I remember distinctly thinking while in Italy that I didn’t trust the fish at the new sushi bar in town. I was in an old walled city that was relatively traditional despite a large student population and I felt like seafood couldn’t possibly be fresh since the town was not right on the beach and instead was surrounded by big pastures and forest. Of course my suspicion has more to do with food culture in Italy than freshness of fish as you probably could have kept a fish alive out of water for three-quarters of the trip from the Adriatic Riviera to Urbino, the Renaissance town where I was living.
Lucky for us in the US, and more specifically in Richmond, unlike Italians we can’t settle on one type of food so we have options and among them is delicious fresh sushi. At home I eat sushi routinely despite being two hours from any viable source for ocean caught fish and rarely have doubts about freshness.
Maybe the best place to go if you’re a sushi beginner and you’re still a little weirded-out by the thought of wrestling with a hunk of raw fish, seaweed and rice is Sticky Rice in the fan. With a fresh and creative sushi menu, Sticky Rice also offers all-American favorites like tots with Asian dipping sauce. The relaxed atmosphere makes sushi a little less intimidating. There’s no pressure to use chopsticks and plenty of vegan or fishless options.
If you want to step up the authenticity, you can go to Akida on Robinson. I mentioned them last time as being one of my favorite places for a cheap lunch but you can get a really great meal any time of the day and feel fresh and full afterwards.
If you’re in Carytown, there’s Momotaro near the intersection of Boulevard and Cary Street. Another small intimate place with a solid menu, Momotaro competes with Carytown Sushi just a few blocks away.
If you’re feeling a little more upscale and still in the same neighborhood, try Moshi Moshi. Fancy and carefully prepared Japanese dishes will run in the $15-$20 range for dinner but sushi rolls can run anywhere from $3 to $15. Head a little farther down Cary toward U of R to Osaka for another great upscale sushi restaurant. Try the sushi but make sure to order some Gyoza, Japanese dumplings. You won’t mind opening your wallet afterwards.
If you’re in the slip or the bottom, there are several more places to munch on raw fish. Try Lucky Buddha or Sumo San.
Richmond is loaded with places to eat sushi. They run the gamut from cheap to expensive, traditional to American fusion. If you haven’t tried sushi yet, try it. It’s much better than its parts divided, I promise. We’re in a great place to do so, even despite our distance from the sea.
–David Mattera
Now let me ask you:
Where do you eat sushi in Richmond?
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Richmond is not New York. It’s not even Paris or London. It’s much cheaper by comparison and so when you’re out of work and crunched for time between episodes of Jerry Springer and Maury Povich, you need to find places that offer good food for an even better price. And NOT FAST FOOD!
And it really isn't even that cheap either!
Of course the cheapest thing to do is cook for yourself. Cooking things like bread or hamburgers and buying in bulk is about 850 times cheaper than fast food* But that’s not what this blog is about. I’m talking about restaurants. So where do you go to get a cheap meal? Let’s start with lunch as it is probably the most likely meal to be eaten away from home.
When I want something delicious and cheap and NOT FAST FOOD, there are a few different options that hit the spot in my stomach without emptying the spot on my hip. Unfortunately, I think I’ve mentioned almost all of them in previous posts, but making the short list are Jerk Pit on Broad near Boulevard (see Barbecue), Pho So 1, off of Horsepen (see Richmond’s Chinatown), and Perle’s (see Breakfast). 
City Dogs, in the slip and uptown on Main street cooks up a dozen or so city specific varities of hot dogs, all for about $3.00 each. Try the Chicago Dog and the Richmond Dog. If you like hot dogs, you won’t be disappointed.
Also try Akida on Robinson between Broad and Grace for great lunch specials like teriyaki chicken with soup, a salad and a sushi roll for about $8.00. A tiny place with a little sushi bar taking up about half of the restaurant, you can see your meal being made right in front of you.
Another tip for eating on the cheap is to find specials and happy hours. These are usually specific to dinner time, but some specials run all day. Two of the most popular are “dollar burgers” at Capital Ale House or “dollar tacos” at Little Mexico near the VCU campus, both on Monday nights. Get there early to get a table, beware that drinks and side orders can easily run up your bill and don’t forget to leave a tip as if the food weren’t discounted.
If you like to drink, do so at home. Where a cheap beer like PBR or Yeungling will cost $.50 in a six pack, at a bar it’s a miracle to find it for under $2.00 a can. Try Trader Joes to get amazingly cheap beer that tastes better than Bud Light or Coors.
Simpler Times Lager and Pilsner from Trader Joe's. It's $3.99 a six-pack! And DECENT!
It’s not impossible to eat for cheap and even to eat out for cheap in Richmond. You must always remember to cut back, think about the saying, “the eyes are bigger than the stomach”, avoid drinks and search for specials. Best of luck fellow unemployed. We could have it worse. We could be in Tokyo trying to eat for cheap!
–David Mattera
*Give or take a few percentage points. Figure based on nothing.
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Tags: Akida, barbecue, beer, best, blog, Boulevard, Breakfast, buying in bulk, capital, capital ale house, chicken, chinatown, city, city dogs, cook, cooking, David Mattera, dinner, dinner time, dollar, downtown, Eating, food, Friendly, good food, hamburger, hamburgers, happy hours, Horsepen, hot dogs, Jerk, jerry springer, Joes, little mexico, lunch, lunch specials, Main Street, Maury, maury povich, Meal, monday nights, PBR, Perle, Pho, Pho So 1, Pit, price, restaurants, Richmond, salad, stomach, street, sushi bar, sushi roll, tacos, teriyaki, tiny place, Trader, vcu campus, Yeungling
