This relaxed and homey corner cafe offers some of the best sandwiches in the city. [...] ]Garnett’s happy hour and week-long $33 date night special are two of the best-kept secrets in Richmond.

"Housed in a former drugstore on the corner of Park Avenue and Meadow Street, Garnett’s captures all the nostalgia of an old-fashioned neighborhood café. Guests can order grandmother-approved sandwiches like Louisville Hot Browns, BBLTs (the classic bacon sandwich, plus Benedictine spread), and Scuffletown Chicken Salad."

"There will be more than 100 Richmond restaurants participating in Hot Tomato Summer this year — that’s up from about 12 restaurants who participated in the 2021 inaugural event. [...] Restaurants in Richmond, Greenville, Charleston, Charlotte — and, new this year, Knoxville and Raleigh — celebrate tomatoes and mayo with food (and sometimes drink) specials for a whopping ten days."

Located in the heart of the Fan, Garnett's is a quintessential neighborhood lunch spot, with a cozy, retro interior and a comforting selection of sandwiches, homemade cakes and pies. If it's packed inside, as it usually is at lunchtime, opt for a picnic in the nearby park with a returnable vintage picnic basket.

"I popped in on a recent weekday and was delighted to find a stellar wine list of about six bottles, all available by the glass and all available for $3 at happy hour."

Garnett’s Cafe has a date night and picnic basket. Choose any two menu items, plus a bottle of wine or pitcher of beer for $33. When ordered to-go, it’s already packaged and in a picnic basket with blanket.

Garnett’s is unmissable for gluten-free and veg folks, with a sandwich menu that rolls out like “Star Wars” credits, and gluten-free bread and Tofurkey available for any selection.

#1. Garnett's Cafe

"Conversation comes easily over your preferred combination of meta, toppings and sauces, or "hot with gravy" selection such as a Croque Provençal"

Grab your plates, grab your napkins, and fill up your beverage of choice. We have searched high and low and polled around town to get an idea of some of the best sammiches in the capital city.

Known for its hearty sandwich menu, Garnett’s is a great lunch or casual dinner spot. The shop’s Date Night special lets you pick any two menu items and pair them with a bottle of wine for $30 after 6 p.m.

"I’d encourage you to stick around and try a slice of one of Garnett’s homemade cakes or pies — especially if it’s the Hummingbird cake. Thank me later."

"Every night is date night at Garnett's. Two sandwiches and a bottle of wine are on order for this special, which happens from 6 to 9 p.m. daily. If a tuna Niçoise sandwich with olive spread and classic croque-monsieur doesn't sound perfect for a random Monday, who are you? Garnett's wine selection is always top-notch, so you can bet that you'll be washing those sammies down with a pretty pink, red or white - all for $30. "

"This banana pudding is what you imagined as a kid when daydreaming about dessert."

"Get two menu items plus a bottle of wine for $30 every night after 6 p.m. at Garnett's ."

"Co-owner at The Roosevelt, Kendra Feather, won the reader-selected award for Favorite Neighborhood Restaurant for her Fan District spot, Garnett's Cafe, and her co-owner David Rohrer at WPA Bakery was recognized as best Pastry Chef / Baker for his work in their Church Hill bakery."

"The sandwiches were the star of our show, but the charming, vintage look with plates hanging on the walls and a cake stand on the bar makes you feel like someone's grandmother is cooking behind the scenes. That's a tall order. We'll be back."

"Need an inexpensive, cozy spot teeming with deliciousness? Garnett's Cafe is just the place. We did not want to cook, but did not want to spend a fortune. We still wanted wine with our meal. Date night at Garnett's Cafe fit the bill. Two sandwiches and a bottle of wine: $30. Boom."

