Welcome to the Fan, City Dogs
Gone are the days of DIY metal and punk rock shows at 1309 W. Main Street. The building that once housed Nara Sushi is now entering a new era of sports, pool tables, and really good hot dogs.
Locally owned Shockoe Slip hotdog joint City Dogs, is opening a new location.
The new restaurant, called City Dogs in The Fan, is located at 1309 W. Main Street, only blocks from VCU’s Monroe Park campus. Doors open today, just in time to make use of that outdoor patio.
Once home to Nara Sushi, known for hosting underground metal and punk rock shows, City Dogs owners said little similarities will remain.
Cliff Irby and Larry Boykin, co-owners, said they will not be following in Nara’s footsteps by continuing to host DIY shows. Irby said they hope to have live performances by musicians, but they will be of different genres than those typical of Nara.
“We will have bands, but I don’t know the strategy yet,” said Irby. “We are going to have something somewhat similar but maybe not to the extreme [Nara] had it before.”
The restaurant will have a sports bar feel with a completely new look, making it unrecognizable to those familiar with Nara.
“We want to emulate the standard that has already been established under the brand of City Dogs down in the Slip,” Boykin said.
A full bar, basement game room, and exposed kitchen are all things customers can expect from the new Main Street location. The game room will have pool tables, shuffleboard, electronic games, and televisions.
“We’re going to try and have a combination that will hopefully fit everybody’s tastes,” Irby said.
Customers can also expect television access to most major athletic events, including NFL Sunday Ticket.
With a menu touting vegan and vegetarian options as well as famous American city themed ‘dogs, Irby and Boykin said their aim is for the whole community to feel welcome. Even though the new location seems optimal for students, Irby and Boykin said they want to serve the entire community – Fan residents, business people, and students alike.
“The community embraced our first location, and it’s atypical to have that growth vehicle,” said Boykin. “We’re really creating a fun, safe environment for everyone to enjoy.”
The original City Dogs location started out serving only on the first floor, but as business increased they expanded into their basement. The restaurant’s lower level now houses a small game room and sports bar equipped for customer overflow.
Irby said he thinks of the Shockoe Slip location as having an environment like that of 1980’s television show, Cheers.
“It’s the kind of place where everyone knows your name – you’re greeted as soon as you come in and our staff is very friendly,” Irby said.
He said he hopes City Dogs in the Fan will have the same feel as the first location.
“For folks in the [restaurant] business, it’s all about how much money they make and expenses,” Irby said. “We’re aware of all of that, but it’s really going to be about the customer experience.”
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Marge Weimer
Marge Weimer had the distinct honor of being RVANews.com’s first intern. She is a good sport, and we thoroughly enjoy her.
Notice: Comments that are not conducive to an interesting and thoughtful conversation may be removed at the editor’s discretion.
I wonder if there’s going to be anything in it for me, a non-hotdog eater, besides beer, games, and a sweet patio. Although that right there sounds like enough.
You don’t eat hot dogs? We might have to re-think the RVAJazz/RVANews partnership, Dean.
Jk, jk, they have corn dog nuggets which are pretty amazing.
Time will tell whether they will be able to wash the Nara grime off… And whether the basement gameroom will feel like someone’s parents house, like the one on Cary.
I went to the downtown one. It was relatively empty,
but it took like 30 minutes for a couple of dogs.
I’m sure this is a great business with good hot dogs.
But that sign! I wish that I could light it on fire and then have my memory modified so that it never existed to me!
Someone design a new sign for them!!
Corn dog nuggets sound mildly appetizing. I assume there’s some kind of fried dough involved? A friend pointed out they might serve bratwurst. Is this true? I just find it hard to believe that an establishment can survive on selling only one kind of food…that’s not pizza.
Tangentially related: Not to change the subject (I’m also a non-hot dog eater), but there was another significant addition to that part of Main Street not long ago. Ruchee Express has brought above-par Indian food to the Fan and rescued downtown dwellers from the funk at Farouk’s. I’m sure hot dogs appeal to the young folks in that part of the Fan more so than Indian food, but I’d really like to see Ruchee’s north of the river location get some press. Or, at least the RVA News staff could speak up about eating there (since it’s right by the office). I say thumbs up. How bout yall?
Just ate there for lunch with the #hotdognetworking crew! So yummy!
Also, RVA Foodie, I love Ruchee! I eat there pretty regularly when over here. Very yummy!
The RVANews staff loves Ruchee Express! I’m not one for Indian food (don’t shun me) but I enjoy it as well.
And I hear that they’ve lowered the cost of their lunch special to $5, or at least in that ball park. A steal!
Lets just hope they don’t do the same handout-under-the-wiper marketing that they used for City Dogs. That day’s rains yielded permanently plastered advertisements on cars all throughout Carytown.
Saw in a ‘cheap eats’ article that they also serve sandwiches, but those were pricier than the dogs. I don’t know if the same would apply here.
Thanks for the update Marge on the new opening. Folks can review the new restarant here on RestaurantZoom.com: http://www.restaurantzoom.com/city-dogs-in-the-fan
Have a great time and best of luck in your intern position:-)
Wonder if the new restaurant will go non-smoking since the ban is coming in a couple of months. I like the food and atmosphere downtown, but the smoking can over power the place.
This is a sad day for me and every Richmonder involved in the underground music scene.
Nara Sushi was a savior to our scene; in a time where organizations like CAPS are making it their prerogative to ensure the DIY music scene doesn’t prosper by enforcing out-of-touch business license and admission tax requirements (as if 7% of $60 in donations at a punk show will REALLY help the city out), Nara was the last place fans of punk/metal/hardcore/etc music could call home.
What was once a small mecca for musical culture in our city is now a by-the-dozen sports far that will host nothing more than overpriced drinks, overrated hot dogs, and frat folk musicians playing to an uninterested audience.
I speak for myself and most people I know that we will not be supporting the new City Dogs.
We could get hot dogs down the street at 7-11. Why did you have to facilitate the end of a business that people actually cared about?
R.I.P.
I miss Nara. Even if the new place wasn’t boasting a “sports bar feel” I’d still be boycotting it just on principle. Good article though, Marge!
Boycott City Dogs? It is not their fault that Nara closed.
I think it is great that a local business opened up in what could have remained another empty spot on Main.
Worse things definitely could have gone into that space.
The landlord wasn’t super happy with Nara’s shows, so when City Dogs expressed an interest in purchasing the building it was a quick decision…not their fault per se, but they definitely spread the process up.