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We're inside a market called Crafteria at 16 Church Ave, SW Roanoke, VA, 24011.
Little Green Hive Coffee & Tea: IN OUR BUILDING! In addition to coffee, tea, and smoothies, these folks make the best breakfast burritos around. Be sure to ask for the green salsa. The recipe comes from owner Leo's abuela, and its amazing.
Roasters Next Door: The coffee place for people who are serious about coffee. We're rank amateurs but love working in their lovely dining room.
Sweet Donkey: Great outdoor space. Good food basics in addition to coffee. Fun events.
Big Lick Brewing: Beautiful downtown building and great patio. You can order tacos from Tucos, which is across the street and listed below.
Community Inn: Best neighborhood bar in Roanoke. Right next door to The Grandin Theater.
Golden Cactus Brewing: Funky warehouse space with a rotating array of crafters and food vendors at their pop-ups.
Parkway Brewing: Terrific indoor/outdoor hang out space with a big fireplace. They’re fine with you bringing your own food. Often has a food truck too. We recommend Majestic Mullet as your brew.
Hotel Roanoke’s Pine Room Pub: Terrific bar in our classic Tudor hotel with outdoor dining and a cozy interior.
Stellina: When bartenders get creative, they often miss. At Stellina, they knock it out of the park and into the next county.
bloom: Delightful small plates and cocktails. Always come up with creative combos that just work. Beautiful presentation and also a comfie patio.
Crystal Spring Grocery: Gourmet grocer with an excellent food window serving elevated sandwiches and sides. The crispy chicken sandwich is our go-to.
Delicias Boricuas: IN OUR BUILDING! Roanoke's only Puerto Rican restaurant. Open for lunch weekdays.
Fork in the Alley: Nice patio nestled between buildings with American fare. If you dig veggie burgers, get the No Bull burger. Made in Charlottesville, it’s crazy good. Also, fried green beans. Yum.
Fortunato: Outstanding, upscale Italian-inspired fare. Best piece of hip, hillbilly art imaginable. (Look in the smaller dining room to see what we mean.)
The Green Goat: Nestled in the middle of a park, this former rail house now serves well-prepared American fare.
Local Roots: Roanoke's farm to table pioneer. We're big fans of their hamburger, which is humanely raised and a variety of beef that tastes like nothing we’ve had before.
River & Rail: Written up in Southern Living and such. Serves very good Southern-inspired dishes. Get their skillet fried cornbread, and if they’re serving it, chicken fried hen of the wood mushrooms. Mmmmm.
Stock Cafè: Delectable, nordic-inspired fare inside a stunning historic firehouse.
Sidecar: Looks like a lovely little European bistro. Serves a delightful mix of Southern and European fare. Deviled eggs and escargot side by side!
Taaza: Our favorite Indian place anywhere (and we’ve eaten a lot of Indian food).
Tacos Rojas: Off-the-chart authentic tacos served out of a former gas station in their original location. They also have a second location in The Market Building downtown.
Tucos: Terrific margaritas and nachos. Beautiful dining room fulled of reclaimed wood and gorgeous murals.
VietSub: Best banh mi we’ve had anywhere. They bake their own French bread, and it’s sheer perfection.
Wok & Roll: Unassuming Asian joint downtown that uses very fresh ingredients — like they actually make their own wonton wrappers for crab rangoons. Their phnom penh salad is a favorite.
Blue Cow Ice Cream: Delicious ice cream right along The Roanoke River Greenway.
Crème Fresh: Fantastic and creative vegan ice cream.
Hang10 Hawaiian Ice & Cream: Dole Whip addicts, this is your spot! Plus it has soft serve, shaved iced, and hot dogs — both vegetarian and meat.
Pop’s Ice Cream: Charming vintage style ice cream parlor and soda fountain. Get the lime ricky!
Rookies: Pair your favorite cookie with your favorite ice cream at this downtown walk-up window.
Chocolate Paper: Good cards, gifts, and chocolates downtown.
The French Farmhouse: Charming space filled with rustic finds.
