Had a great meal here tonight! The gnocchi were delicious as was the watermelon and goat cheese salad. The short ribs were excellent and we liked both the cobbler and lemon curd. Our waitress Rachel was helpful and attentive. We plan to go back on our next trip to Charlottesville . read more

After a disappointing burger for lunch, my husband and I were really looking forward to an excellent dinner for our first day of a weekend trip to Charlottesville. As big supporters of the local food movement, we were thrilled with the number of C-ville restaurants that stocked their kitchens with goods from area farms. We decided on The Local because we were attracted to the location, ambience and building itself (they have a little blurb about the building's history on their website). As we chose it sort of spur of the moment, we didn't have time to make a reservation so we made sure to get there a bit on the early side just in case. We arrived around 6:15 and were able to score a table outside on the front patio. The upstairs deck looked awesome, but was unavailable due to a rehearsal dinner. Our table was great and we loved everything about the ambience - the historic building, cozy tables, lots of brick, cool local art and location (Belmont area). Our server was fantastic - attentive and prompt, but in no way a hoverer, so we were able to enjoy ourselves without constant interruption, but never having to look around wondering when she was coming back. Good beer and wine selection - they even had a Becks N.A. for me (I'm pregnant). And now for the food... We shared a crab cake appetizer to start - the crab was fresh, flaky and delicious. For entrees I had the pimiento cheese stuffed rag mountain trout which was served with cheese grits and chard. The fish comes mostly intact - head, tail and all - which I can honestly say was a first for me. Not the first time I had seen it - I served tables myself at a nice, localist, fine dining joint - but the first time I had personally ordered something like that, and it was awesome. Moist, savory, flavorful, delicious. My husband had the crisp skin duck breast served with asparagus and potatoes. Cooked a perfect medium rare and so tasty. We skipped dessert because we were super full, but there were definitely some tempting options. Two beers, one appetizer, two entrees - $78 and that includes a 20% tip. I'd say that's pretty damn good for a shmancy dinner. If/when we go back to Charlottesville we'd absolutely eat here again and would recommend it to anyone. read more

Delicious, beautiful food. Really interesting flavors and combinations that were incredible. Great atmosphere. I ate the stuffed zucchini and my friend had the rib eye. Both were expertly done. read more

Sooooo, was just suggested this place from a wine conesauier from Jefferson wineries. WOW! Couldn't be more impressed. We got here early, an hour to be exact. They didn't turn us away due to the "bomb", the cold weather. They welcomed us and and had opening to do. I wanted a beer, friend wanted a wine, he, Campbell, was on point. Nailed my beer, 40 mile, and her wine, Jefferson Chardonnay. The Local is the Besssstt. read more

I am obsessed with this restaurant near UVA! They were super safe with all COVID precautions, that made myself and my Bumble data feel very safe! Amazing food! Recommend the Gnocchi ;) read more

Great place for a date night. Service is not rushed, so plan to spend a good bit of time here! Tonight we had the crab cake (on the specials menu) as a starter and loved it so much that we boxed one up to take home as well. The lobster Mac and cheese is also a classic. Highly recommend. read more

Service continues to disappoint here even though the food is pretty good. Apps came before our drinks, app plates never cleared, weren't checked on at all before our entrees (which were actually pretty good, except for the pork chop which was very overcooked), had to flag someone down for spoons for our dessert. We've been several times and have had the same service issues. It just seems like the bar and kitchen are never prepared for their dinner crowd. I think this will be our last visit. read more

Really cool place. Plenty of socially distanced seating upstairs. Food was phenomenal. Had the shrimp appetizer, crab soup, and trout for dinner. Drinks were all good as well. Service super friendly accommodating.. Would highly recommend. read more

Very grateful that take out is available and that the food handed to me was piping hot. Sadly the crispy shrimp aren't crispy but are coated in a pink mayo type sauce. Just not to my taste. Also, be aware they are not offering any substitutions. You get what's listed. The French fries were hot and yummy though I was dreaming of a baked or mashed...but no subs. After all they said no subs. The mushroom fettuccine had a great flavor (love that garlic), the mushrooms were not over cooked and the pasta was a perfect al dente. But just so you know this is a heavy fatty pasta dish...a little goes a long way! We have at least two servings of pasta left over for another meal. :-) The strip steak was tasty but small compared to other places but nicely cooked, medium rare but not the rare asked for...but that's an easily missed note. Lovely French greenie beans. The Local is a very nice neighborhood spot, not high brow but I don't think they intend to be. Will be back. read more

