By Ava Lingerfelt 

Red Salt Chophouse and Sushi is a restaurant in Richmond located on West Broad Street just past Short Pump Town Center. I had the pleasure of dining there with my family on Thursday, February 2. This restaurant has been one of my family’s favorite restaurants since it first opened July 31, 2017. Their large menu offers a wide variety of foods, from fresh sushi to tender steaks. 

Red Salt is an American steakhouse that includes a top tier sushi bar, and they also have a variety of appetizers and entrees aside from just steak and seafood. High quality steak and fresh fish are both expensive foods, making this restaurant on the pricier side. Appetizers range from 11 to 30 dollars. Entrées, other than sushi, range from $20 to $90; the steaks are generally the most expensive items on the menu. Sushi ranges from 10 to 20 dollars, and all sides range from 8 to 18 dollars. Even though this restaurant is a bit more expensive, the service is outstanding, and the food is excellent. 

Spicy edamame. 

My family and I had been to Red Salt before, so we know which entrees and appetizers are our favorites, but we wanted to try something new on this most recent visit. There are sixteen appetizer options that all sounded great, making it hard for my family to decide which ones to order. We ordered our usual spicy edamame and truffle fries, but we also decided to try the fried oysters for the first time. The appetizers came out within fifteen minutes of ordering them, which was splendid, because we were all extremely hungry.

The spicy edamame has always been my favorite appetizer from Red Salt; the edamame is served warm, coated in a spicy garlic ginger sauce. The sauce makes it different from typical edamame at other restaurants, which is why it is by far the best edamame I have ever had. 

Truffle fries.

The second appetizer were the truffle fries, which are always a family favorite. They are served warm, topped with garlic, parmesan, and truffle oil with a side of ketchup and herb aioli. My brother Owen Lingerfelt (’26) says, “My favorite appetizer was the french fries because of the truffle topping, and they had the right amount of salt.” He also says, “the sauces (ketchup and herb aioli) on the side were very tasty with the fries as well.” The fries are usually the first to disappear on the table with my family, so I would definitely recommend them.  

The fried oysters were incredible, which surprised me. Oysters have never been my favorite, but these were delicious. The crispy buttermilk fried oysters were topped with spicy hoisin sauce, chili lime peanuts, and scallions. The combination of the salty oyster, the crispy outside, and the spicy sauce was amazing. 

Fried oysters.

The fried oysters definitely became a new family favorite. My brother is not a fan of seafood in general, so he didn’t like them, but my parents loved them. My mom, Lisa Lingerfelt, said, “My favorite appetizer was the fried oyster, because not only was the oyster good, but it had a tangy sauce with a little bit of spice, and I really enjoyed it.” My dad, Ryan Lingerfelt, said, “My favorite appetizer was the fried oyster as well; they were some of the best fried oysters I have had in a while.”

My family and I finished every last bite of each appetizer, but thankfully we were still hungry for our entrees. Red Salt is my favorite place to get sushi because the pieces are larger than typical sushi rolls, the rice is just the right consistency, and the fish is fresh. I have had a great deal of sushi in my lifetime, and Red Salt’s is tough to beat. I have eaten at a variety of sushi restaurants in Richmond, including Osaka, Sticky Rice, and Lucky AF. Osaka and Red Salt are owned by the same company; therefore, their sushi offerings are similar. Sticky Rice and Lucky AF are both very good, but there are no differentiating qualities that stand out to me about their sushi. I have had a shrimp tempura roll at all of the sushi restaurants I have been to, and I can honestly say that nothing can beat Red Salt’s exquisite sushi recipe.  

Tokyo Roll (left) and the River Roll (right).

I ordered the River roll and the Tokyo roll. I had never tried the River roll before, but I was pleasantly surprised. The River roll has cucumber, kani, sliced avocado, crunchy tempura pieces on the outside, topped with a sweet soy. I thought it was very tasty and will definitely be getting it again. The Tokyo roll is a shrimp tempura roll topped with spicy tuna. This has always been my all-time favorite and remains that way. The combination of the fried, crunchy shrimp, and the soft, spicy tuna is impeccable. 

Rainbow Roll (left) and Tokyo roll (right).

My dad ordered the Rainbow roll and the Tokyo roll. The Rainbow roll is an avocado roll topped with a variety of fish, such as kani, salmon, tuna, yellowtail, and tilapia. Since I ordered the Tokyo roll, I only tried the Rainbow roll. I thought it was acceptable, but there wasn’t enough flavor for my taste. My dad said, “both of my rolls were delicious.” He also said,“there are a lot more fish on the rolls, as opposed to other restaurants, which I like.” 

Mac and Cheese.

My brother ordered the mac and cheese and the shrimp tempura roll. I wasn’t expecting much from the mac and cheese, considering it’s a steak and sushi restaurant, but it was amazing. The curly noodles mixed with the colby jack, cheddar, and fontina cheese were incredible. There was a significant amount of cheese, which I always like, and it was cooked with an extra layer of cheese on top, which guarantees the perfect amount of cheese in every bite. Owen says, “my favorite entree was the mac and cheese, because it was very cheesy and delicious.” He also says, “Red Salt has some of the best mac and cheese I have ever had, and I have had a lot of mac and cheese.” The shrimp tempura roll was also well done; it has fried shrimp, kani, avocado, cucumber, and is topped with a sweet soy. I thought this roll wouldn’t have enough flavor, but the fried shrimp, avocado, and sweet soy were a perfect combo bursting with flavor. 

Shrimp Tempura roll.

My mom also ordered the shrimp tempura, which is her go-to order. She isn’t a huge fan of sushi, but she loves Red Salt’s shrimp tempura, which she says is, “excellent.” She also says, “The pieces are a little bit larger than sushi rolls I have had at other restaurants, which makes it unique, but there are only six pieces, making it the perfect serving size.” She also says, “the sweet soy sauce served with it is delicious.” 

Key Lime Pie.

By the time we finished our entrées, we were all stuffed, but we couldn’t pass up on the key lime pie. My dad and I definitely have a sweet tooth, and we both love pie, specifically key lime, which is one of my dad’s favorites. He says, “I would rate the Key Lime pie a nine out of ten because it had good flavor, great crust, but I have had slightly better.” Since key lime is one of my dad’s favorite desserts, he has had a great deal of key lime pie and a nine out of ten rating is high praise, coming from him. My mom also tried the pie and said, “I usually like my pie with whipped cream, and it was not served with whipped cream, but the key lime pie itself was delicious.” I am no key lime pie expert, but I thought my parents were tough critics, considering this was some of the best key lime pie I have ever had. Personally, I would rate the key lime pie a 9.7 because it had a pleasant tangy flavor, with thin crust, and it was served with a raspberry sauce, which added to the flavor. 

My family did not get a steak, burger, or sashimi, which are also available on the menu at Red Salt. I have had the steak and burger before and loved both of them. My brother and dad agree when they say, “the steak at Red Salt is amazing.” They also offer a variety of sashimi, the style of sushi which is rice with raw fish placed on top. If you don’t like sushi or raw fish, there are plenty of options, which makes Red Salt a great fit for almost everyone. 

Overall, my family’s experience at Red Salt was amazing; the service was great, and the food was incredible, which is why it’s still one of my favorite restaurants in the Richmond area. Red Salt is perfect for an enjoyable evening with your family or a celebration with friends. It is often very busy, since it is fairly popular, so I suggest calling a few days ahead and making a reservation. 

All photos by Ava Lingerfelt.