1. Riverside Lunch
Riverside Lunch has been doing business since 1935 and they are “Flat out, STILL the best burgers in town!” If you haven’t been there, you are doing yourself a disservice. Check them out for lunch or dinner, get yourself a double-cheeseburger and tip your waitress when you’re done!
2. La Michoacana Deli
This family-owned and operated restaurant sells tacos, tamales, enchiladas and gorditas, all for $8 or less. Seating inside the restaurant is limited, but take-out is available.
If you are a fan of more American-ized Tex-Mex, they have super tacos with cheese and sour cream. However, you cannot go wrong with the authentic street style tacos topped with onion and cilantro.
3. Marco & Luca Dumpling Stores
Marco & Luca serve delicious dumplings and sesame noodles to fanatical customers in CVille. With three locations around town, you have no excuse not to find a shop today and try some for yourself.
4. Take It Away Sandwich Shop
At Take It Away Sandwich Shop, they make lunchtime feel special. Their sandwiches are made to order by team members who care about good food. They take pride in their short list of select ingredients, including homemade loaves of bread, Virginia meats, quality cheeses, and specialty toppings like arugula, Italian sundried tomatoes, and their famous house dressing.
The shop can get crowded at lunchtime, so call ahead to place an order. Or just walk in, grab some chips, and start to nosh while giving your order to the team member with a notepad!
5. Ace Biscuit & Barbecue
In 1988, twelve year old Brian Ashworth wandered off JP Burley Middle School grounds to clear his head. Crossing Rose Hill Drive against school rules, he walked down Henry Avenue. Only getting about two blocks, he saw Dotties Cafe.
The place was small but bustling! In went Ashworth. Being greeted by Dottie made him feel welcome. All the way through high school at Murray, young Brian would frequent Dotties for sandwiches. Two decades later Brian Ashworth opened Ace Biscuit & Barbecue, giving back to Rose Hill.
6. Revolutionary Soup
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Revolutionary Soup is a locally owned, independent restaurant. They provide Charlottesville with the highest quality freshly-prepared soups, sandwiches, salads and wraps.
Fresh, local ingredients from organic, eco-friendly and sustainably maintained farms are the first step in this process. Unique, creative recipes based on classical preparations are the next step. Add to this equation quick, friendly service in a casual atmosphere, and you have Revolutionary Soup!
7. Bodo’s Bagels
This legendary bagelry has become a Charlottesville tradition, and it’s possibly the number one thing people miss when they move away from CVille.
Winner of multiple Awards, including “Best of C-Ville 2012” Best Sandwich Spot, Best Breakfast,
Best Meal Under $10, and Best Hangover Menu. A must-try for anyone living in or visiting CVille.
8. Bellair Market
Bellair Market features a great array of food and beverage products, including their signature French bread sandwiches that are some of the best in the area.
Bellair Market also has Gourmet-to-Go — fresh entrees, appetizers, salads, and desserts prepared daily. Choose from a variety of ethnic favorites and classic American cuisine. You’ll appreciate the quality, subtle flavoring, and choice ingredients.
9. Baggby’s
Baggby’s is a fun, fast delicious lunch! Convenient to downtown and right on the Mall. Custom orders and delivery! They make your lunch easy and awesome.
10. Market Street Market
Market Street Market offers fantastic deli sandwiches, sliders, cheeses and goods from The Mission Home Bakeshop.
11. The White Spot
The White Spot diner is the culinary center of Charlottesville. It’s a little hole in the wall just before the railroad bridge on The Corner, downtown Charlottesville’s row of shops and restaurants across from the University.
The draw of the White Spot is that you can walk in at any time of the day or night and see a cross-section of Charlottesville: the cop on the beat, the mailman, and local small businessmen and townies. And they always greet you with a warm, inviting smile.
12. Feast!
A neighborhood favorite and a destination for sight-seers, the Feast! café showcases the delicious local, regional and international foods that they sell in their store. Inspired daily specials, healthful salads and soups round out their menu of famous sandwiches.
Feast is a store that continues to grow from the passion and focus of its staff, both past and present, and from the feedback and intelligence of its customers.
13. Littlejohn’s New York Delicatessen
Everything about Littlejohn’s is quality… from their meats and cheeses, to their house-made salads and baked goods… all made fresh daily, right in the store!
Littlejohn’s New York Delicatessen began by serving sliced to order traditional delicatessen sandwiches. This soon changed to pre-slicing meat and cheese daily as the deli’s popularity grew. This is a tradition that has not changed. To ensure product freshness and flavor, all their meats and cheeses are still sliced daily. Littlejohn’s sandwiches are all heated in a modified broiler that melts the cheese on the top while toasting the bread underneath.
14. Ivy Provisions
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Ivy Provisions is a specialty food market and sandwich shop that offers fantastic biscuits and picnic fixings. They also have a lovely patio where you can enjoy their food and drinks.
15. Tubby’s
Tubby’s is a solid lunch spot in Charlottesville if you’re going for subs, wraps or burgers. Their fries are addictive (skinny w/ seasoned salt). Their chicken fingers and baked spaghetti are really good.
They have a devoted customer base, and their service is fast and friendly. Check them out on E. High St. and Meade.
16. The Flat: Takeaway Crêperie
Sweet and savory crêpes are the order of the day at The Flat. With local, vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options, this little crêperie just off the Downtown Mall has something wonderful for everyone. Currently in the process of going mobile with a food trailer, The Flat is on the move. Try them and see what all of the hubbub is about.
17. Zazus Fresh Grille
Zazus first opened for business in the Spring of 1998. The world was a much different place then, but one thing has stayed the same. UVA, Charlottesville and Albemarle County love a fresh, delicious and healthy meal at Zazus. They are located in the Townside Shopping Center on Ivy Road, which is immediately after U-Heights Apartments. Zazus is the first business you see when you pull in. Look for the big “Z” and you can’t miss us.
18. College Inn
The College Inn is located in “The Corner” district at the heart of the University of Virginia. They take pride in serving excellent food at exceptional value, and have since 1950, when they opened their doors. They have since become a Charlottesville tradition.
While still keeping the tradition of value and excellent food alive, they boast a newly renovated interior. Their menu (Dine-in/Take-out) still has some of the old favorites as well as some new ones. And of course there’s their legendary pizza, yummy sandwiches, delicious pastas and Greek & Italian specialties!
19. Sticks Kebob Shop
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The Sticks guys are three refugees from the world of fine dining, driven to create a safe haven for fellow foodies, busy families, and health-conscious diners. An oasis of flavor, Sticks is the place to stop for a quick business lunch, a take home dinner, or catered meal while still sticking to your budget and your New Year’s resolutions.
They believe their customers deserve an alternative to food-from-a-window and reject the idea that healthy equals tasteless. Real food, made from scratch. Plus loads of flavor, minus artificial stuff.
20. Belmont Bar-B-Que
Belmont BBQ started back in the Spring of 2000, straight out the back of a smoke wagon parked along Route 66 in Oklahoma. The wagon was owned and operated by Wes Wright, an Okie native, and the banner on the side read, “Wes–B–Smokin’: Home of Crazy Good BBQ!” As the wagon’s popularity grew, Wes knew he had something special and his barbeque was… crazy good. The wagon grew to be too small and the taste was too big!
So how did they end up in Charlottesville, Virginia? Wes’s sister, Melissa, had moved to Virginia with her husband and three children back in 1987 and Wes came out often to visit and even lived for some time in Belmont, a little neighborhood close to downtown Charlottesville. After a short stint back in Oklahoma, he moved back and brought his barbeque with him!
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Scoutology Staff
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