Helping the Market

City Market Building

The re-opening of the City Market Building in downtown Roanoke has added a new set of restaurant possibilities for a weekday lunch. With my office being just a short walk over the railroad tracks, I can be downtown in less than five minutes, and the market building is a great spot to grab something quick. Although they currently only have four restaurants, I'm excited about the plans for the future with the new places and types of food that will be available. So far, I've tried three of the four restaurants in the building and I'd say Allsports Cafe on the Market has emerged as my early favorite.

I was biased when I heard Allsports Cafe would be opening a new location downtown because I was familiar with their food. They serve great wings and are one of the cooler local sports bars in the area, so I figured they would be successful in the market building. It's interesting to see them in the market building in a food court style set-up instead of as a sports bar, but I'm pretty sure they have plans to expand and utilize more space in the future. For now, they are essentially a carryout location.

The menu isn't quite as big as the other two Allsports Cafe locations, but it still features many of their most popular items. This location serves wings, sandwiches, wraps, burgers, salads, and a few other things, and most of the menu items are served as a combo, which means they come with fries and a drink. For such a small kitchen space, it's impressive to watch the staff prepare the food fresh and get it out very quickly. As of now, they appear to be the market building standard for handling a long line and getting people's food to them in a short amount of time (someone from Queso Southwestern should come over and take notes).

Allsports Cafe on the Market

I've liked everything I've ever ordered from Allsports Cafe, but I also haven't branched out with the menu. I think the wings are the best I've had in Roanoke, and it appears many Roanoke residents agree. Allsports Cafe was recently given the honor of having the "Best Wings" in The Roanoker Magazine's 2011 Dining Awards. The honey BBQ sauce is my favorite for the wings. Another item I'd recommend would be the chicken tender wrap. The description in the menu says the tenders are tossed in their hot sauce, but this can be substituted for any other sauce - again, I chose the honey BBQ. The honey bbq chicken tenders with the lettuce, tomato, cheese, and ranch dressing is a great combination. Throw in a side of hot french fries and a cold drink and you've got a great (though unhealthy) lunch. And for a price of around $8, it's a relatively good deal.

I think Allsports Cafe on the Market is a great addition to the downtown dining scene. Sometimes people are overwhelmed with all the varieties of cuisines in the market area, and they just want simple American food. It can't get much more American than burgers, wings, and sandwiches and they serve you with a smile. If the other restaurants can be as successful as Allsports Cafe already appears to be, the City Market Building will again become a popular place to be.