order was hostile and very apathetic toward customer service. Your choices are limited anyway. You can either get deep fried greasy chicken, what can only be considered canned ham, or days old roast beef. With all the country sides, which means more fat. They serve "family style" which really means they are going to open a few cans of crud and poor it into microwaved bowls. After this visit I could only imagine that everyone who loves this place has never had a decent meal before. Could have had KFC with more flavor, less cost, nicer staff, and faster service. Won't ever return. read more

As my time at Virginia Tech is rapidly winding down, I am trying to cross everything off of my Hokie Bucket List. Throughout the past four years I had heard rave reviews about Home Place, but along with those reviews also came complaints about the long drive through the windy mountain roads to get there. So, one beautiful afternoon last weekend, with clear blue skies and fluffy clouds, my sorority sisters and I decided to make the trek out to Catawba so that I could give Home Place a taste for the first time. Everything from the staff to the quaint house, to the scenery of rolling hills, was breathtaking when we first arrived. Imagine going back to your grandma's house for the holidays after moving away. That is the kind of comfort that you can feel as soon as you step foot into Home Place. After about a 5 minute wait, we were taken to our table and within 5 minutes of that our table was filled with bottomless bowls of fried chicken, roast beef, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, string beans, pinto beans, and pitchers of sweet tea and lemonade. It was paradise for a foodie such as myself. The chicken was fall-off-the-bone tender and the breading had the perfect blend of spices. The mashed potatoes were perfectly whipped and the gravy was a perfect compliment. The string beans had a wonderful flavor and so did the macaroni and cheese and roast beef. I was in heaven. The bottom line is, if you haven't had the pleasure of eating at Home Place, what are you waiting for!? It is definitely worth the trip! read more

The staff and ambiance = very nice. The food = if you loved college dorm food, you'll love Home Place. It's nothing particularly special. There's just a lot of it. And it's cheap. What stood out as amazingly wonderful = the apple butter What crushed my soul for its lackluster lameness = the canned blueberries in the blueberry cobbler. read more

I traveled to Virginia last week and stopped at this place for the 2nd time. My boyfriend is from Troutville,VA & has been here many, many times. We make it a necessary stop each time we fly in to visit family. My only complaint is the wait (about an hour on a Friday night at 7pm), but it's one of the few places I am willing to wait that long because of how great it is. Read a little bit about it's history (which I did while waiting), it has a nice back story & the building used to be an actual house. Something they don't mention (which my boyfriend's dad told me, an area native of 66 years) is that when they were first trying to open, a bank basically laughed in their face, stating that there was no way they were going to succeed (they're not the most convenient place to get to) and that no one would come. So the owner went elsewhere, and they have been crazy-successful every since they opened. I love that this place gets so much business, and I love to give them my business. I appreciate good, authentic food! You can tell they actually care about the quality! I grew up in California suburbia in a mass of subdivisions, so I really appreciate the architecture of the place. It is a beautiful plantation home with a wrap around porch (The Notebook movie anyone?), my dream home! People that are waiting, sit in a room lined with chairs in front of a fire place. Others are sitting casually on the staircase. It's only $13 per person (adults), which include 2 meats ($14 for 3), and it's all you can eat. Drinks are also included in the price (no alcohol is served FYI). It feels so "Homelike" (that's what they're going for I guess, huh?) at the table they seat you at. It's fun to try to figure out what part of the original house you are in. The 2 servers I've had were very nice (and I've always loved the VA country accent) :) Everything comes to the table for everyone to share, as if you were at a family or holiday dinner. You automatically get the fried chicken as one of the meats. I must've said "this is so amazing" 10 times throughout the meal. WOW, we don't have fried chicken like that in San Diego!! For the other meat choice, you can choose Country Ham, Roast Beef, or Pulled Pork if it's a Thursday. We've always gotten the Ham, which I can't argue with. I'm a Ham freak! The (country) ham is a little saltier than I'm used to, but that's how it's done out here, and it's DELICIOUS! The sides are great (all included) - Green Beans, Pinto Beans, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Cole Slaw, Buttermilk Biscuits, and a fruit or vegetable of the day (ours was fried apples). You also get a dessert which was blackberry cobbler with ice cream. It must've been my lucky day, I LOVE me some blackberries! If you read this far, well you can figure - you MUST GO HERE, you won't be disappointed! Just try to come before you get too hungry, so you're not waiting on a starving stomach! read more

