-I love Bizou on the Downtown Mall, if you haven't ever been there. They don't typically take reservations and it's not a large place, but I think they take reservations for larger parties. They serve a kind of mix of American Continental food. I love their meatloaf!
http://www.tripadvisor.com
-I also love a place called Continental Divide that is on West Main Street more or less across from the Amtrak train station/Wild Wing Cafe. It doesn't have a sign, but it does have a neon sign in the window that says "Eat Here Now" and it's delicious! If you've never been here, this would be my top suggestion, as long as you like Mexican food. It's kind of an American/Mexican combo menu. They have a blue corn tortilla chip and goat cheese nachos that are really great! Again, I'm not sure whether they take reservations, but they have big booths than can definitely fit 6 people.
http://www.tripadvisor.com
-I had a delicious French bistro meal at Zinc, which is also on West Main but further down the road. It opened earlier this year and their french onion soup is possibly the best I've ever had - It has the gruyere cheese stretched over it and french bread in the broth. Really yummy! One problem: We went there right after it opened and got pretty slow service. I don't know if this has improved or not, but I wanted to let you know!
-The Shabeen is a restaurant in a little shopping center by the Staples and Federal Courthouse (almost at the downtown mall, but not quite) and this is definitely something different! The interior is really warren-like and cozy (doesn't feel weird at all) but the food all has a South African flavor. You should definitely look up the restaurant menu and see if it looks interesting to you. When I've gone, I've always gone for a tagine or stew with raisins, lamb, tomatoes, etc and it has been delicious!
http://www.tripadvisor.com
Here's the actual restaurant website:
http://www.shebeenpub.com/home
And then if you want to get fancier, I have three suggestions:
- The Clifton Inn - it's a small inn a ways out of Charlottesville, close to Keswick. They have an award-winning restaurant where I got to eat brunch the other day with an old friend whose firm was in town to take 2Ls out to a dinner. It was AMAZING. I can only imagine how amazing their dinner must be. Check out their website and I'm sure you can tell more. It looks like they have dinners that are priced whether you get a 3, 4, or 5 course option.
www.cliftoninn.net
-Aberdeen Barn & Steakhouse is off of Rte 29 more in the direction of Best Buy or Kmart. It's like a blast from the past...in a good way! Every now and then Matt and I like to go there for really good steak. It was clearly opened in the 1950s and 1960s and hasn't changed much since. This is a real steakhouse. They have all the different cuts of steak, the iceberg lettuce salad, and that cheese that comes in a little spreadable crock when you sit down at your table. My one problem with the place: Since it's kind of a "guys' joint" it tends to be smokier than a lot of other C'ville restaurants. All in all, I hate that A LOT of restaurants in C'ville allow smoking, but Aberdeen Barn definitely allows smoking! They have a non-smoking section, but I've still had the smoke carry into our area. It depends how much this bothers you. It's still definitely the best steak in C'ville!
http://www.tripadvisor.com
And here's the restaurant website:
www.aberdeenbarn.com
-Finally, my favorite restaurant in all of Charlottesville: The Ivy Inn. It's pretty pricey but the food is unbelievable. The menu changes daily depending on what they got at market, and the service is the perfect mix of nice but not overly attentive. They definitely have room for parties of all size, but this would definitely be a "big night out." It's right across from the entrance to Ivy Gardens (where all the 1Ls live) on Old Ivy Road (so closer to you in Crozet than all the other places!) inside this cute old farmhouse. If I recall correctly, they also decorate it really well around the holidays so it would be so pretty.
http://www.tripadvisor.com
Ivy Inn website:
http://www.ivyinnrestaurant
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