About Us
The Tobacco Company Restaurant proudly celebrates over 30 years as Richmond’s landmark dining and entertainment venue. On the corner of 12th and Cary Street in downtown Richmond was once an old abandoned tobacco warehouse. The four-story building was renovated to embody the spirit of Southern hospitality and charm and is considered by most to be the cornerstone of the Historic Shockoe Slip district.
Dining Room
Our two dining floors are distinct. The second floor is elegant and formal with low lighting and enclosed offices for private dining. The third floor known as the Garden Floor is filled with live greenery and flowers for a more casual dining experience.
Our menu selections are some of the finest contemporary American cuisine on the East Coast. The creative menu consists of regional favorites featuring fresh seafood, pasta and aged Certified Angus Beef including our signature dish, Slow Roasted Prime Rib of Beef.
1st Floor Bar
Guests can enjoy live musical entertainment showcasing national and regional talent every week in the spacious and airy atrium or at the first floor bar. We offer draft and bottle beers including local microbrews, a comprehensive liquor selection with the most popular products on the market.
The Victorian Lounge is a great space to relax in a cozy and intimate space with its gas fireplace and antique furnishings. This space can be reserved for cocktail receptions of up to 50 guests.
The Tobacco Company Club is Richmond’s exclusive night spot, featuring a dance floor, DJ and state of the art sound system. The Club is open to the public every Thursday through Saturday and hosts some of the best music, bartenders and promotions in town. The Club is available for private parties and events with limited availability.
With all of these options in one spot, you never even have to leave the building.
Building History
The Shockoe Slip was once the busy headquarters of tobacco and cotton barons who traded daily in the cobblestoned port below the falls of the James River. Tragically, this vital business district was reduced to rubble during the Civil War. Although rebuilt shortly thereafter, the area never fully recovered and eventually deteriorated into a state of neglected disrepair and ruin.
In 1973, Jearald Cable saw the potential of Shockoe Slip as a major restaurant and retail district. Accordingly, he secured an option on two, three-story warehouses and proceeded to design what is now The Tobacco Company Restaurant. Cable envisioned a restaurant embodying the Victorian era when tobacco was king and Richmond's major industry. The interior's focal point was to be a three-story atrium with an exposed antique elevator to carry guests from the first floor cocktail lounge to the two dining floors above.
Antiques
Once the construction was completed, the search throughout the country began for unique and unusual furnishings for the restaurant. The antique brass elevator was made by Otis Elevator Company for the Con Edison building in New York. The stairway was salvaged from the old St. Luke's Hospital in Richmond. Our Indian was carved by a craftsman in South Carolina. The brass chandelier came from the Federal Reserve Bank in Cincinnati. The hostess desk on the first floor was an old ticket booth purchased at an Atlanta auction.
