Bill’s BBQ bids adieu, a new pizza joint opens, UR brings lunch to Downtown

A long-time RVA staple is closing its doors; the city will add another pizza option to its palette; aand after two years of hurdles, Belmont Food Shop is now officially a restaurant.

September 13, 2012; 9:20 AM • by RVANews staff

It’s a bad week for Richmond barbecue. On Tuesday afternoon, Bill’s Barbecue announced it will close its three remaining restaurants on Sunday, September 16th. They’ve been serving Richmonders since 1931, not only with their famous barbecue, but their notable pies and limeades. A statement from the owners say that the economy during the past five years, along with the high cost of upgrades, are the reasons for the closures. At one time, Bill’s had 13 locations in Richmond. It dwindled to eight in the beginning of 2012, and another five closed in April. The three remaining locations that will shutter its doors:

• 5805 W. Broad Street
• 927 Myers Street
• 3100 N. Boulevard

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Also on Tuesday, the West End location of Buz & Ned’s was evacuated due to a fire in the men’s bathroom. Between staff and diners, about 80 people were vacated. The restaurant has reopened, and if you are one of the people evacuated, you can return with your receipt for a refund or another meal.

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According to Richmond.com, Shockoe Bottom has a new restaurant: Flames 231. It’s an Italian spot that specializes in wood-fired oven pizzas. They opened for dinner last night at 423 North 18th Street. Danny Taormina, who also owns Brunetti’s Express in Mechanicsville, has wanted to bring true Italian pizza to Richmond for a while and has even enlisted the help from a pizza maker in New York to perfect the crust. As for them name of the restaurant, it represents the train that was in the Church Hill tunnel when it collapsed in 1925. History and pizza, a perfect match for Richmond.  

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After two years of city snafus, Belmont Food Shop is finally open as a full restaurant in the Museum District. Chef Mike Yavorsky has worked in restaurants for the past 15 years in both Richmond and New York, all the while dreaming of opening his own place in RVA. He’s now officially open for dinner at 27 N. Belmont Avenue with a “back to basics” approach to food. The menu is ever-changing and simple, serving diners based on what is in season. Appetizers are $8, entrees are $20, and desserts are $6 with the option to have a three course meal and a glass of wine for just $36. Belmont Food Shop will be open for dinner beginning at 5:00 PM seven days a week.

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Last week we had the pleasure of visiting Richmond on Broad, University of Richmond’s new restaurant located at 7th and Broad. Based upon a 2011 market study, UR learned that the business community downtown lacked a place to grab a quick breakfast or lunch. They’ve now filled that void. The space is set up for either a quick grab-and-go, or a place to sit down and get some business done over a meal. It reminded us of a Panera (gasp! chain, I KNOW) done locally and done right. There’s an abundance of breakfast sandwiches, pastries, drinks, along with sandwiches, salads, and soups for lunch. You can tell people are thrilled for this kind of set up as folks were already placing orders despite the fact that restaurant wasn’t officially open. Richmond on Broad is open Monday-Friday from 7:30 AM – 3:00 PM, with breakfast served until 10:30 AM.

photo by rvaphotodude

September 13, 2012 9:20 AM 2