It is said that valuable things come in small boxes, but never in my wildest imagination did I…read moreconceive of a place like Stellina. 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 uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And Stellina, in Downtown Roanoke, is a perfect example. Stellina (which means "Little Star" in Italian) is a secretly hidden little bar within the very popular Italian Restaurant Fortunato, but with its own entrance through a door on the right of the restaurant. Its only indication of its name is a small letter board behind one of its front windows, stating its name and hours of operation. This bar was constructed with reclaimed wood from the Old Crow distillery and opened in December of 2016. Since then its gain a reputation as the ideal spot for hand-crafted cocktails in a cozy and intimate atmosphere. It seats only about 20 people, with 7 at the bar. Not that long ago it gained recognition by being featured in the New York Post as one of the world's best small bars. All that I can tell you about this place doesn't do justice to the experience of visiting the place for the very first time. After stepping inside, I was mesmerized by the simple yet effective, elegance of the establishment, complimented by the beautifully dressed young lady, server/bartender. Her elegant style and mysterious personality contributed to the character and ambiance of this one-of-a-kind relaxing place. The very hospitable young lady welcomed me and handed me the drink menu, while asking me if I also planned to dine there. I answered in the affirmative and asked her if they had any Mocktails. To my surprise, she pointed out that one side of the Drinks Menu were all non-alcoholic drinks, including mocktails, bottled mocktails, wine by the glass, and beers. I ordered one of the mocktails and by the end of my meal, I think I must have tried a few. She then brought me Fortunato's menu, and I ordered the Fritto Misto as appetizer and the Pork Milanese as my main entrée. I enjoyed both course immensely. A lady employee brought me the food from Fortunato's Restaurant through a door that led to the restroom area of Fortunato's Restaurant, pass the kitchen. For dessert, that Which I consider the "Grand Finale" of a wonderful fine dining experience, I ordered their Tiramisu and Hot Chocolate. They were absolutely mouthwatering. I highly recommend this place and can't wait to return in the near future.

My best friend Becca and I were looking for the perfect place to celebrate her 23rd birthday in…read moreRoanoke. We had originally settled on Fortunato's, but upon arrival at 6pm, the pleasant hostess had informed us that there was not a table available until 8:30. While she was seeing if there was space at the bar, another young woman said, "There's a table at Stellina!" We already knew that Stellina shared the same menu, so we were pleased to walk over there. A young man greeted us and said, "Sit wherever you like!" But there was only one table available. It was a great table, positioned by a window that let us see a glimpse of the city. Cocktail menus were already on our tables, and the young man asked if we wanted food menus as well. We said yes, and ordered The Obituary, a gin drink, a vodka drink that I cannot remember the name of, the house bread, Lumache a Forno, and Bucatini all'Arrabiatta. While waiting for our food, I got to admire the space. It was a small space decorated with a beautiful purple-lit wallpaper, christmas lights, and a colorful overhead light. The room was dark, but our table was tastefully lit with a small lamp. The wallpaper looked as if it had some floral print on it, but upon closer inspection, it was actually a collection of people's faces, which was charming. But perhaps the most striking element of this bar's atmosphere was the music. I immediately heard a trippy beat that was familiar to me, and upon shazaming it, found out it was Interia Creeps, by Massive Attack, one of my favorite 90s trip-hop bands. The music continued to impress me, and has inspired to start a spotify playlist called Stellina's Songs. Some of the standouts include: Army of Me - Bjork Never Let Me Down - Depeche Mode Lovesong - The Cure It's No Good - Depeche Mode The ambience of this dark, 90s music paired perfectly with the dark yet pleasant atmosphere of the restaurant. Our drinks were cold, our food was hot, and it was all quite delicious. I got to try both dishes and both drinks, and was perfectly satisfied. The gentleman that greeted us checked on us frequently, as well as another woman. Overall, the experience was classy and pleasant. The restaurant seemed popular among an older crowd. Nevertheless, this is a great place for anyone of any age to grab a drink or a bite to eat while feeling like an elegant member of society. This is truly a gem that Roanoke has to offer, and my experience could not have been greater.

Good variety of food selections not just Mexican. Service be a Little slow if real busy. Other wise…read morewell worth the wait.

