Review: Sensational Home Cooking

Sean Gill, staff writer

I remember going to high school in a small town in rural South Dakota where every evening, after football practice, I would come home to an appetizing home cooked meal. That’s the same feeling I got as I walked into Doodles Diner at 1305 Long St. over by the Pantops area of Charlottesville.

I have known the owner of the restaurant for two years now, as she frequented the Starbucks where I formerly worked.

She would always come in to get her morning iced coffee before heading off to work from open to close. She has a small, friendly staff, but due to the size of the staff comes a problem, they’re closed on Monday. However, for me, this just added to the small town, rural diner feel it gave off.

As one enters the building, it is noticeable that it is not crowded. Against the walls to the left and right are booths, totaling roughly six or eight and in the center of the floor are approximately another six to eight tables that each hold between four and eight people.

Looking up and seeing the rest of the restaurant I felt a sense of openness which provided a homely feel. There is the counter where they can take to-go orders and beyond that one can see straight into the kitchen providing a more personable feel.

I sat down at one of the comfortable booths and noticed just how clean the place was and how at home I felt. The waitress was incredibly friendly and was quick in retrieving my beverage. As I had scoped out some suggestions on the internet prior to going in, I knew right away what I wanted to order, the open-faced roast beef sandwich with macaroni salad and mashed potatoes. “Delicious! The open faced roast beef sandwich and mashed potatoes exceeded my expectations. The staff was great and patient with the kids,” said Bethany F. of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in her Yelp review.

Many other reviewers had tried out the same meal. So, I decided I could not go wrong after this.

The wait time was just right, especially considering that I was the only occupant at the time. I noticed that the sandwich was cooked exactly to my expectations, nothing too fantastic though. However, the gravy they used on top of the roast beef sandwich was elegant, it was easily distinguishable that it was homemade. Being a mashed potato fanatic, I knew that their homemade mashed potatoes would be the ultimate test and they aced it.

The macaroni salad tasted just fine and was probably my least favorite of what was on my plate. My meal cost me close to $8. I would suggest Doodles Diner if you are in the mood for some good southern home cooking.

They offer breakfast all day long and have a plethora of home cooking style foods such as hamburgers, country-style green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and homemade blackberry cobbler.

You could normally get away with spending $6 to $8 a person. Doodles Diner is closed on Monday and opened Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.