Best Asian Restaurant
First Place: Chopstix, Martinsville, ChopstixAsianRestaurant.com, 276-632-8898
Approaching the end of its first year in business, Chopstix aims to be part of the “next generation” of Asian fusion cuisine. Can’t choose between hibachi steak or sushi? Try the steak as a side to enjoy with your Downtown Roll—shrimp, smoked salmon, avocado and cream cheese topped with eel sauce and spicy mayo.
Second place: Cafe Asia, Roanoke, CafeAsiaRoanoke.com, 540-206-2298
Third place: Osaka Japanese Steakhouse, Bristol, 276-669-8788
Best Bakery
First Place: Blackbird Bakery, Bristol, BlackbirdBakeryBristol.com, 276-645-5754
Blackbird Bakery, open 24 hours a day, six days a week, has expanded twice since it opened in 2008. Serving popular items like pink almond cake and glazed donuts, its brownie tower—stacked brownies layered with whipped cream and garnished with berries and chocolate ganache—is also worth a bite, or two.
Second place: Our Daily Bread Bakery & Bistro, Blacksburg, ODBB.com, 540-953-2815
Third place: Bread Craft, Roanoke, BreadCraftBakery.com, 540-562-4112
Best Bar
First Place: Graze on Main, Wytheville, BollingWilsonHotel.com, 276-223-2333
More than 40 different kinds of bourbon line the shelves at Graze on Main, including the always elegant Jefferson’s Reserve and Blanton’s Single Barrel. The restaurant, which is located inside the Bolling Wilson Hotel, also offers an extensive wine list, and cocktails made to order.
Second place: Lucky, Roanoke, EatAtLucky.com, 540-982-1249
Third place: Wild Magnolia, Martinsville, Facebook.com/EatWildMagnolia, 276-666-6666
Best Barbecue Restaurant
First Place: Bone Fire Smokehouse, Abingdon, 276-623-0037
Located in a renovated hardware store, Bone Fire Smokehouse was relocated to the town from Kingsport, Tennessee by owner Doug Beatty on the heels of winning “Best Ribs in America” at the Great American Grill-Off in 2012. In addition to traditional from-scratch menu items like cornbread fritters and pulled pork, the restaurant cures its own bacon, loin ham and pastrami.
Second place: Checkered Pig BBQ & Ribs, Martinsville, CheckeredPig.com, 276-632-1161
Third place: Mission BBQ, Roanoke, Mission-BBQ.com, 540-613-5513
Best Breakfast Restaurant
First Place: The Roanoker Restaurant, Roanoke, TheRoanokerRestaurant.com, 540-344-7746
The Roanoker Restaurant celebrates 75 years in business in July thanks to a solid Southern menu that includes its signature biscuits covered in sausage and gravy, strawberry pancakes with whipped cream, and eggs country scrambled with your choice of meat and cheddar, and served, of course, with hot biscuits.
Second place: Gillie’s, Blacksburg, GilliesRestaurant.net, 540-961-2703
Third place: Chick-N-Little, Abingdon, 276-628-6690
Best Burger Joint
First Place: Burger Bar, Bristol, TheOriginalBurgerBar.com, 276-466-6200
Legend has it that country music star Hank Williams was last seen alive at the Burger Bar, a Bristol staple that once served as the waiting area for the Greyhound station next door. Even if it’s just a tall tale, the chili cheeseburger made from a decades-old chili recipe will have you “Howlin’ at the Moon.”
Second place: Jack Brown’s Beer & Burger Joint, Roanoke, JackBrownsJoint.com, 540-342-0328
Third place: Fenderz Drive-In, Collinsville, 276-647-4555
Best Caterer
First Place: Blue Ridge Catering, Roanoke, BlueRidgeCatering.net, 540-982-7700
Formerly known as “BBQ & Beyond,” Blue Ridge Catering has expanded more into the “beyond” in recent years, catering corporate events, weddings and parties. Although the company frequently features contemporary Southern cuisine like mini chicken and waffle cones, Blue Ridge will custom design a menu to your liking.
