I LOVED BROOD. The chique bar area was our first nights dinner. The bartenders was FANTASTIC. His…read moreknowledge of cocktails and the menu made it a true experience. The food was well made and tasted like home. Rich, delicious, and unique. Highly Recommend

Sometimes in the smallest of places one finds the most exquisite food and the most precious of…read moredining experiences. 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 Brood Restaurant and Bar in the heart of Salem, Virginia is a perfect example. Hidden in a small but cozy spot with a small but beautiful bar of only a few chairs, off East Main Street in Salem, Virginia, is one of my favorites fine dining restaurants: Brood Restaurant & Bar. The name means: "the children of a family," or "the chicks of a hen." It is meant to describe a warm place where people gather and feel just like in the best of homes: safe, cared for with unconditional love, and well fed with food that is made from the heart. A simple wood framed glass door with the restaurant's name written on it in capital letters with a classical font, is all one sees from the outside. But once you open the door and enter you encounter a space with lots of character coming from an exposed red brick wall and lovely dark wood hardwood floors. The furniture is elegant but comfortable. And the people treat you like if you were right at home; practically one of the family. On this occasion I arrived 15 minutes early to my five o'clock reservation time, yet I was greeted and received with open arms by a hospitable gentleman who seemed to be the bartender but with the distinction of the manager of the place. I was taken to my table in a perfect location in the wall facing the middle of the restaurant. The bartender prepared me a Guason Mocktail that all I can say is that it tasted devine. To dine I ordered their Sea Scallops appetizer with a roasted garlic emulsion and a bacon and fried onion crumb. Followed by an Arugula Salad. And the main entrée being the Steak and Frites. Everything was amazingly delicious and served in the appropriate timing. The scallops tasted out of this world in its unique sauce. The salad was wonderful. And the steak, an 8oz CAB Manhattan cut New York Strip cooked medium-rare and served with vaudouvan compound butter was one of the tastiest steaks of this nature that I have ever had, along with some fries with a cut that brought out the best of them. My server and bartender visited my table at the right times to see that everything was to my satisfaction and see if I needed anything and when he was busy made sure to send one of the other servers who all worked very efficiently as a team. Even at the end of my meal when the restaurant was almost completely full. For dessert which I consider the "Grand Finale" of a great meal, I had their Belgian Waffle Bread Pudding. It was amazing. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the high-quality food. Needless to say I highly recommend this restaurant which has become one of my favorites for its delightful ambiance, exquisite food, and excellent customer service, together leading towards an extraordinary dining experience.

The pork chop and fillet were outstanding as were the creamed spinach and Brussels sprouts!!!! My…read morehusband and I split our dishes. We also had a wonderful waitress but didn't get her name! The cocktail choices are also creative and tasty -- I had one infused with lavender! Our first time visiting here but we will come back!!!!

We had to wait about 10 minutes past our reservation. No big deal there. The restaurant was nearly…read morefull but not crowded by any means. People were coming and going. The waiter took our drink orders; came back a few minutes later and took our food orders then the waiting started. We were having nice conversations but after about 20 minutes we were wondering what happened to the food. The waiter said it should be out soon. He came back about 10 minutes later and said they were plating our food. It was another 15 minutes before they finally brought the food out. Meantime while we were waiting we were serenaded by a 2 year old child pitching a fit at a nearby table. It took forever before one of the parents took the child out. I know how it is with small children, I remember that we had to take turns eating and sitting in the car with the unruly one. But please have some consideration for others. We expected a pricey meal but the food was mediocre at best. I have had much better steaks at Texas Roadhouse. With the very long wait and the disturbance going on, it will be a long time before we return.

Having recently moved to Roanoke, we headed here on a recommendation from son and dil. The diner…read morewas busy but spots were open for us. From a great comprehensive breakfast menu and over a big cup of coffee, we ordered. I had the "Little Boy" that include 2 eggs and 2 either bacon or sausage. A pancake and biscuit w sausage gravy accompanied the eggs and bacon! She had chip beef gravy over toast, a hard to find favorite of hers! Service was quick, pleasant and efficient, the breakfast was yummy, ample and a great experience! Glad we discovered a nice old school diner w a great menu, great vibe and service!

