Lovingston Cafe

First, for a café, it was a bit pricey. Especially for the quality of food you get. 7 of us and not one of us could eat the fries. All we could taste was old grease. My moms BLT was burnt on the edges of the bread. My sons burger tasted moldy and when he talked to the waitress about it, they said,“It’s probably the seasonings from the onions your tasting. We just opened the buns.” On top of that, it was wasn’t even cooked all the way. Still really red inside the burger. They tried to give it back to him and he told them to keep it. No discount was given. Still had to pay $ 10.00 for an undercooked moldy tasting burger. By the way, my son had already removed all of the onions off of the burger so NO, it wasn’t the onions. Waitress seemed very put out when my other son asked her for tomato, lettuce, and onion for his burger (it came just meat and bun). She snapped back,“Okay, well does anyone else need anything?” Very rude, poor service, very low quality and NOT worth your money!

Our server was really nice. The mozzarella sticks were the best thing they had there. Our meals were not that good. The fried chicken was burnt, the roast beef sandwich was really dry, and the hamburger steak was bland. The cheeseburger was pretty good.

Food is very tasty. The roast pork loin and apples is a killer! At lunch time I usually get their Reuben. Best in town.

Wow. Stopped here en route home from Smith Mt. Lake. Facility is nice (they have an outdoor patio with trees, so we could bring & tie our dogs). Staff is super friendly. Food is excellent. Rueben is worthy of a big city deli. Potato skins may be the best I have ever had. Spinach dip was very good (not quite Houston’s good but maybe next best after theirs). All food was fresh and delicious. Highly recommend.

So my family and I are driving the 8 excruciating hours back to Culpeper, VA from Myrtle Beach, SC. At 7PM, our savior arrives on Sirius 79 and we listen intently to his broadcast of the Women’s FIFA Semi-​Finals. First half comes and goes with minor cheers and back seat stomping. By this time we’re about and hour and a half from Culpeper and God knows that is a brutal final stretch of boredom.
Second half get’s underway and it’s heating up, so my dad says, «We gotta stop.»
Noting the miles of cornfields and the lack of civilization, I reply, «Unless you want to make friends with someone’s shotgun, we’re not finding a TV around here.»
That’s when my mom says, «Lovingston.»
Lovingston?
So we haul it to Lovingston and we hop in to its only Gas Station to ask where the closest bar, restaurant or TV is. The clerk says Lovingston Café. We say, «Wow, what a unique name.» And then we get really excited. We speed across the highway. USA has been granted a PK. We pull in to the parking lot. We can’t miss it! This will put us ahead of Germany and send us to the finals! We sprint in to the little local joint. They shout for us to «hurry in!» So we do! The TV’s are loud and proud, everyone is huddled close together, awaiting the PK. Carli Lloyd Kicks. Scores! And the bar erupts!
Epic.
Such a welcoming, small town bar. We took a seat to join our new friends for the end of the game. They have an awesome local craft beer selection on tap and DELICIOUS wings.
I’ll be back my friends. GO USA!

This place is a bit out of the way for us, but we plan to give it another go one of these days. The serving staff was friendly & helpful, and the prices are rather good for this area, which was appreciated. I tried their chicken salad on croissant, which was very good. It had a nice flavor combination, if just a touch too oniony for my tastebuds-​but not so overpowering that it bothered me for the rest of the day. I also got chili to try for a later meal. I’m always amazed that it is often a challenge to find chili anywhere in this area, even in the dead of Winter. Really? But they had a nice offering here, which fixed that pesky craving I’d had for over a week, but I just wasn’t able to find time to buckle down & whip up my own homemade chili. I find that chili is a very personal dish, and everyone has their own fav specifications for it. This one was done well, with several different beans & the onions were chopped finely, which was great. I love spicy chili, and this one was a safe middle-​of-​the-​road version that would make most people happy.
My husband is always on a search for the perfect BBQ sandwich, and has shot down every single place we’ve found locally & not-​so-​locally, over the years. He said this one was fine, but isn’t a fav. The Mighty BBQ Search continues. He is notoriously difficult to please in any restaurant, probably because he is such a good home chef, himself.
I really wish Unilocal would offer half-​stars, because this place was better than 3, but less than 4 stars. I will update my review when we return, one day. All in all, we are glad we finally tried this place, and liked it enough to return one day. Always happy to frequent non-​fast-​food restaurants & keep them open.

The menu is a mixture of wonderful dishes. Everything from Burgers to Smoked Trout, Crab Cakes, Rubens, Salads and pasta Dishes. We had a party of 12 and everyone loved their meals! Strongly recommend this place.

Probably the worst food I have ever tasted. Actually that is an absolute fact. Frozen broccoli that tasted like fish, processed cheese not even melted on top. The chicken tasted rancid. When I politely commented on the taste, the waitress said my taste buds were off and if I wanted a box. Seriously? I thought the homemade blue cheese dressing was a good sign but I was sorely mistaken. Inedible.

