I've always loved this place. Big fan of the souvlaki platters. Prices are reasonable. Only reason it gets a 3 star is that the Covid protocols were atrocious. We were seated and then had to ask someone to wipe down our table which was gross. They brought us condiments and utensils straight from another table with no wipe down. This was at the height of Covid reopening. Definitely willing to give it another try but was not happy with the lack of attention to details. read more

Four stars? Not by me. On 3/3/24, took my 96-year-old Mum to lunch. She ordered chicken salad, on rye, no pickle, and requested "alot of butter" on the bread. After all, rye can be dry. I ordered sausage sub with marinara sauce and cheese. I thought, why not try something a bit different from meatball. My Mum's plate even "looked dry". I saw a mound of small pieces of skewered bread, with a smear of chicken "salad" on every other piece of lettuce. A pickle that she said she didn't want, and no butter that she did. Mine was nothing but bread and cheese, with a piece of sliced sausage about the length of my index finger. It was very dry, as there was little to no sauce. Oh, and a huge clump of what must have been the tail end of a bag of chips. AWFUL, simply AWFUL and for 25 bucks. Fool me once, shame on you, Fool me twice, shame on me. I WILL NEVER go again. What a waste. One more note. As I approached the cash register to pay, I noticed alot of dirty wash towels on the floor. They should also consider widening their door to allow it to accommodate easier wheelchair access in and out. People stood by as we tried to navigate the door, until it appeared we couldn't. read more

Went to had lunch with my friend. The restaurant was busy, it took a while for us to get greeted and get our drinks. Our food came somewhat fast. Ordered egg with corned beef hash and tuna salad sandwich. Food was ok, the service was slow. We had to wait a while to get our to go box while the bill was given to us when we were still eating. read more

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There are a lot of diners out there, but this one really is tip-top. We were visiting the area for only a couple of days and it was so good, we ate there twice during our short stay. We had dinner one evening and came back for breakfast the next morning despite our hotel offering breakfast. For dinner, spinach pie, Chicken Souvlaki, and triple decker sandwiches were terrific. The next morning, French toast were those perfect, crispy thick slices of bread. Highly recommended. read more

For a diner - this is a great choice! Prices are reasonable and the food is good! I came here on a Monday afternoon and it was bustling with people! Ambience: Typical diner - lots of seating! Service: Food came out fairly quickly and waitstaff was friendly and attentive. Food: I got a gyro with fries. The pita was so fluffy and the meat was yummy! A bit dry - so I would suggest asking for more Tzatziki sauce. The fries are thick and very good! Drinks: I got a coffee - it was good. read more

Tip Top Restaurant - Diners Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

I have been going to Tip Top for a while. The food was pretty good for breakfast, lunch and dinner. However last night my wife and I waited for an unusually long time before our order was taken. When our order arrived, the food was good as usual. When we went to check out, the cashier (Who has worked there for a long time, may even be part owner, I'm not sure. She is short in stature and of foreign descent), she was talking to a man who was sitting at the bar stool next to the register. She continued to talk to him as she rang our ticket. She then put the ticket down in front of the register for me to sign and add the tip. She never once spoke or acknowledged me. I asked her if she could acknowledge me? I told her that she was rude. She said "Sorry". The man at the counter looked at me as if I said something wrong. I posted this on Facebook, and a lot of my friends were not happy about this poor treatment. read more

Best diner in Charlottesville. Best diner in Albemarle County. Pancakes, boss. Gyros, boss. Omelettes, boss. Meatball subs, boss. Patty melts, boss. Tacos, boss if they had them. They even have pizza. Don't waste you time anywhere else. Affordable. read more

The prices were decent. The food was decent. The fruit cup was surprisingly big enough with different fruits. It was busy and the servers were able to keep up. read more

An amazing breakfast with a stunning view and really great coffee. A very popular diner so be prepared to wait a bit. The pancakes were good. My bacon was exactly the way I like it and seemed fresh cooked not reheated. read more

