OT: Virginia people, I need some recos (and I hope it's still OT time)
August 23rd, 2019 at 1:28 PM ^
Good luck to him. Send his tape to Bakich!
August 23rd, 2019 at 1:43 PM ^
He's a she, so I should send her tape to Hutch.
August 23rd, 2019 at 1:56 PM ^
My bad, I thought I recalled you had a son that was a baseball prospect. Maybe you have both...
August 23rd, 2019 at 3:14 PM ^
You remembered correctly. My son plays at Denison.
August 23rd, 2019 at 1:37 PM ^
Uncle Reco?
August 23rd, 2019 at 1:38 PM ^
I’ll be honest, I had no idea what a reco was until I read the OP.
Unfortunately, I remember very little from my one visit to Charlottesville. I broke the cardinal rule by mixing beer, wine and whiskey, and it did not end well...
August 23rd, 2019 at 1:43 PM ^
I briefly considered UVa for law school and planned a visit to Charlottesville, but I canceled it when I got my U-M admission. When I was planning that trip, a couple of people I spoke with raved about a place called Hamiltons. Again, I've never actually been there so take that FWIW.
Have a great trip!
August 23rd, 2019 at 2:33 PM ^
I went to Hamiltons once...and had a torrid affair.
August 23rd, 2019 at 1:46 PM ^
Ace Biscuit & Barbeque is one of my favorites. Super casual place with mostly outdoor seating, but the weather here is going to be great this weekend.
August 23rd, 2019 at 1:55 PM ^
I live here and yes you picked the worst possible weekend to come. However, you shouldn't have too much of a problem getting into the following restaurants:
- Lampo - Neapolitan pizza and small plates. It's tiny and doesn't take reservations, but if you get in right at opening (5ish?) you shouldn't have trouble.
- Little Star - Just opened tapas/Mexican fusion-ish place with good drinks. On the pricier side. Takes reservations through google.
- Public Oyster - Seafood. Very good oysters and local-ish sea fare. Takes reservations through open table. Oakhart Social next door is also pretty good.
- Tilman's - French / Bistro-y sandwiches, cheese, and wine on the downtown mall if you want something lighter.
The food scene here is overrated, somewhat overpriced, and still way too obsessed with the small plates fad, but you can get a good meal.
August 23rd, 2019 at 1:57 PM ^
I like Tacos.
August 23rd, 2019 at 2:02 PM ^
Hard tacos is my guess.
August 23rd, 2019 at 2:08 PM ^
Definitely worth the drive up to Monticello and take a tour, fascinating place. They also have a farm-to-table cafe' for lunch/brunch that is very good and supplied from the on-site working farm.
https://www.monticello.org/visit/food-shopping/cafe-at-monticello/
August 23rd, 2019 at 2:08 PM ^
Used to be a cop there for about 5 years. I can tell you move-in weekend is absolute chaos as far as traffic and people. If you venture downtown, try to get reservations or arrive early because everyone goes to the downtown mall for dinner. (Also most everything downtown is definitely over-priced, but you can't really escape that)
Pizza: Lampo, great neopolitan pizza, just get there early or prepare to wait next door until your table is ready(Potter's Cider)
Mediterranean: Orzo, great food and even better wine/cocktail selection
Burgers: Citizen Burger Bar, really good selection of craft burgers but it is on the downtown mall, so get there early as they don't take reservations and the wait time can balloon quickly.
You can also try the White Spot if you want a greasy burger. This is on the corner so be prepared to be surrounded by students, however it's a great people watching spot.
There is also Bizou, a French bistro on the downtown mall that has some of the best steak I've had.
Asian: Bang! Asian tapas restaurant, probably the best Asian food you will have in town. (Also downtown so try to get a reservation if possible)
Non-downtown options:
Sedona taphouse: OK steak place.
Zinburger: Another wine and craft burger place.
Beer Run: Best beer selection in the city, also great for brunch if that fits on the schedule
Ace Biscuit for BBQ
If you want to get really adventurous, go to BBQ Exchange in Gordonsville, it's about 35 minutes from the city, but best BBQ in the area BY FAR.
GOOD LUCK.
