The place is surely worth a visit. If you're wanting to try the Bison just do a burger or if it's on the menu do the chili. I have no problem paying top dollar for a good steak and if I cook bison at home it usually turns out pretty good. Bison is low in fat and can be a little tough. The pinto beans and cornbread were delicious. Taste the slab of seasoned butter before using it on your steak or cornbread. . . It's not for everyone. The coffee here is very good. Potato salad was also tasty and the fried green tomatoes were a nice appetizer. Our waitress Shelia was very attentive and on the spot. The ambiance was nice. read more

Delicious bison burgers again. The guys got the same. We all enjoyed it. Friendly service and they came out quickly and piping hot. The fries and chips were fresh and crispy. read more

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Medicare food served after a long wait by a polite staff who advised us that they ran out of a dish we ordered 30 minutes after we ordered it. We ordered something else yet they mistakenly left the original item on the bill, causing us to wait another 20 minutes to get the bill straightened out. Not recommended on busy weekends. read more

Food was fantastic and the service was amazing. We went on a Saturday and had their Saturday special which was prime rib with horse radish sauce and to finish the great meal we had the butterscotch cake which was made in house. I highly recommend stopping by and grabbing a bite read more

The Swinging Bridge - Prime Rib with a side of green beans and creamy mac and cheese - American Near Me - Paint Bank, Virginia

Half of our party ordered, was served, and had paid before the other half of our party got served anything. When we were finally served, one order was duplicated while my order had been completely skipped over. They offered to begin preparing my order after everyone else at the table had been served, but I declined due to half of our party already finished and waiting outside for the second half of our group to eat. Therefore, I cannot comment on the food as I had none. However, it is OVERPRICED, especially if this type of service is a commonality. read more

Unremarkable food. The waitress was excellent however. We stopped in on a recent road trip. Save the trip and eat elsewhere.

It's a great stop in a beautiful location. Memorabilia lines the walls and halls of this Buffalo focused establishment. Server was helpful with suggestions. I tried the Buffalo bbq sandwich. The meat came from their farm as I understand it, though is was a bit under seasoned. Frees we're good though! read more

If you go, get the Buffalo Burger, medium rare, because that's the real star of the show. Sure, the fries that come with it are a soggy mess and yes, the prices are a lot higher than they should be, but that burger is a dream. You get biscuits on the table too, so you won't leave hungry even though the portions are not exactly huge. It's a polished little place, and well worth the visit for people who want a long drive through some scenic country farmland. There's a lot to see other than the restaurant. They have an old water mill out back, small pond, and a lot of quaint (very) small town stuff you don't see every day. It's not a place I would go very often, mostly due to the distance and price, but if you're out of good new restaurants to visit in the area or are passing through with a few hours to spare, this is your ticket. Plenty of photo ops at this place, and a cool second floor gift store with (of course) a swinging bridge. Where else can you eat fresh buffalo? read more

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Dear sweet mother Mary and Joseph! First - a picture isn't here because i lost all thought the moment I took the first bite. IF you are driving through and you look up the menu and think "oh, they don't have enough healthy options", do yourself a favor and take a daycation from whatever messed up dietary restrictions you've put yourself on; your tastebuds will love you and your long lost love of home-cooking will welcome you back. We went on a Sunday and I had the pan fried chicken while he had the country fried steak. BEYOND delicious!! Both dishes were 100% worth the calories. As a bonus, the little country store is amazing (check the upstairs and walk the bridge). HIKERS/BIKERS - find your way here for dinner and a great night's sleep. Realize one thing though; this is the country...which means country cooking. read more

I had the bison burger and my boyfriend got the trout. The trout was disgusting with a lot of bones in it. The bison burger was shaped like it had been premade and possibly frozen. Also didn't taste very good. Neither of us wanted to finish our meal. The service was terrible also. The sweet tea was good though. read more

Apparently this restaurant is known for its down-home weekend meals of traditional regional country cooking whereas I only had lunch here on a weekday so there is that to consider in gauging my review. I had a club sandwich and iced tea and both were fine by all means but not exceptional. The service is very attentive and the interior is very, very country-cute with ample taxidermy so it will appeal to some folks and not to others at all. To me, it felt like it was trying too hard, honestly. It's much like Cracker Barrel in its decorative approach but just... More. Either for better or worse, it's very cloyingly country. So there is a feeling of theme park tourism to things over an ambience of authenticity. The weekday lunch menu is mainly sandwiches and burgers and not country or southern favorites like fried chicken so be prepared also for that. If you're in Paint Bank probably worth stopping in but not worth a special trip at all in my view. read more

