(left to right) Riley Persinger, server, and Jeannie Boguess, owner, stand proudly in front of "The City's Cafe & Brewery," located at 320 W. Hawthorn Street in Covington. (Ashley Prior photo)

'The City's Cafe & Brewery' Celebrates Three Months in Business By Jennifer Bailey Staff Writer   Covington, VA (Nov. 18, 2025)— This afternoon, the Alleghany Journal took a pleasant drive to 320 W. Hawthorn Street in Covington, home of "The City's Cafe & Brewery." Its owner, Jeannie Boguess, first opened the doors to the little eatery on August 8th, enjoying three months of her restaurant's journey in the Highlands. A native from White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, Boguess spent three years as a general manager there at Hardees before deciding to spread her wings and fly on her own as a restaurant owner and manager. Since her grandson was already employed with her at Hardee's, it must have seemed only natural to Boguess to sign him on to "The City's Cafe & Brewery" as a cook. Currently, all of the employees at the growing eatery are either family members or friends, making the "mom and pop shop" a true family affair. "I just wanted to go old school," Boguess said Tuesday afternoon. "When you walk in, I want it to feel like it smells and looks like home or grandma's house... When you go to grandma's house, you have all this really good homecooked food which, I make everything in-house. I make my own chicken salad, my own macaroni salad. We make our own chili here, the coleslaw for the hot dogs. The fries, I didn't want frozen fries, so we do fresh-cut fries." Additionally, Boguess is passionate about using local farmers for her fresh ingredients. "All of my meat, our burgers, comes from Bartley's [Meat Market, 2530 Midland Trail in Covington]... I go up there and get fresh meat daily. Wiley's [Garden Center, 484 W Riverview Drive in Covington] bring in my potatoes and my tomatoes, all of my fresh vegetables." Boguess' niece, Kimberley Garrison, owns "People & Paws, LLC Sweets & Treats," and provides the restaurant with all of their desserts. Some of her menu items include chicken wings, fried pickles, homemade buttermilk biscuits, homemade gravy, homemade Belgian waffles, chicken salad, club sandwich, chicken tender basket, and grilled cheese. She also offers specials, though those items can vary from one day to the next. For those interested in paying "The City's Cafe & Brewery" a visit, they are open Monday—Friday from 7:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m. Jeannie Boguess (Ashley Prior photo) Boguess' niece, Kimberley Garrison of "People & Paws, LLC Sweets & Treats," provides all the desserts for the restaurant. (Ashley Prior photo) The Journal noticed a stunning mural on the wall during our visit to the eatery and knew we had to capture a photo. (Ashley Prior photo)

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