BREAKING: Qdoba is closing near Virginia Tech. I'm shocked, I tell you, SHOCKED!
You have Jersey Mikes. That is what matters.— TKPFrench (@french60wasp) July 20, 2018
I think what French meant to say was *Substation II* - Jersey Mike's is good, don't get me wrong, but Substation II is the only sub shop in town as far as I am concerned.
OT Friday topics of the day: What Blacksburg staple is never allowed to close? We've seen Mike's Grill hang it up, which still rips me to my core, what other establishments can never close?
Edited title appropriate for discussion.
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Comments
Qdoba is trash anyway.
Does Homeplace count? Because that'd be my answer.
Also
I didn't misspell anything. SSII is a big thumbs down in the French household.
Blacksburg has a Jersey Mikes. It needs a Pals Sudden Service and a pit beef joint.
You're doing a great job of reinforcing why everyone here laughs at your food opinions.
This right here is the best cold (cut) take in the thread.
I gotta ask - how is it that you can give SSII a thumbs down to Jersey Mike's? I feel like their subs are pretty similar ("Mike's Way" at Jersey Mike's = "All The Way" at SSII)? Curious to your thoughts. Don't get me wrong, I love Jersey Mike's - they've got hands down the best subs, certainly of the chains! Plus, a cool thing for them to give back to charity orgs.
I am fully on board with a Pal's and a Pit Beef place - Pal's would be an epic add to Blacksburg.
It is all about the cold cuts. I do not like overly salty, processed meat. I like fresh sliced, and the closer it is to leftovers (ala left over london broil) the better. Jersey Mikes (especially the roast beef) comes closer than any other sub place to hitting that spot. SSII was the polar opposite. Yes, fresh veggies and choices of juice were similar. But the meat just isn't my bag.
I'm with you on this one. The fresh sliced meat and cheese is the difference at Jersey Mike's (you certainly pay for it though).
Didn't you review Haute Dog somewhere in the last year or so? Ah yes, not quite in the last year. But yeah Salty Processed Meat Sucks
DX
Shultz
My freshman year was the last year that Shultz was open, I really miss the breakfast.
It's not Blacksburg without The Cellar
You mean Greeks? /s
You mean that one place where you go and piss in a keg?
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Is Pita Pit still around? Oddly enough the only other one I have ever seen was in Hermosa Beach, California.
There's a few around Jacksonville, FL if you're down that way.
There's one in downtown Roanoke now.
No but there's a Gita pita
Never frequented it, but I'm amazed no one has mentioned TOTS yet. Personally, Souvlaki would be my vote. It opened when I was a student, and it's still there. This is meritorious. My other answer closed while I was in school (The Fat Rabbit).
I think TOTs is a given. I heard they opened a downstairs area up. Did they get rid of the Jimmie Johns below it?
Yes, BOTS.
I believe Jimmy Johns is still there. BOTS is under the deck and wraps around behind.
Correct^ jimmy johns is still there, I went and got lunch at bots last time I was in blacksburg and the food was really good.
This should have WAY more legs. While not my scene now, TOTS is a staple there when you are in your college years.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Souvlaki never gets enough love. Great spot.
The owner is a super nice guy too.
For sure. Made food at his own pace though. But most definitely worth it!
Plus Buzz Holloway worked there for a while, after leaving Freshens in Owens....couldn't tell you why, but that man had a small and very strange, campy following for a few years. Local hero.
Yeah TOTS no question, rails and taking pictures by the flag in the back are must do's and on everyone's Instagram post when people go back and visit.
I was gonna say souvlakis too, back in the day when my brother was a student (and eventually I was too) we went to every home game for like a 7 year stretch and everytime pregame or postgame (depending on the time of kickoff) wed always go there and get a gyro some fries and a coke. It was one of my fondest memories. I'd be heartbroken if that place went under
They opened up a location in Radford fairly recently(within the last year or two), so I would assume there's no fear of that anytime soon.
I would be devastated to see Cabo Fish Taco, Sharkey's, Tots, or Benny's close. I'd be very disappointed to see Boudreaux's close, and moderately disappointed to see DP Dough's close.
It blows my mind how entrenched Benny's has become in such a short time. I was working downtown when it took over that little photography shop in 2011. Brilliant, low-cost idea to offer giant pizza slices to drunken college kids.
And it's not just entrenched in Blacksburg. It grew ridiculously fast across VA.
There are now 18 Bennys up and down the east coast from Pittsburgh to Charleston, SC.
Chris, the owner, is doing really well with his brand.
I agree Benny's is brilliant, but people lose me in a split second when they call it the best pizza in Blacksburg.
Serious question, what pizza is better? When I was a student we always got Gumby's, but IIRC they closed.
The Cellar, PK's, and The Underground all put Benny's to shame. To me those three are 1A, 1B, and 1C. I used to eat the hell out of Gumby's as well, and while I did call it the best drunk food downthread, I would never say it was the best pizza in Blacksburg.
Ah, yeah, PK's. How could I have forgotten about them.
I've never ordered pizza at The Cellar, and I'm not familiar with The Underground.
Well, you need to become familiar.
you should change both of those things. Underground is the one of the best places in blacksburg that students just never think about
The Underground is very cool - between it and rivermill, it was one of the few places that had craft beer on draft in Blacksburg. Used to grab a Stone IPA and throw darts at Underground while listening to Zeppelin - good times.
Hot Take best place for a student to get an IPA was Big Als on a Tuesday. $2 drafts and they always had 90 minute on tap. Probably the only time I really enjoyed being in Big Als.
You are showing your age. To the students, Underground is the towny bar and Rivermill is the old people (graduate students) bar. This is likely why they have a better beer selection and walking room.
Rivermill was probably my favorite bar my Senior year and since then. It was easy to get a pool table, their beer selection was decent and their car bombs were a nightly tradition with my group of friends.
Agreed. I loved Rivermill as an undergrad. Couldn't beat the $2.50 double rum and cokes and actual room to breathe.
At least a night or two a week senior year involved double rum and cokes at Rivermill til last call then shuffling around the corner to Jimmy John's. Good times.
I did Rivermill in 2007 when i was a senior, then Underground was probably more when I lived in Blacksburg in the years after I graduated. You're spot on in that we started to typically go to less 18+ bars at that point, and more 21+ or 'towny' spots, at least during the school year.
Cellar was good pizza but different from PKs, hard to compare the two. Never got pizza at the underground, but I went a lot to play darts when champ was busy. It was a great place if you can handle your booze. They would make their jack and cokes with 90% jack, maybe even more. Also the chef their was kind of crazy. They would have a chef's choice and it was per person. So the chef would walk out and stare you down, then he would go back and make you whatever he thought you should eat. It's an experience.
