The Vault at The Liberty Trust

Small bar in the hotel lobby with a large. Cocktail and wine menu and some creative small plates options. We were staying in the hotel so a convenient place to grab an early evening drink and small bite. Looks like a popular place so it was packed the entire time we were here. Fun to check out the vault.

We walked here but seemed like there was some street parking. Didn't realize that this was a hotel but the restaurant was small and didn't have as large of a menu as we thought. There are a handful of two top tables, a couple lounging areas, and then there are some high tops but not too much seating. They adieu have the bar seats as well. We had a server in training and both our servers were very attentive and friendly. I can't recall what cocktail we ordered but it was delicious. For dinner, we ordered the Khachapuri and the Japanese Tsukene Meatballs. They only had 2 main entrees but everything else was more small plates. The Meatballs were delicious. They were full of flavor and moist. The Khachapuri was also good but the bread was stuck to the parchment paper it was baked on pretty hard. In my opinion, it needed a touch of garlic but still good. It was nice to drop by for a little to have some cocktails but wish there was more on the menu.

If you're in search of a top notch cocktail bar with classy ambiance, look no further! My husband and I recently re-located to Virginia from Colorado and I have a feeling this will be a new favorite for date night. Mark was our friendly pro bartender who also happens to be a history teacher who briefly gave us the background on digestifs when he realized we were fans. One of our drink menu favorites was the s'mores old fashioned and off menu fave was the black manhattan. They also have an impressive by-the-glass wine list and menu of small plates. See the attached pictures to visualize lounging inside an old bank building for a fun night out!

First the atmosphere is excellent. Upscale, marble, granite and ambient lighting and decor. Interior pillars, extremely high ceilings, tall windows, drop chandelier lighting, large bar area, casual seating area with couches and tables, we had requested a romantic table when reserved but got a small tiny table that had to have a tray added to the side to add space for our food to sit, was not a fan of that process especially because where we sat people were walking by and bumping into said tray table. The staff were very nice and down to earth, a little busy for tailored service but nothing to complain about. We loved the cherries on the cheese plate and the pepper jam relish but was disappointed that when we got home with our to go box the cheese plate had been packed without those 2 things so we just had crackers and cheese. We had a lot left over and paid $28 for the plate but she accidentally left off the stars of the show vs packing them for us to take home. Bummer!! We were not fans of the Taiwan beef noodle bowls, the noodles were too soft and over cooked, we LOVED the Devils on horseback, delicious! We would like to try other items on the menu before deciding whether this is a dinner spot or not. Drinks and apps are a definite good fit. The atmosphere was my favorite thing, the music, the lighting the vibe was all fantastic. We will come back and try one of the higher tables or couch area and give it another try! Over all enjoyed NYE dinner and time spent there, may stay in the hotel on next visit. I would label this a unique experience spot.

We were lucky to get a table in the vault itself and what a great experience we had! And our fantastic server, Stephanie, made the evening even better. Her recommendations were excellent; she made me a special Virginia Maid cocktail. The Steak Tartare and Shumai were our favourites. The Khachapuri was delicious but filling.

The Vault is a must try restaurant with unique and flavorful tapas style dishes. The atmosphere is both elegant but relaxed, and the prices are very reasonable for upscale quality food. The blue-fin tuna with tonnato sauce is exceptional. The fish is sushi grade tuna that is very fresh and full of flavor. The tonnato sauce (like caesar but better) is incredibly good, that alone makes the dish. The khachapuri, one of their signature dishes, is also a must try. It’s like a flatbread cheese pizza, but the Sulguni cheese is creamier like ricotta, and with flavor notes like feta Then add to it the richness of egg yolk and butter, and the Mediterranean herbs (oregano, basic, etc) all of which is mixed together with the cheese after it’s served. What you get is a rich, creamy, cheesy, buttery, herby dipping sauce for the bread. The crème brûlée was a slightly less traditional style. The custard was steam cooked and chilled, so it had a texture more like clotted cream. It was also served in a deeper dish, giving it a higher ratio of custard to crust. I thought it was excellent. The cocktail specials are tailored to the season, (summer in my case). Several bright gin drinks with creative ingredients and artistic presentation. All were well balanced and tasted as expected. The atmosphere is a fun and interesting mix of styles. You can sit at the bar, high top group tables, intimate small tables, inside the bank vault, or in armchairs around coffee tables. The downside to this is there are only a few of each type of seating, so you may not be able to get your preference. Also, the music volume and style is a little more like a lounge/bar than a restaurant, not unpleasantly so, I enjoyed it, but it might seem unexpected for the upscale vibe.

This was a unique experience. We got to sit in the old bank vault! The wine dispenser is exclusive to this venue, at least in this area that I know off. The Apple and Rutabaga Soup was surprisingly delicious! I'm not normally a big fan of Caesar Salad but this one had a nice zing to it. My Old Fashioned was top notch. I tried a Manhattan for the first time and was very pleased. I cannot say enough about the food, service and atmosphere. Everything was amazing!!

I've never eaten such overpriced, poorly prepared food anywhere. The building is cool, but that's all this place has going for it. Very limited menu. Mediocre, at best, service. Our crab dip appetizer ($28) was barely edible and served with what appeared to be slices of Wonder bread stuck on the panini grill long enough to give them stripes but not long enough to make them toasty, so they sweated and were soggy by the time they arrived at our table. Yuck. My mushroom tartine ($19) was straight out of the freezer aisle at Costco. My son's beef ribs included 2 (!!!) ribs for $28 and a pile of mushy unseasoned frozen veggies (back to Costco). Roanoke has many good places to eat. This is definitely not one of them.