Poor Billy’s

I used to love this place, but something has changed drastically for the worse. I liked that they had fusion sushi — they had salads with cilantro, jalapeño and great tuna and interesting rolls. Now none of that. A meager sushi menu. The regular menu likewise has shrunk. WORSE, the sushi we got took more than 40 minutes to get (a plate of sashimi and a roll purported to be the special roll that night). The sashimi plate had fewer pieces than advertised (11 rather than 13 – 15). The salmon on the plate had not been deboned. The eel on the plate had not been warmed, and was extremely mushy. The shrimp on the plate were presented amaebi-​style, but were cooked, dry gulf type shrimp with the hard tail shell still on 0 and sticking out of the middle of the «artfully» prepared tiny pieces. The knife skills were atrocious. No pieces were similar in size shape or thickness. The wasabi was old, dry, flavorless, and discolored. That roll was supposed to be a cucumber roll with a number of fish pieces rolled in cilantro. Did I mention that the salmon had not been deboned! not in the roll either. The cucumber had not been shaved or roll cut, but was some rather loosely packed hunks of cucumber and no cilantro. Their wine list has evaporated to a few bottles — none special or even well thought out. Did they sell to a thoughtless owner? I don’t know, and I don’t care, since I will not waste my money or my time there ever again. Too bad. They used to be a dependable stop in Blacksburg for me for the last 18 years.

My wife and I moved to Florida last May and came up here to visit family this weekend. Her one place she wanted to eat for dinner was Poor Billy’s. We used to love to come here on a date night. When we sat down we noticed how the menu had been limited (no more peel and eat shrimp) and it seemed the prices had went up!
The ribeye tasted very good but was put off by the limited menu ! What happened to our Poor Billy’s? Please bring back the old menu !

I’m so sad that this place has gone downhill. It used to be my favorite spot in Blacksburg. It seems they have limited their menu now and increased their prices. Oysters Rockefeller was the best thing on their menu, but they’ve removed it. The sushi doesn’t seem to be as fresh or well made as it used to be, plus it always takes a really long time to get your food.

Pretty decent for a college town. Has that feel in the air of alot of drinking passing through. The ribeye was seasoned very well and the «starters» large. The drinks were very well made. Bartenders have magic hands. Staff is friendly. A must when in Blacksburg

Waited for sushi more than an hour. They have only two sushi chefs on sushi night. They should hire better sushi chefs who can make sushi faster. And the server did not aware us that it’s going to take a long time.

For many years, this has been one of our favorite go-​to spots when we wanted a nice dinner, but no more. Since we last ate here several months ago, the management has jacked up the prices so high that it’s not worth eating here. The food is good, but not outstanding — and it should be beyond outstanding for the $ 30-​$ 40/​entrée they now charge. We spent almost $ 200 for 4 people — the food was OK, not great, the service was sloppy, and they didn’t even have their signature warm loaf of bread (or even a bread-​like substitute) to serve with dinner. When we’re up for an expensive meal, we’ll take our hard-​earned dollars next door instead, since the folks at the Black Hen know how to create a truly exceptional dining experience for the same price. Poor Billy’s — it’s been good to know you, but we won’t be back.

Was it worth $ 125.00? Steak: onion strings good. Veggie medley good. Steak was not well done as requested. Sent back. Returned cooked to well done but tasted like it was cooked in pure fish grease. Couldn’t finish. Giant Scallops: Red mashed potatoes and fries were good. Scallops were huge with no flavor. Couldn’t finish. Crabcakes: Veggie medley good. Loaded baked potato good. Crab cakes tasted fishy even with the remoulade sauce. They were average.
We had Crème Brulee and Rum Raisin Bread pudding. Both good. The server was nice and kept our waters filled. The space is small with mostly tall tables. It looks worn out and in need of renovation. Our party of three was seated right away at 5:30 on a Saturday evening. I don’t think the value is there for the price we paid so we will not return. Plus, I don’t know if they cook things together our why the steak would have a fishy aftertaste to it.

Way to support OSU. Last time we eat there. Who has the nerve to hang an OSU banner outside their place of business located in Blacksburg. To top it off, the OSU crab cake special sucked.

We have been pretty regular customers at Poor Billys for the last 10 years and have recommended it to all our friends who come into town every year for both football and basketball. Tonight was so disappointing we will not be back nor will we ever recommend Poor Billys again. The service was terrible we had to get up and actually interrupt our waitress from a conversation she was having with the hostess and the bartender to ask for our salads .we had to ask for bread twice they did not have ingredients to make a drink on the menu. The food was terrible seafood was served raw lobster was dry and came with no drawn butter filets were tough and lacked taste and last by not least the veg of the day was horrible. It’s obvious Poor Billy’s has changed hands it was our favorite place to have a nice dinner. We will not return.

