Weekly Food News: Food festivals galore, BonChon headed to VCU, Bellytimber goes belly up, and Yaki opens Friday

The folks behind the Rogue Gentlemen are opening their new izakaya concept–or Japanese tavern–in the former Boka Tavern space on W. Broad Street this Friday. Yaki, from Rogue owner John Maher, will serve up mainly traditional yakitori-style chicken skewers and offer creative cocktails. The restaurant will be open, much like its traditional Japanese counterpart, at night only from 6:00 PM – 2:00 AM.

Bellytimber Tavern served up its last pizza last night. The Fan establishment is set to undergo a transformation into Beauvine, The concept is still somewhat of a mystery, but it doesn’t take Sherlock to guess, based on the name, it’ll likely be a burger joint. The restaurant announced the closure on Facebook:

Down the street near VCU, BonChon, a Korean-style fried chicken joint, will open yet another Richmond location, this one on Laurel Street in the heart of the Monroe Park Campus. It joins rival BB.Q, down the block on Franklin. This is the chain’s first restaurant in the city–it operates three suburban locations around town.

Festival season is upon us in a big way, and this weekend is arguably the biggest food festival weekend all year in RVA. The Greek Festival takes over Sts. Helen & Constantine Greek Orthodox Church in the Near West End. You can check out the full menu here. It runs Thursday through Sunday. My best advice is to visit during an “off” time–not at peak lunch or dinner hours–and to buy a bottle of wine to drink while you wait in line, because duh. Brandon Fox with Style Weekly has a neat piece on the volunteer hours it takes to put the festival on–pretty remarkable.

Downtown, you’ve got the 10th annual Broad Appétit festival on Sunday. Over 75 of Richmond’s best restaurants will line W. Broad Street in the Downtown Arts District. It’s billed as the largest food festival in the state, and for good reason. It’s so big, in fact, that we’ve compiled a guide to getting the most out of the event and creating a plan of action (I’m not even slightly kidding–it’s necessary!) to help you navigate the sea of people and vendors. Sample plates are $3 each. Be sure to vote for your favorite dish for the People’s Choice Award, too! Godspeed.