A breakfast spread in Charlottesville, VA

On the Road

Get to Know Charlottesville, Virginia | Listen

By: Stephanie Ganz

Copy to clipboard

Charlottesville is the heart of Virginia wine country and, naturally, one of the state’s culinary hot spots

Steeped in history and immersed in a culture of creativity, Charlottesville, Virginia, is also anchored by the prestigious University of Virginia (UVA). Whether you’re making your way around the area’s historical offerings, including its crown jewel, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello, or getting out to the abundance of hiking, biking, and rafting opportunities along the area’s 500 miles of Blue Ridge trails, you’ll find, at its heart, a small town with a big appetite.

Charlottesville promises a little something for every palate, from The Corner, a cluster of shops near UVA, great for rowdy pregame lunches, to the Downtown Mall, with some of the best-loved restaurants in the city. Libations are equally well-represented on the Monticello Wine Trail and in the city’s multitude of breweries and cideries. Seasonal, locally sourced produce is at the heart of many of the best menus, whether it’s the pastries at Cou Cou Rachou or the nightly specials at Smyrna.

bread from Cou Cou Rachou in Charlottesville

Best Places to Eat and Drink

Most Memorable Croissant: Cou Cou Rachou

Even if you’ve never traipsed through Les Halles, Paris’ open-air market, the french onion croissant, a buttery marvel from pastry chef Rachel De Jong, will transport you there, with sweet, caramelized onions and delicate fricos of gruyere along its perfectly flaky edges.

Happiest Happy Hour: Public Fish & Oyster

Locals cram into this buzzy raw bar daily starting at 4 p.m. for a happy hour that boasts bloody mary oyster shooters and the most coveted lobster rolls, served with Belgian-style fries, in the South.

Most Cluck-Worthy Chicken: Birdhouse

Tender and juicy with a crispy, flavorful skin, Birdhouse’s rotisserie chicken does justice to the free-range organic Cornish Cross chickens they source from local farmers. Pair it with their celery and olive salad for an unforgettable meal.

Best Back-Alley Pasta: Luce

A hidden speakeasy for fresh pasta, Luce’s tiny footprint can be easy to miss, but make the effort and be rewarded with a bowl of the bolo: pappardelle with pork ragu, breadcrumbs, and a touch of mint. Luce is all takeaway, but you can enjoy their pasta at neighboring sister wine bar Crush Pad Wines.

Most Drool-Worthy Vegetables: Oakhart Social

Though their omnivorous dishes are worthy of a nod, too, prepare to be absolutely dazzled by vegetable-forward shared plates like roasted broccoli with fish sauce caramel and sesame crumble or the cabbage and scallion pancake with oyster sauce and furikake from chef Tristan Wraight.

Most Picnic-Worthy Sandwiches: Ivy Provisions

Find ideal UVA tailgating fare here—every sandwich from Ivy Provisions is a well-constructed masterpiece. Their fan favorite, the Gobbfather, which combines roasted turkey, pepperjack cheese, pickles, and spicy mayo on sourdough bread, will make an offer your hunger can’t refuse.

Most Precious Dumplings: Smyrna

Charming, thumbnail-sized dumplings, or manti, are a staple on the menu at this Anatolian Appalachian restaurant helmed by Turkish-born chef Tarik Sengul. The diminutive dumplings are stuffed with a mixture of local mushrooms, herbs, and ricotta and served with a garlicky yogurt.

The Pizza Worth Waiting For: Lampo

With just a few seats, it can be tough to snag a table at Lampo during busy times, but it’s worth the wait for a slice of their bubbly-crusted, perfectly thin Neapolitan-style pizza. Try the Abruzzo, topped with Lampo’s well-loved beef-and-pork meatballs.

