50 Best American Restaurants in Charlottesville

“We have been celebrating my daughter’s living anniversary at Ivy Inn for the past 3 years. Food is exceptional and wait service is golden.“

“Chef Yoder is incredibly talented. Unexpected food combinations that blew us away. Amazing wait staff and don’t skip the beverage pairing! Highly educated sommeliers on staff! It was just dinner, it was an experience that I haven’t stopped talking about weeks later!“

“Used to go there in the late 1970s- best burgers in C’ville!!!“

“Service excellence. Perfect setting. Fantastic food. Everything was great“

“good food, good portions, good people. expect to wait in line to be served.“

“Great food and atmosphere!“

“The music was off the chain, best local band I have ever seen and I’m 63, and haven’t had that much fun in a long time“

“always a great dining experience. great food. stellar staff“

“Performed with Soundnation Band of the Washington Talent Agency, and the hospitality was simply amazing“

“Staff were very attentive and helpful with our food and beverage selection. When it got crowded, it got a little loud but you could still hold a conversation. T-shirts and goodies were cheap!!!! Parking was good. I'll go back when I visit!!“

“My friend and I picked this place due to wanting to enjoy a rooftop while in Savannah. We shared a Caesar salad and each ordered a crab cake. Both were excellent. The crab cake has to be the best one I have ever had and I have had a lot of crab cakes. We agreed that it melted in your mouth. We split a delicious flourless chocolate tart for dessert. A great experience and good service.“

“Southern Comfort food at its finest at an affordable price. I highly recommend!!!“

“Great food. Beautiful outdoor atmosphere.“

“Excellent variety of beer, ciders, seltzers from local breweries. The food was awesome too!“

“Fantastic food, great atmosphere. 10/10 recommend. Their trivia night is a blast and their vegan and non-vegan offering has something for everyone.“

“I recently had the BEST SALAD of my life at Bizou (the roasted beet, mango + goat cheese salad!) It was a gorgeous Wednesday afternoon in summer, sitting in the lovely shade of a patio umbrella, a chilled glass of Virginia-made Rose wine…. A quintessential Charlottesville experience. I will definitely be back, and I highly recommend!“

“The burgers were excellent! Service was fast and friendly! Yum!!!! We live in Broadway VA and this will be our go to spot when in the area!!!!“

“Love working in this space. The views is pleasant and the space is so welcoming. Great coffee and nice staff.

Only took off a star because there used to be several power strips people could charge their electronics but they seem to have stopped doing that. It makes it difficult to work at one of the more central tables but it is what it is.“

“Great food, affordable drinks friendly staff.“

“My company has a weekly, company-paid lunch from the restaurants around town and we finally got it together enough to order from Rev Soup (we often have, but have recently grown to be big enough that planning with enough time to put in the order has become a bit more challenging). So this week, we ordered, I went to pick up, everything was great, and then I turned to leave with the order and TOOK OUT the top case of red wine stacked for display. Fortunately, there were only two bottles in that box and no one was in the splash zone. I stood there, stunned, as Nikki and the staff immediately sprang into cleanup action. I (of course) offered to cover the cost of the busted bottles, but was rebuffed. Nikki was just so kind (especially given my ridiculous lack of self awareness with a large order in my arms and it’s consequences, and therefore totally my fault). Of course, the food was excellent and exactly what everyone at work had hoped. Everyone should go forth and have Revolutionary Soup often, but watch out for the wine (or watch out for me anywhere near the wine)!!“

“Hands down. Some of the best food. Fish tacos General Tso’s cauliflower and wild mushroom ravioli 10 out of 10 Definitely coming back to try more.“

“The wife liked it but not my kids. Tbf though my kids are almost 4 and 7 and are picky. We all loved the self service juices. My kids got a kick out of mixing them and trying the different flavors.
I snuck next door and grabbed some mission bbq to go (ask for the south Carolina zing sauce) and we all ate at Cava. There is also a Texas roadhouse next door. Would recommend if you are trying to please an herbivore and carnivore and 2 picky small Dreikäsehochs. OH! Parking is tight more times than not. More parking in the back next to Texas roadhouse.“

“We had an amazing dinner with friends. Highly recommend this restaurant.“

“I went in for a coffee and ended up staying for the weekend brunch. There were so many options to choose from all visually stunning. I ended up with lox and bagels, french toast bread pudding and fresh fruit. The picture is of a takeaway spinach salad that was amazing.“

“Really great service and the food was incredible. As a business traveler, I look for locally owned restaurants. I'll definitely be back in the future.“

“Awesome“

“The customer service was fantastic. The rooms were clean, food was good and the coffee was available 24/7, and the atmosphere was very nice. Want to give kudos to Michelle, Ila, Tee who were behind the desk for check-in/checkout on all three shifts because they deserve raises and acknowledgments. I have stayed in many hotels but this hotel has three of the best employees that I have ever seen as far as customer service goes. I would recommend this hotel 100 percent!.“

“After a long drive from NJ to VA it was great to have a relaxing dinner. I had the Root Burger; it was delicious. My husband devoured the fish & chips and my daughter was very pleased that grilled cheese was offered on the kids menu. Kudos to our server Wendy M. who was very professional, attentive, and kind.“

“Good food, good price and good service! 💯% recommend!“

“We really enjoyed our visit to Charlottesville and our stop at The Virginian. The food was a highlight of the trip! The barbecue pork sandwich was excellent, as were both the Caesar and house salads—fresh and flavorful. The Virginia burger with fries was also very good.

