Dave's Taverna

Every college town needs the quintessential college town restaurant. Located decently close to campus, you'll find a lively atmosphere where you will most likely run into someone you know, but more importantly, has tasty food at a price that doesn't break the student's budget.

For JMU, this college town restaurant is Dave's Taverna. Located in downtown Harrisonburg, it is without a doubt the most popular restaurant for students in Harrisonburg. If you ask any student to name their restaurants in the downtown area, their list will most likely begin with this Greek influenced eatery.

Walking into Dave's on a Friday or Saturday is like walking into a party. You are immediately welcomed by the teal and hardwood decor and lively sounds of patrons chatting, plates clanking, and t.v in the background, all straddling the line of rowdy. On a busy weekend night you may have a short wait, but the four dining room space usually accommodates the students that come in droves on weekend nights. A winding, difficult staircase leads us vertically to the second floor where the waitress shows us to our table. If there is room, and the weather is nice, there is nothing more enjoyable that sitting outside at the Tarasta, on the rooftop. Usually a late at night hotpot, there is a bar on both the first floor and the Tarasta that overlooks historic downtown. To sit on the rooftop you sacrifice the wide range of choices on the menu ( a limited menu is served outside).

The menu is filled with Greek fast food dishes such as gyro's, souvalaki, and pita sandwiches. You will also spot American favorites with a Greek spin, such as chicken, pork chops and tuna along with four different types of linguine dishes. When you do order, be sure to get a side salad. Dave's House salad is loaded with veggies and a dressing is not to be missed. Off the regular menu, you can order whatever your in the mood for, and know that you won't be disappointed. I'm partial towards the Greek favorites such as the souvalaki or the veggie pita. Dave's has a fabulous mikro menu full allegedly small dishes (yet are big enough to fill you up) to have while hanging out at the bar or simply not ravenous. I recommend the roasted vegetable pasta or the pita quesadilla.

The service is full of well trained employees (a majority are students) that are attentive and friendly. Be sure to come hungry because your food will come very quick.

Dave's is a great place to come for a group outing on the weekends or a good place to bring your parents to get a feel for the JMU/Harrisonburg Community.

On the weekend the atmosphere may be a little too much to bring a date, but a weekday is a different story.

You should still expect great service, good food served quick on a weekday, but the entire restaurant is transformed into a friendly, calmer atmosphere. The rooms aren't jam packed with students and the waiters have more time to chat with you. Be sure to come on a night when your favorite football team is playing because on the first floor near the bar, a large projector screen is lowered to make you feel like your literally on the sideline while enjoying your meal. Wednesday is jazz night and Tuesday is open mic night.

Dave's has become so popular in recent years that the owners have opened another location, Dave's Express, on Port Republic road (pretty much the epicenter of student off campus housing). With the needs and desires of students in mind, Dave's Express is open from 11:00 am to 4:00 am and delivers. The menu takes the most popular dishes from the full service restaurant, and the mini eatery even offers Beer Delivery.

Dave's probably won't win any culinary awards but concentrates on fulfilling the needs of this demanding demographic. The Dave's experience is one that all JMU students have have again and again.

Basic Info:

Address: 121 South Main street Harrisonburg Virginia 22801

Phone Number: (540) 561-1487

Cuisine: American with Greek specialties

Hours: Dave's Taverna: 11:00am-1:00am Dave's Express: 11:00am-4:00am

Price: $/$$

Budget Friendly Dish: All of the meals in the sandwich and salad sections are less than $10.00

Vegetarian: There are lots to choose from but the Veggie pita and linguine with pesto are fantastic!

Classification: Weekend: Good for groups, Events, Parents

Weekday: Date night, Parents, Sport events

How to get there if you don't have a car: From the quad, the walk to Dave's is about 10 minutes. If you don't want to walk, you can take the route 3 bus.

3.5 Stars