My friends and I had a great experience with the food and the ambience being excellent. But the real highlight of our dinner was our server Camille. She had a great attitude throughout the whole dinner and was incredibly well versed with all menu items. The service she provided was quick and she was always available to answer our questions or handle any requests from the table.
It was an okay dining experience. The waitress was very inexperienced, had to ask for forks/knives, small plates when appetizers came, etc. Drinks took forever. They were out of several things. Two ordered appetizers never came but were charged anyway. She was nice and it wasn't a bad experience but for the price, I had higher expectations.
kentv
One adorable waiter trying to serve everyone and make drinks. No one else helping him. The food was cold and not very appetizing....small room with many tables. Noise from large (drunk) party near us overwhelmed the room.
Excellent food and drinks. Very high price point for Blacksburg in my opinion, higher than Richmond. There was only 1 waitress who was lovely, but the service was quite slow. My second martini was made in a shaker that a Manhattan had been made in and not cleaned out - I could taste it- not the worst mistake, but it took so long for the waitress to come back for me to ask for a replacement we had finished our meal. It was taken off the bill. Saved me a headache I guess . Everything else was lovely.
Anonymous
Food was really good. Location and vibe are great. Service can best be described as inattentive, forgetful and almost unaware of menu and kitchen details. Probably a training issue for management.
MelinaH
2/17/24: While the food and the atmosphere was very nice, my overall impression was just middle of the scale. It's a lovely space, not too loud and the food was tasty and presented nicely and what I would expect from a nicer restaurant at that level and price point. However, the service was extremely rushed. One diner at our table was finished with their salad, while the other (me) was still working on theirs when the server arrived with our entrees. The service should have been to clear the first course plates when BOTH were finished and then to bring the entrees. At the same time, our server had not only our dinner plates in their hands doing the trade off with dinner plates and salad plates, but they also had the water pitcher cradled in the elbow of one arm. Quite the feat to be sure, but not to the standard of the restaurant. During the entree course, one diner finished before the other, again, and their plate was cleared while the other (me, again) finished their meal. This is not to standard in finer dining, like what I expected when I reserved at the Black Hen. The standard is that no plates are cleared until all diners are finished with them. It makes the other diner feel rushed, which it most certainly did last night. My reservation was early to avoid the mad rush of a later dinner crowd so I was not impressed or happy to be rushed out of the restaurant. We would have ordered dessert if not for this lapse in service. Perhaps some training would be in order for proper service for this price point. I'm from NY, these were NY prices at a lower service standard. This said, I would still recommend the Black Hen to a friend but with these qualifiers so they can make an informed decision.
SuzanneW
Our server was excellent & attentive in every way. However, the filet was chewy & snapper was overcooked/dry. Ate here years ago & the food was delicious—but not this time. Hopefully, they can rebound to the way they used to prepare their entrées.
PamK
The lamb and filet were fantastic as were the oven roasted vegetables were great. Unfortunately, the broccoli was still cold! We went at 6pm and by 730 it was very noisy and very busy. We will return but start earlier. Service was very good.
GingerH
Expensive but nice, quaint and small restaurant. Service was friendly and fast. Good for a special occasion. All of our dishes were good and we got 4 different entrees. I liked the chocolate cake for dessert but the kids and hubby liked the red velvet strawberry cheesecake.
EddG
My wife and I have the same birthday, so we decided we would celebrate with a trip to Blacksburg to see the Lady Hokies play basketball, and of course with the hopes of a nice dinner at The Black Hen Restaurant. We couldn't have asked for a better experience! The food was simply outstanding, so we would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys quality fare!
We used to love this spot but the last 2 times we've been disappointed. I think our server must have been new. She was very confused about the menu and orders. Our meals were not up to the typical high standard. One meal was missing one of the sides - not available. Ceasar salad - boring. Oysters Rockefeller with no spinach, garlic, or parm. The problem may have been that they were trying to get rid of the food from the special Valentine menu. We were there on Feb 15 and could not order from the regular menu. Would be hard to recommend when there are so many good places to eat.
FrequentCustomer
The ventilation needs to be improved so that you don't leave the restaurant with the hair and clothing smell like leaving a cheap Chinese restaurant. The Black Hen is supposed to be an upscale restaurant.
Stauntonite
Thought the food would be better given the price. Also...."roasted" broccoli should be roasted not steamed. Quality of ingredients seemed fine overall. Presentation was fine. Ben, the server, was fantastic.
Richard R.
Blacksburg has a gourmet restaurant! There were 4 of us and each had a different menu item. The walnut-cranberry salad was big enough to share. Everything came out at the same time and cooked perfectly. The seafood pasta Alfredo was amazing. I usually don't order Alfredo sauce but this was al dente pasta with a light coating (easy to digest) with lots of shrimp and scallops. My partner had the seafood ravioli which I was eyeing for a taste and she wouldn't share! Pace was good and not noisy. The room was recently painted and overall the atmosphere was excellent.
RichardR
Blacksburg has a gourmet restaurant! There were 4 of us and each had a different menu item. The walnut-cranberry salad was big enough to share. Everything came out at the same time and cooked perfectly. The seafood pasta Alfredo was amazing. I usually don't order Alfredo sauce but this was al dente pasta with a light coating (easy to digest) with lots of shrimp and scallops. My partner had the seafood ravioli which I was eyeing for a taste and she wouldn't share! Pace was good and not noisy. The room was recently painted and overall the atmosphere was excellent.
