The Shenandoah Valley celebrates not only craft beer but also craft food. From nationally acclaimed eateries to local food trucks, the restaurant scene along the Beerwerks Trail offers a wide variety and emphasizes farm-to-table freshness. If you’re visiting a brewery, make sure to take time to explore nearby restaurants, too.
Be sure to check websites or Facebook pages for updates as offerings/services can change frequently due to Covid-19 guidelines.
Harrisonburg
Whether you’re looking for the upscale meals offered at The Joshua Wilton House and Local Chop and Grill House or a quick burger and a beer as you stroll downtown, Harrisonburg has a wealth of options.
Better yet, many of the independent downtown restaurants source local ingredients. Treat yourself to a plate of fried oysters at Rocktown Kitchen before digging into a main course like wild mushroom and sweet vermouth linguini or beef tenderloin medallions. Leave room for warm, sticky toffee cake or peanut butter pie! Stop in at Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger Joint for an award-winning burger menu featuring Snake River Farms’ Wagyu beef and a massive tap list boasting over 100 local and international beers. If modern Southern cuisine and whiskey are your passions, don’t miss Jimmy Madison’s, where connoisseurs can sip premium whiskey and eat entrées like honey-glazed scallops and drunken shrimp and grits.
Waynesboro
If you’re craving an all-American breakfast, Asian fusion, Cajun food, or southern barbecue, Waynesboro has it on the menu! Start your day with breakfast at Weasie’s Kitchen, a favorite of locals and A.T. hikers, offering comfort food for every taste.
If you want Chinese, Japanese, or Thai, travel to Silk Road and sample dishes that are as artful as they are flavorful. Order a classic or inventive five-star burger made with certified Angus beef from The River Burger Bar, or try one of their vegetarian, vegan, or gluten-free options. And don’t forget that the barbecue is always smoking and the fish is always frying at The Fishin’ Pig, a restaurant with a Friday dinner special called “Eat like a pig, drink like a fish!” Now that’s a call to action! If you fancy dinner at a brewery, Basic City Beer Co. offers some tasty options including Billy Pie wood-fired pizza. Basic City’s newest location, the Showroom, located in the old VA Metalcrafters showroom, serves small plates, paninis, and shareable items like cheese spreads and platters.
Augusta County
Craving sauerbraten, jägerschnitzel or a good German beer? For a flavorsome meal in the county, check out Edelweiss German Restaurant, where you can devour classic German dishes in the lodge-style dining area while enjoying live music.
Make sure you’re hungry for Highland County trout or a sandwich on original-recipe WhiteWay bread at White’s Wayside. Rather feast on barbecue? Try Sooner BBQ, ranked #2 for Valley barbecue by the Valley Choice Awards. Alternatively, stop in at Valley Pike BBQ Co., a food truck specializing in Texas-style, slow-smoked barbecue located at Valley Pike Farm Market (also home to Old School Burgers and Baja Burrito). Seven Arrows Brewing and Nobos Kitchen offer an opportunity to pair craft beer with inspired American fare. Order the fried pickles and the fish and chips! If you want a view with your meal, Stable Craft Brewing offers a menu that focuses on locally-sourced ingredients paired with beer (of course). After enjoying sandwiches, burgers with names like “Southern Pleasure,” and spent-grain bread pudding, spend time petting the horses or playing a yard game.
Lexington and Rockbridge County
Lexington and Rockbridge County boast a wealth of culinary experiences. If you’re in Rockbridge County visiting Great Valley Farm Brewery or the James River, check out Natty B’s, a country store, for daily lunch specials and made-from-scratch pies and desserts. Along Lexington’s picturesque streets you’ll find Southern-style barbecue, farm-to-table fine dining, upscale bistros, vegan lunch joints, ice cream shops and everything in between. Those looking to score a craft beer and a succulent burger prepared with local beef will find Pure Eats a solid choice. Top off your meal with a donut in the day’s special flavor.
