Hot and new can steal the spotlight, but what about longstanding local favorites? Over the months to come, we’ll visit a Richmond-area restaurant that has been in business 15 years or longer.
Schnitzel from Cafe Rustika (Photo courtesy Cafe Rustika)
When Sam George opened Cafe Rustika at 414 E. Main St. in 2007, the downtown restaurant scene was sparse and paid street parking was nonexistent. Originally presenting a mashup of European comfort foods with a heavy wine focus, in 2017, the dining industry veteran shifted gears.
“I realized the German dishes are our most popular, and that year I switched to all German and focused on beer,” he says. “It was a wise move.”
Stepping inside the cozy, wood-accented den, Richmond’s only dedicated “schnitzel bar,” feels like slipping on a favorite sweater — familiar and comforting. Platters of pounded and fried cutlets (chicken, pork or veal) accompanied by housemade spaetzle and juniper berry-spiked pickled cabbage can be seen on tables at each booth, while housemade bratwurst and Black Forest cake — made with kirschwasser and dark morello cherries — are must-orders.
George says of the unpretentious neighborhood mainstay, “It’s the kind of spot you could bring a first date to, or your oma [grandmother].”
The clientele ranges from business folk to out-of-towners and seasoned regulars. “If I did not see [longtime customers] Richard and Sandy every Saturday, I would get worried,” George says. “All of [our guests] say the same thing: You can’t get authentic German food like this where they [come from].”
George operated Cafe Rustika with his wife and front-of-house fixture, Michelle, until her death in 2017. Now, her brother works there, along with George’s nephew.
“We have a small staff, and frankly, we treat everybody like family, which is also what we do for the customer,” George says. “Treat them like family.”
