Pancakes are considered "As American as Apple Pie." Particularly the fluffy buttermilk variety, are…read moredeeply embedded in the American breakfast tradition. And diners have become synonymous with "a place for everyone," connected to the nostalgic idea of America. Put the two together and you have The Pancake House in Salem, Virginia. After having been selected as number 4 of Yelp's Top 50 most prolific Elites of 2025, a year when I also was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Photographer of the Year Award at their 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 businesses, 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 "The Pancake House" in Salem, Virginia, is a perfect example. This restaurant that opened its doors in the mid 1950's, not only has survived through the years, but has kept the ionic American breakfast tradition alive and well, as I discovered today when after having driven by it many times in my pearl white Lexus, I decided to stop by for an early breakfast, and give it a try. Located on Apperson Drive next to the Lee-Hi Lanes Bowling Center, in Salem, Virginia, The Pancake House is a long-standing diner, known for its, friendly, old-fashioned atmosphere, and classic American comfort food, serving breakfast and lunch daily. What impressed me the most when I entered the restaurant was its cleanliness and old charm yet with comfortable new furniture and decor in the traditional diner style. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the quality of their food. As I entered and sat at one of the booths, I was greeted by one of their friendly servers, given a menu, and asked what I wanted to drink. I ordered a cup of coffee, which tasted very good. And for food I ordered the Pork Loin breakfast with two fried eggs over-medium, and buttered white toast. As well as two pancakes. My server did an excellent job explaining the terminology of how eggs were cooked there. The ambiance was so relaxed and friendly that I felt welcomed and totally at home. I sat in the main dining room just in front of where the kitchen was located behind a large window where the food was delivered to the servers to take to the customers. The quality of the food was superb, cooked just right. The eggs were fresh and tasty, the pork loins were generous size and cooked to perfection. And even the toast were crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. The pancakes were huge size and nice and fluffy. My server made the appropriate rounds to check on me and provide coffee refills. She also provided me with a glass of iced water without me having to ask for it. Their clientele were people of all ages and all walks of life. Since they open at six in the early morning on weekdays, the time is very convenient for customers to have breakfast early and go on their day. I highly recommend this place for an extraordinary breakfast dining experience and plan to return real soon to try out some other items on their menu.

Aesthetic: Traditional, relaxed diner with an array of breakfast items and combos…read more My Favorites: The corned beef hash, well done! Experience: This spot was poppin. I could tell it's a local favorite when we walked in on a Thursday morning, and it was packed. We ordered eggs, corned beef hash, and a side of pancakes. I was surprised the corned beef hash outshined the pancakes, it was so delicious. Order it extra crispy!

Large tasty portions. They are happy to accommodate picky kids. Nice atmosphere. My granddaughter…read morethought she was at a fancy restaurant.

A group of 5 ate dinner there tonight. 3 people ordered ripeness. They wanted them very rare. They…read morearrived cooke correctly but with so much seasing and salt that 2 of them barely ate any of it. Their sides were good. Another person ordered spaghetti and the loaded potato soup. They said the spaghetti pasta was overcooked and mushy, the sauce only slightly better. I ordered grilled chicken breasts, no seasoning. They arrived with no seasoning, but wete dry. My sides were good. Our waitress wasvery nice. Would not got back.

There are times that you discover restaurants that you wish you had known since they first opened…read more You really feel at home in its clean and laid back environment. They treat you like if you're part of their family. And their food is like the one Gradma used make when you were growing up. What better compliment can you give a restaurant! 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 Uncle D's Take Out, in Roanoke, Virginia, is the perfect example. And it's not just for Take Out anymore. Word of mouth is still the most effective way of making your business known. And in this day and age of modern technology a review in the form of words and photographs is as effective or even better. As I was searching on my cellphone for a place to eat, Uncle D's caught my attention. Mostly positive reviews and very captivating photographs of their food. Yet the words Take Out and very few photos of the interior of this restaurant somewhat detracted from the desire to go visit it. Yet in the past I've found that oftentimes restaurants with high take-out orders are also the ones who have a high level of in-house customer followers. So I decided to go dine in and what I uncovered by experience was amazing news: Uncle D's is not just for Take Out anymore. Dining in is a wonderful experience in and of itself, alone or with family and friends. Located in a contemporary looking strip mall across from the Oak Grove Plaza Shopping Center, where popular restaurants like Wildwood Smokehouse and Highlander Pizza are located, you can find Uncle D's next to The UPS Store. Parking was very conveniently located and as I walked to the restaurant their sign high above spoke quality in its design and in the food of which it represented. Inside I found a nice size, clean and colorful little restaurant with Golf items decorating its walls, reflecting the importance that golf played in the owner's life and the love that he has for this sport he has now placed in this restaurant. I was greated by a friendly gentleman with a warm welcome that immediately made me feel at home. He talked to me about the restaurant and it's most popular items in the menu of which I had on the table where I was seated. A really nice and friendly lady, who was the cook, looked at me from out of the kitchen with one of those looks that only grandmas know to give in anticipation of watching you eat her food that she had prepared with much love. I ordered their Grandma's Pot Roast with a side house salad with Ranch dressing, mashed potatoes with gravy, and added a side of Fiesta Corn. To drink a picked a can of Coke which I drank with one of those straws that bend for the convenience. The food was served in a reasonable time. The salad was made with fresh ingredients, was a nice size, and tasted wonderful with the Ranch salad dressing. The Pot Roast was amazingly delicious, soft, moist, and very full of flavor. The amount was more than enough to fill me up. I could go on and on but a picture is worth a thousand words. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of it all. For dessert I has a slice of their Coconut Cream Pie which was also very good. If you're ever in the mood for good hometown Southern Comfort food, I highly recommend that you visit this restaurant with family and friends. For the full dining experience is definitely worth while. And experience that I will never forget.

