Cook Out — Restaurant in Charlottesville

A Tale of Two Sandwiches at Cook Out

The moment you step into Cook Out on Emmet Street, you're greeted by an atmosphere that's both welcoming and tropical - and by tropical, I mean the indoor temperature rivals a summer day in the Sahara. The heat was so intense, we found ourselves speed-eating like contestants in a competitive eating championship.

The Speed of Service

The service here moves at lightning speed. In fact, between filling our drinks and turning around, our food had materialized as if by fast-food sorcery. This impressive turnaround time did raise some eyebrows about the "freshly made" claims, but hey, when you're hungry, speed counts.

The Main Event

The star of our meal was the peculiar tale of two chicken sandwiches - the "Cheddar Style" and "Original Style" char-grilled varieties. While both carried that satisfying char-grilled flavor, they seemed to come from different chicken families altogether. My Cheddar Style sandwich was the clear winner in the size department, making my wife's Original Style look like its younger, much smaller sibling.

The Supporting Cast

The fries deserve their own standing ovation. These genuine potato-based beauties were a pleasant surprise, clearly not from the frozen bag variety that many fast-food joints rely on. While they could have used a bit more time in the fryer for that perfect crunch, they were still thoroughly enjoyable.

Value Proposition

If there's one thing Cook Out gets absolutely right, it's the pricing. The value here is remarkable, offering a full meal at prices that make your wallet smile. Combined with their lightning-fast service, it's an ideal spot for anyone looking for a quick, budget-friendly meal - just maybe bring a personal...

I was over charged for portions depending on who is working the chili cheese fries vary from 3.29 to 3.70 they are listed on the menu for 1.85 but unless you specifically tell them that they will automatically give you two orders and charge you double. If you get a burger tray you can add chili cheese fries but I don't recommend that because you will have to scrape your chili cheese fries off your burger. Now about the burger they are excellent if they aren't dried out again it depends on who's working. Now they put all your food from a tray in styrofoam to-go box which is actually a great idea but the problem is your burger comes wrapped in aluminum foil and the kid with the mustache who can't stop touching his face I have watched put down the broom grab the burger put it in the tray then put fries on top of the germ riddled burger wrapper. Also have witnessed other co-workers place cups on the countertop placing their hands inside the cup. Overall there seems to be a certain time when they just stop caring and they get into the I'm about to go home food is no longer fresh and they put it together as if they're already half asleep and time seems to be about 11:30. So yes I would recommend this place but even though they're open late they really kind of close the same time...

Great place to go to! The food is really good, and the service is quick. Now that varies because it is close to UVA so college students do pile in and there are lines of people. But never lines out the door. It's open all day and all night. I know that when my shift ended at the hospital and I felt like grabbing a snack- it was 2am and they were open! Went through the drive through and it's always a good customer interaction inside and outside the restaurant. The prices for the food are reasonable and everything is in place and organized inside. There are clean tables, which is great because I know in some restaurants- it's the complete opposite. So it's good to have something a little different once in awhile. It always should be clean- but the one thing you as the customer have to do is clean up and put the trays back once you're finished and ready to leave. You order and pay for everything right there at the counter, then once your number is called- you can just pick it up and take it to your table. So overall it's a great place to go to, and I would recommend this to other people. If I say so myself, the BLT sandwich there is one of the ones I go to when I'm there....