Jul 1

Jul 1 VA Local Eats: The Amherst Corner

A little ice cream. A little fries. A little comfort.

The Virginia Local Eats series is meant to capture some of the best family-friendly, budget-friendly local eateries around the heart of Virginia. Once we’d discovered these places it didn’t feel right to keep them to ourselves, so we are sharing them with you!

We are kicking off the Virginia Local Eats series with one of our all-time favorite restaurants, the Amherst Corner Restaurant near Amherst, VA. Begun as a cute little ice cream parlor and comfort food joint off Highway 29 just about two miles north of Amherst town, the clientèle kept growing and demand increased for more space and more menu items. The old location did not allow for a deep fryer because of zoning and regulations, so the owners of the shop, Freeman Miller and his family, decided to move across the street.

What they got was a kitchen an order of magnitude larger than before, able to crank out fries and wings and fish/shrimp dishes. The menu is diverse and tasty, while staying inexpensive enough to keep costs down. Freeman Miller himself is there most days helping out, and he remembers everyone’s name once he’s heard it. His wife Emily is also a near-constant presence, and she gets her customers to help taste-test new recipes for sauces and such.

Oh, and they haven’t forgotten their ice cream parlor roots! The ice cream is still a major feature.

On our last excursion to the Amherst Corner, we decided it was just an ice cream kind of evening, since it was almost bed time and everyone had already had their dinner. So we got plain chocolate ice cream for all the kids and Dad, and a Brownie Sundae for Mom. The brownie sundae looked kinda amazing.

The Amherst Corner also supplies a cloth checkerboard and jumbo checkers to play while waiting for food to arrive. The two oldest boys competed hard. Not sure who won. Everyone, maybe? Since we all got ice cream?

If you are ever traveling Highway 29 and need a place to stop and grab a quick bite, the Amherst Corner is an excellent place to do so. The staff is friendly, accommodating, and completely unfazed by big families (like ours.) The dining room is bright and clean, with lots of big picture windows to capture the sunlight. They even have a piano.

Just be aware that it is a popular spot for locals, so at lunchtime and around 5 o’clock it may be hard to find a table!

Their website is here: http://theamherstcorner.com.