Second place: Center Stage Catering Inc., Rocky Mount, CenterStageFood.com, 540-489-7827
Third place: Quality Catering & 37 East, Martinsville, QualityCateringAndTheGallery.com, 276-632-1041
Best Chocolatier
First Place: ChocolatePaper, Roanoke, ChocolatePaperRoanoke.com, 540-342-6061
Chocolate and greeting cards are a sweet combination, especially for a last minute gift. Pick from an assortment of individual chocolates, or a tasty gift basket filled with truffles, cookies and other goodies. Or, host an event at chocolatepaper’s new in-house tasting room, opened as a part of the store’s expansion last year.
Second place: The Chocolate Spike, Blacksburg, Facebook.com/TheChocolateSpike, 540-552-4646
Third place: Baylee’s Best Chocolates, Roanoke, BayleesBest.com, 540-776-0032
Best Dessert Menu
First Place: Anthony’s Desserts, Abingdon, AnthonysDesserts.com, 276-623-1500
Anthony’s Desserts serves hand-roasted coffee, housemade ice cream and more than 30 flavors of individually-sized cheesecakes. You may be overwhelmed at first by the choice of flavors, but don’t be a slowpoke on trying the turtle cheesecake, a vanilla cream and chocolate ganache cake topped with caramel, pecans and extra ganache, a favorite of customers (and the owner too).
Second place: Graze on Main, Wytheville, BollingWilsonHotel.com, 276-223-2333
Third place: Blackbird Bakery, Bristol, BlackbirdBakeryBristol.com, 276-645-5754
Best Farmers’ Market
First Place: Abingdon Farmers’ Market, Abingdon, AbingdonFarmersMarket.com, 276-698-1434
The Abingdon Farmers’ Market makes a good case for shopping local, with producers and artisans from across Washington County bringing their products directly to patrons—no middle man, and often organic. Forget to bring cash? You can swipe your card and purchase tokens that can be spent with any vendor.
Second place: Blacksburg Farmers’ Market, Blacksburg, BlacksburgFarmersMarket.com, 540-239-8290
Third place: Historic Roanoke City Market, Roanoke, DowntownRoanoke.org/City-Market, 540-342-2028
Best Food Truck
First Place: Toni’s Hawaiian Tacos, Abingdon, 808-298-6882
Tacos and burritos come with a tropical twist at Toni’s Hawaiian Tacos, where tortillas filled with mahi mahi, kalua pig and spicy Korean beef are among the more popular offerings. Find Toni’s parked at local health food store Lum and Sue’s during the summer, or at Wolf Hills Brewery during the rest of the year.
Second place: Backdraft BBQ, Gate City, 423-765-6159
Third place: Thai This, Christiansburg, ThaiThisFoodTruck.com, 540-200-9266
Best Gourmet Grocery Store
First Place: The Fresh Market, Roanoke, TheFreshMarket.com, 540-344-5490
Browsing the Fresh Market can be meditative—specialty and international items, hard-to-find spices and self-serve bulk ingredients line the store’s aisles while classical music plays in the background. If you’re looking for a quick dinner, stop by the prepared foods department to pick up a white wine roasted chicken, or for a crowd, a mozzarella caprese party platter.
Second place: Tinnell’s Finer Foods, Inc., Roanoke, Tinnells.com, 540-345-7334
Third place: Glade Green Grocer, Glade Spring, GladeGreenGrocer.com, 276-429-1022
Best Italian Restaurant
First Place: Luigi’s, Roanoke, LuigisVa.com, 540-989-6277
The first Italian restaurant in Roanoke, Luigi’s focuses on serving authentic Italian dishes, many based on recipes the original owner received from Mamma Leone’s restaurant in New York City in 1945 during a chance encounter with the owner. The restaurant is particularly known for its Veal Bella Boca.
Second place: Sal’s, Blacksburg, 540-953-4040
Third place: Olive Garden, Roanoke, OliveGarden.com, 540-362-0417
Best Local Craft Brewery
First Place: Wolf Hills Brewing Company, Abingdon, WolfHillsBrewing.com, 276-451-5470
Apart from making small batch craft brews like Chocolate Milk Porter and Resurrection Session IPA, Wolf Hills Brewing Company hosts events like the Howling Craft Beer and Music Festival in May, featuring bands from across the country, live art and overnight camping.
