the citizen

i discovered thisplaceby accident and if i was a local it would be a regularplaceto eat. the decor is airy and fresh and the staff are friendly and extremely helpful. the menu is not huge but there is an interesting range of breakfast and lunch options with food allergies and vegetarians catered for well. i ate the puposas (black beans and cheese in a flat bread) coupled with lemony white beans and sensational lightly pickled vegetables. if you are in the richmond area do yourself a favour and eat here!

thisplaceis absolutely wonderful for what it is and wants to be, perfect execution. counter ordering breakfast and lunch, with classic and new breakfast, lunch option, open kitchen, very fast service, they make traditional things taste a lot better than you would expect.  great prices, and very friendly staff, if downtown for breakfast, this is theplaceto go.

better with each visit. expectations are low for the lunch crowd downtown. that's why aplacelike citizen, with it's idiosyncratic menu of "tortas" and low-country sides (like gumbo & grits) gets the foodies & vegetarians excited. with names like "cumin potatoes" and "jerk collards" this menu has it's own interesting take on pan-american cuisine. the sandwiches include a muffeletta-like salami & tapenade, pulled pork, and pimento cheese. the sloppy jose needs to deliver a little more of the cilantro and sour cream flavor that the menu promises and the cumin potatoes could actually use more seasoning. but the salvadoran papusas are hot off the grill and delicious and the chili has a wonderful smokey flavor from beef smoked in-house. the breakfast menu looks good, and you can't beat the prices - i just hope they continue to evolve.