The Swinging Bridge - Interior of restaurant showing the famous swinging bridge itself. - American Near Me - Paint Bank, Virginia

Food was good, ambiance was lovely. Service was terrible -- very slow. I suspect the kitchen NOT the servers. Prices are too high for the quality of food and the wait. read more

My dad was visiting from out of town, so we decided to treat him to the beautiful drive to Paint Bank and dinner at The Swinging Bridge. In order to access the restaurant, it is necessary to walk through the general store. I admit that I wanted to look around, but all the candy was just too tempting for an empty stomach, so I summoned all the self-control I could muster and focused on getting to the restaurant. We arrived around 4:15pm on a Wednesday, were greeted by a cook, and were seated by our server right away. Our server was exceptionally friendly and attentive. My dad, who is not typically adventurous when it comes to food, ordered a buffalo burger with fries. Paul ordered a buffalo barbecue sandwich with sweet potato fries, and I ordered The Swinging Bridge Salad with Bleu cheese dressing. We all ordered dessert: apple pie for my dad and blackberry cobbler for Paul and me. While we were waiting for our food, we admired the restaurant. The decor is all about the mountains from ceiling to floor. Although the wood-burning fireplace was not lit, I found myself imagining sitting on the couch in front of it, reading a good book. When you visit, be sure to check out the restroom so you can take a gander at the sink. When our food arrived, we were eager to dig in. My dad, who had never before tried buffalo, described his burger as "good." He ate everything on his plate and finished off the pie, so I believe everything met his seal of approval. Paul enjoyed his barbecue and sweet potato fries. I tried both and thought the barbecue was a smidge too sweet. The fries were perfectly cooked but could have used a bit of seasoning. The veggies in my salad were fresh and the Bleu cheese dressing was amazing. The chicken, although seasoned well, was on the chewy side and the pepper jack cheese was a little dry. The blackberry cobbler was more of a cake resting on top of some blackberry compote. It was tasty but could have benefited from more compote. All and all, we enjoyed our dinner at The Swinging Bridge. I would like to return on a Thursday when the have live music. read more

4.5 Stars The Swinging Bridge is an awesome place to enjoy a meal with family. It is especially nice on a warm day, because the best thing about this place is the atmosphere. A lot of that amazing atmosphere is outside of the doors of the restaurant. We came here on Mother's Day after church, so there was obviously a wait. Unlike with most place, we were more than willing to wait for our lunch because there was so much to do and see in the mean time. The restaurant sits on a big piece of property with flowing water, a pond full of fish, rocking chairs, an old mill, horse shoes, corn hole, and a sprawling back lawn to just soak up some sun and enjoy friends and family. They also have a general store up front that is filled with old favorites such as glass bottle sodas and old fashioned candy. Upstairs they have a year round Christmas Store that has multiple trinkets, small gifts, and souvenirs. To get from one side of the store to the other there is an indoor swinging bridge (the namesake). The point is that you're not going to get bored while waiting for a table and you may choose to stay after you finish your meal. Once our table was ready, we were all seated at a long table (there were 7 of us) by the nice stone fireplace. The stone fireplace is surrounded by dark leather couches and is a nice place to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee. Since this place is known for their buffalo items, I decided to order the Buffalo Burger. The buffalo are raised a couple of miles down the road, so its about as fresh as it gets. We even decided to take a ride after lunch and check out where our food came from. The buffalo burger came out and it was delicious. Also, it is much better for you than angus, so that's just another reason to order one. For my side I got the sweet potato fries. They were crispy, which is hard to do with a sweet potato fry, and came with a dipping sauce that kind of tasted like something you would put on a cinnamon bun. If you like sweets, this is a great combination. Speaking of sweets, the sweet tea was exactly as it should be, diabetes inducing sweet. The service was great and all of the wait staff seemed to be enjoying their jobs, even though they were overwhelmed by the Mother's Day crowd. This place is covered with signs and little hidden items around the store, so if the conversation lulls you always have something new to look at. This place is proud of their southern heritage, and this is apparent by the delicious food that they make and the hospitable manner in which they treat their customers. The Swinging Bridge is a destination restaurant that you could make a day out of visiting. The food is an added bonus and is very good, especially the buffalo items. Great place to bring family on a sunday afternoon. read more

