I wish I could teleport this store to New York so I could shop there more regularly. I love…read moregreeting cards and the selection here is incredible and it took incredible restraint on my part to only buy seven of them! My husband on the other hand, showed no such restraint in the confection department as we spent a lot of green on candy purchases both times we visited the store during our long weekend in Roanoke. They also have so many neat gift ideas and items for your house. If you like to have fun cocktail napkins at your parties, you will find a huge assortment here. If I'd had a bigger suitcase, I would have bought more. The staff here is super friendly and helpful. They seem to enjoy what they do and it shows in the pride they take in the store and in their interactions with customers. Excellent place!

This amazing gift shop family business is full of surprises. Located on Market Street near the…read moreRoanoke City Market, it carries a wonderful selection of the finest artisan chocolates from around the States, as well as a nice variety of creative greeting cards, and gifts of all kinds. The store is completely packed from wall to wall and display case to display case in a well organized way and they manage to always be caught up with the current Holiday Season at hand. Besides this, it has a warm and friendly group of employees who greet you warmly from the time you step foot in the store and are always ready to answer any questions you might have of any of their products as well as assist you in selecting a gift or putting together a group of nice chocolate for that special person in your life. From the time you enter the store, you encounter a vast variety of greeting cards, chocolates, and gifts of all kinds; including books, local souvenirs of the Star City of Roanoke, and many curiosity items that will be the a surprise and topic of discussion of anyone fortunate to receive it as a gift. I highly recommend this unique chocolate, greeting cards, and gift shop to all those who are looking for a special gift for a family member, a friend, or a loved one, during the Holiday Season, for their birthday, or just to make any day a special day by surprising them with that "one of a kind" gift.

My family and I go here almost weekly . The staff is nice and the menu has a variety of items!…read moreThere are little games to play such as mini shuffleboard and chess. It is always very quiet and relaxing. We love TJ's Java & Sno!

What a gem of a place! - I was looking for "not-starbucks" on my drive to NC from Maryland. What…read moreamazingly wonderful and upbeat folks...serving with JOY, from the heart. The menu is massive and the vibe is local and sweet. They were not kidding when they said the iced tea is good. I'm a tea snob and wow, they nailed theirs. They make it with spring water and added tapioca pearls to make it fun! Stop in. Be prepared to smile. You will not be disappointed! AND!!! If you've got road fatigue with the family, this is a great place to stretch your legs and play yard games with the kids. Enjoy!

On a hot and sunny summer day, I happened to be driving down Brambleton Ave in Southwest Roanoke,…read moreand noticed a business called Deb's Frozen Lemonade. It brought back happy memories of my youth. While growing up in Miami I came up with the idea of setting up a Lemonade Stand in front of our home with a sign "Nice Cold Lemonade For Sale," and selling paper cups of lemonade to passerbys. Needless to say, after taken my pearl white Lexus to Brambleton Imports, I headed back to the Frozen Lemonade store. By this time it was opened and I walked in. There I was greeted by a lovely and friendly couple who owned and had been operating this establishment together with their Lemonade trucks since 1977. They told me the story of how it all began with selling Frozen Lemonade from a Lemonade Truck and then expanding to a physical store as well as continuing selling through mobile routes with its trucks and advertising where they will be from their Facebook website. I found out that the shop is strictly cash-only, and an ATM machine is available on the premises. The storefront typically operates heavily from April through October. In the summer, their fleet of neighborhood trucks (traditional named Vega, Bella, and Beula) run daily refreshment routes throughout the Roanoke Valley. They also offer catering options for events. Their Signature Frozen Lemonade is made from a decades-old family recipe. And comfort food such as hot dogs, popcorn, soft pretzels, and in-house made cookies are available to pair with the drinks. They also have a popular combo including a hot dog, lemonade, and chips. The owners are so friendly and hospitable that while I was there they had many repeat customers come in to order hot dogs and lemonades to-go. I in turn took advantage of their Special Combo and ordered a Large Combo. Their hot dog was amazing served in a fresh soft sliced hot dog bun with all the toppings you would like. You got to pick your chips, and the lemonade had such a refreshing and wonderful flavor that it was like drinking a tiny slushy lemonade with the perfect sweetness and natural lemon flavor. I enjoyed the hot dog so much that I ordered another and officially made it my place to go to enjoy a hot dog and a frozen lemonade. And I highly recommend it. The place had such a positive ambiance that a sign they had behind one of the windows best describes it: "When Life Gives You Lemons... Make Something Sweet."

