Well, it's Blacksburg so there's not a lot of places that fit the description. Local here.
To me, the highest quality food in Blacksburg is The Black Hen (http://www.theblackhenrestaurant.com/). They've renovated in the old sushi bar / tapas building formerly part of Poor Billy's into a much more contemporary feel. Highly recommended in general.
From other experience, I've had filets at Preston's at the Inn at Virginia Tech; everything is underwhelming there. Avoid at all costs. I'm not even going to post a link to their site because that's how much I dislike it.
I've also had filets at the Summit Restaurant (http://www.summitrestaurant.us/) in Christiansburg with mixed results. Chef Abdul tends to rush his meals lately, and I ended up with an overcooked one last time out.
Not truly steak related, but I am a huge fan in general of the Palisades (http://www.thepalisadesrestaurant.com/) which is 25 minutes down the road in Eggleston mainly for the atmosphere and high quality, reasonably priced food (local farm ingredients, hand made). This is my go-to spot to take the missus on date nights. They're not in any way a "steak place" and they only serve a ribeye, but reasonably priced and well made.
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I've been to The Black Hen a couple of times and I can confirm that they make very good food there. The first time I went with my girlfriend for just drinks and dessert. The desserts are fantastic. Since having a full time job we went a second time for an entire meal there. Great cheese board, entrees were fantastic and of course tasty desserts.
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If you want a solid "fancy night out" restaurant in the Blacksburg area, Palisades is your best bet. I had a professor who talked all the time about how Blacksburg needed a restaurant in town that had a little "wow factor" to bring your family/work guests too when you're trying to impress
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Due South is so good. Only thing is the place is so damn tiny to begin with, then they would have the live music on tuesdays and thursdays (I think...been awhile)
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It is small inside but they have a new outdoor seating area called
the Pig Pen. But haven't sat out there yet so not sure what it's like.
God it smells so good there...and they have live music a lot now.
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the pig pen is as nice as the weather is when you eat there. Though, somehow it seems to trap street smells so that's a drawback. Also, the furniture seemed to be whatever they found on the side of the road for junk day last time I was there (last October). You have to bring out an armful of sauces/paper towels since they don't keep any outside. Then you have to take them back in when you're done. None of this matters at all if you get to eat good BBQ outside on a beautiful day...
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I basically think of Bull & Bones as a place to get pretty good food to go with your really good beer. Nothing on the menu is outstanding, but it's all decent. The beer, however, I think is great.
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Former Mike's waiter checking in. Cannot say enough about how carefully these things are made. They are always fresh, the original owner's son is now the owner, and they could use the business. Lots of their business has been sucked into the on campus dining halls. I speculate unless something changes fast, Mike's won't be around much longer.
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He'll (the owner Nick) be open for another year or two for sure. Still has the lease on the building. He has two young daughters however and he loves those girls to death. The guy is there from 9 or 10 AM till almost midnight daily trying to make ends meet. Just hard to compete with the monster that is VT dining and students only doing down town to get wasted.
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I wonder if it's possible for businesses in Blacksburg to work out a deal with VT where they can accept meal plans? That might be something to help the food industry downtown a bit. I'm not sure of the mechanics behind that, or if it's even feasible but maybe Nick could spearhead a campaign like that...just a thought
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Unless VT starts giving a portion of the base amount per meal plan that they charge each student over to the business, it is not beneficial to do this. It would either cut into the profits of the restaurant or result in a higher cost for campus meal plans. The best they can do, and what many already do, is to accept Hokie Passports as a form of payment, but the account is just a debit account and not Dining Dollars.
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So I started a really sarcastic reply then realized how terrible it sounded. Nick doesn't have time. He works full time M-Sat and sends his kids off to school. He's the grill master, owner, and business manager. VT has contracts with Sodexo (I think) relating to food and the meal plans won't work for anyone but them. They did make a side balance (I think called Hokie Dollars) that people can use downtown but most students use that money for laundry. It's squeezing out a lot of restaurants that aren't bars. Perfect example is Castle's Irish Kettle and Pub. Had a great spot and was set up wonderfully, it failed because it was a sitdown deal. Reopened as something Irish. Failed again. It then took Joe from Joe's tobacco to make it successful as the Taphouse. It is beyond difficult to keep off campus dining locations open without significant community support.
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it's just a shame that local business struggle...I wish there was something that could be done about it but I guess in the end it's a dog-eats-dog world
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It's most frustrating for owner's and employees where prices are already low to accomodate students and a half pound fresh burger with topping is seen as too expensive at 5 bucks. Didn't help in this specific circumstance that VT was more than happy to allow a Five Guys to set up in town.
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five guys is such a rip off. Every time I go in there, I end up spending more than I planned and leaving unsatisfied. If mike's had some gluten free option, I'd go there over 5 guys every time.
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Unfortunately I pretty much need a separate prep area to avoid having a reaction (yay celiac disease). for most places it's not feasible for them to provide separate space. I was talking to the owner of Wicked Taco, whose wife has celiac, and he was saying they'd need to put in a separate grill and prep fridge to even get close to having their GF options be celiac safe.
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Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. We used to do all kinds of custom stuff but the bottom line was it's a one fit kitchen. We can do our best but we cant eliminate all traces.
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Holy Effing Ish. A Mike's burger is a WAY better deal than Five Guys. I'd pay $8 for a Mike's Burger. Happily. It really is the best burger I've ever eaten.
I've been the only one in the place and still had to wait 25 minutes for my burger...but I didn't care, because I know.
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Yeah, the wait is due to the fact that everything is cooked to order. No hot lamps on the fries. Burgers come out of the fridge when the order is put back. Best way to get it fast is to order everything as soon as you sit down. Calzones are bomb there as well. It's over half pound of cheese per calzone.
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Yep, Mike's has a fantastic burger. When I lived in the area, though, Mike's would close up when the stoonts weren't in town and that kinda ticked off a lot of locals who loved it when they had the town to themselves again and went out more often especially for the less crowded/student oriented atmosphere. If there was a knock on Mike's, that was the only one I ever heard. Really good burgers, though, and likely the best in town.
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Good move in my opinion, though I'd never try to tell someone how to run their business. The restaurant biz is a really tough one and I respect anyone who can do it for the long haul. Hopefully the summer business has made it worth it to him. I know summers in the 'burg used to be pretty slow for everyone.
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Having a son in college and another one beginning to look, I can tell you other colleges offer an add on to the meal plan where a student can get a limited amount of specific items from a few campus area restaurants on their meal card if their parents elect to add this to the plan. I may be to help make up for not having very good dining hall food, tho.
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^This... Have been to two universities since tech. One had terrible food (gtown). Only one dining hall. The other (gwu) is aight but they have a nice gig where their students can use their the Colonial Cash (separate from dining dollars), but it is accepted all over dc and most students just use it to buy groceries at whole foods.
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So...you probably put this together, but it's Shore from high school. I'm quite slow and just figured out who you are. The username is a giveaway, too.
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Not in Blacksburg, but definitely do check out The River and Rail in Roanoke. Aaron Deal the Executive Chef is doing some great things up there with local ingredients.
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Just head 30 minutes up I-81 to Roanoke. There is a spot for any culinary adventure. For a steak try (in no particular order) Table 50, Frankie Rowlands, Carlos, Blue 5, Shulas.
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Well it may not serve steak, and it may not be quite in Blacksburg, but I can't help but to put in a plug for one of my favorite eateries on the planet.
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Homeplace rocks. Unique family meal experience. The guy whom bought the building at auction and built the present restaurant still works there. He's very nice to talk to, loves VT students coming by, and really appreciates his customers.
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The best restaurant in Blacksburg is 622, and it really isn't close. Creative, well-prepared food, great service, great beer selection, and fantastic cocktails. It is the only place in town that has the feel and excellence of fine dining. In Roanoke, there are several....River & Rail and Lucky are both excellent. Palisades is very nice also...but they only serve beer, no cocktails/liquor.
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I'm doing my wedding rehearsal dinner at 622 in April! I've spent way too much money in that place/Franks bar. it's so damn good though, and Ray (one of the sommeliers) is awesome.
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Lefty's became my favorite place for food when I was in school, but two years after I graduated the fell off a cliff. Hard. I went back maybe 4 times and each one had me waiting over an hour for either under or over cooked food, sloppily prepared, sometimes looking downright lazy. It pained me to not go back but I couldn't trust it anymore. I heard they are expanding soon though so maybe that got their stuff together?
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They have just recently expanded and moved down the street. Cited the reasons was because they got tired of seeing customers leave because of wait times forced by lack of space. They have also decided to open a microbrewery to go with the restaurant.
I'm actually headed here in about an hour to try it out! Not sure if the brewery is up and running yet!
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Haven't been to the new location but would try to visit the old (Long John Silvers) location at least once a football weekend visit. It was very hit or miss based on the volume of people they had in the restaurant or in line. If you timed it just right and got a table quickly and the kitchen wasn't overwhelmed the food is still outstanding. I'm hoping the new location gives them the space they need to do a good job.
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Yes. this right here.
Consistently poor steak. It's not cooked poorly but, the steaks themselves are a poor cut.
I go there when I have to but I do not get steak there.
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Back in the '70s, we had other ways to enhance our appetites, but no money to eat out unless mom and dad were visiting and took us out. Only steaks we had were venison steaks, only burgers we could afford were ten for a dollar at the local Skinny Burger (Kenney's). Still can't eat tuna casserole and even mac and cheese is still on my so-so list. Somehow, though, I remember those days fondly.
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There used to be only one place worth getting a steak in the entire area.....I will forever rue the demise of the Farmhouse in Christiansburg although I did hear that the demise started much earlier than the closing earlier in 2015 so maybe I am better off with the memories. It was expensive even during my time there but was well worth it.
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Well that's good news, and it sounds like it is in the hands of some people that know what they are doing so hopefully we can see a vibrant return and the end to the discussion of best steak in the area once again.
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I just nearly posted about this myself. THIS was the place to get a good steak and you paid for it too. We would go hear to celebrate special events, such as graduations. Great aged steaks and cooked perfectly too. It's a shame that they closed, especially since they were the place the football team would eat the night before a home game prior to going to the Hotel Roanoke.
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Possibly unpopular opinion: I think it's a good thing Tech has the best on-campus food in the country because I have always thought Blacksburg is one of the worst college towns I've been to in terms of off-campus food.
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Charlottesville has some killer restaurants. My absolute favorite burger is from Citizen Burger there. I used to find excuses for my girlfriend and I to go visit her sister at UVA, just for the food.
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Yeah gotta agree there. Not too much that I really think are must stop when we make it back around. Mill Mountain is probably the lone exception, the rest is kind of ho hum and fine for college dinning options, but not much else.
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We learned at today's council work session the sad news that Mike's Grill has permanently closed ... gonna miss those burgers! #Blacksburg— Michael Sutphin (@michaelsutphin) August 30, 2016
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I cried a little. I know it's possible they're reopening in 2021 but who the hell knows. Fuck Covid.
We'd like to take a moment to express our gratitude for years of support from our family, friends, and those of you who have became such over the years as our valued customers. We know how Covid has affected all businesses, and we sadly have been hit hard. We enjoyed being able to offer carry out over the summer and had high hopes of trying to get our feet back on the ground by opening for inside dining with social distancing along with the takeout option still in place. Unfortunately, we didn't get the folks we needed with new policies in place, and wanted to let you know our last day of business for 2020 will be Sunday, October 18 for inside dining and carry out. We pray for better days and hope 2021 will shine for all.
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Another current post for a local restaurant... The Black Hen. They are owned (at least in part) by the same owners of Bull & Bones which are a great supporters of VT and other local community organizations. They recently made another great Chef hire to their staff. Here's the press release. https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2020/10/07/former-hells-kitchen-contesta...
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Bull n Bones Blacksburg announced they are closing while they "evaluate the situation". Very cryptic. pic.twitter.com/tAkOuoVLFp— Blacksburg Stuff (@BlacksburgStuff) January 4, 2021
Sounds like they hope it's temporary.
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Meh, not surprising. Bull & Bones was the shit when they first opened, but the quality of the food and service has been going downhill hard for the past couple of years. My wife and I got hitched in BBurg in late October and we had a family only dinner there the night before the wedding (a Friday night). Food was EXTREMELY slow coming out, some of it was overcooked, some of it was cold, and the taste was just "meh".
We kept telling ourselves "this is the last time" but then going back in the hope that they'd fixed themselves, but alas, we were just chasing a ghost of BullnBones past.
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It's unlikely that the food will ever return to what it once was. The restaurant was opened in a partnership between two guys, one of them with all the restaurant experience, the other with all the money. Differences of opinions were had, now only one of them remains a part of the business. I'll let you figure out which one is still around...
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Coming from someone who lives in Blacksburg, here's the "casualty count":
Mike's: Closed
Taphouse: Closed
London Underground: Closed temporarily (since August 2020)
Bull & Bones: Just closed today; uncertain if it's permanent or not
Boudreaux: Closed
Billy's: Closed
Homeplace: Closed
Blackstone: Closed
At least we still have Cabo, Lefty's, ODB. the Cellar, Green's, Macado's, Black Hen, and Cafe de Bangkok. We try to get carry-out at one local restaurant every week just to help keep the remaining ones afloat.
Mad Italian (a.k.a. Brian's Dad)
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I was not aware that Boudreaux closed and I am upset. Mike's was awhile ago and it still sucks. Homeplace is a tragedy. If PKs or HoHo's closes I am going to lose it...
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Yeah that sucks about Boudreauxs. That was my favorite place to dine at when I was in town (granted its been a long while since I've been in Blacksburg for a stay).
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There's a new place in Mike's location that just opened about a month or two go. Called The Maroon Door. Friends have been there. Word is the food is excellent, the beer, not so much.
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Just moved back to the area from San Diego.. it's cafe de Bangkok that is keeping me sane. I miss the food from sd so much. I remember the food in the NRV being much better than it is now. Hope that improves soon.
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Not the underground, great bar if you want a rum and coke in a pint glass with a splash of coke, best value of my college years also they had darts and a crazy chef (the chef's special was him coming out, give you a once over stare and then making you something)
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Wife & I had Souvlaki's when we were there in October to get hitched. Food wasn't the best but it was right as they were getting ready to close so I can't fault them too much.
I really miss Sycamore deli though :(
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Just heard that The Palisades is reducing its weekly open dates and delivery dates for January and February - which they admit are traditionally their slowest months annually. I hope this is just a temporary issue. The loss of this restaurant would be really awful.
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It is, and it is. Beer was average to slightly above average (I only tried the hazy IPA), but food was really good. I had the Appalachian Cobb salad which has smoked rabbit, and the wings. Big fan of both.
