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RVA Food Specials for Every Collegiette’s Budget

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at VCU chapter.

So you’ve found yourself in a dilemma: you’re broke, hungry and tired of Ramen noodles. No need to worry! Some the best and most delicious restaurants in Richmond offer amazing lunch and dinner specials. Grab a couple of friends and head out on the town for these RVA food specials. For those of you of age, we have even thrown in a couple of unbeatable happy hours!

Monday :

Sticky Rice, a Richmond favorite, is known for their following (count how many Sticky Rice bumper stickers you see when driving around RVA) and they have that following for a reason – they are delicious! Every Monday they have ½ price sushi from 10:30-12:30.  Even if you aren’t a sushi eater, the atmosphere is top notch and everything on the menu is well-priced.

City Dogs (the downtown location) has $1 RVA dogs on Monday nights and they are tasty! Even if you decide not to go with the RVA dog, the rest of their creatively-named hot dogs are only $3.50 ( The Santa Fe is my favorite!). 

If you’re excited about the new Taco Bell in the commons, you should be even more excited that every Monday night Little Mexico offers $1 Tacos that come with chicken, beef or even potatoes (for the vegetarians out there!).

Capital Ale House, located on East Main Street, offers $2 burgers.

Stuzzi has $1 pizza at the bar if you buy a drink. Who can argue with that?!

Tuesday :

Cheaper (and better) than Dominoes, Pizza Hut, Papa Johns and any kind of pizza you might eat at Shafer, Pie is a win-win situation for your hunger. Split one of their 1/2 off pizzas with a friend and leave with a tab from $3-$4. It is soon to be one of your go-to fan favorites.

Baja Bean, a fun little gem in The Fan, offers $1 Tacos as well as $1-per-hour pool. Go and enjoy their outdoor patio before the weather begins to change!

Buffalo Wild Wings has 50 cent wings. Be a little bit daring and try that sauce you were always skeptical about. With such a deal on wings, you’ll leave with a comfortable tab of around $5 (assuming you get 10 wings).

Wednesday:

So maybe Tacos aren’t your forte? Little Mexico has your back with their $1.50 Enchiladas, all day, every Wednesday. 

River City Diner has ½ off burgers from 5 p.m. – close.

Tired of all the pizza and burgers? Popkin Tavern offers $1 Rappahannock River Oysters

While known mainly for its cheap drinks ($1 PBR on Wednesday), Starlight also offers ½ off pasta from 5-10 p.m.

Momotaro Sushi has ½ off classic and vegetarian maki rolls from 5-7 p.m.

If you haven’t had a Philly cheesesteak at Mojo’s, treat yourself this Wednesday. They offer $5 for any 7” cheesesteak from 7-11 p.m. (They might even be the best in Richmond!)

Mellow Mushroom located in Carytown offers ½ price appetizers from 3-6 p.m. and 2.50 slices after midnight (50 cents extra per topping). The spinach artichoke dip is to die for!

Curbside offers ½ off “Curb” burgers from 5-9 p.m.

Thirsty Thursday:

For those of you who aren’t a fan of “bone-in” wings, Buffalo Wild Wings offers 60 cent boneless wings.

Gibson’s Grill has $3 pulled pork or BLT slider baskets (and ½ off all bourbons) from 3-7 p.m.

Cha Cha’s Cantina (yes, they serve food) has $2 off burgers, wraps and salads.

821 Café has Happy Hour ALL DAY.

Friday:

Get fancy at Sam Millers with 75 cent oysters served from 4-8 p.m.

Tobacco Company and Off the Hookah have $1 drinks during their 8-9 happy hour for those of you 21+. What does this mean? It means that you can be happily hammered by 9 and your wallet won’t be upset with you for it.

Sticky Rice also has their ½ price sushi today from 5-6.

821 Café has $5 appetizers from 5-7 p.m.

Saturday:

The Well (which replaced the beloved Cous Cous) offers $5 chicken tenders and fries from 5-8.

Roxy Café also has a chicken tender basket for $6.

While mimosa’s aren’t technically a food group, (although they should be!) Plant Zero offers $1.50 mimosa’s Saturday morning as well as some delicious breakfast options (all reasonably priced and well worth the try!).

Sunday:

Two words: Tobacco Company. Known for its inviting décor, classy atmosphere and weekend downtown bar, this typically expensive restaurant has joined in on the trend and offers $2 burgers with the purchase of a drink. Take that study break and dine at Tobacco (you know you want to). Seriously though, it’s cheaper than Canes.  

Remember that little fan gem I was telling you about on Tuesday nights? Baja Bean also has 50 cent sliders ALL DAY!

If you want a break from the pizza and burgers, Europa, located in the heart of Shockoe Bottom, offers ½ price on their Tapas.

 

This list should give you every excuse to eat out and treat yourself once in a while!

Word of Advice: Don’t forget to tip your servers. Many of them are collegiettes™ and collegents just like us and are making a living off of tips.

 
Sarah is from Lynchburg, Virginia but has lived in Richmond since attending Virginia Commonwealth University in 2012 where she studied Mass Communications with a concentration in print journalism. She began contributing to Her Campus at VCU as a freshman and was developed to lead the chapter as Campus Correspondent for two years where she increased membership by 65% and brought the chapter ranking from bronze level to platinum level. She enjoyed attending both the mid-atlantic conferences held with the chapter at the College of William & Mary and Her Conferences held in NYC.  Sarah currently works in the tech industry in marketing. She has a background in communications, hospitality and nonprofit consulting. She still loves attending VCU basketball games and also loves live music. In her free time, she likes going on long walks with her dog, tending to her house plants and cycling around downtown. Fun fact: she has never owned a car and is a community advocate for public transit. Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn.