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    TONIC ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Dogs allowed
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - Tonic

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    Reviews With Photos

    Deviled eggs with sourdough
    Lauren A.

    Tonic's patio is absolutely gorgeous on a cool, fall evening. The food was delicious, especially the salmon! And the staff was super friendly and helpful. Highly recommend!

    Shrimp Fritters
    Zachary K.

    All the food here was so good. The crispy potatoes were so crispy. How do they do it? My family came here after the kitchen was closed, but they ended up still seating us and reopening the kitchen for us. I was extremely grateful since my kids were staaaaarving, and then for the food to be incredible? What luck! The staff was so attentive as well. Great cute spot with incredible food.

    Tonic Benedict, home fries, scrambled eggs and biscuit and butter/apple butter.
    Bastion B.

    Fresh and delicious. Just the right amount of food. The staff were so nice and accommodating. The outdoor seating and music made for an inviting and relaxing atmosphere. Just off the downtown strip this was an excellent choice to jump start our morning. You'll love it.

    Open-faced tomato sandwich with smashed avocado, feta, and roasted corn salad.
    Elizabeth K.

    I simply can't say enough about this restaurant. It has a hip interior and an incredibly large patio for dining al fresco. I sat at the bar and was thoroughly entertained by the entire staff, but especially Wils. He was knowledgeable and engaging. He suggested a Portuguese red called Santar Vinho Tinto and it is worth getting again. I ate an entirely vegetarian meal and it was filling and tasty. I had the roasted peaches and whipped ricotta with basil and pistachios and the open-faced tomato sandwich with smashed avocado, feta, and roasted corn salad. Yum! Thanks again for feeding me.

    The 2" wide slice of birthday cake

    Terrific ambiance eating outside but not quite punching above its weight. Nothing was bad but neither was it memorable. A little precious with the portions, too, so you get to practice eating daintily from a thin menu and get to leave hungry. Took a friend out for a birthday dinner (an anemic salmon burger) and ended up taking him out for another birthday dinner redux to make up for this wiffleball. That said, there was an interesting drink menu.

    ceviche
    El P.

    The short - Tonic is a cute spot that offers a surprisingly large tap selection given the size of its location and a unique menu boasting selections like ceviches, pickled small dishes, and brunch-y items. I can't speak on their entrees because we opted for smaller plates. We chose their board where you order a bunch of different small items (breads, pickles, veggies, etc.) and their shrimp ceviche. Both were yummy and prepared very well. My one criticism about the board was that we ordered the grilled sourdough and it was quite hard, so I would've loved to see it cooked a bit less, but that's me nitpicking for my personal preferences. The ceviche had great flavor and came with saltine cracker which helped balance out the acidity of the ceviche flavor.I found that where Tonic shines is in their drink selection. They have a large draft selection and other non-alcoholic libations. I tried the elderberry/rosehip kombucha and it was delicious (which is a relief, because it was $8 for 16oz). The service staff were all kind, pleasant, and attentive. Tonic feels like a hip spot with their modern-feeling decor and furniture. They also have a cute outdoor area (with fans) for those that want to enjoy a nice day. I loved stopping by Tonic after a little walk around Downtown Charlottesville. I would recommend checking it out!

    Snack board
    Madison P.

    Super cute asthetic, fresh and interesting food, nice servers but the prices are pretty steep. We loved the eggplant spread, pickled eggs, and ceviche. I had French press decaf coffee which was yummy and my partner had kombucha on tap.

    Wedge salad
    Eilleen L.

    Met up with one of my daughter's friends who goes to UVA at Tonic. It was a perfect day to sit on the patio. Service was top notch. We all ordered salads, wedge and Waldorf. My daughter's friend said it was a great place to hang with friends for drinks and charcuterie

    Patio
    Zara T.

    Tonic was so cute! They were very dog friendly, bringing a bowl to our table for my pup. You order at the register, which was a tad confusing since there's a bar outside, too. The patio is spacious, especially compared to the seating options indoors. Both are very cute I ordered the tomato sandwich, and must say that it was very enjoyable. I'd happily order it again. Parking was a bit of a challenge, given that it's really only street parking, but I'm sure that's something you get used to.

    Lowcountry pickled shrimp & chips + dip
    Melica W.

    While doing a day trip to Charlottesville, we decided to stop in at Tonic (recommendation from a wine bar we were at earlier during the day). This place was absolutely amazing and a whole vibe. We opted to sit outside, although it was hot, they had the fans going so it wasn't too bad. Our server was Chris, who was really informative about the menu as well as gave us some ideas of what else to explore during our stay. Shrimp was really fresh and prepared perfectly. Paired really well with the crackers. Simple and rewarding. Chips and dip were average. I personally didn't care too much for the dip. However, others in my group liked it. Drinks were so good. The bartenders really take pride in the liquor they use and the drink creations they make. Open face tomato sandwhich HIT THE SPOT! It was fresh and all the ingredients went well together. I asked if I could have sausage on the side, which the kitchen agreed! Yay! It was really good too. All in all, when i come back to Charlottesville I will be visiting again. So many other things I want to try on the menu.

    Plum salad

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    7 months ago

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    2 years ago

    The people are very nice and the ambience is amazing and the salmon burger is to die for and the crispy potatoes are amazing

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    4 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Great outdoor space! The food is amazing and the service is 5 star. Highly recommend this place especially with our weather getting nicer.

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    2 years ago

    Food is good and the staff is friendly and responsive. The outdoor dining area is a home run. Drinks are tasty.