The best Pizza in Blacksburg was on Main Street in the shopping center with the Food Lion. I want to say Valentino's, but I am totally off. Being from Jersey, it was the closet thing to a Jersey slice of pizza in town. Jarred Mazzetta worked there after he retired and was finishing up his final spring semester.
it's now called Roma Pizza, and if you put on some springsteen while you're eating it could pass for a mediocre jersey slice
These are all good choices. One slice of Benny's pizza is doughy enough that every time you burp for the next twelve hours, you'll mistakenly think, for a split second, that you had consumed a case of crappy light beer before remembering that nope, just Benny's
It doesn't surprise me at all considering the many times I'd drunkenly stumble out of a DT bar and would pay anything (ANYTHING) for a slice of pizza yet Blacksburg had no offerings. (Really, for the longest time, BBurg was pretty poor in late night food options, no disrespect to Taco Bell). I dreamed about graduating and opening a slice shop of my own because I knew it would be a gold mine. But I'm also a slacker so it never got beyond the idea stage. Tangentially related, if any of you have money and want to give it to me, I have ideas. Good business ideas. The BEST business ideas.
In my day there was a hot dog joint that filled that need (catered to the latenight drunks). It was near or next to Souvlaki's.
Anyone remember the name of the place? Frank's?
I really should know this, as fond of I am of good chili dogs, but I'm drawing a blank on a place there. Dave's Hot Dogs was big in the day, but was out on Main St.
I contacted my old roommate, he recalled that it was "Steve's Dogs".
That tickles a receptor, but doesn't trigger a definite memory. I was also gone from there between '75 and '86, so there's a bunch of stuff I might remember from coming down for a ball game or something, but didn't frequent enough to really remember.
I worked there from 89 to 92. Originally it was Steve's Hot Dogs, which was a franchise, then the owner, Bob Craven, dropped the franchise amd renamed it BOJO's Hot Dogs. We told him to name it Cravin' Dogs, but he didnt listen.
I'm sure I bought dogs from you!
Great name idea. If you had talked him into it the place would probably still be there!
Yes, it was Steve's Hot Dogs from at least the early to mid-80s. Had great chili dogs and late night hours like no other joint in the Burg back then.
Ah, yes. Bojo's is what I remember. Mainly from one evening in summer 92 or 93 drinking with one of the employees for a few hours after close. We'd stacked the chairs in the door and had the lights out, but the cops came by and told us we had to be out of sight. So we retreated into the back room and kept drinking.
That place was crazy at last call.
That was almost certaily me.
Well, well met....again.
Cheers, sir.
Drinking isnt the only thing we used to do in the back room.
Now that you mention it, that sounds familiar as well. ;^)
Not that there's anything wrong with that.......
There was definitely a Dave's Dogs on Main Street in the mid-late 70's.
I worked a really small window on college ave below TOTS from 83-84 that sold hot dogs. Paid the bills, im sure i helped many of u drunks out.
I worked at the Sub Shoppe below TOTS stairs be4 that for 2 years.
The Sub Shoppe served me my first sub ever in 73 or 74 I think. Huge subs, great value out of that dinky little shop.
You likely served me several subs in the early 80's. I was the guy asking for jalapenos on the side.
Benny's was new in 2011????
yup, it opened in September 2011
That's wild. That was when I started school and I thought it was a staple. I do miss backstreets though
Now I know how older alumni feel when people talk about places that didn't exist when they were in Blacksburg.
Benny's and DP Dough's mean nothing to me so I couldn't care if they were gone. Gumby's was great drunk food at one point (always had to get pokey stix) but declined pretty sharply by the time I graduated.
I knew quite a few people who were displeased when Crossroads moved from Main Street, as that predictably led to it closing shortly after.
IIRC, Crossroads' lease was up downtown and their rent was about to get tripled or so, so they had to move. They hung on for a few years off of Patrick Henry, but they went the same way as most other movie rental places around that time.
I used to pop over to Crossroads all the time when it was on Main Street. Record exchange was a cool spot too. Found a number of random old out of circulation stuff there at various points. I was sad to see both of them close.
DP Dough makes me think of Morgantown since they had one a decade before Blacksburg. So yeah, I feel old and I started at VT this century.
Champs. Loved that dump.
Cabo before it was Cabo was amazing (The Library/Main Street Cafe.) There were some terrific concerts there.
The Library was across from Rivermill. Was Pedro's before The Library
I miss Pedro's! Don't even get me started about Mike's either.
Cabo's good, but nothing since its demise has come close to what was as good as when it was just "117". Music, cheap longnecks, everybody who was anybody would be there. Bullwinkle behind the bar...
It was South Main Cafe in my day. And there were definitely some good shows there. Saw Blues Traveler way back in the day,
South Main Cafe was the best place to see music in Blacksburg back during my time. A little group called the Dave Matthews Band used to come every month or so...then they stopped coming. Couldn't figure out why until I heard them on the radio a couple years later. Electric Woodshed and The Kind, those were the local guys that would play there regularly. Steady Rollin' Bob Margolin - he'd come to town every couple of months too. The Cellar was also always a blast...went there when it was just a cellar...nothing upstairs - pitchers of Olympia always at our table! I used to wash dishes at PK's - got that job b/c PK was my landlord. Ahhhh...those were the days.
Electric Woodshed and The Kind! Hahahaha. Yes.
During my senior year in '91 there was a Dead influenced/cover band from Missouri by the name of Blue Dixie that played a couple of shows there. They were pretty awesome. They were also pretty baked. Like... I've never seen a band so obviously high before.
Agree-I remember seeing Bob Margolin there in the mid 1980s! Never been to a better bar for local intimate concerts! Also loved the late night 2 for 1 Kamikazes at Bogens (damn those ABC laws banning late night happy hours!). Also cheap ($3.25) pitchers at Hokie House ; and 2 for 1 hour on Tuesday nights from 8-9 at (what used to be) the Marriott on Prices Fork. Would order 2 drinks at 7:50 to be delivered at 8Pm then immediately order two more. Repeat that three more times and you got ten drinks for $10 in about 75 minutes!
Yeah, I was around then, too, in my third stay in the area. I missed the BT show, but saw some really good music over the years in that building, regardless of which decade it was. Even got to play there myself a couple of times, and saw my brother on stage there when he played with Baba Seth. Since I was underage my first stint in the 'Burg, I don't recall what that place was in '68-'69, I just remember the Golden Gobbler was where all the upperclassmen used to go on the weekends.
