The Downtown Grille

Delicious. Even better if someone else is paying-​pretty expensive but their steaks are like no other. Great place for a special occasion, if you have deep enough pockets.

Ate here a week ago. Great location to ppl watch but won’t return. Rolls not great and arrived late. Waiter rushed us and didn’t listen to our requests, almost pompous in attitude. Took food away without asking if we were done. Fries are tiny, bits and pieces. Grits soupy, not creamy. Son disliked burger; it was more like meatloaf – they clearly use a filler like bread crumbs.

This place is very expensive, but it was wonderful as a treat. My boyfriend had oysters for an appetizer and as someone who eats them, he thought they were good. I don’t care. I had the bacon with onions and fig jam. Oh my god. You’d think you can’t make bacon better and then bam, there they go.
For dinner, he had the special beef. It was a T-​bone with pesto butter and crispy onions. I wish I’d ordered that. But the rack of lamb I ordered was so good. The mashed potatoes was nothing to write about and the hollandaise sauce with the asparagus didn’t have much flavor. My boyfriend said he liked it, so I guess to each his own.

I have been here a couple of times and it is always great, exactly what I want from a nice steak restaurant. Good atmosphere, not music when the natural conversation level is high then turn very quite, very well chosen music when conversation drops off later in the evening as people leave. It has great cocktails and out server Otto was awesome a really lovely experience and really lovely food. Most importantly perfectly cooked steaks. I would recommend it to anyone.

Last night, we enjoyed a meal at the Downtown Grille for New Year’s Eve. The food was amazing! We had rack of lamb and crabcakes; both were perfectly prepared. The sides they offered were asparagus and mashed potatoes; the portions were more than enough for two people. The prixe fix menu included appetizers or salad, entrees, and delectable desserts. We chose cream brûlée and apple cobbler. I thought the brûlée was heavenly!
We also appreciated the quality of the staff. The owner came around and asked how our meal was, and our server and the other servers in the area were all very attentive to our table.
We have not been to this restaurant for years, but have added it to our list of favorites for a special night out along with the Ivy Inn and Aberdeen Barn.
We would highly recommend the Downtown Grille!

Great steak, fresh crab even on Sunday, lobster bisque was tasty! Service was great! Wine list extensive.

Far better service then down the way at Red Pump. Not a difficult thing at all. However, the girl at the hostess stand actually seated us and then said she would take care of us. Seem she was just helping out at the hostess stand and didn’t get overwhelmed at all by this.
Had the oysters (not good raw anywhere on the East coast south of W.D.C.). Crab cakes– very good, very little filler
Berrata salad– berrata itself was not great but the roast tomatoe with it was fantastic, actually this dish would be better as appetizer
Wedge salad– perfect size for us, with taste several dishes but a bit on the small side for a steak house.
Tomatoe and onion salad– quite tasty, just what you would expect
Seafood pappardelle– lots of pasta accompanied by a proper ratio of sauce and a respectable amount of seafood, all very tasty. The shrimp were exceptional.
They also offer a few cocktails worth trying and a wine list that, while not comprehensive, was very workable.
Service was truly top notch.

yum yum yum! We had calamari to start with a wonderful bottle of Malbec. It was delicious. I had the steak Oscar which was devious. Others at the table had Filet, scallops and Salmon. Everything was wonderful. My favorite was the Mac and cheese. The ambiance is very nice and the service was phenomenal. I would recommend a reservation.

A very nice meal… I would highly recommend this resturaunt to any…
Honestly, a dinner for a party of eight seemed like it might be in trouble because the waiter «sort of» gave negative «vibes» to four in our party in the first 10 minutes… but things brightened up nicely. (Not sure what happened… everyone has a bad moment or two)…but midway through, I was very much a fan!
The dining environment is elegant. The choice of art work, the choice of furniture, the interior style made it a very pleasing and intimate setting. We bought two bottles… a Virginia Merlot and a French Bordeaux… both were wonderful and absolutely worth the price!
One in our party had to send a steak back because it was overdone… but I had steak and lobster and the seasoning and flavor of that steak still has me excited! It was fantastic!
I give them a solid «A»…
Because of the location of the restaurant, we enjoyed an after dinner walk down the closed off walking street (very similar to Boulder, Colorado)…absolutely made this resturaunt a «magical» choice!

My wife and I visited for the first time during restaurant week. The meal was outstanding. We each got a starter, an entrée and a dessert. They also have freshly baked bread and also a very extensive wine list. We did have a bottle of wine with dinner as well. Our server was fantastic and we will return!

Just had the most wonderful dinner tonight at The Downtown Grill. The Ribeye was to die for. Crab cakes were also wonderful. Our waiter Steve truly made the night special. Thank you!