Food is out of this world. No matter if you go for breakfast, lunch or dinner you get the best…read morefood and service. It has the old time southern atmosphere Best sausage gravy and hot dogs

This is a bar/restaurant in a hotel lobby. We sat at the bar and were pleasantly greeted by the one…read moreand only server. I ordered a grilled salmon dinner that included a small salad and a serving of garlic mashed potatoes. My wife ordered chicken strips and fries. The salmon was good. The salad was good. The potatoes not so good. The chicken strips were good. There are a few booths along a wall as well as the bar area to eat. Biggest gripe is the wait time on your order being cooked. It must be a one man show in the kitchen( at least the night we were there). Overall the food was ok/good. Service was friendly and fast but......there are better places around town to eat. If I could add a 2&1/2rating that's what it would be. My very good rating max is 4 stars so I couldn't put a 3 star rating here. Sorry guys. Might have been a bad night for dinner but I'm telling about my experience that night

For perspective I am Diamond level member with IHG, this means nothing other than I stay in a IHG…read moreproperty 3-4 nights a week and have ate many a dinner in their onsite restaurant. Never once have I had a single issue worthy enough to mention. Also for perspective it's 8pm, it's been a 14 hour day and I surly was in no mood to get into my car when it's less than 20 degrees outside and the wind howling, but I did. Sat at a table for over 15 minutes, bartender avoided me as she was in deep conversation with another patron I suppose. Moved to the bar. Got a TUDE from her with a "I would have came over, you didn't have to move". Then another guy just walks up, she gives him a menu and then his drink, I have neither. Finally she comes over my way, I asked if I could place a take out over. She grabs a menu, drops it in front of me and walks to the other end of the bar without asking or taking my drink order. She starts at the other end of the bar taking drink orders for all the other patrons who already have a drink in front of them. My daughter was a waitress while in college so I'm extremely empathetic toward wait staff, my lowest tip is 20%, good service 30% and excellent pays 40%. Tips are how they earn a living. Walked out.... also the menu is vastly different than what is offered on their website. Also I guess it may have been the chef- working extremely hard the entire time holding up a wall. What's sad in the end is I'll bet a 100 to 1 that not even a peep will come of this review from hotel or restaurant management.

Very nice place. Steak was delicious & cooked perfectly as requested. Amazing 'salad bar'…read more Everything u can imagine! Carmen was terrific as our server

I've always wanted to try this place out. However this was my first and last time coming here…read more The burger was ok, but the lettuce was wilted and gross. The onion rings were not "big o onion rings" as labeled in the menu. It was a huge let down coming here. You can get a better burger at Burger King. Save yourself a disappointment and go elsewhere. If you're looking for a good steak, Outback is right around the corner.

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!

Was close to hotel and had good ratings. Staff were really nice. Food was not good at all. Got…read morethe turkey ruben and buddy got a burger. It looked like they split one order of fries in half for us, ruben was very basic like you could get at a Wawa and way too much sauce which i think was just thousand island dressing. Fries we had were greasy and not much flavor. Restaurant itself im generally OK with dinner or local dives because they tend to have great food but this one needs to improve on everything. Food just meh, Restaurant looks like a converted waffle house. They can do a lot with what they have but really needs work.

Today I took the road less traveled and ended up in a little gem of a family-owned and operated,…read moreneighborhood restaurant since 1982 by David and Penny Price. Located in Salem, Virginia, this warm and cozy restaurant with window view to the Roanoke River is known for its popular burgers, especially the "Hot Rock," and other casual American fare like sandwiches, subs, hot dogs, onion rings, and crispy fries. Small in size, yet it has received many awards throughout the years, including "Best Burger" from The Roanoker Magazine in 2013. When I arrived to the place, I parked my Lexus over a bed of rocks parking lot, right outside, in the front area of the restaurant, and walked towards it. Inside, there was a small foyer with a bulletin board that had a copy of the menu, some Best of Salem Gold Awards, and some business cards from members of the community and customers of the restaurant. Then there was a bar on the left with a pool table on the right, and many Sports memorabilia on the walls of the establishment. It seems the owner was a great fan of the Virginia Cavaliers. Then in the back there was the dining room with a few tables, and a couple of them had a window view of the Roanoke River. Shortly after I arrived the friendly and very hospitable owner, came out of the kitchen and gave me a warm welcome, asking me to take a seat where I liked. I went and sat at one of the tables with the window view. To drink I ordered a Coke and to eat I ordered their famous "Hot Rock" Burger at the owner's recommendation when I asked him what he would recommend for this my first time dining there. The description on the menu of this burger was a "Hand formed fresh lean ground beef, provolone cheese, grilled onions, bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo, hot peppers, Italian dressing on pita bread." It was served with potato chips and pickles, or for an extra price you could have it with crispy fries or onion rings. I ordered it with onion rings. While I waited, I looked around at all the pictures and memorabilia on the walls, and I looked through the window at the Roanoke River water flowing. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and the quality of their food. When the food arrived, everything tasted fresh and delicious. The burger was cut in half for convenience in eating it. The onion rings had a thick batter that kept them together and were easy to eat. The owner came by to check on me and see if the food was of my liking. We also talked about how he has owned and ran this restaurant for over 43 years. At first the restaurant was also opened at night, but now it's only open from eleven in the morning until two-thirty in the afternoon daily, and closed on Sundays. This makes it easier on him now that he's older, but you can tell he enjoys to continue running his restaurant and serving his customers. Because of its quality food, reasonable prices, and friendly service. I can see why this little restaurant is a local favorite for lunch or a casual meal and I completely give it my total support and urge you to do the same.

