I was in the mood for some really good French Onion Soup and my husband said it sounded good to him too. I had looked at the menu for the Briar Patch restaurant and the picture of it looked really good so we chose to come try it. Plus some said it was good. We weren't disappointed! It was delicious!! Lots of delicious caramelized onions full of flavor and yummy, gooey cheese melted on top of a small piece of bread. You know it's good when my husband uses his finger to get the last bit of cheese left on the edges he can't get off with the spoon and then inspects my bowl to see if there's any on mine he can get. They had a special on their crab cake sandwich $11, so we both ordered that as well. It came with ranch style potatoe wedges and some ranch dressing on the side. It was good. It wasn't lump crab but definitely backfin crabmeat and plenty of it with some flavoring. Then a nice light, crispy coating and lightly fried. One of the better crab cakes we've had so far in this area. For dessert we shared a piece of their Derby Pie. Like a yummy, warm chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream on top and drizzled with chocolate sauce. We both enjoyed it. Don drank a Pepsi and I had their house made sweet iced tea which was perfect because it wasn't too sweet. I look forward to coming back and trying other things on their menu. Our waitress, Brittany, was nice and efficient. They were busy when we arrived but everything came out within a reasonable amount of time. I think considering all we ordered the total bill before tip was reasonable too ($46.12). I'd like to add that the ladies restroom is extremely handicap friendly with the handicap stall nice and wide to accommodate wheelchairs and even the sinks a wheelchair can roll right up to it making it easy to wash their hands. You don't often see that. Also the large booth we were seated at could accommodate a wheelchair at the end possibly. Easy entrance and all wood floors too. #barrier read more

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Gosh I finally had an amazing hamburger today! I have looked and tasted but today was it! The best burger I have had in years. It was thick and juicy and cooked just right. The flavors were amazing. read more

Briar Patch Restaurant - This was my Southern Burger! It had pimento cheese, fried green tomatoes, lettuce and bacon. It was absolutely delicious! - American Near Me - Amherst, Virginia

Buffalo chicken salad is huge and super yummy! Holy moly that salad was amazing! I came to this restaurant with a couple of coworkers and thought the menu was pretty broad and offered an array of selections for all kinds of customers. They have a pretty cool little bar area at that back of the restaurant. I was impressed that they had divvied up an open space with high tops for the bar and low tops for the dining area without having a big transitional space. There is also a second dining space on the opposite side of the restaurant. My most favorite thing, you ask? Diet Dr. Pepper on the fountain drink list! Maybe this is always available in the Virginia area, but as a Californian, this is really hard to find. I was so happy to get this on tap :) There is a great list of sandwiches for lunch as well as soups and salads. I loved that our waitress held off on bringing out the soups because the clam chowder was at the bottom of the pot and she was waiting for the fresh batch. That is very considerate. If you order the Buffalo Chicken Salad then you better be prepared for a spicy kick and super tasty chicken. You should also be prepared for a huge salad with a great flavor that packs a good punch. I definitely recommend this place and will go back next time I am in the area. read more

Solid stop for your road trip. Chicken salad was the classic savory win. Kids liked their chicken tenders and crayons provided. Kids meal came with jello and whipped cream was their highlight. Service was disappointing- but able to look past it read more

Chaotic to say the least. No hostess and random people taking names. Some people in front of us had been waiting for take out orders for over 30 minutes. The food however, is good and the table service was excellent once we finally were seated. Crab cakes were slightly over cooked but everything else was awesome. The tacos "Katie's way" were amazing. read more

I love their big salads and ordered takeout. It was great. Staff did not have on masks. I had to stand in small area to pick-up order. I could see that they weren't taking any other precautions in the seating area to sanitize tables after use. I won't go back unless they change their Covid safety practices. read more

The Briar Patch was the very first place we ate when we moved here in May and we keep coming back. The food is great, servers are fun and nice, prices are so reasonable. We just went back last night and I love the crab cakes, Hubby had the Scallops Mornay (amazing!). - we've had so many things there that I feel we can certainly recommend it. The atmosphere is wonderful and we love going there - we take everyone who comes to visit. They have been super careful during the Covid height and really keep it clean and socially distanced - they even shut down at one point for two weeks to super clean it and make sure all the staff was healthy. Love this place!!! read more

We have eaten here a couple of times and have always been pleased. There is a large variety on the menu, food is good and plentiful and the staff are always welcoming. read more

