This is such a difficult review to write because the food was hands down a 5! Everything was delicious and perfectly flavor balanced and just beautiful, delicious food. We didn't venture into the heavier or fried options since it was in the high 80s and we sat outside. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND sitting inside. You lose the vibes outside and if it's warm, the bugs are swarming. Here's the problem, and what basically ruined our experience there - the service was horrible. It's particularly disappointing because there's a ton of dirty plates for tapas food and they piled up at our table with flies everywhere. We watched the staff clean each table that got up and left with a priority of turning the tables before attending to current customers, which was frustrating. I eventually went to the bar myself to get my wine after a 20 minute wait at our dirty table with empty water glasses. You know you aren't having a good experience when you just want to leave - and that's what it came down to. The nail in the coffin was after such terrible service, and I understand that service is a challenge everywhere right now because there aren't enough people, but acknowledge it - say you are sorry that the service was bad. We saw our server had too many tables, but when you don't even apologize, well I don't feel bad about writing this review. Takeaways - sit inside and enjoy the delicious food!
Hugh L.
Really disappointing. Snobby staff and overpriced food considering that our shrimp wasn't deveined properly and we had to send chicken back because it was undercooked (I.e. raw). Benefit of the doubt: maybe it was just a busy night and they're much better with limited crowds.
KCMLive
We are tourists who spent the day at Monticello and needed a good meal after a long day. We chose Little Star after our first choice restaurant (based on Trip Advisor) was too busy to accommodate us. The restaurant wasn’t busy—which is not usually a good sign—but we soon discovered it must be because locals haven’t discovered it yet! The hostess was extremely friendly and seated us right away. Our server came right over and made helpful suggestions. We had two cocktails and ordered a croquet appetizer. For our meal we had a shrimp and paella dish, a potato with mushrooms and Parmesan cheese, and and a cod croquettes with an amazing sauce. All of the food was delicious. We even asked for bread and were accommodated although it was not on the menu. It was a great experience! Suggestion….I do not presume to tell a chef how to run a restaurant, however I think the menu should be expanded to attract a broader clientele. Although I loved everything I ate, I wanted more options. Overall WELL DONE Little Star ⭐️!!
Jeff C.
$25 dollars to make a reservation? NO! NO,NO,NO! $25 dollars to make a reservation? This cannot stand. As consumers, as foodies, as human beings, we must stop this! OUTRAGEOUS! I was excited about coming to this restaurant, but now, I am all Taylor Swift, I will NEVER EVER, EVER eat at your restaurant. And this is a small, casual restaurant in a small town where the major employer is a Land Grant University. In a college town, for a reservation @ 6 on a Wednesday they want $25. How much to make a reservation in Washington DC at 7:30? In San Francisco at 8. In New York at 9? GO TO YOUR ROOM, LITTLE STAR! How crappy of a world do we want to live in? Is this the Hospitality Industry? Twinkle Twinkle little star, how I wish people like you would go away. Go to your room, and do not come out until you stop making this world an ugly place. Car Dealers are like, "they charge $25 for a reservation?! We need to charge people to come look at our cars." Does $50/hr to have a salesman follow you around while you look at cars on a lot seem reasonable? What kind of consumer world do you want to allow? So, this made so little sense to me that I had to look deeper. This is what is actually going on; Little Star hired a sub-contractor to do their reservations and this is how the sub-contractor makes their money. Little Star says it is not them, the sub-contractor is bad. But, no, Little Star hired the sub-contractor. I hold Little Star and every restaurant who care so little about their patrons accountable. Little Star hired a parasite who is sucking money out of foodies pockets. Little Star infected me with a money parasite. Is this okay in your book? Are you as a consumer okay with this? We must stop this now or this will become the norm. And, if it is already the norm (this was our first reservation attempt sense the beginning of the pandemic, March 2020) this is bad for our industry. I feel like Little Star is hostile to me. I don't want to eat there. Ever! If this becomes the standard, I will not want to eat out anywhere. I do not go to movies at Regal anymore because they show drug commercials with their previews now. I paid 25 bucks for a ticket to escape the reality of my illness, and they force me to watch drug commercials designed to make me afraid for my health, and remind me that I am sick. I paid money to escape reality for an hour and a half and they shove drug commercials that bring me back to the fact that I am sick. As consumers we must make this crap stop! OUTRAGEOUS! Unacceptable. I want nothing to do with these parasites, and I want nothing to do with companies like Little Star that hire them. Be like me. I recommend you voice your objection to this outrage to every restaurant that cares so little about you as a human that they do this. They tell you they care about their customers? Tell them their pants are on fire. They value me?? No they don't. I cannot express how much I dislike Little Star right now. I need a moment...