Hope they figure out their beer and stick around. Nice having a higher end food option other than the Black Hen.
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I love the Underground! When I was little, my dad would go there during blowout wins or rainy games, and I would play foosball the whole time. Hopefully I can experience it as an adult here soon.
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This thread is old, but some good news in Blacksburg deserves it's resurrection.
The London Underground has reopened as The Square 5 Public House. My wife and I love this place. Glad it came back from the dead. Menu is similar to what it was, basic pub fare, buts its tasty.
They should sell their Bacon Marmalade by the jar, its legit delicious!
They opened up the area which really helps. Here's a pic:
The Blacksburg Christmas Parade is a blast at this place!
Wife and I are going Friday to check it out. I'll let you know. I can't tell from the pic, but appears to have some tables over there. I liked playing darts there.
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Went to Square 5 Public House for dinner Friday. Food was solid. Some new menu additions and some deletions from the old menu. Beer selections, as usual, are great. Open 5 days a week for lunch and dinner. Closed Sunday and Monday for now (could change). We went early as we expected it to fill up, which it did 15 minutes after we got there. Was still packed (to state covid mandated/permitted levels) when we left.
Post Covid plans are to include 2 dartboards, more tables, with space near the front for live entertainment. They opened up the wall between front and rear which really helps. Place looks and feels great.
Support John (Owner) and go. Great place.
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I saw on the Virginia Tech subreddit that they have one of the lead cooks from Cabo Fish Taco in the kitchen and that darts are expected to come back as well.
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My wife(VT '94) and I will be making the trip up there more often soon since my son has decided to go to Tech for computational modeling and data analytics. Been a while since we have been. What are some of the new places to check out?
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Comments
Well, it's Blacksburg so there's not a lot of places that fit the description. Local here.
To me, the highest quality food in Blacksburg is The Black Hen (http://www.theblackhenrestaurant.com/). They've renovated in the old sushi bar / tapas building formerly part of Poor Billy's into a much more contemporary feel. Highly recommended in general.
From other experience, I've had filets at Preston's at the Inn at Virginia Tech; everything is underwhelming there. Avoid at all costs. I'm not even going to post a link to their site because that's how much I dislike it.
I've also had filets at the Summit Restaurant (http://www.summitrestaurant.us/) in Christiansburg with mixed results. Chef Abdul tends to rush his meals lately, and I ended up with an overcooked one last time out.
Not truly steak related, but I am a huge fan in general of the Palisades (http://www.thepalisadesrestaurant.com/) which is 25 minutes down the road in Eggleston mainly for the atmosphere and high quality, reasonably priced food (local farm ingredients, hand made). This is my go-to spot to take the missus on date nights. They're not in any way a "steak place" and they only serve a ribeye, but reasonably priced and well made.
I've heard Palisades is a unique experience and ribeye is my favorite cut. Might have to try that one if we have time tomorrow night.
Leg, Palisades is a great experience - both ambiance and food wise. I haven't had their steak, might need to try that.
The best steak in Christiansburg is from my grill.
I've been to The Black Hen a couple of times and I can confirm that they make very good food there. The first time I went with my girlfriend for just drinks and dessert. The desserts are fantastic. Since having a full time job we went a second time for an entire meal there. Great cheese board, entrees were fantastic and of course tasty desserts.
Edit - meant to reply to another post.
There hasn't be a good steak in the Burg since the Sizzler left.
West End
If you want a solid "fancy night out" restaurant in the Blacksburg area, Palisades is your best bet. I had a professor who talked all the time about how Blacksburg needed a restaurant in town that had a little "wow factor" to bring your family/work guests too when you're trying to impress
The River Company has very good food and a good beer selection.
The ribeye appetizer there was outstanding last fall, when I was in.
We ended up eating at The River Company Brewery. Had the ribeye and it was very good!
Leg. Raddy ftw. Solid brews as well.
I found Bull and Bones to be severely overrated, FYI.
I agree 100%. Due South in Christiansburg has much better BBQ.
Due South is so good. Only thing is the place is so damn tiny to begin with, then they would have the live music on tuesdays and thursdays (I think...been awhile)
It is small inside but they have a new outdoor seating area called
the Pig Pen. But haven't sat out there yet so not sure what it's like.
God it smells so good there...and they have live music a lot now.
the pig pen is as nice as the weather is when you eat there. Though, somehow it seems to trap street smells so that's a drawback. Also, the furniture seemed to be whatever they found on the side of the road for junk day last time I was there (last October). You have to bring out an armful of sauces/paper towels since they don't keep any outside. Then you have to take them back in when you're done. None of this matters at all if you get to eat good BBQ outside on a beautiful day...
maroon effect is good though
I basically think of Bull & Bones as a place to get pretty good food to go with your really good beer. Nothing on the menu is outstanding, but it's all decent. The beer, however, I think is great.
Our Daily Bread had excellent duck confit.
so glad they started serving dinner. I could eat three meals a day at that place...for like a week then I'd be fat and broke, but very very happy.
A burger from Mike's Grill will make you forget you ever needed a steak, so there's that.