This place is an absolute gem. My friend and I were seated within minutes, and were greeted at the table by one of the sweetest waitresses there could possibly be. As many have said before, the food is outstanding. Throw in the excellent quality and amount of food that you get for what you are paying, and you have a spot that is not to be missed! Thank you so much to the staff; I can't wait to eat at the home place again! read more

Country cookin' like no other! Homeplace is just great.. I am partial since I'm a HOKIE and we love some Homeplace. They only open Thurs-Sun. Thurs is bbq pork night and so you gotta go for that. But Friday is when they have mac and cheese for side dish so you gotta go on a Friday too. There will be a wait of at least 30 mins or more. I usually call on my way there and put my name on the list so that by the time I arrive, I will get seated. Although waiting is an enjoyment too. Their porch has a swing, rocking chairs, etc. There's a gazebo for sitting too. Some people dress in their Sunday best, and some you will see that came just off the AT with their packs and all. I love the fried chicken... you can smell it at the prking lot.... soooo good. best fried chix i've ever had. the place is just full of love and food. read more

The best food on earth. If you are in the SW VA area, even if this place is more than 100 miles off your route, make a pit-stop here, and allow yourself some belt buckle room. Everything is good. But if you're lucky enough to be there for the peach cobbler, consider yourself extra special. read more

TAAAAAAYYYLOOORRRRR PaRdeee of threeeeeeee ... TAAAAAAYYYLOOORRRRR PaRdeee of threeeeeeee ... Yes, all of you that have dined at this amazing establishment know - this is the most glorious voice you could possibly hear, once sitting on the porch swing of this large white farmhouse, nestled in the mountains of the Roanoke Valley, surrounded by cattle grazing the Catawba hillside. The same gentleman has been announcing each family, couple or group that walks through the front door of The Home Place for as long as I can remember. That is just one of the many aspects that add to the charm of this fabulous restaurant. In the winter the small entry/hallway and sitting room packed with wooden chairs and a cozy fireplace gets quite crowded as the masses wait out the announcement of their name over the loud speaker. What is all the waiting for you might ask ... Southern Cooking at it's best! My all time favorite restaurant ever! You have to understand in order to appreciate. I have been coming to this restaurant for 15+ years. It's a little off the beaten path, but well worth the drive. The menu is simple, but totally complete as far as Southern Cooking is considered. $14 will get you unlimited fried chicken and roast beef or country ham plus all the sides, drink and dessert. One dollar more will get you all three meats, plus all sides, drink and dessert! And what are these glorious sides ... biscuits with apple butter, green beans, pinto beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, baked apples and slaw. (They usually rotate/substitute one of the veggies on different days of the week, but you get the jest). The best part is - you can eat, and eat, and eat, until your little heart's content OR until your stomach can't possibly take one more morsel, whichever may come first. They will refill all meats, side dishes and tea or lemonade as many times as you need. And then, when you think you just couldn't take one more bite - the friendly waitress comes to ask if you'd like ice cream with your cobbler. Ohhhh the cobbler ... well dinner just wouldn't be complete without dessert just as a visit to Roanoke wouldn't be complete without a trip to The Home Place! read more

