For some time now people lined up in long lines with the hope of getting a taste of Mama Jean's BBQ…read moreout of their very popular Food truck. But today, they didn't have to, because the owner's dream of having one day a brick-and-mortar Mama Jean's BBQ Restaurant came true! After being awarded the Yelp NC Triad Squad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last year, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, celebrating their contributions and accomplishments throughout the year, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and businesses, and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And Mama Jean's BBQ Restaurant, in Roanoke, Virginia, is a perfect example. At precisely 11:00AM this morning, the long awaited Mama Jean's BBQ Restaurant finally opened its doors to the public, and I was fortunate enough to be one of the first ones to be there for this momentous occasion. Located at 3404 Brandon Ave in Southwest Roanoke, it occupies the building where Jimmy V's Restaurant used to be, but with a complete renovation that went above my highest expectations. I arrived early at about 10:30AM when people were just starting to arrive and line up on a covered porch surrounding one side of the building. I quickly parked my Lexus in their conveniant parking lot and got in line. A gentleman standing in line next to me from Brent Mountain was planning on getting his Smoked Turkey and gravy, to take to their Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, on Thanksgiving Day. As we waited in line to enter the restaurant, two restaurant's lady employees came around to take alcohol drink orders and credit card payments, and then brought back their drinks so they could drink while waiting. Along the porch, they had these warmers to warm the customers up in the evenings since they now planned to stay open until 7:00PM, The new hours of operation would be Wednesdays through Sunday 11:AM to 7:00PM. Inside, I was very impressed with the simple yet eclectic decor with artworks hanging from the walls which were a combination red bricks and white painted walls. The shiny flores and light treatment made the restaurant stand out. The bar was also decorated in very good taste. The small size of the place just gave it a warm and cozy ambiance in which one could enjoy their food and drinks. Most people were ordering their food by the pound to take out, but a few, like me, ordered ours to dine in and experience Mama Jean's BBQ in the comfort of a brick-and-mortar restaurant. The lady and gentleman, at the ordering counter were very friendly and helpful. When I explained I wanted to dine in and try a couple of BBQ items and sides, the lady suggested that I design my own try with one meat and two sides. Iincreased it to two meats: 1/4 lb of Pulled Pork and 1/4 lb of Brisket, with sides of Coleslaw and Mashed Potatoes. To drink I had a Cherry Coke. When the food was ready a server would call out our name and bring it to our table. On the condiment table they had the plastic silverware, together with the different BBQ sauces. The food was amazingly delicious. Now I knew fist hand what all the hipe was.all about. I would have had one of their banana puddings as dessert but it was getting late for my 12 Noon appointment for my haircut. I highly recommend this brick-and-mortar BBQ restaurant that used to be a Food Truck, and invite you to view my photographs and video clips that accompany this review to get a better sense of the place and the quality of its food.

Out on the road, I visit a lot of restaurants, because let's be honest, on the road, there's not…read moremuch better than a good piece of meat. Consequently, I end up at a lot of BBQ joints. On New Years Day, 2026, I found myself at a new BBQ hotspot in Roanoke, VA. Welcome to Mama Jean's. They started as a food truck, 2018. In 2025, they moved into a building. It reminds me of every BBQ joint in Alabama or Mississippi. If they have any problems right now, it's not enough seating. The menu glowed with all the BBQ mainstays, brisket, pulled pork... And then I hit something I don't recognize, baudin balls. This Louisiana specialty is a ball of pork and brisket and fried like a hushpuppy. For a BBQ lover, like myself, it is perfection. But I am distracted, let's keep going. The ambiance of this place is pure southern hospitality. Everyone knows your name and works together to make sure no one leaves this place unsatisfied. My own experience was brought to me by a lovely lady who will from this moment forward be known as, her Majesty, Queen Daphne. She took the time to make sure I understood what I needed and was pleased with the experience. This team understands customer service! And finally, the highlight of Mama Jean's BBQ, the meal! I ordered, well, everything. Brisket, pork, some ribs. Heck, I even bought the hat... From the moment I took my first bite of the brisket, I knew every cent I spent was well given. I mean do the kids need a college education? Maybe. Do I need this brisket? Definitely. It melted in my mouth. I took the whole sausage, not all at once mind you. You have to build up to that. You ladies understand. Make sure you don't forget the balls, baudin balls. Served five at a time, they are the perfect side dish for that moment when the flavor of the sausage veritably explodes in your mouth. Ah, Mama Jean, I will be coming back to Roanoke if for nothing more than your meat... Follow on note, this is a family friendly restaurant... ;-)

