A cafe in the Virginia Forestry building. Spacious, clean and comfortable. Had Potato Cauliflower soup, and grilled shrimp over white beans. Soup was good, not fabulous. Shrimp was fabulous, beans were too El Dante for my taste, but still tasty. My companion also had the soup, and a large salad - which they loved. Good coffee - great service. Terrible signage - got lost inside the bldg, and had to be walked to the cafe. Still and all, Happy I went.
Wayne & Carol Grabowski
Quick lunch here while waiting for appt at Fontaine. Food was good, server was gracious and atmosphere was comfy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tony Kilic
Interesting place and location. The food was very good and the prices are decentVegetarian options: Typical Mediterranean veggies
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Falafel, Lamb Merguez, Hummus, Baba Ghanoush
Kaitlyn Myers
Hadn’t gone in years, so tried it out today. Really disappointed. Falafel wrap was mostly hummus and tomato, and the falafel that was there was mostly bread crumbs. Not worth it. Makes me sad; it used to be amazing.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Peggy Powell
Highly recommend. We had our high school reunion there. Moses and his staff were fantastic in helping us plan everything we wanted and gave us ideas on the layout for our event and that was HUGE help and saved us lots of time and headache. The time available to set up our event and decorate was wonderful. I can't say enough about their outstanding service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
David M.
Had a fine lunch today: lamb merguez sandwich and grilled eggplant. Both excellent. In addition to the sauces that came with the merguez (one nicely smoky and the other more crema), I requested some hot sauce on the side - which had deep flavor and also really delivered the heat. For dessert, burma (a kind of rolled baklava filled with a mixture of pistachios, honey and spices). Served on a base of honey yogurt and topped with a tangy drizzle, it was a beautiful presentation and tasted as good as it looked. The indoor ambiance is very good, but, taking advantage of the milder weather today, we sat in the peaceful courtyard. The service was impeccable. Reasonably priced.
Bella Glorius
The owner is so nice and fun to talk to, the food is AMAZING, and the overall vibe of the place is great! I would 100% recommend
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salmon Orzo, Hummus
Jason Glorius
It was the best burger I have ever tasted. Great service and great music!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salmon Orzo
Vince Lewis
Always my go to place for lunch when visiting Charlottesville.
Delicious food and super friendly people. A little tucked away, but well worth the short drive. The Lamb & Lentil tagine was cooked perflectly - and they’ve got a great wine list.
Quite frankly I'm shocked at the amount of good reviews, maybe they used to be good but have since gone downhill? Usually I wait until I've tried a place a few times but I feel comfortable making a review based on my first try since 1) their catering had a variety of options so I know it wasn't just one dish that was bad and 2) I couodnt imagine spending my money to give them a second chance. Really. It was this bad. They catered an event I attended today and I had pita bread, hummus, dolmas, chicken and squash shish kebabs, pasta salad and Greek salad. Every. Single. Dish. Was an absolute let down. Chicken was completely dry and flavorless. I threw the rest of it away. The pita was so dry it crumbled and I couldn't eat it. Surely the hummus would help boost the chicken and pita? Wrong. The hummus was basically ground chickpeas with no other flavor. The pasta salad just tasted like plain pasta with oil. Nothing else. The dolmas were decent (but it's grape leaves and rice, how can you mess it up??) and the green salad was ONLY good bc there was some feta to put on top. The dressing was just straight oil no other flavors. I can't comment on their ambiance, I'm not sure if you can eat inside since it was catered to us. Maybe the place is nice but I haven't been there so I wouldn't know. This is the worst meal I've had in awhile and I do not recommend their food. The others at my table all said the same thing, we were not impressed. Would not recommend.
Zhen L.
One of my favorite restaurants in Charlottesville. My husband had chicken bowl and I had salmon both delicious.
Jerilyn Monts
Talk about a hidden gem! In a city with some pretty lovely places for lunch this place stands out. Attentive and helpful staff - for anyone with food allergies I cannot recommend enough. For the rest of us lucky folks who can eat anything - I was very happy with everything I had - I just wanted to note they care and ASK about food allergies as opposed to the diner having to bring it up. A little bit off the beaten path but look for the signs and if all else fails head to the Forestry Dept and when entering hang a left!
John Cummings
A clean and modern space tucked away in the Dept of Forestry building, and worth the short drive! They have an excellent, fresh, made to order Mediterranean menu table served by prompt, friendly staff. I had the lamb sausage sandwich and never had lamb taken to that level. I can't describe it, you need to try it! My wife had the sampler and we finished with baklava. All delicious!
Alfred Cooper
I loved the lamb sausage and lentils served with pita bread, but I would happily eat any of their dishes. It is a gem of a restaurant.
