Favorite Charlottesville Restaurants

Below are some of my choices for favorite food places in the Charlottesville area. This page is updated frequently, so check back for additional information. There’s also a page of Favorite Boutique Inns & Hotels in this link.

We begin the new series on local restaurants with Southern Crescent, which is strongly Palmer Approved. As such, our photo shows Palmer sitting on the blue wraparound porch that surrounds the charming house that is home to this unique restaurant. Located in the heart of the Belmont neighborhood of Charlottesville, Southern Crescent is named for the railroad that connects Charlottesville straight to New Orleans …. so Cajun and Creole are exactly what you can enjoy here. Classic cuisine from Louisiana and the Caribbean includes New Orleans favorites and tropical specialty cocktails, juices, and spirits.

The atmosphere at Southern Crescent is casual and comfortable, with both indoor and outdoor dining. There are lots of tables on the porch and garden if you want to bring your dog, and the bartender and staff have a supply of dog biscuits. Enjoy Po Boys, Jambalaya, Gumbo, Crawfish Pie and don’t forget to save room for Beignets. As for craft cocktails; I recommend starting with a Sazerac, a New Orleans staple.

The Red Pump Kitchen enjoys a prime location on Charlottesville’s popular downtown pedestrian mall. After being closed for two years due to the pandemic, the restaurant has recently reopened. It’s a Tuscan-inspired eatery featuring exquisitely prepared Italian regional dishes and wines, with a sprinkling of Virginia specialties as well.

The atmosphere at Red Pump Kitchen is casually elegant, offering both indoor and outdoor patio dining. They offer a three or 4-course tasting menu to bring “modern, Italian-infused food” to Charlottesville while including seasonal sourcing from local purveyors. Classic and elevated wine pairings are offered to complement each of the carefully crafted dishes. You might also enjoy their handcrafted cocktails. A link to learn more about the restaurant and MENU IS HERE.

Sitting unobtrusively in a weathered 3-story brick building, the C & O Restaurant has been a downtown Charlottesville favorite for decades. The building once offered meals to nearby railroad workers in the 1920’s, but since 1975 the C&O has been a casually elegant destination for those who prefer excellent fine dining in a charming bistro setting. The C&O has a range of seating options, from its outdoor patio to the main dining room to the cozy lower level pub. Although the building is deliberately unpretentious, the food is predicably wonderful, featuring French cuisine and fine wines. My advice is to save room for their Coupe Maison with the most decandent chocolate sauce ever. And if you happen to visit Charlottesville in colder weather, this may be one of the most warming, comforting, welcoming retreats in town. Details and Menu Here.

Located in the popular Belmont neighborhood of Charlottesville, Conmole offers authentic and unique dishes prepared from recipes that the owner, Benos Bustamante, learned from the Oaxaca region of Mexico. What you’ll find is true native Mexican cuisine featuring regional spices and plenty of mouth-watering mole dishes. What you won’t find, is chips and salsa.

Bustamante was a longtime manager at the Mas Tapas restaurant nearby, and now he has the opportunity to feature original traditional family recipes. Many of the recipes come from his mother and grandmother including the various kinds of mole sauce. Every dish is carefully overseen by Benos and he can usually be seen talking to diners asking how they are enjoying the food. You might enjoy the Chuletas with Tres-Chiles Mole which is lamb chops in a mole of three varieties of chiles. The atmosphere is casual, and there is outdoor dining. A link to learn more about the restaurant and menu is below.

Café Frank is a newer addition to our downtown Charlottesville restaurant scene. The restaurant, which features everyday food from a classic French kitchen, originally opened during the pandemic. Due to the timing, they initially offered only dinner to go. Now they offer dining in, patio dining, and a popular option called “take home the chef”.

We’ve enjoyed a menu standard, their Coq au Vin with its incredible rich sauce. They also have an excellent collection of wines by the glass and we’re able to recommend the lovely Sancerre. A link to learn more about the restaurant and menu is below.

Consistently excellent. Always great food and professional service. Never disappoints. Hamilton’s restaurant is conveniently located at the corner of First and Main on the downtown pedestrian mall. Dining is available both indoors or seasonally outside at cafe tables. It’s the perfect choice for a wonderful lunch or a romantic cozy dinner. For those who are looking for an ideal site to host a busines lunch or a wedding party, there is also a spacious private dining room. And Hamilton’s menu is available to order online for takeout as well. Recently we’ve enjoyed the swordfish which is beautifully prepared along with seasonal late summer vegetables.

