Restaurant review: Beamer’s 25
The Smokey Burger at Beamer’s 25. Photo by Kyle Green l The Roanoke Times.
By Nona Nelson
The Roanoke Times
You don’t have to be a Hokies fan to appreciate Beamer’s 25 American Burger House in the Lofts at West Station in downtown Roanoke. While Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer is an investor and football memorabilia decorates the walls, the restaurant doesn’t clobber its diners with orange and maroon. It does offer tasty food and beverage selections at reasonable prices.
The vibe
There is a rustic yet elegant ambiance at Beamer’s 25, with exposed wood beams, knotty pine floors and industrial-inspired lighting. There is definitely a sports theme to the decor, including jersey numbers on each of the dining room tables, but televisions are confined to the bar area – visible from some dining room seats but far enough away to create a soothing separation.
The place is lively, but it’s easy to carry on a conversation at your table and there is a private room (with a television) for large parties. The service, even on a busy Saturday night, was prompt and courteous, and the wait staff was able to answer any question we had about the menu.
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January 10, 2013 - 3:48 PM
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We ate dinner there last night, so I was interested to read this this morning.
We started with the fried pickles (which I’d been craving after the thread here) then had a couple Shroom burgers, a Soprano, and New Yorker. I asked for mine medium rare, and it was perfectly cooked. At one point we sat with empty beer glasses for almost 20 minutes, which was annoying, but otherwise it was a great experience. I’m not normally a big burger person, but I enjoyed mine a lot…we all did.
I wonder if this Beamer’s will last longer than the Beamer’s Restaurant in the dumpy shopping center in Christiansburg. Or worse, First and Main in Blacksburg where I don’t know if they ever even opened.
It sounds as if the latest iteration of a Beamer-labeled restaurant might have finally found its’ proper level of cuisine. Strip away pretension, and be straightforward. Good luck to them in a tough economic climate. If any type of non-franchise restaurant can survive in RoVa, this would probably be the one.
I just recently discovered Beamer’s 25 a few weeks ago and have eaten there twice. I had the reuben burger on my first visit and the chili burger on the second visit. Both burgers were cooked exactly to order and were really good. The chili burger comes with sauteed onions, which I normally like, but for some reason I just didn’t care for them with this burger. I had to re-live my childhood and get the tater tots both times, they were great. The beer selection is wonderful. I tried a flight of four and really enjoyed the variety. My first visit was on a Friday night and it got really busy and the service slowed down quite a bit. Sat with empty glasses a few times and the food took quite a while to come out. My second visit was on a Tuesday night, not nearly as crowded and the service was very prompt. Overall I really enjoyed it and look forward to trying more of their eclectic selection of burgers.
Kristen, Sounds great! I was curious if you ever ate at the former Beamer’s, which is where Thelma’s is now on the market? I know Beamer’s 25 is not necessarily related to the old Beamer’s, but I was curious how the food at the two might compare. I ate at the old Beamer’s for lunch quite a bit when I worked downtown and was sad to see it go. I am looking forward to trying Beamer’s 25.
Kevin, we were there again tonight with friends and it was rocking. I wasn’t here for that other Beamers but everyone else was, and they all agreed this new iteration was far better. I really recommend it, and lately I haven’t recommended much. I hope it does well.
Thanks, Kristen. I look forward to checking it out!
I agree that the burgers are excellent… and that drink refills take way too long. I’ve been a few times and will continue to go back!
Went there for the first time this past Saturday night with friends and son in tow. Overall, I was disappointed. We shared appetizers of fried pickles (I’m not a fan, no matter the locale) and onion rings. The rings were ok. I had the Smokey burger, and it sure didn’t come as loaded with toppings as the picture. The “onion straws” were hard to find. Also, the sauce was far too sweet and there was far too much of it on the burger. The meat was ok and the bun was good, but overall, a disappointment. Son had the Soprano and liked it. He also had the potato wedges as a side. He labeled them “bland”, others at the table said the same. Some had the mixed veggies as a side (again, labeled “bland” and “nothing special”). Surprisingly, the person who seated us was rather rude. He complained about our party size (we were 13 and took up 2 tables) and kept telling us the restaurant was going to be “full soon”. We thought he was trying to hurry us along. (We went early at 5). The restaurant wasn’t full until around 7 when we left, so I don’t know what his problem was. We all shared fried oreos for dessert (my first time). They were good, but one out of the four in the bowl was enough for me. Overall, the vote of the group was great place to have a beer (those who partook gave it two thumbs up) but none would go out of their way to return for a meal. The sentiment was there are many better restaurant offerings in downtown Roanoke. Nevertheless, I wish them success. Based upon the crowd at the bar waiting for a table when we left, they should be ok.
Thanks for all of the reports, folks.