Deb's Frozen Lemonade is a MUST STOP, if you're in the Roanoke area. They will only accept cash…read morefor those choosing to visit. The lemonade is so fresh, cold, and delicious- it's a perfect balance of sweet and tangy. They staff is very friendly and patient. There is parking right to side of this location. Young, old, and in between.....you must stop here!! They also offer snacks.

I have seen the Chocolate Spike downsize over the last decade from a full shop to a delivery and…read morepopup establishment. What has not changed is the great taste and quality of their chocolates. I know the day will come when they will close completely but until that day comes, they make the best chocolates in town.

(Wow, I have never seen an overall rating for a business be so wrong! 2 stars is absurd.)…read more The Chocolate Spike is one of my favorite places anywhere to get handmade chocolate and it's right HERE in Blacksburg! I imagine if you came here looking for a cafe you would be disappointed, but this is a chocolate shop. It's true that the shop lost some of it's charm when it moved from downtown, but I am sure they do better business where they are now and I can't really begrudge them the move. Things I love from the Chocolate Spike: - Chocolate covered candied fruits (especially orange peel) - Truffles - Plain dark chocolate or bittersweet bits that you purchase by weight. The selection of chocolate and chocolate cover goodness is extensive, but the basics do not suffer because of it. The prices are good for homemade chocolate. The chocolate is excellent quality. Buy some for yourself, your sweetheart, your mom, your officemates... they will love you for it!

This ice cream is regionally prominent, but the source is here. It's a building that is a ways off…read morethe highway, but was nonetheless busy on the midweek afternoon I stopped by. Their hours are not very late, and I imagine there aren't a ton of passersby after dark but it's a little puzzling to me that they're not open at least until the evening in summer. The ice cream flavor selection is considerable. Given the setting, this is not a place you'd go for non-dairy frozen desserts, it is definitely ice cream. Their peanut butter cup flavor hit the spot for me. A seasonal raspberry truffle didn't quite; the raspberry flavor was strong, but there were some ice crystals and overall textural unevenness and the chocolate truffles were not present in sufficient numbers for my liking. There is also a store which houses a small amount of produce and other fresh and preserved items, as well as a deli counter with some prepared food. I didn't find a ton of interest outside of the ice cream I came for.

What a lovely little dairy and sandwich shop. I have never had milk that tasted so good!read more

Super yummy! Cutest ice cream store + souvenir store in one. We got the oo-oreo which was soo…read moreyummy. The cookie dough wasn't as good as I remember. The portions are huge and great priced. I cant wait to come back again!

Love sugar magnolia as a treat all times of the year. They have fantastic ice cream with a large…read moreselection of flavors and delicious chocolates. I also hear their hot chocolate is delicious, but I haven't tried it myself. Additionally, there is a little store in the back with preppy decor largely themed around the university. The prices for the food are a little high, but the ice cream is so good, I think it's worth it.

