The Artful Dodger

I’ve been here several times for a drinks and various birthday parties but Taste of Downtown is the first time I’ve ever been to the Dodger for brunch. This is a decision that I greatly regret. To say the service was awful is a gross understatement. Our server never asked how we wanted our steak cooked or our eggs cooked and we had to flag down another server to get this entered in. Our «medium» steaks were cooked to a near crisp, extremely well done and to be honest, a little sad looking. We had to wait until the end of our meal to get the «Pot o Tots» we ordered at the beginning of the meal and the person I was with noted that it was concerning that our steaks were done before the tater tots.
Overall, this was a really bad experience. If you want to go out some night for drinking and dancing, I recommend the Dodger. If you want good food and good service, just keep walking.

Went here for $ 2 Tuesday rail woohoo! It’s a pretty cool place. They are a café and a bar scene at night time. They had a jazz band playing until about 9−10pm and then a DJ. The line was out the door but luckily I missed it and came in early.
There is only one bathroom for women (killer) but the service was good and quick. I definitely wanna come back for the food next time though since there is a discount for checking in.

What a terrific surprise to find such a funky, artsy coffee and beer place with great food in a pretty Virginia town. Very fresh and flavorful sandwiches, thoughtful and colorful décor, and did I mention the passion fruit beer? A bonus: they have covered outside seating, but we were looking for the AC. My 15 year-​old son now wants to go to college at JMU so he can be a regular at the Dodger!

It was quiet on Tuesday at lunch today. The service was excellent. I had the Hades burger and it was very hot. Be sure to order an extra glass of tea. The vanilla latte was mediocre. Just looking around, the decorations were fun and I can’t imagine what this place will be like on a Friday night.

Great unpretentious place that is highly eclectic and very affordable. Great coffee and über affordable!

No cover for the first half of our group of six then the bouncer tried to charge us 5 $ each for the second three. It’s the middle of the summer in a college town. Charging a selective cover when the bar is half empty doesn’t seem like a solid business practice. Especially when no other bar in downtown charges covers. Currently happily enjoying a meal and a beer at a superior establishment.

Love the bottomless coffee with homey mugs. Great service, good vibes. The flatbreads are unreal

Traveling from Chicago and stopped in for lunch. Really swanky atmosphere and excellent service. I’d highly recommend the Tot Pot appetizer and the very interesting Cucumber Hibiscus Mint natural flavored soda made with home grown mint. A definite stop if you want yummy food in an interesting environment.

We stopped in to get a quick latte before we sojourned onto Tennessee. I ordered a mocha and my husband ordered a latte. They hit the spot for a cloudy rainy day but they tasted thin in flavor. The girl asked if mine had enough chocolate bc she did not measure it… I should have said no. At least I got a discount for checking in. Great service nice atmosphere

Friendly staff, great food and coffee. Fun aesthetic. I know they have bands and music performances there, but that’s not my scene. They seem to really care about being a part of the community. If I had one complaint, it’s that the ambiance music during regular daytime hours can be weirdly loud.

I am a college student at JMU and I instantly fell in love with this place. Artful Dodger Café has an eclectic atmosphere with awesome local artwork for sale that is changed out monthly. This is not your average café, not only do they have locally roasted coffe, they also have a great selection of local craft beers all from Virginia, and just a few weeks ago they expanded their tap selection from four to eight taps.
«The Dodger», as us locals call it, is conventienly located in downtown Harrisonburg. If you are looking for a great place to come and relax and have a good meal, especially breakfast, I recommend coming here. My favorite is the morning glory plate. Its full of great breakfast goodness. You get 2 eggs, bacon or sausage, hasbrowns or red potatoes, choice of toast and 2 silver dollar pancakes. Its a great amount of food for a great price.

I have been to this establishment several times and always had great service. The atmosphere has a creative vibe along w great food and drinks. You can’t go wrong w coffee and alcohol. I also want to mention that I am not from the area but when I come to town this is the place I like to go.

Stopped in for an evening coffee to fuel the rest of the drive back to Durham just as the band was setting up. Good coffee, but a cool vibe is worth mentioning. Looks like a great hang out for coffee by day, music and drinks by night. Friendly folks too.