Phil D.
Croquettes amazing Shrimp pallella - great flavors, shrimp was over cooked The waiter MD did not listen, he certainly could talk. Some items were prepared incorrectly Wine was awesome Cutlery place setting was dirty The eggs were good, the rich flavors disguised by the eggs being over cooked. Gave it a 3 star because it wasn't a bad restaurant-but there are much much much better chefs and wait staff in Charlottesville
laxma1960
Although the food at Little Star is consistent and of high quality, the pretentious hostess and arrogant chef deflect from the experience. Attitude and hospitality border on hostile and I would definitely not recommend this restaurant despite the food. Very expensive and often unpredictable service
Jade R.
Literally one of the best experiences I had on my trip to Charlottesville and I came in by accident since it was right across from the Quirk where I was staying! The atmosphere is exceptional. It's eclectic, bright, and warm. The staff matched the atmosphere. The food was a home run. We sincerely enjoyed everything we ordered. I highly recommend this place!!!!
Steven D.
Went here with friends and had requested an outside table under the tent. When we arrived they had us under the awning and it was threatening rain. Also, the table was open to the street and there was a lot of wind. The place was busy but we asked the waitress about moving to an open table under the tent, and she said she would check. Less than 2 minutes later the hostess was out and had us moving. Great customer service. This is a tapas place, which is a type of food I like, but..... Everything was good and the sharing portions were perfect. Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, port sandwich, salmon carpaccio and mushrooms and mash potatoes were all very good. Best was the flat bed pizza. Service was excellent, but the music under the tent was a little loud. They did mix up our check at the end with another table, but this was minor and certainly wouldn't stop us from going back, or highly recommending.
Savanna W.
We dined inside at Little Star and felt very safe in terms of COVID protocols. The tables were well-spaced and all of the staff was alleviate my masked. I cannot recommend the fancy pants gin and tonic highly enough!!! It was absolutely great. To eat, we shared a variety of small plates but the standout for me were the ham and cheese croquets. They are a simple dish but so comforting and delicious.
Caroline F.
First time at Little Star and we had a great experience! The converted garage made for a unique atmosphere. Our favorites were the pork spare ribs, ham croquetas, and the crispy pork sandwich (hard to share, but easily the best dish of the night). Everything is a leetle spicy so beware. Will be back for the sandwich.
Went here last year for my fiancee's birthday, and decided to make it a tradition and go again this year. Booked a patio seat, which is noted as different than indoor when making a reservation on Resy, and their website describes it as outside. When we arrived, the patio was fully enclosed in a tent, outside of a doorway. We are still uncomfortable sitting indoors during the pandemic, and asked the hostess if we could be seated in the open table outside the tent. She told us no, because it was too cold tonight, so we had to cancel the reservation. It was 63 degrees when we arrived, and dropped to 59 an hour later, and we had certainly prepared for a cold dinner outdoors, which was exactly what we wanted. Ended up getting Thai takeout for her birthday dinner. Disappointed with Little Star to say the least, as we were really looking forward to it. They should definitely make it clear on their reservation page that the patio is fully enclosed.
Elizabeth M.
