Lexington brewer, burger, BBQ, pizza restaurant create Richmond entertainment district
After being announced in late 2023, Lexington’s Blue Stallion Brewing Co. has officially expanded south into Richmond.
The popular local craft brewer is part of The Quarter, a new dining and entertainment venture that opened in late December between Blue Stallion, Apollo Pizza and the soon-to-be launched House of ’Cue and Holler Burger. The development aims to bring more social spaces, food options and night life back downtown.
According to Apollo owner Wes Browne, the name “The Quarter” stems from the wrought iron balconies lining nearby buildings along Water Street that closely resemble those found in New Orleans’ French Quarter.
What To Drink, Eat At The Quarter
Located at 212 W. Water St. in the former Copper Still bar building, Blue Stallion’s Richmond taproom currently features 16 creations on tap ranging from favorites like their Dunkel, Hefeweizen seltzers to ARTLAB — their collaboration with Richmond’s Dreaming Creek Brewery — and Country Boy’s hard cider.
Additionally, the brewery and new entertainment district will also be home to self-serve ordering kiosks and a pick-up window for Holler Burger, which Browne expects to open in late February. Holler Burger plans to serve up a slew of burgers alongside chicken sandwiches, hand cut fries and more. It’s named after the fan-favorite burger at House of ‘Cue that comes stacked with two ⅓-pound smashed meat patties, pulled pork, grilled onions, shredded smoked cheddar cheese, bacon, and barbecue sauce.
Also coming soon to The Quarter will be House of ‘Cue, which has previously operated in both Richmond and Irvine but is now moving into a new space that backs up to a shared patio at The Quarter’s center. Browne says that after renovations, the space will be up-and-running by summer.
“The building was actually a law office when we bought it,” says Browne. “Because of that work on it has been more complicated, leading to it being on a different time track than the others.”
To ensure a seamless experience between the brewery and various food purveyors, The Quarter has implemented ordering and payment via QR in addition to the kiosks that’ll be available for customers to use. Browne said Blue Stallion, Apollo, House of ‘Cue, and Holler Burger will also all have their own personalized codes, making it easy to make orders to multiple places from one table.
“There’s no being stopped between one restaurant and another with your drink, which is just one benefit of having a single company with oversight of the entire site,” says Browne. It’s essentially one big business featuring multiple brands, which allows us to have a more festival-like atmosphere there every day.”
Activities at The Quarter
Helping to fuel that “festival-like” and new entertainment atmosphere is a barrage of games for patrons to pick up and play, led by a series of cornhole and dart boards located within the taproom itself and fire pits on the connecting patio, an area that Browne jokingly refers to as an “adult playground.”
“The indoor cornhole is something that, every time I go there, it’s getting used more and more,” says Browne. “It’s a unique thing to have it inside like it is, but with the weather what it’s been lately it’s been a great way to draw people out to get over their cabin fever.”
But as the warmer months near, more activities — like washers, a kids’ area, trivia, yoga, and (potentially) live music — are set to come to its outdoor gathering space as well. It’s all part of an effort to bring nightlife and a social element back to downtown Richmond, something the town has lacked since its days or being known as one of America’s biggest college party towns in the 80’s and early 90’s.
“We’re trying to bring nightlife back to Richmond, but with a broader range of people,” says Browne. “We want to bring in families, retirees, college folks, and anyone else looking to gather downtown. We don’t want to recreate the city’s late night, wild scenes of old, but we do want to do our part to make Richmond more of a destination for all.”
The Quarter
Where: 212 W Water St. in Richmond
Hours: 4-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 4-10 p.m. Friday, noon-10 p.m. Saturday, 1-9 p.m. Sunday (hours will expand for lunch when Holler Burger opens)
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