<p>To those who live in/around Charlottesville, what do you think are the best places to get pizza? When I first moved here someone recommended Casella's highly (at the Barrack's shopping center) and I am almost entirely obsessed with it now.</p>
<p>Are there any other awesome places? Or awesome food in general? I've heard good things about Guadalajara, but I have a fear of trying new hispanic restaurants. (bad experiences)</p>
<p>p.s. I'm a food freak.</p>
<p>Where to begin..</p>
<p>For pizza, look no further than Christian's in the downtown mall. Other excellent options include Mellow Mushroom, Basil, Jaberwoke, and many others...Cville is not a town that lacks for pizza.</p>
<p>Guadalajara is pretty good. I prefer it to Amigos, which always leaves me feeling a bit sick afterwards, though the drinks are good.</p>
<p>A few of my favorite places to go:</p>
<p>-Cafe Europa: hole-in-the-wall Euro sandwich place on the Corner...great place for lunch, try the tomato basil soup & baguette..delicious and very cheap
-The dumplings place downtown.
-Blue Light Grill downtown is probably one of the classier places in Cville...expensive, however.
-Basil: in addition to great pizza, also good sandwiches/gyros and a nice atmosphere.
-First Wok: Though for some reason it hasn't been open recently (I'm a bit worried), hands down the best Chinese place in town. Go there and have a nice sit down dinner with some bubble tea, or get the $6 delivery dinner special and marvel at how much better it is than Yuan Ho or Asian Express.
-Five Guys (Barracks, downtown): though it's now a chain and much more expensive, this Nova import still makes a damn good coma-inducing burger/fry combo.
-Thai 99: Available down JPA or as you're heading out of town on 29 North, a very classy and delicious Thai place. The one on 29 has a nicer atmosphere IMO.
-Monsoon: off the beaten path downtown, another nice Thai place that is basically built into a house.
-Take it Away: A carbon copy of the Cheese Shop down in Williamsburg (or C-dubb as some like to call it), famous for their bread ends, house dressing, and eclectic chip/drink selection.
-Bodo's: Can't beat it. My dad requests bags of Bodo's bagels every time I come home.</p>
<p>Charlottesville does not lack for food in general, either.</p>
<p>I attended summer session and have stayed up there frequently over the past few months...and still haven't seen the downtown mall. I wonder how that's possible. I've heard Christian's recommended quite a few times. I'm pretty picky about my pizzas though.</p>
<p>Five Guys - I ate there during what I THOUGHT would be downtime (during the day in the summer, not at lunch) and it was so freaking packed it was ridiculous. I had to eat standing up. Craziness. I eat at the one in Richmond and they are seriously the best burgers ever. I ate two cheeseburgers and a large fries this week and truly almost died. Awesome.</p>
<p>Bodo's - I hear they don't toast the bagels? What in the world is up with that?</p>
<p>And a restaurant that specializes in dumplings? Woah my God.</p>
<p>Hopefully I will have eaten at all of these places by the time I graduate. Actually, hopefully I've eaten at all of them by next weekend.</p>
<p>AND thx for the Chinese food recommendation. I require a good fried rice takeout place for my diet, and I've tried to find at least a decent place in Charlottesville to no avail. The first place I tried went out of business since I had classes (always a good sign) and the second place was a teppenyaki restaurant on 29 that was honest to god the worst food I've ever had. Top 10 for sure.</p>
<p>I was heartbroken. :(</p>
<p>My favorites:</p>
<p>Continental Divide - The only sign is a green neon one that says "Get In Here!". Awesome food, drinks and staff. Opens at 5 PM and if you get there after 5:45, you'll be waiting in line for a table. </p>
<p>West Main - In a creaky, historic building across from the West Main Market. Kind of an upscale pub. I'm surprised there aren't more students there because some of the food is pretty cheap ($2 mac & cheese, $2 twice baked potato, $5 salads). </p>
<p>Seafood at West Main - In the West Main Market. Lunch only. </p>
<p>Hamilton's - On the downtown mall. Eclectic bistro. Probably something to save for when parents are in town. </p>
<p>Mas - Tapas (though not Spanish) in Belmont. Soooo good.</p>
<p>Downtown Thai - This is my favorite Thai place in town (sad that we only have three). Just off the downtown mall.</p>
