The Apple House

Positively love this place. It’s a must-​stop whenever we’re out that way doing tastings or headed to camp. The shop is adorable, the fresh doughnuts are amazing, and everything I’ve ever eaten there for lunch is great. I highly recommend their pork sandwich or a burger. Sometimes, the service can be a little slow. Just remember that this is a family-​owned and run operation and sometimes there is a VERY serious rush. They can only work so fast, but they are incredibly friendly and accommodating.

My husband invited me a day out for the day and we were looking for a place to eat we saw that it said bbq, so we went in to try it. You have to make a line to order and than you have to pick your seat and they will bring your food to you. We did take out. We got the bbq platter which includes a pull pork sandwich, coleslaw, beans and chips, you can get fries or onionrings instead of chips. I was really not into bbq before but, after i ate here im in love with bbq it was so good i wish it was home. I guess we will be making road trips often i highly recommend you guys trying out this place when you walk in its like a gift shop.

Driving through from DC to Texas, ended up spotting the road sign as we were going. SO glad we stopped. Fantastic BBQ (I had the small, hubby had the jumbo sandwich). Good sauce, tender meat. Portion sizes were plentiful and sides were delicious. Definitely did not leave hungry. My mother was with us and had the hoki steak and cheese, she loved it.
Staff was super polite and friendly. Even gave my hubby a sample of the BBQ sauce so he could try-​before-​buying. Ended up grabbing some pecan apple butter from the shop attached, and the cashier was just lovely.
Driving through VA? I would definitely recommend stopping.

About as good as it gets for Northern BBQ, really excellent sandwiches and plates. The best part of Apple House, as you will see and smell upon entry are the apple cinnamon doughnuts. These treasures can be bought to go by the dozen or half dozen or be eaten right out of the deep fryer, an experience that is unduplicatable in this area.
My favorite part of visiting however is not the food or drink as one might suspect. The Apple House has a wide array of hot sauces that I wouldn’t think to try or for that matter buy unless I was here. Everytime I’m here I pick up 2 – 3 bottles of brands I’ve never tried or have never heard of and everytime I am excited and pleased with my purchase.
A must see experience if you find yourself out west on 66. You can jump on and off the main highway fairly quickly to get to The Apple House, part of the reason we visit everytime we go by!

If you’re already in the area, then of course you know about this place, but if you’re driving through, you should definitely stop here. The Apple House is an institution! they had great sandwiches, doughnuts, a gift shop at a nice selection of local Virginia wine. So if you’re cruising along Skyline Drive to check out the leaves (we all do it eventually) or if you’re visiting Luray caverns or anything else in the area, be sure to stop by here.

There are other things on the menu besides the BBQ pork sandwich that are good, great even, but if it’s your first time there’s nothing else you should get.
The BBQ is rich and authentic. I’ve had the pleasure to get some burnt end pieces in the BBQ: Chewy, charred, BBQ goodness that’s not for everyone but certainly adds to its authenticity. Pro-​tip: throw your slaw on top and/​or make two open face sandwiches with your bun.
TL;DR it’s a very good BBQ sandwich.

This hidden gem in the Shenandoah Valley is just off of 66 and it is a must stop place. They make delicious apple doughnuts all day. Be careful because they are addictive, especially the hot ones! They also have a complete selection of sandwiches and breakfast items. There is seating if you want to eat there. I only stop for the doughnuts though!

Great cider donuts and pie! I’ve had plenty of cider donuts in my day– mostly from Lancaster, pa but these are some of the best. The cherry pie was terrific too– sweet and slightly tart-​just right.

This is my «must stop» place when I’m headed out west or coming home from a trip on I-​66. Easy to find, although the parking situation can be sticky at times. The food is always on point and the service is quick and accurate. I love the gift shop inside so many knick-​knacks and what nots. As my boyfriend is a hot sauce connoisseur himself, he is a big fan of their gift shop. I’ll have to try their BBQ next time, but the apple butter donuts are a must!

Don’t be afraid of the exterior. Or the interior :)
The staff is very friendly, the food is very delicious. We saw this little gem a few times driving around, saw it on Unilocal,and so dragged the mother-​in-​law (We were visiting her) to lunch one day.
The burger is worth every penny, the fries, skip, get the buffalo ones, they’re great!
We got the apple donuts (not hot, were afraid to ask) and even cold they’re quite tasty. The pull apart thing was more tasty in my opinion.

The food is ok, the doughnuts and cider are out of this world, and the staff is über friendly! They have a cute little store you could go through as well, definitely check it out on your next road trip.

This is one of those road-​side places that sells jams and postcards and donuts. The donuts were okay – not incredible, not awful. The stuff they were selling seemed pretty standard. Wish I had more to say than that!
In short: A perfectly acceptable place to pull off the road for a quick break from driving, but otherwise not worth a stop.