We were at Tip Top Restaurant yesterday, 1/4/24, and I thought the food was marginal. First, the chicken salad sandwich was not good. Too sweet, and very, I mean, very little chicken. More egg than anything else. I had to check closer thinking they gave me an egg salad sandwich. The red velvet cake was bland with no flavor. The other thing I found to be disturbing was watching one of the waitress' sitting at the counter wrapping silverware in napkins. She fingered and touched every piece of silverware on the eating end before wrapping it. I'm thinking: When was the last time she washed her hands? I just saw her over at a table waiting on customers and bringing food. When I went to pay my bill, I noticed the silverware dishwasher holder where she was getting the clean silverware from. Part of the problem is not loading the dishwasher with the handles pointing up. Then you can grab the silverware by the handles and not be fingering and touching the eating end. This seems pretty basic cleanliness to me.... At least for a Restaurant. Or wear gloves when you are wrapping the silverware. It's my feeling that every other wait staff does the same thing when wrapping the silverware. This waitress just happen to be the one doing it on this day. We also ate there on December 19th. The next day I was sick. Had to take antibiotics for 7 days. I'm not saying it was from the whole staff fingering the silverware, but I hadn't been out anywhere else in months. read more

After traveling roughly 20 hours dtiving, my wife and I felt like getting a good, simple meal. We decided to try the Tip Top Cafe in Charlottesville, VA. Walking in you notice the bright, cheerful atmosphere. The staff were very welcoming as we walked in, even though it was getting close to 9pm. The service was quick and good. The restaurant seemed very clean and fresh. The menu offered a large, albeit quirky menu of items. It seems to lack a little focus as to what kind of food they want to serve. I'm not saying that's necessarily bad, just unusual. By that I mean, they offer pizza and pasta like an Italian restaurant, but at the same time they offer several Greek versions of the Italian favorites. They also offer a variety of sandwiches, club sandwiches as well as hamburgers. The focus just doesn't seem to be there. My wife ordered pasta premevera. It came with a salad and was supposed to come with bread, but since we also ordered garlic cheese bread, I guess they felt we didn't need the regular bread. They salad was very good. The garlic, cheese bread was excellent, however, my wife felt the pasta sauce was too spicy. I ordered the spaggetti with meat sauce. The spaggetti was good and unlike my wife's, the sauce was not the same and was no where near as spicy. The portion sizes for both our dishes was good size. I know that I left full and I'm sure my wife did too. Was it in the top ten for favorite pasta places.....no, but it was good. But as I said, I'm not sure they are trying to be. read more

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Good, local diner-style eatery. We stopped in for breakfast and were pleased with everything. Service was prompt and friendly. Coffee served fast and refilled frequently (although a bit on the weak side for my taste). Our table had eggs, pancakes, waffles, and French toast. All were enjoyed and good, hefty orders. Bacon cooked to order as requested too. Good, solid, local spot for a hearty meal. Not gourmet dining by any means, but good -- and a modest price point! read more

Spent the night in Charlottesville and needed some real food after being in the car for 7+ hours and eating snacks and fast food. We were seated right away by a friendly staff. The inside is larger than you would imagine so plenty of space to handle a busy dinner hour. Our order was taken in a timely manner and the food was brought out quickly. I ordered a double decker, which they did forget the avocado, but it was still tasty. My husband and son got bacon cheeseburgers, which they said had great flavor. My daughter got spaghetti parmigiana and she liked it. The prices were reasonable. read more

Hubby is from the south and he loves grits and corn beef hash. And this place has them both. As long as they sell it we will be here for breakfast. Anything to keep a smile on my husband face. read more

Had a surprisingly good meal here. I mean, aren't all eggs virtually the same? Well my scrambled eggs were REALLY GOOD. As was the French Toast and my wife really enjoyed her omelette. And as is too often the case where diner coffee can be somewhat tepid, the Tip Top's cup of Joe was definitely worth a couple of refills. A great value at roughly $20 for two. Will definitely return. read more

