A super eco-friendly restaurant in Rappahannock County.
Courtesy of Off the Grid Café.
Looking to eat locally and sustainably? Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Sperryville, Off the Grid Café touts itself as “one of the most eco-friendly restaurants in the country.”
The café opened in June 2019 and is home to a large 30-kilowatt solar panel array that powers the entire operation. In addition, Off the Grid recycles and repurposes in an effort to produce zero waste, composts on site, and strives to be carbon neutral.
Despite these initiatives, Off the Grid still boasts a large and varied slate of food and beverages. The menu features global flavors with items such as Thai panang curry, bánh mì, pulled pork with jicama, and ramen. A smoked salmon sandwich is topped with dill cream cheese spread, capers, red onion, cucumbers, and tomatoes, and a roasted chicken sandwich is finished with goat cheese, fig jam, and caramelized onions.
Off the Grid also makes many of its own beverages in house, from smoothies and spritzers to kombucha and soda—ginger, lemon-lime, cucumber-citrus, and orange. The café carries local coffee from Central Coffee Roasters in Rappahannock County.
Many ingredients come from the onsite farm, including eggs from the free-range chickens and ducks, and some produce. Pasture-raised chicken and pork are sourced from Whiffletree Farm in Warrenton and J&L Green Farm in Edinburg.
Goats at Off the Grid cafe’s onsite farm.
“Spring in Sperryville is quite lovely,” says general manager Anita Carshult. “Guests can order food from our seasonal menu… Dining is available al fresco on the Thornton River, and we encourage our patrons to stroll the property to view our solar array, apiary, hen house, grazing goats, hemp field, and gardens.” OffTheGridVa.com
This article originally appeared in the April 2021 issue.
