I stopped in for dinner , after the Luray Caverns and Cooters, yesterday, June 13, 2026, and felt…read morethat warm, homy feeling as soon as I walked in. Shannon, the owner and I chatted for quite awhile on how "Ollie Cat Cafe" came to be. The restaurant location on how many different things it was previous was quite fascinating, soda shop, pharmacy, opera house. Loved, the vibe and feel from this small town cafe. The atmosphere, passion, and dedication of Shannon , as one of the owners is something; I personally haven't seen in quite awhile in a restaurant. I ordered the Panko seasoned flounder sandwich that was outstanding, delicious, light and flavorful. The sandwich came with the side, and was delighted that they were fresh vegetable medley with the perfect amount of seasoning. Wonderful staff and dining experience. If you are local to Luray, VA , Harrisonburg, VA or surrounding areas; support Ollie Cat Cafe, youll be happy you did. If your on vacation, and looking to support, a local hardworking couple and a unique flavor palate menu, that Tim & Shannon bring with their Florida background, this is your cafe.

I was really pulling for this one, but it just fell flat where it really counted. The local…read moreneighborhood vibe was there, the eclectic decors was really on point and I loved the vintage booths. The waitstaff were very friendly, and the place was really well kept clean and presentable. The down side... right off the jump, the water they served us was not drinkable. I'm not being pretentious here, I was legitimately concerned after taking that first sip if I was going to spend the night over the toilet. I did not take another sip, and told my family not to ether. The food took a while, and I don't mind a wait for good eats. But the other reviews on here were right, it was tasteless and seemed to be served right out of a frozen food box. I had the chicken parm sandwich, the scolding hot marinara sauce was burnt by every measure, and the fried chicken patty was still cold in the middle. To the restaurants credit, they did not mess up the fry's. My family's meals were similar, with my wife having the cordon blue with similar results in the fried chicken, and my daughter who loves chicken fingers, not eating more than the one. Overall I think this place has the potential to be good, but they need to fix their kitchen before they do anything else.

Great Find In Luray…read more Went hiking with my family in Shenandoah National Park this weekend and overnighted in Luray. We happened across The Chop House by mistake and a lucky one it was! Everything about the meal was fantastic! Our server Pete was terrific. My brother-in-law hit the nail on the head when he said "He was the most unpretentious, informative and friendly server I've run across". Very polite and helpful, you could just tell it made Pete happy to be helpful. The menu is not large, but the dishes we ordered were all top notch. First the Focaccia Bread came and it was just right, a good sigh of things to come. Next the Crab Dip. We are from Annapolis, a crab crazy town on the Chesapeake, where every restaurant has their own "award winning" crab dip, so we are very well acquainted with some of the best, but this one knocked it out of the park. It would win the "Best of Annapolis 2026" if this restaurant was in Annapolis. Next came the Sirloin, at Pete's recommendation. Salted perfectly, and cooked correctly to medium rare, with a side of asparagus cooked to crisp perfection and seasoned with a garlic butter that was just fantastic. We rapped it up with a flight of deserts to share, at Pete's recommendation. Deconstructed Cheese Cake, German Chocolate Cake, Creme Brûlée, and three of their house made ice creams. Again, just Wow. And when the bill came, again a very pleasant surprise. Steak dinner for 4, with cocktails and wine and the bill came to $250. Back in Annapolis that meal would have easily been $400 or more at Lunes Steakhouse, Ruth Chris or the Chart House. My wife and I agreed this meal was better than any we've had at any of these high end resturants. I can't recommend this place highly enough. We'll be back, and nothing against the other servers, but we'll make sure it's on a night Pete is working. Great job Pete and to everyone in the kitchen, just a terrific meal. Jason Hinsch Annapolis, MD

NEVER GOING BACK…read more Had their tofu sandwich for lunch. It arrived absolutely burned -- the corners of the tofu were absolutely blacked and smelled burned -- and the wait person said that was the marinade used on the tofu! Yeah, right, black marinade on the corners only. I ate what I could of the thing, but it was awful. The kimchi totally soaked through the bottom of the bun so it all fell apart. The tofu, on the less burned areas, was tough and bland. It was cut into two triangles that overlapped, which makes no sense on a round bun. This was a total botch on the chef's part, and I also question why they have something so lousy on the menu -- a concession to vegetarians, I gather, since all the other sandwiches were burgers.

