The River and Rail Restaurant - American restaurant in Roanoke - 2201 Crystal Spring Ave SW, USA

It pains me to write this review, because I was really looking forward to dining here, but I have to say our experience was painfully just "ok". We came here for an anniversary dinner, and everything was fine, but I mean that in the most average way possible. We started with a couple drinks, which tasted ok and were decently alcoholic so we didn't feel cheated, but weren't especially memorable. We started with a shared beet root salad, which again tasted fine but the beets were harder than expected (which ended up being a preview of the night's veggies in general). My main was the hanger steak which also tasted fine, but as with the beets earlier all the veggies (carrots and fingerling potatoes) were slightly undercooked and a bit hard. My wife had duck breast and was the strangest duck breast we've ever seen. We eat this quite a bit and I cook it at home occasionally, so we're familiar with duck, but this one was a strange light pink in color, almost like a ham. It's possible it's just a different breed of duck than we're used to, and it did taste fine, just something to note. The best thing to note was the service was great, and our waitress was super attentive and friendly. At this price point, I would expect the food to at least be among the best in Roanoke, and the other reviews raised my expectations. Maybe we landed on a bad day, but none of the flavors were especially notable and paired with the undercooked vegetables made the meal average at best and underwhelming at worst. I want to reiterate, I'm not saying it was a bad experience or meal, just kind of mid.

We went for our anniversary dinner and loved their food and atmosphere here. The angus beef steak was absolutely amazing, every little bit of it was flavorful, cooked to perfection! The duck breast was also great. We got a pineapple mocktail drink and that just hit the spot. Absolutely recommend, cozy little restaurant with friendly staff and good food!

Chose the right spot for a birthday dinner. Small, cozy and personal restaurant I would describe it. You could see the chefs preparing the meal. I informed the host it was my partner’s birthday and they presented him with a card signed by them all. That was a nice touch. I had the catfish which was delicious! The cornbread, you definitely gotta try!The drinks were definitely strong and on point. I would definitely return.

We had an odd experience here - ordered the burger medium well and it came out bring pink. It was very thick so slightly understandable that it was challenging to cook right, but hoped for more from a restaurant with this caliber of reviews. They willingly took it back and cooked it more but on receiving our bill we were told “I took a little off on the burger”… it was $1.60 off the over $70 bill. We didn’t expect anything, truly, but this amount almost felt comical. Hopefully this was a fluke experience but also noticed another table send food back (not a burger but unsure why) while we were dining.

Hands down the best restaurant in Roanoke. We recently moved from the west coast and have been making our way through the Roanoke restaurant scene, trying to find our new go to. It has been found with R&R. The cocktails, food, atmosphere and service are all great. The menu is inventive and changes to keep things fresh. Best part, this place is consistent every time we go. 5 stars all day Update: Sept 2023 We’ve been coming here for close to 2 years now and it’s still our favorite place. The drinks are inventive, the chef and his team are creative, the service is wonderful, and they host specialty wine and dinner nights. We just attended the Spanish wine night and had an amazing time. This place truly is a gem.

This is by far one of the best restaurants I have been in. I was eating food I normally do not eat and loving it. The ribs are sweet and so tender. The rinds with dip omg was so good! The desert was even more tasty if that's possible. It's heaven to the taste buds!

Had a small celebration for my mother’s birthday. Random Tuesday evening and the atmosphere was still great. We were there just over 2 hours with several shared dishes and multiple bottles of wine. A manager (i think) had good recommendations for wine & cocktails. Also our server (Ivy) was knowledgeable of the food menu and did not disappoint! Everything is clean, there’s options for small and regular portions, food was great and had a tasteful presentation, bartender did well on the drinks and dessert ended our night on a great note. I will our table of 4 all agreed that we would not order the filet again. It was cooked & seasoned well but we felt the quality of the cut could’ve been better. It was chewy through most of the, i think 8oz? Definitely nothing to complain about, and we will surely be back for a 3rd dinner with R&R. We spent right at $100 per person including wine and a couple cocktails, well worth it! We shared all of our dishes among the table. ~Definitely try the chicken liver Mousse~ Thanks for a 5star experience, again.

I don't write reviews often, and it takes a lot to stand out in my eye's... especially as this is what I do for a living. River and rail was exceptional, period. The quality of the food was without compare, the service? Not a clink of a glass let alone a drop of wine on the table, plus our waitress Ivy did a exceptional wine service (caught me off guard). The flavors are creative and exiting for not just the drinks but the food. The open kitchen runs clean, quiet and smooth. They balance the size of the venue well with the capability of a small kitchen and balance their menu with a insane depth of forethought. Kudos to the staff and management for providing a experience I've only enjoyed in a restaurant with a Michelin star. 110% underrated spot.