It was the New River Trading Company up until the late 60's. But yeah, 117 was my favorite spot in town. There was always something for everybody.
117 was fantastic! Some great bands played there...the Dixie Dregs (which just went out on a reunion tour this past fall), the Randall Bramlett Band, etc.
The one that would be my answer already closed
Mike's
But if you're going based off of current establishments, it has to be Hokie House, because of the name alone.
I respect Mike's, and it's sad to see a local business go under, but as someone who went to school when there were a lot more food options (as opposed to what was available 10 years prior), I didn't see (or taste) anything special about Mike's. I guess it just had sentimental meaning to a lot of people.
At first I was going to launch a diatribe, but instead I'm just going to assume every time you went to Mike's you just forgot your wallet and never ate anything.
I just got a burger and fries. There wasn't anything fancy about their burger from what I recall. No special toppings, no special meat or seasoning. What was so good about it?
Other than the fact that it was a huge, handcrafted patty that was patted fresh every single time, with just the right amount of vinegar/olive oil in the lettuce and tomato, and the bun was toasted to perfection, not much, really.
Fancy and special doesn't always beget greatness.
You also screwed up by not getting a calzone or a stromboli. They were the best in town.
Even their grilled cheese was official.
Mike's was my Dad's favorite Blacksburg restaurant when he was in school, and he got me hooked on their burgers. The only burger I've found in Blacksburg since that is as good is at Bull+Bones, but a) it's more expensive, and b) I'm not much of a sit-down-restaurant person.
If you have a better place in mind I'd love to hear it for the next time I'm in town.
Leftys by a mile
hard agree on Lefty's
Someone should suggest to Lefty to add a 'Mike's Burger' to the menu. Would be a good nod to restaurant history of the town and fit with their menu.
Agreed about Hokie House and not because they don't care if I still enter through the kitchens.
out of curiosity, are you TKE?
I was not. Why do you ask?
when I was at VT, my roomie was a TKE and the owner of Hokie House was one, too.
When I'd hang with him, we'd always meet up with his brothers at the bottom level and the owner would always come out to chat with them. I figured your access came from being a brother.
Are you talking about Ollie? Either way I worked there so that's where I was going with that.
I can't remember his real name. a lot of the TKEs went by the nicknames they were given when they pledged. trying to remember from nine years ago is stretching my brain on this Friday afternoon!
but Hokie House has been my sentimental favorite during my time in the 'burg.
Fun Fact Side Note: The only reason they are allowed to still have "Hokie" in their name is because the establishment is older than the trademark itself.
Hokie House, for whatever reason, was a mainstay in my college years and continues to be when I'm in town. I've fallen down those steps more than a few times but I keep making the climb. '04hokie rises.
That sounds like an urban legend
My first though to this thread "anything that's any good probably won't go out of business". And then I remembered Mike's. Just goes to show that all good things come to an end eventually.
Like a few others, I wasn't a big fan of Mike's. The burgers were good, but not great. The stromboli and calzones were good, but not great. Best thing of both was that they were big and would definitely fill you up. For me, though, Mike's closing in the summer when the stoonts were gone put them on my C list when it came to places to go for a bite. To each, though, their own.
Mike's was my family tradition, my family had to get a mike's burger every time we visited Blacksburg. It wasn't flashy, it wasn't anything crazy with burgers (although I thought they had some of the best burgers), yes it took awhile to get your food, but it was a part of home. This was a special place to us...
Hokie House would be my choice as well. The food has gone way down hill, but the memories of 6 year old me playing pool while my granddaddy drank are very dear to me.
They deliver food and beer now.
I'm surprised I didn't get kicked out of hokie house one summer. During their comedy night they would give out the birthday shot, and you never had to prove it was your birthday. So first week we were there one of my friends said it was my birthday. So I went up and got the free shot. So the second week I repeated, and then I repeated every single week. They knew what I was doing and once wished me happy birthday at the door as I walked in. I don't think they cared since no one REALLY wanted the shot.
Carol Lee Donuts
I can't believe I had to scroll so far to see this.
Souvlaki and The Cellar are my must visits when in Blacksburg. Cabo Fish Taco would be a disappointment to see closed as well.
Hot take - Veggies to Go in Salem has the best donuts in the NRV, way better than Carol Lee.
Salem isn't in the NRV.
I feel ashamed for not thinking of this.
Yes, but it lost a lot when it moved out to the fringe of town.
Y'all can downvote me to oblivitude, but I'm about to speak the damn truth. Spudnuts was better than Carol Lee, hands down, no contest.
I miss Pedro's, and $2 frozen margarita Tuesdays.
I would be very sad if Lefty's closed
Lots of people were not sad to see Lefty move up to Boston.
I still need to try most of these places.
As I read through this I realize how sad I would be if any of the places above were to close. My addition that hasn't been mentioned already is PK's. I've grown especially fond of that place post-graduation.
I'm with you - there are a ton that would make me sad if they were close. I'll add Rivermill to the list.
Buffalo Wing Pizza at PK's became a tradition before games after I graduated. I need to get back up there sometime for that pizza, and a ricotta and pepperoni calzone from The Cellar.
I wish I could give you a million legs for your mention of the "wing pie" at PK's. I have yet to find an establishment anywhere that comes close to how good that pizza is. Luckily for me, I live here and get it nearly every week for Tijuana Toss!
I only went to PKs a few times for Tijuana Toss while I was in school, but after graduating it is our go-to place when we are back in town.
Right there with you. I think I may have gone to PK's twice while in school. Go every time I am in town now.
PK's is Bud's restaurant of choice in Blacksburg.
Yeah, I used to see coaches there at PK's regularly, both basketball and football. Bud's restaurant, Foster's, was a good place to go for happy hours in their bar after work. Bud used to cruise through and his son, Grant, tended bar there. Didn't last too long, but it had good food and was busy enough that I was surprised when it closed.
Was also Stiney's spot once upon a time.
VPI&SU
Souvlaki
Cabo
Gillie's
Boudreaux's
Palisades
Black Hen
El Rod
Lefty's
Vintage Cellar
Chick-fil-a in Owens
Carol Lee
Bollo's
Lyric Theatre
The Cellar
Sharkey's
Rivermill
PK's
Hokie House
Champs
ToTs
Trying to get on this list
Taphouse
Rising Silo
Joe's Diner
Bollos is fantastic! Tough choice between their coffee and Mill Mountain. Loved to smell the beans roasting at Mill Mountain.
