Chose this restaurant for a Mother's Day dinner and it was a hit. The place is hip and inviting…read more Happy hour till 6 on a Sunday was an unexpected surprise. The service was excellent and the food was incredible. We had a full meal from drinks to appetizer to desert and it was all fabulous. I'd love to go back again and again to try everything on the menu. They also had beautiful outdoor seating which is mostly covered and looked really cool as well.

Mockingbird came highly recommended, so we arrived expecting a special dining experience for our…read moredaughter's 20th birthday. We even drove 3.5 hours to meet her there. We had 5:30pm reservations and were seated immediately. The host was warm, acknowledged the occasion, and honored my request for a quieter table by placing us in a bay-window nook. Unfortunately, that's where the positives ended. The space echoed so badly we could barely hear each other, and the setting sun combined with the AC being accidentally turned off made the area feel like a sauna. Our water glasses were filled within minutes, so we thought service would be smooth. Instead, we sat for another 15 minutes before anyone greeted us--while a table seated after us was helped promptly and served at a noticeably faster pace. I understand large parties require attention (there was a group of 10-12 nearby), but as a former server myself, I've never allowed smaller tables to feel forgotten. When our server, Lucian (sp?), finally arrived, we immediately placed drink and appetizer orders because we were already starving. The appetizers came out about 20 minutes later--still before our drinks. The brussels sprouts were excellent and worth the wait. The biscuit basket was good, though the butter-to-biscuit ratio felt off, and the apple butter was surprisingly delicious. Our entrées didn't arrive until at least 45 minutes after that. The pacing was simply poor, and we consistently felt like an afterthought. While our server was polite, he didn't initiate conversation, offer suggestions, mention happy hour, or acknowledge our daughter's birthday. He didn't even suggest dessert. Meanwhile, the six-top behind us--seated well after we were--was wrapping up their meal as ours was just being served. The food presentation was beautiful. The pot roast, however, was underwhelming. It lacked seasoning and sauce, and the vegetables were forgettable--very few potatoes, no carrots. "Not your normal pot roast" was accurate, but not in a good way. The shrimp and grits were excellent, with great seasoning and a flavorful sauce. The salmon was moist and well-prepared, though it still had a few scales on the end of the filet. Once we finished eating, we again waited for our server to return. We eventually had to wave him down for boxes and again to request the check. Parking in the back was convenient early in the evening, though I imagine it becomes difficult later. Would we return? Unfortunately, probably not. We've been treated better, served more efficiently, and appreciated more fully at other restaurants--including one almost directly across the street. What we hoped would be a memorable celebration ended up feeling ho-hum at a high price--too high for the experience we received.

We got single patties because we were eating all day but I needed to have a burger here. The…read morereviews just looked too good. I wish I had been hungrier because the burger was as good as I imagined. Soft bun, fried pickles on the side and a basket of onion rings topped with a seasonal cider and I was in heaven. Service was fast and our waitress was super friendly and helpful. We loved walking into the bar and getting a table right away. There were some larger groups in there so we got lucky for sure.

Great Food Great People…read moreIce tea is perfect French Fries is abundant Parking is scary mess

so freaking yummy guys. i went here after my UVA tour and it was PERFECT. i got a diet coke,…read morechicken ceasar wrap and sweet potato fries and they were so delish. our server (lauren i think?) was so sweet and helpful. food came out pretty quick too. perfect college town location and lowk made me want to go to UVA more!

mmmm so yummy. was craving a steak and they delivered. ribs? un poco dry. but the steak was so…read moreFREAKING good ugh. our server was very prompt and kind. shout out to all the UVa students out there!!! Great vibes in the place, but be warned, if you sit near the door it will blow a breeze at you when it opens and it will be cold

My son picked this place. The place is very small, maybe four tables. It's really a one man…read moreoperation with some help to clear tables. Each meal is cooked by Shaun who is especially nice, friendly, and puts love into each dish he prepares. You can tell. Just take a breath when you walk in and take it in. Service is good, but like I said - its a one man operation so just be patience. The Fried Chicken and Devil Eggs are EXCELLENT. We would go back. Keep up the good job Shaun. Nicely done.

