Great food- we thought it was as tasty as what we remember from long ago. Be prepared for a wait- some sitting available and covering from the sun or rain. Beautiful country setting while pondering life. Don't be in a hurry. read more

We love this place. It is like going to Grandma's for that good ole' home cooking. We have missed it so much. It was a place for so many happy family celebrations and where I took my Sunday School Teachers or Bible School teachers as an appreciation dinner. The people are friendly and Kevin, who used to call out tables, made us smile. He helped me out when I had to bring a large group. Very considerate. I am sure it is still very good and I am planning on bringing a large group there this month and can't wait. Wishing the new owners the best of luck with this endeavor. Blessings....Tricia Givens read more

Went on a hike at McAfee Knob, came here to eat after the fact and its All you can eat for $15, how do you say no? YOU DON'T. With a group of four's stomach to fill, we chose fried chicken (the obvious choice) and roast beef as our main meats. The fried chicken is top tier compared to their other meats...I just know it. You know that church singer, Shirley Caesar, who sang "I got beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes, chicken, turkeys, lambs, rams, you name ittt"? yeah. That's pretty much how we all felt when we got our sides. Bottom Line: they have done this consistently since the restaurant opened, they have mastered the art of frying chicken day in and day out. It's home cooking at a price you can't beat, seriously. read more

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Came in with some friends after traversing McAfee Knob and we were very hungry hikers. We all decided to share 3 meats. I loved all of it, it is all home cooked. What else can I say? I very much enjoyed the country ham, and the fact that it was very salty. The fried chicken and roast beef were also cooked to perfection. The peas were very creamy, as was the fresh coleslaw. I also enjoyed the green beans. The lemonade was freshly made, you can clearly tell. Also, being a musician and dulcimer player, I loved the mountain dulcimer hanging on the wall! read more

The Homeplace - Mountain Dulcimer - American Near Me - Catawba, Virginia

One day after hiking everyone in my hiking group wanted to go to home place, so we went! Going into home place at first glance, it really did feel homey. The decoration and the way everyone treated each other made it feel like one big home. We sat down and got both lemonade and iced tea and decided to go with the three meat option. Then a ton of food started to come out. Our table which used to be empty, was now filled with fried chicken, roast beef, country ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, cole slaw, green beans, pinto beans, biscuits, and apple butter. I couldn't wait to try everything! I first started with the biscuits and apple butter. The biscuits were warm and buttery. While The apple butter was slightly sweet and had a nice body to spread on to the biscuits. Then, I went for the fried chicken which was cooked perfectly! Even the chicken breast (my least favorite part of the chicken) was moist. The roast beef was nice and tender. The country ham was a little too salty for me, but I could see how some folks would enjoy it. The mashed potatoes & gravy were nice and creamy. The cole slaw, green beans, and pinto beans were a great way to diffuse all the richness from the entire meal. After our meal, they had a dessert option as well. So, I got the vanilla ice cream with blue berry cobbler and it was an amazing finisher to the meal. Overall, I would definitely come back to home place. The service was incredible and the food tasted great. If you go, I highly recommend asking them what type of cobbler they have for the day. Since, warm cobbler with cold ice cream is a match made in heaven. read more

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All my years coming to Roanoke and I never heard of or ate at Home Place but, wow, I'm coming back soonest. Located about 20 minutes from downtown, this restaurant sports a fantastic view of the Blue Ridge and is only a few miles from the Appalachian Trail. Food is all you can eat family style. Fried Chicken is the best I have ever had, though the biscuits, roast beef and vegetables were ranked in the top too. Out on the porch you can enjoy fresh mountain air and a spectacular view. Wow read more

**3.5 Stars** I feel like Home Place is more hyped up than it's supposed to be. It's definitely worth going to if you're in the area, but it's not mind-blowing or anything. It's not what i'd say is cheap or an amazingly good deal, especially since I'd only eat like 4-5 items out of the 9 offered. It's better to come right when they open, otherwise you'll have to wait a while to get in. On Saturdays, they open at 3pm! You get to choose 2 meats for $13/person and 3 meats for $14/person. All sides and drinks are included. The lemonade and iced tea are divine! Especially when combined to make an Arnold Palmer. Fried chicken was not so special. Ham was salty. But the roast beef is where it's at! We kept devouring platter after platter of these tender, moist slices of cow. Nice and peppery on the outside of the roast! Notable sides include the most amazing biscuits with apple/pumpkin butter, creamy mashed potatoes, and the best coleslaw i've ever had (nice texture and it's got a little kick to it). The other sides were just meh. And our meal ended on a nice peach cobbler with ice cream. It took us about 30 min of waiting in line to pay and get out. They really need another register... read more

