2023 Top Restaurants to Try in Richmond Virginia

Intro

Last weekend, we were recent visitors to Richmond for a special occasion and what a great spot to visit! There was a large group of us in town for the wedding and stayed at the Omni Richmond Downtown right in the center of downtown Richmond, Virginia's capital city. The downtown area was super cute, close to the Church Hill section of town and blocks from the Canal Walk.

When I visit a new city I always try to check out some of the best new restaurants, anything from fine dining to a cozy dining room; ultimately I am looking for the perfect place that will wow my taste buds. So the first thing I do is check Google and Yelp for a list of the best restaurants which gave me thousands of hits for some of the best Richmond restaurants. Then I figure out how many meals I will be having and narrow down to my top pick. I usually go for the places that look like they have good food, put together a great menu with daily specials and signature cocktails, items I'm craving, and doesn't have long lines in case I only have time for a quick bite. I usually also avoid an upscale atmosphere unless it is a special occasion.

Even though Virginia is right on the cusp of being in the south, a lot of the restaurants menus included southern cuisine and American classics like fried chicken, warm peach cobbler, and crab cakes. Southern comfort food at it's finest with a new twist. Some of these delicious options included popular dishes with fresh seafood, pork chops, and short rib egg rolls. Leaving every patron happy with a small plates menu option or for the hungry visitor, large portions. If enjoying a special night out, many restaurants offered a happy hour menu with craft cocktails and some delicious food. When traveling I am always eager to try the best places with great service, from a wine bar with tapas and a killer wine list or signature cocktail to a local joint that showcases only a few of their most popular menu items and a signature dish.

Experience

My flight to Richmond from Florida brought me into the city just before 9 AM so I was a bit hungry upon my arrival and unable to get into my hotel room anyway so I went out on a mission to find something interesting for breakfast, which landed me at the Capitol Waffle Shop. I can't remember the last time I had a waffle so I thought, why not and ordered half a waffle (not sure if a whole waffle was an option) with chocolate and peanut butter syrup and an iced coffee. The shop was cute, not super crowded being a Friday morning, and served up a yummy waffle. I will say I could have lived without their iced coffee so if you are a coffee snob or coffee connoisseur I would say find a coffee house.

Before we had to head out for the wedding rehearsal, I tried to find a quick place for lunch. I was torn between Eazzy Burger and Soul Taco. There were a few other joints in the area like an Italian restaurant called La Grotta Ristorante and Sub Rosa Bakery. I wound up going with Soul Taco because La Grotta Ristorante would have been too heavy for me at the time, Eazzy Burger was a little too far for my timeframe, and I didn't want any sweets from Sub Rosa Bakery after my waffle breakfast. And can I say Soul Taco hit the spot. It really was a great place to grab a quick bite. It was virtually net door to my hotel in the downtown area, had delicious food, and had great service.

Our first evening in the city of Richmond was pretty great! After the rehearsal, we went over to Slingshot Social Game Club which was super fun for a group. They had great outdoor space with seats and tables to enjoy the live band. The inside of the bar had a whole wall of drafts for beers, cider beers, spiked kombucha, and wine. It was also a warehouse size building that had a bunch of different games like bowling and skee-ball, which I got way to aggressive with. I've just never had unlimited access to skee-ball before, to be fair. We stayed there for about 3.5 hours before the party started dying down and being up since 3 AM for the flight caught up to me. I was equal parts tired and hungry, so on the way back to the Westham Tavern in the Omni Richmond Hotel to pick up a chicken sandwich to bring to my room, which was delightful. When I am in a new city, I always try a new place to eat versus going back to a restaurant I had already been to on that trip.

The City of Richmond

A little about the city of Richmond. It is in the mid-Atlantic of Virginia, just over 100 miles south of Washington, D.C. The James river cuts through Richmond and is the largest river in the state of Virginia. Not only is Richmond a quaint river city, it's got great food from modern Greek cuisine to southern comfort food, has a bustling arts district, and cultural establishments like the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Poe Museum. Richmond is also conveniently situated near other cultural hubs like Philadelphia, Charlotte, and Washington, D.C.

Memorials

Sights

Sports

Outdoors

Arts

Museums

Final Thoughts

Richmond is a quaint little city with a lot to offer in culture and activities, with a convenient location to the beach several metro areas such as Philadelphia, D.C., and Charlotte. If you have visited the Virginia area, I would love some comments below on your favorite sights and restaurants in the area?

If the bigger US cities seem overwhelming and smaller cities are more your speed, check out my recent post on Salt Lake City, Utah. Also, if you are in Richmond, take a short drive and visit some amazing sights in Washington, D.C.

Trip map created using Wanderlog, a road trip planner app on iOS and Android