We wanted blueberry pancakes, sausage and an outside space due to Covid. Tip top met all three perfectly. Reasonable price, tasty food and a friendly waitress too. While they are serving inside there are 3 small tables outside. read more

First time here and I was not disappointed. Restaurant is very clean and the staff is friendly. Food was your typical breakfast items. All were very good. Coffee was hot and fresh . A must when in Charlottesville read more

To echo the other reviews, a wonderful diner type experience that's filled with homey feels and solid food. I got your typical eggs, bacon, french toast combo with a cup of coffee, and I was not disappointed. Nothing in particular was out of this world, but nothing was bad in any way. All together, I got exactly what I wanted and expected, which is sometimes all you need. Prices are great and service is wonderful. You get your fill of food and more! Come check this place out, it's a classic. read more

Fantastic in every way! Everything I wanted for our southern travel breakfast spot. Best service and best home made food promised and delivered I have experienced in a long. time. We will be back! Thank you for making our trip special with the pecan pancakes, waffles, omelette and good coffee. read more

Tip Top is great. They have friendly staff and food is served in a timely manner. Harvey's Spaghetti is my favorite dish. I also love that they serve breakfast all day. read more

Been here before for dinner & it was ok. Stopped in for breakfast & it was a mistake. French toast rubbery, scrambled eggs were tough. Server was ok but was too busy flitting from table to table to find out how the food was. read more

This place is amazing the food is delicious! All of the staff are super friendly, I would 100% recommend people try Tit Top. It is like a slice of home is being fed to you. It is definitely kid friendly, there menu is delicious sounding and delicious to eat. read more

Tip top is the perfect place to take your family. The food is delicious and the staff make you feel like family.

Solid diner stop! Went with the meat lover omelette and biscuit. Great little breakfast spot to kick off the day

I have no idea why the parking lot here is always full, especially with so many better options nearby. At best, this is a low-end dinner. Most of the time it is a bottom of the barrell pit of greased and canned or frozen good reheated in their oven or microwave. If you try to order something non-standard (eg. no pepper int he western omelette) you will be ignored. Almost nothing is made fresh and the quality is quite low. While the food may be awful, they at least give you alot of it. read more

This is a favorite stop of people in my hiking club after a day hike or trail maintenance and I can understand why. They offer better-than-decent food at fairly reasonable prices which is good after you've done 25+ miles or been putting in a water bar all day and you're hunger is peaking. The spaghetti special is the most popular with everyone else. My preferences are for the Harvey's spaghetti because it's made with feta, the moussaka because it has just a touch of spice, and chicken souvlaki. Next time we go I'll convince someone to split a pizza with me so I can try those. Service has always been good. They usually seat us outside which makes since because we're pretty sweaty and dirty after, but the waitresses don't ignore or give us short shrift us despite our ripeness. read more

I have seen a lot of great reviews of Tip Top, and have gone 3 times now to see what the fuss is about. It is no more than a locally owned Denny's. Actually, Denny's might be better. I ate an omelet today - the egg was dry and the cheese was the cheapest American cheese I have ever experienced (both taste and texture). The potatoes were decent, but the biscuits were no better than Pilsbury. My friend had pancakes, and they were good. Unlike my omelet, he said his eggs were brilliant. His grits were fairly runny though. As you can see, it is a very mixed bag, but I gave it 2 stars because my personal experiences were marginal at best. Please don't let this deter you too much...try it yourself. read more

Went here on the way back from wintergreen. It may have a good breakfast but I was there for dinner. It was not good. Food was bad, if you are going to put something on the menu you should be able to cook it respectably. I get that you are a diner and you aren't going to have all great food but the motz stix were under cooked, salad was old. I got a steak and it was a piece of rubber, not cooked medium rare and not a sirloin. I overheard our waitress ask the cook the difference between a delmonico and a sirloin guess no one knew....service was meh? Her reaction to me getting a steak should have told me to order something less complex, "really?, ooookkkkaaayyy" what kind of reaction is that? Never coming back read more

