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.

Tried to get reservations at Fortuna, but could not. Stellina offers their menu and is right beside…read morethem. Stellina is small and on a Friday they were packed in. Scored at the bar which worked fine for me. Service was lukewarm, but still ok. Service started out slow and improved. However, no check-ins were performed at all. I was given a cocktail and food menu. I knew I wanted an Old Fashioned and dropped an order for their lamb meatballs. Shortly after I decided on the eggplant Parmesan main. My drink with Rittenhouse Rye bourbon was tasty, just not much of it price at $17 steep too! I also ordered a specialty hot rum drink with pumpkin spice at $10 that was amazing! The meatballs hit quickly and were devoured! So yummy! About 15 minutes later the main dropped and was huge! Really quality and flavorful for a vegetarian dish. Overall the food was better than the service and prices were stretched. 3.5 rounding down due to service.

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

Punched above their weight. Good Italian food selection. The lobster risotto and seafood misto were…read moreboth excellent. Our friends enjoyed their meals as well. Bread was just ok. Wine was great as well.

When you're in the mood for a nicely crafted cocktail, Twisted Liquid has that panache that you're…read morelooking for in a cocktail bar. They have the smoke and the foam and the cool-looking, Instagram-worthy drinks. Don't get it twisted, though: Twisted Liquid ain't cheap! But you're paying for professional bartenders creating creative beverages. You want to come here to impress a date, not get buzzed on Michelob Ultras. I visited strictly for a drink, so I didn't check out their food menu. But apparently, they do serve food here, mostly starters, snacks and small plates, but also a few mains. My love for gin is never-ending, much like my love for Lewis Carroll and Alice in Wonderland, so when I saw a drink called Painting the Roses Red, you know that's the one that I got. It is a white tea-infused gin with elderflower liqueur, Pinot Gris, lemon juice and rose water. A little ice rose came floating in the drink. It was so pretty, and pretty potent! I like when my adult drinks actually have alcohol in them, and mine certainly did. Our bartender was lovely and knew how to make a lot of drinks with a little flair for each one. I came with a group, and we all sat at the bar and had a wonderful time.

I wanted to share feedback regarding our recent dining experience to celebrate my son's graduation…read morewith family and friends as it was unfortunately very disappointing -- especially considering the price point and expectations presented for your restaurant and event reservations. First, the menu was extremely limited for both food and drinks. While the cocktails were enjoyable, the food quality and portions did not come close to justifying the $300+ we spent. We ordered the shrimp and wagyu skewers expecting thoughtfully prepared dishes. Instead, the shrimp appeared comparable to pre-made shrimp cocktail shrimp placed on a stick rather than freshly grilled seafood. The wagyu skewer lacked the quality and presentation expected from a fine dining establishment and honestly tasted more like beef stroganoff without noodles. I also ordered the lobster bisque, which was served lukewarm and tasted as though it came from a can. The Caesar salad with smoked trout was acceptable, but the trout resembled salmon more than smoked trout, and the dressing tasted bottled rather than house-made. What made the experience more frustrating was the lack of transparency regarding the menu prior to the event reservation. For a restaurant that strictly enforces reservations and cancellation fees, customers reasonably expect a much higher level of quality, preparation, and overall dining experience. Our server was kind, attentive, and did their best throughout the evening, so I truly appreciate their effort. However, much of the remaining staff appeared stressed, overwhelmed, and unwelcoming, which added to the uncomfortable atmosphere. Overall, the experience felt far from the fine dining experience being advertised. The drinks were honestly the only standout part of the evening. I also have to mention that the food we received looked nothing like the photos posted online and in Google reviews. It genuinely made us wonder if there was an issue in the kitchen this evening, because the quality and execution were nowhere near what was being represented publicly. I sincerely hope this feedback is taken constructively because there is a significant disconnect between the pricing, expectations, and actual dining experience being delivered.

Stayed at the hotel so came in for dinner one night. The lobby bar is excellent, spent some time…read morethere as well, make a mean old fashioned For dinner I had the onion soup and the shrimp and grits. Dessert was a berry pie French onion soup was very tasty. Little too much bread for the small bowl for me. Soaked up all the broth! Could have used a little while longer in the broiler as well, cheese wasn't nearly brown enough for me. Was very good though Shrimp and grits was very good. Was far more than it looks. I was stuffed after I ate it. Shrimp cooked perfectly over creamy grits Pie was very good, was full but really wanted to try it, comes with ice cream and I ate as much as I could Service was good, drinks come from the lobby bar and were excellent Nice inside, felt like back in time vibes Overall a nice meal

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.

Great beer, great food, and some of the nicest people you're going to run into. We've been to this…read morerestaurant twice coming into town for for a marathon and both times it's been fantastic.

Perfectly battered fish with my fish and chips. The burger was also perfectly made. Everything was…read moredelicious and the server was a delight!! Clifton Forge is a hidden gem.

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.

Very loud. Hard to hold a conversation. Food was good the first time around. They changed their…read moremenu the second time we arrived so I was disappointed when they didn't have the item I ordered the last time and there wasn't much to my liking.

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.

This spot was fantastic! Brought friends for a celebration meal and it was great. Pregnant friend…read morehad attentive accommodations made for temp of food and mocktails without having to ask, there was tons of variety on the menu and everything was absolutely delicious. Prices were great for the quality, definitely do lots of plates to share. The tomahawk was so tender and flavorful, dipping sauces for frites were plentiful. Only complaint was on the mussels themselves being quite tiny. Nice cozy vibe and not too loud.

This was our second visit to this hidden gem in just five weeks. We live in New Jersey and vacation…read moreat Smith Mountain Lake, and we've made this restaurant a special stop whenever we travel through the area. The food and service are outstanding. Brian was our server both times, and he even remembered what we ordered on our previous visit--a level of hospitality that's hard to find. I had the salmon, which was cooked perfectly, and my wife happily ordered the crab cakes again because they were just as delicious as she remembered. P.S. Don't leave without trying the Dreamsicle cheesecake--it was the perfect ending to a fantastic meal!

Wished we lived closer to this place and was not just visiting for the weekend! Everything about…read morethis place from the ambience, waitstaff, and food was perfection! Our waitress, I believe her name was Emily, was so sweet and very helpful when it came to deciding what to order. She was very personable, and we chatted with her about all kinds of things whenever she'd come by the table. This place had comfortable booths, and a lovely bar. They have a great happy hour menu, which we ordered from. Do not miss the truffle popcorn. I am still dreaming of this! Truffle oil and parmesan cheese on perfectly popped and salted popcorn. We also had the hot honey and Parmesan chicken wings which were crisp and delicious, and a harvest salad. So good. We would be here all the time if we lived close. Do not miss this place if you are in town!