Accurate menu pictures, turkey and pot roast were amazing, not a bad price either. They DO have…read moreseats inside btw

For a moment there, Garcia's Bistro had its regular customers heartbroken at the news that it had…read more"closed down permanently," but fortunately, not long after, the beloved spot pulled off a miraculous comeback, returning to the neighborhood better than ever before. This popular family-owned restaurant is well known for its blend of Mexican and American cuisine, welcoming atmosphere and excellent service. It's amazingly designed menu has a very creative selection of entrées, like none that I've ever seen before in any restaurant. Its flavorful food is served in generous portions, by cooks dressed in black professional attire, that together wirh its elegant presentation, help create that unique "bistro" experience in a warm and friendly atmosphere with a diner-like feel. As soon as I found out the good news that the place had opened once again, I had to be one of the first ones to go visit and dine there. It seems that the two partners had split up. One stayed running this restaurant and the other chose to remain with their food truck. The only changes that I noticed were that some of the signs in front of the building were torn down and temporary homemade ones were put up. They had changed their business logo although their name remained the same, with the addition of the numbers 581. They already had menus with the new logo printed out, and their cooks remained the same, maintaining their elegant black professional attire. I was warmly greeted by a friendly lady employee as soon as I walked in. She remembered me from the last time I had dined there, and immediately detected my happy feelings of seeing the restaurant opened again. After being seated at one of the booths, she took my order. I had a Coke to drink, the Cancun Shrimp Chorizo Dip with Tortilla Chips as appetizer, and the California Burrito with added Chorizo as my main entrée. It was all very well presented and amazingly delicious, as always. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the high-quality of their food. The server did an excellent job checking on me to see if everything was of my liking and to see if I needed anything, including a softdrink refill. All the customers that came in expressed great joy at the re-opening of this well-liked restaurants. For dessert I had a slice of their Coconut Cake. It was amazing. At the end the owner who had stayed with the restaurant arrived and I expressed my gratitude and well wishes for the restaurant's future success. I highly recommend this Bistro to all. If I lived closer, I would be here dining more than once a week. It's that good!

Went there one time and the inside really needs to be updated…read moreThe food was not that great Covington is in need of good restaurants

