It is said that valuable things come in small boxes, but never in my wildest imagination did I…read moreconceive of a place like Stellina. After having been selected as number 4 of Yelp's Top 50 most prolific Elites of 2025, a year when I also was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Photographer of the Year Award at their Yelpies 2025 Award Ceremony, an event that honored the highest-performing Yelp Elites, and where last year I was awarded the Yelp Triad Squad Yelper of the Year Award, I decided that this year, as an All-Star Yelp Elite, I not only wanted to be the first to discover new restaurants and bring them to the attention of the public, but also to uncover those found in hidden paths that for one reason or another have not reached the public in its totality. And Stellina, in Downtown Roanoke, is a perfect example. Stellina (which means "Little Star" in Italian) is a secretly hidden little bar within the very popular Italian Restaurant Fortunato, but with its own entrance through a door on the right of the restaurant. Its only indication of its name is a small letter board behind one of its front windows, stating its name and hours of operation. This bar was constructed with reclaimed wood from the Old Crow distillery and opened in December of 2016. Since then its gain a reputation as the ideal spot for hand-crafted cocktails in a cozy and intimate atmosphere. It seats only about 20 people, with 7 at the bar. Not that long ago it gained recognition by being featured in the New York Post as one of the world's best small bars. All that I can tell you about this place doesn't do justice to the experience of visiting the place for the very first time. After stepping inside, I was mesmerized by the simple yet effective, elegance of the establishment, complimented by the beautifully dressed young lady, server/bartender. Her elegant style and mysterious personality contributed to the character and ambiance of this one-of-a-kind relaxing place. The very hospitable young lady welcomed me and handed me the drink menu, while asking me if I also planned to dine there. I answered in the affirmative and asked her if they had any Mocktails. To my surprise, she pointed out that one side of the Drinks Menu were all non-alcoholic drinks, including mocktails, bottled mocktails, wine by the glass, and beers. I ordered one of the mocktails and by the end of my meal, I think I must have tried a few. She then brought me Fortunato's menu, and I ordered the Fritto Misto as appetizer and the Pork Milanese as my main entrée. I enjoyed both course immensely. A lady employee brought me the food from Fortunato's Restaurant through a door that led to the restroom area of Fortunato's Restaurant, pass the kitchen. For dessert, that Which I consider the "Grand Finale" of a wonderful fine dining experience, I ordered their Tiramisu and Hot Chocolate. They were absolutely mouthwatering. I highly recommend this place and can't wait to return in the near future.

My best friend Becca and I were looking for the perfect place to celebrate her 23rd birthday in…read moreRoanoke. We had originally settled on Fortunato's, but upon arrival at 6pm, the pleasant hostess had informed us that there was not a table available until 8:30. While she was seeing if there was space at the bar, another young woman said, "There's a table at Stellina!" We already knew that Stellina shared the same menu, so we were pleased to walk over there. A young man greeted us and said, "Sit wherever you like!" But there was only one table available. It was a great table, positioned by a window that let us see a glimpse of the city. Cocktail menus were already on our tables, and the young man asked if we wanted food menus as well. We said yes, and ordered The Obituary, a gin drink, a vodka drink that I cannot remember the name of, the house bread, Lumache a Forno, and Bucatini all'Arrabiatta. While waiting for our food, I got to admire the space. It was a small space decorated with a beautiful purple-lit wallpaper, christmas lights, and a colorful overhead light. The room was dark, but our table was tastefully lit with a small lamp. The wallpaper looked as if it had some floral print on it, but upon closer inspection, it was actually a collection of people's faces, which was charming. But perhaps the most striking element of this bar's atmosphere was the music. I immediately heard a trippy beat that was familiar to me, and upon shazaming it, found out it was Interia Creeps, by Massive Attack, one of my favorite 90s trip-hop bands. The music continued to impress me, and has inspired to start a spotify playlist called Stellina's Songs. Some of the standouts include: Army of Me - Bjork Never Let Me Down - Depeche Mode Lovesong - The Cure It's No Good - Depeche Mode The ambience of this dark, 90s music paired perfectly with the dark yet pleasant atmosphere of the restaurant. Our drinks were cold, our food was hot, and it was all quite delicious. I got to try both dishes and both drinks, and was perfectly satisfied. The gentleman that greeted us checked on us frequently, as well as another woman. Overall, the experience was classy and pleasant. The restaurant seemed popular among an older crowd. Nevertheless, this is a great place for anyone of any age to grab a drink or a bite to eat while feeling like an elegant member of society. This is truly a gem that Roanoke has to offer, and my experience could not have been greater.