This! 1000x this! The burgers are that good, and they're served upside-down
Former Mike's waiter checking in. Cannot say enough about how carefully these things are made. They are always fresh, the original owner's son is now the owner, and they could use the business. Lots of their business has been sucked into the on campus dining halls. I speculate unless something changes fast, Mike's won't be around much longer.
Such a bummer. Great burgers but the place is always empty.
Hopefully they are open next game I'm up ther for always like to try a good burger.
He'll (the owner Nick) be open for another year or two for sure. Still has the lease on the building. He has two young daughters however and he loves those girls to death. The guy is there from 9 or 10 AM till almost midnight daily trying to make ends meet. Just hard to compete with the monster that is VT dining and students only doing down town to get wasted.
I wonder if it's possible for businesses in Blacksburg to work out a deal with VT where they can accept meal plans? That might be something to help the food industry downtown a bit. I'm not sure of the mechanics behind that, or if it's even feasible but maybe Nick could spearhead a campaign like that...just a thought
Unless VT starts giving a portion of the base amount per meal plan that they charge each student over to the business, it is not beneficial to do this. It would either cut into the profits of the restaurant or result in a higher cost for campus meal plans. The best they can do, and what many already do, is to accept Hokie Passports as a form of payment, but the account is just a debit account and not Dining Dollars.
So I started a really sarcastic reply then realized how terrible it sounded. Nick doesn't have time. He works full time M-Sat and sends his kids off to school. He's the grill master, owner, and business manager. VT has contracts with Sodexo (I think) relating to food and the meal plans won't work for anyone but them. They did make a side balance (I think called Hokie Dollars) that people can use downtown but most students use that money for laundry. It's squeezing out a lot of restaurants that aren't bars. Perfect example is Castle's Irish Kettle and Pub. Had a great spot and was set up wonderfully, it failed because it was a sitdown deal. Reopened as something Irish. Failed again. It then took Joe from Joe's tobacco to make it successful as the Taphouse. It is beyond difficult to keep off campus dining locations open without significant community support.
it's just a shame that local business struggle...I wish there was something that could be done about it but I guess in the end it's a dog-eats-dog world
It's most frustrating for owner's and employees where prices are already low to accomodate students and a half pound fresh burger with topping is seen as too expensive at 5 bucks. Didn't help in this specific circumstance that VT was more than happy to allow a Five Guys to set up in town.
five guys is such a rip off. Every time I go in there, I end up spending more than I planned and leaving unsatisfied. If mike's had some gluten free option, I'd go there over 5 guys every time.
You can chat with them and they will do a burger without a bun if gluten is a concern. Keep in mind, if the allergy is severe, don't chance it.
Unfortunately I pretty much need a separate prep area to avoid having a reaction (yay celiac disease). for most places it's not feasible for them to provide separate space. I was talking to the owner of Wicked Taco, whose wife has celiac, and he was saying they'd need to put in a separate grill and prep fridge to even get close to having their GF options be celiac safe.
Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. We used to do all kinds of custom stuff but the bottom line was it's a one fit kitchen. We can do our best but we cant eliminate all traces.
Holy Effing Ish. A Mike's burger is a WAY better deal than Five Guys. I'd pay $8 for a Mike's Burger. Happily. It really is the best burger I've ever eaten.
I've been the only one in the place and still had to wait 25 minutes for my burger...but I didn't care, because I know.
Yeah, the wait is due to the fact that everything is cooked to order. No hot lamps on the fries. Burgers come out of the fridge when the order is put back. Best way to get it fast is to order everything as soon as you sit down. Calzones are bomb there as well. It's over half pound of cheese per calzone.
Yep, Mike's has a fantastic burger. When I lived in the area, though, Mike's would close up when the stoonts weren't in town and that kinda ticked off a lot of locals who loved it when they had the town to themselves again and went out more often especially for the less crowded/student oriented atmosphere. If there was a knock on Mike's, that was the only one I ever heard. Really good burgers, though, and likely the best in town.
Ever since the 90's he only takes a week and a half off for a family vacation but it is now open all Summer long. =D
Good move in my opinion, though I'd never try to tell someone how to run their business. The restaurant biz is a really tough one and I respect anyone who can do it for the long haul. Hopefully the summer business has made it worth it to him. I know summers in the 'burg used to be pretty slow for everyone.
Oh Yeah, I've had the calzones. I've had everything. I totally get it.
When I was in school during the late 80's I ate at Mikes AT LEAST twice a week.
One one Blacksburg visit a couple years ago, I ate Mike's twice in one day.
Having a son in college and another one beginning to look, I can tell you other colleges offer an add on to the meal plan where a student can get a limited amount of specific items from a few campus area restaurants on their meal card if their parents elect to add this to the plan. I may be to help make up for not having very good dining hall food, tho.
^This... Have been to two universities since tech. One had terrible food (gtown). Only one dining hall. The other (gwu) is aight but they have a nice gig where their students can use their the Colonial Cash (separate from dining dollars), but it is accepted all over dc and most students just use it to buy groceries at whole foods.
