Best Places To Eat In Richmond: 20 Best Places You Must Try
If it has been a while since you took a journey to Richmond through Interstate 95, the time has come for you to do it again. Enjoy the best places to eat in Richmond’sBest Places To Eat In Richmond: 20 Best Places You Must Try arts and museum districts, pick up some natural wines at the up-and-coming Celladora winery and take in the city’s picturesque views of the James River.
Richmond is famed for its delectable cuisine, and there are many great restaurants there that will tempt your taste buds. We’ve compiled a list of Richmond’s top 20 mouthwatering hotspots, including award-winning restaurants, traditional comfort food establishments, and distinctive fusion diners.
Because of these 20 essential restaurants, it is simple to ensure that one’s nutritional needs are met while in Richmond. These restaurants are only a sample of the excellent cuisine and warm hospitality found in River City.
1. The City Boundaries of Vancouver
If you’re going to be hanging out outside of the city boundaries of Vancouver in one of the cities that make up the Metro area, Richmond has a lot of fantastic eateries that you may visit.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re in the mood for fried chicken, seafood, grilled chicken, vegetarian fare, or something else entirely: Richmond boasts a wide variety of restaurants serving a wide variety of cuisines to accommodate people of all diets and tastes.
People are brought together downtown RVA to build memories over a drink, share plates, and try new things because of Richmond’s famous food culture, a match made in culinary heaven.
2. The Financial District Richmond
Participate in the exciting dining scene by having supper in Shockoe Bottom, grabbing a bite from a food truck in the Financial District, or having lunch at a restaurant in the Arts District. Discover a new favourite dish, brunch place, happy hour offer, and more at one of these outstanding restaurants in downtown Richmond!
Are you interested in visiting some of Richmond’s most highly regarded dining establishments? These are the 20 restaurants in Richmond that you should make a reservation at as soon as possible. We have considered various restaurants, from fast service to a more elegant eating experience. River City is the nickname given to Richmond, Virginia, which gets its name because the James River runs right through the city’s center, providing Richmond with some breathtaking vistas.
And Richmond is a quirky small capital that is packed with heritage, museums, and young people attending local colleges. In addition to this, it is generally acknowledged to be among the best places in the state to spend the weekend. We are confident that you will have a wonderful time visiting and dining at any of these Richmond restaurants since they are just as unique, varied, and exciting as this capital city.
3. Here are 20 Places to Eat in Richmond
3.1. Lehja Restaurant
This stunning modern Indian restaurant can be found in Richmond’s outdoor shopping center, Short Pump Towne Center. Sandeep “Sunny” Baweja, a Master of Hospitality, is responsible for the restaurant’s jaw-dropping wine collection.
Both traditional dishes from the area, such as the seafood Kerala curry or the excellently spiced biryani, and innovative dishes, such as the stuffed paneer tikka, matzo ball soup, soul taco, and the shrimp chicken zafrani, are masterfully prepared and presented at Lehja.
3.2. Brenner Pass
Brittany Anderson, a competitor on “Top Chef,” came up with the idea for the dish Brenner Pass, which is an homage to the cuisine and wine of the Alps. A dry-aged cote de boeuf au Poivre, potato-topped flammkuchen (an Alsatian flatbread), and fondue served in Dansk pots are some of the dishes that can be found on the menu at this restaurant, which also offers a modern and open layout.
The Black Lodge is a lively, laid-back dive pub that opened its doors amid the epidemic. At this establishment, the killer cocktails prepared by bartender James Kohler go well with the “Tower of Power,” a combination of hot dogs, patty melts, and French fries designed to satiate late-night desires all at once.
However, make sure you leave someplace in your schedule to visit Black Lodge, located just next door. Are you seeking something slightly more German than what you now have? Visit The Metzger, which is located on Church Hill. During brunch, the Frühstück Brett (charcuterie, pretzel roll, soft egg, fried chicken) is an experience that cannot be topped.
3.3. ZZQ Texas Craft Barbeque
This barbecue restaurant serves up Texas-style barbecue and is widely recognized as the finest in Richmond in Jewish deli fare. They use smoke to create various tender and flavorful meat and fried chicken delicacies.
Pile the platter high with pulled pork shoulder, homemade bread, massive beef ribs, fried Brussels sprouts, crab cakes, prominent beef ribs, pork belly in generous portions, marbled beef brisket, and beef tartare. A journey just for the handmade pastrami available exclusively on Fridays is well worth it.
