…is one of the quotes seen on the back of t-shirts worn by employees at Fork in the Alley, in South Roanoke, Virginia. Dubbed a brick oven pub, this unique, little place is worth seeking out, seeing as it is tucked away beside a convenience store and cupcake boutique.
The certificated behind the bar read “maximum occupancy: 55,” so you can obviously get the impression that the variety of outdoor seating gets used quite a lot during the warmer months. On my visit, there was actually a 45 minute wait for a table, but was lucky enough to grab two stools at the bar with my dining companion. There was a band playing outside, so it was nice to be relatively more peaceful indoors, although it was a nice evening with temperatures in the 70s, so would have been perfect to sit outside.
The bartender who helped us out was calm and knowledgable about the entire menu and quickly brought us waters, in addition to the Roanoke Railhouse Ale that was on tap. There were two tvs in the corners, but certainly the focus of the place, as the open kitchen showcasing the brick oven provided a nice backdrop to our meal. I was impressed with the appetizer of bbq shrimp and cheese grits, severed separately so that we could enjoy the flavors individually. The five shrimp were tangy and crispy and while the grits were not the best I’ve ever had, they certainly held up strong to my standards.
For our meal we ordered a quesadilla plus the special side of cucumber salad and a Joe Cool Alley Dog with oven baked mac ‘n cheese. That’s right, in addition to the pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, wraps and house specialties, FITA serves a variety of tasty HOT DOGS! The Joe Cool is kosher beef with firehouse bbq sauce, cole slaw and cheddar cheese. Simple, inexpensive and exactly what I wanted, yum. The menu includes other great options like the DC Dog, Astro Dog and Scooby, coolness.
A Virginia Green restaurant, I was impressed that the menu included designations for vegetarian items, along with some of their cooler, heartier dishes marked as “forks required.” The restaurant logo is neat and all of the cabinets and whatnot have fork handlebars. Oh, I mentioned that they are next door to a cupcake shop, Bubblecake, and it looked like there was one left, a big chocolate cupcake with a kind of pink icing….mmmm. My next trip to FITA might focus more on dessert, as you can also order a brick oven s’more.
Clearly a popular place as a random Sunday evening and the place was packed, they have expanded to include another location called Fork in the City in downtown Roanoke. Oh, and by the way, with a beer, appetizer, quesadilla, hot dog and sides, the bill was under $30, before tip. You can be sure this is now one of “my spots” in Roanoke!
I think they say it best…
“Fork in the Alley: hard to find, impossible to leave.”
How did you forgo the brick oven s’more??? I would love to try this place out someday.