Came here to grab a bite with friends. The inside is very casual. The food was good and the…read moreportions were great for the price. I tried the Babyback Ribs and Fried Chicken Soul Sandwiches. The Babyback Ribs were really good. The ribs are taken off the bone for the soul sandwich and plated on slices of potato rolls. The Fried Chicken was good but not the best I've had in Charlottesville. I would have liked the outside to be crispier. The cornbread that comes with the order was also good. It was not traditional cornbread-- it tasted like carrot cake corn bread. The Mac and Cheese was a little too overcooked for my liking. However, for the meat sandwich and two sides were a large portion and cost 12 dollars which was awesome. Overall, Soul Food Joint is a charming locally owned soul food place downtown. It wasn't the best fried chicken or barbecue that I've had in Charlottesville, however the food was good and the portions were great for the price.

Cool local spot. The bartender was on the spot with cold beer and they were open on thanksgiving…read more!! Also Pet friendly!

I was pleasantly pleased stopping by this restaurant today. I was with a wedding party and was…read morelooking for a place to eat and drink after midnight and they accommodated us. A good time was had by all.

Early afternoon visit and it was quiet. Service was attentive and the food was really good with a…read morefew caveats. Will say the ambiance was between family resturant and divebar. The reason for 4 stars is the food while good and unique missed the mark a bit. The fried elements seemed to either indicate the oil was a bit old or they overcooked a few of our items. The fried greenbeans while really good overall and a unique preparation. Had a subtle burnt flavor and same with the Catfish Poboy. The PoBoy was uniquely prepared too with green tomatoes that really worked well. But the condiment was thin, and the tomatoes could have been a bit thicker cut. So flavor was good, but could have been better. The fries that came with the sandwiches were good though. So TLDR, the breading on the catfish, and the fried green beans, was thick and looked slightly over cooked and tasted a tad burnt but at the same time the food itself seemed cooked properly. Not horrible and overall was very good. Just not 5 star. But much better than standard bar food fare. Standout though was the dessert (Hot Brownie with ice cream) it was absolutely amazing. I'll be back and hopefully can give them a 5 star later.

Came to this restaurant while touring Charlottesville with friends. We were at the restaurant an…read moreearly dinner in the early afternoon. The restaurant was empty of customers and only a couple of guys at the bar. The waitress came to our table and took our drink order along with out food order. The drinks didn't arrive for about twenty minutes. After the delivery of the drinks, the waitress didn't return to our table to take a second or subsequent drink orders. Finally, the drinks arrived and we waited for the food. There are a lot of local craft beers on the list, along with a wide selection of whiskies. Would have been fun to try some, but we never really had service at out table. This bar is Irish themed and Irish folk music is played on the sound system, loudly. Not bad, but you do h a very to speak up during conversations. The food arrived and was ,"just okay". I had the fried chicken sandwich, my friends had the burger. My wife had the grilled chicken sandwich. All meals came with fries. The service needs to step up their game. It was not busy at all and the wait staff were more interesting in socializing with each other than tending to the customers. Also, the food was delivered warm, it probably had been sitting under a light for some time. This place has great potential, but changes in service staffs priorities need to happen. Not impressed with this place, but if you decide to give them a try, I hope your experiences are better than ours.

Any hole in the wall dive bar that can serve me a 14ounce draft domestic beer in a frozen mug for…read moreunder $3 gets an automatic 5stars from me- no matter how deep that hole in the wall is!

Disappointing. Food not great. Only beer. Selection not great. Atmosphere not great. The only…read morebright spot was our waitress. Would not go back.

Food was outstanding, especially the broccoli, chicken, steak & scallion pancake!…read moreServers were competent; food was delivered promptly! Would definitely go back!

Amazing! I apologize since I totally forgot to take a pic of all the delicious food I had. I got…read morethe bourbon cocktail to start but thought it was too sweet. Started with beet salad, carrots and the oysters. Wow! All so good! Next we got the hanger steak and the fish, we actually ended up ordering another steak because it was that good!!! The potato's underneath was crunchy and soft. Flavors of all the food were 10/10!