You can get it by the pound or try it on a sandwich with homemade sauerkraut and some “giddy-up” sauce. Eazy Burger, the new burger joint next door, is the result of a partnership between the crew and Ardent Craft Ales, located nearby.
3.4. Stella’s
Stella’s is a warm and inviting Greek neighbourhood restaurant run by the Graves family. Even before you approach the door, you’ll be greeted by the aroma of garlic and oregano cooking in the kitchen. Prepare to split the flaming mushroom saganaki, the flaky tiropita, and the keftedes (meatballs made of lamb and beef), then fill the table with these dishes.
The roasted lamb served over butter noodles, and the delectably creamy artichoke moussaka are examples of the hearty comfort food in Greek cuisine. It is considered among the best places to eat in Richmond. Keep an eye out for Stella’s Grocery, a store specializing in pre-made meals and gourmet delights, since it can be found in six locations across the city, each of which has something extra to offer.
Stella’s is just one of many Richmond, Virginia restaurants that can trace their origins to fascinating families and tales, and this is not an exception. Stella Dikos started this Greek restaurant in 1983, and they provide what they refer to as “rustic and contemporary Greek food.”
The restaurant was named after her. Everything at this establishment is handcrafted and cooked by hand. You can even purchase some of Stella’s prepared foods at the grocery store across the street.
Stella’s, which can be found in the Museum District and is just a few streets away from Monument Avenue, is known for serving genuine and delectable Greek cuisine. Moussaka, lamb, dolmades, and spanakopita are some dishes that fans of Greek food will find on the menu, even if they are unfamiliar with the cuisine. Those unfamiliar with the cuisine are nevertheless likely to discover something tasty.
How the menu is separated between “meze,” which are the small plates/appetizers, and “comfort,” which are the entrees; this lets you select the sort of meal that you are in the mood for, and we couldn’t agree more that “comfort” is the ideal term to describe a meal that is served here. It is considered among the best places to eat in Richmond. The ambiance is charming and ideal for a romantic evening, making a meal on the patio with the person you love an excellent option for a date night.
3.5. Longoven
The covered garden patio at Longoven is like a refuge in the heart of the bustling construction that is going on in Scott’s Addition. It is considered among the best places to eat in Richmond.
You may find a seat among the flowers to savour Longoven’s seasonal snacks, or you can book a table inside the tranquil dining room to taste imaginative tasting menus brimming with innovation, with service that is attentive to match. Both options are available.
3.6. Garnett’s
This cozy and welcoming neighbourhood restaurant is known for having some of the most delicious sandwiches in the whole city. Try one of the restaurant’s signatures “Croques,” such as the Croque Park Avenue, which is layered with mornay sauce, sushi, black forest ham, gruyere cheese, spinach, and garlic aioli, or the Scuffletown Chicken Sandwich, which is a traditional rendition featuring large chunks of chicken and a prickly twang.
The happy hour at Garnett’s is one of Richmond’s best-kept secrets, along with its location. It is considered among the best places to eat in Richmond. Visit Garnett’s sibling establishment, the contemporary fern bar Laura Lee’s, while you’re in the Southside neighbourhood of the city.
3.7. Edo’s Squid
This Richmond institution is noted for providing primitive Italy cuisines such as scungilli (conch) Di seguito, stewed fennel, and pasta with crab meat. It is located at the summit of a flight of carpeted steps.
Dinamo, the establishment’s sibling restaurant, provides a more relaxed atmosphere with crostinis and handmade pasta on the menu. And suppose you want to order food to go. It is considered among the best places to eat in Richmond. In that case, you should check out another sister restaurant called 8 12, which serves crushable heroes, seasonal antipasti, and some of the city’s most incredible pizzas.
3.8. Restaurant Adarra
Adarra, given the title of one of Esquire’s finest new restaurants in 2023, combines the tastes and culinary philosophies of the Basque country with natural wines from all over the globe that are both difficult to locate and simple to appreciate.
The seafood, particularly the conserves, is the show’s highlight, as chef Randall Doetzer uses his arsenal of garlicky, paprika-tinged sauces to bring out the full potential of the seafood.
There is not a single seat in the house that is less than ideal, whether you want to dine in the little dining room or on Adarra’s enticing rear patio; however, you will need a reservation to secure one of these seats.
3.9. Jamaica House Restaurant
Carena Ives, the proprietor of a modest eatery on Broad Street, has faithfully recreated the Jamaican cuisine of her youth since the establishment opened in 1994.