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Southern Cooking + Buffalo + Hole in the Wall town = LOVE This was a random drive by discovery while out for a drive with my mom. We *loved* the general store, the cool big-leather-couch lounge area in front of the fire with a coffee table full of books and the restaurant. The nearby Blue Ridge mountains and the long, flowing lawn behind the store make this place almost paradisic. And the food is really great. I had a pulled Buffalo Bar-B-Q with "Sweet Tater Fries" and coleslaw. The only drawback I can think of is that they don't serve alcohol and a beer would have been great with the sandwich. Buffalo is their specialty; there are a number of buffalo farms nearby. You can buy frozen buffalo from the general store on your way out. And Moon Pies. And RC Cola. And candy you haven't seen in years. And upstairs you'll find everything from ornaments and country kitsch to fishing lures and shotguns. If you happen to be in this area; The Swinging Bridge and General Store is a can't miss. If you *aren't* in this area but live nearby in or around Roanoke, this place is the perfect destination for lunch on a weekend cruise. read more

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This used to be the only place to visit in the area for a wonderful meal and hospitality. Just stopped in the try to have breakfast and the revised menu is a joke. Then went back for dinner and the price increases that have happened make this a less than desirable place to visit. Unless something changes to restore this place to a great place it was to visit we won't be back. read more

I have been eating at the Swinging Bridge since they opened. I just had the worst meal ever. I ordered at 10oz Steak medium rare. It was so fatty, and had so much gristle it was disgusting. And it was cooked well done. The mashed potatoes were instance and nearly runny. The onion straws were so limp and wet your would have thought they were boiled instead of fried. The peach cobble wasn't cobbler at all. It was one of those cake cups you buy in the store with canned pie filling dumped in. Awful, disgusting meal and money wasted. read more

Great stop on an extremely excellent motorcycle ride through the mountains. Beautiful small town and great little store inside restaurant. Local bison farm around the corner which I'm assuming is where the meat comes from. Worth the ride! read more

Best steak I ever tasted- juicy, tender, delicious. The sides were delicious too. The service was friendly and attentive. Atmosphere was quaint. It was cold, a big fire was on, heating up the place. My husband and I had the waitress take a picture of us on the bridge that is in the restaurant! Good times!! read more

The Swinging Bridge - American Near Me - Paint Bank, Virginia

Fun stop, but be sure to have a "hard copy map" on hand! We stopped here for breakfast on our way from NY to GA. There was plenty of parking and a cute photo op in their parking lot of a cow in a chics egg. It is definitely a mix between country and hunting decor, a real old time feel. Our server was very friendly, and we received all of our food fresh and fast. The food was good, but it's the rest of the restaurant that keeps you intrigued. Side note, we lost service completely and had no signal on our phones so we ended up driving in a big giant country loop for about an hour before we found our way back to the restaurant. Luckily our server was able to write directions down so we could get to NC or else we would have been stuck without an actual map! read more

Total disappointment... the food was awful! Anything fried was disgusting because they needed to change the fryer oil. The store and gift shop were great. read more

Great food. Nice folks. These are the additional words required to make the review long enough to satisfy the app.

One of the best restaurants I've ever been to I love the atmosphere and the swinging bridge cool shops and more !

This is an excellent little spot located in the back of the General Store. Its about an hour from my parents house but worth the drive. I really enjoy the Buffalo Burger. They make Buffalo Chips that you must try if you like potato chips. They make this in house and spice them up to serve. My favorite thing is the Fried Chicken Dinner on Sundays. The chicken is always juicy and the breading has a great taste. And you can't go wrong with any of their desserts. Everything Ive ever ordered is a great ending to a meal. read more

My wife and I drove 1and a half hours to enjoy our wedding anniversary dinner here. My wife had called to verify they're times. We were told they start closing at 5pm, nothing about last seating. We arrived at 4pm and were turned away, they had stopped seating people! This is a very Long drive for just dinner, needless to say we will Never return to Swinging Bridge again, and will Not recommend it to Anyone. read more

Think we found the best kept secret, took the bikes for a weekend trip and found ourselves in paint bank va. What cool little place , you just don't come across these down home country feeling restaurant, food was great service was friendly and we stayed across the street in a cute little home town hotel. Awesome little place read more

