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Richmond restaurants' secret menus

Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios To get some of the best food in Richmond, sometimes you have to go to unexpected places. If you want Chicago-style pizza in Richmond, there are only a handful of places you can you can get it, including , a Virginia barbecue joint in Short Pump.At , a Thai restaurant that happens to be next door, diners will find genuine British fish and chips, served wrapped in newspaper.And down in Chesterfield, offers chicken wings served 30 different ways — and a full menu of Filipino cuisine. and Thai Won On happen to be next door. Photo: Karri Peifer/Axios Why it matters: In a city without one specific food item to claim, maybe being awesome and unexpected is our food identity. What's happening: A handful of Richmond restaurants are serving up secret — or sometimes just unexpected — menus inside their already-established restaurants, for the simple love of food and sharing it. After over years serving up barbecue, owner John Vest was finally ready to tackle the food he was missing most from home: Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. Chicago-style deep dish isn't on the menu at Redemption, but it's now available every day — you just have to call ahead and ask for it — and give them at least an hour to make it. A nine-inch pizza serves two and costs around $18.The Chicago-style pizza. Photo: Karri Peifer/Axios co-owner Jon Niemiec was certainly missing fish and chips from his native U.K., but more than anything he was looking for a solution to drive lunch business.The key to the best fish and chips is the batter, Niemiec tells Axios, and it took several tries — and several cases of beer — to get it right. The launched more than months ago at the Short Pump Thai place on Lauderdale, and sales now match those of the Thai dishes.Sausage and chips ale also available — as is British beer. The British menu can be found on the third-party apps under The CodFather. was part of a wing franchise for six years under a different name, but when that partnership ended a decade ago, co-owner Mishel Teanega was eager to put her stamp on the menu with some food from home. The Filipino section of the Wing Command is now the same size as the chicken menu — and outsells it, Teanega tells Axios. Lumpia (fried spring rolls) and pancit (rice noodles) are the best sellers at the restaurant on Hull Street near Genito Road. Editor's note: This story has been corrected to state that Redemption BBQ is not the only place in Richmond that makes Chicago-style pizza. Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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