Very good all around and considering that the place was packed, the time for fresh nd hot food, well made drinks, to arrive was surprisingly quick. Small order of gnocchi Bolognese is plenty. Fried chicken and Mac is spicy, so having sauce on the side was a good call for the younger teen diner in our party. Deserts were good as well. Would recommend. Finding Parking is tricky in this residential area. read more

We used them to cater our wedding 3/31/18. Their employees stole our wedding cards from a birdcage off the gift table and stole $300 out of the groom's wallet tucked away in the groom's suite. We filled a police report and their staff scheduled a meeting with the deputy, never showed, then left town. The catering company has done nothing to reimburse us. The tasting was good and attractive, the day of our wedding the presentation of the food was a flop and they got all the sauces wrong along with it being cold. We paid for coffee, cup rentals, NA beverage stations - none of which ever showed up (only bar). They didn't follow our seating chart and placed the parents of the bride's table in the back corner by the bathrooms. read more

Wife and I had dinner here for our anniversary trek to Charlottesville. The entire experience was just 'ok'. The service was poor. The place was packed and we arrived a tad late for our reservation, but had to wait another 20 minutes to be seated. Our entrees came out and were plunked down prior to us finishing our appetizers. The mac and cheese was good. My wife's entree (lamb) appeared to be missing something but we didn't complain. It was edible. My meatloaf was decent, but well-done and a tad dry in the middle. The barbecue sauce surrounding it was damn good though. Probably won't be back given the other food options in the area. read more

Great restaurant in the heart of Belmont. Half of bottles of wine on monday nights, as well as singer/song writer night=excellent! I got an amazing vegetarian dish that was presented creatively. I'm definitely going back again. read more

We chose The Local to cater our wedding not only because we loved the food, but also because of the great value. We found that The Local was one of the most affordable caterers in Charlottesville. An added bonus is that they let you purchase your own liquor, which saved us tons of money. The chef, Matthew, and the event coordinator, Crystal, were very pleasant to work with. They were nice enough to accommodate 6 people at the tasting, which helped us choose our menu with the added input of our parents. The service on the day of the wedding was absolutely seamless. Although I was a bit hesitant, we decided that a buffet would work best for our wedding, and I ended up being so impressed by the presentation of the food. The Local doesn't use the typical silver buffet trays; they use a heater hidden under bricks. This makes for a much more visually pleasing buffet. They also had each station labeled with rustic chalkboards, which was a very nice touch. Our guests are still raving about the food. Our menu included peppercorn encrusted steak, salmon, mac and cheese with black truffles, and zucchini stuffed with quinoa. For appetizers we had crispy shrimp, bacon-wrapped dates, and a meat/cheese tray. The zucchini (our vegetarian option) was the surprise hit of the night. We had several "meat eaters" come up and tell us that they had tried a bite off of someone else's plate and ended up going to get a plate of their own. Thankfully, we were able to try all this, as Crystal had full plates waiting for us. Overall, The Local was a great vendor to work with. The only thing that could have gone a bit smoother was the coordination with the rental company. The Local manages most of the food-related rentals with an outside company. When we received the rental list, we noticed that there were some key items missing, which could have been a disaster. However, The Local is fairly new to the catering game, so I'm sure it's something that will be ironed out quickly. I highly recommend using The Local for wedding catering. Your guests will love the food! read more

I expected much more. My daughter ordered a cheese board for the appetizer and it contained grapes that were well past their prime. My husband had the dry pork chops and it was dry. My chicken arrived cold and was placed in the broiler to warm (???). That's when I knew I would not return even with the free dessert offering. read more

Pros: accommodating without reservations, amazing cocktails (watermelon one, margarita, 38 special), lobster mac and cheese was delicious - order the large one as an appetizer for our table, meatloaf was to die for - so delicious with a perfect combo of flavored, friendly staff Cons: none read more

Best restaurant I've visited in cville. The space is wonderful. The Cajun trout dish and what I tried of the pork chop were outstanding. We visited on a Saturday night and it looked like most of the tables were being held for reservations and some folks were turned away. So make a reservation! Can't wait to visit again. read more

This was such a disappointment. Tried it for a girls' night and the menu looked fabulous; we were all super excited to try it out. We arrived ten minutes early and the host was gracious enough to go ahead and seat us but then we waited 20 minutes to be greeted and even get water. But my main complaint is that they must pre-plate the food on busy nights because I am not exaggerating, our food came out in about 3 minutes. Before we our drink order even arrived. In fact when the runner tried to serve the plates we were like,"no, this is the wrong table, we JUST ordered." Nope. It was our luke warm food. Sides were cold or room temperature, though good I guess, Steak Frites were tough (the fries had been freshly fried BUT we were not offered ketchup or mayo, had to ask about 10 minutes later when we could wave someone down.). We also had to request steak knives for our super tough meat. Can't express enough how bad this experience was. I would have complained to a manager but did not want to embarrass the friend who had made the reservation. read more

