The Shockoe neighborhood in Richmond, Virginia is known for being a foodie’s paradise. There are quite a few choice restaurants to try out. When Richmond locals talk about their bucket list of restaurants to eat from, there is always at least one trip to Shockoe involved.
But choosing a restaurant to visit is only half the battle. No trip to Shockoe is completely planned out unless you have an idea of where you want to park.
Luckily, CityParking has a lot of well-lit and maintained parking lots in the Shockoe area. Plus, we’ve made finding parking in Richmond, VA easy! All you have to do is use the search bar on our homepage to search for the name or address of the restaurant. The map will show you the parking lots nearby.
Or, click here to see all CityParking parking lots in Shockoe.
Top 6 Restaurants by the Numbers (as of January 2022)
It’s hard to decide what are the best restaurants in Shockoe. Taste can be subjective. Some restaurants that other people really like might not suit you. Plus, you might have your favorite food spots that no one likes as much as you do.
One way to gauge quality is to look at online reviews. When a restaurant has many reviews and mostly positive ratings, it’s a good bet that a lot of people like what they’re serving.
That’s the case with Bottoms Up Pizza. With over 2500 Google reviews and an average 4.4 stars, Bottoms Up is the most well-known restaurant in Shockoe Bottom. If you decide to give them a shot, you can find parking nearby at Lot 31 – Between 15th & 16th, Cary & Dock.
Following Bottoms Up Pizza, the next 5 restaurants that are the most popular based on the sheer number of Google Reviews are:
- Siné Irish Pub (1551 reviews, 4.3 stars)
- Southern Railway Taphouse (1219 reviews, 4.2 stars)
- Havana 59 (1090 reviews, 4.4 stars)
- LuLu’s (1044 reviews, 4.3 stars)
- Bookbinder’s Seafood & Steakhouse (1005 reviews, 4.7 stars)
For Siné Irish Pub and Southern Railway Taphouse, the closest parking is at Lot 15 – 15th & Main. For Havana 59 and LuLu’s, the closest parking is at Lot 160 – Lovings Lot with other options at Lot 128 – N. 18th St. and Lot 222 – 17th St. For Bookbinder’s Seafood & Steakhouse, the closest parking is at Lot 801 – 18th & E. Main.
4 Restaurants to Try Out
However, the underrated options might surprise you. Here are some popular restaurants in Shockoe, Richmond, VA that didn’t make it onto our list of most-reviewed restaurants. Despite having fewer reviews on Google, the reviews they do have are still very high.
The closest parking lot for all of the following restaurants is at Lot 801 – 18th & E. Main. However, you may prefer to use street parking or one of our other lots nearby.
Hot Chick (4.4 stars)
Noticeable for its big red letters, Hot Chick delivers what those big letters promise: hot chicken. Their headline fried chicken sandwich is Nashville-style with just enough kick to make your mouth water. Hot Chick knows how to bring range to the sweet and spicy spectrum, with other sauces having more sweetness than spiciness.
Oak & Apple (4.5 stars)
Speaking of restaurant names that say it all, Oak & Apple is a BBQ restaurant with flavors that are smokey, sweet or some combination of the two. To really get in the spirit of Oak & Apple, try their Pile High brisket sandwich. It combines a brisket and pulled pork (no doubt the “oak” side of the flavor spectrum) with a sliced green apple and apple BBQ sauce.
Station 2 (4.5 stars)
This burger restaurant isn’t a sequel. There is no Station 1. It was named after Engine Company 2, the second city-owned fire station that has since become home to a creative suite of burgers. Station 2 has sandwiches ranging from the Elvis burger with peanut butter, banana and bacon, to the Station Ladder that’s nearly as tall as a firefighter’s ladder. The variety that Station 2 brings to the table will keep you coming back to try something new each time.
Grandstaff & Stein (4.4 stars)
Shhh! You didn’t hear about this place from us. In the style of an old-fashioned speakeasy, the front room of this establishment is an unassuming bookstore. If you know the secret password, a bookshelf will open slowly and heavily to the classy restaurant beyond it. The atmosphere is relaxed and not at all cramped, despite being hidden behind a bookshelf. Grandstaff & Stein is a great place for 1920s inspired cocktails.
And in no particular order…
The list of restaurants you can find in the Shockoe district of Richmond, VA is quite long. We didn’t want to leave anyone out so, in no particular order, here are the remaining 39 restaurants in our list.
- The Hill Café
- Ironclad Coffee Roasters
- Millie’s Diner
- Tipsy Crab Seafood & Bar
- Poe’s Pub
- The Hard Shell
- City Dogs
- Rosie Connolly’s Pub Restaurant
- 23rd & Main Taproom & Kitchen
- Tio Pablo
- Jo-Jo’s Pizza
- The Tobacco Company Restaurant
- Addis Ethiopian Restaurant
- Bryant’s Cider
- La Bodega Latin Kitchen & Cocktails RVA
- Mom’s Siam 2 Restaurant
- Sumo San Restaurant
- Tree’s Famous Tacos and Rib Tips
- McCormack’s Irish Pub
- Honey Whyte’s All American Cafe
- Grace Noodle
- La Bamba
- Native Plate
- Miyabi Sushi
- Sam Miller’s
- Bellos Lounge & Restaurant
- Maple Bourbon
- C’est Le Vin
- Frozay RVA
- Soul Taco
- Old City Bar
- Dailymenu
- Casa Fiesta Mexican Kitchen and Cantina
- Aces Sports Lounge
- Liquid 2.0
- Bateau
- JewFro
- Lower 48 by Malcolm Mitchell
- Mommiana’s dough
Explore Shockoe, Richmond, VA
This list of restaurants is not comprehensive. There are many high-quality places that may have been left off. But it’s a good place to start. After you’ve finished your delicious meal at any of the above locations, take a walk around to see what’s in the neighborhood.