The Local

Good food, great service, great atmosphere. We sat on the upstairs balcony which was great, but unfortunately had a light out in the corner that we sat, making it impossible to read the menu, see our food, and most importantly see each other.

after watching food inc, i decided to give this place a go b’c i wanted to eat local. this came recommended so i had high expectations which unfortunately fell flat
the food
lobster mac and cheese– meh, small serving and NOT loaded with lobster like other Unilocalers stated, was disappointed in the entrée
short ribs-​good, quantity was fine, the mashed potatoes were good
dessert was berry shortcake: was fine, nothing amazing, they were out of the apple pie
service
no issues
ambiance
we sat upstairs, plenty of space, bit on the cold side
i did appreciate that this was an old shoe store
parking
street, plenty of it; the area seems to be an abandoned part of town and aside from tavola, which is next door, doesnt have much going on
overall: i would skip, i really wanted to love this place, b’c i want to support local farmers and growers, but ill skip this place, its not like farmers, fishers and bakers in dc. however i do like the concept

The Local has really become my go-​to spot in Charlottesville. Whenever I want a meal that I know will be good and taste like home, I come here. It’s a very cozy restaurant, but also has a great upstairs space for larger groups. I always order the gnocchi bolognese. This is comfort food at its finest. I think the gnocchi are ricotta-​based, because they’re very pillowy and not too heavy. The sauce is almost a meat sauce meets a vodka sauce, it’s nice and creamy but has big chunks of ground meat as well. I also usually start my meal with the crispy shrimp appetizer – it’s addicting! The shrimp are perfectly fried but aren’t too heavy, and have a spicy asian-​inspired sauce on top. Other dishes that I’ve tried and are equally as great (but just don’t compare to my gnocchi) are the short ribs (huge and melt in your mouth), the steak frites (always cooked perfectly), and the meatloaf (SO good with a spicy/​tangy sauce on top and delicious skin-​on mashed potatoes on the side).
Usually my husband and I like to grab a seat at the bar and eat there. Sometimes it can be hard to nab a spot and it can definitely get tight during peak hours. But the bartenders are really knowledgable and always have something to recommend. I enjoy their wine by the glass list, my favorite being the Cotes du Rhone. The other night the bartender also gave me a Malbec to taste next to it and they were both delicious.
I’ve also thrown a party at The Local in their upstairs room, and they were very easy to work with and totally accommodating to all of our crazy decorations. The service was also great for such a large group. I’m not sure why The Local doesn’t have a better rating on Unilocal,but I think you should definitely give it a try.

We were visiting our friends for the first time since they moved from Houston to Charlottesville, and they suggested the Local for dinner, and we all enjoyed our meal very much.
First of all, the Local is in a former shoe repair shop built in the early 1900s, and the restaurant has tons of character! Next, the drinks were interesting, and mostly delicious (there was one tiki drink I wouldn’t recommend). The service was great.
But mostly — the food. Everyone had something they liked, and the menu is quite varied and definitely has something for everyone (including vegan and vegetarian options that are marked on the menu).
I was leaning hard towards the wasabi pea crusted salmon with teriyaki hollandaise, but ultimately ordered the half order of truffled mushroom ragout. I LOVE that they offer half portions of their pasta and gnocchi dishes! And that their pasta and gnocchi is HOUSE-​MADE. The dish was excellent, and everyone else I was with liked their food as well. I would definitely go back to the Local if I’m in town again. A great meal in a very character-​filled restaurant.

My husband and I were visiting Charlottesville and staying in an Air BnB apartment. Our hostess recommended several of her favorite restaurants in the area and so for our last night in town we decided to try The Local. Right away I was taken with its rustic and hipster charm! The service was fast and friendly.
I got the lobster Mac and cheese, which was very good! But very rich, and HUGE portion! You can either order the appetizer portion or the entrée portion. Seeing as how I was hungry, and this was going to be my actual meal, I ordered the entrée portion thinking nothing of it. Boy was I wrong! I thought the table would break from the shear weight and size of this bowl of pasta! However… That is my biggest and only complaint. And really it isn’t even a complaint at all! More so a warning to the next foodie who ventures into The Local. I was also impressed with the amount of lobster in my dish! I feel like many restaurants will call it a lobster Mac and cheese and just sprinkle in a few pieces of lobster. Oh no, not at The Local. There was even a time where I found myself JUST eating the lobster out of the macaroni. Delicious!
My hubby got the short ribs which he absolutely loved! He did say it needed some more salt, but that’s easily taken care of at the table.
I would definitely recommend The Local for its laid back atmosphere, excellent service, and delicious food!