Beautiful home that runs as a restaurant! It's super old fashioned and located in a breathtaking area. They have multiple benches outside and even a rocking chair on the porch for people waiting in line. I loved the family style dining this place offered. It truly is a place worthy of calling itself "Home Place". Our party opted for the ham and fried chicken as our 2 meats. The ham was definitely WAY too salty for my taste. I couldn't really eat it unless I lathered it in the apple sauce. In all honesty, most of the food served here was super salty for my taste, but I did enjoy the green beans, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy, and beans. The coleslaw here is definitely one of the best I've tried. Biscuits were nice and fluffy as well and goes great with the gravy or the apple sauce. Service was extremely hospitable and our server always made sure we were getting refills of whatever was needed. Please do stop by if you're ever in the area. It's a great experience with a great view outside. read more

The Homeplace - My first plate! Don't worry, I ate a lot more than this. - American Near Me - Catawba, Virginia

How can you not like Home Place? This cozy house tucked away in the Catawba valley can be sweet refuge after a long hike or a bustling, warm place to eat with family and friends for an occasion. I came when visiting a friend at VA Tech - we timed our hiking around eating here at the end because apparently, it was a "MUST HAVE". We had a very early lunch (probably around 4), but I could already see the parking lot filling up and the line forming. I can only imagine what the wait might be like if you go during normal meal hours. BUT - I can't review based on that. Our group of 5 shockingly walked straight in and was sat right away. The waitress was exactly what you'd expect from a place like this. Sweet, warm, and charming. Felt like she had cooked it all herself and wanted you to have a seat and get comfy in her own home. From the minute we sat down we had sweet tea and lemonade placed in front of us in pitchers (NO water, which was amazing and hilarious and so southern all at once that I couldn't stop smiling). The food came pouring out of the kitchen immediately. The food! The food! There's not much left to say except it was warm and delicious. We went with ham & fried chicken. You can't go wrong with the fried chicken. The veggie of the day was Mac N' Cheese which is also a nice hilarious southern touch. The refills came and came until we were all so full we could barely eat our pie. I wish we had a place like Home Place back in the city where I'm from. Somewhere I could find true southern comfort - sugary drinks, fried food, pie with every meal, and big tables for friends to gather around. Overall, such a great experience! read more

Oh my!!! $15 for all you can eat 3 meats, sides, and dessert??? The roast beef was only OK, country ham was good, but fried chicken was amazing! All sides were great (mashed potatoes, red eye gravy, green beans, pintos, cole slaw, apples, biscuits, & peach cobbler. We got lucky with hardly any wait. I was thrilled with the whole experience :) read more

I'm very careful not to give 5 stars out easily. This place deserves it. I haven't been to too many family style down-home-cooking restaurant, but the Home Place beats Shatley Springs, Daniel Boone Inn and that little place I can't remember the name of near Greensboro, NC. I don't normally eat fried chicken - in part because I don't like getting my hands greasy, but I go all-in for the chicken here. The only thing I am not crazy about is the roast beef, but it has more to do with it being sliced roast beef - I was raised on pot roast. One reviewer suggested the potatoes were instant so I paid close attention. Nope - no way. They are real. The standard meal is fried chicken with all sides plus desert (cobbler and ice cream) and coffee for $13.95, but for only $2 more a plate you can get all that plus the roast beef and country ham. A bargain for an all-you-can-eat-as-good-as-your-momma-made-it meal. Don't pass this place up. read more

Third time here and certainly the last. And up until now would probably give 5 stars, but we always came early, 4 -5pm. This time we got there at 6:15pm and were told an hour and half wait. We didn't get in until 8:45pm, 2 1/2 hours. We were willing to wait the hour and half, but the food was definitely not worth two and half hours! We will not go back. The food is good, but not good enough to wait that long to eat. They really should know the restaurant business well enough to make an adequate wait time prediction. The waitress was good, but she was very tired. This final time the food was certainly not even up to their standards. The chicken was mushy, probably sat cooked for a long time. The standard for the vegetables is canned everything and the dessert is some flavor of mushy cobbler. Sorry to say that we won't make that trip off the interstate anytime soon. read more

