Drove 55 minutes from Roanoke, VA to meet my family ,who drove 75 minutes from WV, at this much anticipated eatery. Â After waiting over 50 minutes to get our lunch, we were already over the allure of the small swinging bridge restaurant and expensive gift shop upstairs. Â The food was ok, but didn't even come close to my Mother's homecookin'. Â The short haired general manager asked how everything was, but when she was told about the lengthy wait, she immediately blamed it on a large crowd and took no action to remedy the situation. Â Too far out of the way for bad service and below average southern cooking.
Review Source:Wonderful helpful friendly staff.....tons of things to look at in and around the restaurant....the absolute BEST barbeque I have ever had...and its buffalo....you can ride up the road and see the buffalo grazing......incredible food and service...very reasonable prices....well worth the drive!! and its a beautiful scenic drive...take ur camera...enjoy the adorable accents and food
Review Source:Great atmosphere friendly employees could have used more waiters & waitresses.  Food was good buffalo wings don't come with sauce on winglets  sauces to the side but very lightly breaded and fried good flavor without the dipping Hot Sauce. Next time will try the bison buffalo burger.
Review Source:Come for the experience, more than the food. Set in a scenic, agricultural valley amid National Forest, the Swinging Bridge is the only restaurant for probably at least 25 miles anywhere around. It's part of the historic railroad hamlet of Paint Bank, which was bought and restored wholesale by a financier from New Jersey, who was convicted of fraud and conspiracy in the 1980s, and his widow. No expense was spared, and playful, creative touches were added. There is a general store, a mill with creek, a lodging house, and a gas station. Plus a wide back porch, the eponymous indoor swinging bridge, and lawn games.
Would that the food were good! Almost everything I've eaten here has been lacking. Â The Angus beef chopped steak is spongy and nothing special, though sweet and salty and edible, and the cheese steak, oddly, is dressed with mayonnaise. No thought to flavor combination is put into the iceberg house salad, and it's topped with cheap sliced cheeses and soggy, shredded pieces of, the menu says, bacon. The Italian dressing is refrigerated and corn syrupy and obviously not made fresh from scratch. The brown beans are served completely unseasoned and floating in water. The succotash (lima beans and corn; on special) was served the same way. The surface of the tomato bisque (another special) was pocked with oil. The lemonade is too sweet.
When they're good, the fried onion strings are delicious! Though sometimes they're too fried or stuck together. Also, the chicken tenders are moist and fine, though plain and boring.
Food 3 + ambiance 8 + value 5 + service 5 = overall 4.5 /10 (forgettable)
Southern Cooking + Buffalo + Hole in the Wall town = LOVE
This was a random drive by discovery while out for a drive with my mom. We *loved* the general store, the cool big-leather-couch lounge area in front of the fire with a coffee table full of books and the restaurant.
The nearby Blue Ridge mountains and the long, flowing lawn behind the store make this place almost paradisic. And the food is really great. I had a pulled Buffalo Bar-B-Q with "Sweet Tater Fries" and coleslaw. The only drawback I can think of is that they don't serve alcohol and a beer would have been great with the sandwich.
Buffalo is their specialty; there are a number of buffalo farms nearby. You can buy frozen buffalo from the general store on your way out. And Moon Pies. And RC Cola. And candy you haven't seen in years. And upstairs you'll find everything from ornaments and country kitsch to fishing lures and shotguns.
If you happen to be in this area; The Swinging Bridge and General Store is a can't miss.
If you *aren't* in this area but live nearby in or around Roanoke, this place is the perfect destination for lunch on a weekend cruise.
My wife had heard about this place at work. So, Sunday afternoon rolls around and we hop into the car. We start driving...and keep driving...then we drive some more. Â I discovered where the mountains are in this state! Amazing views and then we arrive in Paint Bank. Â Wonderful atmosphere! Â Tables have built in checker boards, how cool is that! We had to clarify rules w/ the waitress...it's been a while.
Appy: Onion straws. Â These were wicked greasy but very good.
Meals: We split the Buff-a-loaf and and a buffalo burger. I remember my wife syaing "this is the best meatloaf I have ever had"! Â If you have not tried buffalo, please try it here. Cooked perfectly and raised literally down the road from the restaurant! Also tried mashed potato, sweet tuber fries, and slaw. All very, very good!
Dessert: Apple pie w/ ice cream. Very good.
So if you are looking for a HECK of an artery clogging, southern cooking weekend...hit the bridge and the Homeplace. Â We didn't have food like this up north! Enjoy!
I love small country restaurants like this. Â The drive out here is pretty awesome and it's a great way to get away from civilization. Â I ordered their Almost Famous sub which is basically a deep fried chicken salad sandwich with cranberry sauce. Â I've gotta say it was pretty awesome. Â The hand cut potato chips were pretty good albeit super greasy. Â I ordered up some fried onion straws as well and they were good but also super greasy. Â Normally, I wouldn't have a problem with super greasy but when it's nearly 100 degrees outside, my body doesn't do well with grease. Â Make sure you get a nice tall glass of Paint Bank Moonshine aka an Arnold Palmer (half iced tea half lemonade). Â The gift shop is alright...they have a nice selection of country jams but not much else. Â Service was great and the staff is pretty friendly. Â Definitely worth checking out at least once.
Review Source:The atmosphere here is great, it's the old general store converted to a restaurant and gift shop. It's a good place for a buffalo burger or a sandwich. There's usually a crowd, but I've never had to wait long for a table (the restroom is another story). With a friendly staff, this place is a win.
Review Source:
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