Willow Lawn — Local services in Lakeside

Willow Lawn is a large and expanding shopping center on W Broad Street that marks the Western end of the new GRTC PULSE Rapid Transit System. This is as close to the University of Richmond as one can get on the PULSE system, which also serves VCU as well as Broad and Main Streets Downtown. Willow Lawn itself has been significantly revitalized and expanded over the the past 10 or 15 years, changing from a dingy and almost vacant indoor mall to a busy pedestrian mall with almost too many businesses for their layout. The mall features many small businesses as well as hosting larger well-known chains such as Starbucks, Chick-fil-a, AC Moore, Hood's Gym and Krogers. There are a number of restaurants including places to sit and be served as well as places like Five Guys Burgers and Pie Five Pizza where you start with the basics and create your own personal masterpiece. Or gut bomb, call it as you see it. The actual restaurants may come and go, but you will find something to eat. You can actually get healthy food there too if you look for it (I suggest Kroger or Tropical Smoothie Cafe). Your everyday shopping needs can be met by Old Navy, Ross and Victoria's Secret, and your rainbow shopping needs fulfilled by Claire's. As well as all of your BFF shopping needs. For the more nerdy among us (who have no rainbow shopping needs) there is a nice safe comic book store in close proximity to the Claire's, so families could even be split according to their shopping needs without much difficulty. I find this reassuring. And for those of us with both rainbow and comic (perhaps anime) shopping needs, at least it's not much of a hike. There are two things I like most about Willow Lawn. First, It seems to have most of what you need to get your day accomplished (did I mention both the glasses store And the optician?) and Second, it is the closest shopping center to Target (which is a little further west on W Broad) which probably has...

The three-star rating is there to put you on alert. It really says more about the availability of other, better nearby alternatives than it does about what to expect from your dining experience here. Sort of.

I've met friends here for happy hour on a handful of occasions and always enjoyed myself. Roomy spaces around the bar for gathering at happy hour, attractive and comfortable dining areas and wait staff trying to present as a place that is a step up from what it is but not at all snobby or unfriendly.

Happy hour for any beverage is great. Add in some appetizers - no problem. If you're a little hungrier, the home made single serving pizzas are great. But entrees?...

It's really hard for a restaurant to get Italian food right. Mainly because it is so easy to make a variety delicious meals at home even if you are pressed for time and not much of a cook. So why choose Italian? For a restaurant to rank they either need to have a novel take on the cuisine in general or a few unique and inventive dishes of their own. Neither is present here. And in all fairness you are not charged as if they were. So if you are happy with the Olive Garden's version of Italian then you will be very pleased to dine here because the atmosphere is so much nicer. But like the Olive Garden, this is where servers are learning so one day they may become waiter or hostess and cooks may one day...

A mall way ahead of its time. Richmond's first major experiment with the indoor/outdoor mall has survived and is poised for growth at its ultra-convenient West End location. Anchored by Kroger, Panera Bread and a couple of fast and fast casual restaurant hubs including Travinia (the one I most frequent), Five Guys, Noodles and Company and a new seafood restaurant by the former owner of Limani, it has seen a number of restaurants amd stores come and go. An expansion project has added more public space, a DSW, Old Navy, Starbucks, spa and massage services, pet care and of course offers an array of mobile stores along with a Gold's Gym. It is also a hub for some of GRTC's best bus lines including the Laburbum Connector, Broad Street, Short Pump and Pulse lines. The worst parts of the mall are the configurations (clearly not planned well) and getting in and out of the mall anchored by traffic off of both Broad Streets and Monument Avenues. Much of the parking lot is poorly paved and there are many blindspots in the lot. The parking spaces are tight and very poorly designed. There is also another thriving strip across the street with Sticks, Jason's Deli and a CVS. They are trying to do more community events and to make it a destination. While not as upscale as Stony Point Fashion Park and Short Pump Town Center it has a great...