Order Up: Richmond restaurant roundup for 2024

Trouvaille co-owner Joe Kmetz in his new Fan restaurant. (BizSense file photos)

Another year in the books means plenty of local restaurant news to recount.

We’ll start in the city of Richmond, where two acclaimed restaurants went under new ownership during 2024. Can Can Brasserie in Carytown was taken over by Housepitality Family, the group behind The Boathouse and Casa del Barco, while a few blocks to the north The Stables at Belmont in the Museum District was sold over the summer to a group that includes its executive chef and general manager. 

As is the case most years, many long-standing restaurant spaces in the city welcomed new operators in 2024. The Fan alone saw tons of action, as Beaucoup, an oyster and cocktail bar from the folks at Grisette, opened in the former Commercial Taphouse space. Bar-Q, a Norfolk barbecue joint, is now open where Starlite once operated. Barrio closed to make way for Memi’s, a new Egyptian restaurant, and Jewish/Mediterranean concept Susie’s recently opened in the old Hop Craft Pizza & Beer spot on Cary Street.

On Lombardy Street, the space that’s hosted over a half-dozen concepts over the years, including Balliceaux and Poor Boys, welcomed new arrival Trouvaille. On Main Street, Smoke & Barrel opened in the old Lady N’Awlins. 

Elsewhere in the city, Lynchburg-based diner the Texas Inn took over for Izzy’s Kitchen in the Museum District, the old Mamma Zu building in Oregon Hill was recently reborn as Restaurant Adarra and Zorch Pizza Parlor opened where taqueria Don’t Look Back once operated in Bon Air.

Other new concepts to open in the city this year include Stock Café & Bar, a furniture store-Nordic restaurant combo in Manchester from Roanoke-based Txtur; Goldwing, a cocktail and dessert bar on Arthur Ashe Boulevard from the owner of J Kogi; and The British Embassy, a fish and chips joint downtown.

The surrounding counties

Il Forno owners Nadja and Giuseppe Giambanco.

Chesterfield and Hanover counties both caught the attention of local restaurant operators in 2024. 

In Chesterfield, the owners of Tazza Kitchen inked a deal to bring a new concept to a Bon Air strip center, Latitude Seafood Co. opened a new location overlooking Swift Creek Reservoir, and El Chido added a sixth location on Midlothian Turnpike. 

EAT Restaurant Partners announced plans for a Wong’s Tacos location in Hanover, and downtown Ashland got new Mediterranean spot Ash & Olive as well as Il Forno, an Italian-inspired venture from a longtime local restaurant family. 

Meanwhile, western Henrico and Short Pump attracted a steady stream of national chains. New-to-market brands such as Dave’s Hot Chicken, Mason’s Famous Lobster Rolls, Ford’s Garage and breakfast spot Turning Point all looked to Short Pump as either their way into the Richmond market or to expand here. 

Short Pump also landed a pair of new steakhouses in Perry’s and Fogo de Chão, and a third, Fleming’s, is on the way.

Shake Shack also continued to grow its local presence with a deal for a Short Pump spot in what’ll be its third location in the region.  

Closures

The Hatch Local food hall closed this year after two years in Manchester.

The region’s first food hall, Hatch Local, close its doors in the spring after two years in business. One of the food hall’s former tenants, Sincero, also closed in Jackson Ward while another, Fat Kid Sandwiches, is working on opening in its own space downtown. 

Other notable closures include Burger Bach’s Short Pump and Midlothian locations, Kuba Kuba Dos in the West End, and the city’s tallest rooftop bar, Kabana Rooftop, which is set to close at the end of the year. 

A few chains that had been in business for over a decade also served their last meal this year. Carrabba’s closed in Short Pump after 10 years, the VCU Chili’s closed after 16 years, and the Carytown Baker’s Crust closed after 26 years. 

Other new spots to come

The Giavos family is turning the old Lafayette Pharmacy into a restaurant.

The new year is lined up to be an eventful one for the Forest Hill area’s restaurant scene. Along with a new Väsen Brewing Co. taproom, the Southside neighborhood is also set to get an outpost of EAT Restaurant Partners’ sushi restaurant Lucky AF, as well as Janet’s, a new cafe and bakery from a pair of Charlottesville bakers. 

A pair of mystery concepts may also be revealed in the new year. The prolific Giavos family is working on a new, unnamed concept across from their Stella’s restaurant on Lafayette Street, and the group behind Scott’s Addition Lost Letter and Lillian Oyster Hall is cooking up a third, to-be-announced restaurant in the neighborhood.

The Riccobono family, which owns Polpetti Italian, is working on opening both a sandwich shop/cafe near VCU and an Italian deli in the Fan, and the region will get its first Sweetgreen location in Carytown Exchange. 

Other new restaurants that opened in 2024

New restaurants set to open in 2025