Blue 5

Very nice atmosphere and an excellent selection of beer. However, the food is mediocre at best. I ordered Shrimp and Grits, and it came to the table cold. I asked the waiter to have it heated up and 10 minutes later she returned. In the meantime, my party had finished the meal and my plate, with a completely new dish, looked like slop. It was hot, so the basics had been taken care of, but only contained two shrimp; the rest was a tomato-​based sauce with 15 – 20 sausage pieces. Should have been called Sausage and Grits.

My girlfriend and I went out to dinner for a pre-​new years celebration. I wasn’t very hungry so I ordered a cup of corn chowder soup, a cup of hot water with lemon, a small Ceasar salad and a martini. When I got to the bottom of my Ceasar salad, I found a hair on piece of the lettuce. I told our waiter and he came back to inform me that the manager was going to comp my $ 5 salad and I could take a premium salad to go! I accepted the salad to go. The manager never came to the table to apologize or to make the offer. When we got our bill, they charged us $ 1.75 for a cup of hot water. We pointed it out to the waiter and he took it off our bill. The band was very good and my friend said her salmon and mash potatoes were great. The waiter was good and very attentive. The atmosphere was also a fun filled one with lots of chatter and energy, but my experience with the hair in my food put a damper on my dining experience!

Rude employees, long wait times to get another drink (restaurant was not busy). Prices are too high. They have a large craft brew list, but don’t expect them to be able to tell you about any of them

Love the chicken and biscuit soup as well as the live music! Great place to have dinner with friends.

We hosted a career networking reception here in August and it was a tremendous success. Angela Natt and her team put together a wonderful event that all of our attendees enjoyed. The entire planning process was a breeze. Angela was very attentive and helpful, offering suggestions throughout the process to enhance our event.
The pricing is also very competitive.
We will be back for next year’s event!

Our server, Rachel, was excellent. She knew her stuff.
My wife had the Maple Burger. She said it was very good.
I had the Crab Cakes. For my taste, they were too dry and too much bread crumbs were used; not crabby enough.
The spinach/​artichoke dip was thin, but tasted good.
The fried oysters were mediocre at best. They should have used larger oysters.
Sounds like a lot of food, but the portions were small.
I ordered a dark beer with a 10% alcohol content. It was served in a 10 oz glass, with about 8 ounces in it. I asked why such a small glass? I was told that’s how they serve their beers with a higher alcohol percent. Oh. Come on now. Give a customer their money’s worth. What a silly rule.
All in all, not a bad place to eat. The almost $ 68 tab was not very palatable. The quality/​quantity to value just wasn’t there.

Service was fantastic.
The menu offers a great variety of small plates and full meals including a good choice of locally sourced items.
The price was very reasonable and the quality was excellent.

We only had drinks and a basket of cornbread here. I had the champagne spritzer with strawberry and mint — this was probably the best tasting drink I’ve ever had. I could have had 10 more of the exact same thing and been happy forever. We also had the Blue 5 drink, it was horribly strong. This might be great for some people just looking to get drunk, but we would rather enjoy the drink. It was supposed to come with a glass to take home, but the waitress said they don’t offer that any longer, and just haven’t taken it off the menu yet.
We originally went here for the live music. It just happened that when we got here, the band was headed off for a break. No problems there, the vibe in the room was very nice, so clearly everyone was enjoying the music.
We had two drinks and paid about $ 20. We had 4 drinks at another bar for the same price. Honestly, I’m willing to pay more for the amazing strawberry mint spritzer I had! I would definitely go back again!

Wow! Such a great place! Alex was fantastic and on top of everything! The atmosphere was upbeat and fun.
I ordered the seared ahi… so good! And we also ordered the basil infused mozzarella described as a fancy mozzarella stick for the table. Whoever came up with that special is crazy creative and needs to make that a regular menu item!
Dessert… coconut crème brûlée… enough to said! I need to never learn how to make that dessert since I do not plan on running marathons in the future!
Sadly it will be a while if I ever get back to this place since its 3000 miles from me but I hope to for sure!

Great food. Just had the filet with crab cake very good. Great beers on tap!
Also the BBQ IS VERY GOOD
Very nice bartender, after working all day it’s nice to have a good bartender to server you Great looks too!
I will defiantly be back
They do need valet parking
If your in the area looking for good craft beer. And good food check them out!