Authentic Italian food in Moneta. We were pleasantly surprised. Been back twice so far.read more

This was a rare gem! A gem that we really enjoyed. Our hostess was the best. She quickly seated us…read moreand told us about the "Tuesday Half Price the Entire Menu" day. Our group had been studying the menu prior to our arrival. We enjoyed nearly every cocktail on the menu along with one of their "special shots in an animal head shot glass". There was a little "show" with almost every drink. Even though we had already eaten, we couldn't resist sampling a few snacks. Each snack was unique. The baked potato skins had a spinach artichoke topping and the dumplings had a cayenne dust. The mini pizza was just ok. The service was the highlight of our experience. Our server was always there to make sure we had everything we needed. We hope to visit again when we are in town.

This college town has a hidden gem for parents and relatives of college kids. Our group was excited…read moreto try this speakeasy type lounge in the heart of downtown. Our host was very hardworking. She also served our drinks, took our food orders and even gave us some advice on nearby venues. I think our group tried most drinks on the Spring cocktail menu. On Tuesdays, everything on their drink a food menu is half off. So yes, we enjoyed everything from shots, interesting cocktails and a variety of snacks.

Great casual restaurant in the Hotel Roanoke. The lobby bar is also great and I had a terrific…read morecocktail there (Virginia Vardier, maybe?) with super service and a very chill vibe. This review will focus on the actual restaurant, where I had lunch with my husband and our friend. It was quiet the day we were there so we got a lot of personal attention. We started with unsweetened iced teas and then since we weren't starved, we ordered some appetizers to share. We had: -deviled eggs (good but the filling was too solid and cold...I like the yellow to be a little creamier and light); -fried cauliflower-the star of the show; it tasted almost like a sweet Korean fried chicken; -Butternut squash salad- also delicious, with nicely roasted butternut squash chunks and a really good dressing; -Pimento cheese dip- excellent dip served with toast. Pimento cheese isn't much of a thing in NYC where I live so I've been trying it every time I see it in Roanoke. We really liked everything we had and the service was so nice. The room itself is gorgeous and feels historic. I'm a fan.

Our server was Angela and she was a delight! We had the…read moreHearth Pumpkin salad & loved it. I had the Reuben (lotsa meat) with a side of mashed sweet potatoes that was awesome.. we fought over that. Virginia Ground Burger was tasty, it is grass fed so a bit gamey compared to grain fed in case you're not used to that. The fries were fine & the fry sauce was yummy!

Food was delicious, award winning loghopper was great and our waitress Montana was awesome. Very…read moresweet and helpful. The whole experience was a pleasure.

We stay in Douthat park for thanksgiving week and Jack Mason's is a staple in our dinner rotation…read morefor the week. We love to sit at the bar but there are tables and booths for those who don't prefer that. It's very rustic with license plates all over the wall of the bar. I always like my mixed drink. The bar tenders are always really nice but sometimes you have to wave them down. We love their burgers, BBQ sandwich, chicken Caesar wrap and chicken sandwich.

I cannot believe I have not written a review for this place when I go literally every week. Show…read morePony is such an amazing addition to the Roanoke area. Every Monday they have $2 oysters which always makes it worth going. The drinks here are AMAZING!!! it's so unique and so delicious! I enjoy that the food menu will have rotating items on top of permanent items. I cannot recommend the chicken tenders more. Everyone who works there is always nice and welcoming.