So...you probably put this together, but it's Shore from high school. I'm quite slow and just figured out who you are. The username is a giveaway, too.
OMG!!!!!!!!!!
EVERYONE TO BLACKSBURG!!!!!! NOW!!!!!!!! WE CAN'T PURCHASE BURGERS FAST ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes. I am yelling.
Well looks like you were right.
Hey now, their steak & cheese is pretty damn good too. Hard to forget that.
Not in Blacksburg, but definitely do check out The River and Rail in Roanoke. Aaron Deal the Executive Chef is doing some great things up there with local ingredients.
Just head 30 minutes up I-81 to Roanoke. There is a spot for any culinary adventure. For a steak try (in no particular order) Table 50, Frankie Rowlands, Carlos, Blue 5, Shulas.
Blue Apron in Salem has the best steak around.
Well it may not serve steak, and it may not be quite in Blacksburg, but I can't help but to put in a plug for one of my favorite eateries on the planet.
Homeplace rocks. Unique family meal experience. The guy whom bought the building at auction and built the present restaurant still works there. He's very nice to talk to, loves VT students coming by, and really appreciates his customers.
Tell me he's the guy on the mic that says, "smittyvtttttt....party of twoooooooo."
Man, this brought back all the VT game roadtrip memories...
The best restaurant in Blacksburg is 622, and it really isn't close. Creative, well-prepared food, great service, great beer selection, and fantastic cocktails. It is the only place in town that has the feel and excellence of fine dining. In Roanoke, there are several....River & Rail and Lucky are both excellent. Palisades is very nice also...but they only serve beer, no cocktails/liquor.
The Taphouse is good too. Same atmosphere. It's newer. You may like it.
Agreed...best beer selection in town and good burgers. I think it may be same owners??
Nope. Taphouse is owned by the guy who owns the cigar shop down the street.
I'm doing my wedding rehearsal dinner at 622 in April! I've spent way too much money in that place/Franks bar. it's so damn good though, and Ray (one of the sommeliers) is awesome.
Yep...love Ray!
My favorite food in Blacksburg will always be Lefty's.
Lefty's and 622 are the same owners. But I agree - I love Lefty's for a nice lunch.
Lefty's is also opening a brewery operation. Should be up soon
Brunch and Dinner - 622 takes the steal.
I need to eat more at 622 then.
Darn, another reason to visit Blacksburg.
Lefty's has a good breakfast...just steer clear of their "beignets" (hint: they are not beignets)
Lefty's became my favorite place for food when I was in school, but two years after I graduated the fell off a cliff. Hard. I went back maybe 4 times and each one had me waiting over an hour for either under or over cooked food, sloppily prepared, sometimes looking downright lazy. It pained me to not go back but I couldn't trust it anymore. I heard they are expanding soon though so maybe that got their stuff together?
They have just recently expanded and moved down the street. Cited the reasons was because they got tired of seeing customers leave because of wait times forced by lack of space. They have also decided to open a microbrewery to go with the restaurant.
I'm actually headed here in about an hour to try it out! Not sure if the brewery is up and running yet!
Good for them, hope my visits were an exception, I'll have to try out the new digs.
Haven't been to the new location but would try to visit the old (Long John Silvers) location at least once a football weekend visit. It was very hit or miss based on the volume of people they had in the restaurant or in line. If you timed it just right and got a table quickly and the kitchen wasn't overwhelmed the food is still outstanding. I'm hoping the new location gives them the space they need to do a good job.
I hope lefty's does better there than the last couple tenants (Hong Kong Buffet, El Guadelupe)
El Guads > El Rods all day. Was super bummed when they closed.
I thought they just moved down the road to the same 'mall' that has Bull&Bones.
622 has an AWESOME brunch. I also had brunch at Taphouse and was not impressed. I do like that its an old frat house and harkens me back to college.
Benny's @ 2am tastes as good as any steak i've ever had
I really miss calzones at the Cellar...ricotta with pepperoni...I always try to get up there once during the summer just to get a calzone.
Who knew TKP had so many steak snobs? What's wrong with Texas Road house people?
A good burger is better than a poor steak.
Yes. this right here.
Consistently poor steak. It's not cooked poorly but, the steaks themselves are a poor cut.
I go there when I have to but I do not get steak there.
The trick is to drink 3 tall boys during appetizers and then a piece of shoe leather will taste good.
Those rolls tho!
I just eat the bread when I've been there, and a baked potato.
Back in the '70s, we had other ways to enhance our appetites, but no money to eat out unless mom and dad were visiting and took us out. Only steaks we had were venison steaks, only burgers we could afford were ten for a dollar at the local Skinny Burger (Kenney's). Still can't eat tuna casserole and even mac and cheese is still on my so-so list. Somehow, though, I remember those days fondly.
There used to be only one place worth getting a steak in the entire area.....I will forever rue the demise of the Farmhouse in Christiansburg although I did hear that the demise started much earlier than the closing earlier in 2015 so maybe I am better off with the memories. It was expensive even during my time there but was well worth it.
