Upscale in Richmond

Adarra Bar

• ★ 4.8
• Wine bar
• $$$
• Oregon Hill

Adarra's bar in Oregon Hill (relocated from Jackson Ward in December 2024) pours sherry, txakoli and Iberian reds with pintxos. Randall and Lyne Doetzer.

The Roosevelt

• ★ 4.6
• Southern
• $$$
• Church Hill

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.

The Jasper

• ★ 4.6
• Cocktail bar
• $$$
• Carytown

Drink Bartender's choice cocktails

The Jasper on West Cary in Carytown is Richmond's no-pretense cocktail bar. Mattias Hagglund, Thomas Leggett, Brandon Peck and Kevin Liu opened it January.

Lemaire Bar

• ★ 4.6
• Wine bar
• $$$
• Downtown

Lemaire's bar inside the Jefferson Hotel pours an Old World leaning list under a vaulted lobby ceiling, with Virginia sparkling and Bordeaux.

Stella's

• ★ 4.5
• Greek
• $$$
• Museum District

Stella's on Lafayette has cooked the Dikos family Greek menu since the Lafayette opening in 2011 (the original Stella's debuted in 1983). Mid-week meze.

Metzger Bar and Butchery

• ★ 4.5
• German
• $$$
• Church Hill

Brittanny Anderson's German-Austrian sister to Bar Buoy in Church Hill. House charcuterie, schnitzel and a German beer list, Tuesday to Sunday.

Rappahannock

• ★ 4.5
• Chesapeake
• $$$
• Shockoe Slip

Rappahannock on Grace pours oysters from the Croxton family farm in Topping, Virginia. The Richmond outpost of the Virginia oyster-farming revival.

Acacia Midtown

• ★ 4.5
• Seafood
• $$$
• Westhampton

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.

Lehja

• ★ 4.5
• Indian
• $$$
• Westhampton

Sunny Baweja's Lehja runs upscale modern Indian at Short Pump. Two-time James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef Mid-Atlantic; tandoor-driven menu.

Adarra

• ★ 4.5
• Basque
• $$$
• Oregon Hill

Adarra moved to the former Mamma Zu building on South Pine in Oregon Hill in December 2024, Randall and Lyne Doetzer's Basque and northern Spanish room.

Bar Buoy

• ★ 4.4
• Chesapeake
• $$$
• Scott's Addition

Brittanny Anderson's Scott's Addition seafood room, opened September 2025 in the former Brenner Pass space. Casual Chesapeake fish-shack menu.

Edo's Squid

• ★ 4.4
• Italian
• $$$
• The Fan

Edo's Squid runs Italian-seafood plates above a Fan corner store on Harrison. Ed Vasaio of the long-gone Mamma Zu opened it in 2013; no reservations, cash.

Dinamo

• ★ 4.4
• Italian
• $$$
• The Fan

Dinamo on West Cary is Ed Vasaio's casual Italian room near the Altria Theatre. Pasta-driven menu, Tuesday to Saturday for dinner, reservations recommended.

Metzger Bar

• ★ 4.4
• Cocktail bar
• $$$
• Church Hill

Drink German pilsner pour, riesling

Metzger's bar in Church Hill pours German pilsner and Mosel rieslings alongside Brittanny Anderson's charcuterie. Open Tuesday to Sunday, evenings only.

Bar Solita

• ★ 4.4
• Wine bar
• $$$
• Downtown

Bar Solita on West Broad pours Italian and Mediterranean wines next to a wood-fired pizza program. Small plates run into late evening downtown.

Can Can Brasserie

• ★ 4.3
• French
• $$$
• Carytown

Can Can in Carytown is the Left-Bank-style brasserie Richmond crosses town for. Mussels, frites, marble bar, with a deep Sunday brunch service.

The Continental Westhampton

• ★ 4.3
• New American
• $$$
• Westhampton

The Continental on Grove Avenue is a Westhampton neighborhood spot for American food re-imagined. Sunday brunch is a fixture; the bar runs late.

Cobra Cabana

• ★ 4.3
• Cocktail bar
• $$$
• Scott's Addition

Drink Tiki cocktails and outrageous specials

Cobra Cabana on West Marshall in Scott's Addition is the late-night cocktail dive with strong vegan options. Tiki specials, plant plates, until 2 am.

Penny Lane Pub

• ★ 4.3
• Cocktail bar
• $$$
• Downtown

Drink Boddingtons pint and English pub fare

Penny Lane Pub on East Franklin is downtown Richmond's British pub. Boddingtons on tap, fish-and-chips, English Premier League broadcasts on weekends.

GWAR Bar

• ★ 4.2
• Cocktail bar
• $$$
• Scott's Addition

Drink GWAR-themed cocktails

GWAR Bar on Clay in Scott's Addition is the bar of Richmond's heavy-metal band GWAR. Fake-blood-splattered room, vegan and meat menu, late nights.

Galley

• ★ 4.2
• Cocktail bar
• $$$
• Forest Hill

Drink Craft beer flight and house cocktails

Galley on Hathaway is the Forest Hill craft beer bar with an American brunch menu. Tight rotating tap list, weekend mornings draw South Side crowds.

Joe's Inn

• ★ 4.2
• Cocktail bar
• $$$
• The Fan

Drink Cold beer and pours, longtime regulars

Joe's Inn's bar in the Fan has poured for regulars since 1952. Bar runs through midnight; the seat-mix is VCU faculty and Shields-Avenue regulars.

Sticky Rice

• ★ 4.2
• Cocktail bar
• $$$
• The Fan

Drink Japanese whisky flight, sake list

Sticky Rice on Main runs Richmond's late-night sushi bar program until 2 am. Sake, Japanese whisky flights; bucket of tots is the appetizer.

Rappahannock Wine Bar

• ★ 4.2
• Wine bar
• $$$
• Shockoe Slip

Rappahannock's bar program on Grace pairs Virginia sparkling and East Coast whites with Olde Salt oysters from the Croxton family farm in Topping.

Galaxy Diner

• ★ 4.0
• Cocktail bar
• $$$
• Carytown

Drink Cocktails and beer with diner food

Galaxy Diner in Carytown runs a small bar program alongside diner food. Open through midnight; the back booth fills with post-Byrd Theatre crowds.