Community Inn Restaurant

When you have spent most of your money at the good bar with the decent drinks and edibles you come here and have a cheap bottle of Miller High Life and some tater tots because lets face it, you are broke and too drunk to care anymore and all your friends are here doing the same thing late at night. This place is especially great for local hipsters who will swear they aren't hipsters and super old men who used to be local hipsters. Who cares? They are only separated by a few decades and a bit of liver damage anyway. The nouveau rockabilly types also like to hang here. The staff of mostly female servers and bartenders are delightfully surly and lets face it, you would be too with this crowd. Don't think they will come to your table later in the evening because they won't. If you can catch the attention of one of these bad@ss ladies they do make a stiff and cheap drink which is quite passable for late hour needs especially if you get something like a vodka and tonic, they will get your previously frozen, fried up, anti-hangover stuff to you while it's hot. They are also great at managing the inebriated crowd. Community Inn's atmosphere with it's  grungy paneling from the 70's reeks of hipster trap and there is even a little aquarium like cage full of the smoking ones in the very back. CI, as it is affectionately known the locals, does serve a need for late night drinkers who think they want to go to a dive but may be afraid to venture into the "scary" neighborhoods to go to an actual dive. I like this place ok and if I am in late night party mode I like it too much.  I wouldn't recommend CI to visitors. The regulars here are strangely judgey and they throw lots of attitude. Oh, just so you know, the overhead lights come on at last call and they are very, very bright and remember not to drink and drive through this middle class neighborhood which is heavily patrolled.

My husband and I love CI.  We can go there in our cut off sweats and feel right at home.  Strong mixed drinks, friendly service, good beer selection, and all sorts of deep fried goodness!  Husband especially likes the bottle caps with a side of nacho cheese.

In from out of town, never went here while I resided in Roanoke.  Met friends for drinks/snacks here.  Space-wise, it's pretty deep.  Service was lacking,  call me spoiled but I hate flagging people down for  my drinks.  The food was typical fare for dive bars.

Certainly worth going here with friends to make the experience, but otherwise, it's your average bar environment.