Fantastic Place to Visit on your way to Shenandoah National Park — Front Royal Entrance. Love a dozen Apple donuts before our hike. Make sure you get them piping hot and they’re entirely different when eating them lukewarm.
Sandwiches are A-​OK but nothing special. I’d get the Pork Rinds too.
Cannot recommend the Apple Donuts enough.

I’m new to the VA area so we ventured out to 66W to go tubing with a few friends. After a full day in the water and in the sun — we were hungry. The Apple House was nearby so we decided to try. From the minute you walk in, it has a yard sale with so many gems. From home décor, to dinnerware, to very interesting reading materials. I was hooked already without even trying the food.
Onto the food. I ordered the chicken breast sandwich (absolutely amazing) and my bf and basically everyone we were with ordered the pulled pork sandwich which looked delicious even though I’m no pork eater. The sides were baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw etc. All delicious of course. We ordered the apple cider donuts since they were recommended over the apple fritters but I could tell they were the bees knees too.
I can’t wait to come back to this little quaint establishment with tons of personality!

This place is truly fantastic. A must-​do when venturing out 66W toward 81.
Adorable décor and friendly service and some darn good BBQ. Classic homemade donuts. Cannot wait to go back and try all the breakfeast food that looked killer good. The baked beans are top-​notch and the side in general are great which really elevates things beyond just a solid BBQ sandwhich.
Probably won’t impress a Texan but as far as the DC area this is a truly special place
Fair prices and selection for local wine and brews and more craft BBQ sauce than you could ever try.
We will make this a regular habit while heading out to Strasburg for rock climbing.
TIP: if just coming for the famous donuts buy them at the gift shop checkout and skip the giant food line

Cute and quaint! I do love the character that this place has. It’s right off of the Skyline drive (i forgot what entrance), so this place is located well for hikers/​bikers and outdoor enthusiasts looking for a quick bite. The menu is mostly comfort food, pulled pork sandwiches, fries and coleslaw. But they are very well known for their apple cider donuts!
Of course that was the first thing i order… it was hot and fresh when i got it. very light, lots of sugar and it took about 4 bites for one donut. I don’t recommend taking the donuts home though, i have gone to this place after hikes and bike rides and if the donuts aren’t fresh, they’re not that great…
I do think that this place is hit or miss… after spending the day at skyline drive, we work up an appetite and this is the first thing right out of the park — the pulled pork sandwich is good, and so is the coleslaw. The prices are reasonable for the amount of food they serve. Other times, the service would be inconsistent and the tables would be sticky and dirty.
It’s convenient and local — and the charm of the place just gets you.
The soft serve during the summer… you have to at least try once :)

The Apple House has a lot going for them:
+ The cutest restaurant name in the world
+ All Day Breakfast
+ Apple Cider Doughnuts
+ Convenient Location right off the 66 and 81
+ Adorable Red Paneled Barn
The restaurant has been owned by the same family for the past six decades and their dedication to the art has paid off as their parking lot is always full from both tourists and locals a like.
We came with a large group but were easily able to find a table to accomodate us all even though there were tons of people there. I got a standard breakfast plate which consisted of two over easy eggs, toast, sausage patties, and home fries. My toast was stale (and not toasted enough to cover it up), eggs were cooked unevenly, and the sausage patty was burned. The home fries were awesome however.
My friends deemed the light and fluffy pancakes the best they ever had. The ham was so salty that if you threw it at a slug it would disappear immediately. My sister raved about the pulled pork sandwich and it’s sweet bbq dressing.
There were no apple bites in my fritter and the apple cider doughnuts were underwhelming (I’m sure it would have tasted great fresh and hot but it was not served this way). They were a fun treat to get but nothing I would go out of my way for.
Tables were bussed infrequently and there were flies all over the place.
Overall it seems like this place survives on nostalgia and those looking to get a bite of country life.

The food is hit or miss.
I’ve hit with the Virginian and the Wildcat.
I missed on the fries, potato salad, the burger, and the grilled cheese.
I give it 3 stars because the food is ok, but the atmosphere is very pleasant. It’s a really neat place to stop and enjoy the country.
One other thing, the ladies that work the counter are not as sweet as the donuts.

If I could give this place 6 stars I would. What a hidden gem in the middle of nowhere. I was on my way to New Market and nearly ran out of gas. The GPS sent me on a mission to nowhere and I ended up by this awesome store by accident. It is directly beside a Shell gas station. The store hosts a cute diner/​deli. There is seating all over the place. It looks like Oprah supplied the empowered sayings on the gifts and the Duck Dynasty crew decorated. This place is awesome. You can find great artsy painting for reasonable prices. The store even has a guest book. The employees are nice. This is worth driving out of the way to visit. Don’t forget to look up. The greatest décor is hanging by the ceiling.

We stopped here briefly on the way back to DC from Shenandoah, and once I saw the sign «doughnuts» in caps, I knew I had to get some. Then I saw that they were apple butter cinnamon flavored and I knew I had to get a dozen. They were awesome and stayed that way for a few days. I couldn’t believe a dozen was under $ 10. Definitely stop in for some if you are driving by.