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Neighbor is located at 4023 MacArthur Ave. in Bellevue.
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Rawleigh Easley, co-owner of Neighbor with his wife, Jaya
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Seating inside Neighbor
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Part of the dining area at Neighbor
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The Neighbor entrance on MacArthur Avenue
Rawleigh Easley found his white whale in a shuttered building smack in the middle of a walkable neighborhood corridor in Richmond. Having worked in country clubs and managed his own catering business, for the son of longtime restaurateurs, owning a restaurant has been a lifetime in the making.
“This is something I’ve wanted to do forever. This has always been in the back of my mind,” he says.
Last week, Neighbor, a casual concept from North Side residents Easley and his wife, Jaya, made its debut at 4023 MacArthur Ave. in the former Mill on MacArthur space in Bellevue.
“I really wanted to be in a neighborhood like this; I wanted it to be family friendly, an inviting atmosphere,” says the father of two.
A Danville native, Easley essentially grew up in the restaurant industry. Before he was old enough to clock in for an official shift, his parents owned two neighborhood restaurants there, The Wurst Place, and its fine-dining sister concept, The Best Place, for nearly 20 years. They used punny taglines such as “Hope for the best, but except the wurst,” and even took a little inspiration from some old Richmond standbys.
“[My dad] had a couple of kegs he flipped over and put table[tops] on and modeled it after Chiocca’s and New York Deli in the ’60s,” Easley says of his late father, a University of Richmond graduate. “I loved going to the restaurant and hanging out there. I probably spent more time in the restaurants than I did at home.”
Now, at Neighbor, he hopes to channel the same rustic charm and attract a similar crowd of regulars.
Easley’s first industry gig was washing dishes at a barbecue spot back home called Short Sugar’s. After relocating to VCU and graduating with a degree in Spanish, he worked everywhere from country clubs to Bogart’s on Lombardy Street before settling into catering. For the past eight years, he has been operating his namesake business, Easley Catering Services, which he says was a “big leap.”
Ready for the next chapter, Easley and his wife have been on the property hunt for the past two years. When they got a call from Nathan Hughes of Sperity Ventures about a turnkey space in an easygoing neighborhood, the decision was simple.
“We want regulars, we want the neighborhood to walk over,” Easley says. “I’d also like people from out of the area to come in, too; I don’t want anyone to feel unwelcome.”
Within a week of opening, Neighbor has already attracted a few familiar faces.
“A couple who live around the corner have already been in twice, his wife likes the Smash Mouth,” Easley says, referring to a house cocktail. “And one girl has eaten here three out of the five nights we’ve been open.”
Similar to the easy atmosphere of the restaurant, the menu is a collection of no-frills fare with few ingredients. Starters include mac and cheese bites; wings with housemade Buffalo sauce; and Brussels sprouts with hot honey, Parmesan and bacon; in addition to fried oysters and loaded fries.
Sandwiches give a spirited nod to some of the most well-known neighbors in pop culture. Take the Wilson, a smash burger referencing the always partially hidden character who offered advice over the fence on “Home Improvement,” or the pulled pork or jackfruit barbecue sandwich dubbed Boomhauer, an ode to the nearly incomprehensible character on “King of the Hill.” Guests can also find the Kramer French dip, a shout-out to the kooky “Seinfield” character, and the Urkel, a grilled cheese with bacon on sourdough named after the suspender-sporting “Family Matters” star.
Along with a few classic salad options, entrees include a bone-in pork chop, 12-ounce strip steak with peppercorn demi-glace, catch of the week and veggie Napoleon. On tap are a handful of local brews, and a cocktail menu is still in the works.
In the kitchen, Easley is joined by chef Nick Adams, who has been working for Easley’s catering service for the past two years. Neighbor also employs a brother-and-sister duo in the front of the house, Easley having worked with the siblings’ mother for the past 20 years, while a former staffer from The Mill has joined his catering business.
In regard to its name and the restaurant’s spirit, Easley says, “We went back and forth, but landing on Neighbor just seemed right, it’s what we all really agreed on, and it felt good. I think especially being right in the middle of Bellevue, … we want to have that warm feeling and want people to come back.”
Neighbor is currently open Tuesday through Saturday from 4 to 9 p.m., with plans to open for lunch beginning Tuesday, June 13, and introduce brunch service in the coming weeks.
