Town Kitchen & Provisions — Restaurant in Bedford

"Brown Paper Bag Debacle"

I enjoy the curb appeal of this restaurant when passing through the town of Bedford, as it's located in a pretty white house with an abundance of flowers and a garden out back. I live in Roanoke, but we pass through often on the way to horse barns in both Bedford and Forest and occasionally to the D-Day Memorial. I looked at reviews online, and my and my family's interest was piqued by photos of interesting bakery treats like Orange Blossom Cake. Today we had the time to make a special trip just to eat here and were all looking forward to it and hoping this would be a new place to frequent. It definitely did not meet expectations. :| The staff was unwelcoming, there were no servers and you order & prepay at the counter, the seating arrangement was odd with extremely uncomfortable, metal chairs (trendy, but impractical), and to our letdown there were no special bakery desserts, only glass domes of plain brownies, cookies and a plate of scones. When I asked if there were any cakes like the Orange Blossom cake we had seen online, the male cashier acted like we were nuts. A lady in line ahead of us had asked if there was any apple cake, and he replied "no." So I assume that sometimes there are cakes, but we hit a day with boring cookies and plain brownies and a cashier that is ignorant about the place and apathetic to the customers. I would compare this experience to a coffee shop (there was even the cliché dude on his laptop loudly making a bluetooth call with just a drink, along with the folky, coffee shop music and folk art for sale) but even our local coffee shop, Little Green Hive, has a better selection of food and bakery items and friendlier service.

We took a seat, and after a while, our meal was brought out in a big, brown paper bag (seriously?). Drinks were canned, from a mini fridge with no glasses or ice offered. We ate off of the checkered paper that had wrapped our food that reminded me of fast food. This presentation may be appropriate for take-out but did not make for a special or pleasant dine-in experience.

I had the ham and cheese with some bacon jam, (which was provided no lettuce or tomato and was slapped on heavily buttered, greasy bread). The side dishes (the only choices were pasta salad, potato salad, and lentils) were in tiny, plastic containers with lids that provided my husband with like two bites. I do not like these sides, and there were no alternatives. I took one bite of my greasy sandwich and then gave my meal to my husband to later take to work for his lunch. I suspect he'll trash it. My teen daughter asked for ketchup and was treated as a nuisance. There was a comical, confused kitchen worker who kept coming into the room with various orders in their brown bags, asking if they were ours.

We chalked this experience up to a loss of $50+ and drove down the street to The Liberty Station to have a true and satisfactory dining experience.

Presentation and hospitality is everything, so my advice to Town Kitchen & Provisions would be to keep the brown paper bags for take-out orders only and use some sort of trays or plates for dining. Offer glasses and ice so people aren't having to drink out of cans. Expand your menu and side dishes (some people do not like cold pasta and potato salads), and have a couple of special cakes or pies offered. And above all, require your front person to have a welcoming demeanor. My advice to Roanokers is to stay in town and eat at Hollywood's Restaurant, Our Daily Bread, or even Little Green Hive, and when in Bedford to eat at...

Town Kitchen & Provisions is an absolute gem! We made a stop here while visiting family, and let me tell you, it was a decision we won't regret. From the moment we walked in, the cozy and inviting atmosphere enveloped us, making us feel right at home. Mel and her staff were incredibly pleasant and welcoming, which really set the tone for our experience. The sandwiches are off the charts amazing, every bite was a burst of flavor, And the potato salad? Top-notch, creamy, and perfectly seasoned. It was clear that every dish was made with care and attention to detail. We'll definitely be making Town Kitchen & Provisions a regular stop on our visits. The combination of great food, friendly service, and a warm atmosphere makes it a standout spot. If you're in the area, do yourself a favor and give this place a try, you won't be...

This is a sandwich shop. I ended up getting the special, which was chicken and squash casserole, and it was OK. It was a bit dry. The rest of the people in my party all got sandwiches, and everyone said their food was ok. Nothing spectacular. You get to choose a side with all orders, and your side comes in a very small container shown in my pic. I thought the prices were a little on the steep side. They do not have fountain drinks. Your drink choices are what they have in cans in a fridge. The place is a house that has been converted to a restaurant. The rooms are all very small and have 2-3 tables in each room. I had 7 people in my party and we could not sit together because there were no open tables big enough. Several parties came in after ours, and everyone seemed to have the same problem, there is not...