Sometime service can take a solid 4-star experience to a full five stars. Janet greeted us and reserved a table while we strolled the outdoor mall. She was also our server and provided honest feedback regarding the dinner menu, even telling me when she thought we may want to split a salad since we already had appetizers and two entrees. And she was right! The dining room was quiet tonight but I suspect gets busy with events in the various rooms. My only complaint would be the room-temperature red wine that was probably high 70's. Otherwise, we had a great experience. read more

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I've been to this restaurant several times. The low rating is regarding the karaoke night. --lunch: good spot, good food, employees are super friendly and fast! 5/5 --bar: employees provide quick, fast, friendly service! 5/5 The times I've been to their weekly karaoke night, however, we have consistently not had a pleasant experience. The host has made rude remarks and comments to us when signing up, as well as to other people. It didn't feel like a place that we could have fun at -- for example, I remember the last time we were there, the host was YELLING at everyone about how many times we could sign up to sing, and if your name wasn't PERFECT spelling then they would not allow you to do so. Not only did he yell, but he also humiliated these girls in front of everyone during his 5 minute rant. That made me and my friends realize we're not coming back, because it clearly made those girls uncomfortable + the audience in shock. Other than the karaoke experience, this place is very nice and I do recommend it. Sadly, I don't think I will be returning here at night / bar vibes (regardless of karaoke) for these reasons. read more

Immediately when we walked in the place felt lively. You can sit down to eat, although we had already ate by the time we got here, so my rating does not include food. We came by to play pool. There were a couple of pool tables downstairs, although they weren't allowing people to play on those on the night we went. Upstairs there are 3 more pool tables. There is a hug t.v. in the bar area that had a fútbol game on. There was also this reggae-ish band playing that night and they had the place vibing positively. People were dancing and having a great time including myself. I really enjoyed the chill vibes. Great place to come chill and hang out. read more

Rapture - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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I like this place! It's spacious, yet cozy at the same time. There is a nice vibe there with friendly townspeople. Everyone seems to know everybody. There are several pool tables (6, I believe), and a nice stage. We go there a couple of times a week, Wednesday night for Karaoke, and for the bands on the weekends. The karaoke host is a little edgy sometimes, but he's funny and you never know what he will say next. He is quite unique and entertaining. That man runs a tight ship and keeps the show interesting! He definitely keeps it real. In the middle of karaoke, there is a dance break that is always on fire. He gets the whole crowd dancing and singing. One night there was a dance break and all these ladies were having a twerk contest on the stage, then right after the twerking when he went back to karaoke, the host got up and sang Alladin with someone he picked out of the audience, and the whole room sang along. Maybe you had to be there, but it was epic! He creates a fun and funny vibe, making a few colorful jokes here and there, so beware. It's certainly not rated PG! You just never know what he's going to say. The sound system is one of the best I've heard in town, and there are 3 TV screens for karaoke. They have 4 wireless microphones that sound great when people are singing, and the stage is large and easy to view from most vantage points in the bar. We like watching the KJ adjust the volumes and settings for each individual singer. You can tell that he takes pride in getting the sound right. If it's Wednesday, we are at Rapture for Karaoke! If we get there early enough on Wednesday, we have dinner. The food is great and the portions are large. The nachos are our goto meal and they are awesome! (The meat is pulled pork instead of hamburger.) My husband and I share a plate of nachos and are stuffed when we finish. We've also had several others of their dishes. They have a charred romain salad that is very tasty and unusual, it's one of our favorites, and you can add meat like steak or chicken or tuna steak. The chicken sandwich is also another favorite, and also the fried brussle sprouts. The wait staff is friendly and they do a good job. The restaurant and tables are always clean. We LOVE the Wednesday night bartenders! They are so fast and they are actually fun to watch how they can serve so many people at once, making multiple drinks at a time for multiple parties. They obviously love their jobs and are clearly having fun doing it. I'd recommend Rapture for a fun night in the middle of the week for karaoke. There are a lot of good singers that are there every week, and the host is an amazing singer too. If you like playing pool, good balanced drinks, and a cool 90's sort of groovy vibe, you can't go wrong at Rapture on Wednesday. The bands are often really great, too. Usually on the weekends the live bands are there. There is one band where the lead singer plays a horn, and he is really cool to watch and he engages the audience. Sometimes they just jam and make up new music on the spot! It's just a good bar to hang out at, with plenty of good people, action, good vibes and entertainment. They also have good security and check everyone coming in for weapons, so we feel safe there. read more

