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    Car Wash Cafe

    4.4 (171 reviews)
    Closed Closed

    Car Wash Cafe Photos

    Business Info

    CAR WASH CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Car Wash Cafe

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    She crab soup for the WIN!!!
    Robert M.

    All the rave reviews and stellar write ups of this spot are all too subtle & under whelming compared to actually going there! This is a real-deal gem of a spot. The parking is a bit wonky and the dining area is tight & tiny, but all of that is well worth the pilgrimage to the top of the mountain for what you receive. What you receive (or actually what we received) was an amazing staff, wonderful people around you, and absolutely divine food from the cook team. I can not say how much I enjoyed this and am drooling thinking of returning. Based on the advice of my bank teller down the street (thanks, Tanya!) I went with the tuna sandwich and she-crab soup. Yes, it was a splurge. Yes, it was more of a lunch than I was intending. Yes, I would do it again every day of my life and enjoy the indulgence. The she-crab soup was SO rich and creamy with just tons of chunky crab meat in it. I'm in love with anything that has crab in it and this just made my day. I ordered the ahi tuna sandwich and probably gave the cook a disappointment. I do not like things lightly seared. I had it well cooked and they did exactly what I wanted which is rare. With the wasabi mayo it was just perfect. I didn't realize I had a side choice (plan ahead if you are reading this! read the side items before you have to order) and went with a great coleslaw. All in all - this is an awesome place. Just be patient if it gets crowded and be as warm hearted as your new friends/neighbors when you are seated.

    Exterior- breakfast time
    Mary Y.

    Great food! Plus awesome customer service... we got the eggs Benedict with crab cake & a side of grits. softshell crab, BLT, delicious and crispy! Plus a cup of the she carb soup! The soup was fresh and delicious! The service is always spot on! this location very welcoming and has a small town home feel. Do not let the outside fool you! The cooking is delicious ; like eating in your grandmother's kitchen.

    Frittata with spinach and onions and sour cream, and it was good!
    Kim H.

    I definitely ate when I was in Kilmarnock, VA. This cafe was close to where family and I stayed for the weekend, and found this cafe. The staff were friendly and just a nice vibe. Usually I do not eat all my food, but I did that day! The food was really good and no take out box for me! Thanks for the great service and that hometown vibe!

    the counter and chairs
    Austin G.

    While staying at nearby The Tides Inn from Washington, D.C., Yelp directed us to Car Wash Cafe, a cafe attached to an actual car wash. Walking in without a reservation on a Saturday around 10 a.m., we snagged their last open table. The menu is massive and has plenty of country food to pick from. My wife ordered their hash and LOVED it. It's worth every dollar. The space itself is perfect- no frills and a throwback to the 1950s. Service is very kind and fast. Our server treated us like family! The only con was the coffee. It's literally Folgers or some brand like that. It tasted like water. For better coffee, go to The Local in Irvington, VA.

    Side salad with homemade blue cheese
    Meredith S.

    Absolutely spot on! Such a cute place. It's located in a former gas station/car wash? Super well done with an open kitchen. Nothing hidden here. We stopped in for lunch on a Saturday in July. It's definitely a popular spot, but lucky us, we got a table right away. I started with a side salad with blue cheese dressing. Super fresh and the dressing is definitely homemade. I appreciate the blue cheese chunks. I ordered the burger with cheddar and I'm a mid-rare kind of girl. You can't scare me - I have kids. The burger was cooked to perfection! Hubby had a BLT and it was packed with bacon. And hello? Who doesn't love shoestring fries when they are fried perfectly (not too crunchy, not too limp)?! So hard to find a place with shoestring fries anymore. And definitely harder to find a place that does them right. The service was fast and oh SO friendly!! This is just a great, unique place to eat. And if you have to wait, I promise that it's worth it. We will definitely be back when in the area again!

    Triple Chocolate Cake

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    6 months ago

    Food is always good service very friendly sometimes hard to get a table, stays busy. It's great when the weather is good to eat outside.

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    8 months ago

    The food is good and the service is great ! The fresh flowers really added the touch.

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    1 year ago

    I had the blacken grouper it was excellent. The service is always 5 stars. N ever had anything but 5 star meals at the car wash.

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    2 years ago

    The food is fantastic. Best place to go for breakfast. The servers are the best and are always smiling.

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    Lee's Restaurant

    Lee's Restaurant

    4.0
    (87 reviews)
    0.9 mi
    $$

    **LEE'S SEAFOOD DINER -- (and I would give it a sixth star if the tyranny of the five-star system…read morepermitted)** I did not eat at Lee's. Lee's ate *me*. I walked in a man and walked out a myth. The moment the door swung open, a bell rang -- no, a *bell tolled* -- and the salt air hit me like a letter from an old lover. Somewhere in the back, a fryer sighed. I understood, instantly, that every meal I had eaten before this one was merely rehearsal. The hush puppies arrived like small golden asteroids from a kinder planet. I bit one. My ancestors stood up. The fried shrimp -- plump, glistening, arranged with the casual confidence of a Renaissance fresco -- were so good that a man two booths over stopped chewing simply to watch me experience them. We locked eyes. Nothing needed to be said. The coleslaw. I will be brief about the coleslaw only because I cannot speak of it without weeping. It was cold. It was crisp. It knew things. Our waitress, whose name was Denise and whose true name is probably written in the stars, called me "hon" exactly four times, each one landing like a papal blessing. She refilled my sweet tea before I knew I wanted it refilled. She *anticipated my thirst*. NASA should study her. The tartar sauce came in one of those little paper cups. Peer-reviewed journals are not ready for what was inside. Décor: nautical rope, one (1) enormous varnished fish, laminated menus soft as old money. Perfect. Flawless. Do not change a single thing, Lee, I am begging you. I left $12 lighter and 400 years wiser. Go to Lee's. Order the platter. Tell Denise I'm doing better now.