I'm a huge Mission BBQ fan. They ate one of the most consistent restraunt chains out there…read more This was my first trip, but will not be my last. Super and friendly service at the counter to kick off my visit. The dining room was spic and span. My order was a two meat platter of, pulled pork and lean brisket w/ side of green beans. It comes with cornbread. My son moist brisket, pulled pork w/ side of macaroni and cheese. Also cornbread. The manager expedited the food and was awesome! Then he came out to bring slices of smoked sausage samples. After learning we had a new customer/ to the store the desert flowed out by the manager. A cherry cheesecake. Our meals were amazing, especially our fave the pulled pork. Upon departing staff came by to take our trays. Otherwise it's self bussing. No reason to not elevate to full 5 stars.

The staff is always friendly and accommodating here. I'm a single mom and have young children and a…read moremanager once went out of his way to help me get a high chair and wrangle my kids to a table, even bringing refills once for them. The food is pricey but to be expected for BBQ I always get the brisket and add on a third side and it's about $30 a pop. This time it was late about closing and the brisket was very dry. I would go earlier in the day to avoid getting the dry leftovers. The sauces are okay, the Mac and cheese is very good. Overall a great place to dine.

The team was incredibly welcoming and attentive. They even provided a water bowl for our puppies…read moreand made sure they felt right at home. Highly recommend!

I eat a lot of BBQ on the road, and often when walking in it seems it will be a leap of faith…read moreregarding the cleanliness of many BBQ restaurants. TLP was clean, bright and modern. Our server, Ginger, was helpful and kind answering any of my questions. Food came out hot, fast and was absolutely delicious. All was excellent, but the wings were certainly the star of the show - thank goodness I had the good sense to get a small order and share them with my buddy!

I placed an online order for an event of 20 people. To order online was effortless. Arrived on the…read moreday of pickup, everything was ready, packaged accordingly, the server that assisted me double checked the bags, explained what was in each bag. He confirmed that we had enough plasticware, sauces, seasonings and helped me carry my order to my car. My food was prepared correctly, presentation was great (considering it was a carry out order), and precise. Flavor of the food was perfect. It was hot, tender and a wonderful smoked flavor. Sauces were extremely savory. I would most definitely recommend Due South BBQ for your next event.

Picture a no-nonsense Southern BBQ joint--the kind where you smell the smoke before you even open…read morethe door. Inside, it's all worn wood tables, checkered paper, and the low hum of conversation over country music. The walls might have a few local photos or license plates, but nothing fancy--this place lets the food do the talking. The pulled pork sandwich is the star. It comes piled high, the meat slow-smoked for hours until it practically falls apart. Each bite hits with that perfect balance--smoky, tender, just a little crispy on the edges. Then there's the sauce situation. You've got options lined up on the table--sweet and sticky and tangy vinegar-based. Half the fun is mixing and matching until you land on your perfect combo. On the side, golden hush puppies arrive hot and crisp--crunchy on the outside, soft and slightly sweet inside. The fries are perfectly salted, and just begging to be dipped in leftover sauce. And dessert? Banana pudding, served cold in a simple cup with layers of creamy vanilla pudding, sliced bananas, and soft vanilla wafers that have soaked just enough to melt into everything. It's rich without being heavy--the kind of dessert that feels like it came straight from someone's grandmother's kitchen. It's not fancy, it's not trendy--but it's exactly what you want when you're craving real, honest BBQ.

As the same with the Richmond location, the Cobra Kai double I ordered with crinkle cut and sweet…read morepotato fries paired with Jack Brown's signature sauce all were nothing short of perfect! One taste and you are in love! The service is attentive and friendly as the restaurant itself is decorative and pleasant to enjoy yourself within! My guess is that we should expect nothing less than perfection with every location!

First time at this location for Jack Browns which is store #2 in the chain. I had on my list the…read morelast visit and did not make it. They were packed before 5 PM on a Friday. But honestly the place is tiny. My visit with wife was brief by design. We sat at the bar and got cheeseburgers and water to move onto something else planned. Amazing service from multiple staff and yum burgers. Easy checkout and decent value. Hopefully a return visit next year and I can enjoy more of the menu. I love their sweet potato fries and large beer selection. Absolutely recommend.

Tucked away inside the historic city market building the Laughing Bull has a variety of menu…read moreoptions and the staff was friendly and the food came out hot and quick. There are tables inside a spacious hall decorated with greenery and interesting architecture. I'm not sure I ordered the best thing on the menu, the Teriyaki chicken panini was lightly sauced teriyaki chicken and Swiss cheese on thick Texas toast type bread. It could have been better honestly, it had a weak flavor and was pretty messy and hard to eat. The French fries were good, maybe a little overly salted but good. I would give it another try.

