Max on Main is a vibrant restaurant in White Sulphur Springs serving wood-fired pizzas and locally sourced dishes from partners throughout West Virginia. The renovated space offers a chic industrial ambiance with cathedral ceilings and an indoor-outdoor experience, complemented by a bar featuring West Virginia craft beer and hand-crafted cocktails. I ordered the 8 oz. Mountain Steer filet of beef with garlic herb butter, plus a house salad and macaroni & cheese. The filet was tender and buttery, with a deep, savory richness that soaked up the warm garlic herb butter as it melted over the top. The house salad was fresh and crisp, offering a cool bite between the richer flavors of the plate. The macaroni and cheese was creamy and velvety, with a mellow, slightly sharp cheese sauce that clung to each noodle. Grade: A

The Cake Box is a small dessert shop and bakery in downtown White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Known for its playful, candy-colored vibe and over-the-top sweets, it’s filled with cupcakes, cookies, cakes, and other indulgent treats. The shop leans into a fun, almost whimsical aesthetic. Inside there are displays of brightly decorated cupcakes, cookies, and novelty desserts. One of the signature visuals is a giant pink giraffe. Plenty of options abound, like the strawberry cheesecake and circus animal cupcakes. Then, there's orange creamsicle and cookies & cream options. I went for a pineapple upside down cupcake, which has really become one of my favorite cake flavors. I love when the pineapple gets caramelized, and I love the cherry flavor. What's your favorite treat here? Grade: A

The Lunch Box is an adorable, spring green shed that freshly makes salads & sandwiches in White Sulphur Springs. The sandwiches can be made on a variety of breads: ciabatta, croissant, pretzel bun, brioche bun, asiago bagel, everything bagel, Texas toast, wheatberry, spinach tortilla wrap, and gluten-free options, as well. Sandwich options like "The Palmetto" with pimento cheese & pepper jelly caught my attention. But I opted for "The Houston" with roast beef, pepper jack cheese, caramelized onions and horseradish mayo. On an Asiago bagel. The roast beef is hearty and savory, the pepper jack adds a little heat, and the caramelized onions bring a nice sweetness. The horseradish mayo gives it a sharp kick, and the Asiago bagel holds it all together with a salty, cheesy bite. Grade: A

Pho King Store is a small Southeast Asian restaurant and market in downtown White Sulphur Springs. The specialty grocery shop portion offers a variety of products, like sauces and soup bases, instant noodles, crackers and candies, and other Southeast Asian pantry items. The restaurant portion offers items like pho, sisig, pancit, lumpia and more. But the menu rotates frequently, so it's best to call. Side note: The name “Pho King” is a pun based on pronunciation. The Vietnamese soup Pho is pronounced roughly “fuh.” When you say “Pho King” quickly, it sounds like “fuh-king.” So the name is a tongue-in-cheek joke that reads innocently on paper but sounds ... interesting ... when spoken aloud. I ordered pork adobo, which comes with white rice and lemon slices. It was deeply savory, tangy, and salty. The tender pork was braised in a combo of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorns. I also ordered lumpia, which are minced pork spring rolls with carrots, onions, and spices wrapped in a thin, crispy, deep-fried wrapper and paired with a sweet chili dipping sauce. Have you been? Grade: B

Across the Board Game Café is a unique restaurant and game café where friends and families connect over delicious food, coffee, and hundreds of board games. They have over 500 games, which is more than I even knew existed. While gaming is not my particular brand of nerdy, I love that it's available for others. I was here for the food. It looks like they have a pretty extensive menu with coffees, ice creams, breakfast, flatbreads, salads, dips, sandwiches, soups, cake, pastries, dirty sodas, mocktails and more. In my eyes, though, I only saw ice cream. Ashby's Sterling Ice Cream is made in Michigan and hand-scooped here in White Sulphur Springs. I took one look at "Strawberry Pretzel Dessert" and knew it needed to be in my tummy. It's a premium, creamy, sweet-and-salty flavor featuring cheesecake ice cream mixed with strawberry puree and a crunchy, salty pretzel crust swirl. I need that ribbon of salty, crunchy contrast in every ice cream for the rest of my life. Grade: A