Second place: Studio Brew, Bristol, StudioBrew.beer, 423-360-3258
Third place: Bristol Brewery, Bristol, BristolBrew.com, 276-608-1220
Best Local Ice Cream Shop
First Place: Pop’s Ice Cream & Soda Bar, Roanoke, Facebook.com/PopsIceCream, 540-345-2129
In 2006, owners Brandon Davis and Anna Robertson felt there was something missing in Roanoke: a traditional ’50s-style soda fountain. So, they opened Pop’s, which offers treats such as the Black & White mixed to order with housemade chocolate syrup, whipped cream, soda water and Homestead Creamery vanilla ice cream.
Second place: Dippers Ice Cream, Ridgeway, DippersHomemadeIceCream.com, 276-956-6600
Third place: The Ice Cream Stop, Abingdon, 276-676-0447
Best Locally-Owned Coffee Shop
First Place: Zazzy’Z, Abingdon, ZazzyZ.com, 276-698-3333
Zazzy’Z took up residence in a local bookstore and slowly grew into the casual dining spot and coffee shop it is today. Although the bookstore closed, you can still find books from local authors on display in the shop while you sip on in-house roasted coffee or enjoy a slice of the lasagna-of-the-day from its Bistro Cafe.
Second place: Serendipity Coffee House and Bistro, Martinsville, SerendipityMartinsville.com, 276-403-4015
Third place: Sweet Donkey Coffee House, Roanoke, SweetDonkeyCoffee.com, 540-491-0004
Best Mexican Restaurant
First Place: Alejandro’s Mexican Grill, Roanoke, AlejandrosMexicanGrill.com, 540-400-7053
At Alejandro’s, you don’t have to wait for your server to bring chips and salsa. The restaurant features a self-serve salsa bar with a variety of fresh-made salsas, guacamole, and other dips paired with unlimited chips. Try one, or try them all, but be sure to save room for apple pork fajitas and a California-style burrito.
Second place: Abuelo’s , Roanoke, Abuelos.com, 540-265-3555
Third place: El Patio Mexico Grill , Bristol, 276-466-8831
Best Outdoor Dining
First Place: Graze on Main, Wytheville, BollingWilsonHotel.com, 276-223-2333
One can enjoy sweeping mountain views from the patio at Graze on Main, and also from the Perch, the hotel’s rooftop bar. The Perch’s fire pits and heaters make it a year-round destination for enjoying hors d’oeuvres from the bar menu and cocktails en plein air.
Second place: The Tavern, Abingdon, AbingdonTavern.com, 276-628-1118
Third place: Third Bay, Martinsville, Facebook.com/ThirdBayCafe, 276-666-8414
Best Pizzeria
First Place: Bella’s Pizza and Subs, Abingdon, BellasAbingdon.com, 276-628-8101
Bella’s Pizza and Subs has been serving Western New York style pizza and subs since 1980. Using tried and true recipes, the pizzeria offers $7 lunch specials consisting of a small sub with chips and a drink, or an 8-inch personal pizza and a drink, as well as specialty pizzas like the steak and cheese and broccoli, ricotta and tomato.
Second place: New York Pizza , Vinton, NewYorkPizzaInc.Tripod.com, 540-342-2933
Third place: Elizabeth’s Pizza, Martinsville, ElizabethsPizzaVirginia.Blogspot.com, 276-632-1366
Best Place for Brunch
First Place: Graze on Main, Wytheville, BollingWilsonHotel.com, 276-223-2333
Brunch at Graze on Main is an à la carte affair every Sunday until two o’clock, featuring the popular panko-crusted and sausage-wrapped Scottish Egg served with homemade hollandaise and tomato jam, and Graze Eggs Benedict, two eggs sunny side up with country ham on grilled challah.
Second place: River & Rail, Roanoke, RiverAndRailRestaurant.com, 540-400-6830
Third place: The Palisades, Eggleston, ThePalisadesRestaurant.com, 540-626-2828
Best Place for Lunch
First Place: Serendipity Coffee House & Bistro, Martinsville, SerendipityMartinsville.com, 276-403-4015
A recent addition to Martinsville’s lunch circuit, Serendipity Coffee House & Bistro has quickly established itself with classic sandwiches like the grilled pimento cheese made with Serendipity’s homemade pimento, three slices of bacon, and tomato served between two slices of Texas toast, and the turkey bacon and brie sandwich with herbed aioli on focaccia.