Both were good places, but Bollo's was the better coffee place in my opinion. It was smaller and felt more quaint and the owner was so nice. They also have really good mochas.
rivermill tots forever
With the huge amount of business that CFA in Hokie Grill gets, it's safe.
Leg for Boudreaux's - always at the top of my list of places to go to when i'm in town.
TOTS.
EL RODS. Jumbo Margs. Not sure where else to start my Friday night then Chips/salsa/queso and a Jumbo.
ton80. sigh.
The current place that would devastate the burg if gone: The Cellar.
For my sake I hope that the Taphouse outlives me.
Ton80 was killer. Got into plenty of trouble after spending a few hours there
You had to watch those stairs if you had been there awhile.
What years were you there? I spent my last night as a student there, got up the next morning and drove to Phoenix to start my first real job. Garrett.
85-89. Looooooong time ago. Pre Taco Bell days sadly
I miss Mike's Burgers, Pedro's Margs, Ton 80's Beers and Darts. Most of all for those of you in the 80's/90's the awesome Block Parties (Whole Apartment Complex Style) and Bargerfest! Ahhhh the good ol days...........
Agree 100%, more legs for you! Are the spring block parties a thing of the past nowadays?
Ah I remember Stonegate and Bargerfest well from the 1983-88 college years-well...sort of..! For those who were not fortunate enough to go to those all day Saturday spring parties, you missed out! Lived in Stonegate for a year and had our keg on our balcony-which was in addition to the 40 kegs the party started with at noon which ran out by 2PM. Then they would sell the beer right off the truck at the 7-11 in front of Terrace View 'cause they couldn't stock it fast enough. Some people would bring shopping carts full of beer. Picture you and 2000 of your closest friends in the parking lot behind the buildings. Also there was one year for a night time party there that "someone" liberated a giant inflatable from a local establishment and (when they couldn't get it inflated) also "borrowed" the compressor and set it up at the corner of Toms Creek and Broce as a welcoming beacon. The police were not highly amused as I recall.
Side note -it was a sad day when the Barger Street area was demolished-many great spring Saturdays there as well.
One hundred thousand legs for you! 89-94 timeframe for me. So that was when they played their last hurrah. Stonegate. Sigh.
Gumby's should never have been replaced by Benny's. Sorry about it.
Best goddamned drunk food in the history of drinking outside of a doner kebab. Don't @ me.
My wife just returned from a trip to Germany and agrees with you about the doner kebab.
Of course she does.
I lost track of how many 4 dollar large pizzas I ate.
LOL. my roomie helped open the first Benny's location and got me a job at the old Gumby's spot when it opened. if i recall correctly, the equipment from Gumby's was left over as part of the transition (i could be wrong...)
I believe they overlapped their time in Blacksburg by a year or two. I definitely had both and had I think a Gumby's employees phone number (not the store phone) saved in my phone. And t wasn't even saved as their name. It was something like AGumbys Pizza so that it was always at the top of my contact list.
Wait Gumby's doesn't exist anymore?
Not for awhile now.
2am Pokey Sticks after a night of drinking downtown... There is no better meal around, and sadly... its gone
Apparently, it was never actually a real Gumbys. The owners never actually franchised, which is why it had to go. That, and supposedly there were a couple 'secret' orders that would get you some extra greens on the side, so to speak.
Hmm interesting. I had Gumby's at Tech, JMU, and UVA and from what I recall, they all had the same menu and pizza boxes (which listed all of their school locations on top). When I went home for the summer after freshman year, I remember talking about it with a friend from Penn State because I had remembered seeing them on the box top. So definitely seemed like a "legit" Gumby's franchise at the time. Maybe at some point they pulled out and it was continuing to operate as a rogue Gumby's until they got caught?
I was scrolling through the thread looking for this.
Slusher Tower
/Thread
That was qdobas stupidest decision ever when they had it on campus on the meal plan, especially when there is a chipotle next to it. Even though this board seems pretty evenly split among the three burrito guys, I can guarantee the majority (>50%) of students choose chipotle over qdoba/moes every single day of the week. Blacksburg Chipotle somehow almost doubled their revenue when they opened the second location on UCB.
Most people I knew chose Qdoba because it was on the meal plan. I went there because I preferred it to Chipotle (didn't have quest at the time) and Moe's (didn't have barbacoa).
Exactly. That is why I don't know why they opened one off campus next to the a Chipotle that was doing so much better than the original chipotle was doing.
Oh wow, I had no idea they opened one off campus. That's dumb business.
Yup. It opened about two months after the chipotle did on UCB.
Valley Towing
You must be confused, this is not asking which business you would like to burn down.
I would burn it down, then rebuild it...just to watch it burn again.
This quote is all too accurate for Valley Towing.
Twice...maybe more.
I'm tempted to start another thread asking that question now. Valley Towing is the obvious choice but, thinking outside the box, I wouldn't complain if Whittemore Hall was replaced with a less hideous building.
I'll bite. If Whipple Drive Apartments are still there, I'd love to evacuate those motherfuckers (I'm not evil) and light that shit on fire.
I didn't understand the concept of "slum lord" until I lived there for a semester.
OpEl Lab...if money wasn't a limitation i'd give Tech as much money as it took for them to let me burn it to the ground and watch. F that place and their damn circuit boards. Kill 2 birds with 1 stone and let the blaze consume all of Whittemore and replace it with a nicer building.
This was Campus Automotive, but at the Main St Apts once they started hooking up my buddy's car and he ran out there to stop them. They said they would have to charge him a partial tow. Well I do not remember how much that was, but they accidentally left one of their dollies behind. We took it and threw it into the trunk of my car. When they came back a little while later looking for it, we went out and said yeah we know where it went, but couldn't remember exactly where and might need something to jog our memory. Needless to say, he actually got paid to park in that lot that day.
This better go plaid
Himalayan Curry Cafe over in UCB
Ate there pretty much every Sunday for two years. Fantastic food and dirt cheap. My college experience doesn't exist without hungover HCC while watching a full slate of CFB/NFL games
I liked it better as Quiznos
Mike's GrillR.I.P., The Cellar, TOTSIt's a very long list, as many people have said.
One I've got to add is Marco & Luca on UCB.
Leftys, 622 North, El rods and Cabo.
I miss those Pokey sticks from Gumby's and El Rods needs to stay around! Same with sycamore deli.
My scorching hot take is that El Rods could close and it probably would be a benefit to the local food scene. It is really not that good.
Its not about the food. It's about the Big Texas Margaritas with half a bottle of tequila in them that cost next to nothing.
This! ^
It is a decent Margarita, I'll give you that.