Stopped by for just a pint each. We were in town for a music event and had a little time to kill…read more Hated we had to leave when we did, as the brewery had music on too. Wonderful but short visit, lots of indoor and outdoor seating and we were able to enjoy some sunshine!

Great place to relax and disconnect with plenty of tasty beer options. We sat out back & we're…read morepleasantly surprised to have live music added to the experience.

Best bar, best service, in greenbrier Valley.....10 stars live music and 10 tv's for sports.... a…read moremust see place....Queen of hearts contest as well.....win.$$$$$$$

We got the weekly special on carry out. The atmosphere was really awesome but not as awesome as the…read morefood!! Especially when ramp season is in!!! When you want something great to eat, don't count them out!! They have a full time menu , don't forget to follow them on Facebook for weekly and daily specials with pictures!!

Not a fan of big families for any number of reasons. I prefer the way plants reproduce, like by…read moregerminating seeds or even better by grafting. Seriously, or nearly so, think how much better, as compared to standard issue childbearing, grafting would work for humans, like first of all no more Lamaze breathing classes for dads (after all of which are done, many moms go for the drugs anyway). then as one generation runs out of things to do in life, rather than uproot the whole parent just insert the next generation into the trunk, thereby hopefully eliminating adolescence when most of the body develops. Fungi and molds are even better as they mature in hours, are much more resilient and easier to distribute plus they're totally anonymous: parents don't have to see how their best intentions didn't bear fruit, and their offspring have no one else to blame. the spores of these life forms are quite durable, even tolerate the conditions found in outer space. Future myco-human lifeforms could be launched by the billions from earth unceremoniously, hoping a few might land somewhere favorable to germinate rather than being sucked into and incinerated by a star. And no alphabet or arithmetic to learn in grammar school. Being a family mammal on the other hand has major downsides. an example being that if you're known to be ever-ready to venture wherever someone will buy your plane ticket, they call upon you to go see how cousin Luke or uncle Amos or whoever is doing. The boring relatives stay put back home but the black sheep migrate over the years to places you would likely not otherwise go. So it is that I was driving through central Virginia on a moonless night, on just such a family mission and frankly need a roadie, a restorative for my lagging spirits, which is why I turned off the state highway and onto a county road to see where it went, and came to this town which is how I happened onto rocky mount's finest establishment, The Alley Cat Bar. It's great to find places like this and is the reason I prefer to drive in unknown territories using old outdated AAA maps instead of gps. Not every side road exit brings you to an historic and quaintly cool town like Rocky Mount, but it's the occasional one that ends in Rocky Mount that keeps you in the wanderlust game. It' was just what I was looking for at this moment, a break from driving the dark rural Virginia roads, local music and a friendly beer crowd. I was ready. Most small towns, not much to do, so can't be too choosey but lucky here to have this place, among others by the way but none so much my kind, live music potentially a little rough around the edges crowd but, after all, it's central va. Incredible selection of beer. I missed the Tuesday nite trivia contest as well as a visit to the moonshine distillery but I had miles to go before I slept.

Awesome atmosphere with a heck of a drink/food menu! Live…read morebands, trivia nights! Worth a visit!

Nice little place we decided to stop for lunch 1/2 way to Johnson City, TN…read moreFriendly service and great food. Sorry, no pics but 3 of the 4 of the us got Philly Cheesesteak which were excellent and we could only eat half of it. The 4th person got the burger which was cooked to perfection. Recommended stop or visit if you are nearby!