Grilled beef tenderloin was amazing. The horseradish sauce that accompanied blew me away. Loved it! read more

The food is not worth the hype at all. I was excited to go here and the food is stuff I can make in my own kitchen. I wanted to add chicken to my order but the waitress in a condescending tone scoffed and said we cannot do that- I would have to add a plate of chicken to my order along with my salad. The only plus side was that the drinks are very yummy. read more

Went on a random weeknight for dinner with some friends and everyone came aware thoroughly impressed! We sat at the bar so I can't comment on the waiters, but I will say the bartender was thoroughly competent. He was attentive without being overly so, and was knowledgeable on the food, drinks, and daily menu specials. A few of us did decide to order food which came out in a reasonable amount of time and was generously portioned. Regarding the food, it is a little bit pricey, but the chef is quite talented. The lobster Mac and cheese is like the grownup version of your childhood favorite (it's quite rich and the small $9 portion was still a large serving); the adobo salmon was perfectly seasoned and had a nice sear to it; the nightly General Tso's lambshank was tender, moist, and not game-y like some lamb dishes can be. My only compliant about the lamb was that the portion was quite large and the sauce was very sweet, so the dish became almost too much to finish. All in all, an excellent dinner. The price factor means I would probably not make this a regular place, but it is an excellent stop in Cville's food scene. Well done. read more

Excellent restaurant. The shrimps are gorgeous, meet is perfect, wines are damn good...!

This restaurant was very disappointing. I ordered the Caesar salad and salmon (which was recommended by our server). The Caesar was bland, nothing special. The salmon was ordered to be cooked medium. It was way over cooked, dry and inedible. The server came to check on us after the entrees arrived but before I tried my fish. He did not return until my husband had finished his entree. When I told him that the salmon was dried out and not edible he simply said he wished he had known earlier so he could have had it redone. No offer to bring anything else and I was charged for an entree I could not eat. We cannot recommend this restaurant. Charlottesville has many other better dining options. read more

This place was great! We were in town for a wedding and just looked on maps for some places nearby. We hit the jackpot. The staff was very friendly and helpful, their local beer selection was good, and the food was fantastic. The cocktails looked on point as well but we were all about beer and wine that night. We had the cheese board, which was tasty, then veggie fettuccine and the gnocchi bolognese for dinner. Both entrees were delicious and good portions. Three brews, a glass of wine, appetizer, and two entrees was around $71. Worth it to us already but coupled with the great service and atmosphere made it 5-Star worthy. read more

Went here for a birthday dinner with about 10 people. The reservation on the top deck was ready when we arrived and the setting was beautiful! Cocktails were great and affordable, and the wine selection was extensive. The Local is definitely on the more affordable side for a nice dining experience in Charlottesville, with entrees averaging $20; however, you can still get a burger for much less. I had filet, but also tried others' duck and lobster mac & cheese. Everything down to the mashed potato and veggie sides were delicious! Highly recommended! read more

My fiance took me here for dinner on August 19th, right after proposing to me. It was supposed to be a relaxing and enjoyable celebratory meal. Based on the photos on the website, we were looking forward to eating on the rooftop deck, which appeared to be dark and romantic. He had booked a reservation specifically for that spot. When we arrived (5 min before our reservation), the hostess told us we'd have to wait. Then she offered us a seat in the inside restaurant, which had nice decor but was not what we had requested in our reservation. We declined and chose to wait. The wait was about 30 minutes. When we were finally taken upstairs to our table, we were disappointed to see that the rooftop deck was brightly lit and covered with big tents, so it didn't feel like you were eating outside on a roof under the stars at all. So we regrouped immediately and decided no biggie. It was a while before anyone brought us menus. It was even longer before they brought us water. We watched as a table seated after us received their drinks and appetizers. Finally someone came by - maybe 20 minutes into it - and asked for our drink order. Our drinks did not appear. The servers all seemed scattered and harried and confused. It was 9 pm and not all the tables were filled. Eventually we ordered an Empanada appetizer. My drink appeared. We saw a waiter bring up a plate with an empanada on it. They looked around, seemed confused, asked some servers something, then set it down on the area where all the dirty dishes were placed. It sat there for a good 5 minutes. We weren't sure if it was ours, so we didn't say anything. After a while, another server picked it up and started asking people about it. table to table, asking customers if it was theirs. Another waiter took it from him, and went rushing past us. I finally spoke up and said, "Is that the empanada?" He said yes, why? And I said "we ordered one, it might be ours." He handed it to us. 5 minutes or so later, we got silverware and could finally eat it. The Empanada was indeed delicious. We wanted another, but couldn't get the attention of a server. When a server finally came back to our table to take our dinner order, several of the items we wanted to order had "just sold out." That was a bummer. They raced away before we could order another glass of wine. At this point I can't even remember what we had, other than the duck. It was good, but we were so disappointed at the service that by then we were just eating because we were hungry, and were ready to leave. I was really disappointed in the place. It was supposed to be a special occasion. The food was good, and the prices were reasonable, but for the quality and prices they have, the service should be much better. read more

