Built in 1995, these two handhewn cedar log cabins were built to accommodate long distance diners. The small cabin is 600 square feet, and features one master bedroom in the loft, a sitting room, and a bathroom. The large cabin is 1100 square feet, and has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a spacious living room. Both cabins have stone fireplaces, hot tubs, air conditioning, and satellite television. During the day, you can go fishing on the Clinch River, enjoy hiking in the hills and in the evening walk to the restaurant for dinner. There is no internet and no telephone, only rocking chairs and chaise lounges. A great place to unwind and be disconnected.

The Story of Cuz’s Uptown Barbeque

A long time ago, the ‘mayor’ of Doran Bottom, Marv McGuire, known around these parts as Cuz, gave some advice to local boy Mike Thompson. He told Mike and his wife Yvonne to open up a honky tonk restaurant in the family’s old dairy barn. Mike was a art history major who came back home to run the family farm. Yvonne grew up in Hong Kong, went to journalism school in Missouri, and worked at the local newspaper. This was 1979, before cooks were celebrities, and before the words ‘foodie’ and ‘fusion’ were invented . But they both love to eat, travel and cook, and opening Cuz’s was just a natural.

The restaurant started out with five tables in the 16’ by 16’ milk bottling building, serving barbeque, egg rolls, grits and country ham, and people started coming. A little beer garden was added. Then the barn was renovated, and the restaurant went big time. The silo was made into a private dining room, and the hayloft was turned into a waiting lounge. Mike and his artist friends have covered the restaurant with bright paintings and objects collected from around the world. In 1995 two hand hewn cedar log cabins were built to accommodate long distance diners.

Cuz’s suffered two major fires, in 2000 and 2008, both in early October. Since then we have rebuilt with tiles, glass, wood pizza oven, a wood-burning chicken rotisserie, and an additional dining room that can seat 100. On a busy night, the place is loud, the kitchen is hopping, and the customers boisterous and happy!

But Cuz’s philosophy is still the same as it was in the beginning: steaks big enough to do all the advertising we would ever need, and seafood so fresh and varied that it seemed the beach had come to the mountains, and, above all, great food served quick and hot.

From our farm in Southwest Virginia, legend of Cuz’s has spread all over the world, and you shouldn’t be surprised to see a Cuz’s t-shirt in Bangkok or hear a tale of a Velveeta egg roll somewhere in your neck of the woods.  Come on down to Cuz’s, putting the thrill in Pounding Mill since 1979.