I feel like this will be a contradictary review but here goes. All in all, the place is fine and I'm quite sure I'll be back. I've eaten here a now a couple times for breakfast & lunch. Given the option of fast food or this as a healthier alternative of freshly prepared food from a small local business, this is definitely a better option. The prices are fair for the food you get and the service is friendly. Now if you're looking for one of those awesome local "best kept secret" kind of joints, I would not get your hopes up. I've yet to have anything here that I'd say was something special. While the food is freshly prepared, I'd say there is a lack of concern when it comes to prep & presentation. On this visit, I had breakfast... Scrambled eggs w/ cheese, they just toss a slice of American on top of the eggs... I guess it is too much trouble to mix the cheese into the eggs ( which as we all know produces a MUCH better taste). French toast.... Totally plain presentation... No fruit garnishment... not even any powdered sugar ( which is a must for me). The good news, it was prepared with Texas toast & cooked perfectly by the fact they obviously painted the egg onto the bread rather than dunking it into the bowl... So good recovery for the lack-luster garnishment... Home fries pretty decent, waffle decent.... again though, nothing special in presentation... Think Waffle House presentation... All in all a typical decent diner experience. I guess for what it is worth, the price of the food probably reflects the simple presentation. So like I said, looking for a base-line diner experience with no frills & acceptable prices, nothing wrong with this place. Looking for that special something that will make this place a "gotta go here spot", I'd keep looking. read more

A classic. Delivers exactly what you'd expect. Great short order breakfast. Fast friendly service.

I'm good with 3 stars here but with notes. I'm not that picky of a person. I tend to let a lot of things go. It's mostly just not worth it. So. 3 stars. Here's the deal. We walked right in and were promptly seated. Party of 5. Three got utensils/napkins. Four got menu's. No biggie. The menus were for lunch and dinner though this is a diner and says serving breakfast lunch and dinner. So this question reached the waitress. She says breakfast is available and brought back three breakfast menus.... ok.....Two got breakfast. Three got lunch. My father's chicken salad club was brought as a ham and turkey club and this was questioned with the waitress. She was very apologetic. She meant it. She offered to take it back and my dad said that this was his second choice so he kept it. Food was good. establishment was clean but for a diner, it had absolutely no character. Waitress was at the counter eating and was smoking outside before serving us yet she was very nice and attentive. If we were in another and smaller town. I'd come back, but Charlottesville is bursting with good business. Gotta stay competitive. read more

Tip Top Restaurant - chicken tenders w/fries - Diners Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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This place has typical diner food. It's nice because it's never overly crowded with students on the weekends. Good eats!

We were on the Pantops side of town this evening after hubs picked up the car from BMW Charlottesville, so we figured, "why not grab a bit to eat out here?" A quick check of Yelp, and were were pulling in to the Tip top Restaurant! =D We had no idea what to expect, but what we found was a nice, down to earth atmosphere but a very reasonably priced menu. Went with the moussaka pizza (we shared a medium size and still had leftovers) and I also had the "small" greek salad. If that was small...I don't want to see the large, lol! Definitely yummy. Our server was kind of gruff, but she got the job done! LOL. Definitely would go again, would love to try their breakfasts! read more