One of my favorite places in Blacksburg. Good atmosphere, service and excellent surf and turf. Highly recommend.

The food is great, it really is. However I hate their style of table service. Various workers, waiters and bartenders generally are always walking back and forth by your table. If any one of them sees an empty glass, or an empty plate or — and here’s what I hate — a partially eaten salad bowl or a beer glass less than 10% full, or a bread plate without a piece of bread, they will snatch up the glass or dish and off they go before you have a chance to stop them. If you are having an interesting conversation, you can look up and the salad you were leisurely eating is suddenly missing. First it was our communal bread basket that had ½ piece of bread — suddenly gone! Then the fine beer that you were sipping on (but not finished) is suddenly gone. My wife and I were sharing my French fries, I put half on her plate and my plate had the tiny cup of ketchup served with the fries. My wife was taking her time munching on her portion of my fries and talking to her friend and suddenly exclaimed «Hey, who took the ketchup?». It really pisses me off that they do that — and they are so stealthy and fast.
How about this — NEVER take anything off the table unless you first ask the patron! Jeez, you’d think you were in a college bar with a bunch of screaming drunks — oh wait, that’s only on game nights, otherwise Poor Billy’s is an upscale, somewhat-​expensive fine dining restaurant — with great food.

Expensive prices, decent food, and a terrible ambiance.
Felt more like a sports bar than a fine dining establishment. That would be fine, except the prices are astronomical. Our server was fine and the portions were generous. Just needs to work on the ambiance. Blacksburg had plenty of sports bars already.

Pricey for what it is. I had scallops which were very salty and rubbery. My friend had ribs that were very good.
Extremely noisy, which normally does not bother me, but I couldn’t even hear my friend talk who was across from me and a 2 person table. I also felt like I was in a sports bar due to the one guy screaming at the tv screen not too far from us.

We showed up as a party of four. I found the décor to be very interesting. Almost New Orleans style. The service was very good.
We ordered Crab soup, Calamari, mussels and a variety of entrees. We all felt the food was excellent. Their entrée prices are about $ 5 – 7 above where they should be, so do not surprised at a large tab. We had two glasses of wine, appetizer and entrees for $ 190. The food as good as it is does not justify these New York City price levels.
Poor price/​value relationship.

Great oysters and sangria! But it was reeeeeeally cold in there! Bring a sweater or jacket ;-)

In this review I ask myself, once again, why I even consider ordering seafood more than 100 miles from saltwater. We ordered steamed mussels, steamed clams, and the crab-​dip. The crab-​dip was overly salty and underly crabby. The mussels and clams were well-​seasoned, but a little overcooked. Both species had the fishy tanginess that I associate with seafood that is not just off the boat (not spoiled, but not fresh either). Service was great, but not up to the level that I would expect from the prices on the menu. Poor Billy’s charges Frankie Rowlands (a premium steakhouse in Roanoke) prices for a Red Robin dining atmosphere.

Main courses are decent, sides are lame, high prices are not justified.
We started with a loaf of warm, homemade sourdough/​pumpernickel knotted bread. Unfortunately, it sounded better than it tasted, as it was doughy and nearly flavorless. Admittedly, some people might like this style.
The avocado scallops were nicely cooked (i.e., not overdone) and had an interesting avocado/​coconut sauce on them. The rice that came with it might as well have been Uncle Ben’s, and the limp, flavorless, greasy sauteed bell peppers detracted from the meal.
There are other places in town with better food and ambiance for less dough.

Only had drinks, no food. Service was great and they have the coolest Hokie bar stools. Only one bathroom so it was a little bit of a wait.

My wife, daughter, and myself joined a friend from high school (which was longer ago than I’m willing to admit right now) for some sushi and dessert at Poor Billy’s and we were pleasantly surprised by the food. The prices were a little higher than we expected for sushi (futo maki rolls for $ 12 – 16) but the quality and size were fantastic so we have no complaints.
I did feel that the crème brûlée was a bit undersized for its price but if that’s the only complaint I have about a meal I really don’t have much to complain about.
We will definitely be coming back here in the nearish future, when we have a little extra cash laying around. I can’t wait to try some other types of sushi or maybe even a main entrée dish.

The sushi here is my favorite, although everything is delicious. Great place to go on a night out, get some wine and just enjoy a meal with friends!