My family and I just returned from Memorial Day Weekend Sunday dinner at The Home Place. Great food, great service and tremendous atmosphere. We drove an hour to get there from our home on Smith Mountain Lake. There's just one problem: The Home Place now charges extra for desserts. "All you can eat plus extra for desserts" is not the same thing as all you can eat. For years now, The Home Place's unique selling proposition has been that they offer the best food at the best price, which includes the tax. Yes, $2 or $3 extra for dessert isn't that big of a deal. So if it's not that big of a deal, then why charge your customers the extra cost? I doubt seriously that The Home Place's costs have gone up. They appear to be caught up in the same mindset as all other businesses, which is that they're raising prices just because they can and because the economy is improving. In all candor, The Home Place's price increase feels like a "trial balloon." First, desserts are extra. Then, general prices will rise. And finally, customers will start paying to take food home on original orders. Before you know it, instead of paying $15 now (before desserts), we'll end up paying $20 for the meal, $5 for desserts and an extra $3-4 to take food home. So to whoever is responsible for setting The Home Place's prices, let me say this: don't put yourself in a position to lose a $15 sale just so you can try and squeeze another $3-4 out of your customers' pockets. You seem to forget that your clientele is comprised of college educated people, so we can put 2 and 2 together. Just do what you've always done: give folks a great deal at a fair price with everything included. If not, you'll end up looking just like every other business and you'll lose business as a result. read more

Don't believe the hype but also, relax with your standards. People either seem to be obsessed with this place or are "horrified" about how some of the sides *gasp* might have come from cans. Yes, I will admit that the sides may not be truly "home style" but I didn't expect it to taste like my moms home cooking. It's a typical southern style place that for 13$ was totally worth it. No one said this was a 5 start restaurant where your mom makes the freshest potatoes and chicken. The fried chicken was pretty juicy, the coleslaw and mashed potatoes were good, and I almost bought the apple butter for my own home. My favorite part was the cobbler at the end. It's something everyone should try once but not something that people should be in love with. read more

Goddamn, this place makes me happy. The Home Place takes a good thirty-forty minutes drive from Blacksburg, on a curvy road from hell, where you have to dodge trucks and people going way over the speed limit (why does everyone in the South go under the speed limit except on the winding scary road of death to the Home Place?) but it's worth it. $13 bucks will get you fried chicken and your choice of ham or roast beef (occasionally they have BBQ pulled pork as well), $14 and you get both ham and roast beef, PLUS all the sides you can think of (but you should ask for the chow-chow), and lemonade/sweet tea. And dessert. Service is friendly and homey, and everyone there just seems to be in a better mood than the general population. So yeah, it's pretty awesome, especially for this California transplant who thought every restaurant in Virginia was going to be like this and was sorely disappointed when he got here. Not only is the food awesome, the fact that you're basically eating in a huge Southern plantation house makes it all the better (minus the unpleasant thoughts about, you know, slavery and stuff). There's often a wait, so I recommend getting there a little early, but if you have to sit around, it's always fun to just hang out in the gazebo, chat about local gossip with other folks on the front porch, and just soak in the scenery. So yeah, go and love it. The Home Place is the only restaurant in the area I actually recommend without any reservations or curving for the fact that it's Southwest Virginia. read more