Claim to Fame: The Wine Scene

Crowned the Wine Region of the Year in 2023 by Wine Enthusiast, Charlottesville and the Monticello American Viticultural Area (AVA) are home to some of the best wineries on the East Coast, and you can find them all on the Monticello Wine Trail. Sip a 2019 Meritage from King Family Vineyards, winner of the 2024 Governor’s Cup, before making your way to Flying Fox Vineyard to sample their small-batch Sly Fox Series. Finish your journey at Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards with a glass of crisp viognier, and enjoy executive chef Victoria Cosner’s wine-friendly menu and breathtaking views from the covered veranda.

Chardonnay Grapes and Tractor at a vineyard in Charlottesville

Meet a Local: Tim Edmond, Cofounder, Potter’s Craft Cider

Tell us a bit about how Potter’s Craft Cider got started.

My business partner, Dan Potter, and I were college buddies, and we had bonded in college over home-brewing beer, and subsequently, as we each went into our professional lives, we kept up that hobby. As the craft beer market evolved, there were all sorts of crazy styles, and beer had had a lot of innovation, but there was really no innovation in cider, and there wasn’t even really a craft category for cider. So, when we started, there was just so much open space for innovation about what cider is. And that’s really persisted with us throughout our 14 years of operating—that spirit for finding out what it is and what it can be has helped us grow and evolve.

Charlottesville is known for producing great wines, but what makes this such a great cider town as well?

It’s the apples. Virginia is the fifth-largest apple-growing state in the nation, and we have not only an abundance of apples, but we have apples that are particularly well suited to cider making, which is not true of all markets. That really has to do with the work of a few folks in our area who identified the genetic diversity of the older varieties. A lot of these apples had kind of gone into the forest, and they were able to identify these varieties, which are more or less lost to cultivation, which were and are good cider-making varieties. And it’s really opened up the diversity of what we have available to us, and the styles and beyond.

Take us through your perfect Charlottesville day.

Waking up on a Saturday, I’m going to the Farmers Market at IX (pronounced “ix” as in six). I usually get an iced latte from JBird Supply, and then I see my friends at Free Union Flower Farm and get some flowers, and I find this gluten-free baker and get a loaf of bread. From there, there are so many day hikes, so I’m constantly directing folks to Sugar Hollow or to the parkway. I’ve got a handful of swimming holes I usually recommend, or this time of year, there’s a lot of great mushroom foraging. From there, I would definitely check out some live music. Every Saturday night, we have live music outside at Potter’s. And we’ve got a new food menu we’re really excited about. We’ve got an extremely talented chef bringing a lot of cool stuff to our menu.

What’s a hidden gem that Charlottesville visitors shouldn’t miss?

There’s Visible Records—they have all sorts of interesting stuff going on in their gallery. The local radio station, WTJU, is doing cool stuff all over town, like a rotating vinyl takeover. They also do this Prints, Platters, and Pints thing where there’s a market with independent artisans who pop up every month.

Who are some of the people in your community who are inspiring you?

There’s a lot of new chefs and new restaurants in Charlottesville that I think are doing really cool stuff popping up—like Botanical on the Downtown Mall. I think they’re doing awesome food and culture down there. They have a great menu. They’re doing drag shows. They’re just bringing life to that side of the mall, which is awesome.

Where to Shop

Downtown Mall

With dozens of shops to meander through, Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall is the perfect place for an afternoon of souvenir shopping. Grab a bag of beans from Mudhouse Coffee Roasters to take home, then find the coolest artisan homewares at Darling and Dashing.

Stock Provisions

Head to Main Street to scope out the city’s only whole-animal butcher shop, Stock Provisions, where you’ll find a curated selection of edible treats like the Stock ham biscuit along with a selection of weekly sausages.

Bottle House

Add a few bottles to your bag at Bottle House where wine pros Louie Cornay and Daniel Kaufmancurate an extensive selection of wine, beers, and cocktail supplies, including glassware and mixers.

Where to Stay: The Doyle Hotel

Ideally situated in the heart of Charlottesville, The Doyle Hotel is oozing with boutique-y charm, from its vibey rooftop bar to its whiskey-focused speakeasy. After a day of exploring The Downtown Mall or bustling West Main Street, The Doyle’s stylish, ample rooms are the perfect place to rest before doing it all over again.