Roanoke's food scene has quietly gotten good. This is the expanded list we tell guests — honest picks from your hosts, priced out, mapped, and organized so you can find something no matter the mood. Dollar signs reflect typical entrée price: $ under $15, $$ $15–25, $$$ $25–40, $$$$ $40+. Everything here is within a 10-minute walk or short drive of the flats.
Breakfast & brunch
Scratch Biscuit Co. · $
Biscuits the size of your fist, sourced from local grains, stuffed with fried chicken or pimento cheese or both. Go early Saturday (before 9) or expect a 30-minute wait. We take visiting family here every time. Best breakfast in Roanoke.
Scrambled · $
Diner-style breakfast done right — hash browns crispy on the edges, eggs however you want them, bottomless coffee. Good backup if Scratch has a line.
Bread Craft · $
European-style hard-crusted sourdough and pastries that sell out by noon. Opened 2006 — Parisian-style café tucked into downtown. Pick up a loaf and a kouign-amann on your way out of town.
RND Coffee · $
Three-minute walk from the flats. Single-origin pour-overs and excellent croissants. Our favorite coffee in town — where we actually start our own mornings.
Lunch
Wok N Roll · $
Neil's personal pick for cheap, reliable lunch. Downtown Asian cooking by a family-run team with 16 years on the block — home-style dishes, generous portions, no pretense. If you want Chinese food that actually tastes like it's made by someone's grandmother, this is it.
Texas Tavern · $
10 stools, open since 1930, open until 2 AM six days a week. Two chili-cheese ("with" = onions; standard order) and a black coffee is under $10. Featured on Food Network. This is not fine dining — it's Roanoke dining. Cash only.
Macado's · $
Locally owned sandwich shop with a rotating weekly special board — see the bonus section below. Big portions, reliable for a pre-hike load-up.
Jack Brown's · $
The childhood-dream burger joint out of Harrisonburg. Great craft beer list paired with burgers done simple and right. Walk-up seating, casual, always open.
Bloom · $$
Modern American small plates and wine bar on Main St., near the Roanoke Greenway. Seasonal, locally sourced, seasonal outdoor dining. Light lunch or slow-wine lunch — both work.
Dinner — neighborhood favorites
Martin's Downtown · $
Our Saturday-night go-to since 2005. Great food, great prices, live music most nights, solid cocktails, daily specials board. Share the Brussels sprouts and the fries. Reservations help on weekends. 15-minute walk from the flats or a 5-minute drive. Won "Best Burger," "Best Wings," "Best Happy Hour," and "Best Live Entertainment" in area rankings.
Lucky · $$$
Neighborhood wine bar with small plates that punch above their price. Great for a slow Wednesday. Four plates between two. Book ahead on weekends.
The Laughing Bull · $$
In the downtown Market Building. Asian fusion with ramen and burgers on the same menu — and both are good. Founded by two foodie friends who used to cook together for fun.
The River and Rail · $$
Farm-to-table American with a rotating seasonal menu. Southwest Virginia sourcing, careful plating, warm room.
Tucos · $$
Solid Mexican downtown. Margaritas on the patio, reliable for a Friday if you don't want to fight the market crowd.
Benny Marconi's · $
New York-style pizza by the slice on Market Square. Grab one on a downtown walk — the pepperoni is the move.
Dinner — when you want to dress up
Frankie Rowlands · $$$$
Roanoke's steakhouse, white tablecloth, walnut bar, strong cocktails. Anniversary or closing-the-deal dinner. Reservations required.
Table 50 · $$$
Classic techniques, local ingredients, hand-picked wines, affordable for what you get. Fine dining with a comforting feel — for business or for the date you want to go well.
Fortunato · $$$
The region's only traditional Italian kitchen and Neapolitan-style pizzeria, set in the Blue Ridge foothills. Modern-rustic room, shared plates, genuinely good pizza.
Sidecar · $$$
Modern European with a classic-cocktail program. Mussels, steak frites, charcuterie, pierogies, handmade sausages. Old-world atmosphere with imported wines and beers.
Three Notch'd Craft Kitchen & Brewery · $$
Locally sourced, beer-infused dishes designed to pair with what's on tap. Southern classics alongside modern plates — more interesting than your typical brewpub fare.
Dinner — global flavors
Wasabi's · $$$
The downtown sushi spot. Chef Ike is a Japanese native who's been in the valley 30+ years — the rolls are clean, the nigiri is treated with respect.
Nawab · $$
Indian. Lunch buffet is the sleeper deal downtown; dinner menu is deep and the vindaloo has actual heat.
Inka Grill · $$
Peruvian — Lomo Saltado, ceviche, Latin American staples. Family-run, warm, unpretentious.
Breweries & taprooms
A Few Old Goats Brewing · $
Downstairs. Literally. Our onsite microbrewery — small-batch beers, friendly locals, the Courtyard Blonde (light) or the 515 IPA are both good first rounds. Open until midnight on weekends. Your nightcap is 30 footsteps away.
Big Lick Brewing · $
Downtown Roanoke's flagship craft brewery and beer garden. Best patio downtown. Friday and Saturday are the nights to go. The IPAs and the pilsner are what to order.
Starr Hill
Regional favorite with a Roanoke outpost — reliable hop-forward ales and a low-key taproom.
Deschutes Brewery Tasting Room
Big-name Pacific Northwest brewer with a tasting room right in town. Rare-release tap list and good patio weather.
Twin Creeks Brewing
Small-batch, local, worth the short drive. Low-key crowd and a rotating tap list.
Parkway Brewing · $
Salem, not Roanoke proper, but a 15-minute drive. Live music Thursdays. The Bridging the Gap IPA is on permanent rotation for a reason.
Going out late
These are the weekend-night spots — busy after 9, music gets louder, don't expect quiet conversation:
- 202 Social — market-area bar, late-night crowd, cocktails.
- Sidewinders — Roanoke's country bar. Live country and line dancing most weekends.
- Billy's — downtown staple, good jukebox, good pours.
- Fork in the Market — late dinner + drinks, busy weekends.
- Corned Beef & Co. — multi-level, DJs upstairs weekends.
- Wasena Tap Room — next to River Rock Climbing. Trivia Mondays. Make it a climb-then-beer double feature.
Weekly specials worth planning around
- Monday: Martin's half-priced burgers · Macado's 10 wings for $4.44.
- Tuesday: Martin's $6 BBQ sandwich with side · Village Grill $0.99 tacos · Macado's $7.25 burgers.
- Wednesday: Macado's Mexican Fiesta Feast $6.95.
- Thursday: Martin's $3 tacos · Macado's $0.39 boneless wings.
- Friday: Martin's free happy hour buffet 5–7 PM (with a drink).
- Saturday: Macado's $7.25 Reuben.
- Sunday: Macado's $0.39 boneless wings.
Late night
If you need food after 11 PM: Texas Tavern (until 2 AM, cash only) or A Few Old Goats (kitchen until 11 on weekends, pretzels and bar snacks after). Most of downtown closes around 10.
Coffee for the drive home
RND Coffee if you're headed north. Bread Craft if you want something to eat with it. Both are 5 minutes from the flats.
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