Just like any town, restaurants come and go. Whether a hit or miss is for the people to decide. During COVID-19, Lexington has welcomed a variety of new restaurant and food places. The Juniper Lounge takes place in the former Rocca restaurant at The Gin Hotel. Rocca had an Italian style cuisine, while the Juniper Lounge is more classic American. When a customer enters, they are submerged in an elegant, low-lit, and formal restaurant. The light fixtures are beautiful chandeliers, making the restaurant almost feel like a palace. The staff and customer service is very welcoming, efficient, and accommodating to your needs. 

Right off the bat, the menu offers a decent amount of food options. However, the entree options provided no vegetarian meals, which might be problematic for a number of people. These three reviews of food are based on the buffalo cauliflower, the house smoked salmon BLT, and the black and bleu burger.

After going to the Juniper Lounge for the first time, sophomore Lily Youngman said, “I loved the quiet atmosphere.”

 For her meal, Youngman got buffalo cauliflower bites. “I would’ve given a higher score, but the spice is a bit much to handle. If you like a kick, this is for you,”said Youngman

“The dipping sauce was really good and helped cool down the spice,” said Youngman.

 At the end of her experience, Youngman gave the restaurant an 8/10.

Sophomore Ava McCabe went to the restaurant and got the house smoked salmon BLT.  

 “The BLT was placed in a slice of naan bread, making it hard to eat and manage,” said McCabe

 When taking her first bite, McCabe noticed something odd. “The salmon was room temperature, which decreased the taste palate,” said McCabe.

For most people, room temperature fish is not delectable.

 Fries came as a side to the house smoked salmon BLT. “They were the fanciest and well-seasoned french fries I’ve had in awhile,” said McCabe.

“The meal was very flavorful but has some cons,”said McCabe.  

At the end of her meal, McCabe gave a 7/10 rating to her experience.

I had the black and bleu burger, which was an okay meal. Just like many restaurants, the burger was so big that no human could fit it in their mouth. Thankfully, the burger came with a steak knife shot through the center. Burgers that are this big seem so unnecessary. When it arrived, the bun was beautifully toasted, looking almost golden brown. The main focus of this burger was the overload of bleu cheese. Personally, the amount of bleu cheese in the meal was overbearing all of the other content in the meal. The burger was also loaded with onions, bacon, lettuce and more. The main problem was that the other ingredients could not be located due to the amount of bleu cheese. If you’re a fan of bleu cheese, this burger is for you. If not, stay away from this burger. Fries were the side that came with this meal, and they were delicious. At the end of my experience, I gave an overall rating of 6/10. 

In the end, the experience was a 7/10. The menu is moderately priced and similar to prices of other local restaurants. Looking back at the experience, I have had better. No, it was not the worst meal, but I see the ability for improvement overall. The appearance of the restaurant is nailed down, but the food and menu could use some work. Try out the restaurant for yourself to see what you think. If interested, the address for the restaurant is 30 South Main St., Lexington, Va.