We love this restaurant, consistently good service, and food. A true staple of Charlottesville culture.

the stuffed shell had no meat and was mediocre will not go back, horrible as some who has made this dish it was really bad

Overall this is a YES for breakfast and coffees, and a pass for dinner. This is a cute, classic diner with quick friendly service. They are always packed on weekends - especially for Sunday brunch - so make sure to get there early and maybe be ready to wait. The menu is a simple classic diner menu: breakfast all day, burgers and sandwich platters, and pizza too. The breakfast is excellent and affordable, I always get two fried eggs with biscuits, jam, and butter! The lunch/dinner menu tends to be hit or miss, there's clearly a good chunk of frozen items (looking at you, mozzarella sticks) on the menu. The service is usually great and quick, so they turn over tables quickly and you can get your food fast. Recommend a diner brunch here! read more

Tip Top Restaurant - BLT with chips - Diners Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Two words: Banana pancakes!! We stopped in on a weekday for breakfast before work. It's a friendly, casual diner with neighborhood vibes, and we had a very efficient server. I got the pancake special (3 pancakes, 2 eggs, sausage or bacon) with the banana nut pancakes and scrambled eggs and sausage. It is everything you want in breakfast: sweet carbs and some protein! The banana nut pancakes alone are worth the trip -- fluffy, full of bananas, with a nice crunch from the pecans. I only have two reasons for the four stars vs five: 1. I'm a bit fussy with coffee I will admit. I would prefer if they had fancier coffee options, but it gets the job done. 2. We found the home fries to be incredibly bland (the other dish we got was a classic eggs, meat, home fries, toast plate). Still, we would absolutely recommend Tip Top for a classic diner breakfast, and the pancakes in pricier are standouts. Please check it out if you are in the area! read more

The best of the best. You can never go wrong on the top of the mountain with Tip Top!!! Best service and awesome ambiance!!! Ron read more

Today for breakfast. Buckwheat's pancakes are OFF their menu. So sad, they were the last local restaurant serving them. Tried their Corned Beef hash. Don't bother. Mostly potatoes with a bit of corned beef. Plus their side of potatoes was Tasteless and felt steamed, not grilled. Coffee was ok. Service was good. Ambience also ok. So sad about the food, which is why I went. read more

2 tiny pieces of bacon or 2 sausage links seems like little portions! Maybe 3 pieces for each of the 3 pancakes. Everything else was pretty good! And the service was very attentive and kind! read more

In simple terms, there is not a lot of diner like restaurants around- It is good is any diner that I've been to-food is super fresh and they're happy to serve you, which is a big plus in the restaurant game read more

Food for every taste and occasion. The best fried onion rings in the U .S. The waitresses are friendly, the food is excellent and plentiful. You will see people frequently. Great stuff! read more

For eat in breakfast with kids, Tip Top is tip top. Affordable, tasty diner-style eats with friendly and fast table service. Diverse crowds gather for a menu of sweet and savory breakfast options, everything you'd want from short stacks and French toast to biscuits and gravy and corned beef hash. I went savory this round, no regrets. My country ham breakfast was huge, tasty, salty and a little bit greasy, perfect washed down with a hot cup of diner coffee in a sturdy mug. Don't come for gourmet, farm to table cuisine. Come for home style fare, nostalgia, neighborhood feelings, a full belly, and a throwback to when Charlottesville was more truly a rural Central Virginia small town. Love it. read more

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A friend and I chose Tip Top for a long neglected "gals afternoon out". We both had breakfast - that's all I've ordered at TipTop - but was so good. I got over-easy eggs, crisp bacon, crunchy potatoes and iced tea. My friend got the veggie omelet and same potatoes. Very yummy and great service. yes, the place does get noisy but that's part of its charm. Try off-hours if that bothers you. I took home a piece of key lime pie for my husband. I thought it was a bit too sweet and possibly stale (?). Tip Top doesn't make its own cake and pies: they bring them in from a bakery in Richmond. Husband ate the pie without comment because he was pleased I brought some home. Anyhow it was a very nice lunch read more

Tip Top Restaurant - Over easy eggs, bacon, crispy bacon and potatoes - Diners Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

This so called "Tip Top Restaurant" wasn't very tip top unless they're on the tip top of the worst restaurant list. Sonic could make a better steak than what they gave me Saturday night. read more

I do love the wait staff and food at TipTop but they are Terribly irresponsible and behind the times in terms of adopting restaurant practices that contribute less waste to the environment. Still using individual plastic half and half packaging with a thimble of half and half, same for butter and plastic straws. When raised to owner, super polite and prefacing with a compliment he said 'we would have to buy pitchers and fill them everyday and besides everybody else does it. Wouldnt help'. Sad and backwards. Please try. read more