Gathering Grounds was really great! The host was so welcoming and helpful, we were planning to just…read moreget some coffee and breakfast sandwiches to go but he invited us to sit for a minute to look at the menu and the café had such a nice atmosphere, we decided to take the time to eat in. Wonderful pancakes, egg sandwich, and avocado toast. My eggs were a little past over-easy but it was the only thing that wasn't perfect (and the host offered to have them redone but I said it was fine). We got a blueberry cream cookie and a lemon bar as an appetizer because sometimes we're a little extra and they were SO GOOD! I love a good pastry case and theirs was top notch. There were plentiful refills on the coffee (nice and hearty brew). Our server was so attentive and nice that we tipped extra. Just an all-around surprisingly excellent experience here.

I stopped in for a late lunch on a Saturday and the place was busy! As fall foliage is over, I can…read moreonly assume these are locals. That tells me I've discovered something, since locals know the best places to go. I changed my plan from a soup and sandwich to a sandwich with a side based on my (outstanding) servers' recommendation. I selected the 'Monaco' but all the options looked good (and I love the names). Since it's a coffee shop I stayed for a cappuccino, which was served in an adorable tiny cup Great service. Not a fancy place but doesn't pretend or need to be.

No reservations; first come first served. Glad i arrived…read moreshortly after the 5pm open. Excellent service by Maddy. Loved the black bean burger; tasted very homemade. Had it with Swiss, no aioli, no pickle and subbed excellent side salad for the fries. Lettuce tomato and red onion on the burger were excellent. Those who arrived first were seated in the padded booths. Writing this review while sitting on the hotel porch. I enjoyed peeking into their breakfast room to see the gorgeous historic murals painted on the wall.

Cool little dinner spot in the inn. Apparently has live music some nights but we didn't have it…read morethat night. Nice little bar there too. We got oysters which were good. The entrees were stuffed pork chops and the shrimp / scallop. The service is very attentive. Great little place to check for dinner if you have a chance.

Wide array of delicious spirits from Vodka, to Gin, Bourbon, Rum and Tequila Blue Shepherd's got…read moresomething for you. The craft cocktails are next level and they have some great experimental items like Lemmin Serrano Vodka, Apple Brandy, ect ... Plus it's right in the town of Luray, what's not to like.

Loved our afternoon at Blue Shepherd! Cute place with indoor and outdoor seating, my family…read moreespecially loved their wooden tables. Loved all the drinks that highlight their unique spirits. I originally got the spicy pickle drink and it was a little too spicy for me. The waitstaff noticed I was nursing it a little too hard and offered me a new drink & to take the spicy drink off the tab! Such a nice gesture that came as a surprise. I ended up getting their tzaziki drink which was DELICIOUS and so unique too! The German shepherd that wanders around the bar is so cute and friendly as well. The burgers at the food truck looked amazing, but unfortunately we had just eaten. Will definitely be back next time I'm in the area!

Brookside caught our eye on our way into the park. On the drive back we decided to stop in for…read moredinner. Great burger and salad. My friend ordered chicken fried steak and said it was divine. If you're looking for comfort food this is the spot. Ps: the carrot cake was delish

I've visited Brookside Restaurant twice now - once for lunch on a weekday, and once for breakfast…read moreon a Saturday morning... Lunch: I ordered their meatloaf special - which comes with two sides. I chose mashed potatoes and corn. The food came out in about 10 minutes. The meatloaf was tasty - however, only the ends of it were hot. The center of the meatloaf was actually cold. The corn was terrible. It was chewy - I have no idea how you get corn to that texture. The masked potatoes were basic - but at least well executed and they were hot. No gravy was served with the mashed potatoes. I was in a bit of a hurry - so I did not ask them to "re-heat" the remaining center of meatloaf - and the corn was not redeemable. Breakfast: I went with their sausage gravy over a biscuit, eggs, breakfast potatoes and bacon, plus coffee. Everything was delicious - except for the breakfast potatoes. They were bland and at room temperature. I don't know how the potatoes were actually prepared - but texture-wise they tasted like someone had cut potatoes into cubes, boiled them, and then set them on a plate. The potatoes desperately needed some char/crispiness added to them, as well as some seasoning. I had wolfed down all of my breakfast - except for the potatoes - when my server came by to check on me. She asked how things were - and I relayed that everything was good - except for the potatoes. She offered to take the potatoes back and have the kitchen heat them up and add some char/crispiness to them. I declined - as at that point I was full. The successful components of my breakfast dragged up my overall rating to 3. I probably would have gone as high as 4 stars if the potatoes were better. The Men's restroom needs to be renovated and cleaned. Service was good - not sure if I would come back here after two substandard food-quality experiences. #BrooksideRestaurant