    Came to Lee's for dinner with my son on an early Friday night in December. Pro-tip: this place gets…read morepopular full quick! It is popular, for all the right reasons, so take that into your planning. We were seated quickly because we arrived before 5:30! By the time we left there weren't many open seats. The waiter was great, well timed and very competent. Inside it was cozy and ready for the Christmas holiday's. Something possessed me so I ordered a margarita. Pretty good! I have crazy margarita standards and this one hit the mark. We also started with hushpuppies. Since I used to have a summer job where ALL I did was make hushpuppies at a fish fry shack, I can personally rate hushpuppies and these were outstanding. I'm a sucker for crabcakes. So, of course, I had to have a crabcake sandwich. I didn't want to go all in on the meal and the sandwich seemed the perfect fit for me. And it was! Just the way I like them and wouldn't have it any other way. I went with mashed potatoes gravy as one side. It was very good and will be my new staple. I wanted a good vegetable that I could identify, but the only option that appealed to me was the cucumber salad. I don't remember the last time I ordered that. After the edition, I should order it more! The reason this has been a successful family run business for the last 80 years is because it is reliable, tastes great, and would be the poster child of a place that excels at "comfort food". And I write that with pride.

    Photos
    Surprisingly empty at 5:20. Wasn't empty later!
    Surprisingly empty at 5:20. Wasn't empty later!
    Lee's Restaurant
    Outside of Lee's

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    Outside of Lee's
    The Dining Hall at The Hope and Glory Inn

    The Dining Hall at The Hope and Glory Inn

    4.7
    (20 reviews)
    4.5 mi
    $$$

    Such a special evening! The waitress saw to our every need and request. The beautiful Inn provided…read morea wonderful setting for perhaps the best meal we've had in years! All 4 courses were such a culinary delight. Thanks Chef Messeret for sharing your beautiful food magic with us!

    My wife and I had dinner at Hooky, which is Hope & Glory's outdoor dining space (during Covid), and…read moreare extremely disappointed with our experience. When my wife called to make a reservation, she made it a point of telling the woman she spoke with (Chef Meseret) that it would be our anniversary, and that wasn't even acknowledged at any point during our meal, even though they recognized another customer's birthday. The meal itself was fine, but not exceptional, from oyster appetizer to crab cake entrée to cheesecake dessert. Everything was more or less good until the meal was finished. The waiter asked us if we wanted "to review your charges", which we thought was odd, since we figured we'd just get the check. Instead of that, the guy came over with an iPad and showed us the charges. In addition to the fixed price meal ($80 per person) we ordered two cocktails ($28 total) and a bottle of wine ($52), and then they had the nerve to charge us another $16 for an alcohol service fee. WHAT?!?! You can bet that they made plenty of markup on both the wine and the cocktails, but to charge us to serve it too...WTF?! I questioned the guy about the charge, and his answer was "I don't know, I just do what I'm told". As if that wasn't bad enough, he then put us on the spot and asked if we wanted to add a tip, and how much? What an annoying end to an otherwise fairly pleasant meal. All told, the tab was over three hundred bucks. Totally not worth it. While we were eating, we discussed the possibility of staying at Hope & Glory for a future visit to the area, but after getting nickled and dimed for a service fee, they're not getting any more money from us.

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    Reception and Meditation

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    Reception and Meditation
    Kilmarnock Inn

    Kilmarnock Inn

    3.9
    (60 reviews)
    0.8 mi

    This place is a hidden gem. It's a lovely hotel and a delicious restaurant. Seating is both indoor…read moreand outdoors. The menu is great with a lot to choose from. We were a large group and our service stayed on top of us the whole time. The gardens are lovely. Pets are allowed outside. The drinks were delicious. I've been for lunch and dinner and happy hour. I need to try their breakfast!

    We stayed here for a work trip since there wasn't much else around - it was a great recommendation!…read more It was super easy to check in, our room was very clean and well taken care of. Modern but still captured the old coastal feel. It was super musty and smelled like it. There was a dehumidifier but it was so small, in two nights we actually had to dump the water bucket 4 times. And if we left all day, we came back to a damp room. I'm not sure what causes that - we live in a super humid area and don't have the same issue, but maybe a larger humidifier would help. The breakfasts were fantastic - you can order anything off their restaurant menu. I didn't have anything bad, everything was super fresh and came in huge portions. I do wish they had an espresso machine but the coffee was okay. Check out was also a breeze. This isn't a luxury location, my main complaint was the price for it feels steep, but it's one of the only spots in the area which is probably why they can charge so much. Overall, a great stay and I would definitely come back here if I was in the area again.

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    Front room
    Front room
    Kilmarnock Inn
    Outside - front of restaurant

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    Outside - front of restaurant

    Car Wash Cafe - newamerican - Updated August 2026

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