Amazing food, and even better wine selection. Staff is amazing. They have a regular in me…read more Ambiance is a Speakeasy.. to the point you literally have to go, not in the front door of 108, but down a few feet to the Alley and the first door (unmarked) Its quirky and very cool.

One of my favorite spots for a date night in Charlottesville. It's a small place, but we've been…read morelucky enough to grab a couple of seats at the bar most times we've stopped in. Cocktails are rotating and seasonal, but one of my all time favorites was the peach whiskey sour made with local peaches, and a coconut jasmine (gin?) drink that was the Dealer's Choice option. For a light app, I really enjoy the goat cheese and fennel. The ambiance is cozy and upscale, and the staff is incredibly attentive and knowledgable.

What a great place that begins a few feet before you get to the door and the staff have opened it…read morefor you. When dining here, I enjoy the superbly prepared food, a very high level of attention and a cozy, classy and quaint atmosphere. The restaurant is small but the food taste is large. Before I describe my courses, there were many bonus bites, starting with an amuse bouche and then other small and wonderful taste surprises between the courses. Had the small, bite-size food gifts been a full course, I would have been quite content. For example, one plate of small tasty delights had 5 items to enjoy. That little dishes included quail egg, beet, steak tartar, stuffed corn cakes, avocado mousse and corn jam and some creamy pistachio. There was also the delicate and frothy egg yolk with a ginger and carrot salad. I was also given a surprise small portion of delectable soup, which was root vegetable-based with a truffle cream dollop on top. I enjoyed the carrot and rich parsnip flavors in that soup. Of course, there was some fresh warm bread with a yummy, garlicky butter. i had a glass of champagne whcih had a light, clean grassy taste with an nice acidic bitterness. My three courses on the Prix Fixe menu started with the Tagliatelle aux fruits de mer parfumee a la truffle. This seafood pasta dish, with a truffle accent, was a wonderful balance between the earthy flavor and the slightly sweet and perfectly-seared scallops. The next course was a Bourride de fruits de mer. This dish is a seafood stew in a tomato soup. As usual, the flavor combination is so sublime and so interesting on the tongue. The soup arrived with a slice of flavorful garlic bread, perched above the bowl which was holding fresh seafood on the surface. The final course was La bombe au chocolat. This is a rich dark chocolate and raspberry mousse in a deep hot chocolate sauce. Of course, the chef was so kind in sending out another bonus dish with a type of of kouign-amann, a wonderfully tasty lime tart and yummy chocolate truffles in the center. What a spectacular experience!

Upscale french restaurant with an intimate vibe + great service…read more I came here for valentines day with my fiance, and they had a 3 course pre-fix menu for $135. This menu also included a few in-between bite size dishes as well The food was all solid, but nothing really blew us away. Solid cocktail list as well They forgot to give my fiance her leftovers to bring home, which was upsetting as she had a ton of food she was hoping to bring back

Tonight we had a party of 4 and they squeezed us in. We started with the Caesar salad , onion soup…read moreand calamari. All were excellent. For supper we had the salmon chicken and squash risotto. The chicken Marsala was great the salmon was good. The risotto was meh. Then we had the fried banana bread and vanilla ice cream. Wow get this!! Crem brûlée and raspberry mouse all good banana bread was outstanding. For a place that was established in 1996 I have to hand it to them for doing so well.

Stopped by Bizou to grab some take out for dinner and wasn't disappointed…read more I went in on a Tuesday evening and it was pretty empty, a few people sitting inside but it was a nice night out so most people chose to sit outside. The inside is pretty small so if you have a larger group and you want to sit together, just know dining outside maybe your best option. Anyway! I ordered their garlic bread appetizer, short rib entree, which came with a side of mash potatoes, carrots, and Brussels sprouts; and pistachio cheesecake for dessert. The garlic bread appetizer is a must! It comes with enough pieces for about two people to share and is paired with a fresh bean paste as a dip - trust me it's delicious! The short rib was just as delicious! The Brussels sprouts did seem a bit undercooked, but it wasn't a deal breaker. Finally, the cheesecake was solid was well! Everything was a decent portion size and worth the price in my opinion. If you're in the area and looking for a nice place to dine, you should check them out.

Absolutely phenomenal service, dinner and drinks! Every bite was mouthwatering. You could 100%…read moretaste the French influence.

Some friends and I did a day trip to Charlottesville. While walking along the main shopping area,…read morewe noticed this restaurant which had a nice tree covered outdoor patio. We sat outside and each ordered lunch and a beverage. The lunch menu was full of varied offerings so we were each able to find something we liked. I opted for the house cheeseburger and frites. The burger was everything you'd want it to be, flavorful and juicy, and the seasoned frites were thin and tasty. The salad was just a pile of greens with no dressing, so wasn't a big fan of that. I got a Kronenbourg 1664 French lager with my lunch and it was really tasty. The waitress was friendly and attentive. I'd definitely eat here again, especially on a nice day in their patio.

Perfect. Swordfish is cooked to perfection, great old drinks. Awesome service - very…read moreknowledgeable about gluten allergies. Lot of options for GF customers.

My Girlfriend and I booked a res back in early January for 2/13/26 dinner. We were ten minutes…read moreearly, and once seated the waiter seemed contempt with us at our drink order; an old Fashioned and a cocktail already on the menu. Once we ordered our drinks and ordered our appetizer, we realized that the menu had changed from only hours before. Though only two replacement items replaced what we thought would be "house dishes", we ordered accordingly and waited 35+ minutes for the food. Once our entrees were served, my girlfriend's chicken in place of duck was unseasoned and bland. The Cassoulet I ordered featured undercooked beans and maybe three pieces of chewy and rubbery sausage. As a place heralded for their cocktails and cuisine, we were both grossly underwhelmed and disappointed by the service and food. The atmosphere could work as an upscale cocktail lounge, but the food was abysmal. Wouldn't recommend this spot at all.

