EAT Restaurant Partners is expanding their operations to open at least two new restaurants in Richmond in 2025.
EAT is planning a Wong’s Tacos in Hanover on Chamberlayne Avenue and a currently unnamed Italian concept for Short Pump.
The openings are loosely slated for March or April 2025 for Wong’s Tacos and then May or June 2025 for the Italian restaurant, for which they are working on a name, but nothing concrete as of yet.
Wong’s Tacos will offer a similar menu to the Midlothian and Short Pump locations with Asian-inspired Mexican food including chorizo egg rolls, brisket tacos, macho nachos, and their sweet plantains.
With the Italian restaurant, Andrew Bonito, vice president of EAT Restaurant Partners, said, “What we’re really striving for is an elevated and approachable menu. We’re trying to not have it be like a date night, special occasion place, but still have an elevated feel and creativity to the dishes. We haven’t really dialed in the menu yet.”
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Kevin Lacivita, who currently heads up Red Salt Chophouse & Sushi in Short Pump, will be the chef-managing partner at the upcoming Italian venture. Lacivita formerly owned Pomegranate restaurant in Shockoe Slip and served as chef at the Blue Goat in the Near West End, both of which have since closed.
Chris Tsui, president and owner of EAT Restaurant Partners, said, “Kevin Lacivita is going to be our chef partner. Currently he’s our executive chef at Red Salt and will head up the Italian concept. Kevin is Italian and classically French trained chef, so the food is going to be excellent.”
“It’s definitely been something I’ve always wanted to do. I think Richmond needs a little bit more options when it comes to Italian food,” Lacivita said. “The beauty of what we’re going to do is that we’ll be making our own pasta and the restaurant will have its own pasta room that you can see from the dining room. It’ll be half and half, fresh pasta that we make in house, and dry pasta. We’ll be doing lots of sauces done to order and lots of things you don’t see here when it comes to upscale new Italian. (The menu will be) authentic but also inspired.”
Tsui said, “We do have potentially two more projects in the second half of 2025, but we’re currently negotiating some leases. (The return of) Foo Dog will probably be as early as 2025, but we might wait until 2026 if we have the two projects because three is too much.”
Foo Dog Asian street food restaurant in the Fan closed in 2023.
Foo Dog served Asian street food in the Fan and closed last year. EAT Restaurant Partners recently opened a Wong’s Tacos in Raleigh, North Carolina.
EAT Restaurant Partners manage several restaurants in the Richmond area including Osaka Sushi & Steak, Pizza & Beer of Richmond (also known as PBR in the Fan and Hanover), Fat Dragon and several others.
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