Even before this summer's flurry of renovations and openings, Charlottesville boasted an impressive eatery-to-headcount ratio, with over 200 restaurants to feed a small-town population of only 45,000.
This fall, the new Bodo's opening may be generating the greatest student buzz, but an impressive selection of adventurous Corner eateries may prove more exotic yet still affordable. The Corner packs some real flavor this fall with the opening of Basil Mediterranean Bistro, which features Lebanese, Moroccan and Israeli specialties (plus delicious gyros). Also new on the scene is Mesob Ethiopian Cuisine, where injera bread is substituted for silverware.
Charlottesville is a small but urbane town -- culturally, artistically and certainly gastronomically. Besides the requisite national fast-food chains (and they're all here, from Burger King to Taco Bell), the city is teeming with locally-owned culinary goldmines on the modest end of the price range.
You can't miss Littlejohn's, with its 24-hour service and trademark tortilla chips, or the White Spot; but try the savory egg-and-sausage on a Bodo's Everything bagel and discover that its price -- comparable to an equivalent sandwich at McDonald's -- belies its far superior quality.
Charlottesville is also a great scene for pizza-by-the-slice; if you're tired of the ubiquitous national monopolies, check out the new-fangled pizza toppings (like artichoke, spinach and feta cheese) offered for a fair price at local parlors like Christian's and Sylvia's (downtown and on the Corner).
The cheapest "fast" Charlottesville food, however, is perhaps also the tastiest and the most unique: Marco and Luca's dumpling shop on the Downtown Mall features a minimalist menu consisting primarily of dumplings, noodles and soup -- and, at $2.50 for six (plus one extra thrown into the box!) golden-hot, just-fried, crispy, meaty treasures served with a tangy-spicy orange dipping sauce, the dumplings are what you'll be back for.
On your way Downtown, consider a detour through the distinctively purple Main Street Market, a gourmet's haven consisting of a collection of high-quality food-shops including a bakery, several specialty cheese-and-meat shops, a fishmonger, a chocolate-maker, European-style cafés and an authentic Italian gelateria for dessert.
It's nice to know that, for rare special occasions, the Charlottesville area is home to a wide array of award-winning haute-cuisine inns which serve "traditional" Virginia fare in a pricy six-course format; more pertinent to the local diner, perhaps, is the city's ever-evolving string of classy, innovative and reasonably-priced "big-city" restaurants. In the Downtown area, check out Bang! (for Asian-fusion tapas), Mono Loco (for Cuban with flair), Blue Light Grill (Charlottesville's only swanky raw seafood bar), Monsoon (for flavor-rich southeast Asian) and the recently re-opened Fellini's #9 (for revamped Italian). Other good picks include Bizou (classic bistro-style), Cassis (French-American fusion), and Mas (delectable Spanish tapas), three creations of local wunderchef Sean Lawson.
And if you're really looking for an authentic taste of classic Charlottesville, don't stop with the College Inn; by having breakfast at the legendary Belmont staple the Spudnut Shop, you'll simultaneously sample Charlottesville's otherworldly trademark potato-flour doughnuts while saving up for dinner at the nationally-acclaimed C&O restaurant. For a trendy night out, consider dining at the tiny but distinctive Italian restaurant L'Avventura off the Downtown Mall (after your meal, you can catch the latest artsy cinema at the conjoining Vinegar Hill Theatre). With even more Brazilian, Bavarian, Indian, Salvadorian and South African restaurants to choose from, you're sure to enjoy your Charlottesville dining adventures this year.
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