Joy Ride

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The story below is from our July/August 2022 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you! 

Cardinal Bicycle & Café entices cyclists and food lovers with a gourmet menu.

Commuters mingle at the bar over Breadcraft pastries. There’s a list of latte specials scrawled on a mini countertop chalkboard. Nearby, an espresso machine whirs to life. But this is not your average coffee shop—it’s Cardinal Bicycle & Café in Grandin Village.

Once they’re caffeinated and satiated, the helmet-clad commuters pose for a group photo under a moody May sky before setting off on their ride. It’s part of Bike to Work Day, one of Cardinal Bicycle’s in-store events celebrating National Bike Month, which kicked off with a breakfast social and wrapped with a happy hour and prizes. Hosting events such as these is one way Cardinal Bicycle seeks to connect Roanoke’s cycling community. But it’s also building community by banking on another powerful connection point—sharing food. Cardinal Bicycle’s café concept offers a stellar menu of rice bowls, sandwiches, salads and pizzas, ideal for refueling after one of their food-themed rides (like Pedal, Pies & Pints) or grabbing lunch with a friend.

Cardinal Bicycle’s building on Winborne Street SW has food roots stretching back decades. Previously, it housed the grocery store Mick-or-Mack, which included a lunch counter and an in-house butchery program. Today, another local butchery business, Yard Bull Meats, is a featured purveyor. Incorporating Yard Bull Meats onto the café menu, along with select Crystal Spring Grocery snacks, is also a natural synergy for Cardinal Bicycle’s owners Whit and Lauren Ellerman. The Ellermans are also involved with River & Rail and Crystal Spring Grocery and are part owners of Yard Bull Meats (with chef Tyler Thomas), which will open as a brick-and-mortar butcher shop this summer in South Roanoke.

Whit, an avid cyclist, has long had a vision for developing the Roanoke cycling community by opening a ride center style shop. And because of their hospitality background, the Ellermans wanted the space to incorporate a café and bar area, too.

“When the Mick-or-Mack building came available, we saw an opportunity to create a new kind of bike shop in Grandin Village. The vision was to create a space that went beyond traditional retail, a community hub that was first and foremost welcoming to all,” says Whit, who also serves as Cardinal Bicycle’s CEO. “The center also needed to cater to all of a rider’s needs, from new bikes and safety equipment to parts and service, to bike fitting, to a café with fresh food, coffee and craft beers.” 

Part of Cardinal Bicycle’s function as a community hub involves offering free weekly ride events led by staff and shop ambassadors. The rides span a variety of experience levels, but almost all of them have an accompanying food component. Pedal, Pies & Pints is a neighborhood greenway ride ideal for beginners. Besides making new friends or meeting up with an accountability buddy, pedaling for après pizza—with topping combinations such as BBQ pulled pork or chicken Parm—provides a serious motivation boost.

On the pints front, there’s a rotating list of craft brews on tap and in cans, including local suds from the likes of Big Lick Brewing Company and Three Notch’d. If you’ve been meaning to make summer Fridays a thing, try the Lunch Vacation Ride, a fun, approachable 50-minute ride. Place your order for lunch before you leave, say, a kale Caesar salad or a veggie sandwich, and it’ll be ready when you get back. And if you need to wrap up emails, you can eat and work from your virtual office in the café or community lounge. Weekend warriors can wake up for Gravel and Grinds, a conversation-paced gravel and pavement ride that’ll kick off your Saturday right (don’t forget coffee money!). For curious riders without a bike, Cardinal Bicycle hopes to add a small fleet of rentable e-bikes soon.

But even if you don’t ride, it’s worth visiting the café for a cup of Red Rooster coffee or a pour-over, both a fine match for a breakfast burrito or avocado toast garnished with local sprouts. Or try a custom latte crafted with one of the house made syrups, dreamed up by café front-of-house manager Karter Syrus. The iced rosemary latte pairs particularly well with a Breadcraft almond croissant (pastries are available Friday, Saturday and Sunday). When midday hunger pangs hit, trade in your sad desk lunch for one of the Steezy Sandwiches. The pastrami is a must-try, featuring Yard Bull Meats brisket pastrami, caramelized onions and Swiss, all piled onto wheat bread slicked with a horseradish-spiked mayo. Or try a satisfying Riders Ricebowl, such as the fan-favorite SoRo, featuring poached salmon, avocado and toasted seeds, or the vegetarian-friendly Grandin, chockful of blackened sweet potatoes, roasted corn and red cabbage.

Can’t get away from your desk? There’s always the promise of an end-of-day beer at the bar, whether you’re toasting your evening ride or celebrating another day in Roanoke.

Cardinal Bicycle

Grandin Village

1312 Winborne St SW

Roanoke, VA 24015

540-900-5020

The story above is from our July/August 2022. For more stories, subscribe today or view our FREE digital edition. Thank you for supporting local journalism!