Stopped by this Sunday as I was riding through the area. Had breakfast and my family, dinner entree. Mine was the Briar Patch Breakfast. My partner had the Seafood Pasta. The portion sizes were great. The food tasty. My partner ordered the Greek side salad and did not care for the extra oily consistency of the salad dressing so our successful choice was ranch. We did not think the roles were exceptional and suggest a variety of bread offerings. The server was very, very friendly and gets a 5/5. However the service was slow for Sunday lunchtime. They seemed understaffed either in the kitchen or waitstaff. This slowness was not perceived to be attributed to the server. Not at all. read more

Slim pickings in Amherst but Briar Patch is a perfectly nice place for a Sunday lunch. I was in town visiting my aunt and uncle and we came here Sunday brunch. Aunt had the chicken salad plate (her favorite). Uncle had the crab cake (his favorite). I had the grilled salmon salad. My salmon was nicely grilled and served over a very generous portion of greens (almost too large to finish) and tossed with a nice honey mustard dressing. My lunch was a good choice. The restaurant has been in business since the 1940s and seems to do a pretty brisk business. The menu has the basics does not try to do a lot of fancy stuff. It knows is customer base and works hard to keep them happy. read more

Tasty food and great prices! Server was very prompt and friendly. Worth a second visit... read more

Briar Patch Restaurant - Great lunch time spot if visiting CMG -Amherst - American Near Me - Amherst, Virginia

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I will start off by saying there food is delicious and have eaten there many times. The reason i give it 3 stars is that we always have to wait to be seated as the staff completely ignores you as they pass you by. We were waiting to at least get drinks at our table for over 15 mins and then had to wait for the straws which took another 10. The waiter who was assigned to use was extremely rude and brought the straws and put them on the table. The straws where not covered with the white paper wrap and not that I am being picky but he was profusely sweating and I had seen him wipe his forehead with his hands. As you know all entrees come with a salad and a side. I had ordered the flat iron steak that comes with rice I just wanted to replace the rice with potatoes and the 1 side I had ordered was creamed spinach. My husband ordered Scallops mornay which comes with a salad and 1 side. The waiter brings me a salad and not my husband so I asked him were is my husbands salad and he replied he does not get one. I let him know that he was mistaken and that every entree gets a salad. His reply was I did not get a salad so he was going to give us a free salad in a very loud and not so nice voice as every one starred at us. I tried to explain to him that he was not correct and that I have been ordering my entree the same way for years. He continued to argue with me that I was wrong and that he is giving us a free salad, At that point I only ate half of the salad because I was so upset. He also ignored us most of the time. I had to get up and ask for a spoon after my husband was waiting for one for about 10 mins. In short I will have to think twice if I would want to return or bring my guests from out of town here. Pretty sad to write this review. read more

My son and I went their last night at 5:15 and waited a short time before being seated. We received our drinks while waiting to order. My son got his oyster appetizer, and we ordered our food. 2 hours later, we had not received our order-just 2 sandwiches. The kitchen seemed more intent on fulfilling take-out orders than the customers who stayed to eat. The waitress said they were short of help, but that did not excuse the cooks. They were cranking out the take-outs quickly. We asked for the check and did not receive a discount or anything to compensate for our wait. I let the waiting customers know how long we waited with no food to show for it. I will say the waitress was very apologetic, but this was not HER fault. We left a generous tip. read more

This is an amazing restaurant it's homey and feel good place! But they past three times the service has been very poor I'm am left waiting for my food for about an hour. Not to mention they double charged my card, but they kindly reimbursed. I recommend this place if your fine with waiting for a while to receive your food. read more

Excellent food at reasonable prices. The waitresses always do a hood job of keeping up with my allergys (Celiac). The staff is friendly and cooperative. read more

Overpriced microwave frozen crap food Took forever to get food to just be served frozen yuk Would not recommend read more

I've never had any bad food here. I have gotten lunch here several times and appetizers. I've had the wings, the smokehouse burger, and the black and blue burger. I'm not a fan of their fries or the potato skins. The cheese on the potato just doesn't appeal to me but all of the other items mentioned tasted good. I have to piggy back what Shep said as he was referring to the prime rib. Don't ask me how I want my burger cooked and I say medium and it comes out well done. The take-out service is friendly and relatively quick, I order over the phone. They have a lunch combo of pick a half of a club or chicken salad sandwich and a house, spinach, or Caesar salad or soup of the day or chili for $7, I think its a good deal. We usually frequent here during the summer after workouts and drink sweet tea. read more

Briar Patch Restaurant - Black and blue burger - American Near Me - Amherst, Virginia

First time visitor, in town passing through. The Briar Patch had come recommended; I got the veggie melt light on the cheese which had a nice flavor and wasn't too heavy. The theme appears to be casual comfort food. Nice for lunch, be prepared for a bit of noise. Derby pie for dessert was pretty good as well. Overall, the restaurant looked clean and service was friendly and prompt. If ever we're back in town we'd stop by again. read more

