Chiocca's

Absolutely fantastic experience at Chiocca's in Richmond, VA! From the moment I stepped in, I was greeted with warm hospitality and top-notch service that made me feel right at home. The food was simply amazing—every bite of the sandwich was a perfect harmony of flavors, especially the tender, flavorful roast beef with fresh fixings. The cozy, inviting atmosphere combined with attentive staff made this a memorable visit. I’m so glad I had the chance to enjoy such a gem while visiting from Texas. I’ll definitely be returning next time I’m in town! Highly recommend for anyone looking for delicious food and excellent service.

Amazing sandwiches! I have been multiple times and try something new every time. It's hard to pick a favorite, but the Dagwood is probably my #1 pick. The serving size is perfect and the staff is super friendly. 100% recommend everyone try it at least once. It's not JUST a place to get a sandwich, it's so much more

Just your anything-but-average, underground deli! Great quality sandwiches in a cool basement spot! Good drink selection if you are into that as well. Ya just gotta see and taste for yourself to truly appreciate everything they've got going on there!!

Small restaurant that serves up big sandwiches. If it’s busy you will wait a while because the kitchen is small, but the portion sizes are generous. Service was friendly.

What a perfect hole in the wall/hide-a-way sandwich spot! My wife and I ate there on Saturday and let me tell you, if you ever wished or wondered what a $16 sandwich looks like, should be look like, should consist of and the quality of ingredients between two pieces of bread (or in a sub roll) then get in here ASAP! We had a Turkey Reuben (not on the menu but available) and a Dagwood. The Dagwood easily stood 5-6" tall filled with Swiss cheese, Roast Beef, Turkey and Ham in between Rye Bread. Enough food for two meals!

The Reuben is amazing, the service is friendly, sandwiches are healthy portions, so bring your appetite. Overall a really good experience, good place to grab a sandwich and a beer.

They aren’t joking when they say they have the best Reuben in town! We also ordered Italian Sub which was excellent. I really like this place but be warned that it is not a place to stop by for a quick bite - the kitchen is tiny and this place is very popular. They have an extensive beer list to enjoy while you’re waiting on your food. Despite being extremely busy our server was attentive and made sure to keep an eye on our drinks. This would be a great spot to catch up with a friend and grab some drinks!!

Fantastic Dive Bar Feel! Looking for something different we stumbled upon Chioccas. Walk down a few steps off the street into one of the oldest bars in Richmond. When we walked in we missed a crowed and it was empty except the bartender and cook. We chatted it up quite a bit with the bartender. She gave us the history of the place. They are still using the same grill "Peggy" from 1955. As she put it, its well-seasoned. Not a very big place, lots of old pictures on the wall of family and friends through the years. Love that they had peanuts at the bar. The food was really good too. A unique sandwich place. I got the "Downstairs" which was something I've never seen on a menu before, it was very tasty. All served with a small bag of UTZ chips. I can totally see rolling in this place for a late night bite and drink. We very much enjoyed it and would go again!

Spectacular service. Cool VIBE. Generous portions. Looks old inside but soooo cool. Food is great. Fresh bread, toasted sub. We got The Beast. Really fresh veg. And he cooks the meat to order . Great flavor. I paired it with Two Silos cream ale on tap. Yummm. Fantastic choice. Bathrooms look a little ruff but they are CLEAN. Just a graffiti vibe. I'm glad I found this place.

Adding to my initial review - some more delicious sammies. The Italian and The Lucca!

Buyer beware. They charge 3.75% for you to use your credit or debit card. They charged me $2.00 to cut my sub in half to share with my daughter. And the food was mediocre. I won't be back.

Rainy day in Richmond calls for an easy lunch situation so we stumbled upon this sandwich shop after strolling in Carytown! We walked in and the waitress told us to sit wherever we wanted and we picked a booth in the back. The place has a nice bar and a chill vibe. The menu has all sandwiches and subs which was great. We went with two clubs which was the best choice. The sandwiches came out fast and they were huge! Highly recommend stopping in.

