The Virginian Restaurant

Been coming here since the 70’s … Great food, atmosphere, music… Still a wonderful place with lots of memories. (Need to add to the Rye Whiskey choices… Bulleit is nice, but add High West Rendevous or other interesting alternative).

If you’re looking for some great food and quick service come to the Virginian. The burgers and Mac and cheese are absolutely amazing.

I am sitting here with an empty beer have baaen for about 7min. There are 3 other people in the restaurant. More employees than patrons, yet the bartender and server are sitting in the back booth shooting the shit. Talk about making the guest feel special? Stilly beer os empty, and the server and bartender sit amd bullshit…

I think this is one of the best places on the corner. If you ever go here for dinner, get the southern fried chicken and make at least one of the sides mac and cheese. Their mac and cheese is without a doubt the best mac and cheese I’ve EVER had. If you like creamy rich mac and cheese, this place is for you. It also comes with one other side. The fried chicken is 2 pretty big boneless breasts fried to perfection smothered in gravy.
I’ve had friends get the apple bourbon chicken and none of them really seemed to like that. So I would stay away from that, just my advice.
Great place!

Stopped by here passing through Charlottesville for a quick lunch on a weekday. I ordered the garden salad with a crab cake on top and my fiancé had the pulled pork sandwich with fries. No complaints from either of us about the food. It is simple, no frills, good food. The crab cake was super yummy. We were seated next to the kitchen and there was only one cook working, I believe I heard someone call him Ernesto. Ernesto was amazing. He had a number of orders to fulfill and each plate he turned out looked delicious. I hope they pay him well. Service was meh. He never checked on us and never asked us for a refill. Restaurant itself is very small and cozy.

My husband and I enjoyed a fantastic lunch at The Virginian yesterday. My pulled pork sandwich was excellent, and the fries might’ve been the best I’ve had in Charlottesville. My husband loved his buffalo chicken sandwich. It was all well priced too — the $ 8 I paid for my meal got me a lot of food. It’s a great location on The Corner, with outdoor seating overlooking the grounds. We will be back!

The homemade Mac n’ Cheese is to die for. Great burgers as well. Friendly staff as well.

Decent sandwiches and their Mac and cheese is on point! Not a big fan of their nachos though — didn’t have enough cheese!

Mac and cheese is insane. It’s so rich and so cheesy and so delicious. The crab cake sandwich is tender and flavorful and very filling. Coleslaw also isn’t too drenched in mayo. Prices very reasonable. Service friendly and helpful.

Classic. Great burger. Courteous competent service in a UVA throwback.
Eaten here 3 or 4 times. Each time I visit Cville. Then we go next door to Mincers!

The Virginian, or Virg, as us student/​alumni like to call it, is my favorite bar on The Corner. However, I’m going to write this review as unbiased as I can. It’s about my experience there at Sunday brunch (rather than a night out) which the Virginian is known well for amongst UVa population. This was my first time doing Sunday brunch here so I’m really happy to say that it was a really pleasing experience. It was conveniently a beautiful day outside this past Sunday and we were able to sit at one of their three tables outside. Virg is such a tiny restaurant/​bar; it’s narrow and long. It can get uncomfortable when it’s packed but it has a charm that fits right into the historic Corner and makes the experience enjoyable whether you’re brunching, dining or going out. For Sunday brunch, I would recommend getting here soon after they open or you will definitely have to wait for a table.
I ordered the Egg Chesapeake and it was as wonderful as it sounded on the menu. I had not tried the crabcake topped with poached eggs combination before and I found it delicious. For sides I got grits and home potato fries. Both were on point. The potato friend are cut into thick wedges and they melt in your mouth; so good! The coffee is bottomless (I believe!)
Our server, whom I unfortunately cannot remember the name of, was super sweet and relatable. She was also very informative and fast. It was nice to have this kind of service even on a busy day.
The one thing I will add though is that they do not have anything gluten free. One of my friends has Celiacs and she was not able to get anything from the menu because neither the chef nor the manager could guarantee that where her food is cooked would not be contaminated with gluten (our waitress checked double checked). So my friend grabbed qdoba from down the street and brought it to Virginian to eat with us. Our waitress was more than accommodating about that and the restaurant did offer her drinks on the house (non-​alcoholic).
Overall, It was a fun and yummy experience. I will be back!