Giant margs and Chillaquiles. I never thought any El Rods food was good until I got Chillaquilles. In reality its just a shit load of cheese melted over chicken tortilla chips and salsa but for whatever reason it tasted good.
whatever reason = you were drunk.
By the time I was frequently eating off campus I wasn't sober too often so yes.
Came back to say the exact same thing. El Rod's food isn't the best but the Texas Jumbos was a Thursday night tradition with me and a few of my friends. I have great memories there.
No love for The Underground?
Only if you've been a non-student resident of Blacksburg for 5+ years
I was a grad student in town for the 5 years I was there, and i wish i knew about The Undergound way sooner.
i only went during the summer i stayed in town. when the school year started, i reverted back to my student bars. best dart board set-up ever....sure beat the crappy ones at Hokie House!
Hokie House.
Bollo's became a daily weekday stop for me on my way to campus during my final year of grad school. The owner is from Jersey as well and we'd chat about that, and the baked good are very good. The staff and the pumpkin chocolate chip muffin each got a shoutout in my dissertation acknowledgments.
Hot take: I absolutely hate Sharkey's and would not be sad to see it go.
Worst service I've ever had in my entire life was at Sharkey's and there's nothing good about it.
Sharkey's is my favorite bar (in any city I've ever visited) to watch a game at.
I honestly don't understand this. Why?
Also, you don't think there was anything special about Mike's Grill, so it may just be that your opinion is wrong...
I like the atmosphere. It's loud enough that yell and be drunk idiot, but not so loud that I can't carry on a conversation. It has the right amount of standing room vs sitting (IMO). The indoor TV set up is pretty good. It has a patio, and you can see two TVs from there. The food isn't world beating, but it's pretty good - exactly what I want/need out of bar food. What's not to like?
EDIT: also, their bartenders always remembered me (and I only went on the weekends). It got to the point where they stopped carding me at the door, and they'd pour me my go to drink (32oz budlight, which I believe was $3 during happy hour in my day) when they spotted me walking towards the bar. Their saying was always "where good friends go" - it may sound like a line from a commercial featuring a used car salesman, but I always felt that it rang true.
I'm probably in the minority but I preferred the old Sharkey's (when it was next door). Probably just nostalgia. It was where I had my first beer downtown. It was also where I had my first legal beer downtown.
Yes with the wing bar.
I loved old Sharkey's. I could probably count the times I've been to the new one on one hand. Not really a fan.
I was quite a regular at Sharkey's a bit before they moved and after they moved. I regulared in the upstairs pool bar when Sharkey's was in their original spot, and dug the move to the new location because Bunny and Spanky were the core team and they worked at both.
When did they move? Just trying to figure out if the few negative experiences I had there were at the old or new place.
I think they moved in like the summer of 2005. I graduated in December of 2005 and I think only that last semester were they in the new location.
I thought it was in 2004, but I might just remember coming back to visit friends in 2005.
I'd go with HoHos or PKs. I was actually pretty upset when Backstreets closed. I remember the service being pretty lousy, but damn did I fall in love with that place for some reason. And Gumbys will always hold a special place in my heart. (If you order "Hokie" sticks, I am going to point and laugh at you).
Backstreets is classic and will always hold a special place in my heart. The food was never exceptional, pretty good burger and a cheap lunch buffet. It was one of the first places we ate in town when my sister started school there, and we had my wedding rehearsal dinner there. I was really bummed to see it close and even more bummed that it became Mellow Mushroom.
Backstreets felt like it was our (my family's) place. We would always go there when visiting my older sister, and then again when my parents visited me. It was also where I took my (now) wife on our first date. It wasn't the best place in town, but we loved it. The pesto pizza was pretty awesome though.
Yeah it really sounds like all our attachments to it were purely sentimental. Backstreets was the first restaurant I went to with my brother when he first visited tech. Every time he'd visit after that we had to go to Backstreets
+1 for backstreets. First place I ate downtown as a student.
Backstreets was a solid choice on "all you can eat" night. Saw it was replaced by a chain last time I was in town...too bad.
Mellow mushroom may be a chain, but I for one think they make excellent pizza with good beer selection.
Yeah I ate at backstreets a bunch when my older siblings were in school. Mellow Mushroom opened my Junior year I think and if something was going to replace Backstreets, I'm fine with it being MM. Like you said they have really good food options and their beer selection is outstanding.
I'm fine with it being a MM as well. If it's going to be a chain, it could definitely go much worse than that. My problem is it is probably the blandest MM (at least on the outside) ever.
While its bland I'm going to give that title to the Hilton Head Mellow Mushroom.
Haven't been, but yeah, it's worse than Blacksburg's.
One of my earlier more vivid memories of Tech was seeing the goalposts paraded down main street while we were eating at backstreets. I have no idea which game it was I'll have to ask my dad.
Post BC game circa Thanksgiving, 1999.
Just a guess
PK's.. always go there for basketball pregame
A lot of the players seem to go over there after the games.
Anyone remember The Gobbler?
HA! Yep, that was the place off of Progress Street right?
And I'll try one more...
Remember The Nerv?
I'm pretty sure that place was 8 different "places" during my 8 years there.
I remember it as The Warehouse, Rocket Bar, The Nerv, Southern Oven (I think that was the name?), VT's. I'm sure I'm forgetting some.
Here's one for the really old crowd...Remember Middle Earth?
Yeah, I remember it was a decent place, until this guy named Sauron took over and it really went to shit. Later on, some guy named Aragorn bought him out, and the quality picked back up again.
Ohh yeah, right behind the hardware store on North Main. Had a lunch or two there in my day.
You mean "The Winchester". At least that's what it was for us for a while because we always wound up there. I was sad to see it go.
Yes...this probably won't surprise you based on the building and the floor layout with the buffet bar in the middle, but it was a Pizza Hut prior to The Gobbler.
Nobody remembers the Gobbler. At least, nobody remembers leaving the Gobbler.
When I was there one of my frat brothers was a manager or something, and seemed to have some sway. pretty much all of my friends and multiple members of my family had their first 'beer in a bar' at the fighting gob. Would often get run out for drunkenly trying to explain that since frat bro made the pizza, I shouldn't have to pay for the buffet. It was particularly ineffective after he graduated.
I had more than a few crazy nights at The Gobbler. Show up after a game for dinner buffet, drink pitchers and watch football until the late night buffet, then eat that too. Also we did a few karaoke nights which were interesting too. Once a friend decided it was a good idea to sing Closer by Nine Inch Nails. That might have been one of the most bizarre/awkward 5 minutes I've ever witnessed.
