Richmond: Church Hill Food Tour
Taste the best of Richmond’s oldest neighborhood with a walking food tour, visiting 5 local tasty establishments.
What to order at Joe's Inn
- Must order
- Spaghetti a la Joe.
- Editor tip
- Saturday late-morning is best; the bar runs through midnight every day.
CuisineItalian Greek American
Price$$
Neighborhoodthe-fan
HoursDaily 09:00-00:00, kitchen until 23:00
Phone+1 804 355 2282
Last verified
Must order: Spaghetti a la Joe.
Why locals love it: Joe's has cooked Italian-Greek-American food on Shields Avenue since 1952. A regulars-heavy bar that tourists usually miss because it sits one block off the main strip.
Tip: Saturday late-morning is best; the bar runs through midnight every day.
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Location
Address: 205 N Shields Avenue, Richmond, VA 23220
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Edo's Squid ★ 4.4
Edo's Squid sits upstairs from a Fan corner store on Harrison Street. Ed Vasaio's Italian-seafood room runs grilled calamari; no reservations, cash.
Order: Grilled calamari.
Why locals love it: Hidden upstairs above a corner store on Harrison. Ed Vasaio's no-reservations Italian room takes a while to find on a first visit, and that is part of the room's pull.
Tip: Walk-up only, cash-leaning, and the wait at 7 pm is shorter than it looks; order at the bar.
Garnett's Cafe ★ 4.4
Garnett's Cafe on Park Avenue runs Richmond's neighborhood sandwich shop. Long-running breakfast and lunch counter on a quiet Fan residential block.
Order: Made-to-order sandwich.
Why locals love it: Hidden on a residential block in the Fan, a stop-in spot for VCU faculty and Park Avenue neighbors. Tourists rarely find it.
Tip: Sandwiches make Tuesday-Sunday from 8 am to 3 pm; the patio fills first.
More hidden gems in Richmond
Edo's Squid ★ 4.4
Edo's Squid sits upstairs from a Fan corner store on Harrison Street. Ed Vasaio's Italian-seafood room runs grilled calamari; no reservations, cash.
Order: Grilled calamari.
Why locals love it: Hidden upstairs above a corner store on Harrison. Ed Vasaio's no-reservations Italian room takes a while to find on a first visit, and that is part of the room's pull.
Tip: Walk-up only, cash-leaning, and the wait at 7 pm is shorter than it looks; order at the bar.
Acacia Midtown ★ 4.4
Acacia Midtown at Libbie Mill is Dale Reitzer's third Acacia location. Multi-time James Beard nominee; modern coastal Virginia cooking, off-radar.
Order: Tasting menu.
Why locals love it: Tucked inside Libbie Mill's mixed-use complex; tourists searching downtown miss Dale Reitzer's modern-coastal room entirely.
Tip: Book directly via OpenTable; the bar accepts walk-ins on weeknights.
Garnett's Cafe ★ 4.4
Garnett's Cafe on Park Avenue runs Richmond's neighborhood sandwich shop. Long-running breakfast and lunch counter on a quiet Fan residential block.
Order: Made-to-order sandwich.
Why locals love it: Hidden on a residential block in the Fan, a stop-in spot for VCU faculty and Park Avenue neighbors. Tourists rarely find it.
Tip: Sandwiches make Tuesday-Sunday from 8 am to 3 pm; the patio fills first.
Sally Bell's Kitchen ★ 4.4
Sally Bell's Kitchen has sold box lunches since 1924, founded by Sarah Cabell Jones and Elizabeth Lee Milton. Broad Street counter is easy to miss.
Order: Box lunch.
Why locals love it: Sally Bell's has sold the same box lunch since 1924, and most visitors miss the unmarked side counter near West Broad. A century of Richmond box-lunch history.
Tip: Call ahead; the deviled-egg-and-cheese-wafer box is the local-Saturday standard.
Riverbend Roastery ★ 4.2
Riverbend Roastery on East Broad opened in the former Captain Buzzy's space in 2019. Roasting on-site, full pastry case, eastern Church Hill.
Order: Pour over and a pastry.
Why locals love it: On the eastern edge of Church Hill, well past Sub Rosa, Riverbend Roastery opened in 2019 in the former Captain Buzzy's space. Locals know; tourists rarely make it this far east.
Tip: Visit Sub Rosa first then walk east twenty minutes for the second cup.
Tarrant's Downtown Cafe ★ 4.2
Tarrant's Downtown at 1 West Broad has run all-day food in a former pharmacy since 1996. Diner-energy with pasta and pizza, breakfast through midnight.
Order: All-day breakfast.
Why locals love it: Hidden inside a former pharmacy at 1 West Broad. Locals stay loyal to the long-running diner energy without crowding the front room.
Tip: Skip the dinner queue at 7 pm and arrive after 9 for the late-pizza-and-beer mode.