Great service! Brought our son and our server was super sweet and interactive with him. Food was solid. Well-rounded menu on the whole. read more

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Day two of our Charlottesville trip. We went to the historic downtown Mall. We found Rapture. Excellent food. I got the Veggie Omelet and Grits and coffee. My wife got the Cobb salad and Tomato soup. We sat on the patio and did not go inside. There was some confusion with one employee seating people and the other saying they were full. At the end, they give our bill to another patron who luckily noticed the error. Reasonable prices. Overall, highly recommended. read more

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my biggest gripe with butter and toast is when the butter is COLD and unspreadable. luckily for me, THEY PREMELT THE BUTTER HERE! that tells you so much about the service, so two thumbs up. very locally owned vibe, and i loooved the decor. as an incoming first yearrrr I WILL BE BACK!! side note, I'm not a big grits fan, and that stands true, but the proteins and sauces were very good read more

Rapture - gumbo of shrimp, andouille, chicken & okra on the bottom, shrimp & grits on the top left, grilled hanger steak* on the top right - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Went with a group of 6! 2 people loved the steak, the gumbo did not have a lot of flavor, the pork belly was pretty good, the reuben was incredible and the Cuban sandwich was decent. I only got a picture of the pork belly but there isn't any online so I wanted to make sure to post it. We'd recommend the steak and the reuben sandwich and the rest would try something else next time :) great service! read more

Rapture - pork belly - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

My friend and I were in. Charlottesville for a couple of days and wanted to try some local restaurants. When I saw the menu, it looked like something we would enjoy. Well I was not disappointed! I can't speak to the interior of the restaurant because it was gorgeous out so we sat on the patio which is on the downtown mall. We ordered the fried green tomatoes and they were delicious! I ordered the tuna club and the collards as my side. The sandwich was really good and they know how to make collards!!!! My friend got the veggie plate and she enjoyed it as well. We ordered craft cocktails that were also really tasty. Our server was also very lovely. He was pleasant and attentive and was knowledgeable and gave us some good suggestions. If you're on the mall in Charlottesville, this is a really good spot for a meal. read more

One of the best gumbo spots in Charlottesville. Great options on the menu, and there is indoor and outdoor seating. read more

Rapture - elote fried green tomatoes - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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The strangest experiences have happened here, love karaoke Wednesday's & pool here though

Yummy lunch. Salad with grilled chicken. I ate outside and it was a beautiful day. I don't know why the guy who waited on me was so salty. He asked if I wanted pepper and when I said yes he said, "Of course you do." This was just one of many snarky interactions. I don't know if it was sarcastic or just mean - but I read a review where he was mentioned in the reviews below. Maybe he was just having a bad day. read more

Rapture - Water and wine. - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Amateur night at the Rapture. New Year's Ave, Band is Booked and Present (Mad Maxx and Groove Train), room is packed--yes, full-- and we have endless 'technical difficulties' and 45 minutes blocks of silence or bar music because they can't troubleshoot basic band soundstage needs. Amateur hour. Money back? Or think twice before back. Ah well. read more

Rapture - a crowd of people at a nightclub - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Food is good, but fix the bathroom. The doors are always broken nice maybe put a bigger sign in the doors

I wish there was some special award, because I would give it to Rapture. We came here to tour the college for our son, and I really hope this restaurant is a symbol of what UVA and Charlottesville stands for. The food was perfect! My son and I both had the Fried Chicken Sandwich, and we both agreed, the best we've ever had. My husband had the fish and chips, also loved it. The service was fantastic, completely on point. What really hit home was the signs posted within the restaurant. A place of acceptance, in a country so divided. Thank you Rapture for making a stand! read more

