Stock Bistro & Bar — Restaurant in Roanoke

The best new restaurant in town — which is no surprise, with the brilliant chef Jeff Farmer of Fortunato and Lucky in charge.

On a recent return visit to our hometown, this was the #1 joint we’d heard the most recommendations for, and with the most fervor. And even with that build-up, it surpassed our expectations.

First, the setting in the old fire station is just wonderful, and you’ll get to eyeball some really cool furniture and digs as you walk back to the dining area.

We showed up way ahead of our group just to hang out and enjoy, which was a cinch, thanks to the friendly bar staff and their superb cocktails.

The menu is adventurous Scandinavian cuisine — fun seafood options, plus comfort foods you didn’t yet realize you need in your life on a constant basis. With plenty of genius twists thrown in.

Seriously, it’s hard to even explain some of what makes the food at Stock so superb.

For instance, there’s just no way to do justice to the fried-Gouda spring roll in mere words. It is the best fried cheesestick you’ve ever had, which is totally unlike any cheesestick you’ve ever had, and the sauce that it comes with is going to haunt me from now on because I can’t stop wondering how they were able to strike that balance of sweet and tangy plus the flavor of chili peppers — without being alarmingly spicy. Yet it still has this wonderful chili pepper flavor! I’ve been thinking about that sauce for two weeks since, and I would serve it at every meal including breakfast if I could.

Likewise, for my main dish, I got the smoked trout which was also just exquisite. I’ve really never had anything like it. I was almost scared off by the idea that it’s a whole fish, because I’ve never quite known how to fillet a whole fish — but the fact that it’s smoked so nicely apparently makes it easy, even as an amateur. I had no problems with small bones, and that is bar none the best trout I’ve ever had.

That said — the steak demands to be mentioned.

Everyone who suggested Stock to us said the steak was not to be missed — and they were spot on. It was insanely good, and I was highly distracted with envy that I only got to try a few bites of a friend’s. There are a few old overrated steakhouses in the valley that should start polishing their resumes, because Stock’s steak is in a different league altogether.

Next time I’m back, I’ll definitely be getting the steak with their aquavit martini (and then lobbying whoever I’m with to also split the smoked trout with me).

Oh heck, and we also got the charcuterie board, which was also delicious. It’s essentially all seafood / Scandinavian, so not your standard approach to charcuterie. Think of it as what charcuterie was like the first time you ever had charcuterie — it’s that kind of adventure in goodness all over again.

And that’s not remotely the end of all the things we enjoyed (there were 6 of us, with plentiful sharing), but I’m running out of ways to say how much we adored this place.

So I’ll leave it at this: Stock is an absolute must, and let their excellent staff guide you if you’re not sure what...

Stock is an amazing place, very special in a city of special places. The location is choice, situated inside a boutique hotel (Firehouse One) and locally-crafted furniture store (TXTR), with a stylish dining room, bar and patio. The setting is just FUN. The staff are engaging, professional, knowledgeable, and delightfully authentic & quirky. Jeff Farmer's Scandinavian-style menu is spectacular and very much worth a special visit!!!! I ALWAYS get some VA oysters to start and they NEVER miss. My wife loves the fried gouda sticks to start as well. The bread & butter and the stock board are def crowd pleasers for a large party as well (I don't always share MY oysters...). My entree go-to is the Pork Schnitzel, which you simply can't get anywhere else in the region. SO GOOD, FLAVORFUL AND SATISFYING. My favorite wine is the reliably delicious and sippable Les Heretiques red. The bartenders are also legitimate mixologists who delight & surprise upon request. Don't forget to add Stock on Facebook and Insta, they have special one-off menus on Mondays which bring even MORE innovative and international items from Northern European cultures. Google "Glizzy" and start from there.... HOWEVER, My REAL reason for posting a review now is that my wife hosted a surprise 50th birthday party for me at TXTR/Stock, with ~100 of my genuinely favorite people in the world. Yes, that is correct. My wife threw me a surprise party with over 8 dozen people in a Roanoke Restaurant. Where else could this have been possible, other than Stock with its built-in showroom?!?! Jeff & his crew worked in secret to provide food & drink for 100 guests over a three-hour period. EVERYONE was blown away by the badass location, the uber-cool vibre, the amazing food, the delectable drinks and the winsome staff. The attention to multiple overlapping customer needs and the shared experience of so many people simultaneously was PERFECTION. For the rest of my life, Stock will be a second home. You...

Food is unique, flavorful, and very well prepared. A lot of fresh, local ingredients. And dishes I’ve not seen in SWVA. Eclectic vibe. Good service. Good prices.

I dropped in for an early dinner and ended up getting drinks and appetizers.

The smoked trout pâté was excellent. Very unique and full of flavor and fresh ingredients. The bread was buttery and crispy but with a firm bite. The pâté was flavorful, firm but spreadable. It was topped with a creamy dill sauce, herbs, and the freshest peas I’ve tasted in years.

The meatballs are the most tender and delicate meatballs I’ve had in quite some time. The flavors are very good but don’t stray far from what you’d expect in a Swedish meatball. The sauce was a mildly sweet and fruity barbecue sauce. Very nicely done.

The smelt is basically fried mini fish. Simple but very good. They had a light crispy batter, well seasoned. The flavor was mild (not fishy). And the dill sauce was similarly mild and not overpowering. Nice substitute for French fries.

The fries with chicken shawarma were good but could be better. There was more lettuce than fries and chicken. The potatoes were good but thin and soft. The chicken was excellent but needed more of it. Overall, not a bad dish, but not the best...