A link to learn more about the restaurant and menu is below.

BRASSERIE SAISON

 

Loosely translated, the word Bizou means a ‘little kiss’ or a ‘little gem’.  It’s the perfect name for the eclectic little diner-turned-eatery on Charlottesville’s downtown mall.  Bizou has been a local favorite since its founding in 1996.  The owners have kept the layout of the previous diner, complete with juke boxes at each booth, so the atmosphere is definitely relaxed.  They feature comfort foods, unique recipes, and a nice wine list.  (I once thought my own rabbit quesadilla recipe was unique, so imagine my surprise when I found that offering on Bizou’s menu too).  A classic meatloaf dinner is also a popular recurring item on the Bizou menu.

 

The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, and a link to learn more about the restaurant and menu is below.

 

Sample Menu from Bizou

 

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SAL’S CAFFE ITALIA     

 

Known affectionately as simply “Sal’s”, this Italian bistro has been at the center of Charlottesville’s downtown mall since 1985.  It’s a family owned/operated full service restaurant which has indoor dining but also a large patio dining area outdoors.  Located next to the Paramount Theater, Sal’s is a meeting place for locals and tourists alike.   

Sal’s has a menu that’s bound to please everyone.  You could begin with a cocktail or local craft beer or any of the dozens of wine selections.  Obviously, pizzas are a staple at this Sicilian-inspired venue, and you can choose your own toppings for traditional or white sauces, hand tossed or pan pizzas.  

There’s a large selection of classical pasta dishes, and one of my own favorites is their Pasta Nina which features shrimp, artichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes in a Pink Lady sauce over rigatoni.  There’s a variety of other chicken and seafood entree dishes available as well.

 

There is a large outdoor dining area of Sal’s with canopy covered tables that is a wonderful spot to relax and enjoy ‘people watching’ at all the activity on the downtown mall.  This time of year, Sal’s often offers small heaters next to the tables.  A link to learn more about the restaurant and menu is below.

 

Sample Menu from Sal’s Caffe Italia

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TAVOLA RESTAURANT

If you live near Charlottesville and you have an uncontrollable urge to enjoy tiramisu or limoncello cheesecake, then hurry to the Tavola restaurant in charming Belmont to satisfy your craving. The menu at Tavola features a wide range of rustic Italian-inspired entrees using local growers and providers as sources for their unique recipes. Since its opening in 2009, Tavola has developed a loyal following because of the excellence of the food, wines, and service. One favorite dish is their Pappardelle Bolognese, which features a house made pasta topped with local beef and pork in a yummy traditional Bolognese sauce.

The excellence is the inspiration of the husband/wife owners who oversee all aspects of the dining experience. They are very experienced in the world of cuisine and you can learn about them and their training in THIS LINK.

Be sure to make a reservation because this 37-seat intimate eatery is popular and seating is limited. There is an open kitchen where nearby guests can observe meals that are prepared from scratch. You might also want to sample the wide variety of craft cocktails, dessert cocktails, and other specialty creations. It’s always fun to join in the atmosphere of the unique Belmont neighborhood.. A link to learn more about the restaurant and menu is below.

SAMPLE MENU FROM TAVOLA

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TEN RESTAURANT

 

In Japanese, the word for “celebration” or “heaven” is Ten.  In Charlottesville, Ten is a wonderful Japanese tapas restaurant that features Asian-inspired food and cocktails made from carefully selected local, regional, and international sea and farm purveyors.  Ten has been offering traditional and original cuisine since its opening in 2006.

You could begin your meal with a serving of Aburi Saba, a lightly broiled Japanese mackerel with miso.  Next you might enjoy the Wagyu tenderloin served with truffle herb wasabi butter.  I like the Kani Avocado with snow crab, cucumber, avocado, and tobiko.  You might want to try any of their exotic rolls, or perhaps the Ebi hawaiian king prawn.  

There are dozens of exotic drinks to sample as well.  You could try one of their sake flights in order to sample variations.  One unique offering is the North Garden cocktail, a locally sourced combination with apple brandy and Asian pear bitters. And by all means be sure to save room for the warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream.  

Because the Ten menu is quite extensive, you might want to check out a direct link to menu items in this link to the menu from Ten.  

 

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