Admittedly have only been there once, but do not plan to go back. If not for the live music I'd give it one star - indifferent, arrogant service; I have tended bar myself so the lack of a smile or basic niceties suggests to me someone who has no idea how to get, or simply does not care about, tips. I ordered two "Dixie Sparklers," which are supposed to include absinthe, and I watched the bartender omit the absinthe both times - I presume due to its expense. The food was not worth it: mediocre burger and awful, overcooked fries. Definitely not going back unless JImi Hendrix rises from the grave and books a show there.... since he could do a lot better, I guess I'm simply not going back.... read more

YUM. My first time eating here. We were seated quickly, and checked up on several times. Our server (didn't catch her name) was hilarious and accommodating. The music was on point, and we had a seat facing the mall so we could people watch while we ate. Spectacular southern food that comes to your table quickly. I highly recommend the fried Brussels sprouts! read more

This was our second office holiday celebration spent at Rapture. Very fun atmosphere. Service is always on point and friendly. Shout out to Isaac, the bartender, for making the night even more fun! Food is always great and plentiful! So much fun playing games and karaoke. They even accommodated us with Music Bingo! We will definitely be returning read more

Dirty, needs remodeling and a good cleaning. Food is just ok. Some of the people are friendly. It just wasn't a place I would go back to.

$18 for a burger and a few fries. Good burger but a little on the small and pricy side. The hillbilly egg rolls were decent but pretty salty. The scene is definitely more of a go for drinks kind of vibe. read more

Rapture - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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We started with hillbilly egg rolls: pulled pork, mad hatter hot sauce slaw, peanuts, goat cheese, & bbq sauce. Good crunch on the outside. The goat cheese and bbq sauce just didn't pair well. The inside we too creamy. Would have stuck with just pork and the slaw. The flavor was decent. MY wife had the grilled hanger steak, which was perfectly cooked and topped with a nice chimichurri. It came with house-cut fries that were pretty tasty. I had dry-aged sirloin with a porcini-shallot-red wine reduction. The beef was cooked perfectly, but lacked seasoning. The wine reduction sauce was a little thin and could have benefited from more shrooms. The roast garlic mashed potatoes and ham hock collards as sides were excellent. The beer and wine lists are limited. Prices are moderate to high. Service was good. The atmosphere was not memorable. read more

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Well located with great outdoor area seating. The service needs improvement. Went to enjoy brunch on Father's Day with my family, we weren't informed the restaurant closed at 3pm for this holiday til after we sat down and we were terribly rushed to place our order. Regarding food, it was delicious we ordered the eggs chesapeake with sautéed spinach but on my husband's plate there were bits of egg shells. The serving of the mimosas was on a regular glass, they should use proper glass for mimosas. If back in downtown I would consider returning and hoping the service is better. read more

Rapture - eggs chesapeake with sautéed spinach - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Friendly and helpful service from the moment we walked up to the podium outside. We were hungry and wanted to try a local restaurant. Definitely were very amazed at how great the restaurant was from start to finish! Delicious bean soup, fried green tomatoes, hillbilly egg rolls, BLT, and nachos deliciousness!! read more

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The vibes were off. Not sure what to say other than that. I'm sure this place is fine, but I wasn't feeling it. Definitely seems like a more late night bar crowd. read more

I've eaten here half a dozen times now. It's a C'Ville treasure! I recommend all meals--brunch, lunch, or dinner. Each menu has a fantastic variety of options. If you're gluten free (not Celiac) this has to be one of the best options in Charlottesville. Two favorites I'd call out include: 1) Fried Chicken Sandwich--(GF option) 2) Ahi Club Their tater tots, fries, and sweet potato fries are all excellent. Their salads are fresh and crisp--I love the Caesar. They always have a great soup. I can vouch for the tomato basil and the white bean... The cocktail menu is fun too! They have creative new cocktails like the Cider-Bourbon Sour or Palazzo, as well as classics like their Margarita Pura or Old Fashioned. They have a nice selection of local beers too (see photo of a flight!). Finally - they always have sweet desserts like their chocolate mousse (see photo). The service is both friendly and efficient! This is a regular stop for me... read more