I randomly came across this spot while driving through Richmond to Norfolk and every time I'm in Richmond I have to go. We went early on a Sunday most times and the service was quick, atmosphere was great and sandwich's were top notch. Highly recommend.

"Hey man, I'm in the mood for a spot that doesn't give a heck I'm there and never brings me out my food, you know a spot?" Boy do I, go to Chiocca's!!! Sat down and ordered food, turned out the waitress never put it in. Sat there sipping on one drink for an hour and 10 mins. Don't go unless you are bored and like the smell of a basements.

I've driven by this place thousands of times and I'm beating myself up for not trying it sooner. Staff is super friendly and cool. I ordered a "made in turkey" and it was awesome. I loved the flavor of the meat and the bread was ridiculously good. I'll definitely be back more often for my lunch breaks and highly recommend this place for anybody looking for amazing sandwiches packed with flavor.

Good sandwiches but a little overpriced. I was impressed by the amount of meat and I liked their pickles! The sandwich comes with a dill spear and 2 bread and butter slices and also came with a bag of chips. If the sandwiches were cheaper I would come here often, however, it wasn't astounding enough for $15. I did really like that the club has prosciutto instead of bacon! Inside: Definitely grungy and a local spot. Cool place to pop in for a drink but a little slow when you order food (the waitress explained that they can only fit a few subs in their tiny oven at the same time). Better place for a small group rather than a lot of people.

Can't believe I haven't been here before! The Sailor is my new favorite sandwich, and Chiocca's is my new fav bar in RVA. We had the best server who hooked us up with a pitcher instead of spending more money getting individual beers. It's dark and cozy, with Christmas lights and enough seating for maybe 25-30. Couple seats at the bar.

I have never heard of this place but it was somehow on my yelp list to try. This place is located in the Museum District of Richmond. The location can make parking a challenge as it is all street parking. So availability can vary. We went for a late lunch on a Saturday and parking was not an issue. This place is kind of a dive in looks. It is down a few steps from the sidewalk to gain entry and is not very large. There are some tables and booths. It was fairly empty when we got there... maybe 4-6 other people. They have some craft beer available and a decent selection of sandwiches. My wife got the heated club sub and I got a cold Dagwood. The heated one was better but both were good. These are also large sandwiches!! Definitely enough for lunch! There was also some cool old Football posters of people and items from the area. Pretty cool place to give a try

I got the Reuben sandwich and it was loaded with meat. I like the dill pickle and the butter pickles that they included with the sandwich and chips were just a generic utz bag nothing fancy. For ~$16 it was a more on the expensive side. Service was pretty bad. It took 10 minutes for someone to get our order and another 10 minutes for drinks. The food took another 20 to 30 minutes to come out. We didn't get any napkins and had to take it from another table. The lack of service really hinders the overall experience, overall its a 4.4/10. If you just care about the food it's pretty decent. I probably would not come back.

If you have 2 hours to kill and don't require any service whatsoever, you've found your place. We told the bar we were sitting down at a table, yet it took 15 minutes for them to come up to us for drink orders. We were informed that sandwiches were taking about 30 min - not ideal, but it was already late so we stayed. The server only checked on us once while we waited, and the sandwiches finally came out a full hour later. They claim it's because they can only make 2 at a time, but not a single sandwich was coming out for at least 20 min. Upon receiving our orders, one had toppings on it that we asked to be removed, and the other was the complete wrong sandwich. Lucky for us, the correct one was also made, otherwise we'd be there another hour. The bread was crispy and burnt to the point where it ruined the taste. Another 15-20 minutes after getting our food, our server checked on us. No one came by prior to that, so we had no napkins or refills of drinks. We had to get paper towels from the bathroom, where one of the stalls has a literal hole in it so it's unusable. I try to give restaurants the benefit of the doubt, but I have no mercy for this after watching them chit chat with their bar friends the entirety of our stay. When I addressed my concerns with the server, they told me they "gave a disclaimer" even though we waited double the time she quoted. No responsibility taken for their poor service. Please be warned and do not waste a dime here.

