Unique settings abound here, and diners will find restaurants tucked cozily into a former country store, amid the elegance of the famed Greenbrier resort and even in their own cars, thanks to a classic 1950s-era roadside drive-in, complete with curb service.
The cuisine certainly lives up to the promise of the surroundings, whether one's tastes run toward fine French and Italian dishes, pizza and burgers, or homestyle Appalachian favorites. Here’s a list--in no particular order--of the best restaurants in Greenbrier Valley.
Serving elevated American fare in a welcoming 1800s-style dining room featuring exposed wood and stone, this Greenbrier restaurant is known for its craft cocktails, extensive wine list, and locally sourced steaks and fish. Savor the farm-to-table freshness of The Livery Tavern's signature Brussels Sprout Salad, perfectly paired with a Mountain Steer Steak.
Address: 1134 Washington St. E, Lewisburg, WV
Once a typical neighborhood grocery store, the Stardust Café exudes a homey air with soft linens and the friendly service one expects from the best restaurants in the Greenbrier Valley. Abundant sandwiches prepared with locally baked bread, along with oh-so-fresh salads and entrees—like the shareable Food Art Board—crafted using locally sourced ingredients—set taste buds tingling.
Address: 1023 Washington St. E, Lewisburg, WV
Nationally recognized for excellence, Greenbrier dining offers a medley of venues and cuisine.
Guests at The French Goat may choose to dine al fresco in the garden or to soak up the ambiance in the historic home-turned-restaurant punctuated by ornate fireplaces and sparkling chandeliers. The farm-to-table French cuisine served by an attentive staff includes locally-sourced pan-roasted chicken and a cornucopia of the freshest vegetables.
Address: 1290 Lafayette St., Lewisburg, WV
Named for an 18th century general who served under George Washington, the General Lewis Inn prides itself on serving up Southern dishes with a modern twist in an atmosphere steeped in history. When dining at this Greenbrier Valley landmark, prepare to be wowed by the scratch-made buttermilk biscuits and the local mountain trout for which the Inn is known.
Address: 1236 Washington St. E, Lewisburg, WV
What better way to enjoy a summer evening than dinner on the General Lewis’ spacious veranda?
Named in honor of the late NBA and West Virginia University basketball legend Jerry West, Prime 44 West at The Greenbrier is the ultimate high-end steakhouse, serving aged beef, fresh seafood and farm-fresh produce alongside a stellar wine selection. Open only to Greenbrier guests, this dining experience offers such delicacies as Dover Sole (prepared tableside), a Wagyu Trio and the restaurant’s signature Lobster Mashed Potatoes.
Address: The Greenbrier, 101 Main St. W, White Sulphur Springs, WV
Located in one of Lewisburg’s many historic buildings, this Greenbrier restaurant offers patrons the option of dining in the fresh air of a tree-shaded garden (seasonally) or inside the former dwelling. A panoply of house-made pasta dishes and pizzas leads the way at this Italian-forward restaurant in the heart of West Virginia.
Address: 855 Washington St. W, Lewisburg, WV
Featuring an array of local products, Gustard’s Bistro juxtaposes a comfortably casual atmosphere with thoughtful dinner entrees and daily luncheon specials. Intriguing menu items include a savory Duck Cassoulet and an Apple Smoked Turkey sandwich on toasted cranberry sourdough bread. And for dessert, who could resist a slice of Chocolate S’mores Pie complete with burnt marshmallows?
Address: 759 Main St. E, White Sulphur Springs, WV
With its wide-ranging menu and inviting dining spaces, this Greenbrier Valley restaurant is popular for both lunch and dinner. Whether you’re in the market for a classic Steak Oscar with house-made béarnaise or a plate of mouth-watering Ravioli (made with five cheeses!), you can’t go wrong at Food & Friends.
Address: 878 Washington St. W, Lewisburg, WV
Food & Friends is a Greenbrier Valley mainstay where locals have been celebrating birthdays and anniversaries for generations.
