Flavor On Main

The grapefruit cocktail was mediocre, at best, it was very bitter. Half of our party ordered the special, wild boar and it was very chewy. Best thing we had was the calamari appetizer.

My first time to Flavor in Main. We had drinks and appetizers. All were excellent! Service superb. Why you ask 4 stars? The lighting was blinding. Sorry to say that even with the lowering of the shield I couldn’t see the person sitting next to me. It was very distracting. Still, I loved the food, drinks and service. I will be back but will ask to be seated near the back of the room. Definitely a place to check out.

Went here Friday night with my family while I visit from LA and had a great meal! Mom loved the mixed drinks and we got the sliders, scallop special, flank steak (potatoes with this were on point) and the porkchop (brussel sprouts with this were great!). We loved all of it! Had the fruit tart and carrot cake for dessert — the carrot cake was amazing and I’m super picky about carrot cake as I’m forever chasing one as good as grandma used to make. Our server Chris was a sweetheart and really knowledgable about the menu. This may have just replaced It’s About Thyme (ok it def did) as our favorite restaurant in town.

While we normally spend birthday dinners somewhere tried & true, this time around I took a chance & requested we try this relatively new place in town for my big day last Wednesday.
We arrived on time for our 7:30 p.m. reservation & were seated immediately (there were only two other tables occupied, & things remained that way). The place is nicely decorated with a Prohibition/​Speakeasy theme, complete with lovely winding bar & vintage photographs, yet retains an air of modern with its relative openness & glass-​enclosed kitchen. Wait staff are attired in good old black slacks, white shirts, & black vests.
We started off with two of their «Prohibition» cocktails — «Gin Rickey» for husband, «Sidecar» for me ($ 9 each). Both were excellent, & for me at least, turned out to be the best part of the meal. We were offered & accepted bread, which was good, warm, & served with soft/​whipped butter, which was nice.
Appetizers were «Crispy Calamari» ($ 8) for husband; «Flavor’s Chicken Kabobs ($ 8) for me. The calamari was a nice-​size portion of wide thick squid rings that were surprisingly very tender. A sweet «chili» sauce & thimble-​size portion of «apple slaw» accompanied. My kabobs consisted of two small wooden skewers each containing approximately 6 tiny little dry charred nubbins of chicken. Accompaniments were «fire-​roasted tomato hummus» which was actually a sort of tomato purée, some tomato & cucumber slices, & a handful of grilled pita triangles. No sign of any of the feta listed on the menu description.
As for entrees — «Crab Cakes» ($ 25) for husband; 7 oz. Filet Mignon ($ 29) for me. Husband really enjoyed his crab cakes (which did look delicious). In fact, they disappeared before I could even snag a taste — lol! I didn’t fare so well with my Filet, something I normally enjoy & wanted to order here after reading several positive mentions about it. While it was cooked precisely as ordered (medium-​rare), it wasn’t as tender as Filets I’ve enjoyed elsewhere, & oddly had little to no flavor (& yes, that’s keeping in mind that Filet Mignon isn’t the most flavorful cut of beef to begin with). Even the tiny little ‘squiggle’ of «onion, garlic, celery, smoked bacon Port wine demi glaze» the meat rested on couldn’t save it. The 4 «pan roasted asparagus spears» were seriously undercooked & fibrous — I could only manage the tips. Saving grace was the Truffle Whipped Potatoes (which accompanied husband’s Crab Cakes as well). These were absolutely delicious — light yet rich. Unfortunately, the potato portions were pretty much just decorative schmears on the plates and disappeared in a couple of bites.
We had wanted a bottle of Prosecco to accompany dinner, but they were out, so instead we went with a bottle of French sparkling Francois Montand Brut Rose ($ 30), which turned out to be very nice & something we’ll most likely be purchasing to enjoy at home (especially since it retails for around $ 13.99 — lol!).
For dessert, husband opted to try a slice of «Flavor’s Pistachio Pie» ($ 7), a semi-​frozen concoction which was quite good. I failed again with my slice of Chocolate Mousse pie, which had the texture of gluey wallpaper paste & the overpowering flavor of cinnamon. I couldn’t even finish it.
Service was excellent. Damages after tax & before tip came to $ 146.92.
Bottom Line — husband really enjoyed his entire meal, which is why I’m rating this 3 stars, otherwise it would have been 2 (or maybe even 1) based on my meal. Husband does wish to return & I’m sure we will (if only for those cocktails — lol!!), but obviously next time my menu selections will be completely different!

