Restaurants
Richmond is too polite to boast about its culinary scene, but word is getting out. The Washington Post and New York Times have made note recently of several Richmond restaurants, so expect company when you go out to dine. At the more upscale establishments, four trends are notable: Farm-to-table and locally sourced are the catchphrases, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink fusion is popular, ethnic cuisine has expanded well beyond mom-and-pop and sushi places, and even the finest restaurants are being extra hospitable with Sunday suppers, daily specials, and prix fixe menus that encourage diners to get in the door.
The big news in Virginia is that as of December 2009, restaurants and bars are now smoke-free unless they have a designated smoking room—structurally separate and ventilated. Most establishments simply went smoke-free, and most customers have breathed a sigh of relief.
Whether you’re looking for family-friendly or foodie central, Richmond cuisine covers all the bases. And there’s always something new coming down the pike. Richmond has far too many wonderful restaurants to include in one chapter. This isn’t an exhaustive list of the best of Richmond restaurants, though many highlighted here have made that list. Restaurants at all price points are included, from all parts of the area. The city has the highest concentration of worthy destinations, and Shockoe Slip, Shockoe Bottom, the Fan, Carytown, the Near West End, and North Side have restaurant rows, if you will. So if the places listed here are full, you’ll likely find several others a few doors down.
Overview
Restaurants in older buildings in some sections of the city are not always wheelchair accessible. I’ve noted those that are not in the write-ups, but call ahead elsewhere to be sure you won’t have a problem.
In addition to 5 percent state tax, some localities levy a meals tax as well. In our region, Richmond’s meals tax is 6 percent, Ashland’s is 5 percent, and New Kent County’s meals tax is 4 percent. Mangia.
1. Africanne On Main By Chef Ma Musa
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (804) 343-1233
Address: 200 E. Main St.
Description: Known for its filling, healthy lunch buffet that you pay for by the pound, this cheery restaurant with Afro-centric decor is open Mon through Fri for lunch and serves dinner only on Fri. Everything here is made by chef Ma Musa, who came to Richmond from Liberia in 1980. Customers choose from ginger barbecued chicken, collard greens, and more than 14 other dishes. Chef Ma Musa ships greens as far as Florida and Hawaii. Her restaurant is pork-free, and the offerings are 60 percent vegetarian. Try the homemade ginger tea and spiced lemonade.
2. The Nile
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (804) 225-5544
Address: 309 N. Laurel St.
Description: This family-owned and -operated traditional Ethiopian restaurant (that’s unexpectedly also the headquarters of the Ethiopian ski team) has introduced legions of people to finger food, Ethiopian-style. The Nile’s injera is made from teff flour, which is loaded with protein, so don’t be surprised at how satisfied your stomach is after just a few appetizers. The staff is more than happy to explain ingredients and preparation and help you find something you’ll like. FYI, one Buticha Roll won’t do. All the vegetarian dishes here are vegan.
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Restaurants
Address: 101 W. Franklin St.
4. Tarrant’S Café
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (804) 225-0035
Address: 1 W. Broad St.
Description: Tarrant’s is loaded with proof that drugstores haven’t always looked like CVS. Its handsome, well-stocked bar was the pharmacy counter, and Tarrant’s still fills prescriptions of a liquid sort. The past here is interesting, but the repasts are even more so. Lunch, dinner, pizza, or brunch—there are lots of ways to go here and they’re all sublime. Lunch offers a Tilapia Reuben, dinner can be pan-fried sea bass or filet mignon. Even people who think they don’t like bread pudding love Tarrant’s whiskey-drenched one.
5. The Dining Room At The Berkeley Hotel
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (804) 225-5105
Address: 1200 E. Cary St.
Description: Assured and award-winning, this AAA four-diamond winner makes any occasion special with its mahogany paneling, intimate feel, and fine, locally sourced cuisine. The seasonally changing menu might include butter-basted rockfish or shrimp and grits with a touch of Smithfield ham if you’re lucky. Shockoe Slip is just out the window, but this is a place to savor a meal in warm, rich environs. Valet parking is available.
6. Lulu’S
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (804) 343-9771
Address: 21 N. 17th St.
Description: Think of LuLu’s as Millie’s younger sister, who scored a cool industrial place to hang out in the Bottom. She’s got room to spread out and still packs the visitors in for lunch, dinner, and brunch. LuLu’s is owned by Millie’s veterans, and it produces similarly assured gourmet-flaired comfort food from around the world with an urban vibe, smart service, and happy customers. The bar is open to the kitchen whizzes whirring away, so it’s a lively place. Lean toward meat loaf or the osso bucco. What’s not to love about LuLu’s? Being too full for the homemade chocolate peanut butter pie. There are always five to ten homemade desserts, so plan accordingly.