Discovered this place recently and. LOVE. it!!!
I am a german immigrant who lives in the DC area and always miss the european style coffee shops where you get to relax and take your time.
THIS is the place to be!!!
Because of family in-​law who recently moved to Harrisonburg, we will come to town on a regular basis now… and the Artful Dodger will be my place to be!
Went there on a Sunday afternoon with the in-​laws for coffee and haven’t felt as comfortable and happy in a long time!
The food id good, the staff is TOP-​NOTCH and suuuuuper friendly and well trained.
We weren’t rushed and spend quite some time eating and drinking. We had a blast.
The atmosphere and set-​up is lovely and will put a whole lot of light into you heart.
They also serve vegan food which is even for me, a non-​vegan, a super big plus and we tried a bunch of things from the menu.
Nobody will smack the bill onto the tabel and rush you out. You will get all the time in the world to enjoy your stay.
Even that this venue is very hip I can recommend it for coffee with your family. I’m in my 30’s and did not feel out of place at all since they were very welcoming. My in-​laws are in their sixties and liked it a lot too.
I told all my friends up here about it and will even bring my family from Germany there when they’ll come to visit.
Artful Dodger, I sincerely love you. I wish we had a place like you where I live, in Northern VA/​DMV area!
Kudos!

2.5. An average place. I’m not much of a coffee drinker but my girlfriend loves their lattes.
The habanero burger is very spicy but that’s really it. If you are looking for a burger, the wait is much more worth it for Jack Brown’s.
The pot of tots is fun and good. Quick and easy.
Tuesday nights are $ 2 dollar rails which are fun. They allow smoking outside and it does filter inside.
They do a drag queen show a couple times a year that’s a very different experience that is worth experiencing.
I promise you though, DO NOT GET THE PANCAKES!!! Flat, disgusting, gritty flapjacks with «maple syrup» that has the flavor equivalent of Log Cabin syrup you can buy at the grocery store and served with a few pieces of dry fruit to serve as a horrid presentation. They over mix the pancake batter and there is no fluffiness to the pancake. And it’s frustrating that the fruit is dry because the valley is full of fresh fruit and it’s down the street from the co-​op and the farmer’s market.
For JMU Students, there are good options here, take advantage of $ 2 rails but if you are a local or visiting the area, go elsewhere.

Went there for coffee and a snack with my family on a late November Saturday afternoon. It was perfect. Good coffee and desserts, comfortable ambience, very casual, friendly people.
They have a menu with more substantive things that looked good but I did not try any if those items. I think I’ll have to come back.
I love the kitschy feel of the place, with lots of interesting artwork on the walls, oddball furnishings and décor, good music and lighting. I wish it were closer to where I live, since I could envision visiting there quite often to get some work done over a pot of coffee in an enjoyable comfortable setting.

Five star. Drinkies and foodies alike. This place puts love in drinks and food. Brunch menu is Awesome!
We stayed for five perfect in house mixed bloody Mary’s at 4 bucks a shot. Double decaf expression pulled Perfectly.
Blueberry lavender soda amazing. Soy cappuccino amazing. Funky cool atmosphere.

Loved everything about this place. Eclectic with awesome breakfast food. The coffee was good and generous food portions. If ever back in the area would definitely come back. Mix crowd if college students and business people getting morning coffee, reading the paper it studying. It sits right on the corner by the courthouse.

There aren’t that many cool places in this town, but Artful Dodger is the best, and it’s not even close.
During the day, it’s just a normal little coffee shop in which you can get small plates, or even cocktails. The manager, Sam, is very passionate about perfecting his job, and always looking to innovate the menu. He’s gone as far as to start growing fresh herbs like rosemary to use in experimental items that aren’t even on the menu, which follows an Oliver Twist theme.
And while it’s not a straight up gay bar, it is «gay friendly», and the rainbow umbrellas hanging from the ceiling is a subtle clue. It attracts a mix between the small LGBT community, the handful of college hipsters, and then of course the partying crowd. At night, this is THE place to be, where you can dance on the floor, or hang out on the spacious patio outside. The people watching is amazing. This is the most fun you can have in H-​Burg.

In search of a restaurant that doesn’t do the same greasy breakfast as all the rest. My desires were meet after eating a veggie and egg quesadilla at The Artful Dodger.
The walls display artwork from local artist. Great coffee shop atmosphere.