Even at the most sought-after restaurants, handcrafted food can be a rare delicacy on menus. But when it does appear, the fresh flavors leave diners with an unforgettable experience.

In Richmond, we’re lucky enough to boast myriad spots that offer such personal touches, reminding us how special and intricate the culinary world can be.

Here are a few standouts:

Polpetti

Sunday Sauce

Polpetti offers a delicious excursion into Italian cuisine with its Sunday sauce perhaps being one of the biggest stars.

Polpetti operators Peter and Georgia Riccobono make this classic tomato-based sauce using a recipe crafted by Peter’s great-grandfather, who came to the U.S. from Italy and later opened a restaurant in New York City. It was a highly anticipated Sunday treat in his family growing up.

To make the sauce, a large pot is filled with garlic, 100% extra-virgin olive oil, diced onions, a generous portion of red wine and high-quality canned tomatoes. “We don’t add any sugar, the tomatoes are sweet enough on their own,” Peter says. The mixture is left to cook for about seven hours on low heat.

“It reduces quite a bit,” he says. “It’s a very rich sauce even though there are few ingredients.”

While some traditional Sunday sauces call for veal bones or sausage in the base, the Riccobonos omit them to keep theirs vegan friendly.

Polpetti features Sunday sauce on its Classic and Godfather sandwiches and also offers the sauce in 24-ounce containers—all of which can be enjoyed at the shop, even if it isn’t Sunday.

Soul N’Vinegar

Bangin’ Pimento Cheese

Pimento cheese has long been a Southern staple, and one that Soul N’Vinegar has added a distinct touch to.

For seven years, the neighborhood food shop’s bangin’ pimento cheese has tempted Richmonders with its fiery flavor.

The savory spread is made with mayonnaise, cream cheese, extra sharp and sharp cheddars, spices, onion and, of course, freshly diced pimento peppers.

“We tend to use higher-quality cheddar and we add a spice blend, which has garlic and cayenne to give our pimento cheese a little bit of a kick,” says owner Michelle Parrish—hence the “bangin.”

The cheese is shredded in a food processor with everything then usually mixed together in a bowl.

“I think what people like about it is we use less mayonnaise so it’s a little bit denser,” says Parrish. “The cheese we use … also makes a big difference.”

You can enjoy Soul N’Vinegar’s bangin’ pimento cheese on its turkey pimento sandwich, or on crisp toast during the shop’s happy hour. If you’re really hooked, you can purchase 8-ounce containers of the stuff onsite.

Balkan Restaurant 

Lepinja

Fresh bread is one of life’s simplest pleasures and one that can be found at Balkan Restaurant.

Their lepinja—similar to pita bread, but fluffier—is sought after throughout Richmond. “We wanted to bring a taste of the Balkans to the United States,” says owner Boryana Dineva. “[The bread] is something rarely found here.”

The circular rolls are crafted with a classic recipe, though there’s a slight twist. “The traditional recipe usually uses milk, but we don’t,” says Dineva.

Each morning, a fresh batch is made using only flour, salt, yeast and water.

“It’s a very quick process. You mix everything together and let the dough rise twice,” she says. “Then, we make rolls and just bake them.”

They make about 100 lepinja rolls daily for customers who can enjoy them alongside their entrée or as a sandwich. “It’s homemade, it’s very simple,” says Dineva. “It’s nowhere to be found here.”

Little Nickel

Peri-Peri Sauce

This Forest Hill oasis provides Richmond denizens a delicious array of tropical flavors, including a lively peri-peri sauce.

The sauce (the brainchild of a former executive chef) is incorporated into their half-chicken dish, producing a special, peppery tang.

To start, current head chef Jacob Rodriguez makes a base consisting of yellow and red bell peppers, Thai chilis, garlic, onion, lemon juice, red wine vinegar and smoked paprika.

Once the vegetables are soft and cool, the mixture is blended, with a portion reserved to marinate the chicken. The rest is then used to craft the peri-peri sauce. “We add lots of butter and garlic,” says Rodriguez.

The chef then stirs in more lemon juice and around four bunches of cilantro. Once the sauce has cooled down, he blends it once more. The sauce is then carefully taste-tested to see how much salt and pepper might be needed. It’s a task that can take up to an hour to ensure everything is well infused.

“The balance between the flavor and spiciness,” says Rodriguez when asked what makes the sauce unique. “I think we have a really good balance, bringing out flavors of the ingredients and not having them overpower the dish itself.”

Anant Cuisine of India

Masala samosas

Anant Cuisine of India’s crisp, aromatic masala samosas have been pleasing local taste buds for years.

The savory turnover is a popular South Asian pastry, with the restaurant adding its own touch. “We have a little bit of a twist here and there,” says owner Avtar Rathore.

Two versions are available for Richmonders to enjoy: vegetable and keema (minced meat).

To create the vegetable filling, they boil, then dice potatoes before adding green peas, salt, pepper and garam masala (a ground spice blend). For the keema version, the chef uses sautéed chicken in spices with some potato incorporated to prevent the meat from becoming dry. They will sometimes add green or red chilis for those who prefer a bit of a kick.

They scoop the filling into a homemade dough, which they then roll and cut into triangles that are folded, sealed and fried.

The secret to Anant’s samosas might be its use of fresh spices.

The garam masala features a combination of earthy, sweet and warm flavors like cumin, coriander, green cardamom, cloves, star anise and cinnamon. It’s a dreamy blend—one that makes their masala samosas so irresistible.

Correction: A previous version of this story in print incorrectly listed Puneet Kaushal as the head chef of Anant Cuisine of India based on erroneous website information. Style regrets the error.