The Homeplace - All this for $14/person! All you can eat! - American Near Me - Catawba, Virginia

I've been coming to this amazing southern restuarant at least once a semester since my freshman year of college! (It's been 6+ yrs). FOOD (5/5): I'm not a pork/beef person but my heart is 100% for their fried chicken and all the side dishes. My favorites are coleslaw and green beans. Their buttermilk biscuits go really well with their apple sauce -- amazing. I often have to stop myself from having more than one because I want to have enough room for the fried chicken. SERVICE (5/5): I've never had bad experience here. All the hostesses were really nice and welcoming. ATMOSPHERE (5/5): It's a buffet type of restaurant but whenever I eat here, it feels like I'm visiting my grandma's place when she's hosting a feast for strangers in her house. PRICE (4/5): the price went up and they're now charging for the cobbler, but that doesn't stop me from coming at least once a semester. $20 (tips included) is still a pretty good deal for good unlimited homemade food like this. COME IF: you need to come DON'T COME IF: you don't like fried food and southern style dishes and don't to pay $20 for a single meal that would keep you full for the rest of the day TIPS for short wait time -- I'm super hesitated to share this because I want to keep it to myself but I'm just going to share: *Go on Thursdays if you only care about the chicken and don't mind pulled pork *Sundays are usually less crowded. I went after church and I got the table right away. *If you have more than six ppl, break into smaller groups, and you would get the table faster read more

The Homeplace - American Near Me - Catawba, Virginia

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This is definitely a place you go for the experience. For $15 ($16 if you want three meat options) you get unlimited food items of a wide variety. With fried chicken, biscuits and apple butter, veggie and other sides, and of course sweet tea, it'll be a true feat if you have the space for dessert by the end! If you're like me and you don't eat meat, you'll probably find it difficult to make a meal out of the sides, but they were kind enough to charge only a kid's meal price for my plate. I was worried there would be a long line, as we showed up at the opening on Sunday at 11, but despite the crowds, there was plenty of space. Presumably, this is not the case during the school year, so plan ahead and consider arriving a little early on the weekends. Worst case, if you have to wait a bit, you'll have time to wander the grounds and take in the gorgeous Virginia scenery! read more

CHICKEN. CHICKEN. CHICKEN. I got to say this place is a must try if you're in the Blacksburg area. It is a little out of way, probably around a 40 minute drive, but it is WORTH IT. Every time I have been there, there would be a huge line of hungry people, and did I mention it was ALL YOU CAN EAT. The food is to die for, the comfort southern style food is amazing. Definitely get the fried chicken, they also come with a bunch of sides (mash potatoes, corn, coleslaw, etc). Lastly, their service is impeccable with the sweetest ladies that are very attentive. Pro tip: they offer sweet tea and lemonade and if you mix both of them, you can make yourself your own "Arnold Palmer". read more

The Homeplace - American Near Me - Catawba, Virginia

This is the best southern food in southwest Virginia! They don't take reservations but you give your name and sit on the gracious front porch in comfortable rocking chairs while you wait. You have a choice of three meats: fried chicken, roast beef and ham. If you order all three it's a dollar more per person than the standard two. All sides are included and you can have as much meat, sides and drinks all included in one price! The food is amazing and the service is friendly. A must visit if you are near Virginia Tech! read more

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I'm so glad to have checked off this restaurant from my Hokie Bucketlist before I graduated! I've tried to come here many times after I've finished hiking but there was always just a really long wait (and when you're exhausted from climbing mountains you don't have the patience to wait LOL). Some of my friends decided to invite me after I they heard I've never been, so I decided to try it out before I left Blacksburg. We waited an hour and a half before we were seated, but it was worth! I can't believe I've been missing out on this AYCE southern comfort food restaurant for the past four years. If you are a Hokie, Home Place is a MUST. If you aren't a Hokie but are visiting the area, try to check this place out! Their fried chicken is SO GOOD. Another item that is a MUST is the biscuits with apple butter spread - you need to ask for the apple butter spread though. I really liked their DIY Arnold Palmer, too. I didn't really care for their ham (I'm not a huge fan of American Ham) but everything else was fantastic. Home Place truly embodies southern comfort food. The service is amazing and the whole ambience is unique. Do not make the same mistake as me and wait till the week before you graduate to try it out. read more

