Graffiato Mike Isabella Graffiato

Graffiato

123 W. Broad St. (N. Jefferson St.)
Richmond, VA 23220
804-918-9454
Map
Cuisine: Italian / Pizza
Top Chef All-Stars runner-up and serial restaurateur Mike Isabella brings his D.C. hotspot recipe to Richmond.
Openings: Dinner nightly, Brunch Sat.-Sun.

Features


Graffiato Restaurant Review:


It’s easy to be cynical when a chef gets name recognition on a TV Food Network reality show and launches an empire. But long before the “Top Chef” limelight, Mike Isabella displayed his chops under powerhouses José Andrés at Zaytinya and Marcus Samuelsson at Washington Square. Following the success of Graffiato in Washington, D.C., Isabella opened another in Richmond, boasting a similar menu and the same big-city-yet-laidback pasta-flinging/wood-fired pizza bar feel (distressed wooden booths, communal tables, columns tattooed with eggplants and tomatoes) churning out topnotch food. Crossover plates from brunch to dinner include cauliflower ravioli with brown butter; bucatini carbonara dotted with peas and guanciale, all punctuated by a soft farm egg; and potato gnocchi. The meal might start with minestrone soup or smoked burrata, include charred octopus or barbecued chicken thigh, and end with zeppole (of the “grape lollipop” jelly variety). Choose your courses or put on cruise control with the chef’s tasting menu. Wine is fine but in this party atmosphere, pair a soda such as blood orange-lemon verbena with your most-beloved spirit. Regardless, the writing on the wall is clear: Graffiato gratifies.