The Speakeasy Bar and Restaurant

Simply the best restaurant in Shenandoah Valley. It doesn’t look like much when you walk in, but don’t be fooled. The service is incredibly friendly, the prices are reasonable, and the food is out of this world. My girlfriend and I were staying up the street at Peabodys this winter and found the food options to be rather limited. While we checked out the Gathering Grounds café, their limited hours, the crowds, and the menu left us wanting for more.
While the Speakeasy, we were told, typically attracts a younger crowd, on the MLK weekend it was a more mixed audience– from seniors to young couples. The draft beer selection was rather limited– but they had a tasty Starr Hill Northern Lights on draft. As to the food– on the first night my girlfriend had the meatloaf which she said was excellent. Meanwhile, I had the southern fried beef wellington– which was OUTSTANDING. Perhaps one of the best dishes I’ve had, ever. It was so good, I ordered it again (as did my friend) the second night too. The wellington was essentially a medium rare tenderloin, wrapped in slab bacon, deep fried, and doused in a heavenly brown gravy. Drool. The peanut butter pie was quite good too.
However what really set this place apart was their incredibly thoughtful evening manager. She was attentive, remembered my friend and I from the night before, friendly, and a good conversationalist. In fact, I accidentally forgot my phone one night after they closed and as I was calling to ask if I left it– she appeared at our B&B door with the phone in hand. Not only did she leave the restaurant to give me my phone, but she remembered where we were staying. I didn’t catch her name, but whomever she was deserves a raise — and a promotion!

Very polite servers and great food. Smaller servings at a higher cost but delicious. Walked in on a live jazz night with Café Society playing and they were fabulous. Fantastic sound and great entertainment. Though I went alone I was made very welcome here. Would definitely return. It was a nice treat!

In the basement of the Mimsly Inn there is a charming little restaurant. We happened upon it by chance and were treated to live music and a fun evening.
The food was good and the atmosphere was nice but the service is what made us love it the most. One of our dining companions was pregnant and they made sure she had everything she needed. When the pulled pork was a bit too spicy for her they even offered to remake it or get her something else that would be more to her liking.
The server ended up comping our drinks as well.

FANTASTIC! The best food we had our entire trip up in the mountains.
The Reuben spring rolls were amazing what a great idea and they weren’t greasy at all!
The stuffed chicken was phenomenal and the tenderloin wrap was great too.
Must try the peanut butter pie!

This bar/​restaurant is located in a really cool, older mansion on the side of a hill. After exploring the Luray Caverns my family and I stopped here for a quick bite on our way into Washington DC.
For being a speakeasy– themed establishment, the décor was pretty cheesy. There are pictures of era celebrities and not much else. The furniture was sparse and it felt a little cheap. The dining room was very clean though.
We ordered some basics off the menu– salad, mozzarella sticks, soup, etc and everything was ok. There was nothing special about the menu or the food.
I feel like this place could really be successful with better décor and a revised menu. Maybe a little research into the era would go a long way. Our server was very polite. I am searching for good things to write, but this place is nothing special which is a let down because the location is unique.

This place was pretty good considering what is available in Luray. Large variety on the menu and some pretty great specials as well. Our waiter was awesome; I was impressed he knew what a buttery vs oaky chardonnay was. They also had interesting cocktails with local alcohol featured. We started with mozzarella sticks which were average but their sauce was super good. I had the gouda smothered grilled chicken with asparagus and whipped potatoes. All delicious. My husband had their cornmeal crusted trout which was also delicious. Overall a good experience and better than what we expected being in Luray. I did however take away a star for ambience. It is not speak easy décor at all but more like the rest of the Mimslyn Inn kind of drab and outdated. Also for a speak easy could have dimmer lighting and oldies playing. Also could improve on their cocktail menu; they couldn’t make a Kentucky Moscow Mule: (

We visited after dinner for dessert… The atmosphere was very relaxing and our waitress was amazing. Highly recommend the Apple Cobbler and Lemon Torte. Can’t wait to visit for another meal!