Regardless of how far this restaurant is from Blacksburg and how long you have to wait to get seated, you will never get disappointed if you visit Home Place Restaurant. Service there is always impeccable and the foods are always spot on. Food quality here always surprises me considering that they are offering all you can eat with the price tag of around $15. read more

The Homeplace - American Near Me - Catawba, Virginia

If you live/visit southwest Virginia you absolutely have to try the Home Place at least once. And make sure you wear your big pants. It's a huge, beautiful home converted to a restaurant, as you may be able to gather from the name. When you get her there's most likely going to be a wait. If you absolutely hate waits try and go at an awkward time. But the wait is totally okay, even for someone as impatient as me, because you are able to go outside and hangout on the lawn and there's some real nice scenery. When you finally sit down you can choose which meats you want and then you barely have to wait before your food comes out. Fried chicken, ham, roast beef, biscuits, apple butter, pinto beans, green beans, baked apples, mashed potatoes, gravy, there's probably more I just can't remember because there's so much. And then you eat until you can't eat no more. And no worries if someone eats all the mashed potatoes before they even get passed to you, you just let you waitress know and she will replenish the bowl. I usually avoid the biscuits at meals like this to save room for the good stuff. Don't do that here, you have to try the apple butter. Good luck eatin. read more

The Homeplace - The good good. - American Near Me - Catawba, Virginia

Came here once in college with a bunch of friends. Being college kids, we never wake up before 12 so we got to Home Place after 12. If you arrive after 12-- expect a long wait. A very long wait. With the recent trip, we showed up at 11:15 AM (15 minutes after opening) and there was still a 30 minute wait. The place is packed and it's only been open for 15 minutes! The smell of fried chicken and ham fills the entire house-- warm comfort. Once we were seated, we decided to pick the 2 meats ($14 per person compared to $15 for all three meats). We chose the ham and fried chicken. The fried chicken was juicy and delicious-- the Ham was salty and a little dried out but when you add some mash potatoes, gravy and corn-- IT TASTES LIKE HEAVEN! All the sides were delicious and the sweet tea was made just right. If you have any leftovers, you can take it home. The price is perfect, the service is so friendly and sweet, the food was delicious. perfect perfect perfect. I would take a 4 hour drive down there anytime for Home Place. On top of that-- the scenery is beautiful! read more

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You should go. If those three words don't get you there, here's more: The BEST fried chicken ever, heaps of good country food (don't be scared or snotty about this, you have never had better food in your life), a wonderful homey atmosphere, in a beautiful setting. Everything is delicious, the staff is super efficient and wonderful. Expect a wait -- this place gets packed. BBQ only on Thursday (but it is amazing). My only complaint: With the amount of money this place must pull in, they could invest in hand held pagers that light up and vibrate when your meal is ready -- instead they have a guy paging people by voice that is loud and kinda jarring...but that's a little price to pay for the wonderful, wonderful food. If you visit the Roanoke Valley, make the (short) trip. It is worth it. You will rave for years to come. If you live here and haven't been, shame on you. read more

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Southern homestyle cooking at its best. The Home Place is a must stop if you're a fan of comfort cooking whenever you happen to be along that stretch of I-81. It's always a treat whenever I'm back in the Roanoke area to dine at Home Place. 1) The timing of my trips don't always line up with their opening hours (Thurs-Fri for lunch; Sat-Sun lunch and dinner) 2) I love love love the property that it sits on 3) The food is just mighty good my friends. Let's start with the food. It's all you can eat... and all you can eat yumminess. You can do $14 for all 3 meats and if it's your first time, do it. I am less of a fan of the ham so for a dollar less, I am more than content to pig out on roast beef and mmm mmm mmm fried chicken. The roast beef is so tender and the friend chicken is just crispy yet juicy perfection. Pair them with wondrous sides like slaw and mash potatoes plus light and fluffy biscuits and bottomless sweet tea, you're all set for your Southern feast. Service is friendly and they diligently bring out more food upon request with a smile on their face. The dining experience is homely - you are dining in an old farmhouse anyway. You will almost always expect a wait. 10 minutes if you're lucky, up to an hour if you come at prime dining times. The wait is fine though because it gives you time to explore the grounds and soak it all in. You feel like part of a big extended family when you're dining at the Home Place and like family I'll be back as often as I can to indulge in some mighty good southern comfort food. read more

