The Ivy Inn Restaurant — Restaurant in Charlottesville

My date and I agreed on Ivy Inn due to its proximity to her residence, the excellent reviews of the menu and the unique and extraordinary wine list. This little restaurant is nestled amidst a commerce area but sets upon it's own island of trees, foliage and grass which adds to it's charming ambience. As we walked in, I felt a sense of relaxation as and rightly so as this restaurant was part of an inn over 200. I had made a reservation (though it was a Sunday - 1/21) and we were escorted upstairs to the first dining room on the left. It was dimly lit, there was one other couple already seated, and we were seated right in front of the fireplace. My date was looking beautiful tonight ( as she does always) and I wanted to treat her to something special. I ordered us the Robert Foley Petite Sirah. This wine had intrigued me when I was perusing the list at home and we both agreed that this was an excellent pick! Such a very smooth, full-bodied red that made it difficult to put the wine glass down! ☺ Our server, whom was working the whole dining room was very attentive and accommodating throughout the night, constantly keeping the water and wine supply up to par. As it came time to order, my date ordered the bison and a side of Brussels sprouts while I had the beef tenderloin. Our meals were prepared quite well as the pictures below speak for themselves. The steak was juicy and tasteful as was the bison. My date gave me 2-3 pieces of the bison since I, personally, had never had bison before but were I to return, this would be my pick for dinner. The food was wonderful, the wine was excellent and the company was the best part of the evening (no offense to Ivy Inn 😉). I want to thank Ivy Inn for making this first date a reminiscent event. The comfy atmosphere, the restaurant temperature, the dinner, the libations, the pleasant staff, the spacious and clean bathroom, and the overall "feeling of being welcomed" throughout the evening. This has made...

My wife and I dined at this establishment for our 18th anniversary and our experience was fantastic. Our waiter knew the menu forwards and backwards, and made excellent recommendations based off of our tastes and dietary concerns.

We started with an appetizer of mixed cheeses, nuts, fruits and a marmalade with an assortment of breads and crackers. The cheeses were excellent selections and very tasty, although I would have liked to see a brie and more variety of nuts than walnuts. I'm not complaining, it was still excellent, just putting in my recommendation!

I had a full rack of lamb with potato fingerlings and green beans. The lamb was quite simply the best lamb I've ever had, the potatoes were excellent, but the green beans left something wanting. Probably because the same sauce used to marinate the lamb was swimming with the green beans. I skipped them and my meal was still excellent.

My wife had the Bison steak and after her first bite she said "I think I've found something I love more than steak!" She didn't finish it, took it home and had it for dinner the next night and said "It's still amazing even reheated!" So whatever they did, they did it right.

For dessert we had coffee and creme brulee which came out in a very large dish, browned to perfection, warm and delicious with two spoons to share. It was more than enough for two people!

Just as a nice touch, call ahead and tell them what the occasion is, if you're coming for a special occasion, and they add several nice finishing touches to your meal based on the occasion.

Overall, we were extremely please and will be coming back for more...

I hesitate to call an evening perfect, but the Ivy Inn in Charlottesville Virginia delivered that and much more. This wonderful restaurant was beautiful outside and the interior was incredible. When making the reservations a few days earlier, we were asked if this was a special occasion and I told them that we were celebrating our 4th anniversary. We had done a lot of research and heard that the Ivy Inn would exceed our expectations. When we arrived, we were shown to our table and presented with customized menus celebrating our anniversary. The staff also provided champagne for us just to get the evening going. I had the crab and shrimp tagliolini which was served with tomato basil butter, lemon parmesan, and garlic bread crumbs. This entree was superb! My husband had the Maryland jumbo lump crab cake with a hash brown potato, vegetable slaw, and a homemade remoulade sauce. With apologies to our family in Maryland, this was the best crab cake he ever had. For dessert, I had a creme brulee that was sheer perfection and my husband had an amazing key lime pie. What made this evening magical was the impeccable service that we received and the professionalism displayed by the Ivy Inn staff. Also, we looked at each other and said that for each of us this was the first time we had ever seen an establishment execute a dinner with this level of flavor without some detail that could have been better. Folks, this food and service is as good as it gets. We plan to come back again on this day next year. If you ever travel to Charlottesville and want an exquisite eating experience, we highly recommend...