When Smell and I decide upon a city, we do the whole thing. We usually start with a plate of food and by the time we know all the waitresses were usually already moved into a shop and setup to connect with makers, do-er’s, creators and achievers.
We need to eat, and travel so much that we keep a record of or favorite restaurants where we go for great food, great people, and to go where everyone knows our names.
This is our record of our favorite places in Virginia.
Virginia Restaurants Near Me
Eat 33
6901 Staples Mill Rd, Richmond, VA 23228
Menu
Eat 33 is a hidden gem for those who enjoy a mini-diner complete with bar. The food is simple but GOOD. The drinks aren’t exotic, but a great drink doesn’t need to be. The waitresses are cute, fun, fast, and helpful; this place has got awesome prices so be awesome and slip the waitresses a five-dollar bill (or ten), so they don’t decide to work somewhere else. For food this good at such low prices, you know Eat 33 stays in business despite its pricing and small size from how busy this local spot is. Don’t be surprised if there’s a wait for a table (worth it!).
Lion’s Den 1837
81 Tavern Rd, Mineral, VA 23117
Menu
You weren’t there, but the steak was delicious as is the service at the Lion’s Den 1837. Lion’s Den 1837 is a small spot in the middle of nowhere in Mineral, Virginia. I get the tomahawk steak. It’s big. It’s delicious. My dog always gets the other half. This is a 30 oz cut of meat – I still don’t understand why I need to eat a pound of it, but I do.
You will impress whoever you take out there, they don’t play around. There is more professionalism in that establishment than all of the Museum District. They take their jobs seriously, and they must love what they do since they drive a half an hour to go to work. You should make the drive too. Tell them Aaron sent you.
KITCHEN 33
13155 Mountain Rd, Glen Allen, VA 2305
Menu
Despite the name, Kitchen 33 is an entirely different spot than Eat 33. Both happen to be on Route 33 and both decided to include it in the restaurant name. Kitchen 33 isn’t joking around. Their menu is expansive with a focus on locally available or sourced ingredients and southern cooking. I can easily spend far too long here, nursing a perfectly paired beer to my burger, wondering if the waitress will give me her number if I keep making her laugh, and if she does, how soon is too soon to wife up my life?
PHO 79
6909 Staples Mill Rd Richmond, VA 23228
Menu
Pho? Bro. If you love pho, stop fooling around with other phony spots and come to Pho 79 for the authentic. Sure, there are other Vietnamese dishes, far more than pho alone, but only pho remains as the sole dish this and many other restaurants opt to name their establishments with. If you’d had pho here, you’d understand why everyone loves Pho 79!
Locals favor this place so much that it’s not uncommon for those who moved away to make a special detour in any trip that puts a bowl of Pho 79’s namesake within reach. Open late and while never empty, always quiet and relaxed. The cute waitress at this place, however, isn’t a dog person, so my search for someone to Wife My Life up continues as she’s clearly not The One, but that’s okay. Her husband is a good guy, given that he loves someone who doesn’t love dogs. He’s a good guy; he deserves a reward. Is it cool to leave a puppy with a tip?
Tasty Crab
7801 W Broad St A Richmond, VA 23294
Menu
The crab? Tasty! To be fair, I may’ve ordered way more than just crab and I may come here way more than I’m admitting. The entire menu is Tasty! With a name that’s a siren’s call to any seafood lover, a colorful drink, and a waitress whose smile instantly made my whole day not suck anymore, the Tasty Crab almost has it all. But I’m NEVER letting them take Smell, so this is as close to ‘having it all’ that’s possible for the place.