I came to Holly's twice in rapid succession not too long after moving to Charlottesville, then they closed down (?) temporarily for renovations, and I was never sure what was actually going on. ("There's someone smoking outside, is it open? The sign says closed?") This dragged on for a few months, then finally they were clearly re-open!
But I heard things had changed, so I was slightly hesitant to go back in case the Holly's I fell in love with was now a tattered dream.
After some new reviews rolling in, I decided it was worth the trip back.
It looks super nice and clean inside now! It was admittedly slightly dingy before, so way to go, Holly's. It seems like they still need to add some lighting; once the sun went down we were basically in darkness at our table. There was a fixture connection hanging empty above us, so I assume they are still adding things and finishing things up slowly.
We were there on Thursday's "game meet-up," where the gamers of Cville crawl out from their holes and head to Holly's for a pint and a game or two with like-minded folks and friends. Our group, a party of five, came together and sat at a table to play our own game. It's a fun environment when the beer is flowing and all the tables around you are filled with various board games (think: catan, ticket to ride, pandemic, and many others I've never heard of).
There was only one waitress who was also on the bar, so she was worked off her butt and would have benefitted immensely from even one other person to help. But because we had our game going, the slow service wasn't too much of an issue.
Unfortunately my beloved, bigger than my head Club sandwich is off the menu, and they've streamlined their sides service with the sandwiches now, so you always get a side salad and fries unless you ask otherwise I guess. I got the reuben and it was huge, stuffed full, and delicious. I felt like the melty cheese wasn't as present as it could have been, but it was still good. The side salad is meager, but I'm always thankful for fresh greens when eating greasy sandwiches, so no complaints. The fries were hot and delicious.
My husband got the BLTA, (a blt with avocado) and it was also huge and looked great. Definitely something I'd think about ordering another time, once I know tomatoes are in season.
So, to wrap things up. Some menu changes left me a bit sad, but what they are delivering is still tasty and still priced fair especially for the portion you get. The service is friendly and the renovations made a nice difference. Still looks like a dive from the outside, but inside it's clean and tasteful. The bathroom upgrade is especially welcome and appreciated.
Go. Avoid Thursday if you don't want to be crowded by gamers, or go on Thursday if you're into that. I assume other week nights aren't quite as hopping.
Glad I finally returned to Holly's! read more