Snallygasters Cafe and Wine Bar — Restaurant in Bolivar

I don't normally write reviews but I was turned off by the price point not matching the quality of food + experience that here I am, complaining on Google.

The entrees were good, particularly the risotto dish. Unfortunately, everything else was overpriced enough that I won't come back. For example, the antipasto board was $28 for what amounted to: ~4 full slices of deli meat, a handful of pickled olives that tasted like they were from the same jar of cheap pepper stuffed olives I have at home, less than an ice cream scoop's worth of goat cheese, a few crumbles of feta, and like 3 small squares of cheddar.

The small Hummingbird drink, while delicious, was $14 and it was half of the already small cocktail glass.

The fees were also unclear. They added the suggested tip options to the subtotal AND tax, which is not the standard. They also added our to-go beer to the receipt, which would've been helpful, but I unfortunately then tipped 20% on beer that was already upcharged to $7.50 a can (!). Edit: The restaurant clarified below that the "Off Premise (wine shop)" fee is a standard state tax. I can't respond directly to the restaurant, so amending my review here.

I appreciate the response. However, it would not have been fair to complain to the staff about the antipasto after we ate the whole thing, along with the entrees, which...

I had a lot of hopes for the food at this place, and while there was a highlight, it cannot go without mention that the taste of the Chipotle Shrimp Linguine was lackluster, and the spice level was low to almost nonexistent. I found myself grasping at the sauce for taste I could only really imagine, but not truly feel. I sincerely wondered if any seasoning was added at all. The same could be said of the special lentil soup, corn, broccoli, and spring vegetables should be used more sparingly if at all. The warmth requires a little more energy to emerge from the lentils as a punch, rather than evaporate in each bite between the softness of broccoli and the taste of red pepper/onions.

Their Braised Pork & Risotto on the other hand is out of this world, and the real stealer of my heart. It is creamy & sweet, but not overly sweet. The taste feels like a hug straight into your mouth. I am not usually a fan of pork, but I will sin just for this recipe. The Chef should be proud. I would travel to West Virginia from anywhere just for that Risotto!

The servers were nothing short of sweet & deserve a review of their own just for staying open so late to accommodate late guests. It goes without say that you should come to this establishment prepared to tip $$$, because the service...

TL;DR, the worst restaurant experience I can recall, at a price point almost as hard to stomach as the food.

My partner and I trekked up from Harpers Ferry to Snallygasters because we wanted to eat somewhere that had options other than sandwiches and burgers. The drinks (lavender lemonade, brown derby, and lime time) ranged from absolutely great to unoffensive (in the order listed), while the tomato bisque was edible and antipasto board was good.

However, the linguine carbonara was the worst carbonara my partner ever had, while the red wine braised beef was essentially dog food.

When we went to the restaurant around 5:15 on a Monday evening (late by locals' standards) there were perhaps 2 or 3 other patrons (two people entered the restaurant just after us). There were likely as many employees in the establishment as there were patrons, yet we had extremely long periods during which we weren't being checked on and had to flag down the wait staff, including to ask for water (which was never refilled though we drank it quite quickly). We tipped well because we felt bad for the waitress having to deal with a rude customer (getting in her business about not knowing the mixing ratios for an off-menu drink), and it wasn't her fault the entrees...