A cafe in the Virginia Forestry building. Spacious, clean and comfortable. Had Potato Cauliflower soup, and grilled shrimp over white beans. Soup was good, not fabulous. Shrimp was fabulous, beans were too El Dante for my taste, but still tasty. My companion also had the soup, and a large salad - which they loved. Good coffee - great service. Terrible signage - got lost inside the bldg, and had to be walked to the cafe. Still and all, Happy I went.
Quick lunch here while waiting for appt at Fontaine. Food was good, server was gracious and atmosphere was comfy.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Interesting place and location. The food was very good and the prices are decentVegetarian options: Typical Mediterranean veggies
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Falafel, Lamb Merguez, Hummus, Baba Ghanoush
Hadn’t gone in years, so tried it out today. Really disappointed. Falafel wrap was mostly hummus and tomato, and the falafel that was there was mostly bread crumbs. Not worth it. Makes me sad; it used to be amazing.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 4
Highly recommend. We had our high school reunion there. Moses and his staff were fantastic in helping us plan everything we wanted and gave us ideas on the layout for our event and that was HUGE help and saved us lots of time and headache. The time available to set up our event and decorate was wonderful. I can't say enough about their outstanding service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had a fine lunch today: lamb merguez sandwich and grilled eggplant. Both excellent. In addition to the sauces that came with the merguez (one nicely smoky and the other more crema), I requested some hot sauce on the side - which had deep flavor and also really delivered the heat. For dessert, burma (a kind of rolled baklava filled with a mixture of pistachios, honey and spices). Served on a base of honey yogurt and topped with a tangy drizzle, it was a beautiful presentation and tasted as good as it looked. The indoor ambiance is very good, but, taking advantage of the milder weather today, we sat in the peaceful courtyard. The service was impeccable. Reasonably priced.
The owner is so nice and fun to talk to, the food is AMAZING, and the overall vibe of the place is great! I would 100% recommend
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salmon Orzo, Hummus
It was the best burger I have ever tasted. Great service and great music!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salmon Orzo
Always my go to place for lunch when visiting Charlottesville.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salmon Orzo, Turkey and Provolone, Chicken Salad, Mediterranean Chicken Salad, Hummus
Delicious food and super friendly people. A little tucked away, but well worth the short drive. The Lamb & Lentil tagine was cooked perflectly - and they’ve got a great wine list.
Restaurantji Recommends
Quite frankly I'm shocked at the amount of good reviews, maybe they used to be good but have since gone downhill? Usually I wait until I've tried a place a few times but I feel comfortable making a review based on my first try since 1) their catering had a variety of options so I know it wasn't just one dish that was bad and 2) I couodnt imagine spending my money to give them a second chance. Really. It was this bad. They catered an event I attended today and I had pita bread, hummus, dolmas, chicken and squash shish kebabs, pasta salad and Greek salad. Every. Single. Dish. Was an absolute let down. Chicken was completely dry and flavorless. I threw the rest of it away. The pita was so dry it crumbled and I couldn't eat it. Surely the hummus would help boost the chicken and pita? Wrong. The hummus was basically ground chickpeas with no other flavor. The pasta salad just tasted like plain pasta with oil. Nothing else. The dolmas were decent (but it's grape leaves and rice, how can you mess it up??) and the green salad was ONLY good bc there was some feta to put on top. The dressing was just straight oil no other flavors. I can't comment on their ambiance, I'm not sure if you can eat inside since it was catered to us. Maybe the place is nice but I haven't been there so I wouldn't know. This is the worst meal I've had in awhile and I do not recommend their food. The others at my table all said the same thing, we were not impressed. Would not recommend.
One of my favorite restaurants in Charlottesville. My husband had chicken bowl and I had salmon both delicious.
Talk about a hidden gem! In a city with some pretty lovely places for lunch this place stands out. Attentive and helpful staff - for anyone with food allergies I cannot recommend enough. For the rest of us lucky folks who can eat anything - I was very happy with everything I had - I just wanted to note they care and ASK about food allergies as opposed to the diner having to bring it up. A little bit off the beaten path but look for the signs and if all else fails head to the Forestry Dept and when entering hang a left!
A clean and modern space tucked away in the Dept of Forestry building, and worth the short drive! They have an excellent, fresh, made to order Mediterranean menu table served by prompt, friendly staff. I had the lamb sausage sandwich and never had lamb taken to that level. I can't describe it, you need to try it! My wife had the sampler and we finished with baklava. All delicious!
I loved the lamb sausage and lentils served with pita bread, but I would happily eat any of their dishes. It is a gem of a restaurant.