I have eaten at some of the best restaurants in the world, but in none have I had such a wonderful…read moredining experience like I always do at Bernard's Gastropub & Eatery. After having been selected as number 4 of Yelp's Top 50 most prolific Elites of 2025, a year when I also was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Photographer of the Year Award at their 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 return to those special ones, that have made a difference in my life and highlight them, for the benefit of the public, so they too can have an opportunity to appreciate the qualities of a one-of-a-kind fine dining experience. And Bernard's Gastropub & Eatery in Downtown Roanoke, is a perfect example. Bernard's was born out of the love of two culinary aficionados turned professionals that in someway have managed to create a restaurant with an environment that transmits this intimate love to the hearts of their customers through the attention to detail in its extraordinary customer service and amazing culinary masterpieces. Today, I felt like dining at this restaurant, which I admire for its consistency in always far exceeding my high expectations of what a fine-dining restaurant should be all about. Not knowing if they would have a table for me at this late time on a Saturday early evening, I drove in my pearl white Lexus to the nearest private parking lot and gave them a call to inquire as if they could give me a reservation for the next ten minutes. A gentleman, who later I found out was named Matthew, and would be my server, answered the phone with a very polite and welcoming voice; answering my question of what was the special dish of the day and to come on down, that my reservation was assured. As soon as I arrived to the small, very elegant foyer in front of the Host's station, he came out to greet me and instantly recognized who I was. My only request was that he give me a low table because at my age seating at a high table was a bit uncomfortable. He went back to see what he could find and ended setting me up with what I consider one of the best tables of the house, and I was so appreciative of his last minute accommodation. The menu was already setup on my table. He poured water from a special bottle into my water glass and asked if I wanted something else to drink. I asked for a Mocktail and since he also was a bartender, he prepared me one of the best mocktails I've ever had. To dine, I started out with their Mussels Carbonara appetizer, which came in a bacon parmesan cream sauce that was simply amazing, and served with toast points. As my main entrée I had the Dinner Special of the Night, the Seafood Trio. It had a delicious, giant size crab cake in the middle, scallops, and shrimps, with parmesan risotto sautéed heirloom tomato, spinach, and nice size asparagus, with a burre blanc sauce. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the high-quality of their food and magnificent ambiance of the place. Everything was so delicious that only one word could ever describe them: priceless! For dessert I had their very famous Butterscotch Banana Pudding, which the chef makes at the moment ordered. It looked spectacular and tasted amazingly delicious: a culinary work of art. What a great way for the Gran Finale of an extraordinary dining experience!

Salty Salty They have potential to be good…read more But they use the same seasoning on fries - and French Onion Soup. Sub par food expensive. Not worth it.

Enjoy local raw unfiltered honey from Salem Va honeybees. Bring a jar home and enjoy some of the…read morehoney mustard sauce on a delicious sandwich or with yummy chicken tenders.

Wow, great burger. Great service. Hole in the wall worth the trip. You better be hungry, the…read moreburgers are not little.

Y'all...this is the sweetest place with the kindest and most attentive staff. My belly is full with…read moregood food and my coffee is hot and delicious. If you don't eat here (and often), what are you even doing? The music is fun and from my generation too (Gen X). I'm at least 30 years older than most of the staff here and I couldn't have been taken care of better. I'm not gonna name names because multiple people came to my table to check on me so all this is a collaborative effort and a lesson in good customer service. BRAVO!!!

First time and was extremely impressed with the menu and bites. The service was the weaker link,…read morebut still a strong 4 stars in my book and will look forward to returning with now having a Roanoke connection. The business is just outside of Roanoke in a nicer strip. Parking may be challenging on brunch weekends, however my weekday visit no problem. Our party of three was greeted and seated immediately with menus. The vibe feels First Watch chain, but all good. They do have a bar which sets them apart from other brunch joints. I assume Famous Toastery is also chain, how big no idea. Everything presented nicely and was clean. Even the men's room was spotless. The menu was strong with lots of variety. You can find anything you're looking for on any type of diet. They do offer a healthier, protein forward section. Our waitress was good upfront, but then fizzled out with sharing bar duties and was absent. I dialed in on a loaded omelette. Included a side of roasted veggies and sourdough bread with black coffee. My wife a breakfast sandwich and my son chocolate chip pancakes with scrambled eggs. Food pushed out quick, like within 15 minutes. Everything was served hot and yummy. My omelette was packed with flavor, the roasted veggies were fresh and cooked up perfectly. Even the coffee was tasty. The manager dropped by to say hello which made us feel special and secured a strong 4 stars. I look forward to returning later this Summer.

Relied on Yelp for restaurants and decided on Mac & Bobs. Popular local place and Sam took good…read morecare of us. We beat the college crowd getting there before 6PM. My Caesar salad was very good as was my chicken parm. My wife opted for Tai chicken bowl( nice little kick). Both portions were good sized. Plenty of alcohol options so we choice beers and wine with our entrees. Going forward, we shall make this a regular stop on our way North.

Place is cute inside, it's spacey and there's a dining area + a bar area. It is incredibly loud if…read moreyou go past 7pm so be mindful of that (lots of college kids including myself + friend groups watching the games). It also gets busy quick! If there's one thing this place can't mess up it's some chicken tenders. They are a staple here. I think they are ridiculously priced, but they are also ridiculously good. The honey mustard is a must with them. I have not been really impressed by the other menu items I've tried, I've gotten a calzone in the past and the fish and chips and they were both average. Service is always 50/50, either someone who is super attentive or someone who will ignore you and never refill your glass for the majority of the time you're there. Overall this place is kind of average, it's $$ for what it is but it's fun with friends. 100% recommend those tenders though.