We were excited to try the Palmetto cheese burger and the Palmetto cheese sandwich, but unfortunately, they didn’t quite meet our expectations. They weren’t our favorites. The seasoned fries got mixed reviews—some of us enjoyed the bold flavor, while others found them a bit too spicy.

The root beer floats were a big hit—absolutely delicious! The atmosphere was lively and welcoming, which made the overall experience even better.“

“Great atmosphere and probably the best burger I’ve ever ate. I’m new to the area and was really looking for something special that reminds me of just home and I found it and more. A must to all the new travel nurses in the area.“

“We had an excellent dinner this evening at the Sedona Taphouse. I was there celebrating a birthday with my family. The server was very helpful and help us with our various food and drink selections.

The food was excellent, I had a New York Strip that was cooked perfectly. There were several other meals chosen from Salmon to Filet mignon from the menu and they were all excellent.

I highly recommend this the restaurant for all occasions.“

“Great food and service. Look forward to returning!!“

“We highly recommend fried green tomatoes as an opener!!!!! Wowza!!!! We had a fantastic meal and the service was A1!!!!!“

“My party had a total of 17, which we made a reservation days prior. once we are there and seated, the 1 waitress took our drink orders whiched took about 35 minutes. We did receive water. I sat there almost 2 hours without the drink I ordered. We placed our order which took another hour, just to be told after 35 minutes of placing the order that most of what we ordered, they were out of. Two and a half hours of being there we received biscuits which was frozen in the center. One member of our party decided to order a To Go order online. That order was ready within 25 minutes. I was absolutely disappointed in the service given and the food. We had to advocate for ourselves just to receive a rightful discount or no bill at all. During this whole process we was there a little over three hours, some without drinks. some without food. We was given pizza to take home. I don't recommend!“

“Whether its for a breakfast burrito or my fav salad. Always delicious & 5 stars.“

“We had an absolutely incredible dining experience at Zocalo. The presentation and quality of the food were exquisite. We started with the gazpacho, a deliciously complex blend of flavors. The scallops were perfectly seared, the octopus delightfully tender, and the salmon expertly seasoned and cooked to perfection. My personal favorite was the passion fruit dessert. The staff were kind and extremely attentive, and Chef Will even came out to greet us and inquire about our meal. I can't say enough great things about this restaurant. You won't be disappointed by a visit to Zocalo. It is now, hands down, one of my favorite restaurants I’ve ever been to!“

“Hey guys, support your local businesses! Remember Canipe Brothers IS OPEN. They are maintaining a 10 patron policy, and also doing call ins and carry outs! Don’t forget your local family businesses!“

“Rotating craft beer selections daily.“

“We can’t say enough good things about our experience at Duner’s! We had mixed drinks, appetizers, entrees, salads, soups and dessert. There were 6 of us and we all agreed EVERYTHING was delicious! Usually at most restaurants there’s at least one thing that isn’t as great when that much is ordered, but that definitely wasn’t our experience! We each tried a bite (or more) of everything that was ordered and we couldn’t have been more impressed! The only downside is the noise level, which unfortunately we contributed to a good bit, but the staff handled our larger party with grace and patience! The excellent food and service more than makes up for the noise. Highly recommend!!“

“No comments about the food, but, if you reserve a table you better double check. Yesterday was the second occasion when I had reserved a table for a special event and when I showed up on time I was told they were so busy and therefore had no table available. Not good business!“

“We love First Watch in Charlottesville!!“

“We were there to see Billy Strings. After the concert we went to LW’s Livery Stable! What a great bar! The owner was so welcoming and an absolute blast! We talked about guitars and concerts! I would highly recommend and will be going back again!!“

“Awesome staff and food. Can’t wait to come back.“

“This was my second time visiting. The chicken is so good, and I love their herb-y ranch sauce for dipping. This little spot is so quaint, I love it. My partner got swiss cheese & mushroom hot dog and that was the best thing in his opinion. The food prices are very reasonable.

They always have lots of cocktails, and even some canned N/A mocktails too.“

“Had a relaxing lunch the other day. The chicken and rice soup was excellent. The chicken salad sandwich was good too as was the house salad; great service; just need to remember to get parking validated with any food check greater than $25.“

“If you're a wine nerd this is your Shangri-la! We had a great visit at Tastings while in Charlottesville for the weekend. Bill is an excellent proprietor. The selection of wines and vintages were awesome to sort through, and we had some great conversations with Bill and other customers while we were there. The shop makes you feel like you're hunting for buried treasure, and we definitely found some awesome vintaged wines. I can't wait to come back for my next visit!“

“This bar is everything! They were incredibly classy and very accommodating to our large bachelorette party. Brandon was our server and he was both professional and hilarious! I absolutely recommend!“