Unplanned but fortunate lunch stop on a road trip from NoVA to NOLA. If you're traveling I-81, it's…read morejust 5 or so miles down Rt. 11, which snakes back and forth across '81, so it's not really a "detour". It's in Lexington, home of VMI, and the shop itself is diagonal from a post office built in 1911 with large columns lining its edifice. Sometimes, when college students leave great reviews, that means good food that isn't too expensive. True here, especially for what you get: generous servings on amazing bakery breads. I had the "Sorry Charlie" on a slice of focaccia -- topped with tomato slices and melted cheese and a satisfyingly crunchy, warm crust, with a simple but nicely refreshing black bean and corn salad. Dessert treats are also worth a splurge. The people couldn't be friendlier with customers of all ages enjoying themselves. (And they have a coffee bar. And a "speakeasy"!)

A soup and sandwich joint with lots of baked goods -- that's Blue Sky…read more It was a cold and drizzly day when I visited, and a bowl of butternut squash soup was the perfect thing. I also got The Yardbird sandwich after the server recommended it. It's basically just chicken salad and lettuce between a ciabatta roll, but it was simple and great. And what the heck: I can't visit a bakery that has multiple sweets without getting one. I also listened to the advice of the server when she recommended the orange scone. She was right again! It was tender and tasted like a Froot Loop. Blue Sky is located on the corner of a busy street. There are lots of tables, but if you can, sit at the bar that looks out onto the street to see the hustling and bustling college town.

This is a lunch place that isn't open long hours. It is a distinctive place, in offering a mix of…read morehealth food for special diets in a region that doesn't have a ton of that. Plenty of fresh spices were on display in the tiny shop, which has a couple of indoor and outdoor seats. I found them offering a vegan breakfast menu, which offered the sort of platter I rarely find available for this dietary niche, including breakfast potatoes, a tofu scramble, a piece of some relatively inoffensive veggie sausage, and bread with what I forgot was not butter. A matcha latte has some interesting sweetener that didn't quite exceed my tolerance and was over coconut milk. It was a pricey lunch, but I could not accuse them of failing to deliver on what I understood the promise of the place to be.

My kind of restaurant: Nutritious options with lots of vegetables and fruit, vegetarian and vegan…read moredishes, Mediterranean meals (including falafel and hummus). Everything I tasted was delicious and thoughtfully made. I got the Buddha bowl, which came with roasted sweet potatoes, tempeh, curried chickpeas, brown rice and kale. Eating it felt like a vitamin injection. To drink, I got the hot golden milk, which came with lots of turmeric and ginger. My dining companions ordered different things off of the menu and let me take bites: spring rolls (yum, especially with the sauce), empanada (my favorite), falafel (great) and soup (I didn't taste). They also offer vegan desserts, which I was tempted to try but was stuffed from my healthy lunch. The restaurant itself is very small with not a lot of seating. I'd say maybe eight people can sit down inside, but there are some tables out on the sidewalk for outdoor seating.

Best dang meal I've had in a while. The owner recommended the Mac & cheese and churros w/ ice…read morecream. Fantastic!

O.M.G. This place is simply divine. Owned/run by a local husband/wife who are both super cool…read morepeople. No reservations (like most places in town) so there might be a bit of a wait on busy nights -- but soooo worth the wait! The house specialty cocktails are all great (LOVE "Leaving Lex Vegas") -- especially if you are lucky enough to get the husband as your bartender! The tuna tostada app with matcha salsa was insanely good - the blend of flavors and textures was mind-blowingly good. Wedge salad with fried chicken and homemade ranch rocked! Lamb with pistachios was superb. This place is a true local gem!!

