Just the other day I was at a place where I had the most delicious chocolate chip cookie that I…read morehave ever had. They told me they get them from the Kind Bakery Company, located in the Wasena neighborhood of Roanoke, Virginia, right next go the RND Coffee. When I arrived, I discovered this quaint and cozy neighborhood shop with its friendly owner, Bryan, who gave me a warm welcome and told me how she started the company as a "home baking hobby," and how the business "had blossomed into a lovely brick-and-mortar storefront." She gave me a tour of the place, that looked very clean, organized, and colorful, just like if it had come right out of a fairytale. The counter had freshly made items such as a Quiche, Muffins, Scones, Brownies, and their most popular item, Chocolate Chips Cookies. The owner/baker also tries to feature some gluten-free and dairy-free options. Today she had scratch-made, gluten-free Lemon Bars. She also takes pre-orders of "custom celebration cakes, and holiday treat boxes," for those one-of-a-lifetime occasions. As I was there, some repeat customer ladies dropped by to grab a bite to eat, and she greeted them with a big friendly hug, like that of an old friend. The place doesn't have tables and chairs inside to eat, but many of her customers purchase for take-out, or on days with good weather, have a seat at some tables outside, which are shared with her neighbor shop, RND Coffee. Besides the food, the shop also has an area with shelves filled with different items from local artisans for sale. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place, the high-quality of the food, and the variety of items from local artisans for sale there. I ended up ordering a slice of her Sundried Tomato, Feta & Herb Quiche, one of her famous Chocolate Chip Cookies, and a triangular shape Dark Chocolate Brownie. Paid using one of my credit cards with Google Pay tap, and went next door to have them with some coffee from RND Coffee. I highly recommend this charming, family-owned and run, local bakery, and know that once you try them once, you will become one of their biggest fans, just like I have.

After a successful find of Hunt Brothers Pizza, I searched to see if I could find one closer to the…read morecity, and found one located in VA Food Mart & Deli located on Roanoke Blvd in Salem, VA. This is a local Liberty gas station and convenience store. The place was very clean and offered many convenient services such as an ATM machine, Virginia Lottery, an air pump for tires, propane exchange, diesel fuel, ice, and a wheelchair accessible restroom, among other things. Inside, a friendly gentleman employee greeted me, and confirmed they had Hunt Brothers Pizza but it was closed today, even though on its online schedule it said it was open. He showed me where it was in a small space but nothing like the beautiful kiosk at the Watkins Market that I had visited. Other than this the Mart was full of useful merchandise such as fruits, a coffee station with microwave oven, snacks, softdrinks, beer, wine, a few sandwiches that could be heated in the microwave, cigarettes, ice cream, and lots of other items. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the many things it has to offer. It makes for a convenient place to go if you want to grab a bite to eat, need to get a last minute item to take home, buy a lottery ticket, or need to fill your tires with air.

Finding Vito's Pizza was like finding a needle in a haystack. But once found, I was able to reap…read morethe rewards of an exceptional pizza, made by an extraordinary individual. While driving up Stewartsville Road in Vinton, Virginia, looking for the number 15796, which AJ, the owner and chef of Vito's Pizza had given me over the phone, earlier on, his place was no where to be found. So I pulled over and went driving back through the parking lots of other small businesses along the way without even seeing a Vito's Pizza parking sign. Until way at the end of the last building I saw the front of a food truck with the name Vito's Pizza parked next to a small building with a small glass door that read Vito's Pizza and next to it a window with a bright red OPEN sign with its Business Hours. Inside I finally found AJ who gave me a warm greeting and welcomed me to his pizza shop. We talked for a while and I found out that he had immigrated from Calabria, Italy to New York in 1986 and had over 40 years experience in the pizzeria business across New York, Miami, North Carolina, and Virginia. He had a wonderful personality and showed me how he made many pizzas from phone ordered he had received. His food truck which he calls Vito's Pizza Mobile Kitchen functions as the catering and events division of his business and does so on the other four days of the week. Oftentimes the food truck is booked for sporting events, private parties, neighborhood gatherings, and local festivals. Unlike standard food trucks his mobile kitchen features on-site deck pizza ovens, and pizzas are baked straight from the truck. To check where the truck is headed next you can check the Vito's Pizza Takeout & Vito's Mibile Kitchen Facebook page. After watching how AJ made wonderful Pizzas, Calzones, and Salads for his steady customers, I ordered a Personal 10" Supreme Pizza and ate half there on the counter. It had fresh pepperoni, ham, sausage, mushrooms, green peppers and black olives, as well as one of the best cheeses I've over tasted on a pizza and an amazing in-house made pizza sauce. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the high-quality ingredients used. In conclusion, I highly recommend this place for the best genuine Italian Pizza. It tasted like no other that I've ever had before. Everything about it tasted wonderfully delicious! And AJ is a wonderful human being, worthy of total community support.

