First Look: Buddy's Place, Opening Thursday, Jan. 15

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"[It's the] same Buddy's, same friendly, smiling faces," Shelby Luiggi says from a booth in the new Buddy's Place.

While the Buddy's general manager is generally correct, Buddy's Place — "RVA's Most Famous Neighborhood Tavern" — is opening this Thursday, Jan. 15, in the former Viceroy location with a slew of new offerings.

At nearly double its previous size on Robinson Street, the beloved watering hole sports not only a new space but a new beer program, wine list, happy hour and brunch; it's also the new home of Carly Herring, executive chef, and her new menu revamp.

"Everything's going to be made from scratch," Herring says. "It's still got the same bar food theme, but it's less stuff going in a fryer and more stuff that's just kind of interesting."

This menu includes upscale bar fare like Burrata Caprese with house-made pesto; London broil with grilled cornbread; grilled meatloaf with Parmesan-grilled broccoli; pulled pork butt with Granny Smith apple slaw, and a brunch with omelets, breakfast nachos and red velvet pancakes.

Also new to Buddy's is the "Business To Go" program: a box-lunch delivery initiative marketed toward businesses in the Fan looking for a quick, portable feast. "It's all stuff that can go from the ticket to the table in 10 or 15 minutes," Herring says. The selection of items from the regular menu can be ordered for lunchtime delivery Monday through Friday, with a minimum of five box lunches.

Not to neglect the Buddy's bar, the new location offers 20 beer taps with a focus on local breweries. 

"We're trying to emphasize craft beers," says Luiggi. "That's really big now in Richmond and we're trying to also promote other local businesses; we've got Hardywood, Legend, we've got some places from Hampton Roads, Northern Virginia — but we've still got a few staples." They are a Miller Lite bar, after all, with the national Busch sales awards to prove it.

The wine menu, also revamped, now offers an expanded selection of wine by the glass, as well as bottle service.

But as much as things change, others will always stay the same; serving your drinks from behind the bar are the progeny of Buddy's employees past. The large buffalo head that's been a Buddy's staple for over 20 years made the trip from the Fan to the Museum District, as did the papier-mache Whooping Crane. The new Buddy's walls are still decorated with photos of regulars, friends and family from the past 30-plus years, and with posters for the Buddy's Annual Golf Tournament; regulars who nabbed decor from the old location in an effort to cling to Buddy's nostalgia should note that the new spot has the wall space for those, too, and the Buddy's team hopes their patrons will bring them back to their rightful owner.

"We had some regulars borrow some things, that hopefully they'll return, off the walls," Luiggi laughs. "I myself have caught four or five people trying to borrow something at the end of the night."

In fact, regulars of the old Buddy's seem to have nothing to fear; change can be good, even great, especially when the staff is as dedicated to its patrons as this team is.

"We are very fortunate that we have such a strong regulars base crowd," Luiggi explains. "They've kept us afloat for three decades and I think Buddy's, unlike with most other bars, the regulars really like the staff. That's what they come back for. With Buddy's, you can get most of the product we're selling anywhere you like, and [customers] keep coming back because they like the staff, they like the atmosphere. Everybody gets along with everybody and that put us on the map; we plan to continue doing it for another 30 years." 

Buddy's Place is located at 600 N. Sheppard St. and opens at 4 p.m. this Thursday, Jan. 15.