The Harvest Salad was one of the best salads I've ever eaten. The salad was loaded with sweet…read morepotatoes, walnuts and goat cheese in bed of arugula. I also enjoyed the Blackberry Refresher which lived up to its name. Club soda mixed with the house's blackberry syrup creates a crisp, bubbly drink. Ingredients are sourced locally from Big Spring Cattle Company, Blue Ridge Bees, Maplewood Valley Ranch, Razzbourne Farms and Verdant Acres. The setting is eclectic with friendly counter service with adequate seating and a large piano. The space is shared with what appears to be an upscale dinner restaurant. Seasons Yield operates in mornings and closes at 2.

The name hints at this, but I still had to figure out that there is a sit-down restaurant that is…read moreopen for dinner, and this bakery-cafe operation takes over the same space for brunch. In addition to baked goods, I was pleased that they offered the option for a breakfast salad. Way to start the day off right. My salad was quite substantial, with nuts, cheese, and sweet potatoes. But I couldn't get out without ordering a pastry as well. They had the sort of maple glaze one usually finds on donuts, but applied it to a croissant. The croissant flaked well, but the maple flavor really took it to the next level. Plenty of other intriguing baked goods were available.

I wasn't even in the mood for beer, but came here anyways and was shocked…read more I went with a friend for dinner here as the options are super limited in Lexington VA. I was already not in the mood for anymore drinking after spending a weekend in a major tournament in Lynchburg. Anyways, for a Saturday evening, this place was pretty packed both inside and outside. We both ended up getting a flight of beers each and every one was great. The food surprised me as my fish tacos was super fresh. The chips and queso was also great. Overall, a must see - especially for the view of the mountains if you decided to eat outdoors.

We are from out of town and wanted to take a large group out for celebration dinner. This was a…read moregreat location with a patio that overlooks the valley. Beautiful views and incredible weather made it very comfortable to sit outside on their large patio with well cared for benches with shade. There were about 15 of us so there were a whole bunch of different things ordered and everything was wonderful. Bavarian pretzels, mac and cheese, burgers and tacos. Everyone was very happy with the food. I would absolutely recommend

Brews were great, pizza tasted good, but it was cold, at least the toppings were, and kind of soggy…read morein the middle. I had to go find napkins and ask for red pepper flakes. The decor was cool, ancient doors covered with tempered glass for tables. The bathrooms were clean. Service was okay, but it was kind of a step up to order place, and I guess napkins and such were help yourself. They had lots of board games, and several people were enjoying them.

Beer snobs rejoice! Heliotrope is a true craft brewery serving clean and complex beers. My hubby…read moreand I enjoy trying all sorts of breweries but, it is always a treat to find a place like this. They have a small variety of styles and some of our favorites are their hazy IPA, salted marzen and plum conditioned sour. The service is friendly and helpful as well. As if all this wasn't enough, wood fired pizzas are also available! And their dough is delicious with that little pillowy stretch to it. It makes for a mouthwatering pairing.

Popped into Pure Eats for breakfast on my last day in Lexington. They serve breakfast all day…read more First: Get a donut! Or two donuts, like I did! They make the donuts in house, and they are super fresh in the morning. Their classic is the cinnamon sugar donut, but I also got a glazed and both were delicious. That and a cup of black coffee, and breakfast is set. But I thought it would be wise to get some protein, so I also ordered the avocado toast with an over-medium egg. The avocado toast is a single piece of wheat bread (or white bread, if you prefer) with a schmear of herbed cream cheese and mashed avocado (plus an egg if you add one). The avocado toast was good and simple. Pure Eats is housed in a former gas station, and you can tell because it looks like an old fashioned petrol place from the outside. Inside, the dining room is colorful and fun, with table and booth seating, as well as a high-top bar. The people who work here are so friendly, and we chatted about where I was from and where I was going.

Really nice, quaint place. Friendly people and good food. Everything is made fresh throughout the…read moreday. A great place to stop for a quick meal.

We stopped here on our road trip and were pleasantly surprised. We had the fried pickles and the…read morepimento and steak sandwiches. All of it was well prepared and tasty. The soda was fizzy! The best part was the homemade coconut cream pie. The generous slice was delicious, I could tell the crust was homemade. The staff was friendly. Very good, check it out!