Another vote for Souvlaki
I think I'd be devastated if Rivermill closed. Where else do you get a Stone tap takeover and they'll serve you an entire pint of 11.5% W00t Stout for $8? Pretty solid tap list (a pint of Left Hand Nitro Milk Stout for $4.75 is a steal) and you can play darts.
I also always enjoyed Frank's Bar at 622. It's generally more of a towny/grad student bar but they had great steal the pint nights and tap takeovers. It's the perfect way for a beer nerd to start a night downtown.
Souvlaki being closed would also be crushing. I was raised on gyros with extra sauce from that place.
Well, good beer bars with good prices are not exclusive to the Burg. But yes, it stands out there.
Awful Arthur's.
I have some bad news.
Is it... awful news?
I worked at the on campus Sbarro one year. I am not saying it needed to stay but man was there always alot of free pizza at our townhouse. We used to take them home stacked in garbage bags so it looked like we were just taking out the garbage.
Souvlaki
Carol Lee
*insert downtown bar here*
edited to add the Lyric Theater
Joe's Diner
Philly City in Owens... I still can't find as good a chicken cheesesteak anywhere else
Tech Bookstore
Blacksburg Transit, as a whole
Also, unpopular opinion here: Gumby's was trash.
Not at 3am after a night downtown it wasn't.
Thereby giving credence to the argument I have with my wife that Gumby's was primarily drunk food. (Neither of us drinks, but out of the two of us only she liked Gumby's. Go figure.)
rivals the best cheesesteaks anywhere, including the places in Philly
Sorry but I just can't get my mind wrapped around a "chicken" cheesesteak.
There was a big guy who cooked the cheesesteaks in Philly City in Owens. He cooked some of the most memorable and delicious cheesesteaks. If he wasn't there, you'd be better off getting something else and not waste your flex dollars.
I think I remember that dude!
How do you feel about veggie cheesesteaks? They have those too...
Any time Philly City in Owens is mentioned, I feel obligated to share that Marcus Vick once cut in front of me in line there right before closing. I did not get a cheesesteak that night.
Fin
Fun 'N' Games, PK's to drink away my sorrows from a rough week of engineering classes, SSII, and D.P. Doughs for those calzones.
BAMs forever!
So I know we have a TKP food map. But can we get an official Blacksburg TKP food list? Including on campus spots.
Give me a couple beers and I could guide you to them all blindfolded.
I feel I've been up there now for three seasons and I still haven't even hit everything I should.
Spent a lot of time at macados. Huge sandwich menu was good when visitors were in town, there is something for everybody. Beer was good too.
SCHOONERS????
didn't they come in those massive glasses?
my friends and i used to steal those but our sense of accomplishment got deflated when visiting the thrift store on North Main and there was a display case full of them. buying them just wasn't the same and we stopped bringing them home since.
The first time I ordered a schooner I had no idea what I was getting into. I was already drunk from having too much at a Sox game beforehand and really wasn't trying to get crunk. So I go "i'll just have a schooner". Needless to say I don't remember much of the night after that
And half-priced Hindenburgs on Mondays.
i loved that place. the summer i stayed in town i hung out with friends who were Macados employees and they were a fun bunch. discovered service industry "hole in the walls" just by tagging along...
Half price Hindenburg's and half-priced pitchers!! Hindys weren't the best sandwiches but four of us could eat and drink for about $8
Been there recently? Not as great as you might remember.
Macado's had 29 cent wings on sundays during my freshman year. We had quite a few wing eating contests at that place.
I had a tradition for a few years where my uncle, who lives in Radford, would come to Blacksburg and we'd split a Hindie and wings and then head over to the open mic Blues Jam at the Cellar. Did that every Monday for about two years.
I've jammed there a few times over the years. The Cellar is as Blacksburg as anywhere.
Shoot, we might have played together. I played drums and would usually get matched up with different musicians each time, unless my uncle was there. Then he and myself, and his employee, Bill Smith, who played bass in the house band would do our 3 song set of Clapton/Cream songs.
Kobe...loved that place
The wrap place in West End.
Lot 18 is never allowed to close.
Paging wasnick: is it ok if inconsiderate amounts of Busch light and red man gold blend are consumed while listening to this song? As I've said, I hope no one minds my 90s country playlist come this fall.
Oh I think you would fit in right nice.
.
or be paved.
Abby's.
Cookout because while I may be young, I've never been to a party where at the end of the night at least 6 drunk people didn't say "you know what would be good right now? A combo meal from cookout!" And as the permanent DD I can honestly say it's not that bad.
I cannot think of a worse fate than this. What consigned you to this particular hell?
Back in my day, the nearest Cookout was in North Carolina!
Everyone has an opinion, but as for me, the day they close Daddy's Money &/or Mr. Fooz is the day I stop going to Blacksburg.
Mr Fooz was legendary. Unfortunately I arrived in Blacksburg right when it closed
I spent a lot of brain cells there.
What are these places you speak of?
Mr. Fooz was the best! And, I actually went to high school with the guy who opened Daddy's Money, and also helped put together a sales & marketing campaign for it as a class project. He actually opened the place before he finished college.
I missed Daddy's Money, it was Buddy's when I moved back in '86. (Buddy also owned Ton 80.) Still a good place to drink and hear music, but everybody raved about Daddy's Money, so it must have been a hit in its time.
Boudreaux's.
Souvlaki
And I didn't eat there, but everyone always reminisces about Gillies in conversations about Blacksburg.
Joe's Diner. Superior drunk food.
More hot takes:
TOTs was too fratastic.
No one loved backstreets until it was closing. Then suddenly everyone missed it.
Gumby's was drunk food and nothing more. They changed their pizza in the early 2000's and it was never as good.
Jimmy Johns can't hold a candle to Sub Station or Jersey Mike's.
Backstreet's was my Mom's favorite restaurant in Blacksburg, and as a kid I grew fond of it because in my mind Backstreet's = pizza. Once I became a student I found better pizza places in town, but I would still look for excuses to go every once in a while.
Definitely sad to see it go, but the memories of eating there with Mom will last a lifetime.
Honestly, I can't argue with any of this. Add the Cellar and it's all covered. I had forgotten about Gillies. A little different vibe, but good food.
Gillies was a fun place to walk up to the counter and ask for a bacon cheeseburger, and watch the girl behind the counter throw a conniption.
Granted, I never did this, but one can dream...
Gillie himself once showed me the door when I was bold enough to suggest he might break down and serve a little breakfast meat with his otherwise delicious breakfast menu. He sorta knew me a little from being around town so he didn't go ballistic or anything, but when I asked if I could bring my own bacon, he rather dramatically pointed at the door and told me to cook my own breakfast when I fried up the bacon. I did go there occasionally for ice cream with my friends, but never darkened said door again for actual food.