A THANKSGIVING 2020 PANDEMIC STORY. U MAY BE GLAD U READ. We Are NOT ALONE there IS SO MUCH LOVE BEHIND ALL THESE MASKS. A Happy & Healthy Thanksgiving To All. Thank You For Your Hospitality:-) In the midst of this global crisis. We Thank You For All You Do. Be Strong & Please, Stay Safe:-) We enjoyed the best mom and pop restaurant breakfast we've had in a long time. Late afternoon at a good choice for a restaurant. That in our experience a very good an honest name that describes the breakfast food they serve. "TIP TOP":-) We were seated promptly upon arrival. The floors, tables, pathways all clean. Since, I have a Service Dog. Her health is very important so clean floors matter. We've adopted a new concept, to carry a comfy gray,comfy,of course "Clean Towel"(I'm A Shameless OCD. Clean, Sanitized? Then we're in TIP TOP Shape:))) I'm writing this. I can laugh at my own corny jokes. Try living without humor in your life. Specially, during these times when we all need each other. The people here are. Proudly and happy greeting to every customer that walked in. Most were locals. Still, even with masked faces quite obvious their gratitude for customers. Working long tedious hours to take care of us and prepared a wonderful fresh meal. My over-easy eggs cooked on the griddle with a runny yolk:-) my fav way to mix that warm runny egg just enough at a time. With the old fashion corn beef hash with just enough crispy areas and lots of moist corn beef. As for the home fries. Mine were 5 Stars as well. My husband ordered Buckwheat pancakes. I have Celiac Disease(Can't have Gluten/Wheat): Buckwheat pancakes are Gluten Free. He mentioned it to our server. She informed us they were not 100% if the flour was pure buckwheat grain. For their honesty we are very grateful. Not worth getting ill on our first Holiday mini vacation. Since, this COVID 19 Pandemic. I thanked everyone. Left to wait in my car with Hannah my Service Furry Friend. My husband returns w/boxes. I was happily surprised ""The women on a table across from us. Locals to the area worked and did volunteer work for the Univ of VA, We're very upset. Since, they told him. "We paid for your check" He had already paid the ck. Lol. Happily to see total strangers doing that. He asked "Why, did you do that"? She responded "Listening to your wife's optimistic view of people,strength to pass on to others,never giving up. Not judging people. Even, though she did, too. Because, she was human and we all forget". NO WONDER THEY WERE SO QUIET! I Did All The Talking. read more

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Very unhappy with pizza. Quality of toppings not good. Will not order another pizza. Seems new owners worried about price and not the quality. read more

Came in a group of three on Sunday at 10:30am. It was extremely busy. They were great about the list- we only had to wait about 20 minutes. Our waitress was lovely and super friendly! The menu was not what I expected- I'm from NJ so I have high standards for diners. The menu was limited (for a diner). The side of fruit did not taste fresh- tasted like what I would expect from a hospital cafeteria. The coffee tasted watered down. I had pancakes (they didn't have dollar pancakes... so strange for a diner) and an egg. The egg wasn't really cooked enough and the pancakes were dry. Not impressed with the food at all. read more

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Says they are pet friendly online. Traveling with my service dog from Naples, FL and they required us to present papers before we were allowed to sit. If you plan to bring your pet, don't. If you plan to bring your service animal, bring papers. We had to leave read more

My husband and I sat down for dinner on Friday, March 20th, 2025. We were seated immediately. I did not get our waitress name as she didn't give it. Our waitress smelled strongly of cigarette smoke like it just hit us in the face. We gave her our beverage and food order at the same time and we still waited several minutes for our drinks. other people who came in after us had their drinks before we did. And let me point out yall were not that busy at all at the current time. My husband ordered a chicken parm sub with fries and I ordered a sausage parm sub with fries . We got our subs but we didn't get the fries we wanted. We were served chips instead which is not what we wanted . One half of my sub literally has one piece of small sausage on it and the rest was bread and sauce. Also it was extremely unpleasant when I took a bite into my sub and it had a whole bay leaf in it. You all normally do not disappoint but yall definitely did that night. #1. Not a pleasant smell cigarette smoke. #2. Waiting for our drinks #3. Messed up food order #4 there was a whole bay leaf in a sub which is not edible or pleasant to bite into. read more