Today for lunch on our way to Wytheville we stopped in. Once again service was top notch. So…read morefriendly and helpful even suggesting can appetizer that was delicious. What a cute place this has turned into.

Wanted a lite bite so we decided to try a couple of appetizers. The BBQ egg-rolls were absolutely…read moredelicious! All the great things shared about their BBQ is well deserved. Unique atmosphere is southern charming..comfortable. The staff were welcoming and friendly.

We showed up with 11 folks after the lunch rush. One bartender and one cook made it happen. Great…read morefood, cool vibe and friendly folks.

Outstanding food, cocktails, and service. The Anastasia Speakeasy is extra fun as it set up like an…read moreold prohibition lounge. Menu is unusual and delicious. The cocktails are crafted with unusual menu options and top shelf brands. Manager Kim took care of us and did an outstanding job. So much fun to walk in and look behind the barbershop to find this fun place. Be aware that they do not take reservations and on popular evenings, especially during shows at the Harvester you may have to wait for the table. One of our top places to visit

This place had been on our list for some time and thankfully we made it in finally. We had just…read morefinished a hike so frankly we didn't really fit the bill on a Saturday evening looks wise but it didn't seem to matter in the terrific way we were served. We had two fancy cocktails and a baked brie to nosh and everything was just top notch. I felt like we had stepped back in time with the period-era details. Clean restroom to boot! Five stars and you will see us again soon!

Awesome food a very cool retro! Now called bowl BQ smokehouse . Ribs were smoked and sauced, hot…read moredog was a yummy classic, beer is cold, bbq sandwich was delicious. Best slaw I ever had and oh shit the max and cheese!!!!!

The food is average so don't expect much if your going there to just eat. The best part about it is…read moreit's wide selection of beer, easily the largest in town. Everything from pbr in a bottle, a pint of Guinness, or a very unique microbrew that you probably have never even heard of, much less have tasted! The atmosphere and bar decor aren't that bad either, so if your in town and want a beer I would suggest it....have a couple and the food might even taste better!

Food was delicious, award winning loghopper was great and our waitress Montana was awesome. Very…read moresweet and helpful. The whole experience was a pleasure.

We stay in Douthat park for thanksgiving week and Jack Mason's is a staple in our dinner rotation…read morefor the week. We love to sit at the bar but there are tables and booths for those who don't prefer that. It's very rustic with license plates all over the wall of the bar. I always like my mixed drink. The bar tenders are always really nice but sometimes you have to wave them down. We love their burgers, BBQ sandwich, chicken Caesar wrap and chicken sandwich.

A very unexpected swanky bar in Floyd,Va. It'll throw you for a loop if you're not ready when you…read morewalk in, we were. Think prohibition. The joint takes you into the prohibition era. The staff play into it very well. The bartender was super cool. The lady at the front door stayed in character (so cool). Helpful hint ... buffalo nickel. Once in, it is a super dark and cozy classy place. Great selection of wine and cocktails. Small selection of beer. Had the very tasty Chef burger. The Mango Habanero cheese curds were tasty. Checkout the upstairs... I'd revisit this place again.

A place to go back in time! They are a prohibition…read moreestablishment theme/vibe. Fun wall decoration and art. Makes you feel like you are on a different timeline. Food was great! We ordered the seared ahi tuna, filets, and ravioli. Everything was delicious and fresh. Id recommend if you are quiet hungry and want to order the ravioli to perhaps order something else to pair with it as it only comes with 4 raviolis. Let's talk drinks. They are seasonal so they had an apple smoked old fashioned which was delicious and a whole experience as they bring it in a container with the smoke in it 10/10 recommend! They have a yummy spicy orange margarita and really good non alcoholic drinks that taste like alcoholic drinks! Service was great! Our server had really good suggestions and was attentive and up front with items that where not available.