RICHMOND, Va. – One of the best restaurants in Richmond has been named one of the best bars in America. The Roosevelt, located in Richmond’s Church Hill neighborhood, was listed among the 24 Best Bars in America bars in the June/July issue of Esquire magazine.
“I just tried to set out from the beginning to have a comfortable and welcoming place,” Roosevelt bar manager Thomas Leggett said. “A place where I would want to go, and I’m glad other people have enjoyed it as well.”
Thomas Leggett pours a drink at The Roosevelt (PHOTO: Aimee Mcnamee)
Cocktail historian David Wondrich, who compiled the list, compared The Roosevelt to a “southern country store: pleasant, casual, and very hospitable, with damn tasty drinks made from mostly local ingredients.”
Wondrich suggested ordering “A Quoit Club Punch.”
The $9 drink consists of Jamaican Rum, American Brandy, Rainwater Madeira, lemon and sugar, according to The Roosevelt’s bar menu. The restaurant called it the official drink of Richmond’s most popular 19th Century social club.
“We don’t sling drinks, we craft cocktails,” a note on the bar menu explained. “Please be patient. We try within our boundaries to use fresh and seasonal ingredients, therefore our menu is subject to change.”
“It’s nice to have a neighborhood bar on this amazing list,” Leggett said. “Quite a honor, I’m truly humbled.”
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Earlier this year The Roosevelt co-owner and chef Lee Gregory was named a semifinalist in the 2014 James Beard Foundation Awards for “Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic.”