"Low-key and unassuming, Garnett's Cafe 4-6 p.m. happy hour is a respite from all things fried. A mayhaw jelly (a Southern fruit that tastes of apricots, apples and peaches) and blue cheese crostino ($3) is a scrumptious, uncommon combo of salty and slightly sweet. Devils on horseback (huge, bacon-wrapped dates, $3) are an even more decadent mix of the same flavor profiles."

"The Garnett's chefs have created five Ram-inspired special sandwiches, named after the former VCU greats jersey numbers. Garnett's owner is a huge Ram fan [...] For my money I'd go with J-Rod's "#12", but also recommend the Croque Garnett or Louisville Hot Brown once you've eaten the entire VCU roster."

"The bestest, most charming dining room in Richmond has one of the bestest dinner deals. Garnett's Cafe serves some of the great sandwiches of the city all day and all night, you and your date can enjoy two of them with a solid bottle of wine for 30 bucks. The wine list is short, versatile and appropriate. "

"A tiny two-seater in Garnett's Cafe makes for a natural romantic getaway. It's slightly elevated above the rest of the restaurant, offers a beautiful view of the Fan's Meadow Park and is just far enough from the other tables to allow for private conversation."

"Blow your mind a little order a slice of sticky, fudgy chocolate studde with pecans and layered over a buttery shortbread crust."

"Plenty of us know about Garnett's for lunch, but it's also a nice place for dinner if you want a quiet spot to actually listen to your date's conversation. From 6 to 9 p.m. daily, Garnett;s offers two entrees and a bottle of Virginia wine for $30.[...] Throw in a shared slice of pie for $4, and you've got a great date. "

"Take your stomach (and the stomach of your loved one) over to Garnett's for their incredible date night special: $30 for any two menu items and a bottle of wine. Then, and here is where it gets next level, grab some coffee to go, and take a romantic stroll-hand-in-hand of course-down historic Monument Avenue."

"A sandwich is easy to make, but hard to master. Sure, anyone can throw together something at home, but there is something special about sitting down and ordering a well thought out and put together sandwich. Located in the heart of the fan at Park and Meadow, Garnett's Cafe has indeed mastered the art of the sandwich."

"In my opinion, with $3 glasses of wine and beer from its fabulous list, Garnett's has one of the best happy hours in town, and now this little sandwich shop has added daily snack specials to the mix - all for just $3."

"This quaint cafe is a great gluten-free lunch spot that features sandwiches with gluten-free bread. It also offers gluten-free pies and cakes from Ipanema's bakery as dessert options."

"The January 2012 issue of Richmond Magazine has info on the 2012 Elbys, a new awards and recognition program for the Richmond region's restaurant community. These awards will recognize winners from a list of nominees in nine categories. Garnett's Cafe has been nominated as best Neighborhood Restaurant (along with The Black Sheep, Aziza's on Main, and Mama J's)."

"Souvenir plates adorn the walls and pickling jars line the shelves at this pie wedge of an eatery, exhibiting the quaint and quirky charm of a favorite great-aunt. But there's a hipness, too, a contemporary undercurrent, that makes sandwiches like chicken salad and sliced cold meatloaf, which could have come straight from a mid-twentieth century American housewife's playbook, feel fresh and now. Classic croque monsieur (grilled ham and Gruyere), a WBLT (roasted garlic white bean spread with lettuce and tomato on toasted Italian bread) and a savory cheesecake du jour add to the eclecticism."

"To eat we ordered a Louisville Hot Brown (open-faced with turkey, cheese, mornay sauce, and the ever-important bacon) and Croque Florentine (Black Forest ham, cheese, spinach, onion, and mornay sauce). Very satisfying with a lovely homemade pickle slice. After hearing about dessert options we could not resist sharing a slice of lemon chess pie. Yummy."

"Walking into Garnett's is like walking back in time. There are old photos on the wall, a 50's-style lunch counter, just a handful of small wooden tables and usually only one person behind the bar, one server and one chef in the kitchen, which might actually be smaller than mine. All of this adds to an atmosphere of comfort and ease, like walking into your grandmother's house and just knowing something good that was made with care is soon going to pass your lips."