I was roaming around the Grandin village area of Roanoke and found Pop's ice cream next to Gianni's…read morerestaurant. Perfect for dessert or late dinner. Spoiler alert: I ended up getting 2 pints of ice cream for dinner. The price was pretty good, as far as ice cream goes. $8 per carton and that wasn't that bad actually. I arrived here around 5:30pm on a Thursday afternoon. I had just finished my late lunch at Gianni's restaurant next door and needed to find dinner before heading to my airbnb for the night. I didn't want to walk 0.25 miles from my Airbnb to Grandin Avenue later that night, so I just decided to have ice cream for dinner. It worked out very favorably for me actually. I probably spent about 20 minutes here. The ambiance was interesting and felt like a 60's diner. There wasn't much going on at the time, but it was good to be here to be shopping for ice cream. There was a large selection of ice cream that was scratched onto the board in the store. Plenty of flavors but I ended up getting Oreo and chocolate, which was quite heavenly. The restaurant itself was small but clean. Like a 60's diner that kept things true to form. The service was quick and simple while being typical and friendly. I definitely enjoyed and would recommend coming here if you enjoy authentic ice cream in the Roanoke area. For the most part though, the experience here was uneventful. It would be cool if my travels permit me to return here in the future. But for now, I was glad to have come here and experienced the ice cream. I enjoyed the chocolate more than the Oreo, but both were delicious and quite enjoyable. It put a smile on my face for sure. The overall experience here at POP's ice cream in Grandin Village, Roanoke Virginia was very good and made my stomach happy. Although I could have eaten my ice cream at the restaurant, it was close to sunset and wanted to be at my Airbnb for the night before I get lost. It was cool to talk to the dude behind the counter for a couple of minutes before trying to decide what flavors I wanted that day. Just felt a little interesting there, the vibe and the ambiance being there on a random Thursday afternoon being a tourist. It wasn't a long experience here, since ice cream typically is a fast transaction. The flavors change regularly, since they write the flavors on a large chalk board and it seems like it's easy to change at any given time. I love the chocolate of course. Oops. I forgotten that they do have other offerings like actual food items, which I could have bought for dinner, but I was focused on the ice cream, which is very authentic and made in house everyday. If my future travels permit me to return to Roanoke, I will be back to sample other offerings here at Pop's and also try out other flavors of the authentic ice cream that the locals have raved for. Kind of feels like this place is popular with kids and people who love their ice cream. I just happened to come during the slower period, as March isn't usually the time of year to have ice cream in Virginia. For the most part though, my tastebuds wanted the chocolate ice cream for dessert and I was happy to have it on my short trip to Roanoke. Definitely recommended if you are passing through or vacationing in Roanoke, like how I was. POP's Ice Cream and Soda shop is located at 1916 Memorial Ave SW in the Grandin Village district of Roanoke, Virginia. They accept major credit cards as well as cash. As far as parking goes, it is very limited. Your best bet is to find street parking where you can find it nearby in the residential areas and walk on over. It's a walkable neighborhood and doesn't seem like they get a lot of vehicular traffic on any given day. If you enjoy public transportation in the city of Roanoke, you can ride routes 65 or 71 and walk on over after getting off the bus. I got here by walking from the 3rd street bus station, which was 2 miles away. Way to build up that appetite, I guess. The prices here are good and competitive. Supporting local businesses is where it's at here. There's always uber and Lyft if you desire comfort and convenience at your fingertips. If you are here in Roanoke and want to enjoy delicious and authentic ice cream, consider coming over here and enjoy. There's also other things they can offer to enjoy too, but make sure you ask for a menu or else you will miss out on the other stuff Pop's has on their menu. You will not regret it I promise. 5.0 stars for the overall experience. Support local! A+

Walked in on a rainy afternoon right at opening, I have been wanting to try Pop's for a while and…read morethe opportunity presented itself for my visit. Pop's has been a part of the neighborhood for almost two decades now. The proprietor greeted us walking in and was setting up for his day. The interior is a time warp back to when things were simplier, more relaxed and just a better way of life, like when sodas were fountain drinks made by hand. Grilled cheese is the thing here, along with hand drawn fountain drinks, crafted ice cream sundaes, a variety of cones, with a tomato bisque and a daily soup. There are hard menus (old school) and a daily broad overhead behind the register. We both opted for the board special grilled cheese, it was a great choice and then a cup of each, the tomato bisque and the potato soup as the daily special. I had a cream soda with my meal and it was like a step back in time, made fresh with the good ice and a fresh head of cream. Its an ice cream shop, how can you not have ice cream after a good lunch? So, after my healthy meal what better than a hot fudge sundae to balance it all out! This is a really rich dessert and so tasty, vanilla ice cream on top of a big fudge brownie, fresh whipped cream, fudge sauce and topped with a cherry, classic. A cool retro vibe, excellent grilled cheese sandwich options, tomato soup always and a huge selection of fountain drinks, sundaes and ice cream combinations. Well worth a stop. 4.5 Stars - rounded up for our gracious host, recommended and I will be back 01051

Fun place to take the kids for a treat! The prices are great and the flavors are awesome! We will…read moremost certainly be back!