The Ivy Inn

Outstanding! In every way! From the time you walk on the door until you leave, you are treated with the utmost of care and customer service! Outstanding food-​tastefully prepared. Absolute best greens I have ever tasted! Trout and quail were our selections. Wow! Try the toffee cake desert. Oh my… We’ll be back!

3 stars is conservative, but I went there just once so I may change my opinion next time. Food was very good, as was service. Portions were as they should be (which means smallish), however we did not leave hungry. We had steak and short ribs. We picked the place based on Unilocal’s reviews of area steak houses, but If you have been expecting a more «traditional» or old-​fashioned steak house you might be disappointed.
We didn’t have reservation so we sat int he patio, which was covered and private, but the furniture arrangement and décor was not what I would have expected.
The steak and the short ribs were well cooked and tasty; we had a fried cheese appetizer which was very crispy and not oily at all and their bread was nice and warm. At the end we ordered coffee (lukewarm) and a keylime desert that was really good. ALL THAT, plus a bottle of wine and the total bill came to ~$ 125 which is about average for this area.
Next time I would make reservation so we sit inside, which looked very cozy since the restaurant is a converted home.

The Ivy Inn has become a standby for when I bring professional guests to Charlottesville. It has nice «local flair» without being over the top, and the service and food are consistently very good. It’s also quiet enough to have a conversation among four or five people. Feasible for vegetarians but not as many options there as one might ideally like.

Everything was perfect– and I don’t use that word lightly.
My husband and I just celebrated our second anniversary here, and our three course meal was absolutely amazing. I got the bison short ribs on Yukon gold whipped potatoes with roasted carrots and he got the blackberry quail. We started it with the pork belly (must try!!) and ended it with cream puffs and Devils food cake. Everything tasted heavenly. They then brought out a plate with two small cookies and happy anniversary written in chocolate syrup. The service was great. I can’t say enough good things about this place! It definitely lives up to its reputation.

Absolutely fabulous dinner in charming surroundings. Menu covers fresh trout to tenderloin. (Both of which were delicious.) Priced appropriately. Wait staff efficient, friendly. Enjoyed every minute.

Finally a restaurant that lives up to its reputation, the Ivy is a pretty space in the colonial style but the food is modern as today. Service is attentive and competent.
The food is inventive, attractive and well prepared. My wife and I were there for her birthday and we had:
I had a wonderful, pork belly and my wife had Fois Gras Terrine. Both were perfect.
We shared a Pear and Goat Cheese Salad… also extraordinaire.
My wife had the Tenderloin cooked exactly like she liked it and she loved it.
I had braised Bison Short Ribs… to die for.
For desert we had a Lemon Meringue Pie and I had the Profiteroles… we’re still arguing over who’s was better than who’s but mine was better than hers.
A wonderful evening.

I was quite pleased with The Ivy In, the restaurant is located in an old house. There are several seating areas, one downstairs and one upstairs. I noticed many elderly guests were downstairs. The quality of food is superb. The intimate setting was very pleasant, allowing for quiet conversations. The only caveat is a small parking lot with small spots, not allowing for much room. Overall, it was a wonderful experience. When ordering, you do not have to order each course. The wait staff was superb. Highly recommend if you’re looking for a quality dinner, you can make reservations online in advance.

Food and service are always great. Cozy environment. Unlike most restaurants in this town, ivy tries very hard to maintain the taste and quality of the food. I’d say this is equivalent to a ny 3 stars, and top 3 in cville.

First time here and it’s fabulous!!! Truly local farm to table… great ambience and the food is excellent! Make a reservation!

Amazing! We celebrated a birthday at Ivy Inn on Sunday night. I had been once last year and was excited to go back. They did not disappoint.
We both ordered wine. Mine was a buttery Chardonnay and his was a dry Merlot. Delicious! Our entrees were fish; he ordered trout and I ordered flounder. Mine was dressed with a delicate sauce that enhanced the flavor of the fish which melted in my mouth. His was terrific, not a morsel left on his plate.
The service was impeccable. We didn’t want for anything and even had my date’s name on the menu to recognize his birthday.
If I had one restaurant to go to for a special meal, I would head back to this lovely venue. While not inexpensive, it was worth every penny!