Wow. I could live off the craft cocktails here, but the dining is simply too good to ignore. Every ‘app’ is perfect; small and flavorful, and the entrée’s are flawless! (Garth knows steak!) The atmosphere is like the food, beautiful, sophisticated, but not pretentious. I love FOM! This place has MY attention!

We ate there on New Years Eve. It was an edited menu, so we didn’t have all the options normally offered. We shared the red pepper soup and house salad which were very nice. As I am allergic to shellfish (which the staff handled very well with the crab which was to top the soup) my options were limited. We both had the fillet which was also good.
I do have to say that I was not impresses with the seating, and was told that no other options were available. Both the table and chairs wobbled and were placed in what felt like a drafty hallway.
The waitstaff was very well trained and apologetic for the bus staff, who were not well trained.
I’ve read the other reviews and wonder if our experience has to do with the timing. We may have to try the establishment again in the future so I can revise my review.

Awesome place to dine! The crab and cucumber tower was an excellent starter, mushroom soup was very good! The aged filet was cooked to perfection and well worth every penny! The carrot cake with fresh coffee was divine! Jamie provided us with excellent service and he was very friendly! Will definitely be back!

First time here and I loved the interior — the bar set up was really cool and seats a ton of people. The flat-​screen TV in the bar didn’t fit the atmosphere and found that distracting glaring off the windows while dining at a table.
The service overall was ehhhh, slow. Our waitress, Lisa, was nice enough and provided great suggestions. The drink orders took forever — we waited about 20 – 25 min for the bartender to mix the drinks and Lisa said it was taking long because they had to «go out» to get more Bloody Mary mix and «go out» to get more Pino Grigio. I ordered a glass of wine on the second round thinking that would be quicker, but I was wrong. Lisa even admitted that the owners of the place had no clue what they were doing and didn’t know how to run a restaurant. Yeeee!
But the food came out nice and was delicious. Highly recommend the calamari and the 32-​day aged filet. If you like to spend 2.5 hours at a restaurant, most of it waiting on drinks… then you must come!

This year I took hubby for his Bday to Flavor on Main. We were impressed with the atmosphere, service & food. Of course our waitress was Tina who previously worked at another local restaurant but we were happy to see her in her new environment & we knew we were going to have phenomenal service having her as our waitress. Drinks were very good. You won’t go wrong with any of their signature drinks. Hubby had the chicken & he was pleased. I had the filet mignon and it was also excellent. Salad was also good. They’re bread and butter was also fresh and warm, so it was a good start to our entire meal and throughout. Dessert was okay, carrot cake was a little dry, but we didn’t let that ruin our evening. Overall, it was an excellent experience, one that was memorable for my hubby’s bday :)
I would totally recommend this restaurant for dinner and drinks! Thanks, hope you find this review helpful!

Delicious! The flapper drink (a twist on the Cosmo with rum instead of vodka, St Germaine instead of Cointreau and a float of champagne) started off the evening wonderfully. We had the Shrimp fra Diavolio and the Mussels linguine. Both were done right.
The selections of both drink (many Virginia beers on tap and a list of cocktails) and the food will bring us back. The service was great too!

We stopped in on Halloween night for dinner after reading some fantastic reviews. This place did not dissapoint! Its a 1920s themed resturaunt — pictures of stars from the 20s, décor and eveb the wait staff dressed up! The bartenders know how to make drinks — I got the misbehaving flapper girl, which is like a dressed up Cosmo and he got the mint julep and the Great Gatsby, all three drinks were phenomenal. Derek was out waiternand he was fantastic! We got the calamari, the waygu beef sliders, cream of mushroom soup, dry aged filet and the southern comfort for dinner. All of the food was delicious! If we would have had room, we would’ve have gotten dessert! I highly reccomend this place if youre looking for great food, drinks and atmosphere.