If like a truly local eat and drink spot with sky high stuffed subs this is the spot! You enter almost underground - you are in the basement of a historical home. I enjoyed reading the history of the restaurant and local news over the years on the walls. There is a small bar that has local brews on draft. There is booth seating along the walls. This is not a place to bring a large crowd. I would recommend parties of four of smaller. The staff is very friendly. I ordered the hot cut sub. I LOVE when a sub has the meat hot. They do not skimp on the portion of meat - much appreciated! Be patience when waiting for food especially if there are other tables seated. There is only one oven (over 100 years old) and a very small kitchen. It is totally worth the wait. AND they have trivia games you can pick up and play while sitting at your table I did not give five stars because I would not come out of your way if you are not local to Richmond. This is a five star spot for local Richmond residents especially those living in The Fan! I love that I can walk to this bar and sub spot!

We were lost in Richmond looking for food. Found a sandwich shop and was craving a BLT and club. 1. We found the one sandwich shop that couldn't make a BLT cause they don't carry B! No bacon in the whole place. They said that they replaced it with prosciutto. So anything where you would think bacon gets prosciutto. It seems like they were trying to use something as step up to look/taste more sophisticated on their menu but it doesn't exactly work. 2. The place smells sour. Like stale water sitting on the floor that hasn't been mopped in ages. My husband went to the restroom to wash his hands and came back with wide eyes saying "Gordon Ramsey would have a heart attack..." We ended up getting a call from work and decided to just drive home and get lunch there. We live 45 min away. We didn't eat here so I can not judge their food. But I would have liked a warning, at least about the bacon thing, before we figured out where to go and where's to park. It's a dark, slightly dirty hole in the wall with 1/2 the room space being taken up by a bar and only like 10 tables, if that many.

Tuesday 9/7/21 2:20pm My first time here but with such great reviews on the Ruben I decided to give it a try. I was greeted immediately by a very pleasant young lady. A couple tables were taken but still plenty of room for me. They have about 10 tables all together so not a huge restaurant. Very intimate and that's fine by me. Lights were very dim for an afternoon lunch, but whatever. I ordered the Ruben w/extra Swiss, potato salad and sweet tea. The sweet tea wasn't sweet...at all. Asked for Splenda, that should fix that problem. They didn't have Splenda, only sweet n low (yuk) lol. Changed to a Diet Coke. Diet Coke taste flat. Ugh. The Ruben looks delicious. Tastes just as delicious as it looks!!! Plenty of corn beef. The bread was also good. Red skinned potato salad taste ok w/added salt. Total $21. pretty expensive lunch. If I do return I'll just order the Ruben alone.

Came across this place driving around. Easily the best sandwich place I've had in Richmond. Service was great made you feel like family and the ambiance couldn't be better. Look forward to going back.

I decided to go there for lunch based on the reviews and the pics. I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED. I got the Dagwood which is turkey, pastrami, and roast beef, Swiss, provolone with condiments on Rye. It was amazing. It renewed my faith in pastrami. I had previously had some pastrami sandwiches that cut their pastrami really thick. The texture was way off. However, all of the meats here, were sliced very thin, like a good deli sandwich should. My co-worker got the Italian and said that it was great. I couldn't recommend this place enough.

Best sandwich's in Richmond. A fan favorite for as long as I can remember. Don't expect to be out in a hurry but grab a brew and have a great sub!

BLUF: wonderful sandwiches, slow service. We decided to try Chiocca's on a weekday for lunch. When we walked in, there were 2 people at the bar, and 2 tables occupied. We thought lunch would be quick. The friendly waitress seated us promptly, took our order, and brought our drinks. Then the wait began. The kitchen is tiny and they had one cook making sandwiches, 2 at a time. Our sandwiches arrived at our table after 30 minutes. The sandwiches are excellent, and my husband was thrilled they offered whole wheat bread (he is diabetic). I had the Reuben. The corned beef was lean, thinly sliced and delicious. The slather of Dijon in addition to the thousand island gave a nice zip to the sandwich. My husband had the panini with salami, prosciutto, provolone, onions, and sweet peppers. He loved it, although had a difficult time wrapping his mouth around the sandwich because it was piled so high with meat. A very satisfying lunch. The place was starting to fill up as we left and we wondered how they were going to serve everyone. We might go back if we are in the neighborhood and they aren't too busy, but won't be making a special trip unless we have a lot of time on our hands.