We went on a Friday night in July with a 7pm reservation. It was moderately busy but I think this…read moreplace should have been packed. Probably will be when the students come back. What a treat for an elevated meal out. We liked that it was fish forward and very well prepared. It has other option though if the sea is not your thing. The service was friendly and prompt and the vibe was French farmhouse. Loved the banquette seating with cushions. Probably the most comfortable I've ever been in a restaurant. The wooden chairs could probably use a pad though. We started out with a cocktail, a beer and an iced tea with its own little cut carafe of simple syrup. The cocktail was the Madam George and it was just as described: Complex, bitter and sweet. Loves that they had descriptions under each cocktail. So helpful! My husband really enjoyed his dark beer from Von Trapp. It was smooth and lighter than most dark beers so perfect for a summer night. To start the meal we received a complimentary amuse bouche of crab salad. It was a delightful briny and citrus bite. For apps we got the burrata and seafood board and both were great openers for our meal. The burrata had a lovely smooth and creamy texture and the tomato and sauce were a nice complement. Needed a tad bit more crostini but we used some that came on the seafood board which was full of tasty and unique seafood delights: the tea smoked scallops with ponzu were my favorite! For entrees we got the bacon wrapped trout, the branzino and the halibut. All three were delicious! Seriously couldn't decide what we liked the best because they were all so good. The trout had a depth of flavor unusual for fish because of the slight smokiness and creamy texture of the fish contrasting with the crispness of the bacon.. The branzino was light and fluffy with a nice tang from the yogurt sauce. The halibut was perfectly cooked with a creamy coconut risotto and a lovely ginger tomato sauce with a nice kick. The mango salsa with a perfect complement to give it an island feel. And to top it off there was a complimentary dessert bite that was a shortbread with caramel and chocolate ganache and a touch of salt. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful meal. Even the bathrooms were nice Can't wait to go back!

Sad.. they were my favorite new find and I wanted to go back immediately. To find thwybjad shit…read moredown. I cannot understand how such a great place went out of business...

This is our favorite place to be on a nice day and spend sometime relaxing at one of their outdoor…read moretables. We usually get their big board (charcuterie) and pair it with one of their wines. Never been disappointed by the food quality or amazing service. Has been and will continue to be our favorite place in Charlottesville's Downtown Mall.

Tried Tilman's last year once outside and once inside. Enjoyed both visits. They offer a very nice…read moreselection of fine wines, cheeses, soups and sandwiches. Staff was knowledgeable and friendly. I especially liked their gazpacho and baguettes. Its a very nice continental wine bar on the East End of The Historic Downtown Mall toward the Ting Pavillion. I recommend it for a nice casual wine bar experience.

Food is great, service is great, design is great. We went for Restaurant Week and the place was…read morepacked but still enough space for every table to feel independent. My favorite dish was the Red Pepper hummus and the Rosemary olive oil cake

Went over the summer, sat outside. Other than the occasional loud car going by, it was a great…read moreexperience. Food was good, waitress was helpful with all aspects of the meal.

As a four-time visitor, I've found that while the food here is consistently flavorful and…read moreinventive, the value proposition remains a mixed bag. This is particularly true for the wine program; for a venue with such a massive retail selection, the curated menu feels surprisingly stingy. I had high hopes for their Cheese Board, but unfortunately, it mirrored my general experience here: great flavors, questionable value. The Highlights: The presentation on the bamboo board is lovely. The bread was exceptionally fresh and flavorful, and the fruit accompaniments; Persimmon, guava, grapes, and strawberry, offered a bright, acidic contrast that paired well with the selections. The Letdowns: Zero Transparency: The cheeses weren't listed on the menu, and the server didn't offer any information on what was being served. Half the joy of a professional board is the "story" knowing the origins and profiles. We were left entirely in the dark. The "Bread-to-Cheese" Ratio: Most of the selections were hard cheeses, and the two soft cheeses provided were literally the size of a quarter. Every sample was sliced remarkably thin. While the bread portion was generous, there wasn't nearly enough cheese or fruit to sustain it. It felt less like a cheese service and more like a bread board with a cheese garnish. Bottom Line: The Crush Pad clearly has access to great ingredients, but the portions should be more than "tastes." I want to love this place, but the value for the price just isn't quite there.

There is elegance and comfort to be found in Crush Pad Wines, in the downtown mall in…read moreCharlottesville. They have an excellent wine selection with a knowledgeable staff to back up any questions you ask. I did not expect there to be a full kitchen, and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of food we ordered. The Mushroom Crostinis in particular played into the refined vibe the entire bar was giving off. A fun stop for a quick glass of wine, or a seated meal that will be accompanied by excellent taste.

Sal's is an adorable Italian restaurant located on the Charlottesville pedestrian mall. They offer…read moredining inside and outside. The inside felt like an intimate New York restaurant. Portions are large enough to share, which is exactly what a couple seated next to us did for their appetizer and meal. Otherwise, you likely will be taking home what's left on your plate. Happy hour offers $3 off house cocktails, $8 glass of house wine, and $13 for a half carafe of house wine. Great deals! The staff are friendly and helpful.

Mushroom ravioli was excellent, pink sauce was lacking substance…read more First Bourbon drink was served in martini glass no ice; second one was served properly and was much better.