The Local gave us an incredible experience from start to finish. After having eaten at their restaurant multiple times (including for our first date), my husband & I knew we wanted to have them as our caterer, and they exceeded our expectations.

From the very beginning, they were consistently prompt in their communication and flexible with what we wanted in our contract. The food packages they offer are generous for the price with endless options to customize everything to our liking. The quality and portion sizes at the actual event were exceptional - exactly like in our tasting - and we are still getting compliments on our food months afterwards. We also were able to provide our own alcohol (except wine, as per our venue's rule) that they used for bartending purposes, which helped with cost. Their staff even helped set up desserts we purchased from other companies.

I also really appreciated their contracting services through MS Rentals, which was included in our price. When we first started planning, we hadn't even considered where to find linens and flatware, but luckily we didn't have to. The MS Rentals team helped us piece together our table settings with little more than a color palette to start with, and they were more than accommodating with any changes we decided to make before the event.

Cost is a big part of catering, so I can't emphasize enough how mindful of our budget The Local was throughout the planning process. It's easy to get nickel-and-dime-d when deciding on vendors, but we had the complete opposite experience with them. The contract they provide is very clear about the cost of each item and kept up to date, there are no hidden fees, and they even provided helpful suggestions for various items based on our guest count that ultimately decreased the final bill (which they didn't have to do).

All in all, this company provided excellent catering & dinner service for our event while supporting us throughout the entire planning process. We feel extremely valued and satisfied as clients and can't wait to go eat at The Local again soon!

We worked with The Local for our full catering and coordination services for our wedding. We cannot say enough good things about their entire team! Helen, our coordinator, went above and beyond to make our wedding everything we hoped for and more. She was incredibly responsive and helpful, and managed all our vendors, requests, and the wedding day all so seamlessly and professionally. She put all our stresses and concerns at rest, and we felt like we could truly relax and be present at our wedding, knowing that she had everything planned and managed. My only wish is that we hired her for full service wedding planning! The catering team was awesome as well! We enjoyed all the food and drinks, and we receive many compliments from our guests. They easily accommodated our "breakfast-for-dinner" menu, tailoring all our food choices to what we asked for. We would recommend Helen and The Local for any event!

Using the Local was an amazing decision for our wedding! We got so many compliments on the food and the passed foods at cocktail hour was amazing! People were asking to know who we used so that they could get more! The local also handled our rentals for us and everything went perfectly!

We loved working with The Local Catering for our wedding! We also used their day-of-planning services and Kelly & Meridyth were absolutely amazing! The food was incredible and whenever we say we got married near Charlottesville and mention we had the Local cater, everyone says it is their favorite restaurant in the area. The tasting we did with our parents was amazing and everything was just as good on wedding day. Kelly & Meridyth were so helpful with coordinating our rentals and everything on wedding day went so smoothly! We couldn't recommend them enough!

We cannot recommend The Local - both the restaurant and their catering team - highly enough! We got married on November 1 at Eastwood Farm and Winery in Charlottesville. The Local's catering services were exceptional from start to finish and truly elevated our entire wedding experience.

I had no idea how complex the catering process for a wedding could be, but The Local guided us through every step with ease. We opted for a sit-down dinner with grilled chicken, fried chicken, or steak, served with green beans and fingerling potatoes. The food was delicious, beautifully prepared, and perfectly warm when served, even on a chilly fall day!

Our catering coordinator, Eleanore, was absolutely fantastic. From our tasting, to helping us select rentals through MS Events, to the final walkthrough at the venue, and being on-site the day of, she was thoughtful, organized, energetic, and genuinely fun to work with. Her experience showed in everything she did. Knowing that The Local had worked many weddings at Eastwood also gave us so much peace of mind. They knew exactly how the day should flow, and it showed, and they worked cohesively with our planner and venue staff.

Eleanore and the entire team went above and beyond in every way. If you’re considering The Local for your event or wedding, do it. They’re an absolute standout.

