Virginia boasts fertile soil, thriving wine country, crustacean-filled bays, trout-woven rivers, and plenty of peanuts to go around. Perhaps it’s no wonder then that it’s given birth to some of the strongest slow food movements in the country, led by in-state visionaries such as Susan Watkins and Barbara Kingsolver — seriously, Kingsolver’s 2007 book “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life” was what got many people, including my mom, into sustainable eating in the first place (it’s among the best books for food lovers). With this context in mind, Virginia is, unsurprisingly, truly a mecca for farm-to-table dining.
Though I’m from the Pacific Northwest, I’ve lived in the state on and off since I was seven years old. It’s where I, as an adult, met my partner, went back to school, and worked as a chef for a time. Paired with having spent some time as a kid living on a working communal farm, I’m extremely familiar with Virginia’s agricultural and dining scene. And the farm-to-table restaurants that sit in the middle of that are glorious. Think gleaming heirloom tomato appetizers, stone fruit cobblers, and smoked fish entrees. Here, the bounty of Appalachia, the Chesapeake, and the vineyard hills come together for a diverse and produce-forward foodway.
So, in case you want to sample some of this fantastic fare, here are the best farm-to-table restaurants in Virginia. I’ve included my personal favorites as someone who has long frequented these institutions and locations that were highly rated on various platforms.
Bloom Restaurant & Wine Bar In Roanoke
If I were going to suggest just one restaurant, I’d immediately recommend Bloom. I ate here with my partner one summer and, upon feasting on the most gorgeous plates of consciously-crafted, vegetable-forward delights, asked the owner if I could cook there — I just had to be a part of something so magical. So, as an ex-chef of Bloom, I can confidently say that everything was sourced, prepared, and plated with more care than you can imagine. It was a regular routine for those who caught the fish or grew the flowers to come in before service, and I loved picking the herbs and sprouts in the gardens for plating…