The Milk Parlor - Blacksburg, VA
Summary
The Milk Parlor is a quirky dive bar in Blacksburg, VA. They offer live events like live music and dancing a block from Virginia Tech. You can find them under the beautiful mural on Draper Street. They offer a full bar, a hard milkshake menu, a white Russian menu, and bar food.
Food Overall
Service
Atmosphere
Location
Value for Money
Overall
What I Ordered
Death by Chocolate Milkshake
$11
The death by chocolate milkshake is featured on their hard milkshake menu. It is served in a souvenir purple plastic cup. The menu lists the milkshake as including chocolate ice cream, choc late cake, and chocolate chip cookie blended with chocolate liquor and cream liquor with whipped cream and a cherry on top. I think the listing sounded delicious. However, the milkshake did not taste like it was described. To me, it tasted like ice, chocolate syrup, milk, and a bottom shelf rum. Overall, it was not very creamy or chocolatey, it was very icy and tasted incredible strongly of rail liquor. I think the idea was there for the milkshake but the execution fell flat.
Ford Capri
$12.95
The Ford Capri Sandwich is comprised of chicken, fresh mozzarella, roasted tomatoes, and seasoning between two slices of garlic bread. It is a tasty sandwich. The garlic bread paired well with the roasted tomatoes. I also think the tomatoes added a nice acidity and moisture to the thick bread and cheese. It is a very flavorful savory sandwich. The bread was nicely crisped adding to the texture. The fries were very well made. They were fresh, crispy, thick cut, and nicely seasoned.
Overall Food
Overall, I think the Milk Parlor has a good selection of bar food: sandwiches, fries, etc. They have a unique extensive hard milkshake and white Russian menu that is intriguing. However, I think the drinks are made with college students in mind so they are very strong and low quality. The souvenir cup is a neat idea. I would recommend grabbing a sandwich and getting a normal cocktail or beer.
Service
The service at the Milk Parlor was okay. During my visit you had to go up to the bar to order. The bartenders would bring your food and drinks over. They were somewhat friendly and brought out orders efficiently. However, they did not check to see if customers needed anything else or liked their meals. It was a pretty limited service experience.
Atmosphere
Size
There was a full bar and about 15 tables.
Who Goes Here?
Most of the customers are college students and young townsfolk.
Overall Atmosphere
The Milk Parlor has the atmosphere of a dive bar. The entire establishment is located in the basement of another shop. You walk down a set of stairs (it is not wheelchair accessible) to enter. It is very eclectic with quirky miscellaneous décor, dart boards, and bar seating. There is a stage in the center of the back wall where they often have live music and events. The night I was there they had an open mic night. They also have a disco ball in the center of the room. The Milk Parlor regularly offers dancing events like salsa nights. Overall, it has a bit of that grungy dark bar feel but with a lot of fun and quirkiness. There are beautiful murals on the wall of the building outside and the wall of the entryway. I really enjoyed the fun funky atmosphere.
Location
The Milk Parlor is in historic downtown Blacksburg, VA. It is only one block from the Virginia Tech Campus. It is a very convenient walk from campus or the bus stops, but there is not convenient parking available. The street it is on is currently blocked off as a walking mall with extra seating. It is also unfortunate they are not wheelchair accessible.
Interested in finding places to eat in Blacksburg, VA?
Value for money
The prices at the Milk Parlor are very affordable, particularly for the food. I think if you tear clear from the pricy cocktails and stick with food and beer it would be a good value.
Overall
The Milk Parlor in Blacksburg, VA is an eclectic dive bar one block from Virginia Tech. They offer affordable bar fare and an extensive white Russian and hard milkshake menu, as well as a full bar. In the evenings they host a variety of events including live music and dancing. I would recommend the Milk Parlor to anyone looking for a fun night out or an affordable sandwich.
