This was a lovely restaurant at one time but the food and the service have both fallen off a cliff. Very sad to see one of the premiere restaurants in Lynchburg in such steep decline!
Charles Yarbrough
Had dinner with the family, we go 2-3 times a year. This time felt a bit flat. The food was not bad, it just did not feel like the elevated food we have had in the past. Scallops were a little overcooked, and my steak okay, but not $50 good. Service was strong as always. For a restaurant with lower prices it would have been fine, but I expect to be a bit blown away there and I was not.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
larry
They need to improve their menu, very few selections to choose from, no specials offered, and service was a bit slow with very few other people there, server was pleasant and attended to us very well. Just wish the “old Shoemakers” would return with a greatly enhanced menu.
Carlie
My husband and I made a last-minute reservation for my birthday celebration. The hostess, bartender, and server all acknowledged the special occasion when it was mentioned. Their attention to detail was evident from then on. I highly recommend the tuna appetizer! We also enjoyed creme brulee and affagato for our desserts, and they were outstanding. Shoutout to Ronnie who served us for his attention to detail, friendliness, and professionalism.
Pamela
For the ratings this was underwhelming! The restaurant smell's of dank carpet. The service was slow, the restaurant was understaffed. Our server Jessica just had too many tables to handle. Drinks were poor and took forever. The food was just not good, lamb chops had a strange flavor. The kids meals were over cooked, only decent item was the filet. It's a shame to write a poor review as the hotel itself is very nice.
Donna
After being seated (we were the only table in the dining room, we waited 30 minutes for our drinks. Another 15 for appetizers. 45 minutes more for entrees. Prices are premium-- service is sub-par. We won't be returning, and I'm hearing the same from several friends.
Josh Cline
Shoemakers in Lynchburg continues to be one of my favorite spots for a memorable night out. The atmosphere is warm and refined without feeling pretentious, the service experience is consistently attentive, and the quality of the food is exceptional from start to finish. Whether it’s a special occasion or a simple dinner with friends, Shoemakers delivers every time.
Steven Amos
Great burgers but the fires were just frozen out the bag regular fries. You still absolutely go back great place. Just hope they change the fries
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Ray
We're out-of-towners so this is a sample of one but we are frequent travelers so this review is based on experience and comparison with similar restaurants. Ambience is good, well-lit, clean and classy. Good jazz music playing in the background. Wait staff is nice, courteous and neatly dressed. Drinks are good. Have a good number of selection. Bartender is great. Knowledgeable and good conversationalist. Where the restaurant fails is their food. We ordered steak and pork chops. Steak was ordered cooked medium but came out medium rare. We pointed this out, came back to the kitchen to be cooked some more, came back to us and it was still the same. We asked if they sous vide the meat and they said no they don't. That's probably why. Pork chop was ordered medium and came out to be more well done. It was dry and had no flavor. Food presentation was mediocre at best. Worst part is the price. They are asking for champagne prices but you are given Boone's farm wine. Prices here are comparable to Metzger or Roosevelt's at Richmond, but quality here is well below.
Leif
Very limited wine selections. Food was good but the salmon overcooked. Cream brûlée had had lumps inside it. Not very appealing. Waitress suggested an expensive white wine which we choose anther at a mid range price. Obviously she did not know her wines as she had to have assistance uncorking the bottle we choose. It will probably be a while before we try the restaurant again.
The service was excellent. The waitress was very attentive and provided great service. I ordered the ribeye with garlic butter. It was overcooked and room temperature at best when it was bought out. There was no garlic in the butter which was not melted. My husband ordered the salmon with mashed potatoes. It was unseasoned and very dry. We were very disappointed with the food and most likely will not be returning.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Joseph
I was disappointed, but probably because of the hype. It was definitely not the quality I expected for the prices. The food was ok, but not amazing.
Jay Rollins
My wife and I went here for our anniversary last weekend. Our server was wonderful, she told us they had been very busy and were slightly backed up but you would have never known. Food was excellent. I had the pork chop and my wife had the fillet, both of which were prepared very well. Wonderful place, we will definitely come back when we are in town again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
G7593AAjosephm
We had a reservation but were told we couldn’t be seated because there were not enough menus. Finally got seated after a 15 minute wait while others who had reservations got seated right away. Server must have been new. We had to ask for bread and water refills. We were never offered coffee or a dessert menu after supper. Food wasn’t worth the price. The crabcake was soggy from being drowned in remoulade. The salmon was ordered medium and arrived well done. This could have been one of the most disappointing dinners we have had in quite a while
Mary
We had high expectations for Shoemaker's as from experience the boutique hotels have character and generally good food. Last night's dinner (9/12) was extremely disappointing. Two of us had the 8 oz filets - suspiciously under weight (yes, I have 30 years in the F&B business). One of us had the strip. Degree of doneness was good but the meat was very tough. Next the menu promised asparagus and seasonal vegetables. What arrived was overcooked broccolini (yuck) and a single carrot that was so undercooked that one couldn't cut it. Mashed potatoes were okay but under seasoned; the baked potato arrived arrayed in tin foil - who does that these days and when asked what I wanted on the baked potato it was applied in the kitchen before I even had a chance to season the potato. The desserts weren't worth a review. This is too bad as you have an attractive and quaint building, a historical reference to the area and a simple limited menu. You should be able to put out top quality food for the price you are charging. Service was adequate but otherwise unremarkable. I hope you can pull things together and get Lynchburg as great fine dining establishment.