Make sure to get here early, there is always a long wait. All you can eat, but they bring it to your table family-style. Delicious marinated roast beef, fried chicken, and sides. Very reasonably priced and comes with complimentary lemonade or iced sweet tea (which is excellent). Definitely worth the drive, beautiful mountain scenery. read more

Love love love home place! Their dessert used to be a complimentary to the meal, but you have to pay a little extra now :( Despite the little changes, it's extremely worth $14 for all you can eat southern, home-cooked meal! read more

The Homeplace - American Near Me - Catawba, Virginia

ALWAYS worth the wait, which can be super long on weekends and holidays. AYCE fried chicken and sides (corn, mashed potatoes, and mac and cheese I liked the most!), yes please! The ham and roast beef are okay, but the chicken is definitely where it is at. They also give lemonade and iced tea, which is quite possibly the best I've ever had. It makes me sad that this place is so far away from me but anyone in this area or has been to this area, knows that the service and food here are well worth it! Make sure to ask for the apple butter with your biscuits! Would always come back here if I ever have a chance again. read more

The Homeplace - American Near Me - Catawba, Virginia

PROS: good, fresh, homestyle food for a decent price. CONS: kind of in the middle of no where My gf and her family went here after we went hiking. It was pretty good. It's a buffet that you don't have to get up for. They keep bringing you food when you run out. You get your choice of 2 meats (for $13).. or you can get all 3 meats for $14. Our table chose 2 meats.. someone said the ham there was too salty. We got the roast beef and fried chicken. The sides that you get are mashed potatoes, biscuits, corn, beans, green beans. Then you get some dessert afterwards. The place looks small (looks like a house on the outside).. but inside it's huge. It was REALLY busy too. We had a party of 8.. some people had parties of 18.. and even 30. crazy. The wait is not long at all though.. despite the number of people there. The parking lot is huge as well. Even if the lot gets full, you can park on the grass. I'd go again if I was in the area and craving homecooked food read more

Yum, yum, yum to my tum, tum, tum! Unlimited, all you can eat, fill your gut, pack yourself full goodness! Hot, fresh, buttery biscuits, delicious green beans (like gramma makes) with ham hock, smoothly whipped mashed potatoes with the perfect amount of salt, pepper, and butter, fried apples with yummy cinnamon and sugar, pinto beans with a smattering of spices, freshly prepared icy cold cole-slaw with the perfect amount of sweetness, a plate of country ham, a plate of roast beef, and a plate of freshly fried chicken - to top it all off a boat of gravy to smother it all! This, as well as all you can drink coffee, tea, and lemonade, and the dessert of the day are all yours for a mere $14 smackers! The ambiance of the place is just like gramma's house (if your gramma was rich and lived on a farm). The place has floral wall papers, antiques, farm style chairs and close quarter seating all arranged in old rooms of this formerly private home. Come early and get your name on the list! They are only open at certain times, and if you don't make the cut, you will drive all the way back to Roanoke or Blacksburg with a disappointment in your belly. Bring some tums for the ride home, because no matter how hard you try not to - YOU WILL OVEREAT! read more

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What a wonderful place! Staff are all so friendly and attentive. Food is awesome and plentiful!! Worth the 20 min drive from Roanoke. Cute farmhouse and grounds! read more

The Homeplace - American Near Me - Catawba, Virginia

Bring on the SOUTH~~! I have to say, this place blew my mind. The unassuming farmhouse that stands on gorgeous grounds with roaming cows in the middle of what seems like back country is a hotspot. The wait on any given day can be up to an hour - but VERY worth the wait. DOES NOT TAKE RESERVATIONS Family dining is the style and all-you-can-eat! You get a pitcher of your drink choice (we chose the lemonade and ice tea) and all your sides are included: Green Beans - southern style, cooked soft with ham hock Cole slaw - typical coleslaw Pinto Beans - again, smokey flavor from the ham hock. Biscuits - tender and light - AMAZING with the jams they provide Mashed potatoes and gravy - Delicious lumps and all Extra veg/fruit (whatever they have) Fruit cobbler - it was delicious Their fried chicken comes with your meal automatically - you can chose any number of meats (the cost goes up as you pick more obviously). The fried chicken was amazing. The batter on the chicken was thin and perfectly crisped the skin on the chicken. That salty, flavorful crust is making my mouth water just thinking about it. The Roast beef was nice, but a little overdone - good nonetheless. RUN Here.. stay all night and wear elastic lined pants.... because you will want to eat beyond your heart's content. read more

