Richmond, VA has been getting a lot of praise recently for its food scene. I might be biased because I lived in Richmond and can’t wait to get back to the city, but Richmond seriously has the best food scene. When I moved to the city as a broke college student – basically the same story as my post-college life now – I couldn’t afford to eat at all the super nice restaurants I wanted to, although I would splurge on Comfort just down the block from my apartment. I found that the Richmond food scene didn’t end just with the storefronts, but food trucks were a great way for me to eat my way through the city on a cheaper budget.

One of my first food truck interactions in the city wasn’t even a truck at all. It was a little stand that set-up shop on the VCU campus during lunch hours: Goatocado. Goatocado serves these super cool bowls, my favorite one being the Mountain Tropp. Each bowl has quinoa, avocado and a variety of toppings. The bowls and utensils were all recycled materials, so not only was the food amazing and good for your body, but good for the environment too. Due to popularity, Goatocado has upgraded to an actual truck and even a storefront in the Richmond area. At any festival I go to – and I go to a lot – Goatocado is one of my top picks for food.

And there are no shortages of festivals in the Richmond area. It seems like the summer and fall weekends are loaded with different festivals. My personal favorite is the Richmond Folk Festival. Situated on Brown’s Island and the surrounding areas, with the gorgeous backdrop of the James River and the Richmond city skyline, the Richmond Folk Festival is the best three-day FREE music festival. Not only is there great music from all over the globe, but there is also great food. There is nothing better than grabbing some food from a local food truck and taking in the music on a cool October evening.

The festivals aren’t the only ones in town who’ve picked up on the popularity of the food trucks. It seems anytime I go to a brewery or cidery in Richmond, there’s a food truck there, which makes sense because what goes better with good food than a good brew? Hardywood’s Food Truck Court is a weekly event centered around bringing tons of food trucks – last time I was there it was easily 10 – to a local brewery one evening. On my most recent outing to the food truck court, I found a great local place also had a food truck: Continental Divide. In their storefront they have the best tacos and tequila bar, but the nachos at the food truck did not disappoint either!

There’s no doubt that Richmond is a city for the foodie inside each of us.

RD

Savory food trucks aren’t the only ones making appearances in Richmond. In fact, one of my favorite food trucks has just ice cream, no real food. The first time I experienced Gelati Celesti was at First Fridays. Walk down Broad Street on the first Friday of any month and you’ll be in the middle of a super popular event in the city, First Friday art walk. Art galleries all along Broad and the surrounding streets open up their doors to the public, and naturally so do food trucks.

Richmond – Food Truck

I can remember my first First Friday experience living in the city. There was this cute little food truck not selling tacos or barbeque, but gelato. Gelati Celesti won me over with their chocolate decadence gelato that night. My roommate would even run out when she saw them in the area, get me some and put it in the freezer as a treat for when I got home from work. It’s been four years since my first Gelati Celesti experience and they are still my most favorite ice cream in the city. And they’ve even opened a storefront in one of the up and coming neighborhoods in Richmond, Scott’s Addition.

There’s no doubt that Richmond is a city for the foodie inside each of us. If you’re on a budget, like me, never fear because the food truck scene in Richmond is equally as wonderful as the store fronts. And there’s no lack of places to find these wonderful trucks. I encourage you if you’re in the Richmond area or just passing through to try a new food truck and enjoy the city of Richmond like I love to do!

For more on local food: check out Where to Find the Best BBQ Rat.