Everything good they say about this place is true. We, out-​of-​towners, were looking for a reputable place to eat and to also order catering for a corporate jet and the owners and their guests (so we were dining in and also taking away). I found this place thanks to Unilocal and after looking at the menu, I had a positive feeling about what was to come. We ordered a plethora of dishes off the menu that included the Chilled Watermelon Gazpacho, the Ivy Mixed Greens, Maryland Style Crabcake, Fettuccine Bolognese, Free Range Bison Hanger Steak and the Pan Roasted Chicken Breast. One interesting note to make is, my colleague had asked for his bison steak to be medium well, in which the waitress stated the Chef was unable to do this. On the menu, there are parentheses stating they will serve it medium rare. She stated that she could do medium. I don’t quite understand this and would love to learn why this is. The good thing is that when the steak came out medium, my colleague said ordinarily, he would not like it cooked this way but the steak was so good that it didn’t matter. I tried a bite (not being a steak fan) and agreed that the flavor was great. My chicken was phenomenal as was the hash brown it came with and the vegetables. My other colleague enjoyed his bolognese. They both like the crabcakes as well. My least favorite was the watermelon gazpacho — it has a very strong flavor, not bad, but we all have different tastes and it was not for me but I’m sure others would be more keen to it. The hostess and wait staff were all very friendly and attentive. The seating area was outside; nice and airy. They also have second floor and other indoor seating areas. The whole experience was topped off by some of the best desserts I’ve ever had… I had a lemon meringue dessert, my colleagues had the dark chocolate pudding and the toffee pudding. Insanely tasty…
Halfway through the meal I ordered for the aircraft catering: bison steak, the salmon, the halibut, chicken, beef tenderloin, portobello mushroom, mac ‘n cheese… and the most amazing thing was, they packaged all the food perfectly as I had requested. Having done this at various restaurants for the last 8 years, I have to say they did the finest job in packaging and labeling everything for me. When they gave me the bags of take away food, one of the pilots joked, «We paid how much for this little food?!» But it was because they had used all the specific packaging to make everything fit perfectly. When I’m on the plane, the galley I work out of is so tiny and I have limited cold storage, smaller oven, cooking area… so doing this is incredibly necessary for my own service to be efficient. All the food was there. They just saved me a lot of time and trouble… for that, and the amazing dinner, I am grateful. This will definitely be THE spot I come back to for the best food and service in Charlottesville!

What a wonderful find. I saw Ivy Inn on the recent list of James Beard nominees and we decided to check it out over the long weekend. We were impressed. Located in a two century old structure, One can’t help think of the scholars which have passed through its doors as our country grew. But the real thought is on what delicious treats are in store. The new American me u has something for everyone. I could resist the temptation of a deviled egg appetizer to start. They are as basic as they sound and yet have a little something in them which mom was unaware of. My wife’s soft shell crab reminded me of growing up in the tidewater area where soft shells mark the start of summer. My bison hanger steak with a whole grain mustard sauce was as good as I can remember bison tasting. Our waiter was interesting and informative stopping by with just the right frequency.
It was all together a great dinner.

