The Green Leafe Restaurant and Taphouse (New Town)

August 12, 2008
Richmond Summer Gathering. In a brand new mixed-use development (read: fancy ass shopping center). The ambiance was somewhat Applebee’s-like, but not really a big deal. As expected, a good beer selection and the food was excellent, IMO, for what it is. Service was very good, and patient with a bunch of indecisive beer geeks. A good stop, for sure.

August 4, 2008
Visited here as part of the Richmond Summer Gathering - Williamsburg. Ironically, no one from Richmond could actually make it, so it was more the Tidewater/Charlottesville Summer Gathering. This is located in a newish looking, mixed use development... exactly the kind of setting I abhor. Cheap tables, bright lights and Bud Light sings hanging from the ceiling didn’t add any ambience inside either. Friendly staff handled our party of 10 very well. As far as I could tell, only one beer selection out of the entire party was unavailable. Nice mixture of local, US and international brews available. Big draft selection and a nice mix of bottles. I had a Southern Tier Unearthly and a Williamsburg Alewerks IPA myself. Food was tasty, even if the cheese on the cheese fries tasted a bit artificial. Decent prices. Not too far a drive (5 minutes) from Richmond Road and the Historical area. Recommended.

July 23, 2008
Went here for a Father’s Day beer dinner, and it was some of the best food paired with outstanding beers that I’ve ever had. Prosciutto wrapped shrimp, gaspacho, crab-stuffed flounder, an orchid and walnut salad, and delicious strawberry torte paired with Green Flash hophead red, Jever pils, Storm King mixed with framboise....just amazing. I’ll never forget that meal as long as I live. Service was great, the servers were very friendly and knowledgable, and the beer selection was top notch. The interior is a little cramped, but that’s my only beef.

June 28, 2008
New Green Leafe in New Town Center. Pretty empty this afternoon. We went in and I began with draft Green Flash Hop Head Reds. We split and nacho appetizer. For lunch I had the Gorgonzola burger and the wife had the Monte Cristo. For dessert we split a peach cobbler. The rest of the meal was good but the cobbler was fantastic, even on a 100 degree day. Service was excellent. They list that they will have 70 taps by the end of July. Our waitress said that a 62 tap set up was being put into the front bar. Once that’s done, it will be better than the original Green Leafe. Either way, both are worth visiting.

April 5, 2008 [ Updated September 14, 2008 ]
This is the baby brother of the Green Leafe Cafe. Originally designed to be a place to grab a good beer during lunch, they are currently working on revamping to be more ’bar’ like. They use to have a menue that consisted mostly of sandwiches and salads, but have since switched over to using the same menu as the original location. Also they are in the works to install a wrap-around bar containing 40 more taps! The staff is nice but I don’t care for the atmosphere - Kinda feels like a upscale cafeteria. I’m gonna reserve final judgement until they finish all the updates, but they are on the right track. Can’t wait for those extra taps! Finally made it back for the new taps. 64 quality beers on draft! And here’s what makes this place a must for beer geeks, the sampler: 5 large samples, of ANY 5 beers on tap, for only 5 bucks! Still don’t care for the atmosphere, but the quality and value of the beers have improved dramatically.