The Lafayette Inn & Restaurant

We’ve been several times now and each time has truly been wonderful! The staff is very friendly, helpful and accommodating! The restaurant is old and has a lot of character and charm. The little town has similar charm and appeal.
The menu is vast and very nicely done!
Our meals on this visit were cooked perfectly and tasted very nice!
If you’re anywhere near Stanardsville, C’ville, Madison, etc… Please stop in and give this place a try — you’ll enjoy it!

We returned to The Lafayette for our 1^st Anniversary and thoroughly enjoyed the 10 course tasting menu and the personal presentation from Chef Alan. We also stayed at The Inn and enjoyed the hospitality of Alan and his wife Kaye. A very pleasant experience, we shall return!

Visited for lunch just after a busy time. At first I was worried I’d be under dressed but it was surprisingly casual. I had the filet mignon sliders and WOW! Prices for lunch were reasonable; I’m pretty sure I’ll be back.

Yummy french toast! Their mimosas were sweet and delicious. My wife and I will definitely be returning for brunch.

We stayed at the Lafayette Inn for a warm Spring weekend in April. Being a historic building, it has many authentic details. At the center of the building is a beautiful wooden staircase leading up to an outdoor balcony and access to the suites on the second floor. On weekends, they have a fantastic outdoor happy hour with music and sunsets!
The preservation of the building is remarkable. You could imagine staying here a hundred years ago and pulling up in a stagecoach. It’d be an oasis on your journey and welcome hospitality before your long voyage over the mountains and back.
The owners, Alan and Kay, provide a cozy getaway with delicious food and wine, an awesome staff and quirky touches around the Inn. Alan is a renowned chef and an expert in creating symbiotic wine and meal pairings. Try the Chef’s tasting. You’ll get a taste of everything with wine pairings during each course.
I highly recommend Lafayette Inn. Enjoy your stay!

Inventive and well balanced tasting menu and an engaging host in Alan. A charming, rustic Inn and superb restaurant. The wine pairings were spot on as well.

The 10 course tasting was worth it in every way. The food was well prepared and delicious. And the chef was engaging and accommodating the whole time even with a few particular food allergies we had in our group.
Overall, there is no doubt they know what they’re doing. We stayed in the Inn also, and the rooms are comfortable and quaint. Nothing to write home about, but very clean and nice. The food is really the reason to come here and it certainly delivered.

Bought a Living Social deal for a night at the Inn for two and the 10 course chefs tasting dinner. My husband and I left NOVA at 2:30pm for the two and a half hour drive to the Inn. We were greeted pleasantly and taken to our room. The lovely hostess shortly brought us sparkling wine and snacks and let us know dinner started at 6pm. The 10 course dinner was wonderful and each course made and described by Alan the chef/​owner of the establishment. Each was pair with a wine (some even local).
The experience exceeded my expectations and we are definitely talking about coming back again.

This restaurant is amazing! The offerings are really unique, and the place itself is super cute. The burger menu will have your head spinning — more than 15 options in terms of flavor profiles, and you get to choose the type of burger (chicken, beef, etc.)! I love that concept because you can get whatever you may be craving — something light like Greek style or something heavy like barbeque style. Not to mention the size of the burger — it’s huge! It also comes with a side. It’s awesome.
I got the cheese and tomato panini with sweet potato fries. This dish was so satisfying on a slightly cold day. The cheese was an interesting spread, and it had herbs = great flavor! The sweet potato fries are a must buy — covered in brown sugar and cinnamon, they were to die for.
I also tried the chicken appetizer which was tasty, but the corn fritters were downright amazing — they came with a cinnamon butter. So delicious!
The desserts sounded great — think bread pudding with rum sauce and other pies — but we were so stuffed, that it wasn’t an option. We chose to get the «pralines to go» — a pre-​wrapped confection. It was super sweet and buttery.
The woman who was our waitress was so friendly and nice! She had other tables to service, so she was running around between us and the kitchen. She did a good job. Prices are good for this place, and there is plenty of parking behind the inn.
Bottom line: if you find yourself in this part of Virginia, make a stop here for lunch! You won’t be disappointed. You’re guaranteed to find something you like considering the vast menu.

