Places to Eat

Bar Francis

Located in the heart of Sperryville and flanking the Sperryville Corner Store lives Bar Francis, an alchemistic cocktail bar serving up locally inspired craft (and classic) cocktails, wine and craft beer along with the full Rappahannock Pizza Kitchen food menu. Bar Francis is equal parts quirky and sophisticated, providing a relaxing oasis for locals, hikers and everyone in between. Closed Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday: 5 p.m.-8p.m., Thursday-Friday: 5 p.m.-9 p.m., Saturday: 12 p.m.-9 p.m., Sunday: 12 p.m.-8 p.m.

Before & After

On historic Main Street in Sperryville, Before & After offers local residents and visitors a place to meet and enjoy locally sourced, internationally inspired and seasonally prepared food and beverages. Offering dark roast espresso, seasonal-coffee creations, gourmet teas, daily-baked items, paninis and salads. The During Market offers grab-and-go food items for hiking, biking and other outdoor adventures, a growing selection of local Virginia wines, locally produced foods, Sperryville clothing and free wifi. Catering services and special-event space available. Open daily at 31 Main St., Sperryville; check hours and menu at beforeandaftersperryville. com or call 540-987-8392.

Burgers ’n Things

Best burgers, sandwiches, dinner plates and shakes in the county at Rappahannock’s only fast-food — but family-owned — joint. Barbecue and homemade coleslaw, great steak-and-cheese subs, burgers and shakes. Open 11 to 7 SundayThursday, 11 to 8 Friday-Saturday at the corner of U.S. routes 211 and 522 in Sperryville. Call your order in for faster service at 540-987-8311.

Country Cafe

Visitors arriving in stretch limos eat at The Inn; people who live in Rappahannock eat just across the street at The Cafe. Breakfast, lunch and dinner and daily specials. Closed Sundays, open 8 to 8 otherwise (till 9 on Friday and Saturdays), at 389A Main St., Washington. Call 540-675-1066. Look for a new Cafe location in 2020.

The Blue Door Kitchen & Inn

The Blue Door kitchen is headed by chef/owner Andrea Pace, who apprenticed at the acclaimed Villa Mozart restaurant in Merano, Italy. Two decades later, Chef Andrea opened the acclaimed Villa Mozart in Fairfax City. Today, Chef Andrea brings his love of local fresh ingredients and creative, Italian cuisine to Flint Hill. Dinner is served Thursday to Sunday nights, lunch three days a week (FridaySunday) in an intimate dining room and seasonally on the patio overlooking the five-acre estate at 675 Zachary Taylor Hwy., Flint Hill. Call 540-675-1700 or visit thebluedoorkitchen.com.

Griffin Tavern and Restaurant

“My mission has been to be a ‘come one, come all’ community meeting place with great food and service. We are well known for our Burgers, British Fare, Fresh Fish, Steaks and especially the Specials our awesome Kitchen puts out. Please stop in for a visit. Thank You to all of our Guests, Friends and Griffin Family throughout the years!” – Debbie Donehey. Summer Hours (after Easter): 11:30 to 8 Monday - Wednesday, 11:30 to 9 Thursday (Trivia Night!), 11:30-10:00 Friday-Saturday,

10:30 to 9 Sundays (brunch served 10:30 to 3). Winter hours (after Thanksgiving): 11:30 to 8 Monday-Wednesday, Thursday till 9 (Trivia Night!), 11:30 to 9 Friday-Saturday, 10:30 to 8 Sunday (brunch served 10:30 to 3). Closed the first 10 days in January for “spring” cleaning (please call or check our website to confirm we're open due to inclement weather).

Headmaster’s Pub

Beer, wine and food served; on weekend nights, live music also makes the Headmaster’s Pub a happening place, as do pool tables — and the Schoolhouse Nine, the county’s first golf course, right next door. Headmaster’s owner Cliff Miller’s plan was that the pub would be a likely stop before or after tackling the wily and fetching ninehole course, designed by Michael McCartin. Appears he was right. The pub is open 11 to 10 daily at 12018 Lee Hwy. Call 540-987-5008 or visit headmasterspub.com

Legacy Farm Market

Opening soon, with homemade deli sandwiches, ice cream, hot and cold drinks, fresh local meats and produce. On Lee Highway (U.S. 211) at Old Hollow Road just east of Sperryville. For more information, call 540-987-8400.