While you wait for your full crispy-skinned snapper escovitch to be prepared at the restaurant’s new location (only a few blocks down from the original), you may enjoy Caribbean vibes while drinking freshly pressed drinks juices.
3.10. Saison
Saison has established itself as a fashionable yet focused New American neighbourhood place over the last decade, and there is a solid reason for this. The professional cooking skills of Saison’s chef de cuisine Marc Rhodes are displayed in dishes such as the starter of pillowy buckwheat gnocchi and the roasted chicken.
It is recommended that you make a reservation since there are only ten tables, but you may also come for a late-night meal and a seat at the bar. It is considered among the best places to eat in Richmond. Be prepared to be wooed by cocktails such as Cool as a Coconut, made with spiced rum and a herbaceous combination of bitters. You’ll find Saison Market next door, a 24-hour café with a beer and wine store and an espresso bar.
3.11. Mama J’s Kitchen
Mama J’s Kitchen, located in the middle of historic Jackson Ward and nominated for a James Beard Award, is considered among the best places to eat in Richmond. It has the atmosphere of a mother’s kitchen and serves food that makes customers feel both satisfied and loved.
Some soul food staples, such as delicious chilli cheese fries, cranberry sauce, baked mac and cheese, and a famous peach cobbler, bring Mama J’s devoted following back for meal after meal.
3.12. Soul Taco
This taco cafe in Jackson Ward is full of wit and charm and serves soul cuisine with Latin American tastes. In the adult version of the “happier lunch,” which consists of two tacos, a drink, and a toy, you should order the buffalo cauliflower taco and the oxtail al pastor.
Alternately, it is considered among the best places to eat in Richmond. You may preheat your taste buds with an order of the Flaming Hot Cheeto Elote Loco and then go on to Suzy Sno for a chilly snowball prepared in the manner of New Orleans when you need to calm down.
3.13. Perly’s
This lovely Jewish delicatessen can be found in the center of the downtown area, and it is well-known for its magnificent fish boards stacked with bagels and cured specialties such as smoked trout and smooth gravlax with all of the trimmings. It is considered among the best places to eat in Richmond.
The Shapiro Schnitzel sandwich at Perly, which has crispy schnitzel, pickled cauliflower, and fiery zhug sauce, is an excellent example of how well the restaurant does when it innovates on traditional dishes. This restaurant offers an extensive selection of traditional Ashkenazi dishes, including matzoh ball soup with balls the size of baseballs, chopped liver, knish, and many more.
3.14. L’Opossum
David Shannon, a graduate of the Inn at Little Washington, presents the remarkable variations on superb French cuisine he has perfected throughout his career in fine dining.
These mouthwatering treats are “vodka-powered accessories”, and “les jigglés de la Champagne rose.” Other mouthwatering specialties include “swank bank,” lobster mac & cheese, and egg “accessorized” with caviar and dill-cured salmon, depending on the environmental conditions. All of these are delicious.
Between a stained-glass window depicting a phallus and a restroom filled to the brim with clowns, L’Opossum perfectly portrays the eccentric character of its Oregon Hill neighbourhood. It is considered among the best places to eat in Richmond. Try the incredibly entertaining Laura Palmer drink, encased in plastic wrap and made with gin, Dolin Blanc, cherries, and lime.
3.15. Sub Rosa Bakery
The case at this Church Hill bakery, run by the brother-and-sister team of Evrim and Evin Dogu, is stocked with wood-fired pieces of bread produced from grains cultivated and processed on the premises, as well as the flakiest seasonal pastries.
Sleeper hits like the earl grey cookie and Turkish polacca (a biscuit-like dough filled with feta), both of which hold up admirably for the voyage back home, steal the show from more well-known pastries like the fig and cheese croissant and the seeded braid, which often get the most attention. A bonus is that a limited but high-quality variety of natural wine and cider may be taken away. It is considered among the best places to eat in Richmond.
3.16. Cobra Burger
Former proprietors of butcher shops Adam Musselman, Joshua Franklin, Melville Johnson IV, and Mike Epps have taken their extensive knowledge of meat to Church Hill, where they sell freshly ground beef patties every night of the week save Tuesday. It is considered among the best places to eat in Richmond.
