The Local Restaurant and Catering Reviews
Reviews
4.8 out of 5 rating
4.8 out of 5 rating
181 Reviews
95% recommend it
Awards
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![Juliana]()
Juliana P. Sent on 01/30/2024Deliciously Exceptional Wedding Catering
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! -
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Lauren S. Sent on 11/29/2023
Great food, better people
We first saw The Local as one of our venue’s preferred vendors and they were actually recommended to us based on our budget. My fiancé and I decided to try out their restaurant, just to see. When we told them why we were there they were so pleasant and welcoming and we talked with Jeff at length about all of our options and who we should connect with about details. He even gave us a tour of the restaurant after dinner. We worked mostly with Samantha Clarke who was ON TOP OF IT!!! She was so kind and patient with us throughout the whole process. She was responsive and always ready with answers to our questions especially when parents and outside opinions got involved haha. The process was so smooth and gosh darn their food is SO FREAKING GOOD! Food (quantity and quality) was a huge priority for us and wow did the Local seriously deliver. Our guests were raving about how delicious all the food was and how generous the portion sizes were. This was such an easy decision for us and we love that we can still visit their restaurant whenever we want! 10/10 highly recommend, would chocolate them over and over again. -
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Lisa Sent on 06/27/2023
Incredible vendor!
Eleanore is incredible, she ensured that our wedding was easy, seamless and amazing! The food was delicious, loved our tasting (which was after we signed our contract, but we had eaten at the Local restaurant before). She worked well with our planner, and made sure that all details were attended to (food allergies, etc). The servers were wonderful, we had many compliments on our signature drinks and food (especially appetizers, late night snacks). She made sure all rentals were ordered as needed, and matched our wedding day needs, we are lucky that she worked with us. The Local took care of all labor and was very efficient in setting up/taking down wedding day rentals, even when it rained briefly before our ceremony, it was no issue. The only thing (which may have been related to our own oversight/miscommunication with King Family), was the Croze wine was served with ice, would have specified chilled or ordered more ice buckets/fridges to keep them chilled for guests. -
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![Caroline]()
Caroline R. Sent on 12/06/2022Absolutely phenomenal
Contracting The Local for our wedding was one of the best things that we did and I would recommend them to everyone. Kelly was the most amazing planner and we loved working with her!! She was so quick to respond to every phone call or email over every little question we had. She has so much experience and had great advice when we were trying to finalize the smallest details. She was also the sweetest and our whole wedding party raved about working with her as well! It was sooo helpful to have her as the point of contact for all of our vendors and it took a ton of stress off my husband and I leading up to the big day. Another huge benefit of The Local is that they provide everything you could need besides the coordination- rentals, food and alcohol. We came to Charlottesville for a day and planned all of the meetings back to back, and it was so much fun and so easy to do everything all at once! The food is INCREDIBLE- we had so many compliments from our guests that it was the best wedding food they'd ever had. We even had a few vegetarian guests that we were able to get additional entrees for with no extra charge! From the appetizers to the entrees to the sides, everything was phenomenal. We definitely recommend the truffle Mac and cheese :) They even packed up two boxes of leftovers for my husband and I to take to our hotel that night! Coordinating our alcohol through The Local was extremely painless as well and all of the bartenders and servers were great! We had two signature cocktails which were so easy to get set up, we just sent them the recipes and ingredients we wanted. The rentals were a super simple process as well and went well beyond just dishes and glassware! We were able to get wine barrels, a welcome sign, and some other decor through them that were absolutely stunning. The entire process of working with The Local was so personalized and I truly felt like they cared about making the day as special as possible for us, and they absolutely delivered. If we could give them more than 5 stars we would!! -
![Tina]()
Tina T. Sent on 11/03/2022Highly recommend!
As we reflect on our wedding day, we are abundantly certain that Samantha and the team from The Local were the all-stars!
When we first reached out, we appreciated how accommodating and informative they were. All of our questions and concerns were immediately answered with an extremely detailed proposal and breakdown of each cost/line item. In the back-and-forth stages of developing our menu to finalizing our guest count and meals, Samantha and the team’s responsiveness, positivity, and professionalism always had us feeling like we were in good hands. From setting up the perfect atmosphere to serving an amazing dinner to keeping everyone well-'hydrated' throughout the night, we are greatly appreciative of everything they did. Our signature drinks, passed canapés, and entrees (highly recommend the Maryland-style crab cakes) were a hit with our guests. I also appreciated that they packed up our meals at the end of the night and gave us some extras when we didn’t have a chance to eat throughout the night.