The “casual and contemporary” atmosphere at Bistro on Main provides the perfect background for savory and unique fare like the shrimp and grits or apricot-glazed duck breast. If you’re looking for a quick meal to grab and take to a brewery or on a hike, consider the Elvis Burger from Pink Cadillac Diner, a Virginia country ham sandwich with hoop cheese from Layne’s Country Store, or a to-go meal from Gertie’s General Store, where the BBQ and fried bologna sandwiches are local favorites. Make reservations at The Southern Inn and spend your next special occasion appreciating classic and contemporary American cuisine. Later, for some lively entertainment, fine food, and cocktails visit Haywood’s Piano Bar. Finish up your dinner or your day with a trip to Sweet Things Ice Cream Shop, a Lexington staple, which delights locals and tourists alike.
Rockingham County
If you’re looking for a good meal in Bridgewater, try The Cracked Pillar Restaurant and Pub, a historic building where you’ll find specialty burgers and unique sandwiches like bourbon steak wraps and fried pickle burgers. Bridgewater’s Francesco’s offers amazing Italian food, personal service, and great prices. Elkton Brewing Company and Bella Luna Wood Fired Pizza let you enjoy the ultimate comfort food: craft beer and pizza.
If you’d rather devour some pasta, you’re in luck: they make it fresh! Elkton’s El Paso Mexican Grille serves authentic Mexican food that can be enjoyed in platters and combination dinners for lunch and dinner. And with just a short drive into the countryside, you can indulge in Smiley’s Ice Cream at Mount Crawford Creamery. The ice cream, made with the creamery’s freshest ingredients, embodies its motto, “Bringing happiness to you, one scoop at a time.”
Staunton
A Mexican-American taquería, European pastry shops, delicious food trucks, and widely known restaurants like The Shack (James Beard-award double nominee), Zynodoa, and BLU Point Seafood Co. give Staunton the restaurant chops of a much larger city. Chicano Boy Taco is a gem that serves handmade tacos and mission-style burritos inspired by its chef’s heritage.
If you’re in a hurry, grab your lunch or dinner from a food truck like Gonzo’s Pollo for traditional Peruvian charbroiled chicken, which is a healthy alternative to fried food. Another option is Magdalena Bake, which serves artisan baked goods. Interested in wine or craft beer and snacks in a hip new venue? Try the fare at The Greenroom. Get some Southern comfort food with a twist at Table 44, where you can augment your meal with a loaded Bloody Mary. Sharing the same space, Paris Cake Company fills the dessert menu with beautiful treats, which are also available by special order. And if you prefer your desserts frozen, taste gelato from The Split Banana, where you’ll find all the traditional flavors, plus cocoa ancho, pineapple basil, Guinness Extra Stout, and other house specialties.
Breweries with Food and Food Trucks
To eliminate some of those tough food decisions, some of our breweries have onsite kitchens, regularly visiting food trucks, or arrangements for delivery from nearby restaurants. Many others welcome outside snacks or carry out.
Cave Hill Farms Brewery: See Facebook for food truck schedule. McGaheysville area restaurants also offer delivery
Elkton Brewing Company: See Bella Luna Wood Fired Pizza above. Elkton area restaurants also offer delivery
Stable Craft Brewing: See above.
Skipping Rock Beer Company: Shredders BBQ (Friday-Saturday)
Basic City Beer Company: Lost Town Billy Pie (brick-fired pizza), Fancy-Full Craft Sublime Sandwiches. See above.
Seven Arrows Brewing: See Nobos Kitchen above.
Redbeard Brewing Company: The Depot Grille offers free delivery.
Queen City Brewing: Free delivery from Mike and Mario’s. Menus are available at the bar.
Heliotrope Brewery: serves wood-fired artisan pizzas and tasty sides.
Devils Backbone Outpost Tap Room & Kitchen: serves a variety of tap room grub.
Great Valley Farm Brewery: Food trucks weekly. See schedule.
Rockbridge Vineyard and Brewery: food trucks on select Sundays in association with their Uncorked music events.
Brothers Craft Brewing: Check Facebook for food truck schedule.
Pale Fire Brewing: BoBoKo and Rocktown Kitchen offer delivery to the tap room.
