Michie Tavern, Charlottesville VA

August 2024

As you take the curves of the road up to Monticello, you’ll likely pass the somewhat imposing sight of a large white clapboard inn on a hill on the side of the road, with signs proclaiming it to be Michie Tavern.

This is not just any quaint roadside restaurant. They pride themselves on offering an 18th century experience. The servers all wear period attire, the tables are all plain but highly polished wood, and the food is hearty, classic Southern fare.

If you visit on a beautiful summer day as I did, you can sit on the covered porch and look out over the rolling hills and trees of Virginia while you eat fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and biscuits, finishing the meal with an apple cider ice cream float. The fried chicken is perfectly made; crispy-crunchy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside, without too much breading.

Interestingly, when you arrive, you get a meal ticket and then take your food from a buffet. However, if you want seconds, you have to flag down a server who will bring out more of whatever you ask for. Fortunately, my server was constantly available and attentive. If you want anything beyond the buffet (like ice cream), that gets added onto the bill, then you take the bill to a counter (where all the modern technology has been cleverly hidden) to pay.

It’s a bit pricey; my meal for one with dessert was about USD $40. But the experience of having the closest modern equivalent to an 18th century meal was definitely worth it for me.

Cost: About $40 per person

Conditions: 74° Fahrenheit, sunny