Restaurants in Short Pump

Chef and owner Brian Munford oversees a culinary construction crew who uses fresh ingredients to craft a menu of innovative international dishes, which earned Patina Grill a spot on Richmond magazine's 25 Best Restaurants in 2010. Prepare palates for a lavish meal or wars against crustacean nations with the seared-crab-cakes starter, served with house-made fettuccine and a unique butter flavored with red peppers, basil, and bacon ($13). Diners can match their mandibles against the chimichanga with wild mushrooms, roasted tomatoes, and cheese ($24) or quell tummy grumbles with the roasted pork ($25). The szechwan tea-smoked duck arrives alongside wild rice and mu shu vegetables ($30), a delicious pairing, unlike peppermint chewing gum and Mountain Dew.

Accanto Restaurant sets itself apart with an urban atmosphere cultivated by hand-colored, concrete tabletops and a large, vibrant mural. Owners Alberto and Peppino Mastromano evoke the same unique vibrancy in their menu of Italian cuisine and tapas, setting off pleasure receptors with filet mignon and tiliapia in puttanesca sauce, along with inventive dishes such as fontina macaroni and cheese. While taking swigs from the extensive selection of wine, beer, and cocktails, diners can pass the time watching one of three big screen TVs, surfing free WiFi, or folding a napkin into a swan before eating it.

It's not a coincidence that "bonchon" is Korean for "my hometown." That's because Jinduk Seh founded Bonchon Chicken to introduce diners to the comfort foods of his native Korea. He set out to perfect his country's fried chicken, and the result is a crispy, juicy concoction painted in fiery hot sauce or garlicky soy sauce. He rounds out the menu with other Korean favorites such as bibimbap and bulgogi, as well as a few Japanese dishes for good measure. Bonchon's menu can be enjoyed at locations across the United States and abroad.

Daily Grind Short Pump welcomes visitors with a menu sporting coffee brewed from locally roasted beans, cool specialty drinks, and an edible plethora of coffeehouse fare. Satisfy hungry eyes along with bellies while taking in walls decked in local art and savoring the coconut, chocolate, and macadamia flavors in a CocoMocha ($3.30–$3.95) or a cup of the daily joe ($1.55–$1.90). The scent of the coffee house’s locally roasted beans wafts through the air as patrons kick back with a buttery croissant ($1.85), and flatbread breakfast sandwiches stuffed with egg and cheese ($3.85) launch successful mornings with protein-packed oars. Put noontime hunger to sleep with a sandwich filled with marinated chicken spooning pesto mayo ($6.95), or douse overheated taste buds with a refreshing pomegranate italian soda ($1.75–$2.75).

1972 marked the year that coach Don Shula led the Miami Dolphins to a perfect season—a feat that hasn't been accomplished since. So perhaps it isn't surprising that the same pursuit of perfection inspires the cooking at Coach Shula's namesake steakhouse. Here, chefs begin with custom center cuts of premium, Black Angus beef, patiently aging them to concentrate the beefy flavor before the steaks even touch the surface of a grill. The tender proteins range in size from an 8 oz. filet mignon to a 48 oz. porterhouse, ideal for two diners or or one peckish school of piranhas. Beyond signature steaks, the chefs devote equal attention to entrees such as mint-glazed lamb and twin lobster tails.

Housed within the Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa, Shula's Steak House matches its classic cuisine with a refined environment. White tablecloths provide a contrast to black tables and chairs, a motif repeated by the rooms' dark wooden trim and cream-colored walls. Framed black-and-white photographs of the winning Dolphins roster surround guests as they dine.

When Ronn Teitelbaum opened the first Johnny Rockets location in 1986, his goal was to create a restaurant where people could escape the postmodern blues of everyday life and experience a taste of time-honored Americana. The name itself is a nod to this ideal—it combines the star of a classic American fable, Johnny Appleseed, and a classic car, Oldsmobile’s beefy Rocket 88. The chain now makes itself at home in America's cultural landmarks, including Yankee Stadium and the Flamingo Hotel.

During dinners at the famous burger joints, you’ll see signs of simpler times, starting with the cooks and servers—dressed head to toe in white, including white paper hats, they look like they’ve fallen out of a wormhole from the 1950s ready to sling shakes and cook up some eats. Behind a stainless-steel bar lined with red leather stools they tend to their traditional diner fare, including burgers and melts with sides such as chili-cheese fries and onion rings. Riding sidecar to each meal is a collection of hand-dipped and hand-spun floats, shakes, and malts topped with whipped cream.