It was a year of transition on the Richmond dining scene. We saw some exciting restaurant openings and re-openings, but some notable establishments also left the market.

I think of every restaurant, big or small, as an entrepreneur’s dream, and it’s always disappointing to see the doors close. Here are some of the restaurants we were saddest to say goodbye to this year.

8 ½ Church Hill

The Hill’s six-year takeout destination for Focaccia Fridays, thin-crust pizza and hearty classic Italian fare closed on Dec. 1 as co-owner and manager Ryan Jones decided it was just time to move on. While neighborhood residents will miss seeing Jones tossing those white pizzas in his open kitchen, at least we can still get our penne-sausage-ricotta fix at the original Fan location on Strawberry Street.

Hatch Local Food Hall

Well Richmond, we tried to have a food hall. Spanning two buildings, the spot that launched several brick-and-mortars like Sincero, Odyssey and (coming soon) Fat Kid Sandwiches transitioned from public-facing dining destination to private incubator. And our food hall fantasies remain in our heads.

Kuba Kuba Dos

We were always partial to the larger, fresher feeling Near-West End outpost that was less likely to leave your hair smelling like meat for a week. It was a solid destination for group lunches, weekend brunches, bar mojitos and an off-the-beaten-path patio. Now we have queue in with the masses on Park Avenue for roasted pork and California Huevos.

La Casita

Open for over 40 years, La Casita served up classic cuisine in a festive, chili-pepper-party atmosphere. Considered one of Richmond’s first Mexican restaurants, it was also the first place where we tasted that ranch-y, creamy salsa blanca that seems to appear only on Virginia Mexican menus. But fret not too much! The owner spent six months renovating the building and reopened it as Vaquero #2 in November—the white sauce remains on the menu.

Nick’s Roman Terrace

Another Richmond establishment, Nick’s Roman Terrace opened in the Westland Shopping Center in 1975. Serving up classic Greek and Italian dishes, the spot was beloved as a family restaurant with famously over-the-top Christmas decorations—was it the first Richmond holiday pop-up? We hear Santa even left the North Pole to make a March pre-closing appearance and say goodbye.

Odyssey

Lee Gregory and Bobo Catoe made miracles in one of Richmond’s tiniest kitchens with only a pizza oven. The experimental menu swung from oysters with interesting sauces to hearty pastas. We’ll be dreaming about the house-made potato rolls with sour butter, yuzu jam trout roe for years to come.

Oyster Society

After announcing the closing of gourmet-fried-pastry paradise Beaunuts in November, owner Ernie LaBreque recently announced that fine-dining destination Oyster Society will be closing on Dec. 29. It was a valiant effort to bring new, creative cuisine to Petersburg and we’re saddened to see the melting butter candle permanently snuffed.

Sincero

The originality of this everything-from-scratch Mexican-American joint shone through in dishes like sweet-salty ribs smothered in concord grape barbecue sauce, then sprinkled with salsa seca and chives. From its food hall roots to brick-and-mortar, Sincero brought something fresh and different to Richmond’s dining scene, plus it breathed new life into that fated 404 N. 2nd St. spot. We also loved the previous tenant, Lucy’s. Can someone find a forever home here?

Southbound

Bon Air’s chef-driven dining destination fell victim to rent increases after ten years in business. We’ll miss the burger, the happy hour, house-made pastas and the partnership between Joe Sparatta and Lee Gregory. You can still find Sparatta at Heritage and Gregory at Alewife, but this closure leaves a deviled-egg-shaped hole in the South Side.

21 Spoons

Named “Best Locally Owned Restaurant in Virginia” by Southern Living in 2023, 21 Spoons brought hand crafted cuisine and whimsical prix fixe themed dinners to Midlothian. Owner Anne Butler is currently focusing her energies on her main businesses, which focus on providing culinary and healthy living education and resources to kids.

Izzy’s Kitchen

Where are we going to get house-made bacon BLTs now? Izzy’s Kitchen, the homey, family-owned sandwich shop in the Museum District closed in March as the owners decided to focus on a wholesale business. We definitely miss the rotating dinner specials and those big, satisfying meatball grinders.

Surrounding Counties

The West End’s brimming-with-local-flavor, rock-and-roll coffee shop with kolaches closed on Dec. 22 and we are lamenting the loss of a locally owned, little guy in a sea of Starbucks. That said, there’s a glimmer of hope. The closing post tells us to “be on the lookout for the evolution of the suburban specialty coffee foods concept coming to a strip mall near you.” Oh, we’ll be looking …