I find myself in the Center of the Universe quite often…Mostly, the restaurant scene is chain-ish, all the usual suspects (in case you are a fan of chains, Perkins and Ponderosa are the two that aren’t found in central Richmond)…
Here is my list of best bets…
- Anna’s Italian Grill 105 Junction Dr (804) 798-9259 Best Italian/pizza in Ashland.
- Ironhorse Restaurant 100 South Railroad Avenue (804) 752-6410 Best overall restaurant in Ashland. Either, hit the steak or even the sandwiches.
- Sandano’s 216 S. Washington Highway 798-7171 Small, unassuming Italian hoagie carry-out. Humongous meat portions (stick with the variations of their “Italian” sub).Â
- Virginia Barbeque 600 England St (804) 752-4838 I actually prefer this over Smokey Pig (with all due respect to Matt Lauer)
- For coffee and desserts, you can’t go wrong with
- Ashland Coffee & Tea 100 N. Railroad Avenue (804) 798-1702 I rate this the best coffee shop in metro Richmond.
- Club Car Ice Cream Desert Bar 113 S Railroad Ave (804) 798-5632 They have Garber ice cream (from Winchester)…Get a cone and watch the trains.
Random Updates
- Contrary to rumor, the White Dog is not for sale and is very much in business. Actually, the joke is all the restaurants on Main St are “for sale.” Went there this week, and it’s as great as ever. You won’t find a friendlier staff in town.
- Last week, watched the Redskins game at the new Big Al’s Sports Bar & Grill (3641 Cox Road, the old Wild Noodles) The radio personality was there himself greeting everyone at the door. I like this place because (1) Smoke free and clean look (lots of flat screens) (2) Above average “sports bar” food–The wings are great. The fresh hamburger bun was particularly noteworthy. God bless this guy for juggling the two jobs.
- Speaking of new restaurants, Style is reporting that there is an explosion of new establishments in the pipeline.