Local Love at The Red Fox Inn & Tavern
Written by Kaitlin Hill
Sitting in the heart of Middleburg since 1728, The Red Fox Inn & Tavern has a long, long history of hospitality. While many know it as a gorgeous wedding venue, for its decadent tavern tasting menus, or luxurious guest rooms, Anna Adams, Red Fox’s food and beverage director, wants locals to know it’s a great place for a casual weeknight dinner, too.
“We wanted to do something special, set a night aside for just treating the locals,” she shares. “About a year ago, we started our Wednesday nights — we call it Locals’ Night — where we have special pub offerings that change seasonally.”
The special menu, available to Middleburg residents and inn guests, is available upstairs in the Night Fox Pub, a cozy dining room and bar perfect for a quick drink, casual bite, and, of course, to see familiar faces. Adams says, “There are discounts that just apply for locals. You can only get it if you tell us you’re local or if the servers know you.” She adds with a laugh, “If we really question it, we’ll ask for your drivers license.”
While the arrangement might sound like an expression of exclusivity, it’s just the opposite. It’s an opportunity to give back to the community and offer a menu for the hardworking townspeople who might not otherwise have the time to indulge in the multicourse tasting menu downstairs. “It is just a way to treat them to something special.”
That something special includes taking requests from the crowd. Adams explains, “We’ve actually added a few menu items to the pub just from local requests — ham biscuits with housemade pimento cheese, a salmon BLT for someone who wanted a fresh, locally sourced sandwich, and the French dip has had a huge ask to come back for Locals’ Night.”
More recently, Adams and the culinary team turned the hugely popular pork belly bites into a sandwich. She notes that guests can usually find a “special sandwich and appetizer” on the pub menu.
Beyond the clientele, the ingredients are sourced from nearby, too. “We try to use as many locally sourced things as we can for the Night Fox Pub menu. It is really nice to make salads from Endless Harvest, which is right down the road; we use beef from Kinloch; we use beef and chicken from Fields of Athenry; and we use cheese from Eric [Hilgartner] at Village Cheeseworks,” she says. “We’re really trying to help our neighbors and support their businesses within our business.”
Speaking of neighbors, the Wednesday night gatherings are a great way for those new to town or staying at the inn to make new friends. “It’s kind of like a weekly town happy hour. There are a bunch of people that know each other, but you can also meet someone new. And we offer it to guests [of the inn]. It is nice for people who are visiting town to sit with people who live in town and can tell them stories.”
Adams concludes, “It’s a whole different experience upstairs when you sit in the Night Fox than downstairs in the tavern… [Upstairs] you can have a happy hour, you can have snacks, you could just have drinks, or order a bottle of wine with your friends. You can come back week after week and try a different dish upstairs.”
Locals’ Night is in the Night Fox Pub every Wednesday from 4 p.m. until close. For those lucky enough to call Middleburg home, or stay at the Red Fox Inn for a night or more, it is certainly worth a visit to see an old friend, meet a new one, discover a new favorite dish, or even recommend one for the menu. ML
Featured photo by Camden Littleton.
Published in the August 2025 issue of Middleburg Life.