I snuck bacon into gillies. Best breakfast burrito I've ever had.
Sharkey's
El Rodeo
Owens
West End
TOTS
Hokie House
How is The Cellar not on your list?
Horses can't go down stairs, only up!
I didn't go out much in college, so even TOTS was on visited twice. I don't think I ever went to the Cellar. Rivermill maybe twice. Never went to Hokie House or the Library. Even though you could smoke in bars back then, my recreational activities were much better suited to private locations.
The Waterstreet Gallery. Alas, it closed.
Hot take: the only good thing about TOTS is a pregame Rail.
Lukewarm, I'd say.
Surprised there's not move love for sycamore deli. Tugboat is one of the best sandwiches in town
I never actually ate there. But, they were the spot to get better kegs.
If i remember correctly the burrito they had on the menu was big enough a normal person could eat off of it for days.
RIP
Maxwell's on North Main was great for last, last call. When last call was called at Champs, we used to head there for the last last call. They would serve you a beer at 0159 and take it out of your hands a minute later. Never ate at the restaurant there, just went there for last last call.
Hmm. Never heard of this one. Where was it located?
Couldn't find the location on the current satellite map. Yelp has an address for it, though.
1204 N Main St
1204 N Main St, Blacksburg, VA 24060
https://goo.gl/maps/Xh39CLWCyio
Maxwell's was in that stretch between Radford Brothers and Blacksburg feed and seed. One story, flat roof. Lindsay, the guy who owned it, really liked jazz and also had some small time local musicians in between the jazz groups. The restaurant in the back was supposed to be really good, and I only ate there once, too rich for my wallet, but it was really good when I went. Their bar food was usually pretty good, too, and I could usually afford it. Can concur about them taking your beer from you at closing time, unless you were actively chugging, anyway.
I lived behind the old Maxwells building after I graduated. Never knew this place when it was open though. There was another place up North Main past Food Lion called Crazy something or other, closed in like 2004-2005 timeframe - we would go when we were underage because they never ID'ed anyone. Hench probably the reason they closed.
EDIT: Crazy May's I think the place was called.
Wow I don't think I ever would have remembered that place. But yes, I started in Fall 2005 and can recall drinking there.
ABC Store. Why did everyone automatically equate "establishment" to food?
Abby's. When you finally make it there is when Blacksburg is officially your second home.
Is that where East Coasters used to be?
https://goo.gl/maps/SnWes2QvRM32
Looks like it...
Abby's looks like a place you eat at if you want your food contaminated with animal fecal matter and dry cleaning chemicals.
That's what they want you to think. Keeps the crowds to a minimum.
I've only ever heard great things about the food and people in there. It just looks incredibly unappealing.
I think I ate there freshman year. I can't remember it at all.
Liver KillRiver Mill ftwOne more for the 'Sad to see them go' portion of this list - Bogen's.
Always cool to see former football guys sticking close to home.
I cherish my two Bogen's glasses. They make great margarita glasses.
Damn, that was the first place I ate while visiting campus.
Same here - wasn't their menu like a Monopoly board?
EDIT:
Surprised I haven't seen Macado's on here. I have a few good times there with a bunch of friends.
It's not in Blacksburg, but Home Place in Roanoke should never disappear. That place is fantastic and worth the drive. I dream of the apple butter on a nice biscuit.
Control F macados...
he's not TKPing hard enough
Back in I think 2014 I heard rumors of the place shutting down soon. I think they just didn't want to run it anymore. To my knowledge it is still there, so who knows.
Home Place shutting down! NOOOOOO!
wait is he talking about Homeplace or Macado's?
Home place. But I'm guessing it was nothing more than a rumor.
Hasn't Homeplace already shut down once?
I think we're confusing Home Place with The Farmhouse in Christiansburg - it shut down at one time, but reopened no too long ago.
Farmhouse did shut down and then reopened. But I am certain the rumor was the owners of Homeplace were thinking about shutting down about 4 years ago.
That is what I am thinking of and yes I confused the two. Truthfully I have never been to either.
The team used to go to Farmhouse on Friday for dinner before home games on Saturdays. Not sure if they do this still. I haven't been to The Farmhouse before, but heard good things about it.
Heard today that Big Als and Poor Billys are out of business with "for lease" signs out front. Any confirmation out there from the TKP heads? Sad day if true.
Geeze, who's left now?
Correct. Big Al's and their $5 cover, oversized stamps, and nasty bouncers are no longer around.
Lol I feel like there's a story here.
I got one. Summer '06, I spend every night in there with a few of my buddies drinking and playing games. One evening I head over there after being at one of the other bars and as I'm walking in about to go upstairs, there is some guy absolutely hammered wobbling at the top of the steps. He is mumbling to the bouncer who tells him to leave, then the kid takes a step and proceeds to trip and fall down the entire flight of stairs before cracking his head on the tile floor right there at the bottom. He literally lands at my feet and blood starts pooling out all over the floor. I look up at the bouncer, who is standing there stunned. I yell to him that the guy is bleeding profusely and needs help. Bouncer scurries off. I take off my t-shirt and wrap the guys head with it, there's a sizeable gash on the back of his head. Blood is all over the place. Tied it off and pressed it as much as I could. Bouncer throws me a towel from up top and then tells me to clean up the mess... he yells that he saw me trip the guy and the cops are on their way. Are you kidding me? I call for more help, nobody comes down. I tend to the guy for a minute, not cleaning up the blood all over the floor but making sure it isn't still pouring out of his head and then I go upstairs to tell the bouncer to come help and what I think of his bullshit story. As soon I get up top, he and another bouncer grab me and start dragging me through the bar to the back. I'm shirtless, covered in blood and telling the bar manager that I didn't do anything wrong, they need to go help the guy and they owe me a new shirt. Bar manager yells at me to get the fuck out and tells the bouncers to throw me out. The two bouncers drag me out the back and then proceed to shove me so that I almost fall out their back stairs. I walk around to the front and there's an ambulance and multiple cop cars. The police approach me and say they need to talk to me about what happened. I explain that I've been drinking, exactly what happened, that the bouncer is full of shit and lying to cover his ass when he should have walked the guy down the stairs, how they threw me out the back which was dangerous. I'm couldn't be more mad at being blamed for it. The cops ask me a few more questions, say they believe me and then tell me to go home for the night, which I did.
Big Al's and that bouncer can go f$ck themselves.