We worked primarily with Helen as our catering coordinator, and she was amazing every step of the way. She was very knowledgeable about our venue, having catered there many times before, which contributed to our reception going over so well. She was super friendly and easy to work with. She worked very well with our day-of coordinator, and her team was very well-prepared, competent, and professional throughout the night.

Outside of just Helen, the rest of the catering staff was all very friendly and hard-working. They were constantly asking if we had everything we wanted, and did a great job of packing some food up for us to take with at the end of the night. Even early-on in the process when we were still getting estimates for the catering from multiple places, we were impressed by how thorough The Local was with their cost breakdowns. It was very helpful for us to see what costs were going where, since we really had no experience in this realm beforehand.

Additionally, the whole catering team was very helpful when it came to accommodating our guests with dietary issues. Cheese crumbles came on the side of the salad for those who didn't like cheese, and vegan plates were specifically prepared for the couple of vegan guests that we had in attendance.

Aside from all of the excellent service that I've mentioned, the food was absolutely delicious. Everything that we decided on during our tasting with the Local tasted just as good the night of the wedding. The guests loved it as well - we received multiple comments during the night and after about how good the food was.

I've got to stop somewhere, but I cannot say enough good things about Helen, the rest of the catering team, and The Local. Would definitely recommend them to anybody! We will definitely be stopping back by their restaurant for dinner the next time we are in Charlottesville!

It's been weeks since our wedding, and we're still getting an insane amount of compliments and questions on our wedding dinner! One of my bridesmaids even asked if I could get the recipe for The Local's truffle mushroom pasta (the resounding favorite from all of our guests, and for good reason). The other favorite (especially from my husband) was their apple crisp.

It's common knowledge that the bride and groom don't get a ton of time to eat on the wedding day. We'd built out a private dinner right after cocktail hour but before sunset photos, and we got to eat a little bit of everything. Let me tell you -- I'm still thinking about the scalloped potatoes I had. I could have had an entire plate of those and still have been happy. We also had the chicken and green beans, and it's an understatement to say everything was incredible. Every dish was high quality, remained hot through the buffet, and were filling but didn't make you feel too heavy/sleepy to dance all night afterwards.

Not only was the food amazing, but working with Helen and her team through our engagement was so easy. The Local is very thorough and sends over clear paperwork, including a contract with all items and payments broken down, and they were really responsive with any questions we had along the way. They even had a specific food option for those with allergies or dietary restrictions. Their team also helped set up and take down everything, and really made our dreams come true with the place settings and floorplan. It was absolutely beautiful.

Overall, we could not recommend them more, and are hoping we get to attend a wedding where they're the vendor so we can eat more of their food! Thank goodness they're also a restaurant; we'll definitely be going there to relive our wedding dinner yet again :)

We are so glad we used The Local as our caterer for our wedding! We are also glad that we got to work with Helen exclusively. She guided us through the most stressful part of the wedding – the catering. We were a long-distance couple and she was so accommodating. She helped us create an excellent menu that our guests loved. We also had some specific guest dietary restrictions that she helped us navigate and execute. She was an excellent communicator throughout the entire process.

Our wedding day food was absolutely excellent. Each dish was beautifully presented and packed with flavor. The service was impeccable. The day of catering team was incredibly professional, attentive, and friendly, ensuring that everything ran smoothly and that our guests were well taken care of. They were able to quickly pivot when we needed to move our ceremony indoors as well.

We couldn’t have asked for a better catering experience. If you’re looking for a caterer who delivers exquisite food, exceptional service, and a truly memorable dining experience, The Local is the way to go.

A wonderfully successful rehearsal dinner - from initial contact through to the very end. I could not have been happier with the planning process, setup and food. We received so many compliments of how delicious everything was (very tender beef and delicious crab cakes) so my hats off to your kitchen and staff.
Nichole, thank you for being there Friday to help with my setup requests and prompt follow through. Bar staff was pleasant and I never noticed people waiting around for a cocktail. What more can I say - everything was perfect! Thank you!

Do yourself a favor and book the Local for your wedding. I had multiple people at my wedding come up and tell me it was the best food they had ever had at a wedding. Not to mention their day of planning services made ALL of our dreams come true. Book them now!