This place is incredible. Great service and the food is even better. We got the 32 day dry rub steak and it was perfect. I would change nothing other than being closed on Sunday and Monday. They deserve the time off though. Thanks for a great experience!

We are so excited that this amazing restaurant opened so close to home. Culpeper is no stranger to great dining establishments, but this restaurant is by far our favorite! The atmosphere is fun and classic with a great 20’s theme. You can come here dressed up for a special occasion or dressed down for dinner with friends — either way you fit in!
The service is wonderful. The wait staff is very attentive and polite. The drink menu is fun with a lot of unique drinks, but they also have beer/​wine for the less adventurous. ;) The food is AMAZING. On our first visit there my husband and I went with friends and shared the calamari and wagu beef sliders for appetizers. Both dishes had great flavor and there was enough to share with our table of 4. For dinner we both had the filet mignon special. Again, great flavor! We left stuffed and very excited for our next visit.
My husband surprised me for my birthday and took me here. We had a special four-​course, wine-​paired meal put together by Garth, the amazing Executive Chef at Flavor on Main. We chose smaller portions so we could thoroughly enjoy every bite and to say we «enjoyed» it would be an understatement. We had a dumpling-​style appetizer, bisque, mussels with hand-​made pasta, and cheesecake with raspberry sauce for dessert. Each course was paired with a different wine, which I loved and had never experienced before. The food was absolutely, out of this world, AMAZING. Garth is an incredibly talented chef and Culpeper is lucky to have him!
Our overall experiences have exceeded our expectations by far and I recommend Flavor on Main to everyone. I promise you will not be disappointed!

We went here for my sister’s birthday dinner. We called ahead because I like to make double sure of things before I go. I had already looked up reviews and looked at the layout of the place before I went, so when we called and they said it’s best to make reservations I asked for a specific table which they had no problem saying OK to. I knew from the pictures that this particular table was 1.) Out of the way. 2.) In front of the display glass where their kitchen is stationed so we could watch them cook all the food.
We arrived early and explored the building a bit, as the restaurant is a part of a building with a banquet hall. There were some interesting pictures of Culpeper in the past. Worth seeing… Anyways back to Flavor on Main.
We were greeted, and led to our seats. I love the décor. The pictures are a good representation of seating type but don’t do the actual place justice when you can see it all together in a full glance. The bar is right in front and it’s gorgeous. They have a booth style seating all along one wall with tables lined up and chairs on the other side, so half booth half table. There are other tables as well, but it’s not so crowded that you can’t get between tables easily. They turned a space that is long and slender into a space that LOOKS much bigger than it actually is. Look at the pictures in the reviews and you’ll see what I’m talking about with the half booth/​half table seating if you don’t know what that means. The booth is extra comfy and the tables move out. I’m a big person so this is a huge plus. Unfortunately we asked for the table on the end of the line, and they put us one away from that even though we had a specific request and they agreed to it. It ended up being ok as literally we were one of 2 tables the entire time we were there. There were more people at the bar but as for tables, just us and one other. Had we had people beside us, I wouldn’t have felt comfortable sliding between tables to get in or out, if they had food on their table, which is why I asked for an end table so I was a bit annoyed that they said ‘yes’ but showed ‘no’ by seating us elsewhere in the end.
The waitress was on point with the specials, recommending when we asked and describing very well. I wanted to ask her if they sent descriptions home with her to memorize, she was that in depth. Textures, tastes and methods all explained in the specials.
I ordered the 7 oz aged filet mignon, and I took an option she recommended to add 2 scallops on for $ 10. My mother had the shrimp and grits and ordered the roasted red pepper soup, and my sister had this amazing pork chop. My nephew didn’t want to chance anything (He should have he would have liked it) and asked if he could get the chicken fingers which is on the kids menu. They increased the portion size, doubled the charge and let us do it, which was great since he so obviously wasn’t going to pass for 12. He’s a big boy, taller than his mother now. I ordered a cocktail, the ‘Great Gatsby’ which WOULD have been amazing except for the fact that the owner apparently is coocoo for Crystal Light which SUCKS for people who have a thing against after taste, and made the whole cocktail just… Off. I could tell that with normal lemonade it would have been a great cocktail though. For $ 10 a cocktail, give me real lemonade, please!
The food was awesome. The filet was so tender i started cutting it with my knife and it just kind of was coming apart anyways once it got past the initial good seer on the outiside. I ordered medium rare, more on the rare side and it was perfect, even though the filet was a good inch and a half or so thick. No purple in the middle, perfect med rare to rare, all the way through. The pork chop was so good my sister ordered one to go for her husband who was sick and couldn’t come with us. I tasted my nephew’s chicken tenders and those were fresh made, no doubt about it. The roasted red pepper soup made me wish I had ordered a soup with my meal.
Portion size of food was a bit less than other places of equal quality, but I didn’t mind, I left full, and not wanting for anything.
There was a problem with the bill, the machine didn’t take off our happy hour deals (Apps, cocktails and soups are $ 2 off from 5 – 6) and when we questioned it she said ‘it won’t show it but it took it off’. We added it up and it didn’t take it off, but i guess they were doing the same thing back in their waitress section because she came back, apologized, and gave a corrected ticket.
I would go again, and try different things. I would LOVE to see this place on a weekend in full swing, and sit near the kitchen to watch those guys work. The main chef on duty actually thanked us for coming on the way out, you don’t get that too often. I really liked the way he worked, too. I love to people watch, so it was interesting you could hear and see them work.