I realize that there are people out there who won't like a true Southern dining experience. And that's fine; everyone has their opinion. This is mine. I want to start by saying that the side dishes are NOT from a can. They use local, fresh produce when in season. If it's not available, then obviously they have to buy from food service, but it is still fresh. They don't make the roast beef and yes, they slice it like they would at a deli, but it is cooked on location. The chicken is always fresh, juicy, and crispy. The reason that there is a wait is because it is so popular. Why would there be a wait of one hour, two hours, sometimes even three hours if the food is so crappy? Obviously, it is well-liked. Most people know to expect a wait and will plan their day around it. They will bring hacky sacks, frisbees, and other games to pass the time. They have gazebos, porch swings and rocking chairs so you can wait outside in comfort during warm days. During the winter, it gets crowded standing inside to wait, but that's part of the appeal! So many people are willing to put up the waiting to eat such awesome food! It's an experience! You will always hear them calling for parties of 15, 20, 30, etc. Who is going to take their ENTIRE family, church congregation, or anyone they have ever known to a place that has terrible food? Nobody who goes to Homeplace! There was a comment below that said something like "there is a reason whey they call it blackberry cobbler in the singular tense as opposed to blackberrieS cobbler, plural." Ok, first off, when does anyone ever say Blackberries cobbler? Or Peaches Cobbler? Or Cherries Cobbler? Really? Yes, the cobbler is baked in the morning, so as it sits, the pectin in the fruit cools and will solidify. So does any jelly, jam, or fruit pie. I think a lot of you people assume that if a meal is not cooked by a world renowned chef, then it isn't proper food. Someone else commented with "the price isn't worth it especially when I won't eat 4 or 5 out of the 9 items." Well, who's fault is it that you are a picky eater? Is that Homeplace's fault? Also, the one comment about the "speaker with the annoying Southern twang" who yelled at them and told them never to come back is a liar. The owners are the nicest people you will ever meet. They will never turn away a customer. They understand if you want to leave because the wait is too long, but they aren't going to curse you for it. Yes, he has a microphone to announce the next table, but when you have people waiting outside, it makes sense to have a loudspeaker instead of running around to find them. They don't need to upgrade to a new system when the old one works. Instead of being so "GIMME GIMME GIMME NOW NOW NOW," take some time to chill out and enjoy the experience. read more

The Home Place is the place to go for good fried chicken and amazing biscuits! The roast beef, country ham, and green beans are tasty and the homemade mashed potatoes are fantastic! The biggest and most-heard complaint for this restaurant is the wait before being seated. The reason it takes so long to be sat is because it's ~popular~. This isn't a bad thing but it does mean that you have to make sure you show up before you're actually hungry or you're going to be hungry for a while. While you're waiting you can enjoy the countryside; beautiful and majestic. And the service? The service is just as down-home, feel-good as the food. I'll be going back soon and will do my best to introduce this amazing place to as many people as I can. read more

So many Yelpers can't be wrong. This joint is the real deal, folks. It's out in the middle of nowhere, which ensures a healthy mix of unwashed hikers, college students and locals. If you are driving from Roanoke or Blacksburg or thereabouts, it is definitely worth it. Greasy, delicious, strictly Southern food at its finest, which for the uninitiated means piled high and brought to you. For less than 20 bucks a head, this is a bargain. If you can stand up without being afraid you might need an angioplasty, you're doin it wrong. The typical trip here involves skipping a minimum of one meal beforehand, white knuckle driving on twisty mountain roads, a brief photo opportunity to soak in the beautiful farm house style building and Catawba mountain backdrop, and consuming family size portions of fried chicken and roast beef and mashed potatoes and cornbread and green beans and whatever else they have. When the meal is over, you don't walk back to the car so much as waddle, while clutching your belly in pain as you hate yourself for eating so much and swearing you'll never do it again. But deep down inside, you know you'll be back. read more

Overall: 4.5 stars Great food quality for an AYCE buffet, even better service! I would routinely come to Home Place and give them 5 stars if it weren't for the increase in prices and unpredictable wait times. Food Quality: 4.5 stars Typically order the two meats selection for $14 (fried chicken, roast beef) and get all the sides of: coleslaw, biscuits and apple butter, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, and either corn or macaroni and cheese. ALL of the items are fresh and delicious. The dessert, which is fruit cobbler or ice cream, used to be included in the $14, however, recently they changed it to an additional $2-3. Still not bad to pay $16-17 for this buffet! Service/Experience: 4.5 stars Best service! The waitresses are always so nice and orders are placed/received immediately. Food comes out from the back hot and quickly. Plenty of party space, but wait-time can be VERY LONG if you come at the wrong time. Longest I waited was 2 hours. Wait-time increases during weekend evenings and especially Virginia Tech home football game weekends. read more

