There are SO MANY great places to eat in the Richmond area, from Ashland to Petersburg. If you venture east, you get to the Norfolk area and all it has to offer, and not far to the west is the funky college town of Charlottesville, with its own culinary community.
I've compiled a list here of great Richmond restaurants, as noted by me, my family and friends, and the great community of Richmond's BMW riders. The ones I'm most familiar with (aka a local's favorites) are at the top of the list and I'd recommend any of them—be sure to check their websites (easily found with a web search) for hours of operation.
If you're looking for dessert, check out Insomnia Cookies, Red Eye Cookie Co., Sweet Bites, Minglewood Bake Shop, Mo's Sweet Minis, Poor Georgie's, Carytown Cupcakes, or Morsels. To scratch your ice cream itch, head to Bub & Gracie's, Bev's Homemade, Ruby Scoops, NarWhals, Scoop, Sweet Spot, The Treat Shop, Blue Cow, or Jiji.
- Station 2 - best burgers in the city, plus vegetarian and vegan fare for the non-carnivores among us.
- 821 Café (VCU) - specializes in vegetarian food, but will definitely satisfy meat-eaters as well. Fills up quickly, especially for dinner.
- Perly's Deli - an RVA spot not to be missed!
- Proper Pie Co. - get savory (lunch/dinner) or sweet (dessert) hand pies; has limited hours but worth the effort.
- Mama J's Kitchen - great soul food in the heart of RVA.
- Kuba Kuba - probably the best Cuban sandwich in the area.
- ZZQ Texas Craft Barbeque
- Soul Taco
- L'Opossum – regularly rated as one of the best in Virginia.
- Stella's
- The Stables
- Brenner Pass - RVA's best German restaurant.
- Longoven (Scott's Addition)
- Garnett's
- Edo's Squid
- Adarra
- Jamaica House
- Saison
- Sub Rosa Bakery
- Cobra Burger (Church Hill)
- Pizza Bones (Church Hill)
- Alewife
- Grisette
- Supper!
- Can Can Brasserie (Carytown) - get your French fix at Can Can!
- Full Kee
- Nile
- Little Nickel (Forest Hill)
- Lillie Pearl
- Millie's Diner
- Pinky's
- The Mantu
- Dot's Back Inn (Northside)
- Shagbark
- Blue Atlas
- Wild Ginger
- Heritage
- Joe's Inn
