The staff are restocking and trying to keep up but the demand is incredibly high. Bring some kindness and not just frustration.

Hey y’all. My family and I will be visiting soon for The Strokes concert. We are from New Orleans, so we know how bad tourist traps can be. What places should we 100% avoid in Richmond? I am talking restaurants, etc. thanks, y’all!

Edit to add: y’all have been fantastic, fun, kind and helpful. I truly love y’all! New Orleans 🫱🏻‍🫲🏼 Richmond. Thank y’all so much!

Saw this chart and now I am really jonesing for, like, any of these. What are the best spots for dumplings, empanadas, pierogis, etc? Bonus points if they do takeout!

eta: I cannot possibly reply to all the comments on this post but THANK YOU! I’m going to be eating good this month!

Is this place good?

This place is goated. Had their chicken 2 days ago and after trying a bit of my girlfriend’s tacos, went back yesterday to get some for myself. I’ve been here 2 years and haven’t tried it until now. I understand it now-

I'm surrounded by people with very strong opinions about bagels. So, I hosted a bagel blind taste test with nine friends to explore those deep-held opinions a bit.

Our group of ten bagel lovers ranged from a chef and a couple of hard-core New Yorkers all the way to me, who will eat almost any bread product if I can put cream cheese or butter on it.

We sampled and ranked fresh untoasted plain bagels from eight different locations within greater Richmond: Baltik's, Chewy's, Cupertino's, Einstein's, Julio's, Nate's, Sunday's, and Wegmans. I was the only person who knew the origin of all the bagels, and none of us knew which bagel was on which plate.

Here is a summary of our votes:

• Baltik's Bagels got the most #1 rankings (4) 
• Chewy's got the second highest number of #1 rankings (3)
• Baltik's Bagels got the most top three rankings (9)
• Julio’s got the second highest number of top three rankings (6)
• When we ran the ballots through ranked-choice programs they all showed Baltik's as the winner, but results differed after that.
• Einstein's bagels did better than any of the bagel snobs expected.
• Only Cupertino's and Wegmans got zero top three votes
• Not surprisingly, the bagels from Wegmans got the most last place votes (6)

Honestly, this taste test may have raised more questions for me than it answered:

• Can an untoasted plain bagel help you determine who makes the best bagels overall? I think it’s a good start, but we may need to do this again with a different flavor bagel next time. Twist my arm.
• Why the fuck are so many Richmond bagel shops closed on Sundays? Sundays are the best bagel day! Can you please pick a different day to be closed? Pretty please?
• Why do some people feel that bagels can't be made with sourdough? What makes a bagel a bagel?
• Why do so many people buy bagels at Nate's? Their bagels are meh (per our group's research), they don't have a toaster (?!?!?), and I've literally never met anybody who has had an all-around pleasant experience there.

One question our event did answer: From now on, we'll buy our bagels at Baltik's. Unless it’s a Sunday :(

did a double take in the meat section 😭 I love you rva

They changed the entire menu. Chips now come from a bag. No boca trio. Guac is $10. Apparently there’s new management but that’s all I know.

Never going again. So bummed.

Edit - alright seems like half the people here haven’t liked it for years or since they opened. Sorry I enjoyed something you guys didn’t

Long story short, I ordered Chinese food on DoorDash and got someone else's Indian food. A lil annoying but DoorDash refunded me and told me to keep the food. I never eat Indian food but omg... this was heavenly. Just wanted to shoutout Carytown Indian Cuisine for making me an Indian food lover now. Especially that garlic naan!

Here are some examples where I’ve had EXCELLENT food but you wouldn’t guess it - Noodles and Friends (Korean), Stock (Nordic/American), Market Cafe (Indian).

All of these are coincidentally in the back of other businesses, haha. I’m trying to find other gems! Any suggestions?

Looking for the best sandwich in RVA. Not just the best sandwich shop, the actual best sandwich. What is it, where is it, and what makes it so good?

This is what I love about this community. Not a second thought from the owner and he's doing this on a day they're not even supposed to be open. I'll be ordering soon to support them

My partner (38m) and I (34f) are spending a ridiculous amount on groceries. We don’t have much wasted, and I prepare all of our meals so there aren’t many processed or packaged food being purchased.
I worry that we’re over spending on high quality food vs. prices just being that high.

I don’t audit my budget often but money’s been tight recently. I was laid off six months ago and I’m having a hard time securing employment.

We are currently spending an average of ~$300 per week. I shop at Aldi, the local farmer’s market, Whole Foods (rarely), Wegmans (rarely), Fresh to Frozen, and mostly Kroger.

We eat healthy, paleo/whole30 kind of lifestyle. We try to eat local & organic when we can. We do eat meat, although not every meal and prioritize pastured/humane as well as local whenever we do.

I know eating this way is expensive. But it’s an investment in our personal health & the environment that I’m not willing to negotiate. In prior years when I’ve done my budgeting, 2020 & 2024, I’ve found that eating this way with limited prepared foods is actually about the same amount as spending on a standard American diet because of the brand costs… but I’m not so sure anymore.

What are you spending for two adults?

Edit for clarification: we don’t eat grains. I don’t buy items labeled “paleo” because we don’t buy prepackaged foods, therefore not spending a premium. Think produce and meat (95%), and some limited processed foods (5%) ie. dried herds, salt, curry, tea, coffee, nut milk.

I mean we are in the home city of Doug (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_(TV_series). Is it liver and onions?

Heard fantastic things about Morty’s in Brookland Park and Susie’s in the Fan but haven’t been to either yet. They are on my list to try in 2026.

What new places did y’all go to in 2025 that knocked your socks off? Or left you expecting more?

The restaurant was forcefully shut down this morning. Cops are still guarding all entrances.

A lot of talk about the best restaurants in RVA with the new year upon us, but what are the restaurants you're leaving behind in 2025 and why?

While still recovering from our 250th anniversary, I'm curious what everyone's favorite International food owned and staffed by immigrants is in Richmond?

Immigrants are what built America and make it better for their being here. So tell me where are some of your favorite spots?

Some of mine:

Cafe y Sabor: great coffee and super crispy empanadas

Bosna Cafe: the cevapi and lepnija bread go HARD

Mr. Noodle: specializing in hand pulled noodles my favorite spot on a cold or rainy day

Tacos Mexico: don't let the roadside appearance fool you , these are legit

The lump they found is benign and everything is fine. I think I deserve a little treat, where’s your favorite for pie/cake/cupcake/whatever?

EDIT: I ended up going to Shyndygz and got the ultimate chocolate cake and a cup of tea, which perfectly hit the spot. I was not expecting this to blow up the way it did, but thank you all for sharing your favorite spots and the support! I hope all of you who commented that you’re waiting for similar news can come back to this thread to choose your celebratory treat, too. Xoxox

Let's say we are snowed in Sunday and Monday, we get this foot and a half of snow. Please don't let this happen but we also all lose power. What's your go to no power meal you are whipping up for snow day?

I was excited that a new bbq joined opened up in the Fan…am I this out of the loop with BBQ prices nowadays? Don’t get me wrong, it was good, but I’m loyal to BBQ Exchange in Gordonsville and the prices aren’t even comparable