ABOUT US
MORE THAN 100 YEARS OF HISTORY
Our building, known historically as Inges Grocery, was built in 1820 and was many things over the years, including a boarding house, tavern, and grocery.
The grocery, which had several names over the years, most recently "Inge's Grocery," occupied the main floor until 1973. The upstairs rooms housed the family, as well as functioned as a boarding house. The most famous visitor was Booker T. Washington, and one of our private rooms bares his name. This was the first African American business in Charlottesville, and was owned by freed slaves.
This area of Charlottesville was called, and is often still referred to as, "Rose Hill." Originally, the entire neighborhood was made up of buildings much like ours. Today, unfortunately, all but two of those buildings, once houses and businesses, have been torn down to make way for strip malls, big box stores, and fast food chains. Tavern & Grocery is one of these last two remaining buildings, along with the Jefferson School, just down the street from us.
OUR VISION
We are a restaurant happily based on local, seasonal ingredients done in an elevated fashion and served by a knowledgable and friendly staff. We love what we do and want to welcome our guests in a way that makes everyone feel like they have come to a special place and are going to have a memorable experience.
Our building was built in 1820 and retains a character that exists nowhere else. Tavern & Grocery was originally a grocery, tavern, and boarding house, and was the first African American business in Charlottesivlle, and was owned by free slaves. It was, throughout the years, a grocery on the main floor, a tavern, and a boarding house in the upstairs rooms, where the family also lived. The business was a grocery until 1973, hence the "grocery" in our name. We pay homage to this history with our upstairs "Booker Room" which was where Booker T. Washington stayed when he was a guest here. Check our private dining tab for more information on this!
Our vision is to make our restaurant more than just "farm to table," but rather "our farm to your table." In this, we grow many of our own vegetables on our farm just down the road in Keswick. We grow our salads, tomatoes, herbs, and as much else as we possibly can! We also have a large flock of hens who diligently lay our colorful eggs! And what we can't grow ourselves, we source from local farmers who bring us what is at peak season throughout the year. Our meats are from local organic farmers who care passionately about what they are doing and the environment we all share.
Ask your server, and they will be happy to discuss where our ingredients are sourced!
