Submitted by pocketdare t3_10q2f4s in rva
As a newbie to the RVA area, I was looking for an absolute must-visit cocktail bar reco. I have a few friends coming to visit who love a good cocktail bar with some fancy drinks and was looking for a place to take them. Is there a place you would consider an absolute landmark cocktail place?
Edit: Thanks everyone for the great suggestions!!!
Jasper 💯
Jasssssssper.
Jasper is the way.
Jasper, and Grandstaff & Stein are all that come to mind.
The folks who own The Jasper are opening another place in Church Hill called The Emerald Lounge sometime this year.
Agree with Jasper, but if you’re looking for some food and drinks, definitely recommend Sabai. Great Thai food and fun tiki cocktails.
Obv Jasper as everyone has said. Another great place for visitors is the bar at the Jefferson.
https://www.reddit.com/r/rva/comments/zwlvpr/best_cocktails/
Someone has been working on a cocktail bar called Red Lagoon on 2nd and Jackson, but looking from the outside progress seems to have stalled. Looks like they applied for their ABC license in Sept.
The Roosevelt - Grandstaff & Stein - Lemaire - Saison
**The Jasper is overrated**
Saison closed :(
Jungle room for Tiki cocktails
Ill replace with Brenner Pass
Has anyone been to Verdent Lady in the west end yet?
Heads up for future general reco requests that the search bar can often yield a trove of recently discussed options. Sharing since many folks respond with 'I'm new to rva/reddit' and aren't familiar.
Amuse on the third floor of the VMFA! Great cocktails, plus a breathtaking view.
Spot on since some key people who made Saison’s cocktail program what it was went on to run the program at Brenner. Most of the bar staff at Brenner trained under them, and you can still get a few of the old Saison cocktails if you ask nicely (and if they have the ingredients handy).
Longoven has great cocktails too - though if you’re eating there be ready to drop some coin. Worth it when I went, but that’s a somewhat controversial opinion in this sub.
It’s not bad, but not great. Not up to the level as Jasper, but you also probably won’t find a better cocktail in that general area of the west end either.
[deleted]
Laura Lee’s is known for their cocktails
Sabai’s food has been awful lately imo, but their drinks are still ok
Oh no really?! I haven’t been in a few months. What changed?
Atmosphere actually facilitates conversation at the Verdant Lady, whereas the Jasper in the evening needs a volume adjustment. Owner of the Verdant Lady is mad cool too.
Virago has some great cocktails, as does Little Nickel. Nick @ McCormack's on Robinson is a consummate professional behind the bar. Cocktails at Sabai aren't bad at all.
For the true RVA feel you should probably stumble from Bamboo to 3 Monkeys before crawling to Strawberry Street Market and buying whatever you can reach before someone drags your corpse to Scuffletown to round off the night.
Danger-Moose t1_j6ne7sn wrote
Grandstaff & Stein and Jasper.