The Virginian is a great place to sit outside, grab a few drinks, and people watch. It’s right in the middle of everything. The one thing I cannot stop craving is their amazing mac and cheese with potato cake! It’s to die for… literally! But you won’t be disappointed if you order this.

This place treated me like family for four years, the least I can do is make sure everyone knows what an incredible place it is.
The restaurant: a true UVA landmark. Cozy, beautifully adorned with old wooden benches and a decades-​old bar. True, it is grandfathered out of most modern fire codes, but we will be fighting tooth and nail if they ever decide to renovate. Try to get a table outside in the fall.
The patrons: an eclectic mix of scholars, townies, greeks and out-​of-​towners. No matter your background, you’ll feel right at home.
The food: very solid. Is it Michelin star-​worthy? Probably not (save the mac and cheese), but that’s not why you go to the Virg. Reasonably-​priced and reasonably-​delicious.
The staff: are some of the most amazing people I know. They work their butts off to take care of people, day-​in and day-​out. It can be thankless, I’m sure — catering to a bunch of preppy college kids, each one of which feels like they own the place… but they seem to have so much fun doing it and their attitude is contagious. Be it Miles’ grin and handshake when you walk in, Bo’s shouts of «everyone stand up!!» and, a few minutes later, «everyone get down!!» around 1am on Saturday nights, Sarah’s wink as you catch her eyes through the window… the people that run the Virg are world-​class individuals.
I’ve never had a disappointing visit to The Virginian.

I give it an extra star just because of the history here, but the food was very unimpressive, especially their ‘famous’ BBQ nachos.

Not the biggest fan of the food (which is the main reason of why I bumped the star rating down), but I enjoy this bar as a hangout on The Corner.
It has character, as it’s the oldest restaurant in CVille. It’s intimate and cozy — small enough where you could get to know the table next to you or the bartender. Drinks are decently priced as there are even specials on weekend nights.
If I had to order food, I’d just go for the guilty pleasure of the famous mac and cheese as it has a crispy hash brown on it.

If for some reason you could only try one thing on the menu, get the mac and cheese. It is so, sooo good! A small bowl filled with al dente spiraled pasta swimming a cheesy, warm, gooey sauce of goodness. The nachos are worth mentioning too.

I like this place for what it is — a staple on the Corner, and a landmark in its own right. That being said, the food itself is exactly what I wanted it to be — non pretentious, reasonably priced, American eats.
I’ve been here a handful of times and have enjoyed every dish I’ve gotten. I usually get the french onion soup (decent, not the most authentic, but I didn’t come looking for complete authenticity), the Virginian burger ($ 8 for a beefy American basic that I didn’t have to cook? I’m totally on board with that), the BBQ (aside from the questionable fat to meat ratio, tasty and filling), and how could I leave out the crab cakes (good for a landlocked town). Oh yeah, and the fries are awesome. I’m a fries person, so I would just come here for the fries. Yes. I digress.
The interior is your basic college endeavor, wood everything, elongated bar that spans the length of the restaurant, decently friendly and attentive staff, and TVs that broadcast whatever game is on.
Would I say this was the most legendary of restaurants? Not necessarily, but it hits the spot. I usually take guests of Cville to dine here on a casual Saturday.

