Richmond Restaurants Worth Leaving the House For, From Scott's Addition to Southside

By Kayleigh Crandell · July 14, 2026 · 8 min read read

Kicking off a new series about the beloved Richmond restaurant scene. This round: Thai noodles served in an actual boat, a worker-owned coffee shop in Scott's Addition, two thriving Black-owned spots on Southside, and barbecue with espresso in the sauce up in Northside.

Chef Jose Andres believes in longer tables, not higher walls. As a great leader of not just food, but ending hunger, I find his intersectional approach to something we all have to do (eat!) incredibly inspiring. The power of bringing people around a table to share food, thought, and atmosphere should be felt in every home, every neighborhood, and every culture. Richmond’s food culture is no exception.

Everyone knows Richmond is a restaurant-loving town. They should, anyway. We’ve been called a culinary powerhouse by Food & Wine and are often covered in the New York Times and other outlets about the power of spending a weekend around here.

But that’s not even talking to locals. Eat It, Virginia is a local podcast from Robey Martin and Scott Wise (from CBS 6) we host on the Channel RVA site because of how in-depth they go with the hole-in-the-wall spots to the high-profile James Beard winners of RVA.

My first podcast episode of the Creator Spotlight focused on Bria of RVA Eats, who has her own take on creating content that gets Richmond restaurants in the spotlight.

And considering the struggle that many local restaurants are going through right now because of inflation, with many of them straight up asking for help on social media, it felt like the appropriate time to document my own love of local restaurants.

I recently moved to Southside, and between exploring my new neighborhood and my usual wandering around the city, I keep landing at restaurants that deserve more love than they get. So here’s that love delivery, no DoorDash necessary.

These are places I already go and already recommend to friends. Channel RVA also has features that help local businesses get recognized and get people actually ordering from them, and the daily newsletter puts them in front of readers every morning.

If you haven't signed up for that yet, do it, and then go eat somewhere on this list.

Thai Boat

Thai Boat opened last fall at 2301 W. Main St. in the Fan, and it's the newest spot from the Kiatsuranon family, the same people behind Mom's Siam and My Noodle & Bar. I remember this spot being the spot of multiple fusion spots, but I think Thai Boat is the concept that’s going to stick as much as sticky noodles.

The first time I went to Thai Boat was for a night of dancing. They host these events regularly, and I love going dancing there, but honestly, the food won me over just as hard as the music did.

The calamari was fantastic. The cocktails were a highlight, especially my mule. And the stir-fried noodles came served in a little boat, which is exactly the kind of detail I want from a place called Thai Boat. The whole room feels authentically Thai with a fusion streak, and the bar setting makes it easy to settle in for a while.

Find them at thaiboatrva.com and on Instagram at @thaiboat.rva.

Afterglow Coffee Cooperative

Let me be honest: I am not a coffee connoisseur. I am still using K-Cups and a Keurig. I know it’s bad, but the convenience has been what’s kept me cupped up. I’m making a goal to change that before the end of 2026 – so any and all at-home coffee methods are on the table.

Outside of the house, Afterglow Coffee made me feel fancy even with my frappuccino-conditioned palette. And their pastries are breakfast staples in my world.

Afterglow is Richmond's first worker-owned coffee cooperative, started by five former Lamplighter employees. The shop is deeper than it looks and sits at the edge of Scott’s Addition at 1719 Summit Ave.

The seasonal specials are the move here. Every time I go there's something new worth trying, and the space works just as well for a meeting as it does for a long afternoon of remote work.

Also, can we talk about Scott's Addition as a coffee neighborhood? Everyone knows it as the brewery district, but I think it might be one of the best coffee shop neighborhoods in the city, and Afterglow is a big contributor to that growing reputation.

They're at afterglowcoffee.com and @afterglow_coffee.