In a word, OK. In the Market Building food court in downtown Roanoke, Va. comfortable common-area…read moreseating, staff brought the food to us after ordering at the window. Very nice staff, answered our questions, and were quite friendly. Ordered two gourmet burgers and a 'cheese steak' panini. All three came with fries and were visually appealing. The burgers were stacked, had nice veggies but the meat was rather tasteless, a real disappointment. The panini was inedible. The "steak" was strips of very tough and chewy meat that pulled right out of the bread, and the peppers overrode all other tastes. A real disappointment. The staff came and checked on us twice, very attentive. I would try it again, just to try another of their very creative dishes, but I am not running back. Good for a stop if you are downtown.

A nice specialty grocery with deli counter…read more I was too late to catch the deli counter but browsed and got a loaf of sourdough from a vendor. From my limited experience I would return.

Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined such an extraordinary Grocery and Cafe that opened…read moreits doors in 2019 after quality extensive renovations to Tinnell's Finer Foods, when it closed its doors after 82 years of serving the South Roanoke community. When I came to visit this place for the first time I had no idea that it had a close relationship to the River and Rail Restaurant which I reviewed last year, giving it the highest rank of my Five Star reviews ever. When doing my research for this review I found out that the long-time Roanoke residents, Whit and Lauren Ellerman, the owners of Crystal Spring Grocery, are also the owners of the River and Rail Restaurant, located on the same block as Crystal Spring Grocery. The Ellermans clearly have an eye for recognizing the possibilities of vacant buildings and the talents of others and a vision of how they can come up with something as wonderful as this establishment. Gourmet grocery store and Cafe is a short definition of what Crystal Spring Grocery Company is all about. But I must go more in depth of what makes it so special and unique beside being gourmet. First of all I was very impressed with the interior design of the building space. Simple yet beautiful in its simplicity. I particularly loved its shiny whitish gray floors, and the green furniture and design, throughout the Grocery as well as Cafe. Also, I was very impressed with the windows and lighting treatment of the place. Second, I was very impressed with the quality and organization of the food items and wines, in the Grocery area. Third, with the menu items and quality of the food coming out of the kitchen of the Cafe. I had an Iced Sweet Tea to drink, and a Chicken Sandwich with Fries to eat. Everything was amazingly delicious. And last, but not least, I was highly impressed with the quality of your employees; with the ones behind the counter up front and the ones taking the orders and handing them out in the Cafe area. They all were so friendly and welcoming and at the same time so knowledgeable and organized, providing exceptional customer service individual and working as Team players. I highly recommend this Grocery and Cafe to everyone reading my review and viewing my photographs accompanying this review. This place is another gem in the this neighborhood.

We decided to try wildwood SH one night because the sushi place across the street was closed for…read morereservations. Upon entering it was like we time warped back to 1985. The ambiance was very vintage. The patrons we all older folks and we got stared at upon walking in. The menu was fairly simple, we ended having the sampler platter. The meats were ok. Nothing to write home about and my wife found the brisket too dry for her liking. Personally I thought their house BBQ sauce was barely more than ketchup. Service wasn't bad. It seemed like a lot of people in there were regulars judging by conversations we over heard. This is why I gave a "maybe" recommendation. Seems like some people really liked it, it just wasn't for us.

