Shakers Restaurant

I could have written this review in the 80’s but here it goes.
This «mom and pops» restaurant masquerading as a chain is one of only three «go to» restaurants in my heart and mind (one of the others is also managed by them). Having dined at both locations, Roanoke and Lynchburg, no less than 200 times over the last 30 years, I want to say thanks.
–Thank you for the best Chicken Parmesan ever (it is no longer available).
–Thank you for Pizza Florentine (and all of that sour cream you so kindly bring me, upon request, to slather onto it).
–Thank you for the best breading ever on your chicken tenders and shrimp.
–Thank you for cheese toast. ‘Nuff said.
–Thank you for all of the delicious side choices. I am more than fond of the creamed spinach, the rice pilaf, the great fries and various fresh vegetables.
–Thank you for great condiments: The Honey Mustard sauce is among the best ever. The Bleu Cheese dressing has literally called me to your establishment (I do miss the warm bacon and slivered almonds on the house salad). The Remoulade Sauce is perfect for any of the great sea foods offered.
–Thank you for CHEESY CHICKEN and MUSHROOMS. I cannot pass your doors because of this main course. The Chicken Breast is perfectly breaded and sauteed every time then topped by Mushrooms and Cream Sauce under that melted Provolone — just crazy delicious. I always add my two favorite sides (rice pilaf and creamed spinach), stir it all together, and then I am in heaven.
–Finally, thank you for Mocha Mud Pie. I rarely get ice cream when I am out but this one has me hooked. So simple but so delicious.
All of that being said, the service is mostly great but I have had the rare moment when I had to take control of the situation — when I did, everything was still just fine.
Keep up the great work. I want you to always be there for us.

Even though this restaurant is literally across the street from a great hotel that doesn’t have room service or dining options inside, I still drove by a few times before settling inside. I was too hungry to be picky and drive far. Shakers looks mediocre, but I didn’t think the food was.
I ordered off the bar menu — cajun catfish bites. Thought it would be a true appetizer size. Nope. I received a big olé plate of catfish bites. Heavily doused in cajun spices, and served with the most complementary remoulade. So good, I asked for another ramekin of the stuff. Plus, like I said, the portion of catfish was ridic; I needed more sauce just to temper the heat from the cajun elements.
That was my meal… for only six dollars. (I think there were at least 12 huge pieces of catfish.) I also got the cheesecake, which also was ginormous and probably a little too sweet.
Shakers hasn’t gotten the memo that everyone’s cutting back, and that’s fine with me. Lots of food and lots of flavor. So if you’re really hungry in the town of Liberty University and Lynchburg College, this might be the best bang for your buck.

This was my first visit to this establishment. Prices are somewhat high for the amount of food you get. The speed of my food was under 15 minutes which is good considering itbis a Friday night. I scored it only 3 stars because there was no up and beyond with the service and my sandwich was only 6″ for $ 10.

The food is okay. Very similar to your typical Friday’s or Ruby Tuesdays experience but with a slightly higher price tag. The service we have gotten has always been mediocre. The last few times we went the waitresses have not been very pleasant at all.
If you have children, I would not recommend going here. The children’s menu is way overpriced and we have always had some issue with it. One time my son’s meal came so much later, that by the time his food arrived ours was pretty much cold. Our waitress was rude and unapologetic and told me «I might as well eat» but I wasn’t going to eat with my 5 year old just staring at me hungry. The last time we went in, the server just completely forgot to put in the kids meal. It was fine and I ended up letting him split my meal, but they could have at least apologized or compensated in some way. We have never gone in and had a smooth experience. But if you do go, I would recommend the bang bang shrimp and avocado tacos. Those are our go-to’s.

Great wings, salads, and bam bam shrimp. Very attractive hostesses and fast friendly service. Mixed drinks are on point and a good happy hour. Recently remodeled bar area is open and social with just enough televisions. I like it, 2^nd only to O’Charleys in Lynchburg Va.

Service good, atmosphere nice, French Fries terrible. would give 5 stars if the fries were good.

Went here for lunch on a Saturday and the service was great! Quickly got our food and had our glasses full the whole time. My husband had one of their burgers and he said it was delicious. I had their battered catfish and it was also yummy and filling. I will be coming back here again in the future! No complaints here.

Nice family friendly environment, service was good, and food was served hot and fast. My fish tacos were yummy, and the key lime pie had great flavour, but a thick crumbly crust. My husband’s burger was a little over cooked (medium well vs medium), but over all an enjoyable American style meal.

First visit since the remodel. Not impressed with overall service… change the name to «Shovers» because our drinks and appetizer were shoved on the table. Food was ok… nothing extra. Waitress wasn’t very attentive.