Tip Top Restaurant - Diners Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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FOOD Tip Top is a great place for American comfort food, especially during breakfast/brunch. They have all the classics you would expect from an American diner, and the place is a staple in the Charlottesville area, especially after hikes in the Jefferson forest/Shenandoah. We came during brunch time post our hike at Humpback Rock and were ravenous. I ordered the easy-over eggs with bacon and french toast, and could not have asked for anything better. The eggs were made well, and the bacon was crisp and chewy. DRINKS I had black coffee, and it was standard. Sugar, artificial sweeteners, etc. are available at the table. SERVICE The staff here is friendly, and there is not much else to note. ATMOSPHERE It's a family-friendly restaurant and provides a Sunday diner American experience. PARKING There is ample parking in front of the store and behind it as well. read more

Great service, a wide variety of choices on the menus. The special was country fried steak with mashed potatoes & gravy and green beans. The steak was tender, real mashed potatoes and gravy was excellent. Wife's pastrami & Swiss sandwich was good. read more

A group of us stopped in here for lunch one day... it's the typical Greek style diner with a large menu offering many Italian, Greek and American food items. Everything I saw coming out looked great and so did everything on the menu, so it was hard to decide, but I chose their chicken souvlaki with onion rings and it was really tasty! They give a very generous portion of tzatziki with it and the side of onion rings was also large. There was a lot of food on the plate for a great price. The staff was friendly and the place was nice and clean. Get there early for lunch though, this place get crazy crowded! I'll definitely be coming back! read more

Tip Top Restaurant - Chicken Souvlaki - Diners Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

For those who rate Tip TOP less than five are wanting to dine at a Michelin five star. Those so-called yelp leads are typically snobs when it comes to places like Tip TOP. I would ask them could they run a business like Chick-fil-A where they were closed on Sundays for years. Just recently they opened up for a few hours on Sunday due to the high demand. This is a great Greek diner, if you're looking for a white glove service go somewhere else! If you're looking for well executed comfort food in a diner atmosphere at a fantastic price you can look no further than Tip TOP. And for those who give Tip TOP gas than a five star rating just staying in the parking lot and see how hard it is to get a spot! read more

Tip Top Restaurant - Family get together before Christmas! No better place than Tip TOP - Diners Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

I have been here many times before, most for breakfast. Warning, it is popular and as such rather it can get busy and little loud. So tonight three of us ate there. One got the greek chicken platter with extra salad instead of fries. The pita and salad was good but the chicken was a touch dry (kind of under a heat lamp or a warming tray too long). One got the stuffed shells that came with a dinner roll. Definitely cheesy, good flavor, and good sauce. It does not look like a lot but between the pasta and cheese, it will "stuff" you. The third was a medium pepperoni pizza. The pizza overall is really good. It has just the right amount of sauce and the crust was light and tasty. I could have ordered it with a little more pepperoni but even as is, it was good. So most of the meals were good, the waitress was great, the drinks remained full, and extra napkins without asking. It was definitely an experience that motivates us to come back again for dinner as well as their breakfast (by the way, breakfast is all day, so we could have ordered it if we wanted to do so). read more

Old school diner with everything under the sun available. Also has classic Greek dishes too. Breakfast is also awesome.

Quality food with quality service at a fair price. Been coming here for over 20 years. I'm a ranch junkie and I dip their ranch on everything they have. One of the best around. Subs, pizza, gyro are all excellent. Pizza is fantastic and best priced around. My family loves the Italian food and breakfast also. I'm not a big pasta or breakfast person. 8.5/10 read more

Tip Top is a Charlottesville classic. If you want "the diner experience" this is it. Tip Top is honest in its presentation and by that I mean you know exactly what you're getting going into it in the best way possible. No frills, nothing fancy, just good old American diner food. There are lots of incredible restaurants in Charlottesville and if you're looking for Michelin Stars, go elsewhere, but if you're driving home from church looking for a slice of Americana or a gem of a waitress to call you "sweetheart" while refreshing your iced tea, this is the place. I went with the Chicken Salad Sandwich on toasted bread and a slice of Lemon Meringue Pie. The Chicken Salad was cold just like I like it and the tomato was a good touch. More options for sides other than chips would have been nice however. The pie was delicious as always, with a nice tall amount of meringue and very sweet. read more

Tip Top Restaurant - Lemon Meringue Pie - Diners Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Charlottesville staple for family dining and it's easy to see why once you try it. Huge portions for a fair price and everything is really good. Lots of diner faves, Italian basics and a Greek section that I always find myself going to. Their homemade Greek salad dressing is delicious and I get the Greek salad almost every time I go. My kids love that they can have breakfast for dinner and we always bump into someone we know while we are there. Give it a try, you won't be disappointed! read more

