10/10 quick and friendly service! Portions are incredible for the price point. Took an entire…read morecollege soccer team of 40 girls and it was less than $200. They accommodated us and if we're ever back in Roanoke we will be back!!

I enjoy having breakfast at Ernie's for its warm and cozy ambiance. As soon as I enter the place I…read morefeel right at home. The sever already knows what I usually have to eat, and she serves me a freshly brewed cup of coffee as soon as I have a seat at my favorite booth. Ernie's on the Market is owned and operated by Bill Kopcial, a former Roanoke City firefighter and his business partner Scotty Smith. They are wonderful individuals. Bill always greets me when I'm having breakfast and he stops by. Just the other day, I ran into him and his family at McAlister, where they were having dinner. My usual breakfast there is two fried eggs over easy, with bacon, homefries, and white toast. I also enjoy their omelets. On weekdays they are one of the few restaurants that open at 6:00AM, so it gives you an opportunity to get a head start of the day. The server is a very friendly and hospitable young lady, who is always looking after her customers to see if they need a coffee refill or would like a glass of iced water to enjoy with their food. Today I had the usual breakfast. No matter how the cook prepares my breakfast, it always tastes so good. The white Texas toast is always fresh and soft, and the eggs and bacon tastes just right. I also enjoy looking at the historic photographs on the brick wall and their flamboyant decor. Their prices are reasonable enough to be able to leave a well deserved good tip. And one always leaves the place with a good feeling.

Vinton's Café Kitchen & Bakery is more than just a place to eat. It's a small-town charm where…read morelocals, family, and friends gather to share quality time together while enjoying some delicious Southern comfort food. After having been selected as number 4 of Yelp's Top 50 most prolific Elites of 2025, a year when I was also 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 Vinton's Café, located in the City of Roanoke's neighboring Town of Vinton, Virginia, is a perfect example and a dream come true. Located in the heart of downtown Vinton, this cozy, family-owned and operated hometown eatery has quickly become the talk of the town. It is widely recognized for it's scratch-made Southern comfort classics, exceptional all-day breakfasts, artisan baked goods, and local artisan gift shop. The owner Keriann Campbell sets the warm and welcoming tone for a memorable dining experience and for a desire to want to come back and make it the place to gather with family and friends, to make any day special. Her most close supporters are husband Todd and son Jake. Tom's skills in the kitchen are amazing. His passion for food is the inspiration for some culinary masterpieces. Among some of the more unique and loved items in the menu are the Cafe Cuban Sandwich served on Portuguese sweet bread, and paired with homemade potato soup; The Strawberry Banana Nutela Crepes; The Smoked Salmon Benedict; and a first for any restaurant in the area: The Surf N Turf Omelet. Some of the items on their Fall Special Menu include the Dubai French Toast, The Banana Bread Pancakes, and The Benedict Burger, among others. Their coffee selection is also like no other. Today I visited the restaurant for an early breakfast. A friendly young lady greeted and welcomed me. I ordered an Iced Café Mocha to drink and an Imperial Omelet to eat. It was amazingly delicious. I loved it. Its quality chorizo flavor really stood out together with its fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, spinach, and special chef's spices. The owner came out to say hello while I was there. She has a beautiful personality and a very creative mind and imagination. As their one-year anniversary is approaching in November of this year, plans are underway to expand into dinner hours and add a back patio for parade viewing and outdoor dining. She also believes in giving our local talented and creative people an opportunity to showcase their items in the gift shop. Currently the gift shop there is showcasing 10 local artisans. 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 and items in their gift shop. In conclusion I highly recommend this one-of-a-kind Café, a cherished gem of the precious Town of Vinton.

I just had the most amazing lunch with my sister! We were celebrating my birthday so we started off…read morethe Mimosa flight then we followed up with chicken Caesar wrap! Oh my good goodness it was delicious! We had Lexie as our server and she too was incredible! I will definitely be back!!! It was an impeccable little restaurant located in the town of Vinton! If you haven't been by yet you are missing out on this little gem.

Really need to do a current update of reviews over the past six months or so to get a good idea of…read morewhat to expect. I've had good and bad there, but it really depends upon the number of staff serving and preparing the food. This is a problem all over the Valley and I really feel for them and all the other places sincerely trying their best to provide a good meal to their patrons. The Dogwood is the only place that seems to have sufficient staffing. Would love to know what they are going to maintain that. I for one have made it a point to over-tip everywhere to help encourage the servers to stay around and enjoy their work. It is a truly honorable profession!

