Perched above The Doyle Hotel, Rooftop Charlottesville boasts unparalleled views and advertises upscale bar bites and an impressive cocktail menu. My friend and I went to try out the special menu items curated for Charlottesville Restaurant Week, opting for a three-course meal priced reasonably at $35 over their other options of $45 and $55. However, even with the beautiful views and an attractive price, we left feeling a little disappointed in our meals.
Right down the road from the Rotunda at 499 W Main St. sits Rooftop Charlottesville, a mere five-minute drive or 20-minute walk from central Grounds. Formerly Quirk, The Doyle revamped Rooftop Charlottesville in 2024 and prides itself on locally-sourced, seasonal ingredients. This rooftop bar is open from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday and 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
The stunning lobby of The Doyle feels inviting, with their Lobby Bar and Restaurant in the center, local art on the walls and funky furniture scattered to match the boutique hotel aesthetic. My favorite decor aspect was the glowing pink elevator, which felt very luxurious, elevating the otherwise ordinary transport.
Wintertime modifications have somewhat obstructed the rooftop’s views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and only indoor seating was available. It’s not clear whether it was the fact that it was a Wednesday or the lack of the restaurant’s signature outdoor rooftop seating, but my reservation was wholly unnecessary. My friend and I were two of four total patrons in the restaurant for the entire evening, which felt eerie and a little lonely.
My chosen appetizer off of the Restaurant Week menu was the Caesar Salad, which is otherwise named the “Hail, Caesar” and priced at $12. As a huge caesar salad fan, I’m a harsh critic, and was thoroughly unimpressed by The Doyle’s rendition. The huge salad — certainly shareable between two — is topped with a Parmesan blanket so thick that it covers all of the salad’s contents. The dressing was light with an unremarkable flavor, covering some, but not all, of the crunchy lettuce. The saving grace for the salad were the homemade challah croutons, which were seasoned with garlic and salt in a way that complemented the dressing well.
For my entrée, I leaned into the bar food aesthetic and ordered the Royale with Cheese — a double-stacked cheeseburger sporting lettuce, caramelized onions, pickles and a housemade dijonaise. I was particularly excited about the house-blended smash patties that were a combination of prime beef and bacon, but was disappointed when no salty flavor came through.
The dijonaise brought a good tang in contrast to the otherwise unoriginal cheeseburger. The side of fries came in the most adorable mini fry basket, a replica of the cooking tool, but were both undercooked and inadequately seasoned. This burger-and-fry combo is regularly priced at $21, but this is definitely a dish I would skip next time.
For her choice of entrée, my friend ordered the Shrimp Tacos — referred to as “Let’s Taco ‘bout it” and priced at $17 on the normal menu — which came in a set of three. The tacos were certainly the best dish of the night, with grilled shrimp covered in an apple-fennel slaw that brought a sweet, yet earthy taste.
The tacos were advertised to come with micro cilantro, but the amount was inadequate — I would guess no more than 15 leaves. However, a chipotle mayo drizzle brought a sharp spice that hit your taste buds in a slightly delayed manner, allowing the slaw and shrimp to shine. The mayo in the sauce definitely made the tacos a little greasy, but the mini tortillas managed to soak up the brunt. Overall, this was the most well-thought-out dish of our visit, but was still nothing to write home about.
We finished our meal with the Maximalist Pecan Pie — referred to as “Nuts For You” on their regular menu — which contained chocolate, caramel, nuts, pretzels and shredded coconut all piled on top of a dense pie crust and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I was excited for this new take on the traditional flavors of pecan pie, but unfortunately, the contents were all muddled together and were unable to compliment one another. The chocolate and caramel were sticky, and overwhelmed the coconut and pretzel mixture, which was swirled into the chocolate completely.
I saw the vision, but once again, the execution failed to deliver.Regularly priced at $11, I would save my money on “Nuts for You” and try another option — the only alternate option was the bruleed banana split, which looked scrumptious from afar.
The atmosphere at the Doyle Rooftop has immense potential on a warm summer day to enjoy the views with friends. However, I don’t know that mid-winter Charlottesville Restaurant Week is a representation of their best work. The service was attentive and friendly, but the food was lackluster and was missing the “upscale” from the “upscale bar food” niche that they advertise. At $35, you get plenty of bang for your buck in terms of quantity — both my friend and I needed to-go boxes — but the quality of the food at regular prices would have been extremely disappointing.
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