The dinner that I had tonight at The Local was excellent. I had the braised short rib with mashed potatoes. The meat was so tender that you could just lightly press the fork into it and it just melts… I wish I was better at articulating just how great this dish was! So impressed. My mom had scallops which she loved and we also had a ceasar salad. Great meal. Great beer selection with extremely reasonable prices. Nice atmosphere and a good crowd as well. 2 thumbs up!

My review may be jaded because I was part of a rehearsal dinner and not an individual diner. We were upstairs in a large room with great natural light. The rest of the restaurant seemed a bit darker, but still the ambiance throughout was something I would want in a dining experience. Our party was aggressively drinking and they handled us well. The beer list was strong, which always puts a place over the top in my head. The passed shrimp were awesome… sort of fried and then dipped in a chipotle aioli type thing. The meal itself was delivered rather flawlessly and was cooked consistently for such a large group.
I can’t say that I know what eating here as a couple would be like, but for a party, I would certainly recommend it.

This is the kind of place I like to go to when looking for delicious dishes with hearty servings well worth the price. The cheese platter is a mere $ 13 and with it you get a selection of up to 4 – 5 cheeses, fruit, and slices of bread. So far the Local is one of my favorite places to get a cheese platter for that simple reason. I digress.
The entrée I love the most is the Local «Buffalo Creek Beef» Short Ribs, which are tender, well seasoned and accompanied with glazed carrots and mashed potatoes. It’s a great dish for a cold night! I would also suggest trying the pasta dishes, which are perfectly al dente and full of thoughtfulness in the sauces. Again, the serving size is very reasonable for the price.
The restaurant itself is nestled in Belmont, down the street from Mas, and next door to Tavola. It is another two-​story building that offers a small front patio to dine on the first floor as well as a large second story back patio with ample twinkle lights. It has brick walls, wood beams, wood floors, and stays true to the history of the building, which lends to a charming feel.

Bottom line up front: Delicious food, bad service
Hubs and I came here for a date night after it was recommended to us by some friends. I was a little bummed when I made a reservation that we could only be seated outside, as it was supposed to rain. (It did, but luckily ended before our reservation time.) However, it worked out perfectly because we showed up, and I didn’t realize how tiny the space was. We walked up to the hostess stand, and it was uncomfortably hot in there. We did still have to wait about 15 minutes after our reservation, but it was better than another group who had been unhappily waiting more than 45 minutes after their reservation time.
We eventually went back to the hostess stand after seeing an open table just sitting there, and she said to go ahead and take a seat, as she was about to put us there. Our server greeted us and we said we wanted to take a look at the drink menu. Well, it didn’t take us that long to pick something, but we didn’t see our server again for almost 20 minutes. We ended up ordering from another server. When we finally got the cocktails they were so delicious. We then had the tasty soup special (served in big bowls), which was spinach and sausage. He devoured his gnocchi Bolognese, and I also devoured my lobster mac & cheese. The brownie was to be our grand finale, and it wasn’t as great as I hoped after the rest of the food, but it was still good.
It again took quite some time to pay for our meal, but the pricing itself is very reasonable. It’s a bummer about the service because part of why I like going out to eat is to have a dining experience. With food like this, they could really impress their patrons by upping the service.

While we’ve had mixed service here, the food has always been great. Normally my rule is that bad service doesn’t outweigh great food, but I think The Local is an exception. We’ve never had a bad meal… some favorites include the burger, the gnocchi bolognese, the cheese board, and the banana split.
The Local is a large property with a lot of seating areas, but they sometimes rent out multiple parts of the building. Randomly, you’ll go in on a Tuesday night, and it will be packed because parts of the restaurant are closed for a private party. Luckily, they take reservations, so I would recommend making one. Be prepared to wait at the hostess stand… it’s always a hot mess with people not really knowing what’s going on. But… did I mention how good the food is?

We loved it! Our server was great. He provided insight into the menu and a couple of recommendations. There were three of us in the party — we ordered the lobster mac & cheese, short ribs and duck. All were amazing! We will be back again.