We made a quick stop for snacks before we went on our Luray Caverns tour. There was plenty of…read moreseating and the place was nice and clean. It's a very cozy and casual cafe to stop at. It was also pretty busy for a Wednesday afternoon and there was a line. The selection was a bit limited and I wish there were more options but the food was good. We ordered nachos, a hot dog, and a fish sandwich. The nachos had a looot of cheese, which I appreciate! The staff was quick and efficient in taking orders and giving them to customers. Paula helped us out -- she was very friendly. The prices were a bit high for snacky foods like these but we expected as much for a cafe next to a touristy cavern. I also don't see bottled Barq's Root Beer often, so I was really pleased they had some! It's also so close to the entrance for Luray Caverns that we'll most likely stop here again the next time we visit in the next few years.

Not bad for what it is: hamburgers, hotdogs, and ice cream sandwiches. Fries were hot and fresh…read more Prices are cheap, and I'll take their burger over McDonalds any day. Not fine dining, but it does what it does correctly.

After a day of spelunking...of sorts...we were ready for dinner. Before heading out to Luray, I…read moreresearched what restaurants were in the area. Circa '31 stood out as they had burgers, salads, sandwiches and some main courses. When we decided to go there, our son-in-law looked up the directions and we were pleased to see it wasn't far from the Caverns and an easy drive. The restaurant is in the Mimslyn Inn and is easy to find it once inside. Since we were having an early dinner, there was only one couple in the place. Our server seated and greeted our party of six. We sat at a huge table that could accommodate twelve. She arranged things so we were seated at one end. She took our drink orders. We all had soft drinks. I was pleased to see that they had sweet iced tea. Along with our drinks, we were given a bread basket and some butter with chives in it. The bread was fresh and the butter added nice flavor. For my main course, I got "butternut squash ravioli and lobster". This was a great dish. It consists of: "Butternut squash and parmesan ravioli with sauteed lobster and asparagus in a tarragon cream sauce". The delicate flavor of the butternut squash came through clearly. While the parmesan barely registered, that was fine with me. The tarragon cream sauce had great flavor yet it didn't overpower the components of the dish. The lobster portion was generous. Three in our party got the "Country Ham BLT". It consists of: "Fried salt cured Virginia ham, fried green tomatoes, crisp lettuce, pimento cheese on grilled rye served with a pickle and seasoned waffle fries". Those who had this sandwich raved about its flavor and its uniqueness. More than once they said how much they liked it. Two got the "Mimslyn burger" which consists of: "6 oz. local Burners Farm ground beef burger, lettuce, tomato, thick sliced red onions on a toasted brioche roll served with a pickle and seasoned waffle fries". One could add cheese for no extra cost and had a choice of different cheeses. Two added American cheese to theirs while one chose no cheese. One decided he didn't want fries and the server told him he could substitute a veggie from the selection in stock. He chose collard greens as he never had them before and wanted to try them. Everybody liked their burgers and fries. The one who got the collard greens didn't like them. To me, they looked bland and my guess is that was why he didn't like them. We didn't have dessert even though the offerings were tempting. I had hoped to post more photos but one of our grandsons offered to take photos of the sandwich, burger and collard greens...but...they didn't come out. The dining room has that southern charm to it. Our server was very nice and since it was slow when we were there, she engaged us in conversation. If you are in Luray and looking for a good spot for dinner, we all highly recommend Circa '31.

Came here on Friday night. I ordered the blueberry lemonade. I have a sweet tooth, but this was so…read moredisgustingly sweet. It tasted like pure corn syrup. I took one sip and said I'd like to send it back (probably the first time I have ever asked to return a drink in my life). They charged me for the drink anyway. Ordered the duck. The mashed potatoes were good. The broccolini was acceptable, and the duck (ordered medium-rare) was medium-well done, and incredibly disappointing. My husband ordered the chicken. The chicken was acceptable, as was the broccolini, but the couscous was flavorless and gross. I would not recommend going here.