There is no better place to go on a hot Summer day than to a shack that sells comfort American…read morehometown food like burgers, fries, and hot dogs, together with refreshing desserts like Hawaiian Ice and Ice Cream. After being awarded the Triad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last year, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, 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 uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And Hang 10 Hawaiian Ice & Cream in Roanoke, Virginia, is the perfect example. Located in Roanoke's Historic Wasena neighborhood, near the Green Goat Restaurant, in a quiet place off the Roanoke River Greenway, Hang 10 Hawaiian Ice & Cream is one of the Star City's greatest hidden gems. At first it was not easy to reach. I set my Lexus GPS to their address 805 Winona Ave SW, Roanoke, VA and it had me going in circles without really reaching my desired destination. Then I tried with my Samsung cellphone and finally I was able to reach the place. It has plenty of parking spaces off a wide street that leads to the neat shack. Just in front of the building it has a green grass area with bluish green picnic benches with red and blue patio umbrellas. The building itself is kind of a neat shack with aluminum panels as the outside wall with a light blue and red name sign hanging from one of those construction iron poles. But once inside, one finds a clean, colorful place with beach motifs like surfboards and a floatie in the shape of a pineapple that as you know is the symbol of hospitality, warmth, welcome, and friendship. The seating area is full of light blue color picnic benches, and there is a long yellow counter behind which is the open kitchen area where all the food and drinks are prepared. Two young gentlemen greeted me and gave me a friendly welcome. They briefly talked to me about the place and showed me where the menus were, which were enlarged and posted all over the place. Since I had already eaten dinner and had come for ice-cream, I ordered a scoop of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice-cream in a cup. As I ate my ice-cream, other customers came by, and I tried to photograph some of the interesting ice-cream creations they ordered. I invite you to look at my photographs accompanying this review for a better sense of the place and its very unique products they sell. From their Autentic Hawaiian Shaved Ice, to their Frozen Lemonade, to their Hershey's Ice Cream and Shakes, to their Soft Serve and Dole Whip, and more. All these not counting food items like their burgers, hot dogs, and hand-cut fries. In conclusion I highly recommend this "one of a kind" Eatery. It has a wonderful selection of comfort and refreshing food, desserts, and drinks, a friendly and welcoming environment, and excellent customer service.

This place is great. I'm from Louisiana and this is the closest thing to a Louisiana style snow…read moreball that I've had on the east coast. So good. If you're in Roanoke it's worth the drive.

A cupcake shop that also has a cute boutique of pet and human gifts! The cupcakes are super…read moredelicious - take advantage of their specials. You can't go wrong with any of the flavors - the cupcakes are super moist, dense, and has the right amount of frosting. The taste is distinct and super yummy! I tried the Wedding Cake, the Birthday Cake, Chocolate Explosion, the Key Lime, the Lemon Blueberry, and the Cookie Dough! The owner was super friendly and welcoming, and she had a great sense of humor! This is definitely a gem, so if you're in the area (or need to go out of your way to come here), do it and go! +delicious cupcakes! +friendly owner! +cute humans/pet boutique! +small free parking lot available

No longer in business, gonna miss these cupcakes! Appears to-be a clothing boutique now…read more Hopefully these wonderful cupcakes will one day return to us.