7. Millie’S
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (804) 643-5512
Address: 2603 E. Main St.
Description: Known far and wide beyond Tobacco Row for its hustle and bustle, inventive gourmet fare and lines out the door, Millie’s quiets down when the food is served, because the fabulous flavors must be admired. It’s a great place to bring a bad conversationalist because jukeboxes provide conversation starters and cool tunes and the food will do the talking. Watching the cooks ply their trade is impressive and humbling once you taste their work. Millie’s is closed on Mon, perhaps to recover from the brunches they throw down on Sat and Sun.
8. Hill Café
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (804) 348-0360
Address: 2800 E. Broad St.
Description: This Church Hill standby, known for its neighborly charm and comfort food, deserves more attention from folks all around town. Sitting in the brick-walled casual spot, perhaps along the bar, you might relish the ginger-scallion crab cakes with mango relish, or maybe you’re in a meat-loaf mood. At brunch on Sunthe crab and shrimp omelet gets raves, and so do the grilled fillet medallions served over cheese grits with Creole red gravy. Reservations are a good idea on weekends. Parking is available on-street. It serves lunch and dinner Mon through Sat, and that most worthwhile Sun brunch.
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Restaurants
Address: 2601 W. Cary St.
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Restaurants
Address: 203 N. Lombardy St.
11. Strawberry Street Café
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (804) 353-6860
Address: 421 N. Strawberry St.
Description: This classic Fan eatery with a cozy atmosphere is famous for its many-splendored salad bar in a bathtub—which looks more appetizing than it sounds. The soup and salad combos are perfect for feeling healthy even if the pile on your plate adds up. There’s beautiful fruit in season as well as curry chicken salad, and that’s just a taste. Burgers, quesadillas, and classics like chicken potpie give you more options. What many chain restaurants pretend to offer—neighborhood comfort, yummy food, and conversation—this place delivers.
12. Mezzanine
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (804) 353-2186
Address: 3433 W. Cary St.
Description: It’s amazing how much good can come out of a 5-by-16-foot kitchen. Elegant yet casual, the setting alone is subtle perfection. And then there’s the constantly changing menu that uses fresh-from-the-field ingredients. Mezzanine’s handsome good looks—with its painted-brick, two-level interior, and covered patio—and emphasis on local foods took the city by storm. It’s hard to keep up with the enthusiastic crowds, drawn here by dishes such as rib eye accompanied by lobster-crushed potatoes and grilled broccolini and finished with a four-day demi-glace. Unless you like the attention, don’t sit under the chalkboard menu—the whole restaurant will be eyeing you. The bar stays open till 2 a.m. It would be hard to do better late at night. It’s closed on Mon.
13. Weezie’S Kitchen
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (804) 726-1270
Address: 3123 W. Cary St.
Description: This understated place is an easy sell for breakfast, lunch, or dinner—even late at night for post-movie snacks or live music on Fri. It’s an all-purpose hangout, pulling out the HD projector for football Sun and Mon. The portions are huge, including the biggest child-size dinner I’ve ever seen, for only $5. The bruschetta starter with blackened chicken on top would fill anyone up before the entrees arrive.
14. Zeus Gallery Cafe
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (804) 359-3219
Address: 201 N. Belmont Ave.
Description: Zeus Gallery doubled in size a few years back, so waiting for a table by the bar is more pleasant now. It will be worth the wait. The city’s finest B&Bs send their clientele here, knowing Zeus will deliver innovative meals in classy yet comfortable surroundings. It’s fittingly not far from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts—the dishes here are works of art whether you choose the foie gras, duck breast, or beef carpaccio. The desserts are beautiful to behold and even better to eat.
15. Kitchen 64
City: Richmond, VA
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (804) 358-0064
Address: 3336 N. Blvd.
Description: A happy place with a bustling covered patio and a cool bar, this restaurant is casual enough to bring the kids along, and serves such a variety that the parents won’t deprive themselves of good food just because the little rascals are along. The atmosphere isn’t so precious that an occasional kid-shriek will freak anyone out. Diners will be too busy noshing on the Greek nachos, the great burgers, and the black-bean hummus. The portions are huge. The revolving dessert case will distract more than the toddlers, believe me. Entrees like prime rib for under $20 draw crowds.