The first time I saw a copy of the colorful brochure with solid black background of Porta Bella…read morePizza, I was curious to find out more about this Italian and American cuisine restaurant with a Mediterranean flair. Located in an old house at 1132 Salem Ave SW, Roanoke, Virginia. It's front is creatively painted with the colors of the Italian flag, in such a way that it can't help but to stand out in the middle of this eclectic neighborhood. This laid back restaurant is the creation of some Egyptian entrepreneurs who decided to put together a menu that included pizzas, calzones, stromboli, pastas, salads, burgers, sandwiches, and added some Mediterranean items such as Gyro and Falafel Platters, and Baklava for dessert, among others. And something that I discovered while at the restaurant was that all the meats used there are 100% Certified Halal Premium Quality. In other words, this means no pork products are used. The inside of restaurant was nothing fancy, but natural polished hardwood floors and original ceiling, gave character to the place, that even being old was very clean and organized. When I arrived I was greeted with a warm and friendly welcome by what I think was one of the owners of the restaurant. I ordered a Dr Pepper to drink and a small Super Supreme Pizza to eat. The pizza tasted delicious, especially with the cheese that was used to prepare it. Another customer eating there at the moment was eating and Cheese Calzone, and he allowed me to photograph it for me to include in this review. I recommend this restaurant, especially for those who don't eat pork or pork products, because the taste was so good you couldn't tell that the ingredients were of this nature. They are also available for catering special meetings or gatherings at very reasonable prices.

The absolute best calzone I have had in a long time. Made fresh to order & a small is only $10,…read morelarge enough for 2 people. Came out in 15-20 mins

really solid bar food!…read more I love the vibe here and the atmosphere makes you want to stay awhile. Definitely a great local spot if you're looking for good bar food and a fun, relaxed place to grab a drink.

We visited the Yard Bird Tavern in downtown Roanoke. Finding a spot can be a bit of a gamble;…read moreunless you're lucky enough to snag a space at the curb, you should expect to pay for parking. ​Atmosphere & Menu ​Upon entering, we found the restaurant pleasantly sophisticated, though it was nearly at capacity. While we opted not to explore the drink menu, we were eager to see what the kitchen had to offer. The menu itself is concise, focusing primarily on wings, sandwiches, and pizzas, supplemented by a few small appetizers. ​The culinary style is quite eclectic. They feature several unconventional toppings and flavor combinations that might seem a bit eccentric at first glance. ​The Culinary Experience ​I decided on a flatbread-style pizza topped with: ​Smoked chicken ​Pickles ​Peppadew-style peppers (which resembled small cherry tomatoes) ​A tangy, zesty sauce reminiscent of an enchilada base with an extra "zing." ​My wife opted for a "build-your-own" pizza featuring red onions, pepperoni, and bell peppers. Although she realized too late that she had forgotten to request light sauce, she noticed the oversight immediately upon the dish's arrival. ​Service Observations ​The service was a bit of a mixed bag. Our waitress was professional but remarkably brisk. She lacked the usual pleasantries or "small talk" one might expect, focusing instead on efficiency. While her haste felt a bit impersonal, I couldn't complain about her attentiveness--she was incredibly prompt at refilling my iced tea the moment my glass was empty. Make sure you bring your pocketbook this pizza brings a sting at the register.

Nice quick service! Unfortunately I ordered a calzone and picked up a small cheese pizza. Knowing…read morethat there was a significant price difference. Update: called and fixed order. Highly recommended by me.

Quite honestly was disappointed by this order. Was told that this was one of the better local…read moredelivery places in the area... Yet the order was put together haphazardly, items were not described accurately on the menu, nor by the person taking the order, and food quality was mediocre. If someone is ordering a to go order over $25 like they INSIST -, it's downright stingy and mean spirited to not provide any napkins or silverware whatsoever. I understand Restaurants like to claim that they are struggling, but that's hardly a reason to be mean spirited and allow someone to spend over $30 in food and not put a single napkin into their delivery order. Let alone utensils with which to eat the food. That's just either lazy, stingy, greedy, or unthoughtful. The pita and hummus is hardly pita, whatever that giant baked dough mess was that got shoved into the bag, unsanitary without any proper protection - was bland, and fat to doughy and heavy to be proper pita bread. They don't have lemon for the seafood or shrimp, and the cocktail sauce is in little ketchup packets made mostly of chemical ingredients, no real food content and not healthy. And again with the stinginess, they provided two little tiny ketchup packets for 10 shrimp. So not enough even for the shrimp that you've ordered. It basically allowed me to dip for shrimp. Was told that "everything is made fresh" but I think that they're deceiving themselves that this is wholesome, edible food. The cannoli was soggy and inedible. We threw out half of it. The bread mess was bland and again, not proper pita bread, shrimp was fine but with no lemon or cocktail sauce, just bland fried shrimp. Nothing special. On top of that they had a seven dollar delivery fee despite the fact that they are five minutes away from where we were??!? In NY and Boston delivery upcharges are three dollars or five dollars, so seven dollars in Roanoke Virginia just feels again, unnecessary and greedy. So for approximately $25 worth of food, if you're also paying the driver, you're spending a $12 + upcharge for mediocre food with no utensils or napkins or proper condiments. Definitely do not recommend. Thank you.

