One of the best parts of doing this project so far is all the recommendations I’ve received from friends as well as strangers. My friend Alex asked me a couple weeks ago if I’d ever been to HogsHead Cafe. I hadn’t – I’d never even heard of it in almost ten years of living in Richmond.

It’s a little ways out west toward Short Pump, nestled snugly in between an Asian market and Chinese restaurant just off of Broad Street. My dad joined me for this visit and though he was nervous about it being labeled a “cafe”, HogsHead quickly won us over.

Reputation – 4.6/5

This place seems to be very well-liked, with ratings of at least 4.5 on Facebook, Google, Yelp, and TripAdvisor, as well as any other site I saw with a rating. As I mentioned I went in knowing next to nothing about this place, but could tell just from one visit that it’s beloved by its diners.

Experience – 4.6/5

I think there were 8 or 9 tables in this place, and a bar with 4 seats. It was maybe 20 feet wide. What I’m saying is, it’s really small. The walls were lined with sports memorabilia, sassy southern signage, and the BBQ staple handwritten chalkboard menu.

We visited on a Thursday at lunchtime. When we finished our meal, all the tables were filled with people in all manner of dress – from business casual to full-on biker gear. Our waiter was pretty cool and very knowledgeable about the place. Everything we ordered was great, though it was a little more pricey than I expected with the dive bar vibe that the place had.

Presentation – 4.2/5

My dad always likes to get an appetizer, so I named a few that I was interested in knowing without a doubt that he would choose fried oysters. This guys loves oysters more than The Walrus and the Carpenter (throwin’ it back to 1871 with that reference). They came on a bed of greens with a lemon wedge, a fairly small portion size but prepared perfectly.

Nothing fancy about the entrees. Our sandwiches came on clean white plates with cole slaw in a small plastic ramekin. They had three sauces on the table – sweet and tangy Hog Sauce, a spicy vinegar Carolina Sauce, and Paw Paw’s spicy mustard. They also had a little caddy full of cards from trivial pursuit and similar games, which is a gimmick that I always enjoy.

Quality and Taste – 8.6/10

No complaints across the board here. I’d describe the oysters as excellent and the pork as very good. Nothing too exciting about the coleslaw. Our waiter Mike recommended mixing in a little Carolina with the Hog Sauce which was a good tip.

I got waffle fries for my side and my dad got scalloped potatoes. The waffle fries were crispy and delicious and served in a hearty portion. My dad raved about the scalloped potatoes, saying they were just like the ones his mom used to make. He and I are both pretty easily pleased but regardless, we were thoroughly impressed with our visit to HogsHead.

Final Score – 88

The phrase “hidden gem” feels kind of cliché but this really seems like a local favorite that isn’t very well known. Mike told us that they’re just a week or two away from moving to a bigger location nearby. He was excited that they’d have more space for smoking meats and will soon be able to serve brisket full time instead of just as a special once per week. I’ll certainly head over there to try it.