Review: The Tobacco Company Restaurant & Bar
Once upon a time when I worked for an evil empire, part of my work travels included quarterly trips up to Richmond, VA. One of the highlights of my visits to Richmond was my stop at a local favorite, The Tobacco Company. We don’t make those trips anymore, but when going through old photos we got nostalgic and wanted to share one of the last cocktails we enjoyed, a boozy peach tea.
Tobacco company gets it’s name from it’s original use, a tobacco warehouse. In 1973, Jearald Cable saw the potential and turned it into what is now The Tobacco Company Restaurant. The building itself dates back to 1866, talk about good bones. It eventually was renovated and opened as The Tobacco Company Restaurant in 1977
Besides the building itself, the inside has so much history you can get a story behind every piece of you across. One of the coolest and most recognizable portions of the restaurant is antiques is the brass chandelier that originally hung in the lobby of the Federal Reserve Bank in Cincinnati. The antique brass elevator was made by Otis Elevator Company for the Con Edison building in New York. The clock hanging on the outside corner near the entrance is from the &P National Bank. The grand walnut staircase was salvaged from the old St. Luke’s Hospital in Richmond. The wooden Native American chief was carved by a craftsman in South Carolina and the hostess desk on the first floor was an old train station ticket booth purchased at an Atlanta auction. What started from basic beginnings is now a restaurant, bar, entertainment center and more. We never quite did get the chance to enjoy the live music but I was always happy to grab a seat at the bar. I don’t hope to be in Richmond anytime soon or again at all (ha!) but if I do I hope the post pandemic culture is kind to them.
Cheers!
The Tobacco Company Restaurant
1201 East Cary Street, Richmond Virginia