After being awarded the Triad Yelper of the Year 2024 Award at the Yelpies Award Ceremony last…read moreyear, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, I decided that it would be appropriate this year to go back to this restaurant and write a follow-up review, since my initial review was one of my reviews that contributed to me obtaining this highly esteemed Award. Consistency in the dining experience of a restaurant is something very important. It is something that the restaurant has to earn every time a customer enters through its door. As easily as a restaurant can win a customer over, it can also lose him and his loyalty to the restaurant. Sadly, this is what happened to me during this visit. I had missed having lunch, that day, so I arrived at around 4:30pm to have an early dinner. A gentleman greeted me and had me take a seat at a table of my choice. I went and sat at a booth facing the kitchen. I think it was the same place I sat the first time I ate here with a friend. The same gentleman performed as my server. He came by and asked me what I wanted to drink. I asked him if they had any Mocktails. He answered me that Mocktails are not the drinks that people usually drink there, but that he can have them make one for me at the bar. I described the one I would like to have and right after give him my food order. I ordered a Hunter's Burger, with a fried egg, smoked bacon, and American cheese, among other ingredients. And tater tots to accompany it. After putting in my food order he goes to the bar and comes back with my Mocktail, which was extremely acidic, but he had already walked away before I could tell him. So I stirred it hoping that this would fix it. But as the acidic liquid reached my throat it made me caught and gave me an unpleasant sensation. The server brings me the Hunter's Burger, my main course, with the tater tots. The tater tots are not cooked well. When I try to hook one up with my fork, it just splits in half. The Hunter's Burger bun was not big at all, and the patty was extremely small that you could hardly see it without opening the buns up, and that is what I did and discovered that the egg was not fried evenly but the yolk had been broken while being fried and was not soft. I tried to make the best of the situation and ate the burger with a fork. If all this wasn't enough, the server approached me with something in his hand that I think was my bill and asked me if I wanted something else. I told him that I wanted the Fried Oreo Cookies with the Vanilla Ice-cream. He brings me them with so little ice-cream that it had melted in the middle of the Fried Oreo Cookies. What an awful dining experience this has been compared to last time, which I still remember today. And today's experience, I just want to forget. I hope the owner of this restaurant reads this review and takes a look at my photographs that accompany it, and takes action to remedy it so that this doesn't happen again and tarnish the Image of what I once thought was a great restaurant.

Attentive service and pretty good food. Nothing to write home about but I enjoyed the burger and…read morefries. Good spot for some typical American food.

Located off the road less traveled and housed in a cute little place, in Salem, Virginia, Tivoli…read morePizza prides itself in having the best Halal Pizza around. And rightly so. 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 Tivoli Pizza, in Salem, Virginia, is the perfect example. As soon as I entered this Pizza Shop, I was very impressed by its cleanliness and cute interior design of the place, as well as by the flow of satisfied customers eating inside the restaurant, and others making Take Out orders. A friendly young lady greeted and welcomed me at the counter and explained to me a little about the restaurant, its owner, and its menu. It was a family-owned restaurant and the owner was Egyptian. They have a variety of excellent items on the menu but they are best known for their pizzas. I ordered a House Salad and a small Supreme Pizza. And for dessert I ordered a Tiramisu. They were all delicious. The salad had fresh ingredients. The pizza crust was very good and the ingredients, especially the cheese were amazing. You could tell the owner/chef took pride in his cooking. This was actually the second time I've eaten from an Egyptian and both times they have far exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend this place for its relaxing ambiance, amazingly delicious food, friendly staff, and excellent customer service.

So this was for a DoorDash order, but it was so good. I wanted to make sure I gave them credit…read more I was in town for the Virginia's governors housing conference and stuck at the Hampton Inn with not many food options nearby, so I jumped on DoorDash to see what I could find. Feeling like I wanted a bit of Junk food, something greasy, and potentially fried, I decided to see what Roanoke had to offer. And I was pleasantly surprised to find a restaurant not in Roanoke, but in Salem and in delivery distance. I ordered the Philly cheesesteak sandwich and the gyro and was pleasantly surprised that how good both sandwiches were. The gyro was stuffed full of meat with a very soft pita with fresh ingredients. The Philly cheesesteak was equally substantial, and the cheese was perfectly melted. For a DoorDash order, this place definitely begged for a in person visit, so I definitely will be checking them out when I get back to Salem.