First time here and I am glad I came. Very cute, small and old times feel on the inside. Took me back to like the 60s I am assuming. Got the hot cut sub and the Italian sub. Tons of meat and cheese. Served toasted and warm. Came with original chips and some pickles. Overall best sandwiches I've had in RVA. A tad pricey but you have to go and live the experience. Beers on draft and cans. Cheapest beers around town. Would have gotten 5 stars but I needed different flavors of chips or some fries! I will be back.

Where everybody knows your name... yes, a little hugger-mugger hole in the wall that reminds me of Cheers. Not as polished as the iconic TV bar, but it has the same local feel! This neighborhood Rathskeller (basement beer joint) has been around since the 50's! I remember coming here as a teenager! If you don't know it's there, you may miss it. But thanks to the bright neon Chiocca's sign, which is at street level, you just may find your way to some of the best deli sandwiches around! Cozy dim booths, small tables with chairs that - truth be told - have seen their day, a long bar high table for a group seating with stools, or sit at the bar... take your pick! We chose a high top table near the window so we could watch passersby strolling along the street. Our server came right up with menus and a smile. She was quite attentive. The menu is pretty straightforward. Many delicious sandwiches and subs to choose from; we had to go with the Sailor! My hubby got one of the $3.00 beer specials (Terrapin) while waiting for our meal. For such a tiny spot, the beer selection was impressive! After a very short period, here came our sandwiches! Wow! Toasted rye, piled high with tender pastrami, juicy, plump knockwurst with melty Swiss and a good dab of mustard sent us through the roof! Mmmm, what a succulent sandwich! It was a hefty portion for a decent price!! We thoroughly enjoyed it and would order it again! Frankly, I can see myself eating my way through this menu. The crispy, ruffled chips and the pickle spear were the perfect deli accompaniments to this classic sammy! I'm so glad I rediscovered this obscure, neighborhood spot in the Museum District.

Never disappoints! Best subs in the city! Classic RVA tradition. You will never feel not at home and go home with a full belly! Staff is awesome!

Hands down the best sandwiches in Richmond! Favorites are the Beast Feast and the Italian. Get a "happy meal" for $5 (beer and a shot). A super cool, underground (literally) joint!

Newsflash to anyone who hasn't been here before. If you are looking for a 5 minute dine and dash go to Subway. The charm of this 60+ year old establishment is that it takes time. Always has and always will. And the salamander used for cooking is named Peggy and you will show her some respect.

FUCK THIS PLACE. Literally TERRIBLE!!!!!!! Took OVER 50 MINUTES to make 4 deli sandwiches. FIFTY MINUTES FOR FOUR FUCKING COLD DELI SANDWICHES. The manchild making them literally must be the RUDEST person on earth to have the audacity to text and stand around talking to his friends instead of working while paying customers are waiting and then say rude things about me behind my back (don't think I didn't hear). AND THE SANDWICHES WERE TERRIBLE. LEFIT THE WORST SANDWICH EVER MADE. Not surprising since the kid making them clearly doesn't care but like WHAT WAS HE DOING FOR 50 MINUTES!!!! And the girl server did not check on us once. Didn't offer to get us another drink. Didn't offer to refill my water. Literally didn't talk to us once so she must be the second rudest person on earth. Great beer.

This place is friendly, but awfully slow. All four of us got sandwiches, and it took an hour for us to get them. Like, how in da heckie does that take an hour?!? I would be hesitant to go back, but perhaps it was a fluke!

