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RICHMOND, Va. — As we move closer to a long, hot, Richmond summer, it’s now time release the Richmond restaurant HOT LIST for June. The column in which Eat It, Virginia! podcast co-host Robey Martin answers her most-asked question: “Where should I be eating now in Richmond?”
Well, here you go. These are the spots that are on fire for the month of June.
Manchu Food Truck is now Manchu, a brick and mortar, and all the better for it. The food, described as Viet-Creole, hails from the original New Orleans Manchu (if you haven’t seen that No Passport Required episode with them, get on it.). The little spot nails the chicken wing. Sure, the po’ boy and other menu items are good, but the wings are incredible. Get more than you think — you’ll consume a couple in your car. eater.com asked if they were going to serve yakamein (a hangover cure). I’m here to tell you Eater. Yes, they are.
Manchu
2914 North Avenue
Richmond, Va. 23222
Not to be confused with the above, The Mantu has opened in the old Burger Bach location in Carytown. The Afghan restaurant, whose name means “dumpling,” burst onto the scene with a $150-per-person “soft opening.” Not to worry, this isn’t a typical price point from Hamidullah Noori, a former executive chef at Kabul Serena Hotel in Afghanistan. Noori, who had been working at Ellwood Thompson’s moved across the parking lot with an assist from owner Rick Hood. Definitely get the dumplings.
The Mantu
10S Thompson Street
Richmond, Va. 23221
You have probably been asking yourself — what does the Richmond Canal Walk need? Bateau is your answer. The little wine and coffee bar is beautifully appointed, set a bit back from the canal with muted metal and gray interior. The name honors the boats of the free and enslaved black bateaumen who transported goods on the James River. Tip: Headed on a first date? Make a reservation for one of the two tops in front of “fireplace”. Smoke show.
Bateau
301 Virginia Street
Richmond, Va. 23219
The new restaurant from the group behind Southern Railway Taphouse and District 5, The Annex is focusing on craft cocktails and Tex-Mex. If a 40-ounce Sour Patch kid frozen margarita isn’t laser-like focus, what is? Tacos run the gamut from traditional, with onions and cilantro to bacon cheeseburger, with (you guessed it!) ground beef, bacon and cheese. Rejoice, fan-goers! The restaurant is planning to have a late night menu seven days a week.
The Annex
1919 West Main Street
Richmond, Va. 23220
These previous Hot List entries are still too hot to drop.
It’s as if Shelly and Omar Bravo reached into my head for their new spot, Coco and Hazel. The space, on Ridge Road in the West End, has a Mexican hot chocolate milkshake with churros and Oaxacan single origin coffee. The name is a mash-up of their daughter’s names and the family vibe doesn’t stop there. Everything is shareable with portions at whatever is bigger than huge. But expect a line, I’m not the only one who’d like to live there right now.
Coco and Hazel
411 N. Ridge Road
Henrico, Va. 23229
Restaurant Adarra, BUT NOW with patio dining, is a Hot List Three-peater. Word on the street is they have soft shell crabs right now. From the minds of Richmond restaurant mainstays Randall and Lyne Doetzer, the Basque (northern Spain) focused restaurant, Restaurant Adarra comes. The old Rogue spot has morphed into another small plate spot with quirky cocktails running through the range of serious to quirky. Only two menu items (currently) sit over $16 mark. Reservations are tight for the small space — but get in and get the skate, post haste.
Restaurant Adarra
618 N 1st Street
Richmond, Va. 23219