There are times that the simple things in life bring the most pleasure. For instance, I enjoy…read morediscovering out of the way breakfast restaurants and then on my days off, getting up early in the morning and going to these small but cozy, one of a kind places and enjoying a nice hometown breakfast in a relaxed environment and meeting new and interesting people; the owners, cooks, and servers of these small businesses who provide a product and service that bring joy to the members of our community and to those who are visiting it. After spending some time searching for one of these places, I found one called Jerry's Family Restaurant. I was attracted by the name of the restaurant, but also by the red building in the shape of a country barn, where it was the restaurant was housed. As I arrived at the place following my GPS, the red barn shaped building got closer and closer, and I could read Jerry's Family Restaurant, "Home Style Eats." Breakfast and Lunch Daily. Precisely what I was looking for. As I entered the place, I was impressed by how even though the building was old, it was very clean and painted and decorated in simple but very good taste. Chad, who was doubling up as my host/server, greeted me warmly, took me to my booth, and handed me a copy of the menu. Before even reading the menu, I looked around and admired the very well maintained Walnut hardwood floors contrasting with the light beige and white painted walls and ceilings. I ordered coffee to drink with cream and sugar, and Chad, my server, didn't take long to have the hot and freshly brewed coffee on my table, together with a glass of cold ice water. For breakfast, I ordered Three Eggs over easy with Bacon, Fried Yukon potatoes, w/onions, and white toast. And with French Toast as a little something extra. As I was waiting for my food, many other customers came in and were seated, and a lady came in with a "to go" order as well. Whom I guess was the owner/cook, a very nice lady, came out from the kitchen area and up to me and said hello, making me feel at home, as I waited for the home cooked food. Then Chad brought me the food and filled my coffee cup with some more freshly brewed and hot coffee. Everything tasted delicious. Take a look at my photographs, and you will be able to appreciate it better. After all, they say that "A picture is worth a thousand words." Then read the menu that I also photographed to be able to read the nice variety of both breakfast and lunch items available. And somehow eating my food in this cozy, warm, and friendly environment made it taste even better. I highly recommend this place to everyone reading my review and can assure you that you'll have a unique dining experience like no other.

Seating can be a challenge if you get here mid morning on a weekend but the food is worth the…read morepotential wait. Some of the specials are crazy, like French toast with pickled jalapeños, but somehow it worked. The baked goods selections are worth checking before you leave as well!!

It saddens me to leave a negative review about Our Daily Bread, but my most recent experience was…read morevery disappointing. I have lived in Blacksburg my whole life and ODB has been a go-to bakery for most locals for a while. Serving a variety of pastries, cakes, breads, and offering lunch, brunch, and dinners. They have a lovely variety of options for customers to enjoy. The bakery primarily serves French pastries and caters to French cuisine at their meals. Although they offer more than just French inspired food. In the past, my family and I have enjoyed grabbing their cakes for celebrations and individual pastries from their pastries case. But recently, they have not been up to par and have left us very unsatisfied. The cakes have been dry and do not taste fresh at all. On my latest visit I tried a couple of things, all of which were cold, with dry, crumbly textures. It was evident to me that these pastries were not made day-of and had clearly sat in a fridge for at least one night (if not more). I found this to be extremely disappointing as ODB used to have a reputation of serving FRESH baked goods and pastries. I cannot attest for the hot food they serve during meal times, but the pastries and cakes have gone down hill. Over the winter break, I had their NY cheesecake bar (which I've gotten in the past and it was phenomenal) and it fell so short of what I remembered. It was lacking flavor and the crust at the bottom was dry. This past visit, I tried a Napoleon (also have had this before and really enjoyed it), a specialty cake, a scone, and a couple macarons and macaroons. The Napoleon was so cold and the puff pastry was super stale, it practically fell apart the second I tried to eat it. The specialty individual cake slice was also very cold and the cake wasn't moist at all. Again, indicating it was not fresh or made day-of. The scone was also a disappointment as it was dry and lacked any moisture. I thought the macrons and macaroons were fine though. While most of this was disappointing, the price didn't help either. Nothing was inexpensive and the quality was completely missing. So disappointing to leave this review as I used to enjoy coming here for sweet treats. It's sad to see that ODB is unfortunately not what it used to be. I will note that the service is very friendly and they do their best dealing with customers. Could have been more efficient, but I did go during a busier time. I hope they can turn things around, but until then I do not think I will be retuning soon.

