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The Local

3.8 (613 reviews)
Closed 5:00 pm - 9:00 PM

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THE LOCAL ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Outdoor seating
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - The Local

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Reviews With Photos

Berkshire Pork Chop
Cole M.

This was the most quintessential Charlottesville inspired upscale restaurant I have been too. Very fitting to be called the local. The food was solid, the drinks were great, and the service was good. The only reason I give this place a 4 stars rather than 5 is the price point. While not drastically overpriced the food I expected to blow me away. Maybe my expectations were too high and maybe I should give this another shot as many have told me great things about this place. I just walked away a little underwhelmed. Would try again.

Bison Local Buffalo Creek Beef Short Ribs
Glenn N.

I've been in town this past week visiting my daughter in Charlottesville. Last night was our last night in town so we stopped by the local place for dinner. The establishment is very rustic and is a skillful use of repurposed architecture. There were four of us so I fully expected to spend a few dollars. With that being said. I have high expectations and unfortunately they weren't met. The service was not very good we waited 15 minutes for our server to say hello and another 10 minutes for him to return. We placed our drink order and received weak cocktails that were junior size drinks. One would expect a premium drink for a premium price this was not the case. After our appetizers arrived our meal came out shortly afterwards. My wife and I each had the bison short ribs. The ribs were hot and tasty. The rest of the dish was not so much. In addition to the ribs, mashed potatoes, onions, and grilled carrots listed on the menu. I received two carrots mashed potatoes that were both hard and cold.and no onions. My wife received one carrot,1/2 onion and cold mashed potatoes. I'm not trying to split hairs, but if you're going to drop some coin on an expensive meal, you should get What you ordered. During dinner, it was very difficult to get our waiters attention so much so I had to get up and get my own salt. When it was time to settle up, we spent well over $200. The overall experience was disappointing, and I would be reticent to come back again. If you're going hold yourself up as being a fine dining establishment then act like one. One thing to mention not once during our visit did a manager or anyone else asked us how our food was. There are a lot of dining options in Charlottesville this one I won't be coming back to.

Gnocchi Bolognese de Chef Boyardee
Layne R.

Genuinely, Without Exaggeration, the Worst Restaurant in Charlottesville Go ahead and laugh! My track record in writing positive reviews speaks for itself. This place is horrific. I am upset that I'm spending any time at all talking about this abomination, but I care about the Cvillians who might consider sacrificing their stomachs and sanity to eat here. My family went here on Mother's Day. We arrived 8 minutes early for our reservation. We were greeted by a manager who immediately complained about us and other people being early for our reservation and how difficult that was for them. Strike 1. We sat down outside. Our waitress was friendly, but was responsible for nearly every table outside, and they were packed. At one point, she was reduced to tears from the stress. It appeared that off to the side, the manager was lecturing her for crying. Strike 2. I ordered She-crab soup. It came out and looked like vomit. There were no crab bits. It tasted bland. I waved down someone from the kitchen and asked to return it. They agreed that they don't even like it. Strike 3. My wife ordered a salad appetizer specifically as an entree. It came out 20 minutes before anybody else's meal. The croutons were stale. Strike 4. The manager came and apologized to tables for his rudeness. He said we can understand that sometimes, we have bad days. Strike 5. My gnocchi came out. It tasted like Chef Boyardee Ravioli. I ran to the bathroom and nearly vomited. Strike 6. Everyone else's meal was also terrible. Strike 7. My pregnant wife, my mom, and my grandmother were all unhappy. On Mother's Day. Strike 8. Go ahead. Ignore me. Pay $18 for canned meat and greasy noodles. I hope people wise up and avoid this place so that it can promptly go to Hell.

Goat cheese salad, crab soup Goat Cheese Salad Crab Soup
Two Lucky D.

This tiny spot is a hole in the wall in the best way -- serving the best food we had in Charlottesville. The dishes were fresh and fantastic, highlighting locally sourced ingredients and thoughtful seasonal flavors that stand out from the usual tourist fare. The atmosphere was cozy and authentic, making you feel like you're truly experiencing something unique. If you want a memorable meal that showcases Charlottesville's farm-to-table scene, this should be at the top of your list.

