Oakhurst Inn Cafe & Espresso Bar

Cozy little restaurant with good coffee and interesting breakfast plates. Food costs are on the higher end.

Charming atmosphere, good service, great food. We randomly chose for brunch on out way out of the city and were very pleased.
Sophisticated combinations and fresh ingredients. My eggs were perfectly over easy, the plantain crispy and the asparagus tender.
They probably can't handle large groups without some warning, but our table for five was just right. They also have an outdoor patio.

Cozy restaurant that is a great lunch or breakfast spot. Easily situated near UVA, you'll commonly see a handful of UVA faculty entertaining guests or enjoying a meal with colleagues. Reservations are good, as it tends to be pretty full, particularly around lunch time.

Eating here this morning was the worse breakfast I have ever had. Sadly post covid gone is the delicious gourmet menu they once had. I ordered “The Traditional” which was for me scrambled eggs and “Pommes Frites” which were cold French fries that looked like they came out of a grocery store freezer and heated up. I took one bite of the eggs and I could not eat anymore they were awful.
Our waitress was completely overwhelmed and the venue was very loud. My elderly friend could not hear any of our conversation. No menu was given so when we were asked for out orders we did not have an order to give. We were then directed to something to scan on a cell phone - fine for me but not for my elderly friend. Coffee for her came with out cream, sugar or a spoon. We asked the waitress for these and after 5 or 10 minutes I went to get these for my friend from the coffee bar. When we got our bill we both handed our credit cards but only one was used as no splitting bills. I spent 60.00 on a scone and a decaf latte this morning 😕

Waitress was very nice every time we ate here. I appreciated the well designed menus (very pretty, and good font usage). The chai and coffee were both great, and my friends also liked their hot drinks a lot.

However, the sandwich I ordered on my first visit was quite bad. It was a special, and consisted of chicken, bacon, and walnuts I believe. The chicken was so heavily coated in sauce, and the bread so thin that the thing would not stay together. I typically have no issue with large and unruly sandwiches/burgers, but this one was unmanageable. This would have been fine if it tasted good, but all of the flavors clashed. The bacon was oily and fatty, the sauce was sharp and fresh tasting, and the chicken was dry and peppery. Every bite felt as though the ingredients were having a fistfight in my mouth, and no one was winning. I'm not sure who thought this sandwich was a good idea, but it was a tragedy on a plate. The chips it was served with were good, but come on they're just chips.

On my second visit I went with the breakfast sandwich, basically bacon egg and cheese on a bagel. This was good, but also not worth nearly as much as I was charged for it. If I'm paying as much as I did on my two visits here, I expect better food, not just a flashy menu and good coffee. As a result, I can't really recommend this place unless you're looking to spend too much on a homely atmosphere and food that's acceptable at best.

The best breakfast I’ve had in a while!

I dined here for brunch with a small group (three) on a Sunday morning. Though we've been to Oakhurst a number of times in the past - all with great experiences, this one seemed a bit abnormal.

We did not have a reservation and were told they usually require and promote reservations (though we have not made them during three prior visits) - but the host was friendly and found a seat for us.

Upon being seated we observed many changes to the menu and prior staple items were no longer included, which was a bit disappointing. In time, we placed our order and were brought our food. One of our guests has a severe gluten allergy and was not aware the dish they ordered had a form of pasta in it known as fregola (unaware of what fregola was at that time) - the menu was not marked for gluten allergies, nor was our table asked of any allergy challenges.

When the dish was brought out, we asked if there was couscous as the fregola resembled pearled couscous - the server notified us that it was pasta. The diner did not want a new dish, but to only receive the sauce beneath the fregola (to pair with the salmon) as they couldn't eat most of the dish. The responses received from three restaurant representatives were not only accusatory, but semi-demeaning, and awkward. The guest was advised that they should always notify their server of any food allergies and that the menu was clearly labeled with all ingredients. While a valid point, this is a direct approach and caused awkwardness. The ingredient is not very common so that led to the concern not being raised upon order, and the only question was to receive additional sauce - not a new dish or discount.

I was left disappointed and embarrassed for the diner as Oakhurst seemed to scold them due to an allergy and a clear miscommunication. We also were unable to order none of the once staple menu items due to a less desirable menu. In addition, we were charged for another tables bill accidentally - which was remedied, though the hold is still present on the card.

Takeaways:
1) Advise of food allergy even if you think you aren't ordering something that may present a challenge
2) Make a reservation
3) Review the menu if you've been before since staple/recurring items are no longer listed

One of my favorite breakfast places in Charlottesville. The food is always fantastic. The waitresses are nice but they could use a bit more help. They tend to get thrown off when they're busy but usually try to make up for it. Recommend regardless!

The food is not worth the bad service. The service was absolutely terrible. Their hours state they are open until 3:00, but when we arrived for lunch at 1:53, they told us the kitchen was only open until 2 while coffee is available until 3...???? The food was fine, I had a fried chicken sandwich, which sounds appealing but the chicken seemed more like a frozen patties with a thick crust of overly crisp breadcrumbs. I had to ask for water refill and when it came time to get the check the server was no where to be found. No one bussed our table or asked us if we wanted anything more (we did). We tracked down the servers who were sitting down to a full meal with salads and drinks and all. We ordered our hot chocolate to go and got the check. We drank our entire beverage with no sign of our server, who had sat back down for her lunch. They were still open for another 20 minutes according to their coffee schedule. We had to seek her out once again to pay and leave. They definitely need to restructure their front of house operations.

They stick very closely to thier menu and do not offer substitution. This meant I had to get very clever while ordering for a family of four. However they did have crayons to keep my kiddos busy while we enjoyed a fancy breakfast! They also had a few missing ingredients from thier dishes (example. no Creme Fraiche for my omelette). I also thought the little corner sunroom would make for a cute brunch spot. Maybe next trip I'll come with my girlfriends.

Our bill was $52 after tax very respectfully priced... expect for the 3.00 toast