As soon as I found out that there was a new restaurant on the block, replacing a Grandin Village…read morefavorite, Local Roots, which operated next to the Grandin Theatre since 2010, until it suddenly closed, I phoned the number of the new restaurant to see if it was open, and when I found out it was, I immediately headed over to the restaurant to try it out. When I arrived to the place, I found out the name of the new restaurant by reading it from the window, painted in yellow paint: "SHOW PONY / COLD DRINKS HOT PLATES." Not until afterwards did I discover the meaning of this new restaurant's name. As I entered the door, I noticed that the bar had been extended along the wall with more seats, and was the center of attention of the restaurant. The booths that were once there had been replaced with bistro tables. But the focal point was definitely the bar which was completely full of customers talking, drinking, and having a good time. The clientele at the restaurant's tables was a diverse group of people of all ages, and of all economic backgrounds. The items on the drink and food menu were refined yet reasonably priced to accommodate everyone and leave out no one. The atmosphere of the restaurant was relaxed and unpretentious. It was a bar centered neighborhood joint, with refined yet accessible comfort food in a classy setting. It didn't take long for the host to warmly greet me and and offer me a seat at one of their small tables. And as soon as she left, my server arrived. She was a young lady with a welcoming attitude, a big smile, and a wonderful personality. When she asked me what I wanted to drink I asked her if they had any Mocktails in the menu. She immediately answered that she can have the bartender make me one and suggested THE BEST DAY EVER FAN CLUB. I agreed and she went over to the bar. What she brought back was amazing. It looked wonderful and tasted even better. She then took my food order after answering me some questions about the menu. I ordered the YAKAMEIN which contained Braised Beef in Broth with Noodles, Shrimp & Hard-boiled Egg, and was reasonably priced at $15. The entrée was a good size and tasted amazingly delicious. For dessert I had the HOUSE ICE CREAM which was Strawberry & Lime Ice Cream with Whipped Cream & Sponch Marshmallows. Also, very interesting and sweet. In conclusion I highly recommend this place. The owners did an excellent job in making their dream come true by with their creative imagination coming up with place everyone can enjoy to the fullest.

A very unexpected swanky bar in Floyd,Va. It'll throw you for a loop if you're not ready when you…read morewalk in, we were. Think prohibition. The joint takes you into the prohibition era. The staff play into it very well. The bartender was super cool. The lady at the front door stayed in character (so cool). Helpful hint ... buffalo nickel. Once in, it is a super dark and cozy classy place. Great selection of wine and cocktails. Small selection of beer. Had the very tasty Chef burger. The Mango Habanero cheese curds were tasty. Checkout the upstairs... I'd revisit this place again.

A place to go back in time! They are a prohibition…read moreestablishment theme/vibe. Fun wall decoration and art. Makes you feel like you are on a different timeline. Food was great! We ordered the seared ahi tuna, filets, and ravioli. Everything was delicious and fresh. Id recommend if you are quiet hungry and want to order the ravioli to perhaps order something else to pair with it as it only comes with 4 raviolis. Let's talk drinks. They are seasonal so they had an apple smoked old fashioned which was delicious and a whole experience as they bring it in a container with the smoke in it 10/10 recommend! They have a yummy spicy orange margarita and really good non alcoholic drinks that taste like alcoholic drinks! Service was great! Our server had really good suggestions and was attentive and up front with items that where not available.

My server Lidia was so attentive and sweet!! She was enthusiastic and it really made it a very…read morespecial birthday for me! We got the Shrimp and Grits and the Chicken and Waffles. Highly recommend. I liked how sugary the waffles are. We'll be back again soon.

Well, didn't know what to expect, but we were please…read more Beef short ribs and shrimp and grits. Nicely done and very savory. Great drink menu and the staff were quick with orders and refills. Definitely going back. We went on a busy weekend downtown so we made reservations and they got us in and ate and we were in our way for more drinks and desserts.

Amazing service at the bar beforehand where our group of 6 took a lot of our bartenders time with…read moresome questions, luckily it was pre dinner rush so we didn't halt service for others. We then proceeded to supper on the other side to enjoy the following: lobster thurmidor, oyster sampler, crab louie, canard frites, and affogato. This was a wonderful experience with courteous staff...our only hiccup came at the end of the meal. We were ready to leave and had to wait 15 minutes to be able to get our servers attention to get our check.

Sidecar in Roanoke is a great spot with a unique, creative menu and tons of tasty options. Sitting…read moreat the bar was the highlight for me though. Service was excellent and the staff were fun and knowledgeable to talk with. The bourbon selection is fantastic, with a wide range for any level of interest. I travel to this area for work frequently and have a hard time wanting to go anywhere else for dinner.

This is such a great place to go and grab a drink or a burger. The menu changes on occasion and the…read morenew additions are always wonderful. The staff and bartenders are really nice and always happy to provide recommendation.

Bentleys is so good! I grabbed a burger and fries when we visited and they were both solidly good…read more Portion sizes aren't massive for the price you pay, but the quality is definitely there! The staff were kind and attentive, and the ambiance was nice as well. We are so happy to have somewhere like this in the rivermont area!