Thank you Virginia Tech. Without this school I would have never stepped foot into Home Place and experienced the never-ending feast of southern fried chicken along with all its accompaniments. Oh yeah, thanks for the education too... silly me. But back to Home Place. This quaint little house is located off the beaten path about 20-30 minutes from the Tech campus. It's only open Thursday through Sunday, and at various hours of the day. Walk on in, and head straight toward the back, past the cash register. Locate the man with the clipboard and give him your last name and party size. Take your choice of waiting in the waiting room, on the stairs, on the porch, in the gazebo, or wherever you may like. When it's busy (almost 100% of the time) be prepared to wait up to an hour for your name to be called. Don't worry, it's worth the wait! The dining areas are small, but incredibly warming. Drinks include lemonade and sweet tea; combine the two for an Arnold Palmer. You have your choice of two or three meats, including fried chicken, roast beef, ham, and pulled pork on Thursdays only. The fried chicken is a must. Tasty, moist, perfectly deep fried. The seasoning they use is outstanding, and the skin has just the right amount of crisp to it. Roast beef is great as the second meat. The ham is alright, very salty; I'm not a big fan of ham in general. The pulled pork on Thursdays sounds great, but it really wasn't. It arrived as a mush of meat in a bowl. My recommendation is to stick with the chicken and beef. The sides that come in addition to the meats range from biscuits, corn, green beans, mashed potatoes, cole slaw, and a veggie/fruit of the day. All of the sides are standard, with nothing worth noting. The fried chicken is definitely what shines. I will add that my girlfriend is nuts over the green beans. I have no clue why, but she says they make them perfectly. Also, ask for apple butter to make the biscuits go down a little easier. Dessert will consist of one type of pie (apple, cherry, peach) topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. Delicious! I would order a second serving of the dessert if I didn't have to drive right afterwards. Food coma!? Service is always great at Home Place, but I've had some servers that have risen above others, making us truly feel at home. The cost is great; $13 per person for the standard meal is a terrific value. I've been coming here once or twice a semester since 2006, and the food and service has not changed one bit. I would recommend coming on a weeknight, and coming early. And of course, prepare your belly in advance. read more

The Homeplace - American Near Me - Catawba, Virginia

One of our favorite places to eat at when we visit the area. Everything is delicious. The meats, sides, etc. read more

What an interesting place! When you get there it feels like you're pulling into someone's driveway. The restaurant is just a big house and there are some rocking chairs and gazebos to sit in while you wait for your name to be called on the PA. Out behind the house is farm land with a small pond and some cows. They told us there would be a 15 minute wait, but we got called in maybe 3 minutes later. We were seated by a movable wall, but they quickly moved us after the air conditioner vent above started leaking a bit of condensation onto our table. This worked out since then we got to sit at a small table by the window. I got a lemonade and it was nice and cold with no pulp. The food comes out quickly since you don't really order but rather tell them which things you don't want. We got the ham and fried chicken as our meats. The ham is a country ham, so it comes out thin and cold. It's really salty so I enjoyed it. The fried chicken was good as well. It was pretty standard fried chicken and was not dry or anything and it had a tasty breading on it. For sides I mostly ate the biscuits and the mashed potatoes. The biscuits were great and the mashed was pretty standard. The desert was peach cobbler and I'm not a fan of peach so I just got ice cream. The ice cream was fantastic. It was rich and creamy. I thought this place is really cool. 5 stars for uniqueness & amazing ice cream. read more

Hope they stay open, a staple in the valley forever for great home cooked southern food