Rapture - Beer Flight - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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NICOLE the bartender is extremely rude. She skipped over me when I was trying to order, when I was at the bar before the people she skipped over me for. I ordered after someone and they received their food 45 minutes before I did. Not to mention she purposely skipped over me in the bar line so that she could take other people's w orders. If it weren't for Damon and the cooks that were working on 6/27-6/28 then I wouldn't ever come to this place again. NICOLE never sent my order back and never told anyone about the order that I PAID for my food. I have never felt the need to leave a yelp review but her disgusting service has made me feel the need to. Her service is disgusting and that is coming from somebody who works a service job as well. If it weren't for Damon and the cooks working tonight I would never come back to this place because of NICOLE. read more

Rapture is a very fun night club with great multilevel dance floors and a fun bar. There is usually a pretty great crowd of people here and it's one of the more young and fun bars on the downtown mall. I would suggest coming here with a group so you can take up more of the small dance floor for yourselves! read more

You have many choices on Main Street, C'Ville, but you might want to give this one a chance. It's a charming little restaurant, though the interior is rough around the edges. New Orleans theme decor could use a little sprucing. Overall we enjoyed our meal here! Here's why: Service was fast and friendly. The man at the door greeted us and the waitress did a great job of being attentive without being annoying. We liked her a lot. The food was great! And you can see the cooks preparing as the kitchen is open toward the front. Crispy fried Brussels came out hot and there was so much, we had some wrapped. They were every bit as good as those from expensive places, and are a tremendous value. Brussels could have been an entree. My BLT salad came out dressing on the side as I asked. A great mix of ingredients and nothing overpowered. Hubby' steak came out as he requested, and though it wasn't the largest serving size, the price was pretty decent for the size of the plate. Fries that came with were pretty good. There is an outdoor patio for those who prefer it. Yes, we would come again if in the area, if just for those crispy Brussel sprouts! read more

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I enjoyed our lunch stop here! We sat outside on the downtown mall. Service was fast and the lunch menu had a lot of options. I was torn between the tuna watermelon salad (looked amazing) and the tuna club. I decided on the tuna club. All the flavors went together well, it was a hefty portion of tuna seared properly, and the bread was amazing! I will definitely be back for lunch! Only downfall I found with rapture is their Saturday/Sunday brunch menu is small, and doesn't have a lot of options. I was disappointed in my choices when I brought a friend during brunch. Other than that, it was great! read more

Rapture - seared rare tuna club Sandwich - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

The food was succulent and unique! The waiter was attentive, great service. Clean atmosphere. Pet friendly! read more

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This is a really nice spot for weekend brunch. There is ample outdoor seating and well-spaced apart. The prices are very reasonable although the portions for food and drink are pretty small and not super filling. The kitchen was amenable to make changes to dishes for food allergies. Brunch for two with mimosas came to $35. read more

Rapture - Breakfast burrito and Mimosa - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Went to karaoke Thursday night. It was jumping and so much fun. All age and types of people attending.

Great brunch on Saturday in their outdoor dining area. Ample space between tables and very dog friendly. They served ours a large bowl of water with ice, which was appreciated after a long walk. I ordered the Eggs Chesapeake on a biscuit and chose the grits as my side. The dish consisted of poached eggs and hollandaise over crab cakes, sauteed spinach, and a biscuit. I highly recommend choosing the biscuit over the English muffin, it made all the difference. In fact, the biscuits are so good, I wouldn't even serve it the other way unless someone specifically asked for an English muffin. The eggs were cooked perfectly. The grits were good and well seasoned, but it took a few bites to get past the cheesy description from the menu (cheesy stone-ground Virginia grits). I definitely didn't consider them cheesy, but good nonetheless. read more

Rapture - Eggs Chesapeake with grits - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

