The Hanover tomato is the local-pride summer tomato, grown in the sandy loam soils of Hanover County north of Richmond. The variety appears at farmers markets through July and August.
Hanover County, immediately north of Richmond, has the right combination of sandy-loam soil, drainage and summer heat to produce a tomato that locals defend with religious intensity. The Hanover tomato has no formal geographic designation but anchors weekend conversation at South of the James, the 17th Street Market and Birdhouse from July into early September. Restaurants from Lemaire to The Roosevelt feature it on tomato-season menus.
3 editor picks for Hanover tomato in Richmond, ranked by editorial score. All Richmond signature dishes · Hanover tomato across every city.
Lemaire ★ 4.7
downtown · 101 W Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23220
Lemaire inside the Jefferson Hotel is named for Etienne Lemaire, Thomas Jefferson's maitre d'. Chef Patrick Willis since 2009; grande dame of RVA.
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.
Acacia Midtown ★ 4.5
westhampton · 2363 Roux Street, Suite 105, Richmond, VA 23230
Dale Reitzer's Acacia Midtown at Libbie Mill is the third location of the modern-coastal room that began in Carytown in 1998. James Beard nominee.