You need someone at the front as much as possible. I have had to leave a few times,because your staff walk right by me without saying anything. Someone will be with you shortly. Last time I stopped to get six pieces of your brown derby pie to go. After waiting ten minutes without any acknowledgement I left. read more

I had the Reuben sandwich and it was great. Very friendly and great service at this local restaurant. I will definitely go back if I'm in the area. read more

Came here while we were down in Charlottesville for a quick brunch after stopping by the Bakery across the street, I'm so glad we did! I've read some of the reviews others wrote about the wait (which I understand, we waited for a good minute too) but the service, food and general atmosphere definitely made up for it. The table ordered fried mozzarella and hush puppies as an appetizer, a Smokehouse burger with fettuccine alfredo as a side and the sandwich of the day (Pulled pork with coleslaw) with sweet potato fries. We ordered the cheesecake of the day (butterscotch!) to go since we were so full! the service was friendly and personable, those who know me know I take FOREVER to decide at restaurants but she was really nice and offered great suggestions that made my meal super tasty! The portion sizes were big and filling, the sweet potato fries and hush puppies were crispy and the fried mozzarella (square shaped!!) was DELICIOUS. My boyfriend and I have an ongoing challenge to order mozzarella as an appetizer at every restaurant that has it on the menu to find the best in the DMV area and this is the greatest so far!!! Overall, I was very happy and hope we come back soon! read more

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Came here with my fiance on a Saturday night while in town for the weekend. the parking lot was full and we had to park on the street, along with 5 other cars, so we thought it would take forever to get a table, but it wasn't too busy in there. i'm not sure where all those cars came from. i got a salad which was good and ordered the crabcakes with green beans and sweet potato fries. the fries were amazing! crabcakes were good and didn't have much filler. i don't remember what justin ordered, but he said it was good. afterward, there was a little folk band playing so we stuck around the bar for a bit to listen. the smell from the dishwasher in the kitchen was really strong and not the best bar environment, but it was overall a good night. we'd head back there again if we're in town. read more

Great lunch stop on our road trip. Waistlines was perfect. My husband lived his Reuben sans bread! Friendly wait staff. Would definitely come again! read more

Briar Patch Restaurant - American Near Me - Amherst, Virginia

Prices are outrageous!!!!! Prime Rib is decent and flavorful! The place has burned down 3-5 times within a few years. (something fishy there) There isn't much going on in Amherst and this place comes recommended by a few. Mostly upper class folks whom just come in every evening to get sloshed and waste money. The food is decent but no where near the quality of the prices they ask. read more

Kind of a rustic, family style restaurant with good food. I had the Hokie sub, which was very good. The fries were crispy, and cooked perfect. Also had the chili, which was awesome. They put onion, tomato, banana peppers and cheese on top of the chili....very good. Service was okay, and the prices weren't bad. Worth a stop if you're in the area. read more

Had our parents 50th anniversary here and food was awesome. Waitstaff was great. Place was too loud to have any conversation though. Loved the prime rib. read more

Great prime rib and seafood platter. But the dessert was well worth the trip breme brûlée and bread pudding were the best. read more

Briar Patch Restaurant - Seafood platter - American Near Me - Amherst, Virginia

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I have eaten here several times with my significant other. I will say first of all that this restaurant sets a high standard for the area that it is in. I am giving it 4 stars mainly because it is so much better than most other options in the area. This is surprisingly sophisticated comfort food. I will say that some of the dishes are a bit rich. The first time I came, I ordered too much when I had a starter and the chicken mornay. I was simply unprepared for the quantity of food and the rich sauces. That said, the service is very good and now, when I go, I am aware of the portions and so I order less. I usually get two starters because I find them to be a bit lighter than a main course. I am very fond of the jalapeno poppers which are much better than average. My significant other always seems to enjoy his food and the ambience is charming on a Sunday afternoon. The staff do not make you feel rushed and the refills are very forthcoming. I see that they have a brunch though I have yet to try it. One more thing, I think this restaurant's real forte is the quality of its cheeses. They are very rich, creamy and, well, CHEESY which is how they should be. If you order something with cheese, you can't go wrong. Just don't order too much. read more

It's pretty good for lunch, but I wouldn't bother for dinner. It's usually crazy busy during the weekend,and the kitchen gets rushed and food goes down hill fast. Whenever someone asks about this place my response is "They have the best ruined prime-rib I have ever tasted." You would think if they got rushed things would come out under done, but the opposite is true. A medium rare prime-rib comes out gray all the way through and a little dry. It still tastes good, but why bother asking how I want it cooked? Pasta is soggy no matter how rushed the kitchen gets...stay away. They serve deep fried spinach leaves, and while the concept sounds interesting they come out looking like grease saturated green tissue paper and taste exactly like I would imagine that tasting. read more

