Restaurants in Glen Allen

An iconic pig sits atop the roof of Carter's Pig Pen Bar-B-Que, where the scent of smoking chicken and simmering pork wafts through the air. Inside, chefs dress up hand-pulled meats and dreary cubist masterpieces either with a spicy, vinegar-based north carolina sauce or a thick, Virginia-style tomato sauce. Meaty cuts grace tables alongside classic Southern sides such as red-skin-potato salad and fresh-baked corn-bread muffins.

The aroma of baking bread wafts from Great Steak's kitchen, where sandwichsmiths pack quality cuts of meat into sandwiches, wraps, and burgers. Their renowned philly cheesesteak reaches skyward with grilled sirloin steak, onions, and provolone cheese, and their extensive selection of specialty sandwiches pairs with sides including baked potatoes, fries, fruit bowls, and parfaits. To help patrons make health-conscious choices, the menu's nutrition facts are available online and the chefs whip up a selection of low-carb and low-fat sandwiches, wraps, and salads served in the absence of exploding forks. Patrons can place an order for pickup with the convenience of the restaurant's online menu and request catering to feed large groups.

In 1985, BachLien Ly was starving. The boat she was travelling on from Saigon had run out of food. In the nick of time, the vessel arrived in Indonesia, where Ly spent 10 months learning English in a refugee camp and hoping against hope that she could make it to America.

Nearly three decades later, Ly looks back on those harder times as she presides over her own restaurant in America, takes care of her three children, and helps talk new immigrants through their troubles. No matter how much time or geography separates them, her homeland still shines through in Vietnam Garden’s bamboo branches, bodhi trees, and murals of Vinh Ha Long. The aromas of lemongrass, mint, long coriander, and Thai basil leaves add to the illusion of having travelled thousands of miles as they drift from bowls of pho soup or traditional hot pots. On the gleaming wooden tables, glasses of coconut soda and bubble tea click together over vegetarian feasts, and sweet milk mingles with dark Vietnamese coffees.

After walking under Kabuto's red gate and through its ornately decorated doors, guests walk past miniature gongs and framed scrolls illuminated by yellow and blue lighting fixtures set in the walls. Experienced hibachi chefs toss and catch shrimp, deftly ladling teriyaki or soy sauce over piles of veggies and meat or flinging it upwards to catch in the brim of their 10-gallon hats.

Moore Street Café’s signature teal awnings can be spotted within steps of the Richmond baseball diamond; its brick façade shrouds a diverse clientele of regulars who have lunched in the same spot for decades. As Richmond Times Dispatch reporter Lisa Antonelli Bacon reports, the joint is a quintessential American diner, with “a quiet location just off a main thoroughfare. . . a steady, friendly clientele, [and] a staff that loves coming to work.” The owners—Tom Stutzman and his mother Alice—bought the established café in 1999, fulfilling their lifelong dream of owning a restaurant and ordering industrial-size tubs of ketchup. The pair packs its menu with hearty egg and omelet breakfasts, specialty sandwiches, and hand-pressed burgers. Their soup and dessert selections are homemade daily.