First time we tried Flavor, the drinks were good, cool idea to offer prohibition drinks however the food was terrible! Some lobster bits in over cooked pasta with a unimpressive cream sauce, the lobster tasted raw and after taste of hotdogs! Won’t go there again

Sadly, we didn’t even get to taste the food but I’m giving this low rating based on a lack of service. We waited for 15 minutes at our table and no waiter ever came to even ask us for drink orders. It was so long a wait that our water glasses were refilled by the bus boy but still no sign of a waiter or a manager. The table behind us had a similar experience and were out of their seats looking for service as we were leaving. Not sure what happened but a restaurant of this quality should know what kind of impression the front-​of-​house is giving. So disappointing!

The best sliders I ever had is here in Culpeper. Saturday evening it was busy a little bit noisy but not too bad. The house salad is very good with walnuts and a strawberry vinaigrette.
I got the Lobster and my girl got the steak, both very good tasting dishes with their sauces. Look forward trying other main dishes and specialty drinks.

We enjoyed a delicious meal here. We started with some cocktails — my husband ordered an IPA on draft, and I had the Great Gatsby (an iced tea and lemonade with vodka), which was delicious, if not slightly overpriced (mixed drinks are $ 10, and not a very generous pour).
We started with the beef sliders — probably my favorite taste of the evening. They were so delicious and cooked perfectly, as was everything else to come.
I had the pasta-​based Lobster Fra Diavolo, which had the most delicious + perfect amount of spice to it, and while its pricey ($ 24), I won’t complain because I kept uncovering huge portions of lobster throughout.
My husband had the picked fried chicken with mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts. It too was amazing.
The restaurant is themed in the 20’s, and the atmosphere is what I found most confusing. No matter where you sit, you’re sitting near the bar. Rather than be lively and laid back as you would expect a bar-​restaurant to be, I found it to be quiet and stuffy.
I enjoyed everything I tasted, but the waiter practically whispered a 5-​minute list of specials + everything else he asked. I never got comfortable enough to relax, and for that I had to reduce my rating. Definitely worth a taste, though!

Delicious! Everything we ordered was amazing! Appetizers: crispy crab-​light yet crisp with 2 sauces that were both great, calamari-​nice and meaty but tender, the dipping sauce has a bit of Asian flavor, red pepper soup-​has a cheese smooth taste so interesting and delicious! Entrées: filet and scallops-​buttery delicious scallops, perfectly cooked asparagus, steak was great! Prime rib special-​huge portion with delicious creamy horseradish sauce, soft shell crab and scallops-​crispy full of flavor, the spinach and tomato side was just as good. The service and atmosphere was also top notch. They are doing everything right!

4.5
Food was 5 and service while very attentive, was a wee bit rushed.
We both had specials. I had a braised lamb and my husband the duck. Unbelievable cuisine for a small, Virginia town.
We are frequent visitors to Culpeper and definitely will return to this restaurant.