I just went the The Local for the first time, and honestly had to wonder what took me so long. The food was excellent. The service was fantastic. The portions sizes were perfect. And the cost of the meal was delightful! It is definitely my new favorite place to eat in Charlottesville.

Absolutely the worst experience we've ever had dining out. The only positive thing I can say is that we didn't get sick. The food is very expensive ($17+ for a small Lasagna, $16 for eggplant parmesan). We decided to try this out for dinner, and boy were we sorry!

My wife's Lasagna was pretty bland, not awful, but not tasty. My Eggplant was undercooked -- when I bit into it it was hard on the inside. The eggplant was in thick slices so obviously they hadn't cooked it enough. I told the waitress it was undercooked so sent it back.

Then the waitress brought our bill and said they took 15% off of my dish! Yep, the took about $2 off of the $16 Eggplant Parm that was inedible! Any decent restaurant would take the full price of the item off if it was incorrectly prepared!

I complained to the waitress, and a manager (?) came over and said no since they cooked it for me, I had to pay for it, and that the cook checked it and it was cooked correctly. I've never had a restaurant ARGUE with me like this! Finally she went to the back to discuss it for 5 minutes with someone.

She walked back behind the bar from the kitchen and started printing up a receipt taking the full price of the item off finally. While she was doing it, the cook came out (quite disheveled looking I must say), and spoke to her, then headed back to the kitchen muttering aloud something like "you idiots". I couldn't quite make out what he said, but it was definitely targeted toward us.

I went and told the woman that she should tell the cook that we can hear when he insults us out loud. She brushed it off. We told her that a huge part of advertising is word of mouth. She claimed that's no problem because PLENTY of customers LOVE their food. Searching online, I am finding plenty of "worst ever" reviews.

I would expect this restaurant won't last much longer. At least I hope that's the case.

One good thing came of it -- as we were leaving talking with each other about the awful experience, a nice couple was heading in and heard us and asked us about it. We told them exactly this, and they thanked us and headed elsewhere.

When you beat the crowds, this little place can be a relaxing lunch experience. The atmosphere is artistic and beautiful with a variety of music. There are tons of teas to choose from including varieties of Chinese and Japanese greens, flavored whites, blacks, medicinal herbals, rooibos, and so much more. The food dishes change up from time to time, but one of my favorites is their giant salads! These salads contain organic greens paired with fresh ingredients like pear, goat cheese, berries, nuts, and homemade dressings. This is one of my favorite places in Charlottesville!

Lots of choices here for all kinds of cravings. The salads are yummy as well as the hummus and pita. We frequently have them deliver to the hospital and they almost always get our enormous order (sometimes 10 or more people) perfectly correct and arrive quickly.

I have frequently gone here for dinner after work and have always had great service. As a vegetarian, I feel there are great options, all of them tasty! My favorite dish is the customized quesodilla that you can load with ingredients for no extra charge (i.e. black beans, different cheeses, avocado, corn, tomato, refried beans, cilantro, jalapenos, etc.). Delicious cheeses, avocado dip, and always fresh pico de gallo can be found here. My only compliant is that the alcohol is a bit pricey.

Best kept secret - the North Carolina style BBQ that they serve on Friday. If you like onion rings, you need to try them here!

I've never had good service at lunch. Go on a day off... not on lunch break. The food is OK.