The Hill Cafe – A Cool Place in A Cool Neighborhood

I’ve been spending Tuesday evenings in Church Hill.  That’s it.  I’ve confessed.  The neighborhood is my favorite – I rue the day I bought a house in the West End – and in the short time I lived in Church Hill (2001-ish?) I grew to love, love, love The Hill Cafe.  So, with my Tuesday night class getting relocated to Libby Terrace, I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to reconnect with the seared ahi tuna appetizer.  And I was right.

In the name of “research” I have returned to The Hill Cafe every week in order to offer you, Gentle Readers, a very good idea of what they have to offer in terms of food, ambiance, and libation.  I’ll get to the food in a moment.  As for ambiance, it’s a neighborhood restaurant/bar in a great historic neighborhood.  People are walking their dogs outside.  The houses are cool.  The people who work there are calm, and aloof, but still friendly.  At least the people who work on Tuesdays are.  I’ve been sitting at the bar, and the Tuesday bartender (hi Bobby!) is courteous and prompt.  That’s a big deal when you’re trying to have some “me time” and then rush to class.

The Hill Cafe is part of the Richmond Restaurant Group.  Other members of the group are Water Grill, Delux, Europa, and The Hard Shell.  I’ve been to Europa and The Hard Shell and have no complaints whatsoever on the food or the service.  Of course, it might take another visit to be able to really establish an opinion….

Anywhoo.  The Hill Cafe.  I had heard that the fried chicken was the best in town (even better than Lee’s) so of course I got that one night.  I’m sad to report that I wasn’t able to photograph it, because I was far too hungry and it was far too delicious.  I don’t know how they get white meat, skinless chicken to stay that juicy, but…whoa.  It’s juicy and seasoned just right and I could probably eat about four servings of it at one sitting, though you might find me crying in shame later.

One night I got the filet mignon.  It came with some yummy taters, a green vegetable, and these crispy onion rings.  Again, I dug in before I remembered to take a photo.  I guess that’s why we have a proper Richmond food site – I am too eager of an eater.  I’m sure David Mattera (blog and foodmaster extraordinaire) remembers to photograph food before he starts eating it.

Other favorites (according to the people hanging out inside and people I randomly quizzed on my way to and from the ladies room) are the shoestring french fries (crispy and delicious), the BBQ sandwich, the meatloaf (fried with seasoning), and pretty much anything on the Sunday brunch menu.  Get thee to The Hill Cafe, and make sure you go hungry.

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