It was a beautiful day in the East Bay — 70s and sunny to be exact — when I found myself in front of the Richmond Food Center with a rumbling stomach and a curious mind. It was the intersection where Cutting Boulevard and South 23rd Street meet, and the start of my journey.
Weeks ago, while aimlessly scrolling through social media, I came across a video of a New York influencer walking Manhattan from top to bottom in an effort to discover new sights and learn more about her area. The idea piqued my interest, so I decided to try this out in Richmond, but through a different lens: food.Â
In the Bay Area, food is synonymous with culture, exploration and community. Discovering your local food scene can not only satisfy your hunger, but connect you to the people, stories and traditions that shape your neighborhood. So, in the pursuit of something delicious, I laced up my shoes and walked all of 23rd street, one of Richmond’s busiest corridors, to see what spots spoke to me. Here’s what I ate:Â
Sopes Con Carne from La Gran Chiquita
My first stop was La Gran Chiquita, a family-run spot that dishes up authentic Mexico City cuisine. When I first walked in, I was greeted by murals, colorful seven-pointed star piñatas and wide smiles from servers. Its extensive menu offers classic dishes, such as tortas, caldo, burritos, and gorditas. They also offer pambazos, a common Mexican street sandwich that is dipped in guajillo salsa, grilled, and then filled with potatoes, chorizo, queso fresco, crema and lettuce. But to start off my food journey, I went for sopes con carne. For $11.50, the dish came with a large crispy corn tortilla, refried pinto beans, meat, lettuce, crema and queso fresco (I opted out of the crema). For my meat, I chose the carne asada, which had a slight crisp to it that I really enjoyed. The charred, slightly upturned edges of the sope held the toppings in well, and added a nice smoky flavor that paired well with the muted flavor of the other toppings.
Fresas con Crema from Destenny’s Ice Cream
While searching for something sweet, I went into Destenny’s Ice Cream, another family-owned business that’s been in Richmond for over a dozen years. This pocket-sized shop sources its ice cream from Mitchell’s Ice Cream in San Francisco, and offers unique flavors like avocado, New York cherry, and lucuma, a slightly sweet fruit imported from Peru. But not only that, they also offer drinks, like their widely popular Mangonada, snacks and homemade desserts like their tres leches cake and Dubai strawberries, a play on the viral Dubai chocolate bar that features fresh strawberries, melted dark chocolate and shredded kataifi. At the front counter, I met Destenny Lopez, owner Janeth Loera’s daughter, who made me fresas con crema, which comes with frozen strawberries imported from Mexico that she mixed with Loera’s homemade cream that she’s been making since she first opened. Coming in at $13.50, this dessert was sweet, refreshing and perfect for summer.
Turkey Club Sandwich from Navarro’s Italian Deli
Further down the road, I popped into Navarro’s Italian Deli, a relatively newer spot launched by Daniel Navarro in 2023. Here, Navarro’s 17 years of deli experience shines, seen through his sizable line up of sandwiches, scratch-made pizzas and hotplates. At first, I ordered a small scratch-made pepperoni pizza, only to learn from Navarro that his sandwiches were his most popular items. With that in mind, I ordered Navarro’s turkey club, which consisted of layers of thinly sliced turkey breast with classic toppings, tucked into a pillowy French roll with a side of chips. For $15.99, you get a hearty sandwich that will fill you up.
Pad See Ew from Chang Thai Cuisine
Chang Thai Cuisine was my last stop of the day. The restaurant was a little over a quarter mile from my end point, where the bustle and excitement of 23rd Street slowed, leaving a few shops and restaurants at the tail end. Chang Thai itself isn’t very flashy or eye-catching, but it doesn’t need to be — its food speaks for itself. For more than a decade, this spot has been serving up classic Thai dishes like tom kha, kao soy and pad Thai. For my dish of choice, I also went with a classic — pad see ew. For $16.95, I received a generous helping of chewy stir-fried noodles, Chinese broccoli, shrimp and egg, all topped with crushed peanuts and black pepper. It was a flavorful finish to a full day of exploring.
I ran across Navarro’s a few weeks ago and agree that’s a solid sandwich spot.