Vitae Spirits Distillery Downtown — Local services in Charlottesville

We are long time supporters of Vitae and I have been 3 times in the last month and let me start by saying the sushi provided by Chef Tauchi is exceptional and never disappoints so go just for this! Take cash to tip them.

However, my review is for the 2 gentlemen that handle the orders and cocktails. The first visit we sat in front of the chef and NEVER got service from the guys, we had to leave our seats to order every single item despite it not being busy yet at 5:15 PM. Frustrating but ok, let's check it out again. The next week we sat at the bar again and I went to the portly brown haired man to ask a question about the specials, he told me " you can walk down to the board and read them yourself". It's very dimly lit and the board is very difficult to read given it's a black board, there was discussion amongst guests of this issue, this is why I asked for help. We took friends on this second time as well and their experience was the same sitting with us at the bar, they said " Wow the best sushi of our lives but these guys are terrible, they behave as if you are bothering them to ask questions or to order". My last visit last weekend was the worst. I decided to sit right in front of the bar with a friend so that we could place our order quickly and hopefully receive good service, apparently that doesn't exist at the bar with these gents. The brown haired man seems to feel he is in the movie cocktail and showboating instead of providing actual service. I can understand a few droplets of water getting on us, but it was constant splashing due to his showboating on our sushi and person. The final straw for me was when he went to rinse an item and sprayed water all over my face. No apology, no offer of a towel or napkin, instead he literally said to me "oh that first one's for free but you have to pay for the next one." My friend and I were absolutely speechless, I couldn't even respond to be honest, just wiped my face off with my sleeve, finished and we left when we would have otherwise stayed and spent more $$. Accidents happen it's ok, but treating a customer this way is unacceptable. As a chef myself I would be mortified if FOH was behaving in this manner. The lovely lady that has been added to help folks at the tables seems wonderful however. My review is ONLY for the 2 gentlemen. Be sure to take cash to tip the sushi team, these guys should not be getting a portion as they don't seem to understand the "service" portion of...

Absolutely awesome spot! This is a must visit for Charlottesville.

As my group and I walked in we were greeted by a friendly gentleman behind the bar who went by TJ. We sat down and began bombarding him with questions about the drinks and ingredients. TJ not only knew everything about every drink, he knew everything about every ingredient. He knew where it was sourced (the vast majority were local), he knew the processes to derive/create them, and he knew the history involved. It was legendary and everything we wanted in a bar experience.

If you want to sit quietly at a bar and enjoy good drinks, then you could certainly do that at Vitae and basically any other Charlottesville pub. If you want to know how Charlottesville ties into every drink you drink then Vitae is absolutely the go-to spot, hands down.

Looking forward to...

Amazing experience at Vitae Spirits! I’d been wanting to try this spot for several months after hearing about their sushi chef on The Charlottesville 29. The entire dining experience was fantastic, with welcoming and supportive service, great pacing of each course, and fresh, delicious sushi. I wish I grabbed our server’s name (he was tall with a beard!)

Make sure to visit on a Sunday evening, when they often have live jazz — the musicians were fantastic! The drinks were delicious, with their handcrafted spirits. We also loved their small selection of beers, which paired well with the sushi. Highly recommend the Chef’s Omakase Sushi Deluxe, and trying whatever specials they have on the board (the torro / tuna was to die for). Definitely pop in and give Vitae a try! So refreshing to have another gem sushi spot on the...