Mockingbird — Restaurant in Charlottesville

Looking at the other reviews here makes me wonder if perhaps we just tried this restaurant on an off night, seems like everyone really enjoys their food, but unfortunately this was not the experience for us.

We came to this restaurant after multiple recommendations (and even being given a gift card to try it). Were hoping to find a new place to take visitors that had dietary restrictions and at first look the menu looked promising. Unfortunately, the actual food was far from the hype.

Ordered fried green tomatoes, okra, biscuits and Brussels sprouts. Out of those, the tomatoes looked pretty but the dough was so soggy with grease they were almost impossible to eat. And that stayed the theme through the night. I squeezed a teaspoon of oil out of one of the Brussels sprouts. The okra was surprisingly good compared and looked completely different than other fried dishes.

I ordered a cocktail and it was acceptable. Definitely not great, tasted mostly like cider. But, it wasn’t bad.

For dinner I tried the soup and it was great. Unfortunately it arrived without the biscuits and no one brought them. This was actually fine, the appetizer biscuits were undercooked and since the soup came without them it probably ended up better since it was quite good by itself. My wife chose the gluten free version of chicken and waffles and surprisingly there wasn’t a gluten free substitution, she just got to choose a side from the gluten free sides. That.. was disappointing. However the chicken itself was another story.

I tried a bite of the chicken and it just exploded with grease inside my mouth. It was so extremely revolting I actually had to spit it in the napkin or I would have thrown up. Absolutely vile.

We left the majority of the food uneaten, took a couple things home (I finished baking the biscuits and they were quite good after that) and left. Definitely will not be bringing anyone to this restaurant and while perhaps it was just something off with the fryers on that day.. I’m not willing to spend any more money to find that out.

All that said, I’m rating this as two stars and not one because the service was great. It was not excellent, after all I did get my entree without a portion of it, but I also did not bring it up with them. They were friendly, very helpful with going over the dietary restrictions on the menu and what they meant and quite prompt with...

Very cool spot in terms of rustic decor and atmosphere, but the food was not as epic as our experiences elsewhere this visit, but still a good experience overall.

FRIED GREEN TOMATO (whipped pimento cheese, baby arugula, sweet onion jam, balsamic redux, basil oil) - with all the flavors in one bite, it's fairly tasty but the fried tomato itself is nothing too remarkable. Would have been helped with more pimento cheese.

OPEN FACED CRAWFISH PO' BOY (grilled garlic baguette, classic remoulade, baby arugula) - was surprisingly dry and mostly crisp than craw but still decent with some extra remoulade.

CRISPY BRUSSELS SPROUTS (honey-chipotle vinaigrette) - solid brussels sprouts, a bit more on the sweet side but very enjoyable.

SOUTHERN SHRIMP AND GRITS (NOLA style BBQ shrimp & andouille sausage in a dark roux served over Wade’s Mill cheddar grits) - not the best shrimp and grits I've had but fairly good. The shrimp in particular were perfectly grilled and seasoned, but the sausage was unremarkable and the roux itself lacked heft and flavor. Grits themselves were fine as grits go.

CAJUN SPICED VEGAN MEATBALLS (caramelized onion gravy, wild rice pilaf, sautéed green beans) - as far as vegan meatballs go, my wife and niece said they were good.

My one cocktail Across the Pacific felt imbalanced, a bit too sweet. I make this exact cocktail at home so I may be a bit partial to my drier variation though. But didn't finish their version.

CHOCOLATE-BOURBON PECAN PIE (vanilla bean whipped cream, caramel sauce) - the absolute highlight of the meal for all us. The best pecan pie I've ever had.

Service was good overall, staff is friendly and polite.

Love the decor, just like a giant house that's got a cozy interior split into two large dining rooms and then a massive...

This place not only has incredible service, but the food is otherworldly good. They have such a great variety and the flavors in each dish are so well thought out you can taste the dedication to the craft. It is tradition southern cuisine, but experienced through an exceptionally exquisite preparation. They have vegetarian and vegan dishes also and their cocktails are strong and delicious.

The fried green tomatoes are amazing, the pork belly is amazing, the biscuits might be the best I have ever had, served with honey butter, apple butter and pepper jelly. We had the bison steak and it was rich and incredibly flavorful. The green beans they serve with it have the most unique, fresh flavor. The desserts make you want one of each, but I can vouch for the chocolate pecan pie, the lemon meringue pie and the banana pudding. I will say Mockingbird put itself in my top restaurants of Charlottesville for sure this evening. I highly recommend you give this new restaurant a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Also, shout out to our waiter Kieran. He was very personable and highly knowledgeable about the menu. His excitement over the food and excellent service definitely made the vibe for us. He had great recommendations and was on top of everything. Our order was taken smoothly and was based a lot on his recommendations, our food came out in a timely, well spaced out manner, was fresh and we had multiple people check up on us throughout the meal to make sure we had everything we needed and that we were enjoying it. This place is a five star restaurant with a five star staff in my opinion. Thank you all for a great evening and an...