Gustard’s Bistro, located at 759 E Main Street in White Sulphur Springs, is a locally owned restaurant led by chef Stephen Gustard and partner Delphine Houssin. Gustard, a Johnson & Wales University graduate and former Greenbrier Resort chef, opened the restaurant as part of the town’s growing downtown dining scene. The bistro features a menu influenced by French cuisine and built around locally sourced ingredients from farms such as Arbaugh Farm and Mountain Steer. Menu offerings include dishes such as steak frites, chicken pot pie, fish and chips, and house-made fettuccine with meatballs. I ordered the Grilled Coulotte Steak, which comes with brown butter gnocchi, smoked gouda, baby arugula and red pepper relish. The grilled Coulotte steak was well-cooked, tender, and full of flavor, pairing nicely with the nutty brown butter gnocchi. However, the gnocchi could have benefited from more sauce to bring the elements together. The smoked gouda, served in large chunks, added strong flavor but overpowered the balance at times. The baby arugula and red pepper relish provided a fresh contrast, helping to lighten the richness of the dish.

Grade: B

The Schoolhouse Hotel is a very lovely boutique hotel and restaurant located in White Sulphur Springs.



The hotel is the former historic WSS High School and now features 30 guest rooms, plus some extras, including a rooftop bar - which I was fortunate to visit on a sunny, breezy day.



While the restaurant offers a full-service dining experience, the rooftop bar is more snacks, drinks and small plates.



The Rooftop menu consists of oysters, salads, sushi rolls, a burger, sandwich, and wrap.



It's not often that you find sushi outside of a dedicated Asian restaurant, so I figured that would be perfect for a rooftop dining on a warm day.



I just did the California roll, which had crab, cucumber, avocado, and a mayo cream sauce.



Very simple, but fresh and tasty. that's part of the beauty of sushi, but I would've loved a creative, flavorful punch here too.



Overall, a lovely view and a tasty meal.



Grade: B

The Schoolhouse Hotel is White Sulphur Springs' first full-service boutique hotel. This exciting project transformed the former historic White Sulphur Springs schoolhouse into a hub for the community and visitors alike. Featuring 30 uniquely appointed guest rooms, an upscale restaurant/grill, a rooftop bar, and a flexible ballroom space perfect for weddings, conferences and so much more. The Schoolhouse Hotel showcases the best in West Virginia hospitality and lodging in a completely inclusive atmosphere, according to the website.



The Varsity Club, The Schoolhouse Hotel's flagship restaurant, features upscale southern classics such as shrimp and grits. This venue can seat over eighty people and features a full bar, serving creative cocktails, an exciting wine list, local brews, and more. Tufted leather banquettes and lively plaid fabrics create a timeless environment where guests can enjoy everything from grilled steaks to house-made salads and she-crab soup.



My friend Kayla and I stopped by this unique hotel for brunch. We really enjoyed all of the little details they kept from the original school building. It is very refined, but still a little fun, which I appreciate.



I ordered the French toast, made with cinnamon bread, fresh berries, maple syrup, and a choice of breakfast meat, which for me was sausage links. This was a solid version of French toast: There was some nice color on the on the bread, making it flavorful. The berries and syrup and powdered sugar were all nice. I would like more butter, but that's just my personal preference. All in all, a pretty tasty brunch.



Grade: A

Big Draft Brewing is one of the newer breweries in the Mountain State. Say that five times fast.



My boyfriend and I went out this way not too long ago to check out sunflower fields, and we stopped by this brewery for some dinner. 



"Big Draft Brewing is a purpose-driven, community-centered brewery producing exceptional beer with integrity and artistry. Making beer is an art. Drinking beer is an event."



They're part of a larger revitalization of the community that encompasses a few different businesses, but let's focus here first. On the beer. And food. 



We ordered a sampler to check out a few different styles. I liked the saison and the sour wheat ale best. They were crisp and refreshing on a warm day. I see they have a "BELLINI BERLINERWEISSE," which I definitely want to try next. 



Next up was some grub, starting with beef short rib flat bread that had caramelized onions, mashed potatoes, horseradish and arugula. 



I'm pretty sure if you put horseradish on anytime at this point, I'll eat it. Mashed potatoes on a flat bread? I'm here for it. Give me something different, and it makes me happy. A nice meld of flavors.



For my entree, I went with a burger. 



The black & bleu burger has a seasoned 8oz mountain steer beef, blue cheese, caramelized onions, cajun aioli, pretzel bun. I ordered some beer cheese and sweet potato fries on the side. Yum, yum and yum. Not a bad bite in sight. 

Grade: A