Bolo’s Eatery is Open

Forgive the slapdash nature of this post’s photography. I wasn’t planning on doing a write-up but after we started eating decided it needed to happen. This past Sunday my wife and I hopped on our bikes and headed to Manchester to try Bolos Eatery in the old Dogtown Brewing at 1209 Hull Street. At that time, it had been open barely a week. We don’t pretend to be food critics, so we just have to give our overall impressions without super descriptive details.  We had the crab cake sandwich and shrimp po’boy (seen above). Both were excellent. The crab cake had big lumps and was extremely light on the filler, so it was a CRAB cake. My wife said it was the best crab cake she’s had in years. My shrimp po’boy elicited a similar reaction. The shrimp was crispy and fresh with the right amount of remoulade so it wasn’t drowning. Only nit-pick, and I’m not sure you can call it that, was that the bread couldn’t handle the sandwich as well as I liked. When asked by Chef Mike Lindsey who was working the oyster bar, I called it “New Orleans good” and I stand by that statement.  The sides (potato salad and fries) were solid but the focus was definitely on the entrees. We did see some hush puppies go by and regretted not getting an order. We didn’t try the oysters but the couple at the bar next to us said they were tasty.

The staff across the board were knowledgable and friendly.

The beer is by Brainstorm Brewhouse. They are planning on moving in and taking over the brewing setup left behind by Dogtown but for now are shipping kegs over. They were out of a couple beers but that was due to a busy Friday and Saturday and with it being their first week they’ll need to work on supply/demand. The beer is top-notch and has some creativity that you don’t see at other breweries. Brainstorm is currently slinging beers out of Black Heath Meadery and I highly recommend you give them a try at either location. If the Kiss of Chocolate is on tap get it. The beer is a chocolate lager and very tasty and surprisingly light. If you go to Black Heath it’s a no-brainer to try some mead as well. They’ve got a mead for everyone and will point you in the right direction.

The interior is slick and if you visited Dogtown before they shut down, you’ll be very familiar with the layout and vibe. I want to bring a big group of friends and take advantage of the two big booths in the front windows.

The future star of the show is the rooftop. It will have full service on Friday and Saturday evenings and offers truly unique views of Richmond. They will have to figure some shade options before next spring/summer because it will be blazing hot up there. The rooftop wasn’t open when we visited but they were kind enough to show it off.

As of right now the hours for Bolo’s Eatery are 11 AM to 10 PM on Wednesday and Thursday, 11 AM to 11 PM on Friday and Saturday, and 11 AM to 9 PM on Sunday; it is closed on Monday and Tuesday. These hours are obviously subject to change as  they figure out what does and doesn’t work.