We just bought a house! We live close by and decided to celebrate with a random dinner downtown. We decided to walk and see what catches our eyes so he we were! Upon arrival I went ahead and checked in, took some pictures, and was greeted by the hostess who told me to wait a moment to be seated. They were cleaning up another table and my hubby requested outside so we looked over the menu and were ready to enjoy! Social distance is practiced here and the staff are very clean and implementing safety as well! The menus are posted outside but as you are seated you are introduced with a QR style menu. Dirty martini for my husband, ginger ale for me. He loved his martini and it came out perfect! (Pictured) My ginger ale was fresh and bubbly. We decided to either share dessert or an appetizer in addition to our own entrees. They have some very interesting appetizers! But also some very interesting desserts! We chose to hold off on an appetizer and have dessert :) I ordered the Southern Fried Chicken which came with yummy collard greens and the best Mac and cheese I've had in #cville so far! I asked if they could give me fried chicken breast instead of thighs to which they did with success. The chicken was seasoned great and the right size for me. My husband ordered the shrimp and grits which I believe only took him about two minutes to finish. He loved it. I tried a little and it has really good flavor and the grits are just a little thicker (almost like porridge) but it was really good! For dessert we had something I believe was new for them to offer according to our server! So we tried the Angel Food Cake with macerated fruit! The fruit was delicious blackberries and strawberries, my favorite. The angel food cake was moist and unique. The cake seemed as if it was lightly charred which gave it a great flavor! I will definitely come back to check out more of those appetizers and maybe a vegetarian option to review next time! read more

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Typically when I go out I like to get something that I can't or don't make at home. I can say that I've never made gumbo at home before. When ordering I was worried that it might be too spicy. The dish had dinner some kick but I wouldn't discourage someone from ordering that is looking for a bit of spice flavor. I was hoping my sausage would have been more formed. It had the texture of ground beef. Overall I would probably try something else on the menu. We did get there at the end of happy hour so it was nice getting a couple drafts on discount. We did sit outside and tables were well spaced. Masks were worn by staff members. The inside was closed so you had to wait at outdoor hostess stand. The bathrooms were available inside as long as you wore a mask. I was happy with the precautions put in place. read more

Great location. Food was really good. Portion size was large nice variety of southern entrées. Server was very helpful with the menu and made some great recommendations read more

KARAOKE NIGHT REVIEW: This was on 6/3/24. The bar and bar staff were great! Cool set up for karaoke but the guy running it was SOOOO RUDE!! He literally said, "Thank god that's over" into the mic after a girl finished singing. He was rude to a friend that asked where to sign up. And he and his friend sang like 4 or 5 songs in the hour and a half I was there, and there were sooooo many people (paying customers) signed up waiting to sing. Honestly the worst karaoke DJ I've ever experienced and I love going to karaoke. Definitely hope Rapture finds someone else to do their karaoke nights. read more

If you're not black don't go! They hold the white people at the door and only let black people in. Even though there was only about 20 people inside they still would hold all white people and let anyone that was black walk in. read more

This place was surprisingly delicious! Due to COVID and change of season there weren't many places to dine. Rapture was one of the many few that had a full menu and a decent outdoor seating area. As for the food, their nachos...wow. The cheese they use was very different, they melt it and season it themselves ( I usually hate cheese so for me to like it says a lot) Portion wise it isn't a lot, definitely a place we're you could order multiple plates. The gumbo was very spicy just how I like it, and their steak was very tender and seasoned and cut in a unique way-unexpected but delicious. Wish I could remember the name of our waitress. She was an older blonde lady, so sweet and very attentive. She had the cook modify the kids menu to fish for my son and made sure his food came out first with the appetizers. read more

Rapture - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Decided to visit Rapture for dinner since we were downtown. I was extremely disappointed by the tiny size of my fried chicken sandwich and the few tater tots that came with it. It was $18 and I felt insulted by how little food I received. In my opinion, I don't think it qualifies as a "sandwich", it's much closer to the size of a slider or a kid's meal. I was even more disappointed when I saw how thin the fried chicken was inside the sandwich. The bread to chicken ratio was like 9:1. The papa legba burger was a better size and tasty which made me even more sad since the fried chicken sandwich could have had potential. Sadly, won't be returning or recommending. read more

Rapture - Fried Chicken Sandwich with Tater Tots - New American Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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