Grab a bottle of wine from the beautiful Second Bottle store one street over, pack a picnic basket with all your favourite foods, and go to Libby Hill Park to soak in some of the most breathtaking vistas the city has to offer. Then, the following day, come back for the hilarious and messy breakfast Sandos served at “Bronchfest.” In addition, the trendy hotspot Pizza Bones can be found in the Church Hill area.
3.17. Alewife
According to Southern Living, Alewife will be the most outstanding new restaurant and among places to eat in Richmond, in the South, in 2020. The restaurant focuses on sustainable seafood from the mid-Atlantic region and the waters surrounding the Chesapeake Bay.
While you examine the blackboard specials, which vary often and demonstrate the full spectrum of chef Bobo Catoe’s creative abilities and pure excitement for ingredients, begin with one of beverage director Andon Whitehorn’s exquisite cocktails.
3.18. Grisette
The cuisine at Grisette is inspired by traditional French dishes and among places to eat in Richmond, such as steak frites and fluke papillote. The restaurant makes an honest effort to source regional and seasonal ingredients wherever possible.
Then there’s the wine, of course. Any pour, regardless of price point, goes exceptionally well with the charcuterie spread selected by Chef Donnie Glass since it is both affordable and quite drinkable. When you are at The Fan, be sure to stop by Jardin, a wine boutique that offers a variety of wines by the glass and appetizers prepared by the Grisette family.
3.19. Antipodean
This Richmond watering hole is among the places to eat in Richmond, and it is the sibling of the renowned Antipodea restaurant in Kew, and it offers a menu with an Australian slant for breakfast, lunch, and supper.
A blazing enclosed fire, potted plants, and curiosities from down under are all hallmarks of the brand, and the kitchen serves up some fantastic food; don’t miss the steaks or the juicy, chunky barramundi, which is Australia’s equivalent to sea bass. A helpful hint: after the evening, any home-baked bread left over will be given away for free.
Thus, it is not surprising that that establishment’s success has enabled its Australian proprietors to create a flagship location in Putney, complete with its butchers and bakers and, more recently, this branch in Richmond. The brand’s identifying characteristics may be seen, including a roaring fireplace encased in the rear, walls covered with references to the native area, and an abundance of potted plants.
On a menu that seems to have been simplified to meet the requirements of an up-and-coming chain, there were a disappointingly equal number of successful and unsuccessful items. The steaks and the barramundi, Australia’s version of sea bass, continued to be among the most popular items on the menu. The barramundi was juicy and chunky, and the skin was pan-seared until it was crisp.
It also had a flavour that surprised everyone. Misses? A sour appetizer consisting of Padron peppers that were excessively oily and “AFC” chicken, which was Down Under’s buttermilk response to the Colonel but was mushy and lacked a much-needed punch, especially when it was paired with sriracha mayonnaise. It was a great-sounding burger, but the patties were fragile, and, given it had been pulled from the same beast as the house steaks, it was also disappointingly lacking in flavour.
A large Nutella pizza topped with bananas and hazelnuts was the stuff of legend, but a meek and little banoffee pie was disappointing. The dessert was another example of the yin and yang concept. A helpful hint is that because they cannot store their baked bread (steeped high in the window) over the following day, they will serve it for free around the tables near the end of the evening or as you leave.
3.20. Bacco Restaurant
This local Italian restaurant, which is run by a family, has been operating on Kew Road for more than a generation, and it is a popular choice among many families who live in the Richmond region.
It may be decked up in chic modern gear. Still, this restaurant is a trattoria at its core. The cuisine hits all those tried-and-true comfort buttons, such as arancini balls, handmade pasta, saltimbocca, calf’s liver, and tiramisu. In the summer, the decked forecourt is often packed with people.
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4. Conclusion
If you are planning on visiting any of these eateries, we do not doubt you will have a wonderful time there. Each place provides excellent customer service, delicious food, and authentic Richmond experiences.
Asian cuisine, in particular, is well-known both locally and globally in Richmond, British Columbia. There are several restaurants that will please you in this coastal city that is also home to many authentic eateries. But which of Richmond’s countless eateries are worth visiting? We’ve done the hard work for you and listed the top 20 restaurants and eateries in Richmond that you must try.
Residents of Richmond hold dear the traditions of grabbing a slice at Bottom’s Up, indulging in some late-night cake at Shindigz, and celebrating a special occasion with a dinner at The Boathouse.
And if you’re searching for additional things to do while in Richmond, and places to eat in Richmond, check out the recommendations for the most extraordinary things to do during your stay! There will be some exciting activities for you to participate in among the delicious meals.
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