By John Haddad
Although it’s called Lunch, you can get your three square meals at one of Greater Richmond’s newest spots for good old-fashioned comfort food. And according to their self-proclaimed motto, “It doesn’t matter when you get here; it’s always the best meal of the day.” Owner, Rick Lyons, a familiar face to RVA diners from Banditos, The Republic, and Starlite, among others, has parlayed his years of experience into crafting his newest venture, an intimate space in Greater Richmond’s up-and-coming Scott’s Addition neighborhood.
Not much bigger than a shoebox, Lunch is a comfy spot with food to match. With a simple black-and-white aesthetic accented by vintage Dementi photos of historic Richmond and a fake fireplace, Lunch embodies the look and feel of an established restaurant that has been around for decades. In addition to 25 or so table seats, a few bar stools offer refuge for a drink or solo meal.
Visitors to Lunch have some choice of what meal to eat when they arrive. Breakfast is served from opening until 3 p.m., and dinner is available after 5 p.m. Lunch, however, is appropriately served all day long. The mainstay of the American lunch for the past 100 years has been the sandwich, and Lunch serves up 16 varieties, many with a nod to Richmond events, landmarks, and locations. “Scott’s Addition” features a burger topped with pulled pork, American cheese, slaw, and BBQ sauce. The healthy “10K “combines a grilled chicken breast with fresh spinach, roasted red peppers, provolone, and pesto. The “Parker Field” is a BLT, jazzed up with avocado. My favorites so far are the “Locomotive,” an open-faced meatloaf sandwich (moist meatloaf with a spicy tomato glaze) topped with Swiss cheese; “The Summit Avenue,” a grilled chicken breast topped with bacon, cheddar, and BBQ sauce; and the “Lucky 7,” a thick and juicy fresh Angus burger. House-made sides include coleslaw, deviled eggs, potato salad, cucumber salad, and a Mediterranean pasta salad.
Breakfast includes many of the usual suspects: eggs any way, biscuits, grits, and the pork trinity of bacon, ham, and sausage. I was most impressed by the buttery biscuits, crispy-fried scrapple, and homemade sausage as well as the spicy home fries. And wouldn’t you know it, you can get a sandwich at breakfast too. To add to the myriad lunch options, three signature breakfast sandwiches feature eggs, meat, cheese, and veggies in numerous permutations.
Several of the items found stuffed between bread (crab cakes and meatloaf) in the sandwich offerings are also the stars on the dinner menu. They are joined by shrimp and grits, pasta, steak, and several homey sides like mashed potatoes and bacon-infused Brussels sprouts.
Prices are very reasonable, topping out at $14 for some of the entrées. With $3 sides, the prices rise a bit, but it’s still a very good value for the quality. I wouldn’t arrive with a large group expecting to dine together, but for an intimate conversation, good grub, and a comfortable atmosphere, it hits the mark. It’s the kind of place I could be a regular. And you could be too.