Bouncers get a bad rap, sometimes absolutely deservingly so. As in this case. This is completely fucked. I cannot and would not condone this.
I used to bounce at Big Al's and one thing I didn't fuck around with was patron safety. This was not during my stint there, and damned sure wouldn't have happened that way on a night I worked.
However, there are plenty of fuckhead bouncers. A lot of them get the job specifically to fight someone. Those people shouldn't be bouncers. Period.
I bounced at Big Al's for about 2 years, and other than carrying people and a couple of times I had to snatch up someone by the shirt so they got the point, I never laid a hand on anyone. Knowing how to talk to people gets you a long way.
All of that being said, let's not pretend there aren't fuckhead patrons as well. I have plenty of those stories for every asshole bouncer story someone has.
Are the majority of bouncers, assholes? It's very possible. It's not even something that I would argue against. There are plenty that surely think I was. It's also a job where you have to be an asshole at times. And although it is part of the job sometimes, not all of them are pricks.
As far as the news of Big Al's closing, I'll just say, I'm surprised it took this long.
Working there convinced me that anyone can run a business if it has a great location and sells booze.
Yea I agree with you patrons can be assholes. I know I've been one, although I've been kicked out of a bar exactly twice in my life.
I'm not blaming bouncers at all. Not an easy job. But this guy was over the top. What if the cops hadn't believed me and I had gotten arrested for it? Insane. That guy did not need to have that job.
Agreed.
But they have (used to have?) $2 pint nights on Tuesdays (Thursday?) and while everyone was saving $0.50 on Bud Light I was crushing 60/90 Minute IPA, so I enjoyed that place at least during the week.
I believe in my take so much I made the same take 1 year ago on this same thread
Are you sure?
I saw on Twitter (can't find it now) that they were doing renovations, and were *not* closing.
Whoever owns that building has been trying to sell for nearly a decade.
EDIT: Never mind, looks like it's actually closing.
I actually liked Big Al's, it wasn't as fratty back in my day but it became the TOTs pre-game location after I left Blacksburg.
Any one know if there is way to get my hands on some of the memorabilia they had in that place?
I'd love to have some of those jersey's and license plates for my man cave
Only frat boys are shedding a tear for Big Al's
Not this one.
And Bruce Smith. Ok many occasions when I went to Big Al's Bruuuuuuuuuce was over at his customary spot at the end of the bar.
South Main Cafe....but it's already gone.
But If you stop crunching your taco and qietly sip your IPA for a moment, you can still hear the ghosts of 117 S
It was the soundtrack of the mid 70's for me, and I'm one of those ghosts you hear.
Mike's Grill and it is gone.
TOTS and Sharkey's are my Ride-Or-Die's. May they never cease to exist.
If the Hokie House closes, we riot.
They might have gotten close so they had to increase to $3 doubles at happy hour last year.
No way. $3 triples and $1 tequila shots was the best happy hour in blacksburg.
I was more joking on them closing but they did up the prices. It was definitely the first spot to go for a night out.
No votes for the Liverkill? I'm surprised.
You mean the "I want a car bomb to start the night bar"?
It was usually the determining stop for my group before tots. Enter, get a car bomb, leave or chill and play pool or darts.
Yep, that's the one!
For me it's always Liverkill and car bombs to start the night, or afternoon, or morning if there's an early basketball game that I'm going to.
I can still taste the gasoli... I mean double rum and coke.
They have an underrated beer selection. $5 pints of Left Hand Nitro is a steal. Even got a pint of Stone's Woot Stout (11%) for $7 once. That place is awesome.
EDIT: and it turns I said something to this effect a
weekyear ago.I think it is definitely my favorite place if I'm looking somewhere to hang
moistout and have conversations with friends while getting obliterated with car bombs.It always amazing me how cheap it is to drink in Blacksburg. I have to sell my left kidney if I'm going out for a night on the town here in Raleigh, but I can shake out the sofa cushions and get shitfaced in the 'burg, and have enough leftover for brunch at Lefty's the next morning.
Considering everyone is a broke college student, it's not too surprising. When 3/4s of your business lives on ramen noodles you can't be charging $6 for a Bud Light.
Still my typical pregame and postgame haunt along with the Cellar.
Food-wise, Greeks Cellar and Souvlaki for me.
If the Cellar closes I will cry.
Me too, and here's why: Fall of 84 and I am a junior with my new GF from summer session, we go the Cellar for beer and pizza and run into some of my Corps friends including my Ex from the previous year. While waiting for food/drink to arrive, I excuse myself to hit the head. I get back and the GF is all frosty and announces "we're leaving." I disagree since the beer and pizza have arrived and spend the next 20 minutes dining and wondering wth happened. Fast forward two years and the summer GF is history and the Ex and I are dating again when she gives me the whole story.
When I went to the restroom in the Cellar, summer GF leans over to the Ex and says "He's got a good-looking backside, doesn't he?" The Ex then agrees with her judgment. Summer GF then says "Well it's all mine." Ex then replies "All I have have to do is snap my fingers and he will come running back to me." Suffice to say that the two of them never spoke again. Five children and thirty-one years later, Mrs. Chachi (the Ex) and I are still going strong. Apparently, she was right, and we still laugh about that night in the Cellar.
That's a quality "How did you meet" kind of story.
My username comes from the famous Hammer Time happy hour at the Cellar with discounted pitchers, I love everything at the Cellar from the 'bouncers' reading books at the entrance, to the food, or the $1 Luck of the Draw beers.
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
That's it, we're done here.
Drink. Gobble Gobble Chumps beat you by a year and three weeks.
darn tooting i did
My years on campus ('93-'95), there was the Hokie Bar and Grill attached to Owens. They made the absolute greasiest bacon cheeseburger in the history of both grease and burgers. I loved it, though. I'd go get one, some fries, and jolt cola. Then head back up to my room in Vawter, or if with friends, grab a table. I was a little sad to see it go when it did. Probably kept my arteries open more since I couldn't go back when visiting after graduation and leaving Blacksburg.
Of the places still open and left from when I was there - PK's, Underground, the Cellar, Hokie House. I also loved Macado's. The saddest eatery closing to me was Backstreets closing up shop.
PKs. As a cadet it was right there off upper quad. Senior year my buddies and I would go there Wednesday nights for $2 22oz Yuenglings. Got to the point where we'd walk in the door, sit down at our table, and they'd bring the beers over to us as if they knew we were coming.
We'd also hold our Festivus celebration there and that would get downright hateful sometimes during the airing of grievances. Then it was back to upper quad for the feats of strength and a cigar to cap it all off.