I've been to many pizzerias all over the world, but when I compare location, ambiance, pizza…read morequality, and superb service, none other compares to Grace's Place Pizzeria! After being ranked 4th among Yelp's Top 50 Most Prolific Elites of 2025, a distinction recognizing my consistent community engagement and high-quality contributions, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants, businesses, and establishments, and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to go back and write follow-up reviews on those places that impressed me the most during 2025, and Grace's Place Pizzeria, located in the Grandin Village neighborhood of Roanoke, Virginia, is the perfect example of one of them. Located in the heart of Grandin Village, one of Roanoke's most desirable and walkable neighborhoods, and right next to the historic Grandin Theatre, this family-owned and operated pizza shop, by local residents Ruben Liendo and his wife and general manager Alaina for over 22 years now, is that kind of a place that if you visit once you would want to come back forever. Today, I happened to be walking on the sidewalk of Grandin Rd (which is the Main Street of Grandin Village) to check out a new business that's about to open in a few days, and as I walked by Grace's Place Pizzeria, Matthew, one of the servers who was just arriving recognized me and immediately said hello. He asked how I was doing and showed me the newest creation he had painted on one of the windows of the restaurant. It was colorful pizza wings, for people to pose in front of them and have a picture taken and share it in social media. What a creative idea I thought and told him, and walked on to my errand. After I finished my errand I decided to return to Grace's Place and have an early dinner there, now that it wasn't crowded as usually it gets when I visit the place in prime time and on the weekends. Matthew greeted and welcomed me as I entered the door and graciously took and hanged my coat on the wall coat rack. He invited me to take a seat at the table of my choice and I went and sat at one of their comfortable booths. To drink I ordered a Pink Lemonade. To dine I ordered a Side Salad with their Special dressing to begin with. As my main entrée I ordered a 10" Pizza Suprema. As I waited I enjoyed my refreshing Iced Pink Lemonade. Then my Side Salad arrived with the amazing in-house made salad dressing. It was delicious. The timing was perfect. Soon after I had finished my salad and the empty salad bowl removed, my Pizza Suprema arrived. One look and I could tell it was the authentic handcrafted pizza this casual Italian restaurant is so well known for. It looked spectacular and tasted even better. Starting with its unique tasting dough and fresh toppings, cooked to perfection. They take their time making their pizzas, but they come out perfect everytime. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the high-quality food. For dessert I had their Tiramisu. It was so rich in texture and in flavor, placed on top of a plate with a drizzle of chocolate syrup. What a magic touch ending for an extraordinary dining experience. My server Matthew handed me my coat and walked me out to the door where I asked him to take a picture of me in front of the now famous Pizza Wings, and he did with pleasure. What can I say, if you haven't done so yet, go try this place out, and you'll never forget that I told you.

Grace's veggie pizza was so delicious! We picked up our order. Will definitely return and try…read moredining in next time :)

We went on Thursday night and there was literally no one else. The ambience was very nice. Our…read morewaitress was nice and the food was also good. Pasta was a little dry but the burger was excellent. All in all a nice experience

So happy my wife and I found this gem in old SW Roanoke! Great vibe, good service and food was…read moreoutstanding. Definitely going back next time in Roanoke!

I was in town for an appointment with the VA and decided to look for a pizza place close by…read more According to Yelpers, Papa's is some of the best pizza around. And once again the crowd didn't let me down. I swung in, ordered a meat lovers medium (leftover pizza is fantastic) and it was sooooo good when they brought it out. The toppings and cheese were the perfect combination. The crust was crisp without being burnt and very tasty. Overall, one of the best pizzas I have had in a long time.

Tucked away in an unassuming strip mall on Electric Road in Salem, Virginia, Papa's Pizza is truly…read morea diamond of an Italian restaurant and one of the best kept secrets of the City of Salem. After having been selected as number 4 of the Top 50 most prolific Elites of 2025, a year when I also was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Photographer of the Year Award at the Yelpies 2025 Award Ceremony, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, and where last year I was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Yelper of the Year Award, 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 Papa's Pizza in Salem, Virginia is the perfect example. This family-owned and operated Italian Restaurant, located in Ridgewood Farms Shopping Center is one of those rare gems of the City of Salem, Virginia. For some time now, on my way from Roanoke to Salem, Virginia on Electric Road, I would ride by this "Pizzeria Italiana" in my Lexus wondering how its cuisine would be. Then today, while I was driving, took the turn that lead me to the Pizza shop. As I arrived, a beautiful blue sky with white clouds framed the building where the restaurant was located, almost like warning me that I was up to something good. Inside, the place was clean in a relaxed environment, with the dining room in the shape of Virginia and containing both tables and booths, behind a low was that led you through the ordering line. They had a couple of tvs with videos showing some of the items on the menu. And the main decoration items were framed American and Italian flags next to two pizza paddles with Best of Virginia Winner and Readers Choice Award. Behind the ordering counter, a friendly young gentleman greeted and welcomed me and provided me with a menu. I ordered a House Salad with balsamic vinaigrette dressing and a 10" Personal Supreme Pizza. And l had a softdrink to drink. I went and sat at a table and the order taker / server first brought me the salad and then the pizza to my table. The salad was so fresh and delicious. You have to see it to believe it. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the quality of their food. And the pizza, the pizza was amazing! From the perfect crust cooked to perfection, to the fresh ingredients placed in generous amounts, to the splendid tasting pizza sauce and cheese. I then went to their dessert refrigerated display case and ordered a slice of their Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake. The perfect dessert for the Grand Finale of an extraordinary dining experience.