Billy’s

This place is rapidly deteriorating. Two weekends in a row. Service last week was horrible. Waiter was snarky and rude. Shrimp and grits … grits undercooked and crunchy shrimp was over cooked and tough. Last night service was good no problem there. Server had a trainee and both did a good job. Food… I could have used my fish for a dish scraper. Just horrible. I seriously doubt I will return. :/

I went here this evening with a small group of friends, the service was ok but the food was just bad.
I had the nachos and they we served cold and gelatinous. Just plain disgusting. The other people in my party were unimpressed as well. Cannot imagine what would prompt me to return to this establishment.

We have had a number of nice meals at Billy’s in the past and therefore thought booking a table for brunch on Valentine’s Day was a nice plan. We could not have been more wrong. I am not exaggerating when I say we waited one hour and a half for an omelet and an order of Eggs Benedict. Everyone else had a comparable wait. When the food finally arrived it was barely room temperature. I have no idea what the problem in the kitchen might have been as no explanation and only a pro forma apology was forthcoming. I doubt we will ever go back to Billy’s after this experience.

Awful Valentines Dinner with respect to service. This used to be one of our go-​to restaurants in Roanoke. Nearly 1 hour to get initial round of drinks. Another 20 for a single glass of house wine later. Dinner just got delivered after a 2 hour wait.
Food though was great as usual. Will be back though after speaking to manager on duty. Consider it a 1-​off; hope I’m right and next visit is better.

I had the cowboy ribeye with smashed potatoes and an add on lobster tail. We all shared scallops which were cooked perfect! Everything was delicious. I would really rate this 4.5 but I couldn’t. I saw lots of people complaining about price, but it’s probably the city tax when they talk about fees. Hey gotta pay for things that are great and they are great! Thx BILLYS! Love the ambiance and the music.

Brunch was delish!
Had the Fried Chicken Biscuits & Gravy. Crispy yet juicy chicken. Creamy delicious gravy. We also shared an order of the candied bacon — WOW. So worth a try!
Hope to get back here again and again.

I chose Billy’s based on the good reviews I read here… Huge mistake. I called to make reservations for a party of 10. We arrived a little early and they let us know are table was not ready yet. No big deal we headed to the bar for a cocktail while we wait. About 20 minutes later the hostess came back and offered to seat is a table for 8 but that it was upstairs. (We ended up with a party of 11 so I politely declined, that’d be a tight fit). Minutes went by and another hostess returned. Said our table was ready upstairs. (Bar area not where I made the reservations). It was very apparent this was the table for 8 she told me about earlier just totally crammed set for 11. The server was horrible although he was on his own up there and they were very busy. I had the filet mignon, ordered medium, but received it well done, with no taste, so bad I out A1 on it. Ended up giving it to a bottomless pit eat anything friend of mine. My boyfriend had the pork chops as well as another friend. They both complained they were very bland with no taste. He didn’t eat his. They brought out all the food at once salads appetizers and our main course. (Hate when that happens). Oh not to mention. One guest of mine ended up leaving it took over 2 hours to get all of our food. This experience put a damper on my birthday… They were also aware it was for a birthday party but they didn’t do anything special for me. Heck I would have settled for a nice table and good food. I will NEVER go back to Billy’s. Don’t waste your time here. Go to Franky Rowland’s for a delicious meal and excellent service.

This evening we had the pleasure of dining at Billy’s where Sarah D. took care of us. Sarah was the most outstanding model of what it means to take care of customers, caring about what she does, and making the experience special.
Upon arrival Sarah was warm and inviting. She quickly learned the names of our three children. Throughout the evening Sarah would address them by name and have short conversations to ensure they were having a great time. Sarah was tentative to all of our needs, made sure our order was accurate, and timed the food service perfectly. When she realized that the children were splitting a meal she brought it on two plates and at the end of the evening when we asked for a box she took the plates and prepared it for us to take with us. She truly cared that we had a special evening.
Billy’s is lucky to have Sarah and because of her we will be back many more times… By the way — the food was great also.

Billy’s is my favorite bar in Roanoke.
I’ve been here probably 5 or 6 times in my life (4 or 5 for drinking, 1 for food) and I’ve always had a pleasant experience.
The front area of the bar is very spacious, with room to sit and stand next to the bar, and room for seating if you’re looking for a dinner. There is also another bar and more seating as you venture further back into the space. There’s also a private room if you’re hosting an event there.
The best part of Billy’s, though, is the very back bar with the open roof. Or should I say no roof? Walking to the back you find yourself outside and in an enclosed area. There is nothing but open sky above you which makes this a great choice for any weather where it isn’t raining or too cold. They have fireplaces throughout the back if it is actually cold.
If you’re in Roanoke and looking for a cool bar to visit, I’d suggest Billy’s. The one time I’ve had food there it was good, and it’s always a great place to grab a drink.