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    Ask the Community - Tonic

    You might also consider

    Mockingbird

    Mockingbird

    4.1
    (110 reviews)
    0.4 mi

    Chose this restaurant for a Mother's Day dinner and it was a hit. The place is hip and inviting…read more Happy hour till 6 on a Sunday was an unexpected surprise. The service was excellent and the food was incredible. We had a full meal from drinks to appetizer to desert and it was all fabulous. I'd love to go back again and again to try everything on the menu. They also had beautiful outdoor seating which is mostly covered and looked really cool as well.

    Mockingbird came highly recommended, so we arrived expecting a special dining experience for our…read moredaughter's 20th birthday. We even drove 3.5 hours to meet her there. We had 5:30pm reservations and were seated immediately. The host was warm, acknowledged the occasion, and honored my request for a quieter table by placing us in a bay-window nook. Unfortunately, that's where the positives ended. The space echoed so badly we could barely hear each other, and the setting sun combined with the AC being accidentally turned off made the area feel like a sauna. Our water glasses were filled within minutes, so we thought service would be smooth. Instead, we sat for another 15 minutes before anyone greeted us--while a table seated after us was helped promptly and served at a noticeably faster pace. I understand large parties require attention (there was a group of 10-12 nearby), but as a former server myself, I've never allowed smaller tables to feel forgotten. When our server, Lucian (sp?), finally arrived, we immediately placed drink and appetizer orders because we were already starving. The appetizers came out about 20 minutes later--still before our drinks. The brussels sprouts were excellent and worth the wait. The biscuit basket was good, though the butter-to-biscuit ratio felt off, and the apple butter was surprisingly delicious. Our entrées didn't arrive until at least 45 minutes after that. The pacing was simply poor, and we consistently felt like an afterthought. While our server was polite, he didn't initiate conversation, offer suggestions, mention happy hour, or acknowledge our daughter's birthday. He didn't even suggest dessert. Meanwhile, the six-top behind us--seated well after we were--was wrapping up their meal as ours was just being served. The food presentation was beautiful. The pot roast, however, was underwhelming. It lacked seasoning and sauce, and the vegetables were forgettable--very few potatoes, no carrots. "Not your normal pot roast" was accurate, but not in a good way. The shrimp and grits were excellent, with great seasoning and a flavorful sauce. The salmon was moist and well-prepared, though it still had a few scales on the end of the filet. Once we finished eating, we again waited for our server to return. We eventually had to wave him down for boxes and again to request the check. Parking in the back was convenient early in the evening, though I imagine it becomes difficult later. Would we return? Unfortunately, probably not. We've been treated better, served more efficiently, and appreciated more fully at other restaurants--including one almost directly across the street. What we hoped would be a memorable celebration ended up feeling ho-hum at a high price--too high for the experience we received.

    Photos
    Bar
    Bar
    Pork belly app
    Pork belly app
    Salmon entree

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    Salmon entree
    Southern Crescent Galley and Bar

    Southern Crescent Galley and Bar

    4.0
    (116 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    We had the best time, the staff, the food and the live music was fun and the food rivaled the…read morecreole food we've had in New Orleans. Definitely going back

    I posted this revues on Google and also sent an email to the restaurant explaining how frustrating…read moreour experience was. They neither responded to my email nor the review with any sort of explanation or apology which suggests that they don't really care. So I'll share this on Yelp too so others are aware of their poor customer service. We visited this restaurant with a group of seven and were excited to try it, especially because the outdoor seating area looked like a great spot for dinner. Unfortunately, the experience ended up being very disappointing. Service was extremely slow and disorganized from the start. About 15 minutes after ordering, a different waitress brought food to our table that we hadn't ordered, then quickly took it away without much explanation. From there, things only got worse. Our meals came out slowly over the course of 30-45 minutes, just one or two plates at a time, with no communication about the delays. Our four-year-old waited nearly 45 minutes for a simple order of fish sticks. Even basic service was lacking. We had to ask multiple times for something as simple as an apple juice refill, and it still took far too long to arrive. Toward the end of the meal, our waitress stopped checking on our table altogether, which made it difficult to order dessert. The food itself was pretty good, which is the only reason this isn't a one-star review. However, the poor service and lack of attentiveness completely overshadowed the experience. Overall, it was frustrating and disappointing, and we don't plan to return.

    Photos
    The bar
    The bar
    Beignet
    Beignet
    The entrance to the house!

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    The entrance to the house!
    tavola

    tavola

    4.1
    (452 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$$

    What a lovely and charming restaurant! Dined this evening with my family during our stay in…read moreCharlottesville and everything was really great. We began with very well crafted cocktails and I had the most delightful mocktail, an Unlit Gimlet; so bright and fresh and the pink peppercorn garnish was the perfect counter to the sweet. Food from beginning to end was fabulous. Servings sizes were filling and just right and not overly huge. So enjoyed our pastas from the Bolognese, the Carbonara, the Raucci, and the Primaverili (a perfect bite of spring green). Of the four, our table's favorite was the capellini gamberi Raucci but I wouldn't hesitate to order any of our selections. Sides of roasted fennel with oranges (the best fennel I've had) and the cauliflower were beautifully done. Appetizers enjoyed were the Roman artichokes, bread and olive oil, and olives. We ended the evening with the chèvre cheesecake, affogato and espressos. Service was professional, yet friendly and very welcoming. Thank you for an unforgettable evening!

    First of all, love the fact that they have a cocktail area where you can drink and have light…read moresnacks while you wait for your table. Their drinks were one of the best cocktails I've had. Food was good but the portions were on the smaller side. We were shocked that their branzino was only a filet instead of a whole fish. For the prices charged, we expected leftovers and we did not have any

    Photos
    tavola
    Wagyu Beef meatballs
    Wagyu Beef meatballs
    Sausage and Sage Pizza

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    Sausage and Sage Pizza

    Tonic - newamerican - Updated June 2026

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