This is a lovely gentrified neighborhood that takes one back to the first half of the 20th century…read more It is a small neighborhood geographically, comprising just 7 acres. Houses were generally built between 1906 and 1952. The small commercial area was particularly enjoyable for me. There are a few restaurants and a handful of specialty stores, services and offices. The commercial sector reminds me of the old neighborhood shopping districts that developed in the late 19th and 20th centuries in cities around the US. Those districts were still viable through a good part of my life. Many are still vibrant even now because their utility still exists, but also because their charm attracts people from outside their respective communities, which adds to their commercial sustainability. That's the case for Grandin Village. It's certainly a pleasant place to spend an afternoon. It was an enjoyable, nostalgic experience for me.

Great pizza good staff was hot and staff helpful and friendly was quick and hot would recommend to…read moreanyone who loves piazza like me

Sometimes it is in the least expected places where we find the most amazing food. So today I set…read morecourse to 7th Street, Salem, Virginia, in search of that little restaurant in an alleyway producing some very unique quality pizzas. 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 Gusto's Pizza in Salem, Virginia, is the perfect example. I arrived at their parking lot first. It was located on the left side of the restaurant's building and had a mural of a caricature of a pizza with a slice coming off of the pizza. On the left side of the colorful mural was painted the Salem baseball field and scoreboard and on the fence of the field the words "EAT LOCAL" were printed with white paint on it. As I parked my car and walked around toward the front of the restaurant's building, I noticed that it had a patio with outdoor seating up front surrounded by a natural color wooden fence with the letters of the name Gusto's in black glued onto the fence. I reach to an open area of the fence that lead to the entrance of the restaurant after passing by the outdoor dining patio with outdoor tables and chairs. Inside I discovered a newly remodeled, clean and cozy restaurant with a small bar. It had the main dining room and then another small open one a couple of stairs up in the back with booths and tables and chairs. The restaurant had a very pleasant and relaxed environment and you could tell that most of the customers eating there were locals enjoying a Friday night out. The hostess/server young lady, Marisa greeted me with a friendly smile and gave me a warm welcome, and walked me to my table and handed me a copy of the menu which contained a nice variety of items. I was undecided whether to have the Meat Lasagna or a Deluxe/Supreme Small Pizza. After consulting with her, she recommended that I have their New York-style pizza because they make their own pizza dough from scratch, fresh ingredients, and cooked in a stone oven. It did not take long to convince me. I also ordered a small house salad.with their very own made Ranch salad dressing. I invite you to view my photographs and video clips accompanying my review to get a better sense of the place and the freshness of the food. As I waited for my pizza, I ate my salad which was fresh and delicious, and observed how the restaurant was filling up, and many customers were stopping by to pick up their To Go orders. When the pizza arrived, it was like no other I've ever had before. Their in-house made dough made the crust taste very special and very gourmet and all the ingredients tasted fresh and top quality, including the cheese. I enjoyed it so much that I ate it all. My server came by at the appropriate times and brought me a refill of my Cherry Coke which she had made at my request with Coke and a cherry syrup. In conclusion, I highly recommend this place for an amazingly unique and delicious pizza and other good food, an excellent customer service, and an extraordinary dining experience. I definitely plan to return.

Want to know why the pizza is so good at Mama Maria's? Because the owner/chef is from South Jersey!…read moreAnd Jersey knows it's pizza! Mama Maria's is the pinnacle of Italian food in Roanoke County. The pizza is great. The bakery is great. The service is great. Anytime I find myself driving down I-81. I always stop at Mama Maria's. And you should too.

Dinner one night while we were in town. We were greeted walking in and seated within the same…read moreinteraction. An old school eatery, pretty basic on the inside, nothing fancy just good food and kind service. We started with the Burschetta Napoletana appetizer. It was a traditional style serving. With a slice of toasted bread, fresh diced tomato, onion and chopped basil, with a little evoo drizzle. Very simple and good. Refreshing and tasty a good start. They had Oysters Rockerfeller on the special menu the night of our visit, so we had to give them a try. They were again very traditional, well made and flavorful. For my entree I went for the Salmon Portofino. A beautiful portion, vibrant and full of flavor. A large bowl, with a nice piece of salmon cooked in a wonderful broth. Line caught fish, pan seared and cooked with cherry tomatoes, capers and artichoke hearts. It was a very good meal. 3.5 Stars rounded up for the kind staff. 01266

This was not a good experience. We had thought work would provide lunch today, but it had been…read morechanged. So we tried to call a pizza place we had been to several times before. Every time we called the number a machine answered.