We’ve been to Billy’s numerous times at different times of the day. The food is generally good but the service always leaves us debating whether to return. Today at Sunday brunch we waited over 20 minutes for our bloody mary’s…received after asking where our drinks and water/​menus were. The waiter made us feel impatient for asking.
We ordered and then waited one hour for our meals… never visited by our waiter this whole time! We had to again check in asking where our food had gone. Very unhappy diners today!

Great job on the prime rib. I have been to places that don’t get it when it come to preparing prime rib. Billy (or insert other name here) gets it! Great service and a nice selection of draft beer.

We were recommended this place by the parking attendant in the garage. From the outside it looked like it just had a little bit of everything which was cool with us. Once we walked in, it was much more fancier than we expected. I ordered a $ 14 salad that I could have eaten in a few minutes. Although the taste was very good, the portion sizes were borderline insulting. My husband had a burger that he said tasted like any burger anywhere. Not that anything is wrong with this place, I just wouldn’t bother making another trip back.

This steak house has a great downtown location but shows some age, both in the dining room and its décor, and in the menu. The selections are typical, our group of 5 shared the ahi tuna appetizer (good modern presentation & plating) and the mussels (not very generous portion but plenty of broth and bread). The filet was prepared properly and the sides of grilled asparagus and mashed potato were adequate. The wine list strangely has no vintages, so a major ding to the rating. While the wine selection is ample, the lack of vintage is inexcusable for a steak house with $ 35 entrees. Service was very attentive and that’s a plus, but the dining room is in dire need of an update to décor and layout. However, being downtown the investment isn’t needed to have a flow of diners, so I get it.

I normally go to another steak house down the street when I’m in town, but tonight (a Thursday evening) the entire place including the bar was closed. A small group, who were also turned away, were talking outside conversing about the absurdity of the closing and someone suggested Billy’s. I decided to check it out. The interior design is a bit outdated with light wood, but the cowboy ribeye was great and the service was wonderful. I think the other place is perhaps too full of itself. Billy’s was a great alternative, and quite frankly will now be my primary spot when I come down. Oh, and great music for a steak house, too!

This restaurant is in an old building in Roanoke. It has the feel of a classic steakhouse with substantial fixtures. The hostess said the restaurant had been in the space since 2007.
The menu is not large but has a wide assortment of dishes. We got an appetizer of avocado dip with that came with tortilla chips, celery, carrots and cauliflower. The dip was very creamy and tangy. At $ 12, it was overpriced.
I got the prime salad, which was described as prime rib with greens. I asked if you could specify the temperature of the meat, since I like it medium rare. The waiter said no, that the meat came from the end pieces and was medium. I said I didn’t want dry meat and he said it wouldn’t be dry. It was dry. Tiny pieces of odd tasting beef. It bore no resemblance in taste or appearance to any prime rib I’ve ever had. It was like cheap meat on an all-​you-​can-​eat buffet line. There were also large gray slices of warm, soft onion in the salad. They were very unattractive. I told the waiter that I didn’t like the meat and he said people either loved it or hated it. He said it was fairly new to the menu and he felt there was a problem with consistency. The salad was not large. For $ 14 there should be a few ounces of real prime rib rather than leftovers. Lesson learned: If one can’t request how the beef is cooked, said beef is going to be brown.
My husband got the pork chop, which was double thick and he said it was good. He ordered it medium, which I predicted would be dry and it did come out dry. He also got asparagus, which was fibrous at the end and sautéed vegetables, which were mushy.
We were offered a free dessert which we declined and that was that. Our waiter said he was going to talk to the manager, but the manager did not talk to us.

Excellent choices. Something for everyone. Oyster appetizer and crab cake app were excellent. All entrees were awesome. Our table had prime rib, mahi mahi, seafood special, and cheese tortellini. No one disappointed. Excellent service (no reservations). We will definitely be back next visit to Roanoke!

Quite literally one of the best steaks I’ve ever eaten! Also had the crab cakes and they were wonderful! A few martini’s to finish the night.

We went back to Billy’s for great atmosphere, service and their Shrimp and Grits. They did not disappoint. With the restaurant open until 11, we knew we would not be rushed arriving at 9:30. A young polite gentleman greeted us shortly after being seated. He discussed their specials including a fresh catch flown from Argentina yesterday. We knew what we came for already so just ordered a couple drinks and salads. My only small issue was the house salad was topped with nuts. I missed that in menu, but was able to remove myself. No big deal. The warm sweat bacon vinaigrette dressing was awesome. We both had the Shrimp and Grits and happy with the choice. Fresh shrimp, creamy grits, scallions and cherry tomatoes. I finished mine with my wife’s ended up in a small takeaway box. Just love this place as well as the small shops and restaurants around it.

Three words. Shrimp and Grits!
Incredible! Server selected a super wine. And walking distance to Roanoke Hotel.

Cool spot in the heart of downtown Roanoke. I didn’t eat there, but I met friends for cocktails. The décor was nice, rich and warm. The service was attentive. The music (mostly a la Frank Sinatra) set a certain mature tone. I’d go back to try the food on another visit.