Hashtag Staff

Lewisburg has never been short on good places to eat. From longtime local favorites to chef-driven restaurants that have helped put the city on the culinary map, Lewisburg’s food scene has become part of what makes it special.

Now, there is a new flavor at the table.

Our Thyme Tavern, located on Washington Street in the former Livery Tavern building, is the latest restaurant to join Lewisburg’s growing culinary community. For owners Ryan Walters, his wife Yarrow, and their daughter, Zenya, opening here isn’t simply a new business venture. It’s a homecoming.

Before Our Thyme, the family spent more than a decade operating The Burrito Bar in Fayetteville. When that chapter ended, they considered locations in several states, including North Carolina and Virginia, before ultimately deciding they wanted to build their next restaurant in a town where they already had roots. The couple originally met in Lewisburg in 1998, and their daughter graduated from Greenbrier East High School.

“We wanted to bring our business back home,” Walters says.

That decision became Our Thyme Tavern.

The former Livery Tavern space carries a tradition of hospitality that continues with Our Thyme Tavern. The current structure was built in 2012, when The Livery Tavern was created as a modern interpretation of a 19th-century tavern and the livery stable that once occupied the site. Research undertaken during The Livery’s construction uncovered horse-related artifacts including bits, horseshoes, bridles and leather strapping, connecting the property to its earlier use.

The Livery’s rustic design intentionally evoked the era of travelers arriving in Lewisburg by carriage, with exposed wood, stone, beams and a tavern-like atmosphere.

For Walters, the character of that space mattered.

The family considered other buildings and even contemplated opening a pan-Asian restaurant before settling on the Livery property. There was something about the tavern-like bones of the place that felt right.

Rather than attempting to change that identity, Our Thyme builds upon it.

The rustic character remains, but the restaurant’s personality is vibrant and new. Walters describes the restaurant’s food as “New American with international flavors,” a description that inspires a menu built around familiar dishes with hints of the unexpected.

The goal is elevated without being formal.

“Not fine dining,” he explains. “We wanted to make it welcoming for all folks, instead of just making it exclusive to people who could go out for expensive dinners.”

That philosophy carries through to the menu.

Take the tuna nachos, for example. Fresh tuna is paired with the bright, layered flavors of a poke bowl, then served over crispy nachos. The restaurant’s house-roasted beef becomes the foundation for sandwiches that take cues from barbecue and the classic Philly cheesesteak. The Roots and Shoots grain bowl brings together vegetables like roasted chickpeas, hot honey carrots, mango and cilantro chutneys, and a coconut cream sauce for a hearty vegetarian option, while braised beef short ribs and crispy-skin salmon over polenta cakes and wild mushrooms with a creamy leek dill sauce offer something a little more indulgent.

And then there’s Ryan’s personal favorite: the hot honey chicken sandwich.

It’s the kind of dish that captures the Our Thyme approach: familiar, approachable, and just different enough to make you curious. For Ryan, it’s also an easy choice when he’s grabbing a meal during a busy day. But when asked which dish best represents the restaurant at its finest, he doesn’t hesitate.

“Braised Short Rib is probably the best,” he says.

The menu’s falafel is another example of how much work happens before a dish ever reaches the table. The family starts with whole chickpeas, grinding them by hand rather than reaching for a pre-made mix. The hummus, salsas, and all sauces are prepared in-house, too.

“We make everything from scratch,” Walters says.

That commitment is as much about the process as it is the finished plate. Ryan and Yarrow share the restaurant’s extensive prep work, with Ryan taking on slow-cooked meats like pork belly and roast beef, while Yarrow prepares salsas, falafel, hummus and other components. When service begins, they move between their respective roles in the kitchen, while their daughter, Zenya, manages the front of house. If brunch is your thing, you have Zenya to thank, she personally designed the brunch menu.

The result is a restaurant where the family isn’t simply behind the business. They’re in the kitchen, on the line and at the door, working together to bring the food to the table.

At Our Thyme, “made from scratch” isn’t just a description on the menu. It’s a family affair.

Our Thyme Tavern is open Thursday through Monday for lunch and dinner, with Sunday brunch served from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, adding a morning option to the mix and giving diners plenty of opportunities to make it part of their week.

“We want everyone to feel welcome,” Ryan says. “We want the atmosphere to be enough for someone who wants to be fancy, but also for someone who’s more casual, where they don’t feel intimidated or out of place.”

Lewisburg’s restaurant scene has already established a reputation for creativity and quality. Our Thyme Tavern doesn’t attempt to replace what’s already here. Instead, it adds another perspective. Walters says the family paid attention to what other local restaurants were already offering and intentionally avoided duplicating too much of what’s already available.

Ryan, Yarrow, and Zenya appreciate being part of the food scene in Lewisburg and wanted to offer their thanks to the greater Greenbrier community and especially other downtown business owners for the support they have received throughout their opening season.

The family grows some of its own herbs and works with other local producers including Mountain Steer for beef and Bootstraps Farms for produce. WV craft beer and cider is available on draft.

“Our Thyme” gets its name, in part, from the herb itself, a nod to the fresh ingredients and herbs used throughout the kitchen.

But there’s another meaning tucked into the name.

For Walters, “thyme” speaks to this particular season of life. After more than a decade of running a restaurant in Fayetteville, he, Yarrow, and Zenya are beginning a new chapter in the place where he and Yarrow first met. It signals the next chapter.

There’s a little humor in realizing that life has come full circle.

“It’s like, good, I’m getting old,” Ryan jokes.

But perhaps getting older also means recognizing when it’s time to come home, and knowing what you want to build when you get there.

At Our Thyme, the Walters family is building something that feels distinctly their own, a place rooted in family, good food, and the simple idea that everyone deserves a seat at the table.

So come hungry. Come curious. Come as you are.

And take your thyme.