Great food, cool ambiance, terrible service. As long as you have 90 minutes to spend go enjoy but avoid if you're expecting a timely meal. One sandwich oven limits the kitchen staff to making 2 sandwiches at a time (averaging 5 mins, we timed it). Additionally the server lost track of our order so we waited on that, which I'd be cool with (people make mistakes) but she never acknowledged it, even as we questioned the wait. The redemptive quality was that the sandwiches are really, really good so a bummer on the service experience but if you wanna chill for a bit and eat good then this is your spot.

Love everything about Chiocca,'s !! Food awesome Love Ambiance too! Met-my husband there 35 years ago!

A complete diamond in the rough. Wow. This place is a little underground doorway. It seems to be a divey bar, but what you don't know right offhand is that they make some of the best sandwiches in town! I ordered the "slam" which was comprised of salami and ham, with the various accoutrements or a sandwich (lettuce, tomatoes, mustard). It was insanity. Packed to the max with meat and oozing with quality. The bread itself was so fresh and soft. I wish I had tried this place soon, and I definitely believe it's a Richmond staple! The sandwiches are a little stiff, anywhere between 10-15$, but you get what you pay for. Honestly, you can't beat that homey feel that the bar offers or the taste and flavor profile of their sandwiches. GO.

My first time here. My husband used to come here when he was in college, and he shared with me the lore of Chiocca's tiny but amazing sandwich oven. I went with the portabello mushroom sandwich. Pretty darn good. Very smokey. Definitely wanna come back and try the beast or the sailor. Loved the feel and decor.

Want a good sandwich -yes If you plan on wasting most of your day waiting on a over priced sandwich then by all means , go Most inefficient ran place I have seen in a long time. Never again

First of all, great atmosphere and friendly service. Definitely a hole in the wall type spot and that is perfect. Sandwiches were HUGE and delicious! The sweet pickles were an added pleasant surprise. We wish we were locals so we could come back for more and more sandwiches!

A very strong 4. A cozy little downstairs neighborhood eatery and watering hole. I've been going for the better part of 15 years and the quality of the food has never tapered. All of the sandwiches are made thoughtfully and toasted in a dinosaur of a deli oven that is original to the establishment. The beer selection has grown for the better, games are still on the tubes and like I said, the sandwiches are awesome. My favorite sandwich being "the downstairs". I wish the place still had all the dusty old college memorabilia and mounted fish on the walls but that only takes away the slightest bit. A great place that I'll go to for years to come.

Sandwiches are good, a little pricey. Super slow and inattentive service. They use a very small propane oven to cook the sandwiches (two at a time, so it takes forever). The whole place smelled like propane and burned my eyes, had to ask to open the door. Maybe a good place to get a beer? Nothing special.

I love that this place is on a residential street in a cool neighborhood, been there since the Forties, and has a good vibe. If Covid didn't exist, I would love to just sit there and have a beer with some locals. I did get to have lunch there with my kid though, and we both agreed that those were the best sandwiches we've had in awhile. Definitely stopping there again, the next time I'm driving though Richmond...

I never write reviews. I lived in Richmond for 8 years. The Made in Turkey Club is maybe my favorite meal of all time. Whenever I am in Richmond, I buy 2 or 3 of these and bring them home. I get extra prosciutto on each of them. It is so unbelievably delicious. The "That Hot Sauce" is also absolutely out of this world. I buy 2 or 3 bottles to bring home and there is not a single sandwich I will eat without putting a ton of that on it. Go to this place. Support it. Buy the hot sauce. The Made In Turkey Club, The French Dip, and so many others are just 10 out of 10 delicious. Also - they have one small oven that they use to make 2 sandwiches at a time. It takes forever. Get over it. It is worth it. If you want fast, go to McDonald's. I would wait 2 hours for this sandwich.

My daughter found this place after seeing a tik tok video. Holy sh*t Chiocca's (pronounced Cha-Kas) sandwiches are LEGIT!!! Between the 4 of us we had the Turkey, Pastrami, & Liverwurst. Each of them were phenomenal but I've gotta say they Turkey was OUTSTANDING! Later while telling friends about this place I was literally salivating. I have no idea what that little oven does but omg it's pure magic! We tried to go back the next day to try the Rueben and so I could get my own Turkey Sammy but unfortunately they were closed womp womp! Oh well just gives us more reasons to come back next time we're in RVA!