The weather around here has been unpredictable lately. Today as I was driving to dine at a…read morerelatively new restaurant the clouds in the sky began to turn gray and a strong wind began to blow. So I decided to turn around and dine at home from a restaurant in DoorDash. I picked Leonore Restaurant, a Venezuelan imigrant-owned restaurant founded in 2012 by Miguel Liendo in Roanoke, and that now is located on Apperson Drive in Salem, Virginia. It was created to bring people together through food, and features a unique fusion of Italian and Venezuelan cuisine. I've had the privilege of dining at the restaurant when it was located on Campbell Ave in the heart of downtown Roanoke, and of ordering delivery via DoorDash several times before. Today, I ordered one of Venezuelan most popular dishes as well as one of my favorites: The Pabellon Criollo. It is a traditional Venezuelan dish made of shredded beef, black beans, white rice, avocado, a fried egg, and ripe, sweet plantains. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the high-quality and variety of the food this special dish contains. This time when I made my order on the DoorDash app it allowed me to have my order delivered via their expedited service for free, while normally it's an extra charge. The DoorDasher Elliott delivered the order on time and brought it inside a special DoorDash bag made to keep your food hot. He opened the bag at my door and handed a simple black plastic bag with my order to me. The food arrived well packaged and organized in a strong, Hefty plastic container with a see-through cover, inside a shining black plastic bag. The flavor of all the items contain in this dish amazingly stood out. The avocado was nice and ripe, thus bringing out its flavor best. Same with the ripe plantains, which when fried brought out their sweetness. The savory shredded beef was a great combination with the simple white rice and the egg to top it off. I enjoyed every bit of everything this dish contained, and highly recommend this restaurant for its masterpiece cuisine, and am looking forward to dine at its Salem location next time to also enjoy its friendly environment and satisfying customer service.

If you don't want to fuss with parking downtown but still want a more upscale menu, Montano's is…read morethe place! Their seafood dishes are my favorite like the shrimp alla rios over angel hair pasta or their crab and shrimp dip appetizer. Their avocado caesar salad dressing is also a must. You can tell they make everything from scratch which is incredible considering the large selection they offer! Bonus points too from my husband too for allowing you to choose either draft beer from the bar or a specialty can from their shop out front. His philly cheesesteak paired nicely with a beer from one of his favorite breweries, The Alchemist. Service is also friendly every time. The atmosphere is unique since you enter by the bakery and gelato counter, pass the small wine and beer shop and then reach the hostess stand for the restaurant. The decor may also be a bit dated but, trust me, these things are easily overlooked when you taste your meal! Going out to eat is expensive these days but Montano's offers a good value for exceptional quality.

Recently visited Montano's for the second time and I've enjoyed both of my meals here. Came here…read morewith my family for a meal and everyone enjoyed what they had (with the exception of the oyster salad). I loved the pimento cheese bread I started with and my shrimp and salmon with pasta was very tasty. Standout here was the fried artichoke appetizer...that was delicious. Service was friendly and prices were reasonable. Overall, a very nice evening at Montano's. They handle big parties well (there were six of us) and everyone left happy and with leftovers!

A good friend of mine invited me to dinner for pizza at Highlander Pizza. Located in a strip mall…read morein Cave Spring, Roanoke, Virginia, the restaurant is small and cozy, very clean, with hardwood floors and wth very cute artworks of animals decorating it's wall. The menu is a colorful one sheet of laminated paper They specialize in Halal specialty pizzas, salads, subs, strombols, and calzones. When we arrived the owner greeted us with a warm welcome, took us to our table, and handed us the menu. We ordered a 14 in Steak BBQ pizza to eat and Iced water to drink. When the pizza arrived the pie was fresh and soft, the cheese very cheesy, the BBQ sause just right, and the steak cut in little pieces. After we finished eating it we felt full but not too stuffy. We then each ordered a slice of Strawberry Cheesecake. It was soft and creamy and the strategy sauce on top was very sweet and tasty. The owner was very friendly and came by to check on us at the right times and to fill our glasses with water. This is a wonderful place for when you want to have a very special, one of a kind pizza, or other items, in a relaxed environment, with excellent customer service.

In an attempt to "support local" I settled on Highlander Pizza for the evening. Immediately upon…read moreentering, I realized I should have left as there was no air conditioning and the heat was unbearable given the 90 degree day outside. Strike one, but again, local, so I decided to overlook the extreme heat and hope for the best with the food and service. The server/counter person was not very personable, but not outright rude...indifferent might be a good term...but I contributed it to the heat. Strike two, because a welcoming environment is important. Upon ordering, the server brought out plates, utensils and drinks. Two of the three plates were dirty and there was something floating in my drink. Strike three without question, but the final never again came when there was no care or concern from the staff at all that their dishes were not clean and there were foreign objects in the drinks. Lastly, after a very long wait, the food arrived. It was just ok, not worth the heat, the filthy environment, the dirty dishes, the excessive wait, or the foreign objects floating in the drinks. I generally love to shop and eat local, but it will not here.

Food was excellent!!! Staff were very friendly and helpful!!!!…read moreWhat was exceptional was our waitress Tiffany, she treated my family like royalty!!! My mother is partial disabled and Tiffany made my mother feel very comfortable... I really appreciate the whole staff's effort to make my family experience amazing!!!

Dustin was amazing! He knows how to handle a large group with ease! Everything came out perfectly…read moreand quickly! Great energy too!

One of our favorite places! Service is always great and the food is wonderful. It's charming &…read morepleasant with a cute little bar area as well.

