When you travel, do you travel for the eats? I definitely LOVE to plan my day around my food, whether it’s an average day or a traveling day. And this trip to Charlottesville, Virginia, was no exception.
For the record, I love home cooking, and we did a lot of that while visiting Virginia! But I wanted to highlight Three Notch’d Brewing Company, Citizen Burger Bar, Chaps Ice Cream, and the Pigeon Hole! Also, I wish I had taken about 20 more pictures than I did.
Three Notch’d Brewing Company
Charlottesville is a hot spot for breweries and wineries. Though my sister and I discussed doing a wine or beer tour, we settled on doing our own thing. So we visited Three Notch’d Brewing Company.
Housed in a warehouse, the high ceilings and industrial design was an immediately cool vibe. Long communal tables gave the option for making new friends or you could sit at smaller tables with just your party.
The open style kitchen allowed you to see the food making process, and large windows displayed the distillery.
My sister and I opted to share a flight of beers, each choosing two options, and then we split the Lobster Mac n’ Cheese and the butternut squash salad. SO FREAKING GOOD. I’d go again (also, it doesn’t help that I’m writing this while being hungry)
Citizen Burger Bar
On the historic downtown mall in Charlottesville, you’ll find a number of bookstores, clothing boutiques, and restaurants. This beautifully bricked pathway offers the perfect place to stroll, teasing you to ignore life’s responsibilities and relax. I laughed aloud when I saw one store was named The Impeccable Pig. Can you guess what they were selling?
My sister and I were on the hunt for food, and after checking all the menus along the historic mall, we returned to the Citizen Burger Bar. The bare-bricked interior and low lighting was just the vibe we wanted. We slid into a massive booth with deep cushions, and our waitress filled us in on the details.
Citizen Burger Bar is ALL about offering delicious food from amazing ingredients: local everything, farm fresh, homemade, nothing a
rtificial.
My favorite option was the ability to custom build your own burger! You better believe I went with that option (and so did Deborah). I opted not to get a side, but I stole some sweet potato fries from my sister (and they were GIANT).
My custom burger was beef patty, lettuce wrap, grilled onion, fresh jalapeno, mushrooms, and provolone cheese. Every bite was exquisite.
I’d do it again…maybe minus the jalapenos so I could taste other things too. Hahaha.
Chaps Ice Cream
A few stores over from Citizen Burger Bar, you can choose between Chaps Ice Cream or a gelato option. We almost did the gelato, but I was drawn to the 50s decor of Chaps. And so off we went to this little shop that boasts tiny booths with azul vinyl and coat racks. My sister controlled herself and opted for one scoop of chocolate ice cream.
And I, well I, am a true lover of ice cream so I ordered a scoop of each. Just kidding. I ordered a scoop of Birthday Cake and Black Raspberry.
Swoon. Worthy.
One of my favorite parts of the experience was being served by a frazzled, white-haired lady. With an onslaught of visitors, she sped around the back counter, helping each of us.
The Pigeon Hole
Set on a side street off of the main drag through the University of Virginia campus, The Pigeon Hole is a house converted into a restaurant. Step up the stairs, and you’ll begin to meet the character of the house. Swing open the front door to be greeted by a hostess, who’s probably a student at the nearby school.
When we arrived on a Thursday morning in the middle of spring break, we were the only customers. We got to choose our own table, and we sat in front of a window that spilled in sunshine.
The menu offered all of the most common breakfast options, and I went right for the Messenger: two pancakes, two eggs, and two pieces of bacon with your choice of a side. Hello, cheesy grits. Never have I ever tried cheesy grits, but I’m telling you…delicious.
My sister chose the french toast with cheesy grits, and we were both happy campers.
[…] Spread out before us was a bricked length with stores and restaurants lining it. In the middle, tables lounged, waiting for walkers to sit for meals. Although the temperature was mild, the chilly little breezes had us choose the indoor option for the Citizen Burger Bar. Here are some places we ate. […]