The Swinging Bridge - Living room in our hotel. Nice - American Near Me - Paint Bank, Virginia

Beautiful grounds and atmosphere. Service was friendly. But this review is about the food. I regret not getting the bison burger, maybe it could have saved the experience; it will be the what-could-have-been. A party of eight. Let's start with the ribs. 16$ for cold dry and tough. I could have sworn they scrapped it off 311 and used a MAC truck to tenderize it. They have this giant smoker building so I had I hopes. To bad. The sweet potato fries were okay. The mozzarella sticks were the best part. Sad. The chicken smothered was "nasty" per grandma and my fiancé. Prime rib was over cooked but I am told it was tasty. The best part of the meal was the applesauce. My advice: come for the scenery then get a bag of chips from the store and go home and eat. read more

Come for the experience, more than the food. Set in a scenic, agricultural valley amid National Forest, the Swinging Bridge is the only restaurant for probably at least 25 miles anywhere around. It's part of the historic railroad hamlet of Paint Bank, which was bought and restored wholesale by a financier from New Jersey, who was convicted of fraud and conspiracy in the 1980s, and his widow. No expense was spared, and playful, creative touches were added. There is a general store, a mill with creek, a lodging house, and a gas station. Plus a wide back porch, the eponymous indoor swinging bridge, and lawn games. Would that the food were good! Almost everything I've eaten here has been lacking. The Angus beef chopped steak is spongy and nothing special, though sweet and salty and edible, and the cheese steak, oddly, is dressed with mayonnaise. No thought to flavor combination is put into the iceberg house salad, and it's topped with cheap sliced cheeses and soggy, shredded pieces of, the menu says, bacon. The Italian dressing is refrigerated and corn syrupy and obviously not made fresh from scratch. The brown beans are served completely unseasoned and floating in water. The succotash (lima beans and corn; on special) was served the same way. The surface of the tomato bisque (another special) was pocked with oil. The lemonade is too sweet. When they're good, the fried onion strings are delicious! Though sometimes they're too fried or stuck together. Also, the chicken tenders are moist and fine, though plain and boring. Food 3 + ambiance 8 + value 5 + service 5 = overall 4.5 /10 (forgettable) read more

I visited my parents and Mom suggested we ride to Paint Bank. Such a unique restaurant. Come patient on Sunday, but oh is it worth very minute. The fried chicken was incredible, and green beans reminded us of my grandmother's. Dad had the chopped buffalo steak and loved it . Don't stop until you have dessert!! The blueberry cobbler is to die for. Great workers and gift shop is really nice to see as well. read more

I have never been motivated enough to review on Yelp, so this is my first! I had heard about this place for years, and I finally got the chance to take my family for lunch on a weekday (to avoid the crowds). The building is very cool despite the weird entrance through the gravel lot and around the side. Every nook and corner decorated with some sort of country kitsch or stuffed dead animal. The hostess and our server were super friendly. I wanted something buffalo since that's the unique cuisine on offer, so I got the sliced buffalo "Great White" sandwich with fries for thirteen dollars and change. It was about as much meat as a regular Arby's sandwich, on a thin soft hoagie roll, with horseradish mayo and crisped onions, au jus on the side. Very dry and flavorless. I ended up dipping it into ketchup for flavor. So disappointing. My wife got a sad "cheese steak" that she had to salt (she never has to salt anything!), and my daughter got the safest staple of any roadside dive -- the chicken tenders with fries. She was dipping them into ketchup. She eats the frozen ones from the toaster oven without having to do that. They were so dry and bland. How? The fries were good. Buffalo chips were a waste. So with a 15% tip that was 50 bucks. But the worst part was the constant cloud of fryer smoke that hung over the entire dining area, constantly. I thought when we arrived and it hit me in the face it was just a moment that would pass. I could see the high-end vent hoods, after all. So we got seated close enough to the fry station to see what was happening. No separate kitchen here! It was a cool day, but apparently the fry cook was hot, because a small desk fan was on the counter pointed at the fry station. It was blowing the fryer smoke away from the vents, defeating the ventilation system. Every batch into the fryer, a new cloud of smoke pouring into the dining room. Nobody seemed to even notice, much less care. It would have ruined a good meal - but it just further insulted ours. Terribly disappointed in the awful food, exorbitant prices, and stench of smoke. There's no chef here, just a guy assembling low-quality diner food and running the fryer. Credit to our sweet server who smiled throughout. The one star is for her alone. read more