Cute spot! The waiter was excellent and very attentive. I had the fried cauliflower and brussel sprouts, stuffed squash with goat cheese and then the brownie sundae. I was expecting the cauliflower to be lightly fried, but the pieces were more breaded than expected. Overall would recommend the squash and the sundae, and would definitely go again! read more

I came to The Local from out of town for a Friday night dinner event. The service was slow and inefficiant and the food was sub par at best. I wouldn't have gone here to begin with if I had the choice. When you pull up, its pleasing to the eye and seemingly trendy. We sat upstairs, outside and had a view of a broken down Ford truck parked on the grass in someone's back yard. The beer selection was slim. I was expecting a vast array of beers with perhaps a description on the menu....nada. Food came late, was overcooked and it looked like it was served at a 5th grade cafeteria. Waitstaff was very busy and unavailable. There are so many great spots to go in this area. Stay away from this one unless you like dissapointment. read more

Heard a lot about this place so finally pulled trigger and dined last night. Tasty tenderloin of beef but mashed potatoes and green beans were very LACKLUSTER. Had an app of shrimp with a cream sauce as well as the cheese plate. Shrimp just slightly over cooked but the cheese plate SUCKED. All the cheese was served ice cold. Low point was service. Terrible despite apologies. Boring food in a typically OVERRATED Charlottesville "great" restaurant. read more

My husband and I ate at The Local a few weeks back, and it was ok, but I wanted it to be awesome. The venue itself is definitely my style, with exposed brick, low lighting, and a cozy feel. We were seated at a table near one of the front windows, which gave us a great view of the front room of the restaurant. I think there must be a back room and maybe even an upstairs (from other reviews), but we only saw the front space. When we first walked in it was a little awkward because we stood at the front for a while before anyone greeted us. We actually almost walked next door instead, but we had been dying to try The Local for a while, so we decided to wait it out. Once we were shown to a table, the server was very friendly. My husband went with the roast local squash, which was definitely the winning dish of the table. It was a butternut squash stuffed with goat cheese, quinoa, dried cherries, and almonds over braised greens and a tomato sauce. As soon as we spotted this dish on the menu, we knew one of us would be ordering it. It was quite tasty (he let me try it), and the unexpected combination of squash, goat cheese, and cherries made for a complex and flavorful meal. I went with the salmon, which ended up sounding way better in theory than it was in execution. It wasn't bad, just not my favorite. It was served with black beans, a flaky tortilla, greens, verde sauce, and drizzles with a creme sauce. While the salmon was cooked well, with a slight crunch on the outside giving way to a tender meaty inside, the flavors just didn't mesh well for me. There was a weird taste, perhaps from whatever oil they used to cook the salmon, and I just couldn't get past it. I definitely snagged bites of my hubs' squash whenever he'd let me. I'd give The Local another shot, but I'd likely go for apps and drinks... and maybe during warm weather to take advantage of their outdoor seating. read more

No, absolutely no, definition of customer service. Had a reservation for two weeks and seated a half hour late. Sat at the table for another half hour before even receiving a greeting. Dirty dishes on the table throughout the meal. Empty water glasses all night. Just amateur service all around. Food was mediocre. Lobster Mac and cheese was decent for frozen lobster. Entrees just average. Steaks made to order were undercooked. Server was completely unacceptable - not attentive, scarcely seen, and all around no understanding of the words customer service. Maybe it's Charlottesville? I wanted to love the place, I really did - even when they seated us in the "garage" outside with no ambiance. read more

We must have stepped into an alternate universe. I had the pork chop that was local but cooked dry with the seasoning burned beyond taste, warm (not hot) mashed potatoes and gravy with fried sweet potato topping. My wife had beef that was also local but with way too much fat and poorly braised and a flat soft drink that had to be returned. The waitress seemed preoccupied and unattentive. Maybe we should have come in with attitude or with Dave Matthews. Too bad, we came here hungry and after a hard day's work based on some not so accurate reviews. read more

