Perly’s

Ah, Perly’s. They claim it’s Yiddish for delicious, but that’s not true. That word is actually geshmak! But it might as well be interchangeable.

When you plan to nosh at Perly’s you know it’s probably going to be a wait. It doesn’t matter if it’s a weekday or weekend, there’s usually a good amount of people standing outside this Jackson Ward staple—and for good reason. This is one of the restaurants that has earned Richmond its reputation as one of the best food cities in the country.

Luckily, once you put your name down, you can head into the Stella’s Grocery nextdoor and sip on a cappuccino while you wait for a coveted table.

The inside of Perly’s feels like a set straight out of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, with kitschy, retro wallpaper and Turner Classic Movies playing on a TV screen hanging over the bar. I always find choosing what to eat a torturous experience, because everything sounds so freaking good. I will admit, I am biased. I am a Jewish gal who loves Jewish food. But you don’t need to be one of the tribe to love this place.

Brunch is where it shines, with awesome options like the Benny Goodman (smoked salmon eggs benny on top of latkes) or the cinnamon babka French toast. You also can’t go wrong with an everything bagel, homemade chive schmear, and your choice of fish (they have three variations of salmon alone, though I love the smoked whitefish personally). I still need to try the cheese blintz (kind of like a Jewish crepe, stuffed with ricotta cheese and topped with blueberry sauce).

Choosing lunch here isn’t any easier. The Jewish Sailor is probably the most popular, an open-faced sandwich piled with hot pastrami, pickled red cabbage, a schmear of chicken liver, smoked beef sausage, brown mustard, and red onion. I also recommend The Rachel, the Tuna Schmelt, or the Chazerai Hot Dog. I still really want to try the Shapiro Schnitzel and the Springen Katzi (a kosher version of a “crabcake” made instead with griddled smoked whitefish topped with white anchovies).

Appetizers shouldn’t be treated as afterthoughts here. I stopped by Perly’s almost every day of Passover for a bowl of their wonderful matzoh ball soup, a Jewish chicken soup with round dumplings made from matzoh meal. The kasha varnishkes are great too. They have a big version that comes topped with poached eggs, but you can order it as a side, which is what I like to do, so you can save room for more food (like the incredible duck potato pierogies).

And hopefully by now you know to save room for dessert. While Perly’s does offer larger desserts like chocolate babka, cheesecake, or sweet kugel, I opt to get myself an assortment of pastries. There’s something about enjoying rugelach (a small, spiral-shaped pastry with fillings like chocolate, cinnamon sugar, or raspberry jam) with a rich cup of coffee that transports me back to being a kid. My dad used to buy it in bulk from Costco, usually the chocolate and raspberry varieties. It was always in the house when he was alive. Eating it makes me feel like I’m spending time with him, in a way. If you’ve lost a parent, I’m sure you know what I mean.

I think that’s part of why I love Perly’s so much. It doesn’t feel like going out to eat—it feels like going back in time ˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