I can see what the appeal of this place was when all the Virginia Tech'ers recommended this place. First, it is in this large charming house in the middle of nowhere. Upon entering, there is a small wait room with a fireplace on the left, and directly in front of you is the cashier where they can seat you. The dining area was scattered throughout the first floor of the house in various sections. Our waitress was super friendly, and asked us whether we wanted the two meat or three meat buffet. We opted for the two meats (fried chicken and roast beef--we decided to skip the ham) for ~$14/per person on this Saturday evening, and that is when the adventure began. They bring out your meats along with all the sides -- corn, cole slaw, pinto beans, string beans, biscuits, sweetened mushy apples, and your choice of a free drink. Everything was bottomless, so we kept asking for more corn and chicken. At the end of the meal, we got some vanilla ice cream with warm peaches on top. If you're into hearty fried chicken in a traditional country home environment, this is the place to be. For me, I'm not a big fan of fried chicken unless it's the occasional Popeyes Fried Chicken and Fries, so I probably didn't enjoy it as much as my other party who are big chicken and roast beef eaters. If it's your birthday, they give you a small pound cake. :) For the good service, nice environment, and hearty meal, I would recommend to someone who is in a fried chicken mood! read more

Worth the long drive through winding country roads to this charming farmhouse. Delicious fried chicken, roast beef and sides. And save room for some peach cobbler. The service was pure Southern hospitality. Be sure to show up hungry for this all-you-can-eat gem. read more

I came to Salem, VA on business last week. I worked 3 days straight 12 hours each day. Had a off day (Sunday) then worked 2 more days of long hours before flying back to chicago. The maintenance guy at the warehouse I was working out of recommended this place. He saw I needed a good home cooked family style meal. I got excited at how he described the place. On my day off (sunday) my co-workers piled into the rental suburban and took a 20 minute drive to this house. The drive up there was sweet. Twisting turns and very scenic. We arrived at 11am when it opened. We were seated quickly and the waitress went over how it all worked. I chose the roast beef and chicken. We told her to bring all the sides so every open square inch of our table was filled with a bowl or dish. All I could tell my co-workers is this chicken is the best I have ever had. The coating was so pillowy soft. Chicken cooked so well. Not greasy at all which blew my mind. Roast beef was tasty. Mashed Potatoes were............ARGGGGHHH there was so many side dishes on the table that I can't remember what we had but it was everything they had available. This is truly a home away from home and the land around the house is so beautiful. It has been raining so everything was so green and in bloom. I wish I could have gone here every day for dinner, but staying at work late hours prevented this. I know when I come out here again, I will enjoy introducing this place to my co-workers. read more

YUM! The best Southern food I've ever had thus far! It was always worth the half-hour drive from campus for me. When you're dining here, you can choose to have either two or three meats served to you. They always have roast beef, ham, and of course the tastiest fried chicken, and on Thursdays they also have pork BBQ as an option. The fried chicken and pork BBQ are the best out of these options in my opinion!! The ham is a little too salty for me, while the beef sometimes can lack in flavor. If you can make it here on a Thursday for the pork BBQ, do it! Along with your selection of meats you will be served sides of coleslaw, pinto beans, green beans and bacon, biscuits (with their AMAZING apple butter), mashed potatoes and gravy, and their fruit of the day (usually baked apples). Everything gets refilled until you decide your stomach is unfortunately way too full. Make sure you try to leave room for the cobbler and ice cream at the end! I've had the apple, blackberry, and peach - my favorite was the blackberry! If you're in the area definitely stop by, you won't be disappointed! read more

The Homeplace - Fried chicken, pulled pork BBQ, green beans with bacon, biscuit, mashed potatoes and gravy, and coleslaw! - American Near Me - Catawba, Virginia

This restaurant is the love of my life. GO HUNGRY! I don't understand how they make this food so delicious. I feel as though it's been consistently phenomenal since I've been going here. You can eat as much as you care to eat. The staff is friendly. Southern hospitality! They make you feel appreciated and welcome. It's likely that you'll have to wait but the outside scenery is beautiful and time passes fast. Make sure to walk around outside to look at the views. I can't wait to go back! read more