A friend of mine mentioned that he had found this restaurant that served Memphis Style BBQ and…read moreinvited me to go try it out. So one day, on a Tuesday early evening, we both drove following the GPS of his cellphone to the strip mall in Roanoke, Virginia, where this restaurant is located in the Oak Grove Shopping Center since 1998. When we arrived, I was impressed with the colonial style face of the building; especially by the large molding surrounding the entrance of the building, columns, large single windows, and large red and white restaurant sign floating above the roof. As we entered, there were a couple of tables with checkered tablecloths and some Walnut furniture colonial style dining room display cases containing many pig small statues. All these contributed to a homey and relaxed atmosphere and set the mood for a very unique BBQ dining experience. On the left was the bar and dining room with tables and chairs, and on the right was the main dining room with booths. At the center entrance was the Host standing behind the host's station and behind this a window that led to the kitchen for carry-out orders. And next to this window, a gigantic traffic light. One of the hosts took us to a booth and handed us copies of the menu. It was nicely done and laminated containing a nice variety of main dishes and sides. Our friendly waitress arrived to take our order and greeted us with a warm smile, making us feel at home with a Southern Hospitality. We ordered two cups of Brunswick Stew to start with, and she also brought us a complimentary basket of Hushpuppies and butter. The stew was hot and delicious with lots of pieces of different meats. The Hushpuppies were amazingly good. For the main course we ordered from the Combo part of the Menu, "The Porker," which included all their best: Pulled Pork, Beef Brisket, Pulled Chicken, Ribs and Ham, as well as 4 sides. For sides, we ordered Deviled Eggs, Macaroni and Cheese, Cole Slaw, and Onion Rings. All this also came with flat bread and butter for each of us. They also brought us 3 sauces: Memphis Style BBQ Tomato, North Carolina Style Vinegar, and Honey Mustard. All the food was cooked so well that the flavor stood out and the ribs were so tender and tasty that smoothly came off the bones. But even above and beyond the food, what impressed me the most was how the servers and hosts worked together to make our dining experience just extraordinary. One of the hosts, a young gentleman, also walked around to see if we needed anything and removing the plates we were finished with to make space for more food. For dessert, they had a choice of different types of homemade cookies as well as homemade carrot cake. We ordered the carrot cake and it was also very good with a homemade quality flavor. I would definitely recommend this restaurant and look forward to returning real soon. Wonderful food and extraordinary service, in a relaxed environment. What else can you ask for to enjoy an amazing dining experience.

The food was wonderful and even better service thanks to Ryan our waiter! This place is an awesome…read morerestaurant to have so close to our home in Vinton!

Update: went back for a second time. First time was amazing…read more Second time was heavenly, service was top tier, food was out of this world, best Ruben I ever had in my life. The 6 shooter fries was so flavorful. 10/10 ranks in the top 3 favorite places we eat here in Roanoke. It's my goal now to try everything on the menu.

I have eaten at some of the best restaurants in the world, but in none have I had such a wonderful…read moredining experience like I always do at Bernard's Gastropub & Eatery. After having been selected as number 4 of Yelp's Top 50 most prolific Elites of 2025, a year when I also was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Photographer of the Year Award at their Yelpies 2025 Award Ceremony, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, and where last year I was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Yelper of the Year Award, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to return to those special ones, that have made a difference in my life and highlight them, for the benefit of the public, so they too can have an opportunity to appreciate the qualities of a one-of-a-kind fine dining experience. And Bernard's Gastropub & Eatery in Downtown Roanoke, is a perfect example. Bernard's was born out of the love of two culinary aficionados turned professionals that in someway have managed to create a restaurant with an environment that transmits this intimate love to the hearts of their customers through the attention to detail in its extraordinary customer service and amazing culinary masterpieces. Today, I felt like dining at this restaurant, which I admire for its consistency in always far exceeding my high expectations of what a fine-dining restaurant should be all about. Not knowing if they would have a table for me at this late time on a Saturday early evening, I drove in my pearl white Lexus to the nearest private parking lot and gave them a call to inquire as if they could give me a reservation for the next ten minutes. A gentleman, who later I found out was named Matthew, and would be my server, answered the phone with a very polite and welcoming voice; answering my question of what was the special dish of the day and to come on down, that my reservation was assured. As soon as I arrived to the small, very elegant foyer in front of the Host's station, he came out to greet me and instantly recognized who I was. My only request was that he give me a low table because at my age seating at a high table was a bit uncomfortable. He went back to see what he could find and ended setting me up with what I consider one of the best tables of the house, and I was so appreciative of his last minute accommodation. The menu was already setup on my table. He poured water from a special bottle into my water glass and asked if I wanted something else to drink. I asked for a Mocktail and since he also was a bartender, he prepared me one of the best mocktails I've ever had. To dine, I started out with their Mussels Carbonara appetizer, which came in a bacon parmesan cream sauce that was simply amazing, and served with toast points. As my main entrée I had the Dinner Special of the Night, the Seafood Trio. It had a delicious, giant size crab cake in the middle, scallops, and shrimps, with parmesan risotto sautéed heirloom tomato, spinach, and nice size asparagus, with a burre blanc sauce. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the high-quality of their food and magnificent ambiance of the place. Everything was so delicious that only one word could ever describe them: priceless! For dessert I had their very famous Butterscotch Banana Pudding, which the chef makes at the moment ordered. It looked spectacular and tasted amazingly delicious: a culinary work of art. What a great way for the Gran Finale of an extraordinary dining experience!

Salty Salty They have potential to be good…read more But they use the same seasoning on fries - and French Onion Soup. Sub par food expensive. Not worth it.