On only my second visit to the University of Virginia’s campus I had an expectation of finding that special UVA haunt where all the college students and professors alike can hang out and share stories over a cold brew. Not just any place mind you, the atmosphere needed to be unique, cozy and that vibe… well you would only know it when it occurred. Eureka!!! this is indeed the place and I would recommend The Virginian Restaurant all day long for those wanting the same type of experience.
The wait on a Friday evening was not long, but keep in mind there is not a lot of room to wait. The manager quickly took my name and gave expectations of a estimated wait time. There is one bench toward the entrance of the place. Outdoor seating is also available and awesome for nice weather and being among all the foot traffic. All the tables were wooden booths and bar seating was available too. Not a lot of room in the walk way beside the tables, so keep this in mind if you have any issue with being too cozy. I LOVED the fact it was this way and it added to the mystique of the place. The restaurant was clean and tables were quickly being bused for patrons waiting.
After about 10 minutes we got a table and a waitress who was new had menus and got drink orders. TV’s were all around us for your viewing pleasure. However, I really enjoyed the people watching as we were set by the bar. Our table had chunks of wood chipped out from rowdy college students I suppose. I assume many were this way and I just thought it added to the overall charm of the place. How old were these tables any way… well the restaurant itself it a landmark on campus. Are they original to the 1940’s, I am unsure. But the wooden floors, booths and bar was like being in a tavern in old time Williamsburg.
We put in our order, for my son’s chicken fingers and my Coal Miner Burger. I also ordered a Pint of Full Nelson Pale Ale during happy hour for a measly $ 2, which was delicious. Even though our waitress was new she smiled often and was helpful every step of the way. The place was slammed, but you would not have known by her attitude. It did not take anymore than 15 minutes and food was out. We both enjoyed our meals and I was in aw of the taste and price of my burger for $ 9. The Coal Miner is a ½ pounder with bacon and barbecue. It comes with fries too. My son’s four large chicken fingers were more than he could handle and they really piled on the fries.
We struck up a conversation with a couple at the bar about the UVA Football the next day. Yes, you are that close even if seated at a table. They were from Indiana and I too am a native Hooiser. We both had the same thoughts of the restaurant. This is the place if your wanting a nostalgic venue for the many a student who have passed through the front door of The Virginian before you.
Eateries like this are a treasure to find. Engagements occur here regularly, secret societies on campus have activity here, and regular folks like me just breathe this all this in.
The Virginian with it’s reach history and tradition of serving quality food and beverages in a cozy atmosphere lives on at the University of Virginia.

This place gets extremely cramped and makes me feel so claustrophobic. I’ve only gone here for drinks and I think that they make them way too strong [which is a good or bad thing I guess]. It takes forever to get a drink order in since it gets so congested here. Sure, they offer drink specials, but so does everywhere else on the Corner. It is also so difficult to get in and out of those booths. In my opinion, there are better [and roomier] spots to drink on the Corner.
Drinks: 1
Value: 2
Service: 1
Overall: 1

Looks like your run-​of-​the-​mill collegetown sports bar from the outside, but I would come here all the time if I could and eat their amazing mac n cheese. A close second is their grilled cheese, which comes stuffed between two pieces of grilled buttered sourdough bread and a mountain of fries. I think I’m actually becoming lactose intolerant, which is absolutely devastating, because my diet is 85% some kind of cheese-​based dish, like pizza, bacon cheeseburgers, MNC, and grilled cheese.
Came here twice in one night: first time I split two orders of chicken tenders, second time I helped someone finish off their mac n cheese, and if it weren’t for that absolutely disgusting tequila shot (bad rookie mistake to skip the salt) ten minutes before, I would have ordered my own MNC. It comes out with a little hat of tater-​to crispified potatoes, and by a little hat, I mean a great square puck right on top. If you’re lucky, the bottom of the fried potato square and the top of the MNC will havee fused together by the time it gets set down in front of you. I personally like to mush the potatoes into the cheese so you get a little bit of everything in one bite, but I have a friend who picks it up and just goes to town, so whatever floats your boat.
Waitress was super nice and clearly used to the drunk hordes ordering ten items off the menu. The whiskey+water that my friend ordered was definitely not skimpy on the whiskey, and on Thursday nights they have $ 2 rails. My favorite booth is the one right next to the cash register, but it’s always taken. :(