Service and organization has been subpar consistently but the most recent visit took about 2.25 hours for two entrees, with no alcoholic drinks or appetizers. When we got the meal, the food was extremely salty. Our waiter did communicate the kitchen was struggling, but it was clear that staff needed lessons in organization, front of house professionalism, and efficiency. It was frustrating on our end because we didn't plan on a two hour dinner with lackluster food and our waitstaff appeared to be trying. read more

Everything is homemade and the people are all so nice. Huge assortment of food from salads to steaks to scallops! We ate here a lot on our visit to Sweet Briar College where my daughter just started her first year of college. Looking forward to coming back again next year!!! read more

We were traveling back home and looking for a sit-down place as opposed to drive-thru. Based on the reviews I had high hopes for the place. The experience was just mediocre. I split the steak sandwich with my hubby and swapped the fries for mashed potatoes. The potatoes had an odd taste to them so that was disappointing and the sandwich was fair. Nothing amazing. I was a little turned off by the fact that our waitress grabbed the pickles and garnish with her hands after just wiping down tables. We had the featured cheesecake for dessert which was yummy. read more

Not a great service. The waiter (in pink shirt) was not very friendly. I brought a couple in from out of state and may not come back. Had to ask for straws, silverware (so did every table around us), refills (twice), prime rib did not come with au jus, no follow up from waiter until we were all done. At no time did I ever see anyone from management making rounds to see how things were going with anyone. And not too mention, it was hot inside! Not impressed!!!!!! read more

Quality food for AppleBee's pricing. Large menu with a nice atmosphere, kind wait staff and relatively quick service. I highly recommended this place. I had a delicious spinach salad with the salmon. Very tasty!! read more

Briar Patch Restaurant - Adorable Easter wreath!!! - American Near Me - Amherst, Virginia

This is a first for me and my fiancee. The ambiance is great, and the food is fantastic. I had a pork bbq sandwich, while my fiancee had a calamari. The calamari was a little bit soggy but it still taste fine. If you are visiting the area, you should check this place. read more

Briar Patch Restaurant - Fried calamari - American Near Me - Amherst, Virginia

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This is a very nice place to meet friends or for a date. Fast service and great food. Sometimes there is music. Private booths and nice atmosphere. read more

Best restaurant in Amherst! Steaks are amazing, chicken Florentine pizza is superb, sandwiches and salads are wonderful as well! The waitresses and bartenders are always attentive and friendly. Would recommend this place to everyone!! read more

Service mediocre. The oysters were fantastic! Juicy and fried to perfection! Prime rib sandwich was too fatty and sweet potato fries were served to us luke warm. After returning the fries we witnessed the waitress picking thru them in the kitchen! read more

Hands down the best food in Amherst/Lynchburg area. I've eaten here 4 or 5 times and the honey balsamic chicken is my favorite dish. They also make a mean smokehouse burger. I've always had great service and the interior is very inviting. read more

Briar Patch Restaurant - Ribs and chicken - American Near Me - Amherst, Virginia

We dined here after 1PM on a Sunday and, of course, it was crowded with the after-church crowd. They are only open three or four hours on Sunday. If you have a group of five or more, be sure to call ahead for reservations. The restaurant is situated in what looks like a home, but it is spacious inside if a bit over equipped with tables. It was a bit difficult to get around. We waited nearly a half hour. There is a full bar on one side and the tables in there look inviting. The overall feeling is "rustic country." The menu is extensive with a good selection of seafood. While several reviewers have mentioned that the prices were reasonable, I found them a bit high for the area and the quality of the food. Aside from sandwiches few entrees were under $10 and many were up in the area of $18. I had a mushroom etc omelet which was about on a level with Denny's or IHOP. My companions had a number of different items, the most ebullient compliments coming from the lady who ordered chicken livers in mushroom gravy. I had planned to order a "Monte Cristo sandwich" until the server clarified that it was just an ordinary sandwich and not deep fried as a Monte Cristo should be. The waitress said the cook was aware that it wasn't an authentic Monte Cristo, but of course it was OK, because, in typical Virginia style, she smiled and said "Ah'm sorry 'bout that" which always makes everything better and supposedly precludes the necessity for any further explanation. Otherwise, everything about this local restaurant is the average you'd expect for the genre. It was nice, but I would not drive ten miles from Lynchburg to have dinner there. read more