Giving it a 4. The buffalo burger was great but my friends chicken was not cooked good. They fixed the problem and were very professional. Go in the Fall the drive is great but Be ready to wait. read more

A neat place , good atmosphere, great service, the only issue was the food, had the White Buffalo sandwich, way too much gristle and fat, couldn't chew the tough meat. Jonny desert was awesome. Larry read more

Had a great Jeep ride into town and stopped over for an early dinner. Beautiful atmosphere, very rustic and country. Friendly staff and great food!! read more

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My wife had heard about this place at work. So, Sunday afternoon rolls around and we hop into the car. We start driving...and keep driving...then we drive some more. I discovered where the mountains are in this state! Amazing views and then we arrive in Paint Bank. Wonderful atmosphere! Tables have built in checker boards, how cool is that! We had to clarify rules w/ the waitress...it's been a while. Appy: Onion straws. These were wicked greasy but very good. Meals: We split the Buff-a-loaf and and a buffalo burger. I remember my wife syaing "this is the best meatloaf I have ever had"! If you have not tried buffalo, please try it here. Cooked perfectly and raised literally down the road from the restaurant! Also tried mashed potato, sweet tuber fries, and slaw. All very, very good! Dessert: Apple pie w/ ice cream. Very good. So if you are looking for a HECK of an artery clogging, southern cooking weekend...hit the bridge and the Homeplace. We didn't have food like this up north! Enjoy! read more

Super cute restaurant w plenty of options for everyone. Chicken fingers a bit dry but huge portions of everything read more

The Swinging Bridge - American Near Me - Paint Bank, Virginia

This general store and restaurant was a great stop and worth going out of your way for. The drive to get there on Highway 311 is awesome. The Shaved buffalo sandwich did not disappoint me at all. Our server, Heather, was sweet and very attentive. The grounds are beautiful to walk and enjoy as well read more

Nice little restaurant tucked away in the mountains.. Beautiful ride from the Roanoke area to get here. They serve buffalo burgers from buffalo raise right around the road. Service was a little slow but it was a week day 2 hours before close(5pm). Food was great but a little pricey(14 bucks for a burger and fries). There are a lot of interesting items in the store that is connected for sale. I wouldnt eat her every day but the experience is worth the drive. Also, check out the virginia state trout hatchery while you are in paint bank. read more

The Swinging Bridge - American Near Me - Paint Bank, Virginia

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Stop in to have breakfast after a short morning of hunting. This has been a favorite of mine. After sitting down we noted the menu had changed. The breakfast menu is now extremely limited. After noting this I asked for the full menu, only to find out it is no longer available. After being disappointed and seeing absolutely no value with the new menu we left without ordering. We came back later in the day only to find out they had a limited dinner menu. After reviewing the menu we noted the prices have risen. As we have ate at this restaurant numerous times it has always been noted that they were already on edge with price vs quality. The prices have risen so much they are now so far apart in quality vs price. So sad to see this restaurant being driven straight into the ground. So sad. read more

Just had one of the best down home country breakfasts I can remember. My wife and I are staying in the caboose across the street (which gets a 5 star review as well) and this little restaurant and general store has everything we need. We're staying one more night and we'll probably be back for dinner, and breakfast again tomorrow! read more

Dinner for our party of 4 with mixed results. My rack of ribs were barely warm and tough to get off the bone. The flavor was a dry rub with lots of paprika which overpowered any smoke flavor and no sauce was offered. The garden salad of locally grown ingredients with added chicken was simply a good salad with four whole chicken tenders laid on top....not seeming to be a part of the salad. The bison rib eye was a bit tough but then it isn't beef. The cheese biscuits with added bell pepper were different but tasty and my side of pinto beans was good. The corn pudding was not very sweet and had added bell pepper which doesn't enhance corn pudding in my opinion. The atmosphere is nice and the service very friendly and good. Came back for breakfast as this is the only place to eat in Paint Bank. The biscuits were dry and crumbly, the pancakes were very good, the scrambled eggs were cooked in a less than tasty grease. The bacon and sausage were cooked well and okay. The coffee is good. read more