The Homeplace - My full plate. There's more that didn't fit on! - American Near Me - Catawba, Virginia

See all

We got the three meat option - so much food!! I just stared at people around us who were able to order seconds & thirds - I was actually jealous! Wish I had room for more! There's something for everyone here-staff is very friendly. It's a family style restaurant, so not the place for a romantic dinner, but we had a lovely time. We got here right when it opened for early supper-we've heard the wait is long. Absolutely stunning views though, so a wait would actually be nice so you could enjoy the scenery. Can't wait to go back! read more

The Homeplace - Stunning! - American Near Me - Catawba, Virginia

See all

Delicious!!! How can you not enjoy Home Place...? The wait is a little long, but that's because everyone wants to stuff their face with yummy home style food. I would come like 45min earlier than when you want to eat and enjoy the scenery while you wait. Server was very attentive and brought out refills right away. FRIED CHICKEN WAS HEAVEN IN THE MOUTH! read more

Had I known about Homeplace earlier, I would've gone to Virginia Tech instead of UVa just to be 40 minutes away from this restaurant. This is quite possibly the best restaurant in the state of Virginia. Traditional southern cooking at its finest and only $13 per person for all you can eat. I once traveled over 2.5 hours and then waited for 3 more hours just to come to Homeplace. What did I enjoy? the fried chicken, the roast beef, the biscuits with apple butter... if you haven't tried apple butter, you should start. Oh, and once I had the biscuits, I had some more. Years later, I once met a girl years who had worked at the homeplace and immediately considered marrying her on the spot. My last recommendation, come early lest you wait behind throngs of senior citizens and hokie undergrads. They're only open Thursdays thru Sundays read more

I was just at the Home Place on Good Friday. I haven't eaten there in a while, but the Home Place is as good as ever. I noticed they've dropped their prices to $13 for an adult. Last I remember, their prices had gotten up to $16 for an adult. They had all you could eat roast beef, fried chicken, pinto beans, green beans, mashed potatoes, mac-n-cheese, biscuits (w/ apple butter), cole slaw, lemonade and tea. They also allow you to take home the leftovers too! However, you can't order up a full round of extra food and then take it home, so be reasonable and only take the the portions you couldn't eat. read more

A home away from home with the aunties and mamas continuously serving you food, drinks, and smiles (aww...). No seriously. You have to tell them to stop or they'lll keep feeding you. I left with a belly ache. :-/ Try the pies - worth it! Eat the chicken - better than the other proteins, definitely the roast beef. A bit too salty. The sides... well are sides. Spend the calories on the more worthwhile foods, but try 'em all to figure that out. read more

Southern food served here! It was my first time here and I hope to be back when I visit the state again. A great place for a college student to eat for $14. It's a wait so don't be in a rush. The service is fast when your sat. read more

The Homeplace - American Near Me - Catawba, Virginia

See all

great charming place. When family comes to visit this is the place we take them. Great fried chicken, roast beef, mashed potatoes and everything else. Im not a fan of country ham, theirs is the best I have ever tried but I just haven't acquired the taste for it. read more

An old farm house in Catawba Virginia sat empty, lonely and gazing out across open fields and meadows for many years. In the early 1980's a local man, Harold Wingate, opened The Home Place Restaurant. The family-style service keeps the crowds coming back for more. The old home is lonely no more! The food is Sunday-dinner style food if you grew up in the mountains of southwest Virginia. You get green beans, pinto beans, buttermilk biscuits, gravy, fried chicken and a choice of roast beef or country ham. The rooms are tastefully decorated to make you feel as if you're visit your Grandma and she's got a fruit cobbler for you after you've washed down dinner with iced tea or lemonade. Note: Mother's Day is very busy so you may want to visit on another day! They are open Thurs, Fri, Sat for dinner only and Sunday lunch and dinner (or dinner and supper). beautiful mountain views from the swing on the front porch and lots of tasty food! read more