Beau A.

One of the best $30 steaks I ever ate. I had to stop in here on my way across Virginia to Petersburg because my family and I stopped in here on vacation two years ago. I got to sit at the exact same table. I ordered the New York strip, and it was exquisite just as I remember. They even had live music afterwards. Open mic Monday night!

Cheesecake (front) Flourless Chocolate Cake (back)
Zoe G.

Went for restaurant week. Food was amazing. The cauliflower and Brussels sprouts were so good.

NY Strip Steak
Grace B.

The service was fantastic. The vibe was so lovely and the bar area was so cool. We loved how all of the food was locally sourced. The cheese plate was fantastic as well! Oh and the crab soup! This strip steak was so yummy and the sauce on it was amazing!!

Steak Frites
Lola A.

Nice staff and very accomodating (we were late for our reservation). Our waitress was very knowledge about the menu and made great recommendations. The crab soup (cream of crab) was amazing. Almost had like a buttery taste to it. Perfect flavor and for $8 for a bowl, can't beat it! I enjoyed the steak fries but wish it was cut some more. It was flavorful and cooked perfectly. I didn't try the salmon but my friend cleared their plate so I think it was a hit! Delicious drinks too and the ambiance chill, small, and very much like a local spot.

Meatloaf
Emma E.

Eh. Certainly not the worst dinner I've had but when the Local stacks up against other New American fare in Charlottesville it doesn't quite hold up in comparison. 3/5 TLDR the food is fine but not the best I've had here. If you're looking for ~$20 per person entrees for a decent night out you'll find it, but better and similar fare can be found at other spots around town. The service and the ambiance are both good, it's very cute inside and old wood and bricks. The building is historic and it's well curated with local art. Tables are far too close together we were basically sitting on top of the people behind us and that was uncomfortable. Dining room was way too cold in the winter -bring a jacket. The start we had a cheese and fruit plate. The cheese was pretty boring IMO - Brie, smoked Gouda, and then two white cheeses probably a cheddar and Parmesan. Fruit was grapes and apples. Good, but again kind of just meh. For entrees, we had two pasta dishes at our table and two meat entrees. I had the shrimp carbonara, my friend had the truffle mushroom linguine, my boyfriend had the meatloaf (recommended by our server) and my friends boyfriend had the steak. All of us felt very meh - there was no standout dish everything was kind of just meh. My shrimp carbonara was okay, the pasta was the star. It was perfectly cooked and the pasta tasted handmade. The shrimp half was tail on half was tail off and it felt cooked unevenly - some pieces were cooked too long and super curled and rubbery, some pieces were juicier. The sauce was a letdown - for a carbonara, this was like eating cheese water. Thin and very little flavor. I did not finish it and didn't bother taking more home. Not the best pasta in Charlottesville. This was the second dish our server recommended. My boyfriend had the first recommended dish by our server, the meatloaf. It was wrapped in bacon atop mashed potato's and green beans. He said the green beans were slightly undercooked without much flavor but the mashed potato's were good. Meatloaf was good but could've used more sauce. My friends mushroom pasta smelled delicious - she had similar takeaways about her pasta that I did of mine. Good pasta, but lacking in some flavor and thin sauce. Good, but not great. Her boyfriend ordered a medium steak and this was definitely a disappointment. Let's just be honest - this steak was rare. He said the sides were good but the steak being undercooked and under seasoned was a let down considering it was a pricier item. Beer was good, selection is decent. Dessert was good we had peanut butter brownie w ice cream and a pecan pie. Very average but still good. Overall I didn't feel like anything really stood out to me except the prices - C&O, Orzo and the Ridley, even Mockingbird all kinda have similar fare to the Local with some minor variations but all do a better job than the local with everything except price. Everywhere else charges about $30+ per person so I was happy we paid a little less but would've been willing to pay more for better food. Overall the local is good but not great - personally Charlottesville restaurant scene is so competitive I would probably look elsewhere in the future for New American fare.