<p>Vavino - this is a wine bar on the downtown mall. Most people don't know that they have some amazing desserts. So, even if you aren't 21, you might want to check this place out. </p>
<p>Chandler's - This is a bakery on Rt. 29. It's worth mentioning because it's probably the best bakery around here. This is one of the few places to buy a fresh canoli or black & white.</p>
<p>Don't forget our gas stations! The gas startions here often have gourmet markets in them.</p>
<p>Bellair Market - The best sandwhich in town (yes, better than Take It Away).</p>
<p>Fuel Co. - Great regular menu, but after 10 or so, it flips to a pub menu that's fantastic. After Fridays, we often go there for fries. They serve them with 10-12 different types of dips, from truffle-infused ketchup to spicey sauces. </p>
<p>One last thing: Bodo's bagels are good for where we are. If you come here from New York or Boston, it'll take a while to adjust. While rumor has it that the original owner is from Jersey, they don't make an authentic bagel.</p>
<p>nothing beats cafeteria food.</p>
<p>I hope you're kidding, untilted...</p>
<p>Of course I was. ;)</p>
<p>Stumbling along the corner at 3am and going to Little John's or the White Spot is something you'll never forget.</p>
<p>Someone at summer session actually took me to get the spot special after class one day...and it was awesome. Some friends from home helped me move into my house recently, and I'd told them all about the restaurant on the way up. After moving everything we were incredibly starved so we drove over to the corner...only to find that it closes at 3 p.m. in July. I was so irritated! 24 hours my arse. What kind of restaurant closes at 3 p.m. on a Saturday??</p>
<p>The kind of restaurant that pays its bills with the 3am crowd.</p>
<p>Then why aren't they just open in the early morning? Why are they open from 7-3 if that's not even their busiest time? Most of the people I've seen there are college students. If there are enough college students in town for the summer to warrant 7 a.m.-3 p.m. hours, why not hours in the early a.m.?</p>
<p>Econ 201. Maybe they can cover their variable costs and even contribute to fixed costs by remaining open. Or maybe they're just foolish and losing money.</p>
<p>First Wok.. is that the Chinese resturant across the street from Sakura, a Japanese resturant? Are there any other Asian places you'd recommend?</p>
<p>Thai 99 is pretty good, but expensive. Other than that, I'm not really sure. But why come to america to eat chinese food ;) ?</p>
<p>cavalier302 - Ummm yeah thx I've taken econ also. The place has been open for 75 years or whatever-something-ridiculous, so I doubt the owner has made a habit of making dumb financial decisions. My point was just that I've never in my life seen a restaurant, especially a popular restaurant, close before dinner on a Saturday. It was more a rhetorical question than anything. Like "how did it get so cold outside??" No I don't need a brush-up on meteorology 101.</p>
<p>melli - Have you eaten at Sakura?</p>
<p>Yep, that's the place. I find it to be far and away the best place in Charlottesville for Chinese.</p>
<p>Asian Express and Yuan Ho are decent enough, I guess, for the $6 you pay for a dinner special. </p>
<p>Though I've never been, I hear good things about Bamboo House (Korean) up 29.</p>
<p>Dragon Lady is also pretty decent, over on Ivy.</p>
<p>Finally, though hard to find, Szechuan Restaurant is a good all around buffet and restaurant.</p>
<p>As I mentioned before, both Thai 99s are very good and classy as well.</p>
<p>Asian Express sucks. This is coming from a Chinese.</p>
<p>First Wok is the one of the best you can get in C-ville. I wouldn't say it's amazing, but it's pretty good.</p>
<p>I've eaten at Sakura, good sushis and good japanese food in general. Some of my friends and I ate at a private room, the service was very good. Their sake shots were excellent. The dinner was a bit pricey, but this one guy was so trashed, he paid for the whole table.</p>
<p>If you are Chinese...then why in hell am I getting Chinese takeout? Just please come to my house and make me some chicken fried rice.</p>
<p>HAHAHA. I'll come over and burn the rice. =P Thanks for the recommendations and opinions everyone, I'll be sure to try them out. =)</p>
<p>cav: Because no matter how much I like American food, I'd kill for a bowl of hot Asian rice and a pair of chopsticks sometimes. And not at a place where food is absolutely drenched with sauce. =)</p>