I'm willing to look past the amount of bones my significant other found in her fresh, locally caught trout at our last anniversary dinner here because of how perfect everything else about this restaurant is. The location, service, food, drinks, ambiance, and mission of this restaurant is something to be admired. I hope that everyone passing through Charlottesville go to this restaurant for a special occasion or everyday dinner. You won't be disappointed. read more

Used to enjoy going to the Local every visit to C-ville, however am now completely turned off forever. This past weekend attended a graduation dinner at the Local. It was the restaurant that I had come to admire over many years. Instead, it had been transformed into distasteful banquet hall. Because of graduation, the restaurant instituted a $50 per head prix fixe menu, which wasn't terrible -- though it was completely unmemorable -- and had a set up a tent (!) in the back, in which long tables were set-up. Not only was the service HORRENDOUS, but the noise was unbearable -- just the sheer volume, along with the occasional dropping of loaded trays -- along, with the long periods between courses, made it by far the worst dining experience in recent memory. After paying nearly $500 for this fiasco, quite frankly, felt ripped off. We were there for about 2.5 hours -- but there was nothing relaxing nor leisurely about it; it was raucous and seemingly out of control. I get it -- perhaps the assumption was that anyone there that night was involved with a graduating student, and therefore would never return -- so what the heck. I'm sure that's not management's position on this, but that's how it felt. Regretfully for both the Local and myself, based on this singular experience, I will not return, even though I will be returning to C-ville regularly through the coming years. Time to move on. read more

My first Yelp review for this special occasion! A terrible experience for an important night. 8pm reservation, seated at 845pm, menus provided at 9pm, 1045pm plate has yet to be cleared. Waited 30-45 minutes for drinks. The restaurant changed their menu recently, waiter couldn't give us a description of the dishes. Wouldn't recommend the restaurant until they figure their stuff out. Food good, service terrible. read more

I've been going to The Local for years. My issue is that it has been quite good in the past, and now the best way to sum-it-up is to use Yelp's 2-star description, "Meh. I've experienced better." read more

Excellent!! Everything on the menu looked so good it was hard to decide. Finally settled on the burger which was fantastic. My friend got the meatball appetizer and a salad. Great quality and good service. Love the wood interior and exposed brick. Everything is local (the menu lists the source arms of almost all the ingredients they use); even the liquor was locally produced! Great experience, moderate prices, and good meal. read more

I loved the food. It was absolutely delicious. We started with the crispy shrimp appetizer and the sauce was amazing. The sweet honey and the spicy aioli made the perfect flavor. Next, we had the Caesar salad and it was very good. The lettuce was crisp and they added a baked parmesan crouton. Next was the best part- the short ribs. I cannot express how fantastic this was. I can't wait to try it again. My husband had the meatloaf and it was good - but not as good as mine. I can't wait to come back and try the banana split with homemade ice cream. read more

The first time I dined at The Local, my chicken arrived undercooked. The second time, it took me almost a half hour to get the bartender's attention. This place seems like one of the many in town that are victims of insane Charlottesville liquor laws that require restaurants to make most of their money in food instead of alcohol sales. As a result, food prices are inflated. read more

MY fiancé made a reservation here for 6:15 on a recent trip to C-ville. When we arrived the person at the front desk seemed to be confused on where to seat us even though there were empty tables EVERYWHERE! He told us that a larger party wanted to sit inside instead of outside and it was messing up the seating arrangement. I don't really get this problem because one, as I said before there were empty tables everywhere and two, we had a reservation so it's not like you didn't know we were coming. After about 10 minutes of waiting we were taking upstairs and seated. There were more empty tables upstairs and they didn't seems overly busy. It was taking forever for out waiter to come over and I was super annoyed at this point. We were about to get up and walk out when the waiter appeared. We order right away since the service was slow. My fiancé had the goat cheese salad and lobster mac n cheese. I had a Caesar salad and gnocchi Bolognese. The salads were just OK, nothing special. The lobster mac n' cheese was suppose to have Maine lobster. I am pretty sure that wasn't Maine lobster, it had a "fishy" smell that was off putting. My gnocchi was half cooked, half not with a sauce that was not thick enough. Also, the food had no presentation what so every. It was just place on the plate with no color, no style, nothing. The portions were decent, but how can you serve pasta without any bread for the table? If you like bland, average food this place is for you. There was nothing special about my meal, which is highly disappointing for a place that emphasis "local" cuisine. This place has potential, but they really need to work on their service and punch on their flavor. There are so many good recusants in the C-ville area that the Local falls short. However, when we were walking out there was a line out the door to get in so either we went on a bad night or people must enjoy bad service and mediocre food. read more