The Light Well

While driving back from camping. Found this great brunch place on route 15. Amazing food. Highly recommend it.

Had a wonderful meal and delicious cocktails. It was quite busy for a Thursday night. Waited awhile on a table as we didn’t have reservations and was it worth it!!! Asked for a recommendation on a house cocktail while waiting… it was fabulous! We had shrimp and grits as an appetizer and salmon with risotto as an entire. Couldn’t dare have enough room for dessert :-(. Everything was cooked and seasoned perfectly. Was our first time here but definitely not the last. What a gem in lil ol Orange County!!!

The food was good but the service was the worst we’ve had in a while. Second time we’ve been there in the last 2 weeks and both times the service was horrible! Definitely will not be going back. Rather go next door to Wise Guys, way friendlier and a lot cheaper. I rarely if ever get on here and give bad reviews, but I feel like I have to because it was really bad.

My husband and I just stopped in for brunch on Saturday. I had the French toast and pesto egg. It was super good. My husband had the basic breakfast and he ordered the eggs over medium and they were cooked perfectly. The best part was, we both had the cheesy grits and they were something special. Not the cheapest place for breakfast, but worth the price.

I have eaten there three times. The menus is short but interesting. The main dishes I tried were excellent and interesting. The biggest failing is the deserts. The first one was a cheesecake which failed miserably. The last one was a piece cake which I returned and didn’t eat

I went here for lunch and it was great! I loved the setup of it being a brunch, lunch, dinner an late night pub, reminded me of Jammin Java in Vienna. For lunch I had the light well local burger it included beef from grass-​fed beef, arugula, tomato, herbed mayo, your choice of cheese (I got gouda, who can resist gouda?) all in between a toasted challah bun, it came with a fresh pickle and potato chips and it was all delicious! I loved how fresh everything was.
I need to try their brunch menu, seems to be very popular at the light well. They also have live music in the evening which sounds like fun.

Delicious and creative menu. You’ve got to check it out on Sundays for brunch. Yum! They brew coffee from Orange County Roasters and make an awesome Thai Chai latte. Go eat here and visit Shabby Love next door to experience some of the unique things downtown Orange has to offer!

Been here twice, I wish I could make it out to Orange more often just for the food here! Amazing assortment, awesome prices, something for everyone, and did I mention the food! Cheesy grits, their chicken for their salads, the dressing and blue cheese! And I just had the pumpkin cheesecake, HEAVEN! Well worth the trip!

Good black bean burger. I got it W/​o mayo. Wish they had ketchup with no HFCS though. Staff was great — a great place for a date or a meal with family. The pumpkin ginger (?) Soup was also very good. My beaux liked his beef burger. The pecan bundt cake was awesome to top it off with some lattes for a long ride ahead.

We stopped in for coffee and dessert around lunchtime — we were not disappointed! The bacon brownie with ice cream we ordered was very delicious. The atmosphere was friendly and the facilities were clean. We had a great time and will definitely be back next time we pass through Orange.

I really like this place but lately it seems the kitchen has been getting lazy. The take out dishes, while they have the same price as eat in, lack the same freshness and portion size. We got a salad recently and the cucumbers were wilted, the lettuce was less than fresh and it was quite small for the meal size. Not really worth the money. This is not a place to sit and relax and enjoy oneself, as much as I wish it were and as much as Orange needs something like that. The staff is generally friendly, but somewhat cold for a small town café. I’ve been in there once a week for the last two months and am still treated like an unknown tourist rather than a local like I am. Hmmm. Maybe I just want more from one of only three (ish) independent places to eat in Orange.

In town for a wedding and stopped in to see what was happening! Sam, behind the bar was very attentive and makes a mean latte and recommended the The Light Local burger is the Jam and is great for when you overindulged In too much wedding wine the night before!

This place two years ago was a bastion of civilization in this hick little town. Now it has just given in. I was looking at the drafts and did not see anything good so I asked my waitress for a bottle list. There was not one, so she asked me what I wanted. I told her something Belgian so she offered me a blue moon a fucking blue moon! This bar has become as shitty as this shit hole town. They have defiantly just gave up. It’s just sad.

Awesome staff even better food i dont drink but the bartender was great my husband enjoyed her work you absolutely most visit this establishment if you’re in the Orange, VA area

Great place! Local beer, local food but a little slow in service. We ate around 3 and they seemed to forget about us a few times as they got ready for dinner.

My wife and FIL visited The Light Well for Sunday brunch. I got the Cuban sandwich, my wife got French Toast and FIL had a quiche.
The flavor on everything was good and the portions were adequate for what we paid. The wait staff was courteous and not pushy about us staying once we finished eating. They refilled coffee and tea without any fuss.
No substitutions are allowed and all sandwiches came with chips and a pickle, neither is a problem but something to be aware.
Free WiFi is cool, since it can be difficult to get a data signal in Barboursville.
All in all, I found the menu varied enough that I will plan to go back to try more things.

Ohmygod, I’m not sure where to start! I’ll go chronologically. When in walked in the door I was greeted by a couple of very friendly and welcoming staff. I took a seat at the bar and was attended to before I was completely seated by a fantastic bartender (I’m a total jerk and already forgot her name). Ordered the Sage St. Germain Martini, sweeter than I typically order but I really enjoyed it.
For dinner I had the salmon with horseradish cream sauce and risotto. I’m not typically into horseradish, so I asked for the sauce on the side. The salmon was cooked perfectly and was served so hot it almost burned my tongue. That cream sauce might have turned me into a horseradish fan after all, it was delightful. The risotto was amazing! It had asparagus and lima beans topped with pancetta. This was one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time.
I didn’t have dessert, but the bartender shared a little something the chef had made. It was a date wrapped in goat cheese, rolled in nuts and and herbs. It was to die for.
Glad I finally found this place, just sad I didn’t find it sooner. I highly recommend this fine establishment to anyone in the area, and if you aren’t? It’s well worth the drive.

The Light Well was a delightful find in the heart of Orange, VA. Service was excellent, the food was delicious and we enjoyed the décor. A most welcome break from the usual fast food that we find when we drive through, and a spot that native Orangeans can be proud of.

I was very surprised by this restaurant! I can’t believe there is something like this in orange. We came in expecting coffee a wifi. The coffee was pretty good. The atmosphere was wonderful. We got a vegetable platter to munch on while song our work and I was pleased. Their hummus was very good. I will be back next time we are in town!

I love this place! If you want a no-​fuss brunch, this is your place! Super friendly staff, the coffee is wonderful, the place is clean and the breakfast is pretty good! It really is what a coffee shop should be. I ordered two eggs and the homemade bagel with cream cheese and it was delicious! What I love is that the eggs are REAL eggs! I am so tired of ordering eggs at places that are probably serving up some kind of just-​add-​water to a powdered eggs concoction. Not here. This fine establishment is also a tavern and offers a full bar. Overall, this is a great breakfast café and coffee spot in the morning and a great happy hour and get-​your-​drink-​on spot in the evening.
A breath of fresh air and some refinement in a small town. Go, Orange!