Which Richmond Coffee Spot To Visit, Based on Your Favorite Lana Del Rey Album
All signs were pointing to Lana Del Rey’s newest album, Lasso, hitting the air waves earlier this year, but since she’s still seemingly putting on those finishing touches (we hope!), we’ll spend the meantime tying down a visit — or seven — to these River City cafes that give a little Lana energy.
Born to Die
Blanchard’s Coffee Roasting Co.
We’re starting with the first *major-label* album here. Just as Born to Die is classic Lana, Blanchard’s is quintessential Richmond coffee; just as Born to Die is glam, Blanchard’s is stunning interior(s). Here, heaven is a place on earth with [an Americano and no pressing deadlines].
Location: 3121 W Broad St (Scott’s Addition), 4930 Forest Hill Ave (Forest Hill), and 26 N Morris St (The Fan)
Hours: Found here
Ultraviolence
Rostov’s Coffee & Tea
Down on the West Coast, they got their icons — and so does RVA. Rostov’s is Richmond’s first coffee roaster, and Ultraviolence leans into retro, vintage themes with its blues and soft rock sounds to boot, making this pair two peas in a (coffee) pod.
Location: 1618 W Main St (The Fan)
Hours: Found here
Honeymoon
Urban Hang Suite
In the heart of the Arts District, Urban Hang Suite, as they put it, “is a place to create a new Richmond culture while connecting over coffee and conversations.” That creative energy is what relates to Honeymoon for us; this album is cinematic and artsy. Order a matcha and put pen to paper on your next big masterpiece.
Location: 304 E Broad St (Downtown)
Hours: Found here
Lust for Life
Perk! Coffee & Lunchbox
Some fans refer to Lust for Life as Lana’s happiest album, and what’s happier than a place that has cheerfulness right in the name? While Pitchfork disagrees with said fans and says this album “isn’t outright happy,” there *is* hopefulness and optimism thread throughout it, and that’s just the tone you get at this coffee spot, too: “Whether you are meeting a friend for lunch or want to grab a coffee on a rainy day, we hope you feel at home here.”
Location: 2620 Buford Rd (Bon Air)
Hours: Found here
Norman F*cking Rockwell!
Birdie’s Bar & Cafe
Majestic, romantic, and dreamy are words we’d use to describe Lana’s fifth major-label album and Birdie’s. “We have a lot going on,” says the bar and cafe; start with an espresso, something expected (G*ddamn, man-child), then go with the city’s ~coldest~ martini, something unexpected (You f*cked me so good that I almost said, “I love you”).
Location: 305 W Broad St (Downtown)
Hours: Found here
Chemtrails over the Country Club
Afterglow Coffee Cooperative
Chemtrails brings things back to brass tacks. It’s “Del Rey's most delicate-sounding album to date,” says Rolling Stone, emphasizing a more intimate sound. With that, we’re thinking of Afterglow’s fully worker-owned and operated coffee roaster and cafe, whose sustainability practices have it on track to be a zero-waste biz. In other words, Chemtrails and Afterglow are both into paring things back, and we’re into that.
Location: 1719 Summit Ave (Scott’s Addition)
Hours: Found here
Blue Banisters
The Smoky Mug
When that Blue Banisters self-assuredness is the vibe you want, you’re heading to The Smoky Mug. Lana knows herself on this album, and that ease is exactly what this specialty coffee shop brings to the table — along with some stellar BBQ.
Location: 15 E Brookland Park Blvd (Northside)
Hours: Found here
Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
Buna Kurs Ethiopian Cafe
We love the uniqueness of Buna Kurs, bringing Ethiopian coffee and cuisine to Richmond — something familiar yet unlike the city’s other cafe hot spots. And in that way, too, we love Ocean Blvd, which is solid and audacious in its own right; Lana brings her definitive song-writing and partners it with some more experimental sounds.
Location: 402 1/2 N 2nd St, Ste A (Downtown)
Hours: Found here
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