My Search for a Tavern Replacement I have the day off today and start back to work on Tuesday, so I wanted to go out for breakfast. A perfect Tavern day ... but a week and a half too late. So I thought I'd start exploring my options. Well, I tried going to Bluegrass Grill and Bakery ... parking is a little difficult. You probably have to use a paid lot or a parking garage, because there's only 3 spots out front. They were full and it was closed. So I tried Tip Top. It was cheap, and it was alright. The service didn't bowl me over, for instance, my coffee refill took forEVER, and The waitress didn't come back quickly enough for me to request some Texas Pete. The food was just okay. My over-easy eggs and corned beef hash were standard fare, nothing special. I like my home fries a lot crispier. The biscuits were good. I may try something like biscuits and gravy next time (I'm sure I'll come here again). I saw 2 of the former Tavern waitresses there (neither waited on my table), and I imagine that a lot of former Tavern customers will go there, too. Definitely a senior citizen crowd there (on a Monday at 10AM). I'd give it a 6/10 or 7/10. The search continues. read more

Ten years ago I could have eaten at Tip Top EVERY day. In the past three months I have been so displeased with service and quality of my food, it makes me sad. Somehow three of the five last visits we had the same server. This poor woman must really hate her job. Breakfast is subpar, most dinner entrees are good. IF I decide to order my standard Fried Calamari and Eggplant Parmigiana dinner, it'll be by phone to-go. I can't stand the atmosphere anymore. :[ read more

Went here on a recommendation from a friend who has never steered me wrong on restaurants. Tip top was no exception. The banana nut pancakes were delicious! Tender and tasted like homemade banana bread. My friend got a western omelet that was ver delicious as well. The service was exceptional! Very attentive. Food was hot and came quickly and they were very busy. Coffee cup never got empty. read more

Reasonably-priced, tasty, Greek-style diner food. You know the type: serving both moussaka and manicotti, tuna salad sandwiches and philly cheesesteaks. Nothing really stands out, but the meals are hearty, the service friendly, and the hours good. I particularly like coming here with small groups. A suggestion: Tip Top is located next to Eckerd and just down the street from CVS, near a clutch of Pantops doctors' offices and very near the new Martha Jefferson location. So when you suddenly have to seek medical attention (kidney stone, rusty nail through the foot, etc.), and then wait around for an hour while your prescription is filled or an x-ray is read or whatever, go to Tip Top. My wife and I go there every few months after one surprise hospital visit or another. It's great comfort food--and service--where they don't mind if you just sit around for a while afterwards while you wait to get the call about your results. It sounds odd, but just stick this suggestion away in some dim recess of your mind, and you'll be glad to retrieve it eventually. read more