TLDR: A must see if in the blacksburg area, beautiful landscape, all you can eat southern food, and diy Arnold Palmers. I really wanted to give this a 4.5, but a 5 is good too :). While visiting Va tech, I had to get a taste of what my brother was always raving about when he visited this place. I finally was able to convince my brother to take me here. I wish we had a reservation, because there was a super long line waiting outside. Lucky for us, they had gazebos, benches and plenty of seating areas outside! The views of the mountainscape and lake were breath taking. When we finally heard my name on the loud speaker, it was like music to my ears. When we were were seated, we were greeted by the most hospitable waitress. We ordered a pitcher of iced tea and lemonade and made our own Arnold Palmers at the table(fill the glass was half iced tea and the rest of the glass with lemonade). My party decided to go with the option of 3 meats which came to about $15 a person, we got the fried chicken, roast beef, and country ham. Personally the ham was too salty for me, but my family loved it. My favorite was the fried chicken and the complimentary biscuits with apple butter. Other side dishes that are included are green beans, cole slaw, pinto beans, mashed potatoes, and gravy. If this place was closer to Tech, I would gladly visit my brother more often, but it took us an hour to drive there and back, but it was well worth the trip! read more

The Homeplace - American Near Me - Catawba, Virginia

This was a great find. In room dining available. Not all you can eat..but large portions. Very good comfort food. Masks and social distancing mostly observed. read more

Stopped here after a very long hike. Only had to wait 5 minutes for a table. They have a porch or gazebo or a room with live music to wait in. We got the 3 meats option but all we really only ate the chicken which was yummy. The coleslaw,pinto beans, mashed potatoes and biscuits were our favorites sides but they were all good. Iced tea was tasty too. Great service and pretty location. read more

Ate here early on a quiet Thursday evening. This was my first time in the Roanoke area in 20 years, but a visit to the Home Place while here is almost mandatory. It was as good as it always was. Roast beef, chicken, mashed potatoes/gravy, green beans, slaw, pinto beans, fried apples, biscuits and a drink for 15 bucks. Can get refills on everything. What's not to like? We ate every bite. Had to get the dessert (peach cobbler) to go--only 2 bucks. Our server (Ginger) was terrific and a great wealth of information. She has been there for ........... 35 years !! What a great little gem in a tiny one-horse town. It is only several miles from the Appalachian Trail, so there are usually hikers there to get probably the best meal they will have in weeks. Tonight was no exception. Scope this place out--you'll be glad you did. read more

You want real southern cookin? Searching for the best fried chicken out there and the comforts of home? Look no further, because the Home Place has it all. Nestled just a mile from McAfee Knob in Catawba, this plantation home has been turned into a family style southern cookin family spot. Rocking chairs along the front porch, fresh brewed sweet tea and homemade lemonade await you inside. They serve up southern foods family style. You choose the meats you want either two or three and it comes with all the fixins. We went with the fried chicken and roast beef and it comes with gravy, mash potatoes, mac n cheese, green beans, pinto beans and coleslaw. Oh! And their biscuits! Drool worthy. Slather some butter on them and their homemade apple butter and you're in for a surprise! Apple butter better than any other spot you've had before. Their sweet tea is done just right, not overly sweet or under sweet. The lemonade is one to quench your palate. Mix the two for an Arnold Palmer if you wish. Now, we're originally from Virginia, and southern cooking like this was always done by my aunts and nana. My southern twang resurfaced while being back home and the fond memories while enjoying our meal of being at my nana's again. Our waitress was sweet and had a southern drawl that just made you feel like you were family here. Once you run out of one food item they ask if you want more. It's $14 for adults and it's all you can eat. Our beverages were constantly filled at the half way mark. This meal was so earned as we had just hiked 8 miles at McAfee Knob and this meal was the perfect thing after. I grabbed that chicken breast and I enjoyed every single bite. I ate it before I tried anything else on my plate. I haven't had fried chicken in years and to have it again.....this is the best fried chicken I've ever had in my entire life. The fixins were on point. Mac n cheese and mashed potatoes oh lord! I could hardly finish my plate! But I managed to and even saved room for some warm peach cobbler. My first time enjoyed a cobbler and I was in heaven. If ya'll really have the craving for real southern food and comfort then visit the Home Place. You'll be glad you did! read more

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Meh. I feel like this place is a bit of a tourist trap. It's certainly not bad by any stretch; I thought the fried chicken was decidedly above-average. I just don't think it deserves the reverence it receives from a lot of people. The house it's in is beautiful and the people were super nice. It was a really good experience eating there. That said, the food as a whole was a little bit bland besides the chicken. Some of the sides were slightly cold as well. Once again, this isn't to say any of it was bad, it just wasn't incredible and I didn't think what I ate in the family style setting was worth the $20 I paid for it. It's definitely worth the experience once, but it's not someplace I could see myself going back. read more