Perfect diner experience. Our waitress was attentive, coffee strong, and the food was tasty. I had the two biscuits and gravy (my favorite breakfast) and it was exactly what I wanted. Big portions. They serve breakfast all day which is always a plus. Inside was very light and bright with many windows. read more

Tip Top Restaurant - Italian Sandwich Combo - Diners Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Quick to Seat, Quick to Eat Everyone in their grandmother knows that going to a brunch place on a Sunday after the traditional church time is, in someways, foolish. Wait times are to be expected and a long brunch is seemingly inevitable. Tip Top erases that worry completely. The restaurant was Pat, but nonetheless, we only waited about five minutes. Part of the reason for this is that the process in which food is made and brought to the guests is very quick. The food itself, or at least the eggs sunny side up, home fries, and bacon, is great. This is standard diner, but it is nonetheless great diner food. If you are looking for a place to go after church that is quick, tasty, and lacking a wait time, Tip Top is a great option for you. read more

Tip Top Restaurant - Alex and Sydney - Diners Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Run, don't walk, away from this place!! Despite the fact that it was busy I, firmly believe that everyone there had no ability to taste, or perhaps they were giving out free money, i can't understand why people were there. The decor is dated booths with dirt on the floor everywhere, the file floor was sticky and needed to be mopped, the counter was held together with duct tape, which apparently is a cure all. I order the chicken parm, with a salad. I can't say anything about the food being good. The chicken was basically a frozen, Tyson chicken patty that was deep fried too long, it was a bit burnt and the oil tasted a bit old. The spaghetti sauce had a decent flavor, just would have been nice to not have to fish out bay leaves from your mouth while eating. Also don't use the salt shaker, which had rice in it. I get it, that's to keep the humidity out, the hair that was inside the salt shaker, well, that was a new one to me. How did you manage to get a hair INSIDE the salt shaker. And don't expect service with a smile. That ship long sailed. I felt like I was eating at one of those restaurants whose whole ambiance was being rude and short. read more

Great old time diner. Lots of good choices with great waitress help. "What you need sweety". Loved that. Quick service too

I've had both breakfast and dinner here and it's always good. They sit you fast, are polite and serve in a timely manner.

I have mixed feelings about Tip Top. During my first visit I was amazed how I didn't find the restaurant sooner! The waiters were so kind, the food was perfectly cooked (as shown in my steak and eggs) and tasted absolutely delectable all for dirt cheap prices! I was eager to take all my friends here. My second visit was definitely not as pleasant. Since I have such high praise to the steak and eggs, my friend decided to order them and I stuck with a classic French toast. The portions were meager and his steak was barely browned and cooked through even though he asked for medium rare. There also wasn't syrup at the table and there were some flies circulating around. I'm still interested in trying more things off the menu since it is extensive and pretty cheap but I'm not as drawn to Tip Top due to my second experience. read more

Tip Top Restaurant - First time which drew me in! - Diners Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Food is very good. I love eating breakfast there even though sometimes the place is almost full. They still get you your food out quick very good service. read more

I was in town for a family member having surgery at the nearby medical center and this was my rare self-care moment out for an early breakfast before heading over to the hospital. I was hoping for a delightful experience and Tip Top did not disappoint. My wonderful waitress was hustling and got everything right and was delightful. The prices were great and the food absolutely delicious. I had a toasted egg and bacon sandwich and was able to substitute some fruit for the hashbrowns which I appreciated. It's not always easy to eat healthy when you're away from home. Anyway a shout out to them and my thanks for a bright moment in that week. I think I may even have a photo. read more

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Great diner! We had the pork chop breakfast. The pork chop was cooked to perfection. It was juicy.

Great place for breakfast. Service was quick and staff were friendly. Plenty of choices.

Stopped in for breakfast, parking lot was packed. We were still seated right away, were served quickly and food was great. Definitely has that popular by the locals vibe and after eating there we know why. read more

So looking for a non chain place to grab breakfast before our day at Monticello we found this stop... cute diner with you basic offerings for breakfast, note that if you are someone who doesn't like breakfast for breakfast then you won't want this place.. no offerings outside of normal breakfast choices. Biscuits and gravy on point and if you like salty country ham you will love this! Service was fast and friendly and excellent food verses price! read more

Tip Top Restaurant - Sausage gravy and eggs - Diners Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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As they say on the menu "it's all good". Nothing bad to say about it. Went there for breakfast and I'm going back for dinner. Not junk, it's "top tip" so be sure to leave a "top tip" read more