Category Archives: restaurants

RVA Magazine Article On 821 Cafe

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RVA Magazine has a nice article on 821 Cafe and its current owners, who are celebrating their 20th anniversary of running the business. < follow this link and read the article. It also includes some cool history on the previous businesses at that location.

821 Cafe, the unassuming diner/restaurant/bar on the corner of Cherry and Cary streets – where Oregon Hill and the Fan meet – turns 20 years old in its current incarnation. Andrew Clarke and Chip Cooke bought the place from its previous owners back in 2004, and have since carried a torch we’d all be screaming about if it went out. 821 has been a staple in the neighborhood forever.
This place does really feel like it has a thousand fun ghosts partying in a hidden dimension just beyond our perception. If you tally up all of the hangovers put to rest in this place, the tonnage of awkward first dates, and the spillover of dank bro-downs, you get a a mere fraction of what this place really means to Oregon Hill, and Richmond as a whole. It’s much more than the sum of its parts. It’s a legend.
There were so many things that blew up at that time (2003 – 2005). Richmond was in a weird turning of the page/changing of the guard moment in time. The 90s dominant look in Richmond was raw and very grungy. At the turning of the millennium, its hardcore punk personality was giving way to sunnier, more fun expressions. I mean, we still screamed a lot but we danced more. It was like a tonal shift.

821 Cafe Announces New Hours

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From social media post:

We got some exciting changes starting next week at the ol’ cafe! We will now be open 9am to 9pm Tuesday-Sunday. That’s an hour earlier on the weekdays, an hour later on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. and more importantly, we’ll now be staying open until 9 pm on the weekends! So, come see us a little earlier during the week or a lot later on the weekends!

Intergalactic Tacos Visiting Pine Street Tomorrow

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From FaceBook post:

Come on out tomorrow July 29 from 5-7PM to get tacos from Intergalactic Tacos at CobbleStore Vintage. They will be setup in the parking lot next to our building. 324 S. Pine St.
Also, if this is something that you would like to see regularly, show up! The more people that show up, the bigger chance we have of making this a regular thing and having them back more often.

Looking Forward To Tito’s Taqueria and La Fe Cafe

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Oregon Hill residents are excited to hear about two ‘sibling’ restaurants opening in the building that used to be Mojo’s at the southeastern corner of W. Cary and S. Laurel.
Richmond Magazine has a nice story that describes past and future plans of the family affair.

Splitting the 6,700-square-foot building into separate ventures, Tito’s Taqueria will occupy the larger side of the space, while La Fe Cafe will take the other. Estefay says her parents are excited for them, and that a solo venture of her own has been a long time coming.
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“I dream a lot of the place being busy, so I think it’s going to be good, my dreams have been telling me,” Tito says, noting that he was drawn to the property because of its walkable neighborhood in close proximity to VCU campus and businesses such as the Altria Theater.

Tito says there will be 15-20 different types of tacos on the menu at the taqueria, a combination of traditional varieties, more Americanized versions and vegetarian options. Offerings will also include sopes, “tornado fries” and playful riffs such as birria pizza. He also hopes to make happy hour a fun two- to three-hour period with mariachi or other music and plenty of frozen margaritas on tap.

At La Fe Cafe, Estefay plans to start the day a little earlier than her older brother, focusing on breakfast, lunch and coffee. Drawing influences from her travels and her background, she says, “I decided to do something different, like a breakfast cafe but a little bit international. I’ve been traveling a lot, and I love food … and experiencing different places and different cultures.”

Estefay says her vision for brunch includes elaborate pancakes and waffles — the latter served both solo and in sandwich form — along with chilaquiles, Honduran baleadas and pupusas, which draw on her mother’s Salvadoran roots.