Richmond: Food Tour of Southern Flavors in Shockoe Bottom
Taste your way through 6+ dishes in Shockoe Bottom, from Southern she-crab soup to Thai-style duck bao and artisan cookies. Discover Richmond’s modern Southern soul an...
Richmond's fried chicken canon runs from Mama J's family-recipe drumsticks in Jackson Ward to Croaker's Spot fried plates across the river. Buttermilk-brined, dredged and pan-fried.
Fried chicken is a foundational dish of African American Southern cooking, refined and codified across generations of Black women cooks. Edna Lewis (born in Freetown, west of Richmond) recorded the canonical Southern version in The Taste of Country Cooking (1976). Velma Johnson's Mama J's Kitchen in Jackson Ward has run the city's standard plate since 2009; Croaker's Spot on Hull Street in Manchester adds fried whiting alongside the chicken. Leah Branch at The Roosevelt frames her fried chicken in conversation with Virginia African American culinarians.
3 editor picks for Southern fried chicken in Richmond, ranked by editorial score. All Richmond signature dishes · Southern fried chicken 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.
Croaker's Spot ★ 4.3
manchester · 1020 Hull Street, Richmond, VA 23224
Croaker's Spot on Hull Street runs Black-owned soul-food and seafood since the 1990s. Generous Southern plates and fried-fish platters daily.
Learn to cook it, or eat it with a guide
Southern fried chicken makes more sense with someone from Richmond explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
Taste Southern fried chicken with a local in Richmond
Richmond: Church Hill Food Tour
Taste the best of Richmond’s oldest neighborhood with a walking food tour, visiting 5 local tasty establishments.
Richmond: Arts District Walking Food Tour
Taste the best of Richmond’s most diverse neighborhood with the city’s top-rated, most delicious walking food tour! Sample food from 5-6 restaurants and explore the hi...