Charlottesville Restaurants

Not fine dining, but still great food, specializing in Greek and Mediterrenean fare. They also have great sandwiches.

Favorite Dish: Ask anyone in town where to get the best Tomato Basil soup and this is the answer you'll get. Its that good. In fact, when someone says "Cafe Europa" I get an image of a bowl of Tomato Basil soup. Mmmm....

When i want something more than soup, I love love love their Chicken Souvlaki. Soooo good.

El Girasol, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

I miss El Girasol SOOOOO much. I lived right by 10th Street on Wertland, so this was right around the corner from me. This place has all the standards, but they are just so*much*better here than at the chains like Amigos. The staff and owners just seem to care so much more, and you can taste it in the food as well as see it in the service.

I LOOOOOVE mexican food. Eat it at least two (ok. three) times a week. So I know what I'm talking about! Their specialties are fantastic, so don't be afraid to try something new.

Favorite Dish: Love 'em all. YUMMY. Actually, I never tried the goat. Tell me how that goes, how bout?

This was my secret restaurant in Charlottesville. It is tiny--maybe ten tables. Maybe. The food here is soooooo good. Its not inexpensive, yet its not quite as pricey as some of the other restaurants that I consider to be in the same quality range.

Favorite Dish: Impossible to pick a favorite dish, but the Osso Bucco is fabulous. So are the veal cuts. So are the pastas. OH! And if you are fond of Italian Wine, this is THE place to go--they have a better selection than anywhere else in town (and in many other, much bigger, cities).

Michie Tavern is near Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. It was built in 1784. We stopped at Michie Tavern for their buffet lunch. We were there on a gray November day and enjoyed typical Southern fare served buffet style in front of the roaring fire. They have wide-planked wooden floors. This restaurant is family friendly.

Favorite Dish: The fried chicken was great. There is plenty of Southern food on their buffet.

A complete opposite experience than at south street as our server who actually cooks most days was excellent. The food was reasonable price as on Monday they had a two course meal for 7 dollars and classes of sangria for one dollar. The decor would fit right in with a bed and breakfast for non smokers and a diner in the smoking/bar area. Later in the night they had music which we were too tired to enjoy after the lunch drive.

Favorite Dish: The sides were excellent and you coudl make a meal out of it like my wife did. The beans were well cooked the rice aromatic and the beans tasted fresh. My fish was also very good especially for only 7 dollars which is not much more than a Mcdonald's meal.

One of many microbrews I have visited in my travels. Went here as on Tuesdays they have two dollar pints. Parking was a bit hard and went to a local parking garage. The brewery does not validate but it only cost 1 dollar an hour. The service was terrible and even though my wife is a waitress leff in the low single digits. The only help we got was when we bugged who I judge was a manager of the place. The beer was good and the food went down well but bad service leaves a bad taste in my wife. Even two dollar beers could not keep me here any longer. It would also be nice if they validated as the parking lot out front filled up quickly.

Favorite Dish: Cannot even remember what I ate. The beers went from dark to light and were above average for microbrews. Would like to have tried more but was tired of waiting to not get served.

My wife and I spent a wonderful Valentine's weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip was our gourmet meal at Barboursville Vineyards' Palladio Restaurant. It is first-rate with good wine and fantastic food, as well as great service. It is somewhat of a suit-and-tie place and is in the middle of nowhere. But you won't regret it for a romantic dinner!

The blue light grill is very trendy looking with a great raw bar. The fish was wonderful. I had the halibut and my wife had the salmon. They were both wonderful. The service was great. The dress was suprisingly casual but we later found that Charlottesville is a pretty casual city.

Favorite Dish: The house oysters were incredibly fresh.