When I first told my friends that I was spending 5 weeks in Roanoke almost every single person told me that I MUST hike McAfee's Knob and then eat at Home Place after. I was able to check them off my list this weekend and I can definitely see why this cute restaurant is a Roanoke must. I, also, will continue to recommend this same routine to everyone else who visits the Roanoke area! (A short plug for McAfee's Knob - a really great hike! 8 miles is daunting but the view is breathtaking and completely worth it!) At 6PM the place was packed! And from what I hear there rarely is an occasion where you won't have to wait for a table. I called ahead to gauge our wait time and was told it would be 45 minutes for 3 but when we arrived we only had to wait about 20 minutes to be seated. Also, although they close at 8PM as long as you are seated by 8PM then you will still be served. There is an indoor waiting room but there are chairs on the front porch and gazebos on the lawn to enjoy the fresh air while you wait. The ambiance of the restaurant feels like you're being served a home-cooked meal in a family's home. The decor is cozy and the dinnerware has a southern touch. The food falls nowhere short of amazing. For $14 you have your choice of 2 meats (or you can pay $1 extra and get 3 meats) and all the accompanying sides--ALL YOU CAN EAT! Meat selection comprises of roast beef, fried chicken, and ham. On Thursdays you also have a choice of BBQ pork. Sides consists of coleslaw, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, biscuits, pinto beans, and an additional vegetable of the day. On the day we went it was corn but I hear that they sometimes have mac and cheese. The apple butter that comes with the biscuits is really good! We chose the roast beef and fried chicken as our meats but I really could have just eaten fried chicken the entire time. You can also add all-you-can-eat dessert for $2 and you can choose from fruit cobbler or ice cream (or choose both for $3). The service was attentive and quick. We were given about 3-4 pieces of chicken at a time and our plates were always quickly refilled. Even as busy as they were, there wasn't a time where we were sitting and waiting for food to be returned to the table. Although it's stated that they will charge for leftovers being taken home we were still offered a box for our food at no charge. Please eat here if you're in the area! You won't be disappointed! read more

Best home-cooked southern food I have had in a very long time!! The menu is very simple and is UNLIMITED. :) You pick your choice of meat (fried chicken, country ham, roast beef, or pulled pork) and all the sides are included (homemade biscuits, green beans, pinto beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn) as well as your drink choice. It is very reasonably priced!!! And the location and setting is beautiful! We can't wait to go back! read more

My first experience was very comfortable My wife and I enjoy the friendly staff and food was amazingly good. I know I will be making a trip back cause it most certainly not my last time coming read more

The Homeplace - American Near Me - Catawba, Virginia

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I left home near DC very early on. Sunday morning in order to be able to get off I-81 and stop here for lunch a couple weeks ago after a few years of passing by the area outside of operating hours. I was not disappointed. My wait was minimal as a single just few minutes after opening on a cold day, once I wiggled my way up to the host stand through all of the groups waiting. Fried chicken, ham, and sides reminded me of the cooking of my grandmother who was born in Oklahoma and married into a PA Dutch family. The service for one was enough for a filling lunch and a takeaway box for an ample dinner. Service was efficient and friendly. read more

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This place is an absolute gem. My friend and I were seated within minutes, and were greeted at the table by one of the sweetest waitresses there could possibly be. As many have said before, the food is outstanding. Throw in the excellent quality and amount of food that you get for what you are paying, and you have a spot that is not to be missed! Thank you so much to the staff; I can't wait to eat at the home place again! read more

I have lived in Salem my entire life. The Home Place is always something that people say is "awesome" or a place you cannot pass up. My first experience will be my last. We waited for over 2 hours. Inside was hotter and muggier than outside..so, we waited outside. A very unfriendly fellow who took our names for our table was also the "speaker." Every few minutes he literally SCREAMED into a microphone with a very annoying southern twang with the next table's accompanying name. The lady who took our order was hostile and very apathetic toward customer service. Your choices are limited anyway. You can either get deep fried greasy chicken, what can only be considered canned ham, or days old roast beef. With all the country sides, which means more fat. They serve "family style" which really means they are going to open a few cans of crud and poor it into microwaved bowls. After this visit I could only imagine that everyone who loves this place has never had a decent meal before. Could have had KFC with more flavor, less cost, nicer staff, and faster service. Won't ever return. read more