Fanboy

Fanboy is a small, dark, deliberately atmospheric cocktail bar on West Broad Street, the sort of room built for a long conversation rather than a quick round. The kitchen turns out small plates against a rotating dinner menu, and the bar programme is the main event.

What earns it a place here is that Richmond's own food press describes it as having an extensive non-alcoholic drink list — the operative word being extensive. There is a meaningful difference between a bar that can make you something without alcohol and a bar with a list long enough to choose from, and only the second one gives a non-drinker the experience everybody else is having, which is deciding between options rather than accepting whatever arrives.

The hours are the other reason it matters, and in Richmond they are close to decisive. Fanboy runs to midnight Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, and to 2am on Friday and Saturday. Sober nightlife tends to collapse after about 10pm in most American cities: the cafes shut, the dedicated alcohol-free venues keep early hours, and what remains is bars where the only thing on offer is soda. With SoBar running just two nights a week until midnight and Point 5 closing at 6pm, Fanboy is one of the very few Richmond rooms where a non-drinker can genuinely be out late.

A note on grading: the list is well regarded locally but individual drinks are not documented in the detail that would justify a higher rating, so a 3 is the honest call — a real programme rather than a headline one. It is closed Mondays, and the room is small enough that a weekend group should expect to wait. Arrive before nine if the group is more than four, or expect to stand.