First place:
Mekong Restaurant (Hall of Fame Winner)
6004 W. Broad St.
288-8929
mekongisforbeerlovers.com
Second place: Capital Ale House
Third place: The Answer Brewpub
Honorable mention: Sedona Taphouse
No surprise that Mekong, the creation of An Bui, a 2018 James Beard Award semi-finalist in the outstanding wine, beer or spirits category, won readers’ hearts and votes for best beer list. Who else can compete?
When Bui and his family opened their Vietnamese restaurant in 1995, even he couldn’t have foreseen what a beer town Richmond would become. But it was his decision to swap out the restaurant’s wine list for a small array of Belgian ales that turned his restaurant into a hophead mecca. The rest, as they say, is Richmond beer history.
Known as the chief beer officer, Bui’s vision of pairing Vietnamese food with a jaw-dropping number of taps has understandably gotten national attention, including Craftbeer.com naming Mekong the best beer bar in America three times in the last eight years.
With social distancing requirements, tables at Mekong may be farther apart, but the beer choices remain vast and tempting.