We were in Lexington for the weekend and ended up eating at The Palms twice -- because it was just…read morethat good. The first night we ordered the stuffed cod and burgers, along with beers and soft drinks. Everything was fantastic. The food was flavorful, fresh, and cooked perfectly, and the service was quick and genuinely friendly. We liked it so much that we went back again the same weekend. The second time we had burgers, a club sandwich, fried green tomatoes with pimento cheese, a punch cocktail, a tall beer, and soft drinks -- and once again, everything was spot-on. Consistently great food and great service both times. We went in around 8:00 p.m. the first night, and the staff was cheerful and energetic -- you would have thought they had just started their shifts. That's a huge plus when dining a little later in the evening. Everyone we spoke to said it's a local favorite, and after our experience, we completely understand why. If we had more time in town, we probably would have eaten there a third time. Definitely a must-stop in Lexington!

On a recent trip to beautiful Lexington, Virginia, we stopped at this little hotel bar to warm up…read morewith some fries and old fashioneds after a very chilly hike through Natural Bridge. We loved sitting by a real fire and everyone was very kind to the little ones we had with us. We will definitely be back. It was a very cozy experience.

We stayed at the Georges so Taps was an easy option for food for us. We ordered take out for pick…read moreup online. I wanted to get the skirt steak and fries, but unfortunately that wasn't an option online. I opt'd for the burger, as did my boyfriend, both of our burgers came out with the wrong toppings. Oh well, we ate them and they were fine. Seems like a typical, frozen burger patty. The french fries were very greasy. We also sat outside here for a drink at one point. They have a very cute patio in the back of the restaurant. I got the Lex vegas, it was thick because of the puree. I didn't think about that, it wasn't as refreshing as I thought it would have been. I really didn't have too much interaction with the staff as we just ordered a drink and then online pickup but everyone seems nice and helpful.

What' a great place! Loved it!! We stopped in for lunch after exploring Natural Bridge State Park…read more We had a group of 5. Seating was a little challenging at lunch time, but the picnic table on the front porch was perfect. Between us all, we had the BLT, turkey Reuben, California turkey special, and the tuna melt. Oh! And they've got fresh-baked cookies!! All of the food was excellent! The service was perfect. I highly recommend you visit next time you're in the area!

Our visit was going well until the owner chased me out into the parking lot to say I owed her more…read moremoney for an item I had paid for while she was in the back on the phone and another staff member rang us up. She demanded I give the item back or pay her another $15 as she said she hadn't written the sale price in red on the sticker. It felt like she was saying I had.... like I was trying to steal... I was so taken aback I just gave it back to her and she brought me a $10 bill for it into the parking lot. Strange and embarrassing and she was aggressive about it. Prior to that we had all gotten lunch and enjoyed a delicious meal and wandered around the shop looking at the little knick-knacks for sale on some shelves by the dining seating area. My mom got a chicken salad sandwich on sourdough bread, I had a turkey reuben, my husband had a pastrami reuben and my father-in-law had a chili and grilled cheese. Food was out quickly and it was ALL delicious. I tried the chicken salad and it was some of the best I've ever had. Huge portions and fresh food all homemade (the chili was good). They had some fresh pies and pastries for sale as well - everything looked delicious and fresh and homemade. In the end, I felt so upset that we went back and said I wanted to return the other small item I had purchased, a little bumblebee tea light holder, she asked why and we explained we didn't like how the other issue went down and she sincerely apologized and said she hadn't handled it properly and offered to give it as a gift as a gesture of good will. She was kind and explained she's selling and had taken a phone call in the back and was stressed. I understand and her apology was sincere. I appreciated that. All in all - cute shop, good food, cute items. After we sorted the issue - I'd happily come back. Sounds like it is about to be under new management so not sure how much it will change. Hopefully the chicken salad stays the same! YUM.