We have some good restaurants in Charlottesville, but if someone asked me my top recommendation, it would have to be the Ivy Inn. It is consistently Charlottesville’s finest. It’s the kind of a restaurant you would take a special client or the place where college grads gather for an historic reunion. It’s also a place you take your wife of 53 years out to dinner for our anniversary, and I did just that this week.
I will say this about the Ivy Inn – there is not one thing I have ever put in my that was not amazingly delicious – from their home breads and pastries to the intriguing appetizers to the salads, entrees, soups and desserts. And this was no different.
For an appetizer, Nancy ordered the Creamy Five Onion Soup that was beyond delicious. I ordered Shrimp and Grits, and without question, this Ivy Inn specialty is hands-down the best – better than the Shrimp and Grits at any restaurant in Nags Head, Virginia Beach or anywhere – simply incredible. We also ordered a Fried Oyster Salad, a Bibb Salad with Candied Walnuts, a melt-in-your-mouth Beef Tenderloin with a creamy Madeira Sauces, Grilled Local Trout and finished it off with Crème Brule and Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake.
Everything was wonderful.
Some other upscale restaurants we have visited have raised their prices considerably, supposedly to make up for lower volume and lost revenue – but not the Ivy Inn. Their entrees continue to range from about $25 to $30, not inexpensive, but a great value for the quality of food.
The Ivy Inn is a small, more-confined restaurant as it is, but they have spaced the tables ssafely in their Inside Dining Areas and offer Heated Patio Dining as well – which we found most comfortable.
The Ivy Inn itself is over 200 years old, but has been in the Vangelopoulos family since 1995. It was once part of the estate of William Faulkner.
The Ivy Inn is a reservation-type establishment so don’t expect to be able to walk in and get a table. They do, however, have curbside pickup for orders placed by 3 PM.
The Ivy Inn is open from Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 9 PM.
Next time you want a very special “Date Night, call The Ivy Inn restaurant (434-977-1222), and make a reservation at Charlottesville’s finest restaurant.