The Lazy Bulldog Bistro is what I'd like to refer to as (what Bob Ross would say) a "happy…read moreaccident." I was traveling with a friend up to Blacksburg so we could watch our alma mater, Virginia Tech, play North Carolina in a big early college football matchup. While driving up from Hampton Roads, we kind of settled on grabbing lunch at Sticks & Spoons Ramen Bar in Roanoke before checking into our hotel and then finally heading out for the game. We made good time and, wouldn't you know it, Sticks & Spoons was closed for renovations. S&S was located at small strip mall - so after seeing they were closed, we noticed Lazy Bulldog across the way. We figured, "Why not?" and headed over. Upon entering, we were warmly greeted by Lazy Bulldog's co-owners, Brandon & Erika. They were quick to answer any questions about their menu, and Erika was kind enough to provide their establishment's history. The menu looked incredible as LB offered all kinds of burgers and sandwiches. We ordered the What the Ale Shrooms for an appetizer, which were fried button mushrooms in beer batter. It came with a homemade lemon aioli - both the shrooms & the aioli were delicious. I had the Surf 'N Turf Burger (1/3 lb beef patty, Old Bay fried shrimp, thick cut hickory bacon, lettuce, tomato, Sriracha aioli), while Neal ordered the Garlic Bomb (1/3 lb beef patty, cheddar, lettuce, sauteed garlic, red onion, homemade garlic aioli). Both of us enjoyed our choices and appreciated the excellent service from Erika and Brandon. Our entire experience was fantastic, which came with extra effort when Erika gave us free water while we chatted outside with one of Neal's former professors. LB closes for a couple of hours between lunch & dinner service, so Erika, as she was closing up and leaving, gladly provided the water and some extra produce she had grown herself. Thank you, Lazy Bulldog, for everything! I cannot wait to visit again when I return to Blacksburg! JV

Food truck had a limited menu. Selected the steak sandwich…read more Ready in about 7 minutes; came with Ruffled potato chips. Sandwich was delicious. Will absolutely eat here again. Initially I thought it was a little pricy, but it was loaded with meat, and very tender.

Very good breakfast spot. The service was friendly. The decor was lovely - airy but cozy. Plenty of…read moreseating. The menu offered so many yummy options it was hard to choose. I ordered the lemon ricotta pancakes (OMG sooo good!) and the other person in my party had the pumpkin pancakes, eggs, sausage and a side of biscuits and gravy. All very good. Definitely recommend!

Sometimes it pays to do your research. You end up finding the Oyster with the cultured pearl…read moreinside. And this is exactly how I ended up finding this gem of a restaurant after only two weeks and a half of opening its doors to the public. 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 First Watch in Salem, Virginia, is a perfect example. Located in the Mill Lane Commons, off West Main Street, Salem's busiest retail corridor, First Watch, a daytime cafe known for its gourmet breakfasts and brunches, has just become the new kid on the block of the City of Salem's restaurants. This morning I drove in my pearl white Lexus in search of the restaurant which I found next to the Sheetz in Salem. It was located inside a reasantly built contemporary design building. Inside, it had beautiful hardwood floors, lots of windows bringing in the light, and high ceilings with an amazing lighting treatment. The dining furniture was elegant and comfortable at the same time. As soon as I walked in the door, Jaclyn Gorman, a very cordial and hospitable young lady with a wonderful personality, and the restaurant's manager, welcomed me and made me feel right at home, in this cozy, warm, and hospitable environment. She asked me where I wanted to be seated and after I told her that in a well lit table, she took me to the perfect one, and handed me a copy of their regular menu. In a couple of weeks, she told me they would also be serving from their Seasonal menu. At first I was going to have a regular coffee, but when I saw an advertisement on the table next to mine for a Mint Mocha Iced Coffee, I immediately called her back and ask to have this one instead. To eat I ordered their Chile Chorizo Omelet. It not only tasted amazingly delicious, but also looked the part as well. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the quality of their food. I was assigned a server to follow-up on me, but the manager kept in touch to see that everything was of my satisfaction. The ambiance, the quality and uniqueness of the cuisine, and the excellent customer service all contribured to making this an outstanding dining experience. I highly recommend this place and look forward to returning in the very near future.

We asked our car where to eat and Gemini suggested Scrambled. When we arrived at about 1:00 pm, it…read morewas pretty quiet and we were seated right away. Amanda our server was there and delivered some really good coffee and took our orders. My wife ordered the scrambled eggs and sourdough toast, our daughter had the Denver omelet. I was looking for something light, so I ordered the Sweet and Savory combo. A half order of biscuits and gravy, plus their famous vanilla French toast. The large portion of scrambled eggs were light and fluffy, and the sourdough toast was very flavor full. Our daughter loved the Denver Omelet scrambler, but was unable to finish the large portion. I am really glad that I only had the half portion of biscuits and gravy, two biscuits and generous portion of gravy were the best I have ever had. I barely had room for the four half slices of delicious French toast. It did not need the syrup. My wife appreciated the fact that I ate my biscuits first and had to share the French toast with her, she loved it too. Overall, we all really loved Scrambled. The food was great, and Amanda was very attentive. If we lived in the area, we would definitely make this a regular stop. Thank you Gemini!

