While looking for family-friendly dining options nearby, I stumbled upon Firefly Charlottesville. This unique restaurant has combined a fun menu with retro entertainment! I couldn’t resist adding it to the itinerary.
Firefly Charlottesville has made the most of a unique space. The dining room is flooded with natural light and the high ceilings make the room feel large and open. It would be a fun and intriguing restaurant to visit even if it didn’t include entertainment.
In addition to the dining area, there’s a traditional bar with hightop tables and a lounge/hangout area with couches.
The Menu
Main Menu
The menu offers barroom classics like nachos, wings, burgers, and chicken strips. Each sandwich or burger includes a side dish. Firefly also offers traditional options like fries and chips and some plussed-up options, like sweet potato fries and chili.
We went with sliders, tater tot nachos (totchos), and a BLT with sweet potato fries.
Not only was it beautiful, it was delicious!
Vegan Menu
Travel dining with a young vegetarian can sometimes be a challenge, at least for me. She can always find something on the menu, but I worry about her nutrition when she’s living off of fries, macaroni and cheese, and side salads.
Firefly had us covered. Fully half of the menu is vegan! Their creative use of jackfruit and cashew cheese means they can offer vegan versions of barroom favorites, including loaded nachos and burgers.
While there weren’t specific kids’ options listed on this side, the BBQ jackfruit slider with tots for $6 was the perfect size and price for a little vegan.
Drinks Menu
The drinks menu is as extensive as the food menu! The offerings include canned and bottled beer, wine, hard cider, hard kombucha, mead, and cocktails. Even we could appreciate the variety of local alcoholic beverages.
Non-alcoholic beverages include house-brewed tea, soda, juice, milk, and mocktails. We went with soda.
The Games
Let’s get to the reason we’re here: food and FUN!
The back wall of the restaurant is lined with a dozen quarter-operated arcade games and pinball machines. Talk about nostalgia! I dazzled my children with my pinball skills… after I showed them how to operate the flippers and pull back the plunger that shoots the ball into the machine.
Firefly Charlottesville has both an ATM and a change machine. Luckily we’d planned ahead, bringing a large bag of quarters.
Most games were 50¢, but we were able to stretch that out with high scores and free replays. We probably spent about $5 per person on games during our visit. That was enough to try out the games that looked interesting and return to our favorites. If you aren’t up for spending the extra cash, you can always borrow one of the board games!
We had a lot of fun!
The Extras
Brunch
A special brunch menu is served on Sundays from 10:00AM to 3:00PM. It includes breakfast burritos, platters, and French toast (and vegan versions).
Food Truck
Firefly Charlottesville also has a food truck! It has been christened “Firefly on the Fly,” which I think is incredibly cute. The easiest way to keep track of it is on Facebook.
Safe Cville
Firefly is certified as a Safe Space by C-ville Pride through the SafeCville training. It is a welcoming space for all! (Learn more)
Trivia Night
Reservations are recommended on Tuesdays as Firefly hosts trivia from 8:00PM to 10:00PM.
Plan Your Visit
Firefly Charlottesville
1304 East Market Street
Charlottesville, Virginia 22902
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