A local old time favorite of many, this is a "real" diner with breakfast all day. It's diner breakfast so not gourmet but the food is good and plentiful. Tip top is ALWAYS busy at normal mealtimes. Prepare yourself for the slight sense of chaos and limited parking although they have increased their parking lot. Making a left in and out of this lot from or on to 250 east can be a challenge at busy traffic times. I have eaten here on and off for years and finally decided to review after a not so great take out experience. After reading more reviews it seem my service and food experiences are not just in my head. Tip top used to be the tip top of service with waitresses calling you "hon" and "sweetie" and very fast attentive service. My "beef" recently is, I decided to take out lunch for me and my wife. This really is the best "reasonably priced" restaurant in Pantops (this area, for you out of towners), but that's not saying much. The restaurant choices here are marginal at best, but some good fast food places, fast casual and one sort of upscale place. They got one of our orders wrong, so I got all the way home and discovered I had flavorless chicken breast on top of soggy pita triangles instead of the gyro platter I ordered. I called, informed them, they verified my order should have had a gyro (at least they can do that by name) and I told them I would becoming back the 30 minute 20 mile each way trip to get the meal I ordered. My disappointment was, all they did was re-make the meal. They should have offered me a refund so it was free, or a free dessert or something. The lady told me "we just re-did the whole thing" which meant another salad I didn't need and tzatziki I had already ordered and PAID extra for an extra for. When you make a customer have to come back, you should make the meal complimentary. It's not the customers fault, its your fault. Also, they have no clue how to package take out food. This irks me at many places. The people are not sharp enough to realize when you pack fries and hot food in Styrofoam and close it up, it steams everything making everything soggy and lose its crispness. Simply poking holes to vent the Styrofoam would help this. Also, as with other places, they do not bag cold stuff separately. Any person with half a brain cell knows if you bag a cold salad and other cold stuff with the hot, it makes the cold stuff warm and the hot stuff room temperature more quickly. This is takeout 101 stuff, not "rocket surgery". When I went back for my replacement meal, I asked for another bag and container and was looked at like a nutjob as I repackaged stuff right on the counter. BUT...they dont really care. They are so packed with business, they can hardly keep up with it anyway. So...the food. Some good, some just OK. I mentioned breakfast. You will not get a better basic down home diner breakfast anywhere. No fancy schmancy concoctions like at the major breakfast type chains, but solid, old school food for a fair price and a good portion...almost too much for me sometimes for breakfast. We've had good meals here. The gyro and souvlaki platters are very good and the Greek salads that come with them are loaded with great feta cheese. The pizzas are not bad either. The Gyro sandwich is not what it used to be. Last time I got one was the last time I sat down for lunch here. I will not sit in a hustle and bustle noisy active diner and get heartburn from the stress for just marginal food...I'd rather eat in my vehicle than do that. But the gyro was weak, lacking on guts and left me hungry. There are much better Gyro sandwiches in C'Ville. The gyro dinner platter on the other hand is filling because it comes with fries, salad and much more meat. This is a Greek owned place with Greco-Italian food. The basics are good..lasagna and all that. However I got the stuffed grape leaves once and they were pathetic and flavorless. Nothing but rice filling, thankfully their tzatziki has good flavor to dip them in. (I make stuffed grape leaves at home, so I have a reference of what is good and not). So, my advice to the out-of-towner (locals know the deal): 1-Avoid the most popular times to eat here unless you dont mind waiting and a noisy hectic diner atmosphere. Also parking is hectic during these times, not that you wont find a space but the building is up close to the road and there can be a traffic jamb in the parking lot of cars coming and going even though there is ample parking in the back. The geniuses that designed and or zoned/approved the improved lot did not provide a rear exit/entrance to the lot. 2-Get the gyro platter not just the gyros, the souvlaki is very good, breakfast basics are as good as you will get at any old school diner and the Italian staples like lasagna are good. 3-Check your food before leaving! If takeout. Otherwise this is a decent place to eat. It's a solid "diner". read more

We came here for Sunday brunch post-church. The first thing that struck me was that you didn't put your name in with a hostess, you just had to wait in the doorway with all the other customers until a waiter came and asked who was next in line. Kinda odd - and I suppose it could lead to some problems if one customer decided to be a jerk and tried to cut the "line" (more like a blob). The food was alright. Standard breakfast diner fare, but I've had better. The french toast was good, but the potatoes were soggy and unflavorful. I don't know whether I'd choose to drive all the way out there again for mediocre breakfast food. read more

We went here with the recommendation of the staff at the Comfort Inn we were staying at and what a fabulous tip it was. We had come in to Charlottesville after a long day of site seeing Appomattax and Monticello and were ready for some good food. There were many things on the menu but the ravioli special caught our attention. In a rare move for my family we ALL ordered the exact same thing. We ordered the spinach ravioli with a tomato alfredo sauce. What can I say about this dish other than WOW!!! The sauce was lick your plate clean good. And I tell you if we were at home or sure no one could see we all would have done just that. I was a little disappointed that the pasta wasn't homemade, but that homemade sauce more than made up for it. I did ask the waitress about the pasta and sauce and she did confirm that the sauce was homemade and the pasta was not. Our waitress Remy was wonderful. She had a fun, bright, and cheerful personality I would go back just for her service if it wasn't an almost 3,000 mile drive to go there. We did however tell a friend that visits the area frequently that this place is a must. Prices were reasonable and they have a decent wine list where we enjoyed a local bottle of Virginia wine. Tip Top Diner is Tip Top! read more