We made the hour drive to check out Dr Ho's Humble Pie. It's been around nearly 30 years, but this…read morewas our first time. The hype is not over stated. First things first. This place is popular and there will be a wait, so plan accordingly. It's not terribly large but has a friendly family vibe. They turn the tables as fast as possible, but the wait is worth it. Next the food. We ordered a special combo which gave us the cheese bread (Fat & Sassy), any large salad on the menu, and any pizza for $50. It was about a $6 savings. It was more than enough for two. We took home most of the bread and the pizza. The Delmarva Shrimp Cobb was fantastic, especially with the lemon vinaigrette. The Little Mermaid Pizza was truly unique. Shrimp, roasted tomatoes, pesto, cheddar, Feta, and Mozz on their delicious thin crust. It was definitely a fork and knife pizza. As we watched around us, everything that came out of the kitchen looked great. Wings, mozzarella sticks, soups, Chinese inspired bowls. It's a varied menu and every plate around us was cleans or boxed to take home. Bonus. All the servers have been with the company for 10 years or more which says a lot about this organization and its management/ownership. Definitely plan a trip.

Four of us grabbed dinner at Dr Ho's Humble Pie this past Friday after we got situated at our…read moreweekend getaway in the area. We weren't sure what this restaurant would be like, since we drove through a dark and narrow road to get there. Much to our surprise, this was a full sit-down experience, and we had to wait 30-40 minutes to be seated. We decided to share the TRIPLE THREAT COMBO! (49.99) which comes with cheesy garlic bread (their signature!), one large salad, and one large specialty pizza. This was a lot of food, and we had enough leftovers to feed another mouth and half. THE FAT AND SASSY Their menu claims that this is the "best garlic cheese bread ever". And indeed it was because I wolfed down seven pieces of that bread within 15 minutes. I love that this was practically a pizza -- round pizza dough topped generously with cheddar and whole cloves of roasted garlic. The cheesy grease and pungent aromatic flavors exploded in my mouth. After seven pieces, I knew I had to stop because there was other food to come. CAESAR SALAD This was a typical Caesar salad with above average Caesar dressing, but there was just way too much of it mixed in. Besides that, pretty solid! I would ask for the dressing on the side in the future. THE HEAVY HAND This is Dr Ho's version of the Meat Lovers pizza, which was topped generously with sopressata, capicola, Italian sausage, and other ingredients like shaved onions, mushroom, and variety of cheeses. We got this one because we wanted more protein, but unfortunately, with the amount of cured meat that was slathered on, it was overbearingly salty. After my first slice of pizza, I started taking meat off my slice because it was too much. Overall, 3.5/5, but bumping to a 4/5 because we were pretty sure we would have had a better experience if we chose a different pizza. Still, I'm happy we got to try a restaurant in the Charlottesville area that is popular and well-loved by locals. Also, fantastic pricing with honestly the best cheesy garlic bread I've ever had. I would recommend getting here ASAP especially during the weekends because they don't take reservations or call ahead orders for dine in.

Please Ignore The Following Reviews:…read more 1. People who have not tried the food. The chicken is not dried out, it is crispy, savory, and delicious. The sides are all excellent. If you arrived late or near closing time, I suggest you come around lunch time. Leaving a negative review because you couldn't or wouldn't eat here is problematic to places that work hard to put out a quality product. 2. People who don't enjoy chicken. Yes, people have told me they don't like Brown's because they don't eat meat. Great. 3. People disgusted with its location. Yes, it's in a gas station. That is part of this location's appeal; it's a genuine hole in the wall. The food tastes great and they wouldn't be allowed to operate if they were dirty, which, in my opinion, they aren't. 4. People irritated at how a manager is speaking to a customer. I get it, this can irritate me, too. But 1 star? Get out of town. I've been going here for years, and the old and new management has been nothing but kind to the people I've seen order. This, along with Wayside Chicken and Mel's Cafe, is some of the absolute best fried chicken in Charlottesville. Best of all, it's affordable! Please support this place, spread the word, and learn what the hype it all about.

Somebody reach out to Michael Stern. His Roadfood review is sorely out of date. The business is…read morestill there, but it's no longer owned by the Brown family. Some other family runs it. The chicken is edible, but not memorable. The pieces are pretty small as well. Not worth a detour.