Croaker's Spot

I just moved to Southside and I am repping it hard, starting with Croaker's Spot at 1020 Hull St. in Manchester. This place has been feeding Richmond since 2001 and is often called the longest-standing Black-owned full-service restaurant in the city. You can feel the history, the sense of community, family, and culture within the wooden walls. There is real joy in watching a Black-owned institution thrive the way this one does.

I kept my order light on my first visit because it was blazing hot outside, so I went with the fried shrimp, and it did not disappoint. I also spotted a deal where you get a discount for paying cash, which has me saving up dollar bills for the first time in I don't know how long.

Fair warning: it gets lit on Sundays and weekends, in the best way. Lots of families, lots of big tables, lots of energy. Make a reservation if that’s the move for you to fry away the Sunday scaries.

Find them at croakersspot.com and @thecroakersspot.

Pinky's

Pinky's, at 3015 Norfolk St. in Scott's Addition, is coastal Mediterranean with a very American heart, and it's good for the whole family. I often see people in large parties here, so a reservation is a must. Last time I went, it was so packed, I had to sit at the bar. But honestly, that worked for me and the gal pal who tagged along with me: I just finished the most recent season of The Bear, so I loved getting an up close look to the busy kitchen.

The drinks are so cute. I got the Bear Suit (appropriate for my most recent TV binge) and the flavor was so complex with that absinthe mist. I'd put their cocktails up against anything in the neighborhood. They also do really good mocktails, which I think the restaurant scene is missing at times, so I appreciate a place that takes the zero-proof side of the menu seriously.

They're at pinkysrva.com and @pinkysrva.

The Sassy Biscuit Co.

Another Southside gem – and maybe the newest Black-owned business that deserves your attention.

Friends of mine from Podium RVA went to the soft opening and immediately told me I had to make my way down Hull to The Sassy Biscuit Co. Subscriber Vicki Yeroian even spotted it in the Channel RVA newsletter!

The Manchester spot is Jilan Hall-Johnson's Richmond outpost of the biscuit-forward brunch spot she first opened in Billings, Montana. I met her on my visit, and everyone there was so nice from the moment I walked in.

I loved the Dude-Mosa, their play on a beer and a mimosa together. The biscuits are the real deal, and they also make waffle biscuits, which is the perfect situation for brunch, IMO. I will be going back time after time.

And to clear up any confusion, this is not The Fancy Biscuit, which is in the Fan. The Sassy Biscuit is a Southside thing, part of the revival I keep talking about since I moved over here. Although, truly, it's always been here. The community was here long before me – but now that I’m a bona fide neighbor, I’ll be showing up to support all the entrepreneurship and great flavor that comes from South of the James.

Find them at thesassybiscuit.com and @thesassybiscuitco.

The Smoky Mug

I don't typically make it up to Northside, but I was adamant about getting to The Smoky Mug, now at 2930 North Ave. after moving into a bigger space last year. I'm so glad I did. The vibe is cute Tex-Mex, and the concept threads coffee through everything, from the cafe side of the menu all the way into the barbecue itself.

There's espresso in one of the sauces, alongside vinegar and mustard varieties, and all of them are delicious. I got the brisket cowboy plate (not pictured…because I ate it too fast) and it was incredible. Next trip is for the nachos, and the cocktails hold their own too.

That little corridor around Brookland Park has grown into a real dining destination, and I already have my eye on Auntie Ning's, the Filipino spot nearby for my next trip up to Northside.

The Smoky Mug is at smokymug.com and @thesmokymug.

Hungry yet? Go eat!

Northside and Southside both deserve their glow-up, and the community is already showing up to soak in the delicious flavors.

Restaurants like these make their neighborhoods better places to live, and every table you book keeps that going for the people you may not know yet – but they are your neighbors! Don't forget to tip and be kind to everyone in the service industry – it's because of them that we're able to have awesome experiences when we eat out.

Sign up for Channel RVA's daily newsletter to keep up with local businesses like these, and maybe I’ll see you around the table sometime at these awesome local spots.