Off The Grid

Off the Grid features healthy, flavorful breakfast/ lunch options, reflecting the abundant, seasonal offerings from the surrounding area farms with an emphasis on vegan and vegetarian cuisine. The concept: global flavors, locally sourced and responsibly served. Eat and drink consciously, as every aspect of the business is designed with concern for the environment, including small-scale sustainable farm partnering, Net-zero on-site renewable energy production, Zero-waste on-site composting, recycling, use of reclaimed material and eco-friendly packaging plus EV car charging stations. 11692 Lee Highway, Sperryville. Call 540-987-5114 OTGsperryville@gmail.com

Rappahannock Pizza Kitchen (RPK)

Once tucked away in the back of the Sperryville Corner Store, Rappahannock Pizza Kitchen (RPK) made it's debut onto the Main Street storefront Memorial Day weekend of 2019. Dubbed "uniquely Sperryville," RPK's menu changes with the seasonality of their locally sourced ingredients- but one thing you should always expect are quality offerings. Check out their menu of pizza's, hand-made pasta, sandwiches and more at www. rappahannockpizzakitchen. com. Closed Monday-Tuesday. Wednesday: noon-8 p.m., Thursday-Saturday: noon-9 p.m., Sunday: noon-8 p.m.

Skyward Cafe

Opened in 2017 and serving a variety of locally sourced breakfast and lunch entrees, homemade baked goods, ice cream, fresh smoothies and coffee drinks, Skyward Cafe is open 8 to 4 Tuesday-Sunday. Breakfast served all day, lunch from 11 to 3 (takeout available) at 650 Zachary Taylor Hwy, Flint Hill. Call 540-6751111 or visit skywardcafe.com

Sperryville Trading Post Cafe & Market

On Lee Highway/U.S. 211 just east of Shenandoah National Park, Sperryville Trading Cafe & Market offers an affordable casual dining experience with indoor or outdoor seating. Free commercial high-speed wifi, breakfast and lunch — all made-to-order and cooked fresh with focused efforts to use local produce, meats, beers, wines and products from nearby and other Virginia farms. Eat-in or take-out. Open 8 to 3 Monday, Wednesday-Friday, 8-5 SaturdaySunday. Located at 11669 Lee Hwy., Sperryville. Call 540-9875082 or visit sperryvilletrading. com

The Inn at Little Washington

Still, 41 years after opening in a converted repair shop, it is the reason most out-of-towners venture into Rappahannock County. Offering a dining experience by which others around the world are measured, chef and proprietor Patrick O’Connell’s newly awarded three Michelin Star Inn was hailed by the International Herald Tribune when it chose The Inn as one of its top 10 restaurants in the world as “a rare chef with a sense of near perfect taste, like a musician with perfect pitch.” O'Connell's approach to cooking, while paying homage to the tenets of classical French cuisine, reflects a belief in "the cuisine of today" — healthy, eclectic, imaginative, unrestricted by ethnic boundaries. The Inn emphasizes local foods and increasingly grows its own. O’Connell and The Inn are the recipients of five James Beard Awards including Restaurant and Chef of the Year. The Inn is open six nights a week year-round (closed Tuesdays). Call 540-675-3800 or visit theinnatlittlewashington.com

Three Blacksmiths

Three Blacksmiths opened the doors to its 20-seat restaurant restaurant in June of 2018 and has been fully booked ever since. In just one short year, USA Today’s Reader’s Choice named Three Blacksmiths America’s #2 Best New Restaurant of 2018 and Chef John MacPherson was nominated by the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) as “Rising Culinary Star of the Year.”Tom Sietsema of the

Washington Post named Three Blacksmiths one of his top ten favorites in both his Fall 2018 and Spring 2019 dining guides. Three Blacksmiths is at 20 Main Street in Sperryville. Reserve online at www.threeblacksmiths.com.

Tula’s Restaurant and Bar

A Little Washington favorite among locals and visitors alike, Tula’s Restaurant and Bar is an Open Table Diners’ Choice Winner. Tula’s dishes are created with a Southern American influence, featuring daily fresh oysters on the half shell and fresh seafood. Our cuisine pairs well with a variety of select local beers and wines. We are open for Lunch, Dinner and Sunday Brunch. For hours & reservations call 540-675-2223 or visit tulasrestaurantandbar.com

BY JOHN MCCASLIN