My friends and I had a great experience with the food and the ambience being excellent. But the real highlight of our dinner was our server Camille. She had a great attitude throughout the whole dinner and was incredibly well versed with all menu items. The service she provided was quick and she was always available to answer our questions or handle any requests from the table.
It was an okay dining experience. The waitress was very inexperienced, had to ask for forks/knives, small plates when appetizers came, etc. Drinks took forever. They were out of several things. Two ordered appetizers never came but were charged anyway. She was nice and it wasn't a bad experience but for the price, I had higher expectations.
One adorable waiter trying to serve everyone and make drinks. No one else helping him. The food was cold and not very appetizing....small room with many tables. Noise from large (drunk) party near us overwhelmed the room.
Excellent food and drinks. Very high price point for Blacksburg in my opinion, higher than Richmond. There was only 1 waitress who was lovely, but the service was quite slow. My second martini was made in a shaker that a Manhattan had been made in and not cleaned out - I could taste it- not the worst mistake, but it took so long for the waitress to come back for me to ask for a replacement we had finished our meal. It was taken off the bill. Saved me a headache I guess . Everything else was lovely.
Food was really good. Location and vibe are great. Service can best be described as inattentive, forgetful and almost unaware of menu and kitchen details. Probably a training issue for management.
2/17/24: While the food and the atmosphere was very nice, my overall impression was just middle of the scale. It's a lovely space, not too loud and the food was tasty and presented nicely and what I would expect from a nicer restaurant at that level and price point. However, the service was extremely rushed. One diner at our table was finished with their salad, while the other (me) was still working on theirs when the server arrived with our entrees. The service should have been to clear the first course plates when BOTH were finished and then to bring the entrees. At the same time, our server had not only our dinner plates in their hands doing the trade off with dinner plates and salad plates, but they also had the water pitcher cradled in the elbow of one arm. Quite the feat to be sure, but not to the standard of the restaurant. During the entree course, one diner finished before the other, again, and their plate was cleared while the other (me, again) finished their meal. This is not to standard in finer dining, like what I expected when I reserved at the Black Hen. The standard is that no plates are cleared until all diners are finished with them. It makes the other diner feel rushed, which it most certainly did last night. My reservation was early to avoid the mad rush of a later dinner crowd so I was not impressed or happy to be rushed out of the restaurant. We would have ordered dessert if not for this lapse in service. Perhaps some training would be in order for proper service for this price point. I'm from NY, these were NY prices at a lower service standard. This said, I would still recommend the Black Hen to a friend but with these qualifiers so they can make an informed decision.
Our server was excellent & attentive in every way. However, the filet was chewy & snapper was overcooked/dry. Ate here years ago & the food was delicious—but not this time. Hopefully, they can rebound to the way they used to prepare their entrées.
The lamb and filet were fantastic as were the oven roasted vegetables were great. Unfortunately, the broccoli was still cold! We went at 6pm and by 730 it was very noisy and very busy. We will return but start earlier. Service was very good.
Expensive but nice, quaint and small restaurant. Service was friendly and fast. Good for a special occasion. All of our dishes were good and we got 4 different entrees. I liked the chocolate cake for dessert but the kids and hubby liked the red velvet strawberry cheesecake.
My wife and I have the same birthday, so we decided we would celebrate with a trip to Blacksburg to see the Lady Hokies play basketball, and of course with the hopes of a nice dinner at The Black Hen Restaurant. We couldn't have asked for a better experience! The food was simply outstanding, so we would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who enjoys quality fare!
Restaurantji Recommends
We used to love this spot but the last 2 times we've been disappointed. I think our server must have been new. She was very confused about the menu and orders. Our meals were not up to the typical high standard. One meal was missing one of the sides - not available. Ceasar salad - boring. Oysters Rockefeller with no spinach, garlic, or parm. The problem may have been that they were trying to get rid of the food from the special Valentine menu. We were there on Feb 15 and could not order from the regular menu. Would be hard to recommend when there are so many good places to eat.
The ventilation needs to be improved so that you don't leave the restaurant with the hair and clothing smell like leaving a cheap Chinese restaurant. The Black Hen is supposed to be an upscale restaurant.
Thought the food would be better given the price. Also...."roasted" broccoli should be roasted not steamed. Quality of ingredients seemed fine overall. Presentation was fine. Ben, the server, was fantastic.
Blacksburg has a gourmet restaurant! There were 4 of us and each had a different menu item. The walnut-cranberry salad was big enough to share. Everything came out at the same time and cooked perfectly. The seafood pasta Alfredo was amazing. I usually don't order Alfredo sauce but this was al dente pasta with a light coating (easy to digest) with lots of shrimp and scallops. My partner had the seafood ravioli which I was eyeing for a taste and she wouldn't share! Pace was good and not noisy. The room was recently painted and overall the atmosphere was excellent.
Blacksburg has a gourmet restaurant! There were 4 of us and each had a different menu item. The walnut-cranberry salad was big enough to share. Everything came out at the same time and cooked perfectly. The seafood pasta Alfredo was amazing. I usually don't order Alfredo sauce but this was al dente pasta with a light coating (easy to digest) with lots of shrimp and scallops. My partner had the seafood ravioli which I was eyeing for a taste and she wouldn't share! Pace was good and not noisy. The room was recently painted and overall the atmosphere was excellent.