One of my favorite spots! Great food! Have been coming here for 45 years and other restaurants…read morewould have a hard time beating these burgers,dogs, subs, pitas,french fries and other food they serve. You should definitely take the time to try, oh and a ice cold beer goes really well with and food choice!

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.

This year I chose this restaurant above all others to celebrate my birthday, and I wasn't…read moredisappointed. It highly went beyond the highest of my expectations, and delivered an extraordinary dining experience. After making an appointment for five o'clock and mentioning that I would be celebrating my birthday there on that day, I wondered how it would be, for everytime I have dined there, their attention to detail has been superb, and their cuisine has been exquisite. The day finally arrived and I was standing by the door at five minutes to the hour. Inside I could see through their large front windows the movement of all the staff getting ready for the opening of the restaurant. At exactly five o'clock, the hostess approached and opened the door for me to enter. She warmly greeted me and apologized for not being able to give me the table I requested because they needed it to unite with other tables for a large group they would be having. But they had prepared another one in front of the open kitchen for me, where I would be able to observe the Chef and other cooks preparing my food. It was definitely to my satisfaction, and when she took me there I was very impressed with the small detail on the table of a Happy Birthday card from the restaurant signed by everyone there and suspended by a little stand. Things like that are priceless in my eyes. Shortly afterwards, my friendly and efficient server Ivy, came by, wished me a Happy Birthday and took my order. To drink I had my favorite Mocktail there, the Butterfly Kisses. As appetizer I ordered the Oyster Wraps. And for my main entrée, the Hanger Steak, my favorite item in their menu and that of all the other restaurants around the area. My server did an excellent job of bringing out my ordered items in a well-paced manner. I noticed the small but significant detail that the chef had of serving me a slightly larger amount of Hanger Steak than the usual, and this meant more to me than any of the other complimentary desserts which are given in most other restaurants on your birthday. The Hanger Steak was so delicious. 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. Also to read my former review where I explain what a Hanger Steak is all about. For the Grand Finale of my Birthday meal I had their Panna Cotta dessert deliver with a burning birthday candle on top, another wonderful detail that many restaurants leave out now-a-days yet is so meaningful to many of us. This was truly a memorable dining experience. One that I will always remember and cherish dearly.

While The River and Rail has many things going for it: great location, adorable atmosphere, fancy…read moreand delicious cocktails and delicious food, one thing they don't have going for them is their ability to stay true to their operating hours. My friend and I walked in at 9 o'clock EXACTLY on a Thursday night to have a drink. The sign on the door said they were open until 10:00. There were 4 or 5 tables seated, enjoying dinner and cocktails. 5 or 6 people at the bar. There was no one to start with at the actual hostess stand and servers saw us standing at the door but did not approach us even though there was an hour left on their operating time. So we walked directly to the bar and sat down. We had just eaten at Fork in the Alley so all we wanted was one drink and we figured an hour was plenty of time to get that done. The first thing the bartender said to us was "The kitchen is closed." Not "hello" or "Hey what can I get you?" but the kitchen is closed. I said "oh I'm sorry I thought you closed at 10:00." He said "well, that's up for debate we were actually discussing that right now. We're basically closed but you can have a drink because it's not like the rest of these people are going anywhere." What do you mean that's up for discussion? Your hours say you're open till 10 o'clock, it's 9 o'clock I have an hour to eat and have drinks! The other bartender, or perhaps he was only a bar back, gave us a very disapproving look. I get it, I work in the food service industry. I'm a server at a 4 diamond restaurant, and I hate when people walk in minutes before we close and want to sit down. But if we post that we're open until 10 and you walk in at 9:45 I'm going to serve you and treat you like anyone else that walked in at 6:00 because it's your tips that pay my bills and put food on my table. It's definitely not the hourly wage I get from my employer! And as a server I never walk into a restaurant with less than 30 minutes to close. And it's more like an hour if I'm looking to eat a meal. I know you want to go home. When it's the end of the night and I'm at work, so do I! But there's an hour left and I wanted one drink. That's it! We continued to get disappointed looks from a few other employees even though we weren't the last people in the place. I told my friend (it's 9:45 at this point) that we obviously need to go since servers are standing around looking at us like we've got the plague. We paid our bill and promptly left. Two couples still at the bar. It's 9:59 right now as I'm writing this at home (you're still technically open btw) but I left feeling like I had stayed hours past your closing time. It's a real shame because we really enjoyed our drinks! They were super yummy! And I'm always getting asked by guests where's a good place for a late night cocktail and I used to recommend The River and Rail right along with Lucky's because we had a shuttle that would take guests out, but after tonight I won't be doing that anymore. Because there's nothing worse than feeling unwelcome at a restaurant that is still open.

we came here for lunch. The ambiance is cozy and upscale. Service was friendly and prompt. Food was…read moreamazing! Had sandwiches and the Frickles. Do not pass up a chance to eat here. Great place. Would eat here again when in town!

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!