Our Tips on Where to Eat in Richmond, Virginia

This is the latest for our destination dining guide, Eat Sheet. For more on how we do these a bit differently, head here first.

Amid all the industry challenges, the homegrown Richmond food scene remains resilient and strong. James Beard-nominated chefs inhabit every corner of the city and out into the suburbs. With few exceptions, the local love has kept national chain restaurants at bay, so chefs have free rein to experiment. Richmond’s proximity to abundant agriculture and fisheries means there’s a real sense of community and collaboration among restaurant folk and food producers. For years, the area has benefited from the Richmond boomerang effect: leave for a while, but you always come back, very often to open a restaurant. Church Hill and Scott’s Addition host the current cool kids of restaurants, but don’t sleep on other neighborhoods like Jackson Ward, the Arts District and Manchester. Plenty of worthy spots defy these categories and other intriguing revamps and new concepts are on the way, so don’t hesitate to add to the list.

HOLD THE MEAT

Blue Atlas

When vegetarian and vegan dishes are your jam, it’s good to know that Rachel Best, chef and co-owner at Blue Atlas, tucked in a renovated school on Fulton Hill, was executive chef at Boulder’s Leaf and has been vegetarian for more than 15 years. With her husband, co-owner and co-chef, Ben Watters, a classically trained chef with stints at Lemaire and Brenner Pass, they’ve created a menu that’s a world tour: Americas, Europe, Asia, Middle East, and Africa. The firepits below the portico and the view overlooking the city are twinkling delights, and the dishes sparkle, too. Eggplant Mnazaleh, Rajas con Crema and Tofu or Pork Belly bao buns are all sumptuous. There’s no scarcity of meat here, just appealing options for all. By day, hit the Market for vegan optional breakfast burritos, salads and sides. If the timing works, hit their Vegan Takeovers offered several times a year.

MUNCHIES

Black Lodge

When you’ve tried every brewery in Scott’s Addition and need more solid sustenance, head to Brenner Pass’s snarky sibling, Black Lodge, for suave snacks and cool drinks. Like Brenner, Black Lodge is fond of fondue. It trends European with caviar and shots, fish and chips, or fondue fries. The Alpine Dog with fondue, speck and fried onions, fits that trend and then they surprise with a Chicago Dog or Street Corn dog with lime crema. Go all in with a Tower of Power to load up on dogs, wings, patty melts and fries to finish strong—and very full. Once the kitchen closes, roller dogs keep you and the industry folks here company through the rest of the night at the bar, til 2 a.m. on weekends.

DOLLAR STRETCHER

Zorch Pizza

What Rob Zorch started as a NY-style slice-mobile in 2018 has found a home in Carytown, Richmond’s favorite shopping and eating district. A $26 pizza doesn’t sound like a deal, but if it’s Zachos (tortilla chips, chorizo, jalapeños, pickled onions, all the cheeses) that’s an app and entree in every bite. You’ll get 3 meals out of it or split it with pals. The savings add up. A $5 slice is nice if you splurged at Mongrel or Plan 9 Music. Zorch knows his way around pepperoni and sausage, sourcing sausage from local favorite, The Mayor, and he likes to play with specialty ‘zas like Detroit-style, Grandma, or General Tso’s. Save room for Gobs, bakery Fat Rabbit’s two cake moons caressed by buttercream. Spiced Pumpkin til Thanksgiving and Eggnog Gobs after. Be on the lookout for their truck at Scott’s Addition breweries.

MAKE IT QUICK

Stella’s Grocery

Named for Richmond legend Stella Dikos, of Stella’s restaurant, Stella’s Grocery is Richmond’s gourmet and gourmand go-to. You’re never far from one of six markets which churn out the best take-out and prepared meals in the city. There’s the newly expanded original on Lafayette St. in the Near West End, plus Downtown, Scott’s Addition, Westhampton, and south of the river in Westover Hills and Manchester. Hours and offerings vary, with some locations offering more hot, made-to-order dishes and indoor dining than others, but bright flavors and large portions are the norm everywhere. Hearty dishes like Dijon Roasted Chicken and Short Ribs Ragu work to heat up later and lighter options like a Chicken Quinoa Bowl, Salad Shakers (Tuscan Farro w/ Chicken—dairy free or not) or a souvlaki pita make a quick lunch or picnics a breeze. If you need a gift, the combo of local consumables and intriguing wines and olive oils will please any recipient. The desserts are divine.

LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING

Hatch Food Hall

Ignore the food court feel. There are two full bars, so these seven local food stalls in two ground floor sections of a Manchester condo complex beat any mall. The dining experience here is a test-drive of what’s coming down the pike for the Richmond cuisine scene.

For the husband and wife team at Fat Kid Sandwiches, Hatch is the place to test their concept; for Beet Box, it’s the second location of the smoothie, juice and bowls biz. Sincero, the taco joint, went from pop-ups at breweries to steady gig. Royal Pig focuses on Cambodian dishes here and at breweries. Mike Lindsey and Kimberly Love-Lindsey operate two iterations of their empire here, the fried chicken-centric Buttermilk + Honey (w/ 2 larger locations in town) and Bully Burger for the meats. If you’re bully about the burger, try Lindsey Food Group’s newest spot, ML Steak downtown or their popular Lillie Pearl. You might meet a James Beard-nominated chef, Lee Gregory (also of Alewife fame) or a recently named 2022 DC-Chesapeake StarChefs Rising Star, Bobo Catoe, Jr., hanging at their Odyssey Fish storefront while waiting for your catfish on a stick. Say hi.

ONE FOR THE FEED

L’Opossum

The first course at L’Opossum, James Beard-nominated David Shannon’s Oregon Hill extravaganza, is a visual feast since you eat with your eyes first. Just make sure your mouth is ready for what’s coming. You’ll want a full phone battery and an empty stomach to appreciate the spectacle and spectacular dining experience L’Opossum puts out. Savor the menu for the puns alone and then consider the exquisiteness of the dishes, such as Seared Sea Scallops & Braised Pork Belly a la Leviticus. The flame burns bright here—especially if you order La Petite Mort au Chocolat en Flambé. As festooned as the place typically is with gaudy goodies and seasonal winks, at Christmas the joint’s decked out with boughs of folly. Get a reservation and live your best life!

HOT SPOT

eazzy burger

Some who’ve worshiped at ZZQ, the Scott’s Addition Central Texas-style barbecue meat church from Pitmaster Chris Fultz and Pitmistress Alex Graf, hankered for fries with their brisket. Some sipping at next door Ardent Craft Ales fancied a burger with their beer. Problems solved with the opening mid-fall 2022 of eazzy burger. It’s the greasy burger joint in Scott’s Addition that makes one feel good about pigging out on beef since the patty mix is dry-aged brisket, chuck, and short rib from Roseda Black Angus, a family, pastured beef farm in Maryland, dedicated, as eazzy burger is, to regenerative ranching and environmental stewardship. Compostable and recyclable products help the cause. The burgers are sensory sensations, delicious, drippy and deeply satisfying. The fries mouth-watering. Their housemade Eazzy sauce is dispensed generously, as culinary director Russell Cook said, “the taste of a hamburger in a sauce.” Indoor and outdoor seating and the flexibility to bring ZZQ food here and vice versa with proximity to ZZQ and Ardent creates a culinary campus. Crave a Cheazzy or Chile Relleno burger? Make a beeline to get in line at eazzy burger.

IF IT AIN'T BROKE

The Roosevelt

When The Roosevelt opened in 2011, it turned charming Church Hill into a dining destination and hit the best of lists early and often. Now, with executive chef Leah Branch, one of the few African American female executive chefs in the region, it continues to be both a neighborhood gathering spot and a place worth driving miles for. It’s quintessential 21st century Richmond dining, community-minded, welcoming and warm, with an appreciation for history, including the consequential contributions of Africans and their food to Southern dishes. Branch’s menu mixes an old-timey vibe with vibrance. The Confit Turkey Leg, with greens, carrots, honeynut squash veloute, puffed farro and fried sage is a standout. If going meatless appeals, try the Smoked Garnet Yam: sweet tea collards, eggplant curry, benne tahini, fried okra. Keep hoping for the return of brunch.

UNDER THE RADAR

Pinky’s

Since Richmond magazine readers voted Pinky’s Best New Restaurant this year, we want out-of-towners to meet the Mediterranean-infused spot in Scott’s Addition. The airy inside says upscale diner in a warehouse while the patio says stay awhile. Named after owner Steve DeRaffele’s late mother, a New Yorker, Pinky’s works. Dig in to tapas like Char-Grilled Octopus and Autumn Burrata or go medium on the sandwiches or big on the Mains. Brunch—Saturday AND Sunday—is inventive yet comforting. Lamb Papas is a cheesy, slurpy, spicy slurry over brunch potatoes with eggs. Pinky’s 100 percent gluten-free fryer means gluten-intolerant folks can have confidence eating delectable dishes. Plenty of vegetarian and vegan options as well.