Magnolia Furnishings: Home decor with a contemporary aesthetic.
Roanoke Antique Mall: It’s in a rough-and-tumble strip mall but has a ton of vendors in their 25,000 square feet space. Found some real steals there over the years.
Txtur: Terrific modern furniture, crafted in Roanoke. Plus their showroom is in a stunning historic firehouse.
Vintage Vault Records and Pop Collectibles: IN OUR BUILDING! Hands down, Roanoke's best record shop.
WyndRose: A carefully curated decor shop focused on sustainable sourcing.
The Grandin Theatre: Our classic 1930’s movie house has the best popcorn in town and makes for a great date night.
Hull’s Drive In: While it’s a bit of a drive — about 45 minutes — it’s charmingly retro and a novel evening out with friends or family.
O. Winston Link Museum: Housed in a beautiful, mid-century rail station, this museum showcase the work of O. Winston Link who created unusual, haunting portraits of people with wondrously lit trains in nearly every shot.
The Pinball Museum: Tons of vintage pinball and video games. They sometimes have a beer and wine night. Super fun with friends.
Roanoke Star: Built as a holiday shopping publicity stunt in 1949, this six-story illuminated star has become a local landmark. Perched atop Mill Mountain, it also offers terrific views of the Roanoke Valley.
Rooftop Views from Center in the Square: Like a little park in the sky, this lovely rooftop showcases Roanoke’s architectural diversity and the stunning mountains that surround us.
The Taubman Museum of Art: Designed by Randall Stout, a Frank Gehry protege, the building itself is considered a work of art by many. Its exhibits are thoughtfully selected and frequently rotate.
Buffalo Mountain: Stunning views from rock plateau at the top.
Carvins Cove: Terrific spot for flatwater kayaking, secluded coves, and mountain biking in the second largest municipally-owned park in the United States.
Cascades Falls Trails: The perfect spot to cool off, this series of falls create small swimming holes that are lined with enormous rhododendrons. At the end of the trail is the grandaddy of all falls. It’s a great spot for photos or sunning on rocks.
Explore Park: Off the Blue Ridge Parkway, it offers easy access to The Roanoke River, including kayak and tube rentals. We love to go swimming here. It also has a new brew pub and ropes course.
Old Mill Mountain Road: Paved hike lined with a stone wall. You pass a vintage tool booth and one of Roanoke’s premiere homes on the way up. The Roanoke Star awaits at the top. A must do!
Outdoor Mountain Adventure: Tube and kayak rentals right in the heart of the city. They also have a great selection of gently used gear.
McAfee Knob: One of the most photographed spots on the Appalachian Trail. Stunning views from rock outcroppings.
Natural Bridge State Park: Easy walk under a natural land bridge that’s become synonymous with Virginia.
The River Rock: Roanoke's premiere climbing gym, it offers over 4,500 square feet of bouldering and an additional 4,000 square feet of roped climbing with 26 rope stations.
Roanoke River Greenway: About twelve miles of flat biking along The Roanoke River. Super charming bike rides. Lots of spots to pull over and swim or fish.
Roaring Run: A flat hike along a truly roaring creek with falls. Very shady and cool.
The Hotel Roanoke: The grand dame of local lodging, our giant tutor hotel lends an air of historic elegance to your visit, while providing amenities not found at apartment rentals, like a pool, coffee shop, excellent bar, and a fine dining restaurant.
The Liberty Trust: Why stay in a hotel, when you can stay in a bank? (Or at least a former bank.) This beautifully restored 1910 building was once described as “a temple of finance.” Today, it’s a temple of comfort, offering Molton Brown bath products, premium linens, and yoga mats.
The Lofts at Downtown Salem: In the heart of Salem, a charming burg next to Roanoke, you can rent lovely, one-bedroom lofts for the night, the week, or the month.
Stay Roanoke: From downtown lofts to an historic four square in a charming neighborhood, all of these short-term rentals are newly remodeled and feature beautiful, modern furnishings made right here in Roanoke by TXTUR.
Plus first dibs on sales, the latest stories, & heaps a'luvin from us.