Another instance of you get what you pay for — delicious food, excellent service, and a high class dining experience.
Nestled in an old house on Ivy Road, The Ivy Inn is a high class restaurant featuring a diverse gourmet menu in an intimate dining experience. I was surprised walking inside how small it was — it feels like you’re going to dinner at your grandmother’s house, only a little darker and with less plastic on the furniture. Wear something nice — guys a collared shirt, ladies a nice dress.
We came during graduation weekend at UVA, so the Ivy Inn was featuring a prix fixe menu of three courses for $ 68 a person (see menu in the pictures). It started with a very small amount of yellow lentil hummus along with chips and some vegetables. The hummus was creamier than what I was used to but still good, my only complaint being they didn’t give us enough. Next was the actual meal — I opted for the She Crab Soup and the Herb Grilled Scottish Salmon Fillet,. The She Crab soup was amazing — similar in composition to lobster bisque with a little flaky croissant in the middle, the crab taste wasn’t overwhelming and quite delicious in the thick creamy soup. Next was a small garden salad with vinaigrette, with very fresh vegetables and a slice of delicious jack cheese on top. Finally we reach the main course — the salmon. The salmon fillet was cooked perfectly, that right balance between being easy to cut but still retain the quality taste of the fish. It also had a Mediterranean spin on it with olives and Greek yogurt, served with Quinoa, artichokes and tomatoes. This mixture was also decadent and went perfectly with the salmon. Last was the dessert tasting, which I was surprised to learn included berry cobbler AND the chocolate devil’s food cake. To this day, I still can’t decide which one was better. The cobbler was amazing, with hints of raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries served warm. The angel food was light but very chocolaty and melted in your mouth.
It should go without saying that the Ivy Inn is a special occasion restaurant, as I would go broke in a hurry if I ate here regularly. But if it’s your graduation, the parents are in town, you want to spoil your starving college student, or you really want to impress your date, the Ivy Inn is a good place to go.

This is my favorite place for a fancy celebration dinner. Everything I’ve ever had there has been top notch, and I mean everything, even the vegetables or other side dishes that come with the entrees, which at many places seem to be an afterthought at best. I’ve been really impressed with their attention to every detail of the food they serve.
I especially like the warm mushroom medley appetizer with walnut crusted goat cheese, arugala and balsamic; the shrimp and grits are amazing; the crab cake appetizer; and their trout main course. You can’t go wrong there! I can’t speak to dessert, as I’ve always stuffed myself so thouroughly that I’ve never managed to leave room for it!

Love love love!
Situated right next to UVA in a cozy and welcoming standalone building. Love the garden entrance. Dining rooms are set up inside the separate rooms of the house, warmly lit, classic style furniture, beautiful tablecloths but the décor is not uncomfortably formal at all. Good for a family dinner, romantic dinner, co-​worker dinner, or just a night out with friends.
A very pleasant host greeted & seated us, and our waitress was knowledgeable, attentive, and very nice.
The food was AMAZING. Warm bread & soft butter to start with. We had two different soups as appetizers, both of which blew us away with the amount of flavor. Two main courses, both impeccable. And a delicious dessert. Great wine selection.
It was a birthday dinner, so the restaurant gave us a wonderful seat and provided champagne to start with on the house. Always a memorable and nice touch.
Will definitely be back! Thank you!

Great food and atmosphere. The sweet potato ravioli was delicious. My husband had the bison and loved it. We had the cheese plate to start, which was great as well. We had a later reservation (8:45 PM), and we were one of the last tables dining there. I didn’t feel rushed to leave, which I appreciated. Will definitely return!

I got seafood bisque for appetizer, pan roasted chicken breast for my main dish, and cream puffs for dessert. Everything was very tasteful and it was one of the best chicken dish I ever had. i recommend this restaurant to anyone who’s visiting Charlottesville.

Chef Angelo
Was great! The food and service was great! I will be back for sure ! The food has a big WOW factor! Happy New Year chef!!! I will be back!

We hosted a wedding welcome dinner here a few weeks ago and are happy we did. Angelo and his team are fantastic! We had a large party so got a private room with two attentive servers. Creating the menu was fun, and Angelo was very easy to work with. While the menu is not typically heavy on Greek food, we had Greek appetizer platters for our guests and some wonderful entrees and Greek wedding cookies for desert.
The restaurant itself is beautiful, and occupies an old house. Perhaps we dined in the bedroom? Nonetheless, excellent service, great food. Pumpkin ravioli was very good, and my guests could not stop raving about the lamb.

Friendliest server ever.
I thought the lighting was a bit dreary for dinner time and the ceiling fans kinda made me cold, the décor was simple – reminds me of eating in someone’s home. However, I can see why people come here to eat well. This is a great place to celebrate something special if you’re in Charlottesville. Free champagne for anniversaries, they also let you take home the menu as a little keepsake, not only that, they give you free champagne.
What really made the experience even more wonderful was the fact that we wanted to share our two entrees, and the staff had perfectly split the portions for us on two plates. It looked perfect, and the fish was fantastic, as was the filet mignon.