"The menu is succinct, perfect, and sandwich-shop sophisticated. The decor is scattered, eclectic and multigenerational. The crowd is young and unwilling to swallow the work week without breaking for simple pleasures. It could be in Brooklyn or San Francisco, but luckily it's not. It's in Richmond; it's in the Fan - and it's on our block."

"Strawberry Apple Pie awaited us at Garnett's Cafe. I love their pairing of two common pie fruits, whose combination is rather uncommon. More should try it - the result was fantastic."

"I immediately fell in love with its casual and very charming decor. Located at a corner building in a triangle-shaped space, it offers a nice variety of salads and sandwiches that are catered just for you. Its retro-looking bar has a good variety of wine and beer. Their freshly-baked pies and cakes are amazing."

"You can't go wrong with ordering the grilled cheese, perfectly packed with melted gouda and gruyere on your choice of bread. [...] The chocolate peanut butter pie was amazing! The strawberry rhubarb pie was excellent, loved the crumble on top."

"Joining the Joey Rodriguez, Garnett's has unveiled sandwiches for all 4 seniors on the Final Found-bound VCU men's basketball team: the Brandon Rozell, the Jamie Skeen, and the Ed Nixon."

"A year's worth of options all over the map. Our annual critics' picks: Favorite 52, and Best Lunch - Second Place: Garnett's Cafe"

"Garnett's has a menu of what I like to call "feel good" sandwiches all for less than $10. They list fancy French toasties like Croque Monsieur and Croque Florentine and American classics like the BLT and Roast Beef & Swiss. There are so many great sandwiches on the menu. I was drooling just reading it. If the basics aren't what you crave, even the classics come with a twist at Garnett's. Sandwiches like Roast Beef & Anchovy, Grilled Turkey and Pepperoni or an MLT (meatloaf, lettuce, tomato) are sure to satisfy."

"If all things retro are trendy, then Garnett's just might be the most avant-garde little joint around. I ordered an old-fashioned favorite, the croque monsieur, on another visit. Stuffed generously with Black Forest ham and tangy Gruyere on grilled Italian bread, it was ladled with just the right amount of Mornay sauce - making me an instant fan. The side of black-eyed-pea salad with bits of red pepper sealed the deal. The drawbacks are nominal. The diminutive space limits seating, and no overtly dinner-style entrees are offered. Still, with its beadboard walls and decorative plates, this is one restaurant that is just as good as it is charming."

"Garnett's is less than a mile from Ipanema, Feather's below-ground, mainly vegetarian restaurant near the Virginia Commonwealth University campus, but it feels much farther, as if it hails from an earlier era. Jars of pickles line the top shelf, and there are decorative plates on the walls. Sandwiches - served with house-made refrigerator pickles - are filled with roast beef, ham, turkey, bacon and smoked salmon, with no seitan in sight. The cafe's hummingbird cake was inspired by Feather's late grandmother, Grace Feather, who often made banana cake."

"Garnett's is a retro version of a sandwich lover's dream. Forget the boring clubs and grilled-chicken sandwiches found at any other bar-type restaurant in town. This place pays homage to the eats of yore, offering its nostalgic menu in just as nostalgic environs. [...] Garnett's nostalgic menu and retro-kitsch decor make the eatery seem as if it's been around for decades. One bite of just about anything on the menu will leave you hoping it will be around for decades more."

"Drawing from a genuine fascination with the history and the story of a place, a town and the development of Richmond's particular and peculiar cuisine, has led Feather to find what's old and make it new again. That's a trip I'm happy to take along with her at lunch or dinner or midafternoon. An old-school lunch counter that's open nearly all the time is a serious addition to the local scene and I can only imagine how lucky the neighborhood feels having such an affordable and reliable destination within walking distance."

"Garnett's Cafe opened last week, and already the retro-styled business is developing a fan base."