3 Best Restaurants in Roanoke, Central and Western Virginia

High on a hill with a spectacular sunset view, this lively restaurant has French, Italian, Spanish, and Brazilian dishes. Sit in the Olinda Room with its wall of windows. Try the porco reacheado (pork tenderloin stuffed with spinach and feta cheese) or the moqueca mineira (shrimp, clams, and whitefish in a Brazilian sauce). Brazilian radio often accompanies the meal. If you love chicken, try the sautéed version with pineapple and papaya. Carlos is also open for lunch on weekdays.

The enormous growth in seating since 1980, from 10 to 250, testifies to the popularity of this establishment in downtown Salem, as does its continual title as "best local restaurant" in an annual poll. Sports memorabilia line the walls of the attractive redbrick building near Roanoke College, and sporting events are likely to be on the many TVs near the bar. The menu runs from hamburgers to steak to seafood to pizza. If you have a big appetite, try a fully loaded calzone, which flops off the sides of your plate.

Bring a big appetite with you on the drive up and over Catawba Mountain to get to the Homeplace. Famished Appalachian Trail hikers and diners in their Sunday best eat side by side family-style in this farm home in a tiny country hamlet—so come as you are. Old-fashioned cooking is dished up with all-you-can-eat fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, pinto beans, baked apples, and hot biscuits. It's a popular spot, so be prepared for about a 30-minute wait.