Second place: Dunk & Deli, Abingdon, Facebook.com/DunkAndDeli, 276-628-5150
Third place: Flourz, Wytheville, FlourzWytheville.com, 276-227-0959
Best Restaurant
First Place: Graze on Main, Wytheville, BollingWilsonHotel.com, 276-223-2333
Named for the sheep that former first lady Edith Bolling Wilson set to graze on the White House lawn to conserve manpower during World War I, Graze on Main tributes its namesake with its new-style Southern cooking. The restaurant now opens for lunch, offering gourmet sandwiches like the fried green tomato BLT.
Second place: The Palisades, Eggleston, ThePalisadesRestaurant.com, 540-626-2828
Third place: The Tavern, Abingdon, AbingdonTavern.com, 276-628-1118
Best Seafood Restaurant
First Place: Graze on Main, Wytheville, BollingWilsonHotel.com, 276-223-2333
Graze on Main’s shrimp and grits is popular enough that it is one of the few items that has remained on the menu since the restaurant’s opening in 2014. Other offerings from the sea include Graze’s signature crab cakes, served with lemon dill aioli and roasted fingerling potatoes and pecan crusted trout topped with peach chutney.
Second place: Red Lobster, Roanoke, RedLobster.com, 540-343-1549
Third place: Captain Tom’s , Martinsville, CaptainTomsSeafood.com, 276-666-0326
Best Steakhouse
First Place: Frankie Rowland’s Steakhouse, Roanoke, FrankieRowlandsSteakhouse.com, 540-527-2333
Frankie Rowland’s Steakhouse offers classic steakhouse options, like its 30-ounce porterhouse, but also more of the offbeat variety, like broiled 22-ounce Australian lamb chops, each seasoned and finished with salt, pepper and clarified butter. Plus, the restaurant offers a martini menu with cocktails to suit most, including the oh-so-rich chocolate cake martini.
Second place: Graze on Main, Wytheville, BollingWilsonHotel.com, 276-223-2333
Third place: Texas Roadhouse, Christiansburg, TexasRoadhouse.com, 540-381-2900
Best Wine Shop
First Place: Katbird’s Wine & Gourmet, Abingdon, KatbirdsWine.com, 276-623-0001
With wines from across the world, more than 140 craft beers, fresh-brewed coffee and locally made pastries, plan to spend a day browsing Katbird’s Wine & Gourmet offerings. Katbird’s also offers a wine of the month club, featuring two specially chosen wines every month, each for $30 or less.
Second place: Vintage Cellar, Blacksburg, VintageCellar.com, 540-953-2675
Third place: Mr. Bill’s Wine Cellar, Roanoke, MrBillsWineCellar.com, 540-400-7771
Best Winery
First Place: Chateau Morrisette, Floyd, TheDogs.com, 540-593-2865
One of the largest wineries in the state, Chateau Morrisette sits at an elevation of 3,500 feet on the crest of the Blue Ridge. Enjoy its sweeping views during the winery’s Adventure Weekends, which include a 5K run, horseback ride or kayak trip on the Little River, or during its Black Dog Music Festivals. Dogs are, of course, most welcome.
Second place: Abingdon Vineyard & Winery, Abingdon, AbingdonWinery.com, 276-623-1255
Third place: West Wind Farm Vineyard & Winery, Max Meadows, WestWindWine.com, 276-699-2020
Most Creative Cocktail Menu
First Place: Lucky, Roanoke, EatAtLucky.com, 540-982-1249
Owners Hunter Johnson and J.P. Powell decided to start the kind of bar where they would want to hang out. Lucky’s success speaks to that vision with its cool atmosphere, gourmet food and a rotating cocktail menu featuring drinks like Los Pantelones Obscuros, a gin-based watermelon-mint creation.
Second place: Graze on Main, Wytheville, BollingWilsonHotel.com, 276-223-2333
Third place: Rain, Abingdon, 276-739-2331