Located at one of the most prime locations of Roanoke's City Market Square in one of the corners of…read morethe Historic City Market Building, with a beautiful view of the heart of Downtown Roanoke, this breakfast restaurant is open daily from seven o'clock in the early morning until two o'clock in the afternoon, except Sundays that they open at eight o'clock, and they're closed on Mondays. Last time I visited this restaurant and wrote a review I found it simply amazing: its decor, its ambiance, its food, and most important of all, its excellent customer service by its friendly and very efficient servers. I invite you to read that review and view my photographs accompanying it to get a better sense of my experience here, then. However, this time around, it wasn't so good. And I judge restaurants by their consistency of quality of food and service. This time, the ambiance was nice and the service was excellent by a friendly young lady server, but the quality of the food left much to be desired, especially the way it was cooked. The cook was a total disappointment. I was one of the first ones there when they opened their doors. When I entered, a group of friendly and eager to serve servers who where gathered around chatting, waiting for their customers to arrive, greeted me and gave me a warm welcome, and invited me to take the table of my choice. Soon after I was seated, my server, a friendly young lady came by and took my order. I asked for orange juice and coffee to drink, as well as a glass of iced water. And to eat I asked for the dish that I so much enjoyed and was looking forward to having today: the Steak & Eggs. I ordered a five ounce filet cooked medium rare with two fried eggs cooked over easy, served with homefries as my choice of side, and for bread: white Texas toast. While I waited for my food to come out, I enjoyed drinking my orange juice and coffee, looked over the menu, and looked out the window where I saw in the distance, Ernie's, one of my favorite breakfast restaurants, for its consistency of quality food and service, and relaxing environment. When my server brings my food, the first thing I noticed was my flat filet cut. Usually this cut is for customers who like their steak well done. Last time, my filet was a thick cut one, cooked medium-rare to perfection. Then I saw the fried eggs. They weren't over easy, but over cooked as well. And the toast was over-toasted and laid there while the food was cooking, because it was luckwarm and hard by the time it got to me. When I cut my steak with the steak knife to see if it was pink inside, it was not. It was tough and dry. When my servers. I signaled one of servers asking for my server and tell her about my steak. She replied that now they were using a different meat provider, but that she would take it back and ask for another to be cooked. She only takes the steak back. Shen then brings me another back that not only had a weird shape, but was rare and with gristle. Judging by the quality of the second steak, the cook didn't intend to make amends, or maybe didn't know better. It's a pity because everything else about this restaurant is comforting, but when the food isn't, it takes away the desire to return. I hope the management and the owner of the restaurant read this review and take the necessary steps to correct the misdoing. Because restaurants' success is brought about through repeat customers and not by passersby.

Sometimes in the least expected of places one can find the tastiest of foods and the friendliest of…read morepeople. This is the case with Cafe Express, in Salem, Virginia. Located in a standalone building next to a 7-Eleven/Gas Station at 206 Apperson Drive, Cafe Express is a small, family-owned and operated New York Style Deli, run by a husband-and-wife team who immigrated from Nepal years ago and for 18 years have worked hard to make this small, unasuming deli, one of Salem's most precious culinary hidden gems. At first I didn't think nothing of it. Its storefront and location are not that impressive, but after driving by it many times, one day I just had to stop and try it out. From the very beginning, after parking in a space right in front of the deli, I was very impressed by its cleanliness. Its front windows and glass door were so clean and shiny that they were like mirrors reflecting their surroundings which in part was the gas station. But don't be fooled by this. In the past I've discovered exceptional eateries located at gas stations small strip malls. Once inside, I was fascinated by what I saw. There were three beautiful wooden relief carvings on the walls, framed magazine articles of the deli and its owners, framed Award Certificates including one from Yelp, a Buddha artwork on a plate, and a beautiful oil painting, painted by none other than by the owner himself. Both Prakash Malakar and his wife Sarojani gave me a warm welcome and made me feel at home. Eager to learn about their place of origin and culture I ask them about this.The owner explained how they came from Nepal, which is located in between China and India. Afterwards, his wife showed me the menu and the Specials written in colorful chalks over a chalkboard. I was attracted to their "Pastrami Royale and after she explained what items it had, I went ahead and ordered it along with some fries and a fountain softdrink. Not exaggerating, it was one of the most delicious sandwiches that I've ever had. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and its amazing high-quality food. For dessert I had a small bowl of their homemade rice pudding. After I finished eating I paid with one of my credit cards via my Google Pay which they accepted and left them a nice tip. In conclusion, I highly recommend this place for its warm and comfortable ambiance, great menu, exquisite food, and remarkable customer service by a kind and friendly couple.

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.