River City Sportsplex – Foodie Guide

The River City Sportsplex is located outside of Richmond, Virginia, in the small town of Midlothian. While this sports complex is in a great location for those who want to get out and explore Richmond, don’t be so quick to leave Midlothian because you’ll miss out on some awesome eateries.

Foodies can rejoice in knowing that there are a lot of highly rated restaurants close to the River City Sportsplex. Avoid chain restaurants you can find anywhere and instead check out spots that locals love. We’ve put together a list of the top 10 best spots to eat out in Midlothian.

Brick House Diner

There’s nothing wrong with heading to a diner for simple comfort foods. A top eatery for locals is the Brick House Diner. It’s is roughly six miles from the River City Sportsplex, so you will often see folks from Midlothian and Richmond coming in for a meal. This would also be a great place to have breakfast before heading out for a day in Richmond.

If you’re a person that likes to have breakfast for dinner, you’re in luck. The Brick House Diner’s menu filled with breakfast food that is served all day. There are a ton of egg options ranging from omelets to Eggs Benedict. You can also order pancakes, French toast, or a waffle. Want a bit of everything? Ask for one of their combination breakfast platters.

Pescados

Midlothian isn’t too far from the Chesapeake Bay, making it easy for guests to find fresh seafood. Pescados serves quality seafood with Latin-Caribbean flavors. This island fusion restaurant is a 15-minute drive from the River City Sportsplex.

Stopping at Pescados Seafood for lunch will offer cheaper prices for special dishes. Handhelds include the mahi-mahi wrap, chicken frita, and Cubano press. Some of the dishes specific to lunchtime are the Happy Oysters, spicy quinoa bowl, and Mahi St. Martin.

For dinner, start your meal with an appetizer of Voodoo Shrimp, which consists of shrimp, chorizo, onions, and banana stuffed inside Cuban toast topped with an egg. As far as entrees go, you have the option of seafood or “landfood.” If you’re craving seafood, try either the Cabo Crab Cakes or scallops blanco. For a mix of sea and land, order the filet mignon and crab. Pair your dinner with a specialty rum drink from the bar.

El Cerro Azul

Like the aforementioned restaurants, El Cerro Azul is a 15-minute drive from the River City Sportsplex. It is located in the Midlothian Station Shopping Center. This colorful and fun eatery is perfect for when you’re looking for familiar Mexican cuisine.

When you come to El Cerro Azul for lunch, there is a menu that features smaller portioned meals. The lunch menu is mainly comprised of fajitas, burritos, and various rice and tortilla plates.

The dinner menu is quite large. It includes appetizers, specialty dishes, tacos, fajitas, dips, and an entire vegetarian section. Start dinner off right with an appetizer of shrimp tostaditas. As an entree, try one of their fajitas. El Ranchero is one option that comes with steak, chicken, shrimp, and chorizo topped with peppers, onions, and a cheese sauce. Or you can opt for something lighter like the tacos de carnitas. Make sure you save room for dessert! You won’t want to pass up on their tres leches cake or strawberry churros.

Katana Sushi

Katana Sushi is about five and a half miles from the River City Sportsplex. It is well worth checking out if you love sushi. This spot is perfect for groups because many of their sushi platters easily feed up to four people.

When you order from the sushi bar, options include tuna sashimi, salmon sashimi, Chirashi, and more. Katana Sushi has more than just sushi options too. You can also order teriyaki, katsu, tempura, curry, or noodle dishes. Almost any meal comes with a soup or salad as well, which gives you the chance to try their miso soup or house salad.

The Shaved Duck Restaurant

For fresh, locally sourced foods, stop by The Shaved Duck Restaurant, which is a 14-minute drive from the River City Sportsplex. Because this restaurant is farm-to-table, the menu is subject to change based on the quality of harvest and availability of products.

This upscale eatery is great for solo travelers and groups alike. If you’re traveling alone, come in for a small plate or entree. Small plate options include ramen gnocchi, which comes with kimchi slaw, pork belly, and Fresno oil; and ricotta ravioli with lemon ricotta, sage, pistachio, and brown butter. Some entree choices include the crispy leg of duck, duck burger, bistro steak, spring rigatoni, or prosciutto chicken.