Good food, good service. Price is about right for the type of food and surroundings. If you are looking for good food and clean place to eat, it is well worth the stop.

We came to Rileyville on vacation to hike and kayak and stopped here for dinner on our first night. We ordered the Asparagus Salad, Apple Chutney Burger and the Chicken Fried Beef Wellington. I wish that we enjoyed our meal here, however service was slow (we didn’t get the bread we requested for 30 minutes), the salad was sad (bagged spinach with asparagus on top) and the food was under seasoned. Not at all what we expected. The drink I ordered was good and was the highlight of the night. I recommend the Godfather, it is made with a local whiskey. However, even after drinking this strong drink, the dinner was sub-​par. I hope that other places in the area prove better. Although it seems like a good drinking hole.

We were looking for a «nice» dinner that was close by and reasonably priced. There isn’t a lot of selection in this area so we chose The Speakeasy. Initially we were delighted with the outdoor patio seating and the views. Quickly went downhill as the table next to us started playing a Curious George movie for their child with the volume up quite loud (and it wasn’t «Curious George Learns Restaurant Manners». Apparently the parents haven’t seen that one either!). I was surprised the staff did not address this. Food was mediocre at best – my kids got burgers which were ok. My husband got the meatloaf and i got the Gouda Chicken, which was rubbery and tasteless, not «gouda» at all!!! We sampled all 4 desserts, none of which tasted homemade. I’d like to say the service was slow as molasses, but it was even slower! Food came out at different times, waitress forgot our coffee and apparently forgot to give us our bill! We waited so long we finally had to flag down a different server to request it! $ 98 before tax and tip was about $ 50 more than the meal was worth, IMO.

A hidden gem in the basement of the Mimslyn hotel. We were thinking about doing circa 31 but then took a look at their prices and our attire and had to think again. Downstairs, however, was a very cozy pub with some really great dishes. We are during happy hour and the appetizers were ½ price. They have a really nice selection of salads and sandwiches. Our service was outstanding! I dropped my rating just a smidge because there were a lot of flies and the hummus tasted like store bought.

Intro: Great service, great prices, great food — will visit again.
Wife & I decided to eat at Speakeasy around 7pm on Friday May 22^nd 2015. We sat outside on the front porch of the building, was lovely watching the sunset. Was greeted immediately & given water + utensils. We ordered two entrees & the apple pie dessert. My wife’s pan seared salmon was cooked perfectly, tasted great. I ordered the beef tenderloin wrap & mine too tasted great. Great atmosphere overall & very pleased with our food & bill. I recommend this restaurant & we will visit again.

Dinner was good. Kids had slider and pasta… pretty straightforward. Adults had ribs/​pulled pork and the tenderloin. Both were cooked and seasoned well. Apple pie for dessert was very good. We would return.

This place is THE spot to go in Luray, Virginia. And by THE I mean the ONLY spot to go in Luray, Virginia.
The truth is it’s a nice pub/​restaurant in the basement of the Mimslyn Inn. There was live music provided by Dwight. Played a lot of well-​known songs like Wagon Wheel and some Eagles. For it being our first day in Virginia, it was a nice way to finish the drive down from Washington.
Food was ok, decent prices. Beers on tap were tasty. I would recommend the local starr hill draft. There are some food and drink specials.
Service was pleasant and friendly. It may be a Virginia thing, but all staff like to talk. My friend Andrea from Italy also found this to be true: «Make sure you make on Unilocal,friendly Staff talk so much».

Located in the basement of a pretty nice hotel, I had low expectations for this place. There aren’t many food options in Luray, after all.
And the overall experience was… Okay. We had a nice waitress and the service was pretty good. But the food was subpar. I got the risotto which was okay but generally bland. My girlfriend got the flatbread, which looked like they pulled a pre made flatbread out of the freezer (or a bag) and put some tomatoes and cold cheese on it. Mmm cold cheese…
My girlfriend also for some kind of a berry cocktail which was way too sweet. To the point of undrinkability.
Anyway, if you find yourself here, the place isn’t the worst. Especially compared to the alternatives. But don’t be expecting all that much either.

