Commonwealth Restaurant & Skybar

Commonwealth is probably my favorite restaurant in C-ville. The food is the same locally sourced, new American style that's all over town, but it's executed terrifically.

The highest and best use of this place is as a date spot, especially when the weather's nice and they open up the glass wall and side patio. The smallish dining room makes big group dinners tricky to impossible.

The policy of not accepting reservations is a double edged sword. This place is hardly a hidden gem, so expect to wait on Friday and Saturday nights.

This is my go-to recommendation when people visit. If you find yourself walking the mall looking for dinner, order the sea bass with shrimp etouffee, and thank me later.

We just went here for a couple of drinks and had an ok time. We didn't have anything to eat, so I can't rate the food.  The rooftop has a very nice setting and they have a great selection of beer and other drinks.  However, the service was a little slow, and there was a bit of a pretentious atmosphere.  It wasn't terrible, but it was like a "we were lucky to be served" attitude and it wasn't even that crowded yet.

Very tasty food with good portions.  The service was excellent and they had an interesting selection of beer and cocktails.  The Skybar was a nice place to spend a summer evening.  I'll be coming here if I pass through Charlottesville again.