I can’t say this enough, but we highly recommend The Local as your caterer - whether it be for your wedding day or any special events. You will not be disappointed :) -
![Devin]()
Devin E. Sent on 05/08/2022Excellent wedding caterer
Highly recommend The Local for wedding catering! Their food was amazing, very easy to work with, competitive prices, and excellent service. -
![Jamie]()
Jamie E. Sent on 04/20/2022The best decision we made!!
I could not be happier with The Local!! My husband and I booked The Local to cater our 15-guest anniversary dinner. With only a few weeks notice, Kelly got back to me quickly with a menu to choose our dishes to pick up for dinner. I was a little nervous because I wasn't going to have a chance to taste anything (due to my own last minute planning), but oh my god. As soon as I opened the boxes and placed the hors d'oeuvres on the counter, I knew I made the right choice! It was absolutely beautiful and my guests were so impressed, by not only the presentation, but the flavors. The vegetables & fruits were fresh, the dips were phenomenal, & our personal favorite was the baked brie. Dinner was pre-plated for us in hotboxes (we picked up our meals as our event was an hour away, so they couldn't drop off & serve) and both dishes were absolutely delicious, even after an hour drive. I would without a doubt hire them again in a heartbeat. Amazing food, friendly staff, and a super simple process all in all. They really saved the day!! Thanks guys! -
Hannah K. Sent on 05/27/2022
Thank you, Kristin and team!
We contracted the Local to cater our wedding of ~100 people, working with Kristin Sclater. As UVA grads, how could we not love the Local? Their catering team surpassed our expectations.
They were very communicative all the way up to our wedding. On a separate note, planning a wedding during COVID came with uncertainty about what happens if government regulations would prevent us from having our wedding, and the Local staff talked us through how they've balanced staying financially afloat with providing a very fair and reassuring policy with how they've treated their clients. Legal language and all (my husband would argue, fairly protects their business from financial hemmorhage), after some time on the phone with their team, we were more than comfortable contracting them.
To give an idea of what logistics they had to deal with on the wedding day - We had an indoor wedding space, where the ceremony space was curtained off from where they would store tables and chairs. Following the ceremony, they had an hour to flip the entire room and take the dividing curtains down, setting up tables, chairs, etc. We've heard horror stories of this going south for previous weddings, and we can't say for sure whether there were any hiccups, but if there were, we definitely did not know about them. We were completely hands off, and had absolutely zero worries!
Their food was incredible - people raved about the passed shrimp hors d'oeuvres, the mac and cheese served with dinner; we personally loved the red wine sauce that paired with their steak. Our wedding planner worked with their catering team to set up to go boxes for our vendors who left early, and to set aside plates for ourselves to give us time to eat. Their bartenders were professional and attentive, especially as my husband went to fetch drinks for me (lol). We were able to provide our own beer and liquor (rather than using their alcohol package), and they were very easy to work with to sort out how that would work (ABC banquet license, what they would provide, what they needed from us, etc.).
This could read as a very dry review, but long story short, we cannot recommend the Local enough. Their experience with several popular wedding venues in Charlottesville shows through. -
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![Zarah]()
Zarah A. Sent on 11/16/2021Hire The Local!
The Local was stellar and I would hire them again and again. We have had countless compliments on the food at our wedding. From booking, to the two tastings we had, countless emails with Kelly and Helen, and finally to wedding day, they were stellar. They delivered quality service that kept the evening on time. They also clean up so well! We had a great time planning out our menu for our wedding with them as food was so important to us. Also had stellar bartenders! I'll be singing the highest praises for the Local to anyone getting married in and around the Charlottesville area. Thank you so much! -
![Irene]()
Irene K. Sent on 11/22/2021Super flexible and accommodating
We had a distinct vision for the food at our wedding, where we wanted to bring together elements from each of our family's cultural heritages. The Local completely understood our vision and designed two separate stations, including one that is not typically in their set menus. The chef even learned my mom's recipe for my favorite childhood food for one of our appetizers. Our guests had an amazing time sampling everything, and we have heard so many compliments. Helen was also super responsive in the weeks immediately leading up to our wedding and easily dealt with my thousands of questions! -
![Sarah]()
Sarah Sent on 10/26/2021Amazing from start to finish.