They were supposed to re-open with new owners.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/local/christiansburg/roanoke-restaurateurs-p...
Well that's good news, and it sounds like it is in the hands of some people that know what they are doing so hopefully we can see a vibrant return and the end to the discussion of best steak in the area once again.
I just nearly posted about this myself. THIS was the place to get a good steak and you paid for it too. We would go hear to celebrate special events, such as graduations. Great aged steaks and cooked perfectly too. It's a shame that they closed, especially since they were the place the football team would eat the night before a home game prior to going to the Hotel Roanoke.
I'll take pork over steak any day of the week. We need more good pork options in the Burg.
Possibly unpopular opinion: I think it's a good thing Tech has the best on-campus food in the country because I have always thought Blacksburg is one of the worst college towns I've been to in terms of off-campus food.
I wholehearted disagree but respect your opinion.
There's a college town North and East of Blacksburg that has some really good food.
But I won't say which one, because I might get banned.
You won't get banned for saying Roanoke.
Charlottesville has some killer restaurants. My absolute favorite burger is from Citizen Burger there. I used to find excuses for my girlfriend and I to go visit her sister at UVA, just for the food.
Honestly, if you removed the school - Charlottesville would be a really excellent place to live.
And remove the terrible traffic too. Other than that, fantastic
I think if you get rid of the university a lot of the traffic will go with it
Yeah gotta agree there. Not too much that I really think are must stop when we make it back around. Mill Mountain is probably the lone exception, the rest is kind of ho hum and fine for college dinning options, but not much else.
Bringing this thread back:
Homeplace closing due to covid. End of an era....
Last day is October 18th. 😫
Half of my local Austin, TX's most historic restaurants and bars perma-closed because of COVID, but this one right here hurts more.
They are closing for the remainder of 2020 and plan to reopen in 2021. They are not closing permanently.
I cried a little. I know it's possible they're reopening in 2021 but who the hell knows. Fuck Covid.
Homeplace could raise a ton of money to resume business in 2021 if they'd just start a GoFundMe.
When I read this I had a sudden empty feeling and a craving for biscuits. Glad is appears to be a temporary closing.
Another current post for a local restaurant... The Black Hen. They are owned (at least in part) by the same owners of Bull & Bones which are a great supporters of VT and other local community organizations. They recently made another great Chef hire to their staff. Here's the press release. https://www.wsls.com/news/local/2020/10/07/former-hells-kitchen-contesta...
They have a really good bar too.
Sounds like they hope it's temporary.
I didn't even realize they had one in Blacksburg.
South Main, was pretty solid food too. I thought the Bburg one was the first one of those two.
It's the original location, and was the flagship restaurant when First and Main opened.
They're closing due to financial impacts of the pandemic from what I've heard and seen reported. Hopefully they reopen soon. I think they plan to.
Holy thread resurrection
only if the cleric did it. If it was the necromancer, it's unholy.
Logged back in just to leg this post. Well played, sir.
I miss Blacksburg restaurants
😔
It's comments like this that will unite this damned country again.
Um...gonna take a bit more. 😭😭😭
Meh, not surprising. Bull & Bones was the shit when they first opened, but the quality of the food and service has been going downhill hard for the past couple of years. My wife and I got hitched in BBurg in late October and we had a family only dinner there the night before the wedding (a Friday night). Food was EXTREMELY slow coming out, some of it was overcooked, some of it was cold, and the taste was just "meh".
We kept telling ourselves "this is the last time" but then going back in the hope that they'd fixed themselves, but alas, we were just chasing a ghost of BullnBones past.
It's unlikely that the food will ever return to what it once was. The restaurant was opened in a partnership between two guys, one of them with all the restaurant experience, the other with all the money. Differences of opinions were had, now only one of them remains a part of the business. I'll let you figure out which one is still around...
Coming from someone who lives in Blacksburg, here's the "casualty count":
Mike's: Closed
Taphouse: Closed
London Underground: Closed temporarily (since August 2020)
Bull & Bones: Just closed today; uncertain if it's permanent or not
Boudreaux: Closed
Billy's: Closed
Homeplace: Closed
Blackstone: Closed
At least we still have Cabo, Lefty's, ODB. the Cellar, Green's, Macado's, Black Hen, and Cafe de Bangkok. We try to get carry-out at one local restaurant every week just to help keep the remaining ones afloat.
Mad Italian (a.k.a. Brian's Dad)
I was not aware that Boudreaux closed and I am upset. Mike's was awhile ago and it still sucks. Homeplace is a tragedy. If PKs or HoHo's closes I am going to lose it...
Yeah that sucks about Boudreauxs. That was my favorite place to dine at when I was in town (granted its been a long while since I've been in Blacksburg for a stay).
There's a new place in Mike's location that just opened about a month or two go. Called The Maroon Door. Friends have been there. Word is the food is excellent, the beer, not so much.
Is there anything good on tap? I have to believe there are enough local breweries that could come in to help the situation.