LOTS of choices… had the BBQ sandwich (excellent) and burger (good) and boy was it inexpensive! So consider that you’re out in the middle of nowhere… this is really a very good place to eat. Wanting to try some other things on the menu next time we’re there… Also FREE Wi-​Fi — hallelujah! Service was very friendly, and down-​home…

The chicken salad sandwich on a croissant was delicious. I haven’t eaten here in years, but it still holds up! Definitely recommended if you’re traveling through Nelson County.

Great place! Food was fantastic, and almost totally HOMEMADE! Server (Deb) was great too! We will certainly make our way back to this hidden little gem!

Diamond in the rough. In the desert.
The first time I stopped here it was a HOT day in the summer. I was tired and sticky. They seated us outside, which was shaded with a breeze. I had the smoked trout salad and a glass of cool wine and it felt like I had stepped into heaven. Why? Because between Lynchburg and Charlottesville on Rt. 29 there is virtually nothing to eat, and what you find is generally fast food. Lovingston is just a small dot of a town. So to have something genuinely good, and an interesting menu, for such a small town, felt like a miracle.
Fast forward several years and I have been back several times. I feel bad for the people who disliked it, I wish they had my first experience. Yes, the service is local folks and very friendly but not particularly perfect. And the food can be delicious or just average depending on what you order. They have a good beer selection for being in the middle of nowhere, just don’t expect the wait staff to know a ton about it. My kids enjoy the menus tucked inside children’s books. Locals eat here all the time. Moderate price for quality. Definitely recommend.

Awful. Worst fried oysters I’ve ever had (disgusting, soggy, didn’t eat, and literally had to fight with the server to have them taken off the bill). Something floating at the bottom of my beer. No one in the restaurant could tell me anything about their IPA. Very dirty (floors, walls, table, all gross). None of the food very good. Burger ordered medium was well done. Asked for a refill on my coffee and I got a refill, but no one else at the table was poured a refill. Took 5 minutes to be seated even though the restaurant was entirely empty. Man from the kitchen covered in dirt and grease. Food all around poor or inedible. Even their bbq sandwich (their specialty?) Was sub par and they dont offer any extra bbq sauce. This place is not a find. This place is disgusting.

My family made a day trip out to Dickie Bros. Orchard and Crabtree Falls yesterday. We packed a picnic lunch but decided we would find a place for dinner on the fly. We found Lovingston Café just before 6pm on a Saturday evening… and the parking lot was empty. I was very skeptical, but we decided to give it a try. What a sweet little restaurant! All of the staff were friendly, and our food was genuinely tasty. My kids enjoyed their food (plus a nice touch were the menus inside children’s books), my husband had ribs with a yummy dry rub, and I had the pork and apples. My dish was absolutely delicious. Real food, great service. I will definitely recommend this restaurant to my friends.

Ate here for lunch during a recent B&B visit and really enjoyed it. Had the BBQ sandwich and my wife the chicken salad on croissant. Both were very good, as were the fries, the potato salad and the chili. We were so stuffed we couldn’t do dessert, but saw the tray and it looked awesome. Everything is homemade for desserts. We’ll definitely stop again on our next trip out this way.

Wonderful lunch! Soup and sandwich special and the homemade sweet potato soup was delicious! Grilled cheese was American cheese on white bread, not too exciting but good.

Great and open on Sunday!
I had a really nice breakfast, and was delighted with both the food and the service. I’d definitely return!

I have been to this family owned and operated restaurant for a few years and the food is good. On the menu is soup, burgers, sandwiches, salads, wings, seafood, steaks, chicken dishes and some pastas. They do have inside and outdoor tables. Mind you the outdoor table are under some gum ball trees that will drop the gum balls and the net does catch most of the gum balls. On this most recent visit I ordered the chicken salad plater which comes with 2 sides. for $ 6.50. What a deal. Service was great up until I wanted the check and had to flag down another waitress to get it.
Food B
Staff C
Décor C
Location C
Health Inspection Grade A

This is the place to go in Nelson County if you are not in the Nellysford area. There really isn’t anything else between Cville and Lynchburg off Rt. 29. Fortunately, it’s pretty good. Set in a little strip mall, you can almost blow by. We had a great BBQ sandwich and a really good & proper Reuben sandwich. Other items on the menu looked fine. They have dinners, but the casual fare looked best. Wish we had time or room for dessert, as the cobbler looked wonderful. Affordable and helpful staff.

An absolute gem of a restaurant on an otherwise unremarkable stretch of Rt. 29.
I thoroughly enjoyed a smoked trout salad. Featuring a sultry, in-​house prepared smokey filet served over a bed of mixed greens, the fish was well balanced with a not-​too-​sweet raspberry vinaigrette (served on the side), mandarin orange, caramelized walnuts, and craisins. This salad was a delight!
Definitely worth a stop as your dash through Lovington.
The décor is casual and comfortable, featuring both booths and tables. There are three distinct dining areas and a comfortable, separate bar/​lounge with a nice selection of beers, wine and liquor available.
The wait staff is obviously local, friendly, attentive and happy to be there. What a refreshing change from the rude service we often see in more metropolitan areas!