Came in before the Fleetwood Mac concert at JPJ. We made an evening out of it and came in for a romantic dinner. I realize that everyone’s standards for «dressing for dinner» have fallen but for what I am paying for a meal, people come on and try a little with a button down or at least a polo lol. Our server was amazing! My wife isn’t a baked potato fan but enjoys sweet potatoes, that was a side dish with the special but she wanted a filet. The server made it happen. Our food was amazing we started with the stuffed olives — yum!!! Perfect wine pairing thanks again to the server. Both our meals were again delicious and perfectly prepared. I think the food was good. But because our server was so nice and thoughtful, she truly made the whole meal memorable. We ordered dessert and my wife isn’t a big chocolate fan like I am so the server brought her some fruit with whipped cream-​again above and beyond. Would def come back for this kind of service, thank you for making our night awesome!

Overpriced and underperforming. Greeter looked miserable and now I know why. Don’t waste your time and money.

Great Chicago-​style steakhouse. The crab soup was amazing. Filet mignon was good but a little dry.

Wonderful atmosphere, service was excellent, best bottle of wine I have had in a very long time! Peter Franus Zin.
Food was nice, steak was more medium than medium rare but nice. I will be back.
Wine made everything taste better! Very nice evening.

By far the best rib eye steak you will eat in Charlottesville, but you will definitely pay for it as this place is not cheap. Menu items are a la carte with sides big enough to serve two. The jalapeño stuffed olives were an excellent appetizer. Caesar salad was a Caesar salad and the rolls were warm and delicious with soft whipped butter. Loaded baked potato was served with everything on the side, sautéed vegetables were delicious. Excellent ambiance. The wait staff was top notch and very attentive. Ideal restaurant for intimate celebrations.

Started with French onion soup, it was very good, and it came right away. Their dinner rolls were fresh and warm… it is so nice to have good bread with your meals. Service is excellent, like the ambience, too. I was going to try Fellini, but it was very crowded and live music was a little too much.
The entrée took a little longer, but not bad considering the place was about 75% full. I ordered the seafood pappardelle. The sauce was really good, but the shrimp lacks flavor and slightly overcook… but overall was good.

The Downtown Grille is located in the historic Charlottesville Downtown Mall. When I went, I ordered a main course of seafood linguine, which is sautéed shrimp, Cherrystone clams, and Prince Edward Island mussels in a light tomato basil sauce. I also ordered a side dish of the Downtown Grille’s mashed potatoes. It was good and pretty filling for me. Not a very difficult dish to execute but I like it well enough. For dessert, we had the warm apple bread pudding with crème anglaise, which was tasty.
When you’re a college student, the Downtown Grille can feel like a four/​five-​star restaurant with Michelin-​star prices (I remember shelling out more than $ 100 and my wallet crying a little that night — hey I was a student at the time!). While I enjoyed the experience I had and thought the food was good and solid, there are no bold or complex flavors and it is in the end just another steak and seafood restaurant — better than the usual chains but not up there with Peter Luger or anything.
3.5 stars for the food. Ambiance was intimate and the service was very polite and friendly. Good restaurant in the Downtown Mall area.

I would actually give this place a 3.5, not because of the food quality per se, but I feel that the quality of the food does match the expensive prices. However, I went to downtown grille for restaurant week and had a pleasant experience.
For appetizer, I had the calamari was good, but not spectacular.
For entrée, I had the salmon, which I regret getting, because it was good, but not anything special. I should have gotten the steak or the medallion, which my friends had chose and were definitely better options. For the entrée, I enjoyed the complimentary mashed potatoes and brocollini.
For dessert, I got the crème brûlée. I must admit that the dessert was my favorite part of my three course meal.
I do not recommend going to this restaurant, unless there was a deal going on such as restaurant week.

There aren’t too many steak spots in Charlottesville surprisingly and the Downtown Grille is probably the most expensive. With the price does not come better food or service though and that’s what I found very disappointing.
–Appetizer–
We started our meal with their calamari and crab cakes and thought they were decent– no praise or complaints there.
With your steak order, they also give you a wedge of iceberg lettuce with your choice of dressing. I tried the Roquefort dressing and I really enjoyed it because I like blue cheese. I thought it was fun to hack away at the wedge of lettuce but common— it’s probably one of the cheapest vegetables you can get.
–Steaks–
Their steaks were around $ 30 – 40 and I chose the 16oz ribeye. The steak itself was nicely done but I’ve had better for cheaper!
–Sides–
Firstly, if you’re going to charge sides separately– make them great! The sides weren’t worth it to me at all. Even though my group was told that there would be enough to share we ended up having to order more since the plates are small. We tried their fries, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, fried onions, and mac and cheese. Nothing was outstanding and I felt like I could make stuff that tastes better.
–Service–
Our server’s performance was pretty lackluster since he did not make my group feel as though we were in an upscale restaurant. Whenever he came by he seemed like he was in a hurry to go somewhere else. My friend’s mom had several questions about the menu and his tone conveyed a «That’s just how we do it here» attitude.
Food: 2.5
Value: 1
Service: 2
Overall: 2