One of the best Italian Restaurants in the Roanoke area, Luigi's is one of my favorite restaurants…read morearound. The owner is very warm, kind, and hospitable, and every time I've dined there I've felt right at home. I've received excellent service in a cozy environment and the drinks and food have been to par with my high expectations of a restaurant of this nature. However, I was a bit disappointed when I dined there this time. Unfortunately the owner wasn't feeling well so she appointment one of her best servers as Host in charge. When I arrived, since I showed up without a reservation, she greeted me by asking what I wanted, if to order for takeout. This was a bit insulting, since I was there to dine in, like always. I then requested to seat in the well lit dining room, in my usual table next to the window. She consented and took me there. Shortly after, a young lady server shows up and greets me. Not giving me enough time to study the menu, she asks what I wanted to drink and what I wanted to order for dinner. Without asking for her opinion, she starts telling me what she thinks I should order as appetizer. It was like she was trying to rush me. I don't know if it was her inexperience or lack of training, but I was beginning to feel uncomfortable and asked the Host to change my server and explained the reason why. My server replacement was completely the opposite. He was the epitome of customer service. Philip had good manners, was respectful, and didn't rush me, taking his time to make sure I had a relaxing and enjoyable dining experience. The first thing he did was introduce himself as my new server. He then repeated my order that my previous server had taken to make sure it was right. I already had my Fried Calamari appetizer on the table. My house salad was with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. My Filet Mignon was to be cooked medium-rare and served with sautéed mushrooms, broccoli, and delicate new potatoes. During my meal, he made sure my Iced water glass was always full, and after my Filet was served and I had a chance of cutting it, he came by to make sure it was cooked appropriately, just like ordered. The Filet was cooked medium-rare, the broccoli was fresh, and the potatoes were delicious, but the mushrooms were not seasoned nor sautéed enough and were somewhat tasteless. For dessert, I had my favorite, the Brazilian Custard Pudding. As I was leaving my server opened the door for me and thanked me for dining there, while the Host stood inside without even having the courtesy to say goodbye. I hope the owner of the restaurant reads this review and takes action to see that her restaurant is run appropriately, and each of her customers is treated as they should.

Excellent Italian,I would highly recommend if you want excellent Italian Food. The staff were greatread more

Went for a company event. Because of prior experiences I almost did not go. There were two good…read moreexperiences- the rice balls and my co-workers. Otherwise, there was nothing good to report. The wait staff appeared bored or not interested in waiting on us, the food was blah, and my impression of Remini's as an overrated and highly un- Italian restaurant was upheld. From the hostess telling us to "Go to the back" as directions to join our party to the worker carrying a ten/gallon bucket of sauce through our party, this was Remini's typical experience. Loud, cold, workers who don't care about the clients. Yep, not my cup of tea.

I dared to go off the beaten paths in search of an Italian family-owned restaurant where they made…read moreNew York style pizzas; and literally across the street from the well known and famous Montano's International Gourmet Restaurant, I discovered this small, nothing fancy, Italian Eatery owned and run by an older couple husband and wife Italian immigrants. 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 Tony Avellino's Italian Eatery is the perfect example. Located in an old but clean, small restaurant space off Franklin Road, in Roanoke, Virginia, with an ample parking lot, Tony Avellino's stands alone there, that for unknown passers-byers could seem not to be open if it were not be for its well lit red "OPEN" sign behind one of its windows. As I arrived and walked in, the place looked empty, so I walked around and looked into a what seemed to be like a storage room that doubled as the dishwashing room and office. I heard some voices and said: "Is anybody home?" Suddenly, this delightful older couple who were Italian immigrants, and the owners of the restaurant came out to warmly greet me, and as they did, the place suddenly acquired another dimension. It reminded me of the trip to Italy that I took with my family when I was a boy, and the beauty of that country, and its people, who made you feel at home in their home. I enjoyed talking with both the husband and wife, and seeing them work together running their family-owned business. They had a colorful menu published but the wife ask me what I felt like eating today: a pizza, their Special Cheese Steak Sub, Pasta, or one of their Half-Pound Burgers. I definitely wanted to try their New York style pizza so I ordered their 12" size Pepperoni and Mushroom Pizza with a Root Beer. The husband quickly started making my pizza and allowed me to record the process with photos and videos that I could include in my review. The Pizza tasted amazing. There are times that in simple, quality ingredients, one can uncover an extraordinary flavor. While I was eating, other customers started arriving. Some to eat in, some to take out. What a beautiful site of a couple earning a living through the labor of something they enjoy doing and are good at, and their customers enjoying the fruit of their labor. I highly recommend this restaurant. Go there, support this delightful couple, and enjoy their warmth and wonderful food.

3.5 Stars Great…read morepizza for a local spot. Beware - a little pricy but the pizza had better flavor than a National chain. $31 for a 12" stuffed pizza & order of cheesy bread. WOW! The stuffed pizza w/ pepperoni & sausage had fresh mozzarella which was tasty and the crust was cooked well. Cheesy bread seemed like a hoagie roll sliced up w/ melted cheese - not sure it was worth $8. Store itself looked run down and in need of some renovations. Maybe that's the ambiance they are looking for - the vintage or "we been here forever" look. The staff was friendly, smiling & looked to like their job! I would probably give them another try but would definitely look for specials or coupons to make it all worth while.