Well her cakes are quite amazing and so are her cake pops and the off course very special "Jakies"…read moreor cakes in a jar!

Change oftentimes means progress and growth and this is precisely what has happened to Darren…read moreWiggins, entrepreneur and owner of this new locally-owned restaurant that is an expansion his original business "Jersey Water Ice." Darren, a friendly Atlantic City, New Jersey native with a strong love and affection for the City of Roanoke has just opened "The Funnel Cake House" in his Northwest Roanoke neighborhood to uplift the people of his community and bring them the joy that funnel cakes and other comfort food can bring into one's life. He came to Roanoke in 2009 and started JWI in 2018 operating out of a van he turned into a foodtruck serving what he saw as a need in his community: a lite flavorful icy delight, most commonly known and sold as "Italian ice," in most parts of the US. Now is expanding his restaurant business. Has moved to a larger location right next to his previous one, having funnel cakes as his main product as well as other comfort foods such as hamburgers, hotdogs, fried bologna sandwiches, and chili cheese fries, among other appetizing delights, including continuing with his very popular Jersey Water Ice, and adding ice-cream, milkshakes, and special lemonades. When I arrived to his new business, he greeted me with a warm welcome. The eatery was not huge, but very clean and cozy with beautiful hardwood floors and a couple of lovely hand-made benches. All the food was put away since he was about to close but I put my attention to the display freezer where the water ice were stored. He had flavors such as Lemon, Mango, Cherry, Blue Raspberry, Cotton Candy, and Pina Colada, among others. I ordered a small cup of the Pina Colada. It was so soft, creamy, and refreshing, as well as very tasty. After he closed the eatery and we were outside still talking, a car with one of his loyal customers stopped by to see if the place was open. He chatted with him and invited him to come back the next day. We talked about his ideas for expansion and then we said goodbye and drove off in his Cadillac as I stayed a while longer finishing my water ice. In conclusion I highly recommend this place when you feel like eating delicious funnel cakes, comfort food, and refreshing water ice. The owner is very welcoming and positive, and has a wonderful personality and from looking at the menu, great food and cold, refreshing treats.

The Candy Store is conveniently located in the bottom floor of the Center in the Square, in the…read moreheart of Downtown Roanoke. This is in the same building where the Mill Mountain Theatre is located as well as the Roanoke Pinball Museum. The store specializes in regionally crafted artisan chocolates, vintage candies, and unique confections from around the world, and has an surprisingly large selection of known candies and chocolates as well as never before seen ones. It also contains toys and many gift items. The store itself is very clean and organized and the owner and employees are very friendly and helpful. If you like chocolates and sweets I would highly recommend you give them a visit. It's a great place to go for sweets and to get a gift for family or friends.

After a fun two hours in the Roanoke Pinball Museum…read morehttps://www.yelp.com/biz/roanoke-pinball-museum-roanoke?hrid=_aVRvVUx4AoYrhkv-k-7Cw, the Candy Store is practically their gift shop. I bought way too much here. Fortunately, they do the bulk candy pretty well with both gloves *and* scoops so that not only are you not touching the candy, you're not even touching the thing that touches the candy. I'll take it on faith that no one put their hands in the candy bowls. The candies are separated by type, which is helpful. I filled three bags, one with sours, one with chocolates and a third one (that was mine) with chocolate covered nuts. All are priced by weight. The shop also has some mass produced bars and boxes and even a few games. Neat, tidy, masks required to enter. [Review 13800 overall, 1121 of 2020, number 1234 in Virginia.]