Those visiting with a group, make reservations and order a few shared plates. The choices for shareable plates include Brussels sprouts, fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese, or a meat and cheese platter.

Be sure to leave room for one of their freshly prepared desserts. For a lighter dessert, try a delightfully zesty lemon bar or strawberries and cream. Another delectable treat is the crème brûlée. Or you can satiate your inner chocoholic with the Turtle Brownie Sunday.

Burger Bach

For burgers with a tasty twist, head over to Burger Bach. The burgers there are healthy and delicious, as their patties are made using beef from Silver Fern Farms in New Zealand. The lamb is also 100% grass fed and free range from New Zealand. All chicken patties are made with organic cage-free chicken from Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. For vegetarian diners, Burger Bach makes their own vegan black bean patty.

These aren’t your normal burgers with plain old toppings like lettuce, tomato, and onion. Experiment with unique flavors and order the East Coast burger, which comes with blueberry chipotle barbecue sauce, bacon, Brie, caramelized onions, and garlic aioli. For those who want lamb or chicken, there are two lamb burgers and four chicken choices available that also come with unique toppings, such as avocado relish or jalapeno remoulade. To have a filling, handcrafted burger, take the 14-minute drive from River City Sportsplex.

Kabuto Japanese House of Steak and Sushi

Kabuto Japanese House of Steak and Sushi is the longest-running Japanese steakhouse in Midlothian, Virginia. It is located just over six miles from River City Sportsplex. When you eat there, experienced chefs entertain as they cook your meal in front of you. This is another casual eatery that is wonderful for groups.

For lunch, there are two different cooking options. You can sit down and have a chef come to your table and cook at a hibachi grill in front of you. If you’re in more of a hurry, you can ask for a conventional express lunch.

The dinner menu has many traditional Japanese hibachi dishes. Hibachi options include salmon, chicken, rib-eye steak, or a vegetarian meal. If you want to get a variety of ingredients, order a combination entree. For example, the Samurai combination entree comes with chicken and steak and the Koban includes steak and shrimp.

A New York Slice

Sometimes you just want some quick and easy comfort food when you’re traveling. Pizza is always an easy go-to option. You can find delicious pizza and other Italian bites 14 minutes from the River City Sportsplex at A New York Slice.

There are over 12 different pizzas on the menu, or you can opt to make your own pizza with more than 15 topping choices. Specialty pizzas include chicken parmigiana, fried calamari, Buffalo chicken, and barbecue chicken.

There are also pasta dishes at A New York Slice. Salad and garlic bread comes with all of them, so whether you’re choosing spaghetti and meatballs, chicken marsala, or baked lasagna, you will get these sides at no extra cost.

Anna’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria

In Victorian Square, which is an eight-minute drive from River City Sportsplex, there is an Italian eatery called Anna’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria. This warmly decorated and laid-back eatery makes homemade Italian comfort foods and pizza. They’ve been featured in NBC12’s Restaurant Hall of Fame, so stop in and see what all the fuss is about.

Sit in a booth with your group and share one of their specialty pizzas, such as the Philly steak, baked ziti, Buffalo chicken, or veggie. If you want more than just pizza, there are quite a lot of pasta dishes and other entrees to choose from. Pasta choices include ravioli, lasagna, manicotti, and baked spaghetti alla Anna, which features a meat sauce topped with melted cheese. There’s also a selection of chicken and veal entrees, such as chicken cacciatore or veal scallopini with peppers. For those on the go, there are easy handheld options like subs and wraps.

Esann Thai Restaurant

Also in Victorian Square you will find Esann Thai Restaurant. This cozy eatery serves up traditional Thai comfort foods. For great Thai cuisine with enthusiastic and friendly service, make this a stop during your time in Midlothian. Since it’s so close to the River City Sportsplex, there’s no reason to skip it!

From fried rice to curry or noodles, there’s a good selection to choose from. Start off with an appetizer of fried wontons and sweet and sour dipping sauce. When you finish, move on to an entree of authentic pad Thai or pad see eew. However, if you love spicy foods, we suggest you order one of their curry dishes or the pad kra pow, which has spicy Thai basil leaves.