The Depot Grille — Restaurant in Staunton

Since a good friend had purchased dinner for me 3 times...and I was needing a very good reason not only for myself, but for anyone who out of an act of kindness to me...

I always wanted to explore this part of Staunton. I moved here July 2021. I live very close, walking distance to DPO, Depot Grill. I am going to try to make you experience what I did.

DPO sits right on, in, around Stanton's Amtrak train station. I sat around the train station taking pictures of the train that was IN the station when I approached by foot. BONUS!! I waited around for the train to pull out, I wanted a video. But the train went backwards?! So, I headed to DPO to place my order.

I don't know if that was what the property owners were going for but.. I felt like sort of...I was in a Western town back in the 1890's. There were no cars or people as I approached. What was missing? A Sheriff's Office, a Country Store and a Hotel/Bar. Not to mention maybe a couple of horses tied up outside, and some mean looking Bad Guys eyeing me down. I walked in.

It was brightly lit, wood... All wood, and I still had the feeling of 1890. Young man was at the Seating Station and I told him I wanted to place a to go order. He told me he would get the person who took the order. What surprised me when she came was that she didn't stand behind the station to take my order. She stood next to me. I like that, it made it seem personal. She also ASKED did I know what I wanted to order, and I did. I'm a Cook, retired Cook of 43 years and this was the first time I have ever heard the order taking ask this question. But it makes sense, right .

My order. A rack and a half of ribs, bbq. Two orders of Cole slaw, House Salad, and a slice of Cheesecake.

The Cole slaw I was expecting to be sweet, wasn't. But it was great. My salad...my red onions were tired. Maybe because of the heat and the time it took me to wait on The Trolley to come, But that was the first thing I ate when I got home. The Ribs...

OMG!! You know how some times you have to fight to take the meat off the bone...not these. I actually said out loud wow. No knife needed, heck no fork either. They sort of deboned themselves. I can't describe the taste, but it was 'even'. I say this because they went well along with the Cole slaw not being sweet. I get it now.

My friend had to cancel dinner with me. And me not being upset..made another helping which was tasting even better than the first. At 11 pm I ate the last of the meal. So, it was 3 helpings, which isn't bad because I ate it all myself.

I didn't get to go any further than the seating area, but I had a small view of the bar from where I sat and waiting for my order. I wanted to walk in and look around, take some pictures... But I'll save that for the next time I visit which will be for a sit down and eat meal. That way I'll be able to take it all in. I enjoyed this meal at home, and I know it's even...

I gotta say this. I'm from Spotsy. We visited for the day. Jenna was our server. I was seriously incredibly impressed. And all I could say was.. you guys are on point, on point! Your staff is, your food is, the atmosphere is. I don't think I've ever been so impressed. Walking in, there was a gentleman carrying 2 beer to a table. He waited patiently instead of looking irritated for the hostess to walk us through.. she also smiled and immediately greeted and seated us. He then while holding the beer, smiled, very cordially, greeted us also, asked us how we've been, like he knew us. Very welcoming environment. I gotta give this to Jenna. I can't stand to be thirsty. Esp with food. I'm never rude about it but usually go through 2-3 drinks in a meal and need a box lol. I get this weird anxiety about not knowing how long I'll go with no drink in most restaurants 😭 which i never speak on and always just try to be patient and chill lol or ask for a glass of water also if a restaurant is busy..which I forgot but was never needed. I don't know how Jenna did it, with multi tables and busy and a large couple parties too, but that woman is AMAZING!!! I didn't even have to ask or signal. 1st refill she brought was when I was right towards the end of my first drink, 2nd was I had literally just finished it and here she came with another in hand. I've honestly not received that level of service anywhere, esp in the 1 thing that mattered to me that many can't even relate to. She was professional and nice. She was so on point in everything. We also watched as a large party left and several staff members broke down and reset that table in less than 2 minutes.. maybe 3 tops cause the gentleman I spoke on earlier with the beer had slightly over measured the table paper which tbf lol.. I wouldn't have gotten that right to any degree lol.. but just barely and I watched him take that extra minute to even it out and tuck it and make it look just perfect ...I imagine so whomever sat there didn't have the paper touching them. It's in the details and the thought and the care and the effort and so many little things and touches and thoughts that just make for probably the most exceptional restaurant experience I think I've had. Food was on point too. You guys are amazing. I had to say something cause I've legit never been impressed to that degree. I wish we were closer but we plan to come back soon for a weekend and we will...

You'll hear individuals (including myself) use the terminology "hidden gem", well 'The Depot Grille' is without a doubt the poster child for this phrase. If you're not a local or following directions on your navigation device of choice you'll likely drive right by. However this place is worth putting in a little effort to find. On busy days I could see where parking could be a bit of a challenge, but again it'll be worth a bit of effort.

On 02 Oct, 2022, we were traveling along the I-81/I-64 corridor from Lexington, VA to Harrisonburg, VA and planned on stopping for dinner somewhere along the way, but we wanted to stop somewhere we'd not eaten previously. An online search led us to 'The Depot Grille' in Staunton, VA. We were slightly skeptical upon arriving because they only seemed to have a couple customers, but I can now write that off to the weather (rain) and that we arrived a bit early for evening meals because there was a regular stream of customers arriving while we dined.

As the name states, this restaurant is located in a former railroad depot, which has been converted into a great little restaurant. We were greeted by a couple friendly staff members upon entering the building and promptly seated at a table with a great view of the railcars outside. I ordered the 'Chips & Queso' for a starter and the 'Fish & Chips' with an additional side of Coleslaw for the main part of the meal. The appetizer (starter) was OK. The chips were served warm, but the queso was bland, just melted white cheese w/o much flavor at all. It was void of any peppers or spices that you'd expect to find in queso, imho. When I return, I'll seek another starter and skip the queso. Now the 'Fish & Chips' were a completely different experience. I was served a large portion of freshly prepared fish, a decent portion of fries (chips), a delicious tartar sauce, and a great side of coleslaw which I added to the meal. The 'Fish & Chips' w/coleslaw and the excellent service are why I'll be returning to 'The Depot Grille' to try other menu items. You should give them a...