August 23rd, 2019 at 2:08 PM ^
Peter Chang’s for Chinese
Milan for Indian
Mangione’s on Main for family style Italian
I agree Lampo is a great spot-should have outside seating too.
La Michoacana has good tacos
Revolutionary Soup for soup and sandwiches
Marco and Luca if you want dumplings and wanna mix it up with the undergrads on the Corner...
Best hidden spot in my opinion for pizza = Crozet Pizza at Buddhist Biker Bar (not actually a bar) - thank me later!
August 24th, 2019 at 10:32 AM ^
Crozet pizza is the way to go. And 250 will take you out of town enough to get away from all the students.
August 23rd, 2019 at 2:13 PM ^
Make sure you hit up Bodo's Bagels. There's one right across the street from campus on the main drag called "The Corner" or there are a couple other locations throughout town, but it's a must stop for me anytime I'm in town.
I had some great tacos once at The Bebedero which is located in the Downtown Mall. Not that kind of mall though. More along the lines of the National Mall in DC than a shopping mall.
I know you said "No Bars" but I've also had some good meals at South Street Brewery which is right next to the Mall. Some good burgers and pulled pork sandwiches. There's a nice seating area inside where you don't have to be at the bar per se.
August 23rd, 2019 at 2:21 PM ^
No Limits Smokehouse is a good one. Check it out!
August 23rd, 2019 at 2:37 PM ^
I've been a resident of the Charlottesville/Albemarle region for 20+ years, and I agree with pretty much the entire Charlottesville29 best-of list (link below). It includes several that have been mentioned by other posters in this thread.
https://charlottesville29.com/the-charlottesville-29/
If you want to go a bit further out, Crozet has Smoked (great bbq) and Crozet Pizza (which I'm not wild about, but others are).
August 23rd, 2019 at 2:38 PM ^
I agree with smoked, it's really not that far from Charlottesville either (and a great escape from the move-in crowd)
August 23rd, 2019 at 3:08 PM ^
Three Notch'd brewery!
August 23rd, 2019 at 3:39 PM ^
This for the pretzel bites alone. Also SOLID beer.
August 23rd, 2019 at 4:00 PM ^
I live outside Fredericksburg, so nothing to offer for the restaurant scene in Charlottesville, but I will echo the poster that recommended a quick side trip to Monticello. It would take a few hours, but if you have the time, go! Good 'ole Tommy J had a nice shack from which to build his university...
August 23rd, 2019 at 4:23 PM ^
If you like tapas, check out Mas.
August 23rd, 2019 at 4:48 PM ^
Hamilton (First & Main) 434 295-6649
On campus--easy to find near med school axis....
It is not a chain and is worth a reservation call.
Even though UVA does not play this weekend the place is classy and elegantly smallish and stays busy.....
August 23rd, 2019 at 5:09 PM ^
Depending on what you like, check out any of the restaurants on the Charlottesville 29. Lampo is particularly good for pizza, but it’s busy
https://charlottesville29.com/the-charlottesville-29/
August 23rd, 2019 at 6:34 PM ^
Never pay to go to a “prospect camp”. Also known as program fundraiser. I have coached 20 in the big leagues and another hundred plus that played college ball. “Prospect Camps” are a scam. But good luck to your daughter
August 23rd, 2019 at 8:43 PM ^
My son went to the Denison prospect camp and got an offer two days later. I think we paid $75. My daughter recently went to a big, expensive exposure tournament a few weeks ago in Long Island, which I thought was going to be a big waste of time and money, but she's had calls from several schools expressing interest, and got to spend a day with the coach from one of the schools she's really interested in. The school expressed interest in her first, at a tournament in Colorado, and so she reached out and told them she was going to be at the Long Island exposure tournament. That coach showed up, found her, and literally shadowed her for half a day. It's a D1 school so they can't officially talk to her until September 1, but so far, these camps have yielded some good results. But yes, big money grab.
August 24th, 2019 at 10:46 AM ^
Aw I'm late to the party. We're not quite rich enough to go to the more expensive places in cville. You've already gotten some really great options though. I agree on Lampo, Milan, Ace, and Bodos. Also saw someone mention Crozet Pizza, which is an excellent option if you find yourself inundated in the city and need to escape. Good luck to your daughter and have a fun weekend!