821 CAFÉ
825 W. Cary St., Richmond, Virginia
Hours: 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Monday-Wednesday; 8 a.m.-11 p.m. Thursday-Friday; 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday.
Menu: http://www.821caferva.com/821_menu_edits_06.24.pdf
Suitable for: Vegans, vegetarians, omnivores
Tucked away in the middle of a bustling neighborhood adjacent to Virginia Commonwealth University, nestled among student-decorated duplexes and family-style homes, the 821 Café sits proudly on a corner of West Cary Street. Don’t fret if you miss the front door at first – the address is now 825, contrary to the eatery’s name – or even the mural that stretches along one side of the building. What you won’t be able to miss is the line of people loitering out front, waiting their turn to sit down at one of the close-knit tables within the restaurant’s walls. On weekends, the brunch wait can easily stretch for an hour or more, but take heart – your patience will be rewarded.
And how. At brunch, you’ve got the best of all worlds to partake of; come late enough in the morning or any time in the afternoon and you’ll be able to enjoy both the brunch menu and the lunch/dinner menu, which opens up your world tremendously. Do you want scrambled tofu while your friend wants an Impossible Burger? Doooo it.
While so many restaurants still phone in their vegetarian options, especially at brunch, 821 Café shines all day long. From the aforementioned scramble with vegan sausage on the side to a vegan breakfast burrito with all the fixins, the brunch options are plentiful.
The breakfast burrito is certainly one of the standouts of the menu at large. Stuffed full of scramble and black beans and rosemary potatoes, it’s more than enough for one meal (and saves well enough to take home for later!). It certainly won’t make sense to add something else to your order, but who says life is sensible? Tack on a bowl of fruit if you’re feeling virtuous; a vegan Caesar salad if you’re only looking to be healthy in “salad” name only. We’re all friends here, and life is short.
If you’re looking for more of a lunch or dinner option, the Buffalo tofu sandwich certainly sits atop the list of things to order. Tangy and spicy with a lot of heft, it’s a sandwich that will leave you feeling full no matter the time of day. In other sandwich news, LeeLee always gravitates toward the vegan curried chik’n salad with great success. All the taste you’ve come to love without any of the meat – what a wonderful way to spend a meal, indeed!
Now, regardless of how you proceed with the meal, you’ll want to start off with a little something to whet your appetite. Perhaps a plate of nachos (sans cheese if you’re dairy-free, with cheese if you’re veg):
OK, I said a LITTLE something to whet your appetite. This is … a big something. But it is absolutely worth the price of admission, with black beans or vegan chili atop a bed of chips. Add sliced avocado for an extra spot of decadence and you’re well on your way.
I consider it a great blessing that LeeLee and I live about two hours away from Richmond – and thus the 821 Café – because 1) if we lived closer, we’d be there much too often, and 2) if we lived further away, I’d be heartbroken by its absence in my life. But as it stands now, we live a comfortable distance from the 821, and we’re the better for its existence in our worldview. You’ll certainly feel the same.