This was a lovely restaurant at one time but the food and the service have both fallen off a cliff. Very sad to see one of the premiere restaurants in Lynchburg in such steep decline!
Had dinner with the family, we go 2-3 times a year. This time felt a bit flat. The food was not bad, it just did not feel like the elevated food we have had in the past. Scallops were a little overcooked, and my steak okay, but not $50 good. Service was strong as always. For a restaurant with lower prices it would have been fine, but I expect to be a bit blown away there and I was not.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 5
They need to improve their menu, very few selections to choose from, no specials offered, and service was a bit slow with very few other people there, server was pleasant and attended to us very well. Just wish the “old Shoemakers” would return with a greatly enhanced menu.
My husband and I made a last-minute reservation for my birthday celebration. The hostess, bartender, and server all acknowledged the special occasion when it was mentioned. Their attention to detail was evident from then on. I highly recommend the tuna appetizer! We also enjoyed creme brulee and affagato for our desserts, and they were outstanding. Shoutout to Ronnie who served us for his attention to detail, friendliness, and professionalism.
For the ratings this was underwhelming! The restaurant smell's of dank carpet. The service was slow, the restaurant was understaffed. Our server Jessica just had too many tables to handle. Drinks were poor and took forever. The food was just not good, lamb chops had a strange flavor. The kids meals were over cooked, only decent item was the filet. It's a shame to write a poor review as the hotel itself is very nice.
After being seated (we were the only table in the dining room, we waited 30 minutes for our drinks. Another 15 for appetizers. 45 minutes more for entrees. Prices are premium-- service is sub-par. We won't be returning, and I'm hearing the same from several friends.
Shoemakers in Lynchburg continues to be one of my favorite spots for a memorable night out. The atmosphere is warm and refined without feeling pretentious, the service experience is consistently attentive, and the quality of the food is exceptional from start to finish. Whether it’s a special occasion or a simple dinner with friends, Shoemakers delivers every time.
Great burgers but the fires were just frozen out the bag regular fries. You still absolutely go back great place. Just hope they change the fries
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
We're out-of-towners so this is a sample of one but we are frequent travelers so this review is based on experience and comparison with similar restaurants. Ambience is good, well-lit, clean and classy. Good jazz music playing in the background. Wait staff is nice, courteous and neatly dressed. Drinks are good. Have a good number of selection. Bartender is great. Knowledgeable and good conversationalist. Where the restaurant fails is their food. We ordered steak and pork chops. Steak was ordered cooked medium but came out medium rare. We pointed this out, came back to the kitchen to be cooked some more, came back to us and it was still the same. We asked if they sous vide the meat and they said no they don't. That's probably why. Pork chop was ordered medium and came out to be more well done. It was dry and had no flavor. Food presentation was mediocre at best. Worst part is the price. They are asking for champagne prices but you are given Boone's farm wine. Prices here are comparable to Metzger or Roosevelt's at Richmond, but quality here is well below.
Very limited wine selections. Food was good but the salmon overcooked. Cream brûlée had had lumps inside it. Not very appealing. Waitress suggested an expensive white wine which we choose anther at a mid range price. Obviously she did not know her wines as she had to have assistance uncorking the bottle we choose. It will probably be a while before we try the restaurant again.
Restaurantji Recommends
The service was excellent. The waitress was very attentive and provided great service. I ordered the ribeye with garlic butter. It was overcooked and room temperature at best when it was bought out. There was no garlic in the butter which was not melted. My husband ordered the salmon with mashed potatoes. It was unseasoned and very dry. We were very disappointed with the food and most likely will not be returning.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
I was disappointed, but probably because of the hype. It was definitely not the quality I expected for the prices. The food was ok, but not amazing.
My wife and I went here for our anniversary last weekend. Our server was wonderful, she told us they had been very busy and were slightly backed up but you would have never known. Food was excellent. I had the pork chop and my wife had the fillet, both of which were prepared very well. Wonderful place, we will definitely come back when we are in town again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had a reservation but were told we couldn’t be seated because there were not enough menus. Finally got seated after a 15 minute wait while others who had reservations got seated right away. Server must have been new. We had to ask for bread and water refills. We were never offered coffee or a dessert menu after supper. Food wasn’t worth the price. The crabcake was soggy from being drowned in remoulade. The salmon was ordered medium and arrived well done. This could have been one of the most disappointing dinners we have had in quite a while
We had high expectations for Shoemaker's as from experience the boutique hotels have character and generally good food. Last night's dinner (9/12) was extremely disappointing. Two of us had the 8 oz filets - suspiciously under weight (yes, I have 30 years in the F&B business). One of us had the strip. Degree of doneness was good but the meat was very tough. Next the menu promised asparagus and seasonal vegetables. What arrived was overcooked broccolini (yuck) and a single carrot that was so undercooked that one couldn't cut it. Mashed potatoes were okay but under seasoned; the baked potato arrived arrayed in tin foil - who does that these days and when asked what I wanted on the baked potato it was applied in the kitchen before I even had a chance to season the potato. The desserts weren't worth a review. This is too bad as you have an attractive and quaint building, a historical reference to the area and a simple limited menu. You should be able to put out top quality food for the price you are charging. Service was adequate but otherwise unremarkable. I hope you can pull things together and get Lynchburg as great fine dining establishment.
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