Little Star is nothing short of fantastic. The service was amazing and the food was incredible. All three dishes we had were just delicious. The portion sizes are perfect and surprisingly filling. Each dish packs so much flavor in seemingly simple ingredients. Not to mention the cocktails were very well-made. Will be coming back ASAP to try more of their dishes!
BaldEagleWings
I really, really enjoy Little Star. The food, drinks, and atmosphere are a perfect combination. Don't sleep on the Pan Tomate. A wonderful start. There's something for everyone with the small plates; give the ones that catch your eye a try (and share with the group). You won't be disappointed.
Tiffany L.
The food here was excellent but didn't meet my expectations going in. It's nice that they have a large, tented patio but they could have another space heater or two - it was definitely on the chilly side the night we were there. You can park in their small lot behind the restaurant (which is helpful since street parking around there can be a pain.) I love tapas and their latin-inspired small plates were very tasty. Their spare ribs and croquettes we my favorite dishes of all that we samples. Hubby and I also sampled their sangria and a few of their cocktails - I'd recommend the Southern (the others being decent but not worth the price). A lovely night with good food and terrific service! Make sure you make reservations in advance - this place is popular!
Fallon S.
Our meal started off great with very yummy appetizers (highly recommend the ham and cheese croquettes). My boyfriend and sister both ordered the grilled flat iron steak. One was ordered medium and one was ordered medium rare. Neither of them came out cooked as asked- in fact they both were severely underdone. Our party asked for both of them to be cooked longer, which was a problem to our waitress as well as who seemed to be the manager on duty. When you are paying for a nice steak, the least you could expect is for it to be prepared correctly. We then had to wait about another 45 minutes for steaks to be redone, everyone was way past finished with their meals at this point. The manager was extremely rude and unapologetic. We also felt as if we received very poor service from start to finish- all employees acted as if they didn't want to be there, so service needs improvement. Overall, very unsatisfied with our entire experience. The rare steak pictured below also caused my boyfriend to have food poisoning after eating 2 small pieces of his meal. Called restaurant to speak to management to let them know, in case some sort of contamination had happened, and received a simple "sorry to hear that". One plus is that there are great safety measures in place due to Covid-19.
This is such a difficult review to write because the food was hands down a 5! Everything was delicious and perfectly flavor balanced and just beautiful, delicious food. We didn't venture into the heavier or fried options since it was in the high 80s and we sat outside. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND sitting inside. You lose the vibes outside and if it's warm, the bugs are swarming. Here's the problem, and what basically ruined our experience there - the service was horrible. It's particularly disappointing because there's a ton of dirty plates for tapas food and they piled up at our table with flies everywhere. We watched the staff clean each table that got up and left with a priority of turning the tables before attending to current customers, which was frustrating. I eventually went to the bar myself to get my wine after a 20 minute wait at our dirty table with empty water glasses. You know you aren't having a good experience when you just want to leave - and that's what it came down to. The nail in the coffin was after such terrible service, and I understand that service is a challenge everywhere right now because there aren't enough people, but acknowledge it - say you are sorry that the service was bad. We saw our server had too many tables, but when you don't even apologize, well I don't feel bad about writing this review. Takeaways - sit inside and enjoy the delicious food!
Really disappointing. Snobby staff and overpriced food considering that our shrimp wasn't deveined properly and we had to send chicken back because it was undercooked (I.e. raw). Benefit of the doubt: maybe it was just a busy night and they're much better with limited crowds.
We are tourists who spent the day at Monticello and needed a good meal after a long day. We chose Little Star after our first choice restaurant (based on Trip Advisor) was too busy to accommodate us. The restaurant wasn’t busy—which is not usually a good sign—but we soon discovered it must be because locals haven’t discovered it yet! The hostess was extremely friendly and seated us right away. Our server came right over and made helpful suggestions. We had two cocktails and ordered a croquet appetizer. For our meal we had a shrimp and paella dish, a potato with mushrooms and Parmesan cheese, and and a cod croquettes with an amazing sauce. All of the food was delicious. We even asked for bread and were accommodated although it was not on the menu. It was a great experience! Suggestion….I do not presume to tell a chef how to run a restaurant, however I think the menu should be expanded to attract a broader clientele. Although I loved everything I ate, I wanted more options. Overall WELL DONE Little Star ⭐️!!
