Cancel

Open app

Search

Car Wash Cafe

4.4 (171 reviews)
Closed • 8:30 am - 2:30 pm

Car Wash Cafe Photos

Business Info

CAR WASH CAFE ATMOSPHERE

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

You might also consider

More like Car Wash Cafe

Recommended Reviews - Car Wash Cafe

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

Soft shell crab Benedict
John Penn T.

Soft shell crab Benedict! Nothing else matters When it is the special they don't even need a menu

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
Danny L.

We were visiting Kilmarnock for the weekend and had no idea where to eat. While driving and exploring we came across this little gem. As the name indicates, it's attached to a car wash. As we walked up, we noticed six well-distanced outdoor tables, two of which were empty, but needing to be bussed. We were greeted promptly, but told it would be a few minutes. We quickly noticed why. There are only 2 servers on during the Saturday shift. We were seated after about 5 minutes and the wait staff took excellent care of us. They were busy, but attentive to all their tables. She explained to us the daily specials and we chose the grouper sandwich. It was lightly fried to perfection and delicious all around. The homemade potato salad was a nice compliment. The only complaint was the serving of sweet potato fries with the second sandwich were a bit scant. Don't leave without getting a dessert, even if it's to go. We ordered and shared two - the triple chocolate cake and the triple c (carrot cake, cheesecake, carrot cake). The former was fudgey and the latter was simply brilliant. This place is worth a stop of you find yourself in town.

Crab Cake Benedict

See all

2 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

6 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

18 days ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 1

3 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1
Photo of Mary Y.
36
81
469

2 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 3
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of S K.
0
2
0

6 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

8 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.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 5
Thanks 1
Love this 3
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

10 months ago

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

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

6 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Ed M.
0
281
0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

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.

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

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

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

8 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of EmmBee L.
29
115
11

5 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 0

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

8 years ago

Helpful 20
Thanks 0
Love this 20
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

Page 1 of 5

Ask the Community - Car Wash Cafe

Verify this business for free

People searched for New American 328 times last month within 15 miles of this business.

Verify this business

The Office Bistro - Pow Pow Shrimp

The Office Bistro

4.2(98 reviews)
4.4 mi

Lovely atmosphere. Yes, in an old dentist's office, but don't let that stop you from coming here…read more The draft Legends Brown Ale very good. My nonalcoholic, cucumber and lime drink was delicious. Better than at Cava. Caramelized onion and mushroom flatbread was delicious! The service is friendly also. If you're in town, this is a must go to. It looks like they have happy hour and specials.

Deliciousness - 2.5/5 Happiness - 4/5…read more I went here for a group dinner. It's a cute place with a very friendly staff. But ultimately, I was a bit disappointed. We started with flatbreads. I don't know if the cheese mixes were off but one was too tart and the other had far too much goat cheese (enough that it blunted the taste of the mushrooms). Although I don't eat shrimp, I did put some of the accompanying pow pow sauce on my flatbread and that was excellent - a nice, flavorful and bold spice. I wish I'd kept more of it for my main meal. We started with a standard salad, which was promising. The ranch dressing was extremely flavorful, and the croutons withstood the dressing and were delightfully crunchy. For dinner, I got a chicken marsala type dish. Although it came drenched in sauce (which, sadly, melted the mashed potatoes before I could eat them), there was very little flavor. The skin on the chicken was also a bit gummy and unpleasant. And it also came with some broccoli that was both lightly cooked (closer to raw than not) and lightly seasoned. Others in our group had salmon, or steak, but not a plate was finished. At the end the we got ginormous (seriously) slices of carrot cake. That was the highlight for sure, with thick frosting, a good caramel drizzle, and super-moist cake. They said it comes from an old recipe, and it delivered. The servers were very nice and welcoming. But they disappeared for most of the meal. Although we had several bottles of wine, they never came around to re-fill (nor were the waters topped off).

Photos
The Office Bistro - Lots of space and you aren't crowded.

Lots of space and you aren't crowded.

The Office Bistro - Crab dip

Crab dip

The Office Bistro - PECAN PEAR BLUE CHEESE SALAD

See all

PECAN PEAR BLUE CHEESE SALAD

Lee's Restaurant - I adored these hush puppies.

Lee's Restaurant

4.0(88 reviews)
0.9 mi
•$$

Been eating here for over 10 years, and have always been please. Recent visit was mediocre at best…read more New menu is dumbed down, portions are smaller, fries were cold. Only thing positive was the service

**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.

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

Surprisingly empty at 5:20. Wasn't empty later!

Lee's Restaurant - Fantastic crabcake sandwich with very good cucumber salad and mashed potatoes

Fantastic crabcake sandwich with very good cucumber salad and mashed potatoes

Lee's Restaurant - Outside of Lee's

See all

Outside of Lee's

The Dining Hall at The Hope and Glory Inn - Beautiful wife and I in front of the awesome fireplace.

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.

Photos
The Dining Hall at The Hope and Glory Inn - Reception and Meditation

See all

Reception and Meditation

Kilmarnock Inn - Shrimp in sambuca sauce

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.

Photos
Kilmarnock Inn - Front room

Front room

Kilmarnock Inn
Kilmarnock Inn - Outside - front of restaurant

See all

Outside - front of restaurant

Car Wash Cafe - newamerican - Updated October 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...