Not sure (I haven't been there yet). But I agree that local sources should be able to help.
That is terrible news! I'm guessing the restaurants that you marked as "closed" are closed for good?
Just moved back to the area from San Diego.. it's cafe de Bangkok that is keeping me sane. I miss the food from sd so much. I remember the food in the NRV being much better than it is now. Hope that improves soon.
Abby's, Hokie House, Sharkey's, and PKs are still open for all those that had a mini heart attack looking at this list.
Man, Boudreaux makes me sad.
Can't forget Big Al's, even though it was in 2019
Not the underground, great bar if you want a rum and coke in a pint glass with a splash of coke, best value of my college years also they had darts and a crazy chef (the chef's special was him coming out, give you a once over stare and then making you something)
That hurts about Boudreaux's. What about Souvlaki's? I hope Mike (the owner) is surviving.
Wife & I had Souvlaki's when we were there in October to get hitched. Food wasn't the best but it was right as they were getting ready to close so I can't fault them too much.
I really miss Sycamore deli though :(
On a similar note. Blue 5, past winner of the best beer bar in VA has closed, looks like for good. It was a couple months ago.
Yea, I heard that as well. Loved that place. Saw Mac Arnold there, he was incredible!
This was disappointing for me, as it was a killer place for a band to play. They had an awesome sound set up, and a competent guy running the board.
I had 622 north main brunch yesterday. It hits
Just heard that The Palisades is reducing its weekly open dates and delivery dates for January and February - which they admit are traditionally their slowest months annually. I hope this is just a temporary issue. The loss of this restaurant would be really awful.
Yeah, January and Feb are really slow for all of us.
It's going to really suck with the loss of St. Patty's Day parties.
Check out The Maroon Door on Main Street. A friend of mine is the executive chef. Renovated spot between the Cellar and PK's.
Is that in the old Mike's location? Looks good from the website!
It is, and it is. Beer was average to slightly above average (I only tried the hazy IPA), but food was really good. I had the Appalachian Cobb salad which has smoked rabbit, and the wings. Big fan of both.
Hope they figure out their beer and stick around. Nice having a higher end food option other than the Black Hen.
Some good news about The London Underground:
I love the Underground! When I was little, my dad would go there during blowout wins or rainy games, and I would play foosball the whole time. Hopefully I can experience it as an adult here soon.
This thread is old, but some good news in Blacksburg deserves it's resurrection.
The London Underground has reopened as The Square 5 Public House. My wife and I love this place. Glad it came back from the dead. Menu is similar to what it was, basic pub fare, buts its tasty.
They should sell their Bacon Marmalade by the jar, its legit delicious!
They opened up the area which really helps. Here's a pic:
The Blacksburg Christmas Parade is a blast at this place!
Here's a link to their Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/square5blacksburg/
no more darts? :(
Wife and I are going Friday to check it out. I'll let you know. I can't tell from the pic, but appears to have some tables over there. I liked playing darts there.
yeah I also noticed the tables which led to my question. I enjoyed playing darts there too! I guess there's always PKs or Champs...
Could be a temp layout given social distancing guidelines for tables and minimizing people standing around and moving a lot playing darts. Maybe.
Went to Square 5 Public House for dinner Friday. Food was solid. Some new menu additions and some deletions from the old menu. Beer selections, as usual, are great. Open 5 days a week for lunch and dinner. Closed Sunday and Monday for now (could change). We went early as we expected it to fill up, which it did 15 minutes after we got there. Was still packed (to state covid mandated/permitted levels) when we left.
Post Covid plans are to include 2 dartboards, more tables, with space near the front for live entertainment. They opened up the wall between front and rear which really helps. Place looks and feels great.
Support John (Owner) and go. Great place.
I saw on the Virginia Tech subreddit that they have one of the lead cooks from Cabo Fish Taco in the kitchen and that darts are expected to come back as well.
Darts are still currently against regulations.
yeah, I guess that makes sense. I suppose when (if?) things open up again darts will come back?
Lol.
Wait really?
Is it still a British-style pub or something entirely different?
Its still British style pub.
I'm headed to Blacksburg this weekend. While I plan on visiting my old favorites (if they still exist), are there any new places worth trying?
Might be too late, but we enjoyed the new taco place that took over where Big Als used to be above Poor Billy's
My wife(VT '94) and I will be making the trip up there more often soon since my son has decided to go to Tech for computational modeling and data analytics. Been a while since we have been. What are some of the new places to check out?
Cabo Fish Taco is our favorite place, but it isn't all that new.
A coworker recently gave a strong endorsement for Eastern Divide Brewing. Said the food and beer were great.
Cabo is no doubt my favorite place.
Eastern Divide is a very nice place, with good beer, good food, and a great outdoor area to hang in. The wife and I like it.
I have no idea how good the food and drink are, but, as a geography nerd, I'm in love with the name.
When's the last time you were up there?
Been a while! Probably UVA in the freezing cold 4 years ago for a game. Toured with my son over 2 years ago!
Homeplace will not reopen.