Brunswick stew is the slow-cooked tomato-and-game stew that Brunswick County, Virginia claims as its own. Originally cooked with squirrel; modern versions use chicken with butter beans and corn.
Brunswick County, Virginia and Brunswick, Georgia have disputed the dish's origin since the early twentieth century. Virginia's case rests on Dr Creed Haskins's hunting camp at Jerusalem Plantation in 1828, where his cook Jimmy Matthews is said to have made the first batch. The dish anchors the World Championship Brunswick Stew Cook-off at the Taste of Brunswick Festival each October in Lawrenceville, southwest of Richmond. Twenty-seven competing teams in 2025; the recipe is now standardised around chicken (originally squirrel), tomatoes, butter beans, corn and a slow-cooked tomato base.
3 editor picks for Brunswick stew in Richmond, ranked by editorial score. All Richmond signature dishes · Brunswick stew across every city.
Mama J's Kitchen ★ 4.6
jackson-ward · 415 N 1st Street, Richmond, VA 23219
Velma Johnson's soul food kitchen on 1st Street in Jackson Ward, opened 2009 by her son. Sunday-dinner Southern cooking in the Harlem of the South.
The Roosevelt ★ 4.6
church-hill · 623 N 25th Street, Richmond, VA 23223
The Roosevelt in Church Hill cooks Southern food under Leah Branch, a 2026 James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic. Country ham biscuits, gravy.
Sally Bell's Kitchen ★ 4.4
downtown · 2337 W Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23220
Sally Bell's Kitchen has sold box lunches since 1924, founded by Sarah Cabell Jones and Elizabeth Lee Milton. House-made cupcakes and deviled eggs daily.