The family-festive vibe at Hill and Holler is accompanied by a full menu of bar snacks, crafty sandwiches, pizzas and brews. This Greenbrier restaurant has the brick oven pizza down to a science, with topping options from A (artichoke hearts) to Z (gorgonZola crumbles). As for the fabled chicken wings, which are seasoned, smoked and deep-fried to lock in flavor, choose between eight house-made dipping sauces.
Opening Soon: 886 Washington St. W, Lewisburg, WV
No list detailing the best restaurants in Greenbrier Valley would be complete without Jim’s Drive-In, home of the iconic “Ranch Burger.” In this spot where little has changed since the 1950s, the burgers and milkshakes are still made by hand and served either curbside on car-window-hanging trays or bagged up for take-out.
Address: 479 Washington St. W, Lewisburg, WV
West Virginia cuisine is largely synonymous with Southern comfort food — biscuits and gravy, fried green tomato sandwiches, freshwater fish and grass-fed beef. These delicious items can be found in Greenbrier restaurants. Try the Sunday brunch at The Historic General Lewis Inn with its country ham and house-made bagels, or swing by Jim’s Drive-In for a fried green tomato sandwich served up curbside. Nearby Swift Level Farm provides the succulent filet mignon and ribeye steaks dished up at dinnertime at Lewisburg’s Stardust Café, which also prides itself on utilizing local produce in its dishes.
While there are currently no exclusively vegetarian or vegan establishments among the best restaurants in Greenbrier Valley, The Humble Tomato in Lewisburg identifies at least a dozen vegetarian dishes on its Italian-themed menu, and The Wild Bean features a vegan burrito among its breakfast offerings. Many other Greenbrier restaurants — like the Stardust Café and Food & Friends — offer pasta- or vegetable-forward dishes that may be tailored to suit a diner’s needs.
Pepperoni rolls are a uniquely West Virginia creation, born of the need for a hand-held, protein-packed food that could be consumed while working in a coal mine deep underground. This soft roll, surrounding a hearty portion of pepperoni, at times supplemented with cheese or sauce, eventually migrated from its birthplace in north-central West Virginia’s coal fields into restaurants and supermarkets throughout the state. Lewisburg’s own beer garden, Briergarten, serves up a pepperoni roll with homemade sauce on the side. Another Greenbrier restaurant featuring a variation on this theme is Hill & Holler, where diners can find the pepperoni roll’s “kissing cousin,” a pepperoni calzone. And Fruits of Labor Cafe & Bakery has quite the following for its housemade pepperoni roll.
For a taste of West Virginia history, the pepperoni roll has been a lunch bucket staple since 1927.
Under state law, only service animals are permitted inside West Virginia restaurants. However, the website BringFido identifies six restaurants in the area where leashed household pets are permitted in outdoor dining spaces: The Asylum, April's Pizza, Briergarten, The Humble Tomato, Corn+Flour and Del Sol Café.
The valley is also blessed with numerous public parks (some of which are equipped with picnic tables) where people and their fur family members can enjoy take-out dining in the fresh mountain air. Among Greenbrier’s public parks are Dorie Miller Park, Hollowell Park and Academy Park in Lewisburg; Island Park in Ronceverte; Dick Gunnoe Memorial Park, Old Mill Park and Brad Paisley Community Park in White Sulphur Springs.
Spring and summer not only bring the warmest weather conditions to the valley’s moderate climate, they also herald the arrival of a variety of festivals, each with its own cornucopia of mouth-watering food. From the spring season’s Ronceverte Food Truck Festival, the West Virginia Dandelion Festival and the Lewisburg Chocolate Festival (where visitors will find everything, including beverages, following the event’s theme), to summer’s West Virginia Renaissance Festival with its signature smoked turkey legs and scotch eggs, the Alderson 4th of July Celebration and — the granddaddy of them all — the West Virginia State Fair, there’s plenty of food to relish and plenty of fun activities to enjoy.
For produce and other locally-made food in Greenbrier Valley, make the rounds to the many farmers’ markets and connect firsthand with the people who raise the crops and livestock while you stock up on everything from honey and veggies galore to hand-crafted baskets and home-baked cookies and pies.
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