$25 dollars to make a reservation? NO! NO,NO,NO! $25 dollars to make a reservation? This cannot stand. As consumers, as foodies, as human beings, we must stop this! OUTRAGEOUS! I was excited about coming to this restaurant, but now, I am all Taylor Swift, I will NEVER EVER, EVER eat at your restaurant. And this is a small, casual restaurant in a small town where the major employer is a Land Grant University. In a college town, for a reservation @ 6 on a Wednesday they want $25. How much to make a reservation in Washington DC at 7:30? In San Francisco at 8. In New York at 9? GO TO YOUR ROOM, LITTLE STAR! How crappy of a world do we want to live in? Is this the Hospitality Industry? Twinkle Twinkle little star, how I wish people like you would go away. Go to your room, and do not come out until you stop making this world an ugly place. Car Dealers are like, "they charge $25 for a reservation?! We need to charge people to come look at our cars." Does $50/hr to have a salesman follow you around while you look at cars on a lot seem reasonable? What kind of consumer world do you want to allow? So, this made so little sense to me that I had to look deeper. This is what is actually going on; Little Star hired a sub-contractor to do their reservations and this is how the sub-contractor makes their money. Little Star says it is not them, the sub-contractor is bad. But, no, Little Star hired the sub-contractor. I hold Little Star and every restaurant who care so little about their patrons accountable. Little Star hired a parasite who is sucking money out of foodies pockets. Little Star infected me with a money parasite. Is this okay in your book? Are you as a consumer okay with this? We must stop this now or this will become the norm. And, if it is already the norm (this was our first reservation attempt sense the beginning of the pandemic, March 2020) this is bad for our industry. I feel like Little Star is hostile to me. I don't want to eat there. Ever! If this becomes the standard, I will not want to eat out anywhere. I do not go to movies at Regal anymore because they show drug commercials with their previews now. I paid 25 bucks for a ticket to escape the reality of my illness, and they force me to watch drug commercials designed to make me afraid for my health, and remind me that I am sick. I paid money to escape reality for an hour and a half and they shove drug commercials that bring me back to the fact that I am sick. As consumers we must make this crap stop! OUTRAGEOUS! Unacceptable. I want nothing to do with these parasites, and I want nothing to do with companies like Little Star that hire them. Be like me. I recommend you voice your objection to this outrage to every restaurant that cares so little about you as a human that they do this. They tell you they care about their customers? Tell them their pants are on fire. They value me?? No they don't. I cannot express how much I dislike Little Star right now. I need a moment...
Croquettes amazing Shrimp pallella - great flavors, shrimp was over cooked The waiter MD did not listen, he certainly could talk. Some items were prepared incorrectly Wine was awesome Cutlery place setting was dirty The eggs were good, the rich flavors disguised by the eggs being over cooked. Gave it a 3 star because it wasn't a bad restaurant-but there are much much much better chefs and wait staff in Charlottesville
Although the food at Little Star is consistent and of high quality, the pretentious hostess and arrogant chef deflect from the experience. Attitude and hospitality border on hostile and I would definitely not recommend this restaurant despite the food. Very expensive and often unpredictable service
Literally one of the best experiences I had on my trip to Charlottesville and I came in by accident since it was right across from the Quirk where I was staying! The atmosphere is exceptional. It's eclectic, bright, and warm. The staff matched the atmosphere. The food was a home run. We sincerely enjoyed everything we ordered. I highly recommend this place!!!!