I love this place!
We eloped in Shenandoah National Park and had our wedding meal at the Lafayette. I couldn’t imagine a more perfect or memorable meal.
The menu has many options and the wine list is extensive. We decided to go with the specials which were a warm crab dip, a warm strawberry and butter lettuce salad and the filet stack. We chose the Octagon Wine from Barboursville, which ranks as one of the best wines I’ve ever had. I can’t say enough about the filet stack, it had all the components that I love: a balsamic reduction, mashed potatoes, two filet mignons with blue cheese and onion strings. I get hungry thinking about it! We ended the night with bread pudding and coffees, mmmm.
Start to finish it was memorable and I would highly recommend the Lafayette if you are looking for a delicious meal, a romantic occasion, or whatever reason.
The hotel and dining room are beautiful and the service is great. Thank-​you Alan.

Wonderful, historical place to try. My husband and I loved it here. Warm, cozy atmosphere. Don’t have a designated gluten-​free menu, but the chef said everything was mostly gluten-​free, except for the things that were obvious (rolls, fritters, dessert). Anything I had a question on, the waitress checked for me. I wouldn’t recommend for a large group or for kids. It’s definitely an intimate date night kinda place.

A friend and I were here last week. We had bought a Living Social package that included a room and 10 course wine tasting menu.
We arrived an hour before check in. But since our room was ready, they allowed it. Within moments, a goody tray with snacks and sparkling wine arrived. The room was tastefully furnished, and very pretty.
Now for the 10 course menu. Each course was perfectly executed and very accessible. The chef, who also owns the inn along with his wife, came out to tell us what we would be eating, and at times informed us of his process of cooking. I cannot adequately describe the care in which the food was prepared. It was unfussy without being inelegant. The wine pairings were perfect too.
The next day, we were provided breakfast. Get the French Toast, if it’s offered.
All I can say is that we are planning to return again.

This was a great little place to go and get away. We went here on a living social deal which included a chef tasting and wine pairing. The food was excellent except for one dish (our reccomendation use fresh chicken).
The host was freindly and went out of his way to make our stay welcoming and enjoyable. I would definintly go back and reccomend this place to anyone looking for a quiet get away.

Great atmosphere, awesome staff and phenomenal burgers!
I wish I could have sampled more offerings.

Awesome Inn and Restaurant.

My wife and I enjoyed our stay here. The house and cottage are interesting and comfortable historic homes. The owners are nice and friendly. We did the tasting dinner with wine paring which was great. We recommend this place and will stay here again.

stayed in b&b overnight in the Jefferson room. it was quite cute and comfortable. the owners are very personable and breakfast was good. would recommend staying here, it is in proximity to many wineries for your wine-​tasting vacation.

Well not much to look at from the outside but give the place a break, It has been around since 1840’s!!! I didn’t believe the signs when it said it was open. We walked in and sure enough. Their specialty’s are their burgers. I had a southwest burger and it was good. It was a different burger experience because their bread was not as robust as the standard bun but it was good. I ended up using a knife and fork. Alan and Kaye, the owners, were extremely pleasant and helpful. I can’t speak for the higher priced entrees since the kids and I did burgers but we were all pleasantly surprised. It was a good experience. The burgers were creative. Very unique and definitely better than the other local restaurants I have been to on the north side of Charlottsville.

They claim all kinds of awards — but I’m tempted to look into if they actually got them. The food was bland and our group of 4 was automatically charged an 18% gratuity. We were one of two tables on a Friday night, which should have been a bit of a warning. This place is overpriced for what it is — but at least the service was good and we had fun with our friends.

This is a bed and breakfast in the small downtown of Stanardsville. We did not stay here, but we went to the restaurant which apparently was named Virginia’s restaurant of the year a couple years ago.
After a friendly welcome, we went into the dining room whose décor was pretty minimalistic. We had a prefix 4 course meal called ‘Taste the Lafayette’ ($ 50) together with wine paring ($ 14). The course consisted of bacon-​wrapped scallop over seaweed salad, seafood gumbo, shrimp over grits, and steak and crab cake. The host explained each dish and the wine that was paired.
Everything was prepared well and the dinner was enjoyable. The scallop was delicious. I had a little trouble with the sauce shrimp was sitting in which was very sweet and ketchupy, and also the sauce over the steak (demiglace?) was a bit too tart. They didn’t ask how we wanted to have the steak done and it came out well-​done, which wasn’t quite the way I wanted. They paired each course with wine from local wineries, which is a nice idea and they were fine, but could have been better.
OK, I’m being picky. It is a nice option for an upscale dinner if you are in the area. Perhaps after a day trip in the Shenandoah National Park which is only 10 minutes away.