Weekend in Richmond
Note: This post was originally published on my old lifestyle blog, monicadutia.com.
Katie and I packed a lot into our quick weekend in Richmond–we arrived around 9pm on Friday and were on the road by 1pm Sunday. It's a pretty easy trip from DC; we drove, but you can take the Amtrak down, too. I will say that it's definitely a driving city so having a car was helpful, but we also took a couple of Ubers on Saturday night and they were easy to find and pretty inexpensive. Here's what we did + what we ate (I'm still thinking about the food, especially the best donuts ever.)
WHERE TO STAY
You can read about our stay at The Jefferson in this post–if you can, stay here. It's one of the best hotels I've every visited and is definitely worth the splurge!
WHAT WE DID
South of James Farmer's Market: My coworker recommended this farmers market and I'm so glad we went! It was pretty much all locals and was starting to get really busy by around 9:30am...a good sign! In addition to the donuts mentioned below, our favorite vendor was Miss Lizzie's Soy Candles. Both of us picked up something fall-scented...mine is pine, and you can probably request it from them in their Etsy shop! Carolyn and her husband were really sweet and I'm glad we managed to "shop small" during our quick trip :)
Buskey Cider: Katie and I knew we wanted to check out a cidery, and Buskey was the perfect way to spend a couple hours on Saturday. They have a really low-key tasting room with lots of board games, so we took a page out of our childhood and drank our cider over a couple games of Chutes & Ladders. Similar to the farmers market, everyone there seemed to be local–something I loved. We both had the RVA Cider, which was a crisp classic apple variety. The cidery is in the Scott's Addition neighborhood, which has a cool industrial vibe.After Buskey, we headed to the Carytown neighborhood, which was recommended by multiple people ahead of our visit. It's a long street with lots of restaurants and shops, a mix of both boutiques and some larger retailers. It was pretty warm out by this point so we didn't spend too much time there, but did pop into a few retailers and refuel at The Pit and The Peel. Also, CanCan Brasserie was a rec that we passed on this time (we were so full from donuts and brunch), but looks so good and fun if you're in the area and looking for a bite.
WHERE WE ATE + DRANK
Mrs. Yoder's Donut truck: These are hands down the best donuts I've ever had, and I've had a lot of donuts! My coworker who recommended the farmers market told us this was a must-have, and we were blown away–even Katie, who isn't much of a sweets person! They're only at the South of James market on Saturdays and there's apparently always a line, so go early to ensure you aren't waiting awhile and so they don't sell out! We were in line around 9:30am and only waited for 10 minutes. 100% worth the wait...my biggest regret is not taking some to go!
Max's on Broad: A fun vibe–we sat outside–and very conveniently located! I was deciding between a burger and the caesar salad + fries and our server strongly recommended I get the former. It was just okay and I wished I'd gotten the salad to save room for the rest of our marathon eating weekend, but the fries + rosé hit the spot.
The Quirk Hotel: You may have seen The Quirk on Instagram–it's a cute boutique hotel with top notch, modern, girly-meets-masculine decor. It's really beautiful and unique, and I'm glad we made it a point to stop by Maple & Pine, their restaurant + bar, for a drink and snack (get the cheese puffs) before heading to dinner on Saturday night. We also came back to their rooftop for post-dinner drinks, and spent a couple of hours catching up under the pretty twinkle lights. The view is amazing and the vibe is fun, so while it can get crowded, I'd highly recommend this if the weather is nice.
Stella's: Another great rec from my coworker! Stella's isn't located downtown so we probably would have overlooked it and not had a chance to snag a reservation. You want to book them early–this place is one of the most popular in the city! There were five of us (Jenn, Laura, and Kristyn were also visiting that weekend!) and I made the reservation back in July...there still weren't a ton of times left. We shared a bunch of things, but the No.5 Pasta and a spanakopita-like beef puffed pastry were easily our two favorites. If you do go, keep in mind the mezze portions are quite large–we definitely ordered too much food. Planning for about 1.5 mezzes per person is a good place to start (less if you're getting the pasta because it was enormous).
Sunday Champagne Brunch at The Jefferson: I mentioned this last week, but the brunch at the Jefferson is one of the best you'll ever have. It's luxurious, champagne-filled, and has more than something for everyone! It's probably good for my health and wallet that this doesn't exist in DC.
A big thank you again to The Jefferson for inviting us down and providing a complimentary stay, and Visit Richmond for the hospitality. I can't wait to come back!