Dying for an amazing sandwich today and Chiocca's did not disappoint! Try the "Son of a Feast", It was AMAZERS! If I'm ever back in Richmond I'll be back here too! PS. Very friendly service :)

Absolutely love this place! No bs awesome sandwiches and a cozy spot to chill. Get the panini!

This place used to be known for The BEST sandwiches in town. I have not been in there for awhile. But today I went there anticipating the enjoyment of their once famous Italian sub. Sadly, I was greatly disappointed. Every bite you could taste the burnt bread. I have good friends whom are in food preparation in numerous area restaurants. The photo of the burnt bread I showed them confirmed that it is not normal procedure. But on the good side, bartender and waitress were friendly, cordial and very enjoyable to talk too. If you want a great atmosphere for drinking that is the place! Hopefully they figure out their problems in the kitchen. I am NOT the only one that have been currently disappointed in the food.

Chiocca's is Delicious - the coldcut sandwiches are HUGE. I ordered The Dagwood, piled high with Thumann's cold cuts - it is big enough to split with a friend, and wash down with a couple of cold beers. The atmosphere is nice, this is an authentic bar with history shown on the walls thrpugh photographs, and memorabilia, the wait staff is courteous and customers are nice & with a few visits, it quickly feels like it is your long-time neighbourhood pub. It sure felt that way to me. I never leave hungry, the beer selection is very good, and I always wish I had more time to spend there.

I went on a holiday Monday afternoon. Chill spot, wasn't already busy and there wasn't a huge lunch rush while I waited after ordering, however it did take a while for my food to be prepared. They only have one toaster oven. Before my food arrived, someone that sat at the bar next to me was told that it was about an hour and fifteen minute wait for food. I'd like to try the other sandwiches but I'm hesitant to come back after hearing that wait time. No coffee, I suppose it's more a bar than a deli? Panini was salty, but still good. They do have Buskey Cider on tap.

Love this place. We call it "basement bar" because that's what it is. Great sandwiches and good drinks. Its divey and very Richmond. Hope this place stays open forever

If you want a good sandwhich/sub, it doesn't get any better than this place. I will be back, very soon. Maybe even next week. Haha

The atmosphere is creepy, old, and musty. Water barely came out of the faucet when I tried to wash my hands. I didn't even want to use the restroom there. It looked so sketchy. I took a glance at the cutting board in the kitchen area, and it appeared to have all kinds of visible stains. They should probably get a new one. I ordered a coke and it barely had any carbonation in it. Food was good, but waaaay over priced. I should've gone to subway instead. Overall experience was bad. No way I'm going back there.

This place was bad many months ago but has really turned around. Great staff and food now!

Great first visit! Employees were super friendly! Sandwiches were loaded with meat, sweet pickles were were just as delicious as the sandwich. Would highly recommend this place if you are looking for a unique and yummy sandwich!

I tell everyone they need to go here. The Rueben's are mindblowing. And if COVID ever dies down, the actual space is really friendly too, a great place to get a drink and chat with someone.

A charming and inviting dive that serves up great cut-to-order deli sandwiches. It's hard to find a steak sub that actually has medium rare steak, but Chiocca's delivered. With a well toasted bun, a hint of Worcestershire sauce, and perfectly melted provolone, even a Philadelphian would be satisfied. They also once again pleased my brother with the "Made in Turkey" club, his staple which he almost deviated from ordering but broke down and ordered when the waiter came. A Chiocca's take on the classic turkey club, the "Made in Turkey" club uses prosciutto in place of bacon. As far as everything else goes, the wait staff was informative and friendly, as if welcoming a neighbor into their home. The walls are clutered with various pictures, pennants, and animals that conjures up thoughts of something between a famous barber shop and a lodge. The prices are very reasonable, between $6-9 for sandwiches and $8.50 for a 64 oz pitcher of beer. If you're ever in the fan, I highly recommend this delightful deli dive.