Restaurants in Hopewell

A family-owned restaurant for more than 29 years, Klara’s Kitchun was named after the family’s matriarch, Clara Whitt, whose signature recipes inspired a menu of hearty, homestyle dishes. Cozy booths help customers relax and relish the scent of okra, pot roast, and homemade rolls and cornbread. Entrees pair with 20 sides, such as candied yams and fried apples, and homemade coconut cream pie and cherry cobbler beguile sweet teeth. Cooks can also dole out hearty lunch boxes or catered fare for weddings, special events, and Abraham Lincoln look-alike conventions.

The staff at Jamaica House boasts that "some of our proudest moments are when customers travel to Jamaica and return to tell us they couldn't wait to come back for some of their oxtails!" Since opening in 1994, authenticity has been paramount to owner Carena Ives and chef Lenworth Roper, who serve up Caribbean staples such as ackee andn' saltfish, curry goat, and zesty jerk chicken. To further evoke the tropics, the quaint four-table dining room is completely wrapped in Happy the Artist's wall murals, which display islanders playing steel drums on a rainbow, a dolphin jumping through a constellation of stars, and a straight-laced tax attorney buttering his toast.

Behind a quirkily colored bright-yellow brick façade, Bonvenu Restaurant & Bar charms visitors with brunch spreads of smoked gouda and ham omelets and sweet-potato waffles, and dinners of lamb roulade or bacon-topped mac 'n' cheese. The eatery projects its commitment to blending disparate cultural influences through its very name, which means "welcome" in Esperanto⎯a constructed universal tongue that draws from Latin, Ukranian, and the secret language that twins speak to each other. The interior adds a whimsical edge to Eisenhower-era diner decor, with two-toned crimson and cream walls dotted with modern art, and oblong globules cast warm light onto a bar top equipped with Belgian ales and flavored martinis. The recipes on the menu take taste buds on globetrotting voyages, with flavors as exotic as Filipino adobo sauce, or as familiar as local foraged mushrooms.