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2 years ago

We had dinner there last night. We split the short ribs. It was memorable. We will be back!

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2 years ago

There aren't many vegie selections. The pasta dish wasn't great. Not a good choice for a vegan or vegetarian.

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4 years ago

Great atmosphere and a "local" favorite for our family. Good selection of food and the beer is cold!

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Page 3 of 16

Ask the Community - The Local

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Citizen Burger Bar

3.9(1.2k reviews)
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Let me start off by saying I don't give five stars often. We walked up to the hostess and requested…read morea table outside on a beautiful April day. Luckily they had one table available. The waiter was quick to take our order the house salad with grilled chicken. It was fresh,delicious and filled with the perfect about of topping. The chicken was favorable and the honey mustard dressing was spot on. About $20 and worth every penny. My husband ordered a cheese burger 1/2 pound juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. He mentioned one of the best burgers he's ever had. He also ordered buttered fried onion rings. He also claimed they were cooked to perfection. If you're looking for good food with amazing service this is your place.

The ten (10) Citizen burger principles are simple (and considered excellent):…read more 1. 100% local grass-fed, grass-finished beef 2. Grassfed beef looks red - so they sell them by color 3. Offer fire-cooked and flat-top burgers 4. Provide ingredients from farmers who treat employees, animals and the environment with respect 5. Custom grilled cheese sandwiches 6. In-house, hand-cut fries made daily 7. Buns locally baked and made/delivered fresh every day 8. Vegetarians are welcome ( the salads are great) 9. Bar staff are wise and love to suggest either a local draft beer, a custom cocktail or a nice glass of red wine 10. They believe in good food, cold drinks and common ground.

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Boylan Heights

Boylan Heights

3.4(238 reviews)
1.5 mi
$$

I'm so sad, man. My wife is a lifelong Virginian who has been to this place many times in the past…read moreand spoken so highly of it every time. We even went together probably almost ten years ago and loved it! So we were in the area tonight and decided, of course, to hit up Boylan Heights for dinner, remembering it as fondly as we did. But I ended up...really disappointed by this visit. First of all, it was super busy, very crowded, and very loud - that's kinda to be expected out of a college sports bar though. The servers were all doing their best, and everybody was really nice! But then I ordered one of their pre-mixed drinks from the bar, and had to end up asking after it about 20 minutes later when it hadn't made it to my table. I was told it got lost in the mix of everything, which I do understand because as I mentioned before, it was busy. So I just said that's cool, I don't need it, I'll just have a root beer instead. 10 minutes later and the server comes to the table with lightly-tinted soda water, very apologetically telling me that's what's coming out and they need to change the bag. I'm autistic and overstimulated at this point so I just say no, water is fine. And that was a little ehh, but the food was absolutely the most disappointing part of this experience. I ordered a burger with bacon and cheese and their curly fries on the side...the fries were barely warm, and not a single element of the burger was seasoned. It was offensively bland, and on top of that, the bacon was floppy. Burger was undercooked as well (menu says they're cooked to medium well, it was about medium rare). I took 2 bites and was totally done. It's really a shame because you can tell the quality of the ingredients is good, but the execution was just kind of embarrassing. Like...salt and pepper the meat at least, please, c'mon. The milkshake was pretty good, though. This place is an institution, but I think it's leaning a little too hard on that reputation and has let the quality of its food slip.

Had a great dinner here with my niece and my sister during college orientation. The space opened…read moretheir doors so there was a lot of fresh air. The weather was perfect for it too. They gave us menus and scantron-like menus to circle in the build-your-own burgers & bowls. That was pretty cool. I chose my chicken sandwich and gave it to the waitress. My sister ordered the boozy milkshake and my niece ordered a regular one. They really liked them! My chicken sandwich was so good! I got the curly fries with it and they were super delish too. My sister got loaded tots which were sooo good. I only with they had pickled jalapeño for them instead of fresh. The fresh were just too much (& I love spice). All in all - solid place to eat!

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The Local - newamerican - Updated June 2026

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