The Roosevelt restaurant in Church Hill.
Richmonders like to think of Richmond as a serious “foodie” town. But we tend to be parochial and prone to self-delusion, so I do wonder if we’re just kidding ourselves. Well, our friends at WalletHub have ranked 150 American cities for foodiness — combining 18 metrics of affordability (weighted 30%) and diversity, access & quality (weighted 70%). Lo and behold, Richmond ranks 11th in the nation, entirely upon its quality rank (10th best in the country), and not its affordability (a mere 66th).
According to WalletHub’s methodology, Richmond is the top foodie town in the vast swath of America south of Rochester, N.Y. (No. 9), north of Tampa, (No. 8) and west of Cincinatti (No. 6). Our major league sports scene may stink, but our restaurants are terrific.. Eat your artichoke hearts out Washington (No. 26), Charlotte (No. 92), and Hotlanta (No. 23).
The other Virginia cities listed by WalletHub are better than average: Virginia Beach (No. 46), Norfolk (No. 53), Chesapeake (No. 65), Newport News (No. 71).
The top-ranked foodie city in America: Portland, Ore. The worst: Moreno Valley, Calif.
I’m no gourmet, so discount my opinion accordingly…. My favorite restaurant for both food and ambiance is The Roosevelt in Church Hill. But it’s a tough call — there are many great restaurants in this town.
