top of page
Writer's pictureSonya Feeser

Venture Richmond To Downtown RVA’s Newest Gay Bar: Papi’s

Updated: Oct 18, 2022

With September being Richmond’s unofficial pride month, I wanted to feature the newest LGBTQIA+ bar in the city: Papi’s (@papisdowntown)! 🏳️‍🌈🥳 Owned by Adrienne and Carlos Londoño (who also own La Bodega, Casa Fiesta, and Margaritas Cantina 👏), Papi’s is bringing a taste of Miami to Shockoe Slip. As soon as you walk in, you are immediately greeted by a sea of colors and friendly vibes all around! 🤗🌈 The servers match the welcoming atmosphere and their positive energy is contagious. For it being a bar/club, I was of course expecting delicious drinks, but the biggest surprise of all was the SPECTACULAR food I tried.



First are the Birria Tacos which were highly recommended by my server, so naturally, I HAD to order them! 😅🌮 They had to be the THICCEST tacos I’ve ever held with some of the juiciest shredded beef I’ve tasted in a birria taco. Not to mention, I’m absolutely OBSESSED with the rainbow toucan dish the consommé was served in…yep you read that right, A FRICKEN TOUCAN!!! The meal also came with sides of rice and beans and I had plenty of leftovers 🙌



Pictured next is the Bandeja Paisa which is a Colombian dish with fried pork belly, carne asada, and chorizo…basically a carnivore’s paradise! 🥩🍖 The pork belly was EXQUISITE and I loved the presentation with the itty bitty pride flag! 🏳️‍🌈



The meal started off with the Latino Queso Dip and I ended the night with the Tres Leches dessert. 🧀🍰 Both were fabulous and I honestly have no complaints about any of the food I tried, you definitely get your money's worth!



For the cocktails, I was pleasantly surprised by the expansive drink list which made it difficult to choose because everything sounded amazing! I decided to go with a simple Miami Vice and also pictured is the Tutti Frutti Margarita with half strawberry and half mango. 🍓🥭 I love that Papi’s has so many frozen drink options to satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth, it sure does give off a Miami-esque vibe! 🍹



Papi’s Menu:


Overall, the Londoños did an AMAZING job decorating the space and showed so much thoughtfulness and intention in all the details from the rainbow disco balls to the dance pole behind the bar to even the stylish bathrooms on the downstairs level!



I cannot wait to @venturerichmond again and go back for a Sunday drag brunch full of fun! To sum it up, the whole experience was great and I highly recommend supporting Papi’s as we need more inclusive queer spaces like this in Richmond! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜


TL;DR Papi's is a bar, restaurant, and nightclub all in one that serves up Miami flavors and queer inclusion in Shockoe. Love to see it! 🏳️‍🌈👏


📍: 1407 E Cary St, Richmond, VA 23219

Instagram: @papisdowntown


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Speaking of VA Pride Week, below you will see some upcoming events leading up to @vapride Pridefest 2022! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️


Scott’s Addition Pride Crawl 2022 🍻

Saturday, September 17th, 12-5pm

Stamp your pride crawl card at enough participating locations in @scottsaddition to be entered for a $25 gift card raffle! Pride specials all day!


Pride Rainbow Roll 🛼

Sunday, September 18th, 7-11pm

Get your roller skate on at the Roller Dome for just $10! Wear your best rainbow themed costume to win a $100 prize!


Pride After Dark: Animal 🐯

Friday, September 23rd, 8pm-close

Join the 21+ pre-pride party over at @rivercityroll with DJs @bedspreadradio, @thedavidriley, and @animalrva hosting the event! Tickets are $15 and don’t forget to wear animal print!


Virginia Pridefest 2022 🌈

Saturday, September 24th, 12-8pm

Tons of entertainment by headlining acts including The Queen of Bounce, Big Freedia, Leikeli 47, and Rose from RuPaul's Drag Race! This is an event you DON’T want to miss!


Saint Saturday at Papi’s 🔥

Saturday, September 24th, 10pm

Join the unofficial pride party at @papisdowntown! 🎉


Papi’s Drag Brunch 💃

Sunday, September 25th, 12-3pm

End pride week with a BANG at Papi’s! Tickets are only $26.95 which includes your meal and there will be $1 mimosas!



Originally Published 09/16/2022.

Comments


Post: Blog2 Post
bottom of page