My wife and I decided to have a much needed date night, so we chose Shakers to spend it at. Upon arrival, the night was already setting itself up for not being a great, even sub par experience. When we walked in the door, the hostess met us with very little eye contact and also seemed like she was rushing us to get a seat, even though the place was not super busy. Our waitress, while a sweet girl, probably didnt speak 10 words to us the entire duration of the meal (though I would seem to think because she has a bit of an introvert personality, which is totally fine), and when we finished our main course, she brought us the check and didnt ask if we wanted desert (which we did). Almost all the waitresses had their hair down, which if you are charging meals on your menu for over $ 20, then its nice to not have the chance of any hair getting into the dishes. Now, I will turn my attention to the food. My wife ordered the bam bam shrimp tacos w/​rice pilaf and I the smoky mountain bbq burger. My burger was dry and just lacking good flavor, my wife’s dish had very plain rice and tacos that we can easily make at home. Our desert, the mud pie, looked like it was premade from a box, and when we are looking to going out on a daye, we are really looking for something that is elevated, not something we can purchase at a store.
In summary, the things that Shakers should work on is:
1) Host/​hostess etiquette
2) elevating food dishes to where we are ordering something that we couldn’t make at home
3) waiter/​waitress dress code and table side conversation

Food was okay and service was okay. I would go back again but there might be better places. Waitress was okay, a little short with us at times but I think it was because she was so busy. Prices were great and the food was okay. Definitely not 5 star dining but it was a fun environment with decent food for a cheap date night.

I originally selected this place based on its proximity to our hotel, which is right across a busy street. However, the food is exceptional. I have had three meals here in the past two weeks, and have yet to order anything that I did not find delicious. Last night I tried their chicken tender bacon wrap, and it was fantastic. Grilled chicken, bacon, dressing, lettuce and tomato and cheese, in a pita wrap that’s cut in half because it’s so large. As usual, I ended up taking half of it back to the room with me. The waitstaff know what they’re doing, the place is well lit without being too bright or too dark, there are TVs in the room but they are not too obtrusive.

Stopped in while traveling. Ceasar salad was warm and lacking flavor, pretty hard to do with a real Ceasar salad. Medium steak arrived well done with a baked potato not hot enough to melt the cheese on it. I sent them back. Writing this while waiting for redo on food but already decided probably not to return. Update here, the new steak is med well and potato is slightly warmer than room temperature.

Bam bam shrimp is out of this world! If you love shrimp, you must try this! I’ve been there just twice and their food is constantly great and nacho also was good but mostly you get your money worth on your drinks. I had martini and it was best I’ve had in a long time in a restaurant. I would love to move to Lynchburg just because of this restaurant. We don’t have one near us. I tried avocado burger and fish taco and they were both awesome. Steaks are good. Service overall is great too. Oh how I love Shakers!!!

I ordered the prime rib, medium well. It was tough and didn’t have much flavor. The salad and macaroni and cheese were great. The service was okay. In the words of my husband, «this is the most expensive worst meal I’ve ever had.» The food was definitely overpriced. Then to top it off, the server gave us big bills for change. How are we supposed to leave a tip when we’re not given smaller bills?!

Was in the area attending a graduation and needed a place close to my hotel for a quick drink. The hotel recommended Shakers. We sat in the bar area and we were greeted almost immediately by our server which was a good sign. However that turned out to be an indicator of the type of service we’d receive going forward. We barely had anytime to read the menu before the server was back to take our order. we started with our drink order and the server walked away before we could complete our sentence. when she brought the drinks she hurried off, again before we could get our questions out. This continued throughout our meal. I had the baked spaghetti which was good, its basically just spaghetti that was topped with cheese and baked. My companion had the salt and pepper catfish which was surprisingly good, definitely the highlight of the meal.
The place isn’t bad, I just wish our serer would have slowed down a bit, she made it more of a fast food experience than casual dining experience.

Great diner food. Reasonably priced. Our server was wonderful. Locally owned and way better then those chain restaurants that everybody is talking about.

This was my first time going to Shakers.
I got the fried avocado tacos and a side of broccoli. Very good and tasted fresh enough. The waitress was way too eager, but nice. The place was packed when my friend and I got there around 7:30p on a Friday night, but got empty at 8p. Overall, it was a good experience and I’d probably go there again, but not my favorite place.

Nothin’ special. Really slow service for really average food.
I ordered the ribs and they were kind of tough and definitely disappointing.

Acceptable food and good service. nothing special. it’s a dressed up applebee’s