The Local was a huge part of what made our wedding day such a success. First off, the food is delicious. Appetizers, main course, the drinks - they did it all and well. But more importantly, we had the best experience with our partial and day-of planner, Helen. I don’t know how she balances everything on her plate. She made the wedding day come together so smoothly that everyone I look back I remember a new detail that she thought of that was just taken care of or done so well that she made it look easy (which I’m sure it was not!). I would recommend her to any bride looking to work with someone who is genuinely so kind, responsive and helpful. Thank you so much Helen! -
![Pamela]()
Pam P. Sent on 10/14/2021Great Food & Service!
The food and service at The Local is phenomenal. The dinner service was well executed and we got tons of compliments on how yummy the food was. Everyone was great to work with and really responsive on the catering team. We even got extra meals for the bride & groom to take home! And, if you're looking for a wedding coordinator, we can't recommend Emily enough! She helped us through postponing (due to Covid) and was a joy to work with. So helpful and so responsive! -
![Lea]()
Lea C. Sent on 10/18/2021Great experience!
The Local was a preferred vendor for our venue, and we were so pleased with how everything turned out!
Not only was the food delicious (which we were expecting since we love The Local restaurant already), but our dinner servings were HUGE. It was a big talking point of the night.
On top of that, we had to postpone our wedding by a year due to COVID and The Local was totally flexible in postponing. Helen is extremely organized can kept us informed along the way — it ended up being a totally stress-free experience!
Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a great caterer in the area. -
![Nicole]()
Nicole J. Sent on 10/23/2021Not your average restaurant venue!
What’s that? You want a wedding venue in the heart of Charlottesville with incredible food? But the venue space should have a speakeasy, eclectic charm? Maybe a balcony with a view of the cutest little bakery? Wouldn’t it be a dream if the on-site event coordinator had connections with a local rental company?
Well look no further! The Local knocked it out of the park! Our coordinator worked with us from the very beginning and then made sure everything was set up and ready when we arrived - table settings, florals, etc. I was truly blindsided by the support. And then the food, of course, was the star of the show. Wow!
I HIGHLY recommend The Local, not just for catering services - but the excellent venue and organized staff. -
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Allison B. Sent on 09/27/2021
Fabulous event venue
The Local provided us our ideal wedding venue. It’s intimate feeling, has incredible food, and the people who work there are awesome. We had great interactions with Michelle, Mark, John and the entire staff. Michelle was so on top of everything with planning. She truly went above and beyond for me. John was the day of contact and he and his team - knocked everyone’s socks off. The food and drinks were incredible and the event went off without a hitch. We loved our wedding at The Local and wouldn’t have done it anywhere else!! -
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![Eliza]()
Eliza C. Sent on 08/02/2021Stop what you're doing and hire The Local now!
I can't say enough good things about The Local. My husband and I would go there for special occasions when were students at UVA so we already loved their food (and our meals on the wedding day were even better than what we had at our tasting which was already amazing to begin with). But what really made our experience working with them so wonderful was their team. We hired The Local for partial planning and worked with three different individuals from their team to book, plan our April 2021 wedding, and then ultimately execute our postponed July 2021 celebration. Everyone we worked with was kind, professional, communicative, and flexible. They made hard things easier (whether it was deciding to postpone or picking out our rentals), were always reliable, and made the wedding planning process more enjoyable. I have to give a special shoutout to Kelly who executed our wedding day to perfection. I felt so at ease the entire wedding and didn't have to worry about a single thing thanks to her. I knew we were in good hands with Kelly and that's true of anyone at The Local. Picking a caterer and coordinator is one of the most important vendor decisions you'll make and my husband and I can't recommend The Local highly enough. -
![Eric]()
Eric B. Sent on 03/30/2020Excellent Service
The Local provided excellent service to our guest at our wedding. They catered to our every need, even before we realized what we needed! The servers were very friendly and accommodating to several of our guests’ dietary restrictions. The food was so flavorful, and the portions were filling.
The communication between us and the staff at The Local was on-point and attentive. They also did a wonderful job of setting each and every table with the appropriate number of silverwares, plates, and glasses. The Local helped our wedding day go off without a hitch, while getting hitched!
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