River City Wood Fire — Local services in Richmond

Writing this review is a dilemma for me. There's a selfish part of me that wants to keep this place under wraps, preserving it as my own little secret hideaway. But I know that withholding such praise hurts small businesses. Food is meant to be shared, after all, and this place deserves all the attention and accolades it can get. Their pizza? It's nothing short of fantastic.

I've sampled hundreds of pizzas from all over, and I always stick to simple pies to gauge their true quality. No hiding behind fancy toppings here. So, when I tried their Margherita and "Zinski" (aka -pepperoni), along with the classic Caesar salad, it was a litmus test. Cooked lightning-fast in their huge wood-fired oven, it hit all the right notes. It was special, a rarity in the pizza world. Both pies were perfectly balanced and the cup-n-char pepperoni were just what the doctor ordered. I asked Joe about their sourdough crust and learning about their 48-hour fermentation process sealed the deal for me. This attention to detail is why this place deserves to be on a pizza pedestal.

And the drive home haunted me - the texture of that sourdough crust, the kick of homemade spicy honey, the richness of homemade blue cheese, the oven's aroma, and the friendly staff's smiles. Even someone belting out Bon Jovi while cooking pies, added to the overall experience. But trust me, once you take that first bite, you'll understand why I'm singing praises. Next time, I'll venture into their wings and...

My rating is based on my family’s combined lunch order from the River City Wood Fire food truck, which included two regular pepperoni pizzas and one gluten free. The regular pizzas looked delicious and my husband and daughter enjoyed them. The gluten free pizza was mediocre at best. I honestly think the issue is their oven is not the correct temp for gf crust pizza to cook well. The crust cooked too fast and the toppings were all undercooked. Cheese barely melted and pepperoni was soggy. The toppings on mine looked nothing like the two regular pizzas our group ordered, which had bubbly, melted cheese and crisp pepperonis. If they had left mine in their oven longer, the crust would have been over cooked. They need to either use a different type of crust or have a less hot section of their oven for the gf pizzas so they can cook correctly. Very disappointed in the poor execution of my gf pizza and will not eat there again. If I were eating this based solely on the gf pizza, I would only give 1 or 2 stars. The good execution of the regular ones did increase my overall rating. It also took an extremely long time to get our food, but it was during the lunch rush, so it somewhat made sense. Not...

I recently visited RVA Wood Fire located on Gentio and Dorset Rd in Powhatan, Virginia. This is a brand new restaurant location from the owners who also run a popular food truck.

The pizza was excellent. While they use sourdough crust instead of traditional neopolitan style, it worked very well. The sourdough had great flavor with a nice chew and good char from the (oak wood) fired oven. I particularly enjoyed the robust tomato sauces that were offered - both the house sauce and hearty tomato options had a touch of sweetness balanced by just the right balance in acidity.

They also offer a lot of really unique options/toppings including vegan and vegetarian.

My only criticism would be that the dining area is a bit tight on space. However, the staff was incredibly friendly and efficient despite the small space.

Overall, I was very impressed and if you follow my reviews, you know I'm particular about when it comes to pizza! This is the only wood fired restaurant option in the area which is huge in my opinion. While cozy seating is limited, the food is certainly worth picking up to enjoy at home. I will definitely be returning to RVA Wood Fire in the future. It's a welcome new...