Tip Top Restaurant — Restaurant in Charlottesville

First, what a wonderful locally-owned restaurant this is, very much in the style of diners that were more common and popular some decades ago. Having said that, it is better than those diners by a long shot. For those of you old enough to know about it, this structure used to house a Howard Johnson's restaurant. "Ho-Jo's" was a chain which was quite popular years ago especially for the many Americans who were taking to the open roads with families in cars. It is fully modernized and only the shape of the outside structure gives this away, along with a photo of Howard Johnson's to the right of the cash register area. There are lots of Greek cuisine options along with traditional American fare like sandwiches and salads. I opted for the Gyro dinner platter, which came with large fries and a salad. It was served open-face style with pita and Tzatziki sauce on the side. My wife had a tuna salad and we both had ice teas. For those who opt for dinner here, alcohol is an option as well. I thought the service, from an old-school waitress who called us "darlin'" and "hun" was fun and professional. The food and service is efficient and the busy nature of the Tip Top demonstrates that its customers appreciate all of that. I love that this is a one-of-a-kind that also connects with the past, but updates to the present. If and when we go back to this area again, I'd gladly head to this bargain priced...

Stopped for lunch while passing through around 1pm. It was very crowded, which I usually take for a good sign that's it's a local favorite. We were seated within 10 mins which was great!

Pros: I ordered the reuban from our waitresses' recommendation, and it was delicious! Crispy bread, a good portion of meat, and melty cheese all really hit the spot. The kids got assorted breakfast meals: pancakes, waffles, French toast. The pancakes and waffles were large and fluffy and tasted good. The diner style restaurant was generally organized and clean. Our wait staff was nice and attentive. I would consider it a kid and family-friendly restaurant. Cons: the bathrooms could use a thorough cleaning. They did forget our drink orders but fixed it once we reminded them when our food arrived. The steak fries were undercooked with no salt(there are salt shakers on the table, so not sure if it's intentional). The French toast was barely that. Mostly bread with a very slight layer of grilled egg layer. I understand you don't want it to be soggy, but this was pretty much just "toast". Overall, a good local diner spot to grab a bite, though it doesn't necessarily stand out about the rest. They do serve a wide variety of food from Italian pizza and pasta dishes, greek pitas, and American breakfast. I would go back to try...

Tip top has a very wide variety of food, from pancakes and breakfast sandwiches to burgers, subs, pizza, and gyros. I ordered a steak and cheese sub with fries, my husband ordered a gyro with fries, my sister and dad ordered a Caesar, and my mom ordered chicken souvlaki.

The food was typical, good American diner food, but the portions were quite small. I was able to finish my meal, which is very unusual for me. Usually I can get through half a burger before requesting a box. For the price of the meals ($12-18), I expect to get more food than what I got.

The meals were also not consistently sized. My dad and sister ordered a Caesar salad and one was much smaller than the other. Also, three people ordered fries, one came out as chips and one plate had about twice the fries as the other one.

They were also very busy and therefore very loud. So if you are sensitive to a loud environment, I would suggest going at a less busy time.

Overall, I'm probably not going to return unless a family member invites me, but they are not in any way a bad restaurant. I just believe there are better options in Charlottesville for the price...