Well… definitely not a fan. The live music was nice. The food was so/​so and while I really liked our waitress, the service was just not good. Our table of 5 was seated directly in front of the singers. The table got a wrap, chicken fingers, mahi mahi, gumbo, mushroom risotto and the pulled pork platter. The wrap, chicken fingers and pulled pork were ok, not great but ok. The gumbo was just not good, it didn’t say it had no seafood in it at all. The mushroom risotto was not good either. The mahi mahi took forever, there was apparently a mixup in the kitchen and the order got cancelled in error. We waited and waited and it finally arrived after the rest of us were done. It was like rubber. The seafood lover in our group was extremely disappointed. They did take it off the bill which was much appreciated.
I noticed a lot of locals hanging at the bar so maybe if you are just looking for a drink this place would be good but I just can’t recommend it for the food.

My partner and I purchased the groupon that included whiskey infused dinner here. It was HORRIBLE. The mashed potatoes were obviously fake, the short rib was fatty and covered in nasty jarred gravy, and the soup had entire peppercorns throughout it. We sat there for an hour and fifteen minutes and even took the dessert to go. When we got the check I was shocked. The «four course» dinner is $ 40 a person. So not worth it.
This is the type of restaurant that needs to be on one of those reality shows with Jon Taffer screaming red-​faced at the chef, «THESE MASHED POTATOES CAME FROM A BOX!!!»

The Speakeasy at Mimslyn Inn is a cool spot.
Relaxed atmosphere, booth seats, terra-​cotta block walls (that were typical of prohibition era), black and white pictures of Charlie Chaplin and other famous people of those bygone times.
The Bees Knees, old prohibition recipe, came in martini glass with lemon twist. Taste of wild honey and perfect amount of alcohol.
Crab and artichokes dip with bread crostini was great, with good sized chunks of crab.
Tenderloin was done just like I asked for, medium rare. Served with mashed potatoes and green beans, it’s a solid choice for dinner.
I have to mention, the waitress was the most knowledgable courteous server I ever met, I tip my hat to her professionalism.
Highlight of the evening: live music by Acoustic Thunder. Amazing guitar work. Just amazing.

Very pleasant pub atmosphere. The service was exceptionally friendly and prompt. The food was above average for the type of place. Fish and chips were fresh and moist. Platter of mussels were, again, fresh and delicately prepared. Homemade apple pie and bourbon ice cream to share rounded out the meal. All homemade and very nice!
Throughout the evening there was live country music. Overall, a nice evening and good value for money.

Ok. So let’s break this review into two separate parts; food and drink.
Food:
I had read some of the previous reviews concerning the food coming from the kitchen of the Speakeasy. I will admit I was apprehensive, and to my relief, I found the negative reviews to be mistaken. I enjoyed my prime rib, correctly cooked to medium rare, and served with whipped potatoes and green beans. My girlfriend also enjoyed her fish, cooked perfectly and served with asparagus and wild rice. Paired with a $ 10 bottle of, so-​so red wine, it made for a nice dinner at a reasonable price. Our waiter was prompt, polite and attentive. In all, the dining experience was enjoyable.
Drinks:
I am not, nor do I pretend to be a pretentious liquor snob. I am just as likely to drink a Miller Lite during a sports game, while at the same time I enjoy a well made and proper cocktail while dining out. With this in mind, I was slight surprised when a bar that fashions itself after an era where drinks were made properly and with the correct ingredients.
Now granted, I did not expect Speakeasy to be a mecca for mixology, however I do expect that a bartender know that a Manhattan should be made with rye (which they had on hand), served neat and not drowned in both vermouth and ice. When it comes to the classics, presentation and proportion count almost as much as the ingredients. And why mess with the classics?! A drink menu featuring a «new» old fashioned? The ingredients immediately screamed an overly sweet, sickly concoction.
Bottom line, had just a minute of extra time been spent to property prepare a drink, a proper drink, in the correct fashion, this place would have not only received a higher review, but also made the entire stay at the Mimslyn Inn a top-​notch event.