James Beard Nominated Restaurants in Richmond, VA

James Beard nominated restaurants in Richmond cover soul food in Jackson Ward, German cooking in Church Hill, a chef-led restaurant in Scott's Addition and Vietnamese cooking on West Broad Street. Pick two neighborhoods, eat there and rate each dish by name.

Several Richmond kitchens have been nominated for James Beard Awards over the years. This page covers the neighborhoods where they cluster, what each is known for and how to read a nomination: as recognition from a particular year, not a current rating.

Which James Beard nominated restaurants in Richmond should you try?

Start with the neighborhood that suits your appetite. Jackson Ward has soul food, Church Hill has German and Southern cooking, Scott's Addition has chef-led restaurants and West Broad Street has Vietnamese kitchens. Ask each restaurant whether its menu still matches its reputation.

Choose one place for lunch and one for dinner, because these are full meals, and plan the two stops in different neighborhoods so the day feels like a tour rather than a repeat. A short list in the Mosey app, with one line per stop on the dish you want, keeps the plan simple when a table of friends cannot decide where to start. Ask the server about house specialties and write down what you ordered. Recognition from a nomination is a reason to look, not a promise of a good night, so judge each plate on its own terms and note what the kitchen did well.

What is Jackson Ward soul food known for?

Jackson Ward is home to neighborhood Southern restaurants that recreate a family Sunday dinner, with pan-fried catfish, candied yams, macaroni and cheese, and homemade cakes and cobblers.

Some of these restaurants are also known for bulk grab-and-go orders such as full trays of mac and cheese and candied yams. Order catfish and two sides, and save room for a cobbler.

What is Church Hill German food known for?

Church Hill has German dishes such as flammkuchen and schnitzel, sometimes with a butchery side where the kitchen cuts and cures its own meat. Flammkuchen is a thin, crisp flatbread topped with cream, onions and bacon, and schnitzel is a breaded, pan-fried cutlet.

Order one flammkuchen to share and one schnitzel, and compare how each is seasoned. Rate them separately. German beer and wine are on the list, but the food is the point here, so plan the meal around the plates.

What is a Scott's Addition chef-led restaurant like?

Scott's Addition, a former industrial district, now holds chef-led restaurants that have drawn regional recognition. Menus here change with the season, so ask what the kitchen is excited about rather than ordering from memory. Check that any restaurant you plan around is still trading, and note in your rating whether the plates felt like fine dining or a neighborhood meal.

What does a James Beard nomination tell you about a Richmond meal?

A nomination tells you that a chef or restaurant caught the attention of a national awards program in a particular year. It does not tell you what a Tuesday lunch will taste like today. Treat it as a reason to look, then judge the plate in front of you.

This is where ratings by the dish help. A nominated kitchen may be famous for one thing, such as a cobbler or a schnitzel, and ordinary at another. In Mosey you rate the dish, not only the room, and you can follow friends in Richmond to see what they rated and saved. Over a few weeks your own ratings become a better guide than any list of nominees, because they record what you actually ate and when.

What is West Broad Street Vietnamese food like?

West Broad Street has Vietnamese restaurants with pho, noodle salads, broken rice and fried rice on the menu, and some pour a long list of beers.

The beers are not the reason to go. Order a pho or a broken rice plate and rate it as you would any dish. The menu is long, so ask the server for a favorite and note whether it matched what you expected.

What about a Southern restaurant in Church Hill?

Church Hill also has elegant but unpretentious Southern restaurants in older buildings. Southern cooking here leans on regional ingredients such as ham, greens, grits and seafood, and a tasting of two or three small plates is a good way to learn a menu. Ask what is seasonal, and check any restaurant you plan around before you go.

How do you keep track of Richmond restaurants with Mosey?

Rate the dish, not only the room. In Mosey, name what you ate, such as catfish, schnitzel or pho, add tags such as Group Dining or Great Value and attach a photo. A rating that says "catfish, great sides, cobbler to share" helps a friend order, and the lists page explains sharing a collection.

Make a list called Richmond nominees with one line per place. Invite friends by link, follow friends to see what they rated and saved, and tag the people at your table so each can rate the same meal.

What else should you read about Richmond?

For something simpler, the biscuits guide covers a classic Virginia breakfast, and the Virginia food worth a drive page looks beyond the city. See the Richmond page, the Virginia page and the US food guides.

When you plan your next Richmond dinner, get the Mosey app, rate each dish by name and keep the favorites in a list.