Tonic — Restaurant in Charlottesville

I really struggled whether not to give this place a three-star rating or a two-star rating mostly because the portions were ridiculously small especially for the price. I ordered the shrimping grits it was $26 and it was like the portion size of an appetizer My wife ordered a salmon sandwich and there was more bread than salmon and I literally left hungry. Flavor of the food was okay he was fine it just wasn't enough of it and I'm not saying that you have to serve so much that someone's taking home dinner for the next night but I shouldn't leave hungry at any price. One thing that really got me which was just sort of threw me off a little bit was the hose was really adamant about people having reservations then was make it seem as if us not having reservations was going to be a big issue when there was literally one couple at the restaurant at the time I mean one other couple there and he was saying that there were some 6:00 reservations but we arrived at 5:00 technically 5:09 because I checked my watch. When we receded and eating another couple came and sat down and they didn't like where they were seated so they got up to move to another seat like two tables over and the guy came over and said oh no you can't move we have reservations and that don't mess up the seating or something to that effect and it seemed really really odd and overly aggressive considering that there was virtually no one there. By the time we left which was right around 6:00 there were a few people that started to come in but even after we had walked around for a big got dessert and came back it wasn't like the place was jam packed there was still plenty of seating in the place and I was sitting outdoors there was plenty of seating outdoors and for what I saw There was no one sitting indoors. I have to say I would not go back here The food was just okay the prices were high considering the amount of food that you got if I received a full-size normal portion that had me not leaving hungry I would have been fine with the dollar amount but because of the small amount of food I felt like it was way overpriced. I will say though I had a nice brown ale that was cold and good I mean it's hard to go wrong with a...

I used to love this place, but the most recent visit was truly one of the worst service experiences I have ever dealt with. We had a larger party, which was confirmed and reserved over a week prior. Our server was extremely rude and was not writing any of our orders down and had to come back multiple times to get drink orders again because she forgot. Then another server comes and literally yanks all of the menus away before we had even ordered our main dishes, we literally had to get up and chase him down to ask for them back. When it came time to pay, our server was extremely aggressive insisting certain people pay first and more money. We understand that the 20% gratuity had been added because of the size of our group but bill totals were not adding up and she was not showing anyone the breakdown on their bill. A couple people ended up paying over $80 for just a drink, salad and an appetizer which is most certainly not the total for this. We all agreed upon leaving that we will never ever return here again for our girls dinner. This place has truly gone down hill, with rude staff, expensive food that isn't anything special and adding extra charges to bills without explanation. There are so many better options for dinner and drinks in the Charlottesville area, don't waste...

Tonic, a hidden gem of Cville?

Tonic so far has not failed us. Early in the pandemic it was hit and miss, however we have gone back for brunch and dinner. So, its the kind of place that you should know about. The atmosphere, if you're sitting outdoor, its lovely especially in the fall, spring or winter cool, the cocktails are inventive, and selective. I personal am not a Gin fan, however they do have a different drink for everyone. Tequila, whiskey, vodka and an Aperol spritz. Also, drinks are reasonable for Cville. NOW, the food! Absolutely delicious.

I ordered the spicy chicken sandwich, and not your average sandwich. They use a juicy, chicken thigh that’s perfectly seasoned and fried to perfection. I think double or triple breaded. SO MUCH CRUNCH FACTOR like, audible-in-a-quiet-room kind of crunch. The spice level hits a sweet and bold spice, just enough to wake up your taste buds, but balanced.

The staff is very nice, however if a large party is there just be prepared, because they do the best they can, with what they have.

if you got this far, sorry for no photos. I'm the person that will usually leave my phone at home, so I can have more engaging with my guest....