Place was packed but still excellent service!
There was a very good jazz band playing with a very talented female vocalist– I was groovin’ the whole time!
The beer list is very extensive and organized by style and flavor to make decision making easy.
I got a beer flight and was very happy :)

What can I say? Blue 5 was awesome! Most if not all restaurants were «booked» for valentines day, I left a message at blue 5 (while they were closed) and they actually called back to offer a table! We unfortunately arrived before opening at 5pm and the (manager I assume) was nice enough to let us in before 5pm to get inside! The atmosphere was awesome except for not being busy when we first arrived (which is understandable) considering we were first in. The wait staff was awesome, my only complaint is I love having my drink filled nonstop for medical reason I have. I unfortunately found mine empty a few times, but the waiter was friendly, helpful with recommendations, and created an overall good experience!
Now for the food, it was AWESOME! We had the encrusted scallops appetizer which was amazing, sort of had a sweet and sour chicken flavor to it I guess, had a little spice but not bad at all. I had the sweet/​spicy salmon with mashed potatoes and substituted broccoli and the fish was insanely amazing! It was a little on the spicy side, but something I would without a doubt return for! The waiter recommended and I was not disappointed! My girlfriend ordered the ribeye and she said it was amazing, except for next time, she would order it medium instead of medium well!
My overall rating of this restaurant is outstanding, I would highly recommend it to anyone and would also return ourselves!

Great beer selection and venue, but food was terrible. Ribs said award winning, but I really did not like the ribs– tasted like they were microwaved.
Go for drinks and live music– skip the food.

Favorite spot for live music in roanoke. The inside is more upscale than a lot of venues and the food much better. Would be a great place for a private event.

In terms of a bar atmosphere and variety of good beer, Blue 5 is one of the better spots in town.
In terms of food, it’s rather disappointing.
I think the menu features things that are overpriced and are mediocre representations of classic Southern dishes. I ordered the shrimp & grits during my last visit and wasn’t impressed at all. The grits were tough and dry and the tiny shrimp offered little flavor.
Blue 5 isn’t a bad spot for drinks or hanging out at the bar, but I wouldn’t recommend it for an entire meal.

Oyster appetizer could be a meal. Unexpected combination of fried oysters, argula, beans, etc.
spicy – delicious. Blackened sea scallops were succulent, superb! Rissoto was rich and creamy. Citrus spinich salad was different, a tad too citrus, but okay. My husband said his ribs were good. Our shared coconut crème brûlée was tasty, which-​considering I do not usually care for coconut-​is a compliment. Coffee was bold, very nice. Service was erratic, but pleasant enough. Almost forgot the delicate cornbread bites – nice touch.
We were there for the early dinner seating on a Friday. It wasn’t too crowded or noisy at that time and we were able to have a booth which a bit more intimate.

Great food. Great service. Great prices. Great music.
What more can you ask for?!
#BestOfRoanoke

We stopped in Roanoke for one night on a drive from NY to NC and were looking for late-​night food – and, if possible, some music. We had the pleasure of catching the Jordan Harmon Band. It was the perfect elixir to shake out our road-​weariness.
Unfortunately, we arrived a few minutes too late to eat. The bar was VERY crowded, but we were eventually able to get a bartender’s attention. I have to say, she wasn’t the friendliest person I met in the south – but we did eventually get our drinks and settle in to watch the band. Once a table opened up, the server who waited on us was pleasant and efficient.
Loved the décor and feel of Blue 5 and would certainly return on another trip to the area. The menu looked very appealing – and the beer list was incredible. They have lots of local brews and even a good craft hard cider selection.

First off I must say that I really love the atmosphere of the restaurant! We’re from Virginia beach and we do not have many places like this, so we thought it was pretty cool!
My friends and I came on a Friday night, and there was a live band playing! It’s always nice to have live entertainment while having dinner, especially when it’s great music.
As far as food goes, I did not enjoy mine. However, I do believe that I just ordered the wrong thing. I had the smokin’ cowgirl which is a 14 oz slow smoked bone-​in rib eye. What I learned that night is that I am not a fan of slow smoked bone-​in rib eye. I did not like the taste. Also, I asked for medium rare, but I believe mine was made more rare than medium rare. They had run out of mashed potatoes, so I ordered Cajun fries (which at first they brought me regular fries, but our server fixed it right when I said something).
My boyfriend loved his entrée which was the double trouble sandwich (braised rib-​eye, topped with jalapeño cheese slaw, and fried egg). We also ordered the chicken and biscuit soup, which was amazing!
If we lived closer I would definitely give this place another go, even though I did not enjoy my food.

Holy shiz, Roanoke!
First of all, I have to give mad props and tip my hat to owner of Lucky who pointed us towards Blue 5 when we rolled to Roanoke looking for food in late night hours.
Now, to Blue 5. I heard music from afar as I was walking down empty downtown street. Live. Real stage. Big guns sound system. Blues. Oh, yea, maaaaan. Roanoke, of all places, knows it’s music!
«Come for food, stay for the music» is written on the wall. They got that right!
Yes, they serve food and drinks late at night. Awesome!
Pama martini was spot on, not too strong, not too sweet.
Fried green tomatoes with spicy remoulade. Oh, those disappeared from the plate rather quickly. Yum.
Shrimp and grits. Cleaned plate. Perfectly spicy and savory, just loved it!
Hmmm. Do they deliver to NYC?
Stay, stay, stay for the music!