Aioli is a wonderful restaurant in downtown Staunton that is notable for both its creativity and simply terrific food.
We’ve visited Aioli several times when visiting Staunton to see performances at the Blackfriars Theater. It’s essentially a Mediterranean restaurant serving both tapas and full entrees. This restaurant has a little more of a Moroccan influence than you might see at, say, a Spanish tapas place, and that introduces a number of offerings and flavors that are well worth trying.
The exterior is unremarkable, but don't let that concern you. The location is also convenient, being just off of the primary street (I believe it's Beverly St.) through the center of Staunton. The restaurant itself is on N. Augusta street, more or less across from the movie theater.
Inside, Aioli is nicely decorated with bright oil paintings around the room and a bold color scheme with lots of red and black. It conveys a feel that is both comfortable and sophisticated. Although a relatively intimate space, the tables are not crowded together and it was easy to communicate within our group.
At our most recent visit we had the charcuterie platter, quail, bruschetta (three types), and a kind of Moroccan sheep sausage that tasted wonderful. Our service was quick.
They have many European and American wine offerings and we had no trouble finding a glass to complement our meals. The price was very reasonable given the quality of the food we received.
We would highly recommend Aioli if you are visiting the Blackfriars or if you are just looking for excellently prepared food with a distinct Mediterranean feel.