Northeast
Charlottesville & Albemarle County
VIRGINIA
“No occupation is so delightful to me as the culture of the earth,
and no culture comparable to that of the garden.”
–Thomas Jefferson
Proudly boasting a love affair with food
and drink dating all the way back to the
days of Thomas Jefferson (or “TJ” as
he is affectionately called by the locals),
Charlottesville & Albemarle County
has become a veritable mecca for all
epicurean activities. Truly a foodie
heaven, this destination is at the heart
of the farm-to-table movement - a
movement which has been embraced
by this food-obsessed area since its
inception. Restaurants here utilize only
the freshest possible ingredients and
seem to magically appear out of thin
air on an almost daily basis. The chefs
at these restaurants strictly adhere
to the idea of keeping it local, using
ingredients sourced from the bounty
of farms that dot the idyllic landscape.
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FoodTraveler l Winter 2016
Simplistic as it may be, the fruits of their
labor don’t go unnoticed, as dining
rooms and outdoor patios are packed
with patrons eager to partake in the
latest culinary creations that are carefully
crafted in chefs’ kitchens all across the
city. It’s certainly no coincidence that
Forbes Magazine named Charlottesville
the “locavore capital of the world.”
People here enjoy their food – and they
take it very seriously!
Charlottesville and Albemarle County
features a mind-boggling number of
restaurants, especially for an area its
size. With a population of approximately
150,000 people living in the region,
one would never expect the breadth
of culinary options that are available.
At the epicenter of this epicurean
wonderland is Charlottesville’s historic
pedestrian Downtown Mall, which
recently celebrated its 40th birthday
in the summer of 2016. Situated in
the heart of the city, this eight-block
avenue paved with brick is teeming
with restaurants that eagerly embody
the farm-to-table movement that has
helped put Charlottesville on the
map as a foodie destination. Whether
you’re in the mood for Thai, authentic
Italian, Indian, or traditional American
fare, a stroll along the picturesque
Downtown Mall will be sure to give you
plenty of options. The hardest part will
undoubtedly be trying to decide which
restaurant to pick!