A friend & I decided to walk around downtown Roanoke Saturday evening. I used to go downtown just about every weekend, but it’s been years since I spend any time there. There are all different types of stores-you can get high-end designer clothing, uniforms, ‘hippie’ attire (think tie dye). There are several art galleries, jewelry stores, bead shops, what-not or tshatshki stores, sweet shops & bakeries and so on-just about anything you want or need can be found in the 3-4 blocks of the downtown market-including a huge farmers market on Saturdays. In addition of the fresh produce, meats, dairy & baked goods you would expect to find, there are local artisans selling furniture, jewelry, soap, etc.
The most pleasant surprise was how many cool new restaurants there are! The newly renovated Market Building has NY style subs, Japanese food, burgers, salads, pizza, and a couple other cool kiosks. My favorite (and where my friend & I had dinner Saturday) was the Cuban place, Habana. You can access it from inside the market building as a grab & go option or you can get a table-inside or out, and be waited on.
I had a house salad with avocado vinaigrette. It wasn’t as good as I remember Carlos’ Brazilian cuisine dressing being, but still very tasty! The Cuban roast pork with black beans & rice was delicious. The pork was tender, and the rice & beans very flavorful. I will definitely go back!
Another place I’d like to try is the Lebanese restaurant on Campbell. I’ve heard their falafel is the best around. I’ve been to Alejandro’s-great Mexican! Nawab has an excellent Indian buffet. And in my opinion, Picaso pizza has the best pizza in Roanoke!
If you’re in the area-stop in to downtown & check out the scene. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed!
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