Went here with friends and had requested an outside table under the tent. When we arrived they had us under the awning and it was threatening rain. Also, the table was open to the street and there was a lot of wind. The place was busy but we asked the waitress about moving to an open table under the tent, and she said she would check. Less than 2 minutes later the hostess was out and had us moving. Great customer service. This is a tapas place, which is a type of food I like, but..... Everything was good and the sharing portions were perfect. Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, port sandwich, salmon carpaccio and mushrooms and mash potatoes were all very good. Best was the flat bed pizza. Service was excellent, but the music under the tent was a little loud. They did mix up our check at the end with another table, but this was minor and certainly wouldn't stop us from going back, or highly recommending.
We dined inside at Little Star and felt very safe in terms of COVID protocols. The tables were well-spaced and all of the staff was alleviate my masked. I cannot recommend the fancy pants gin and tonic highly enough!!! It was absolutely great. To eat, we shared a variety of small plates but the standout for me were the ham and cheese croquets. They are a simple dish but so comforting and delicious.
First time at Little Star and we had a great experience! The converted garage made for a unique atmosphere. Our favorites were the pork spare ribs, ham croquetas, and the crispy pork sandwich (hard to share, but easily the best dish of the night). Everything is a leetle spicy so beware. Will be back for the sandwich.
Restaurantji Recommends
Went here last year for my fiancee's birthday, and decided to make it a tradition and go again this year. Booked a patio seat, which is noted as different than indoor when making a reservation on Resy, and their website describes it as outside. When we arrived, the patio was fully enclosed in a tent, outside of a doorway. We are still uncomfortable sitting indoors during the pandemic, and asked the hostess if we could be seated in the open table outside the tent. She told us no, because it was too cold tonight, so we had to cancel the reservation. It was 63 degrees when we arrived, and dropped to 59 an hour later, and we had certainly prepared for a cold dinner outdoors, which was exactly what we wanted. Ended up getting Thai takeout for her birthday dinner. Disappointed with Little Star to say the least, as we were really looking forward to it. They should definitely make it clear on their reservation page that the patio is fully enclosed.
Little Star is nothing short of fantastic. The service was amazing and the food was incredible. All three dishes we had were just delicious. The portion sizes are perfect and surprisingly filling. Each dish packs so much flavor in seemingly simple ingredients. Not to mention the cocktails were very well-made. Will be coming back ASAP to try more of their dishes!
I really, really enjoy Little Star. The food, drinks, and atmosphere are a perfect combination. Don't sleep on the Pan Tomate. A wonderful start. There's something for everyone with the small plates; give the ones that catch your eye a try (and share with the group). You won't be disappointed.
The food here was excellent but didn't meet my expectations going in. It's nice that they have a large, tented patio but they could have another space heater or two - it was definitely on the chilly side the night we were there. You can park in their small lot behind the restaurant (which is helpful since street parking around there can be a pain.) I love tapas and their latin-inspired small plates were very tasty. Their spare ribs and croquettes we my favorite dishes of all that we samples. Hubby and I also sampled their sangria and a few of their cocktails - I'd recommend the Southern (the others being decent but not worth the price). A lovely night with good food and terrific service! Make sure you make reservations in advance - this place is popular!
Our meal started off great with very yummy appetizers (highly recommend the ham and cheese croquettes). My boyfriend and sister both ordered the grilled flat iron steak. One was ordered medium and one was ordered medium rare. Neither of them came out cooked as asked- in fact they both were severely underdone. Our party asked for both of them to be cooked longer, which was a problem to our waitress as well as who seemed to be the manager on duty. When you are paying for a nice steak, the least you could expect is for it to be prepared correctly. We then had to wait about another 45 minutes for steaks to be redone, everyone was way past finished with their meals at this point. The manager was extremely rude and unapologetic. We also felt as if we received very poor service from start to finish- all employees acted as if they didn't want to be there, so service needs improvement. Overall, very unsatisfied with our entire experience. The rare steak pictured below also caused my boyfriend to have food poisoning after eating 2 small pieces of his meal. Called restaurant to speak to management to let them know, in case some sort of contamination had happened, and received a simple "sorry to hear that". One plus is that there are great safety measures in place due to Covid-19.