Rosie Connolly's Pub Restaurant — Restaurant in Richmond

Kindness on Tap at Rosie Connolly’s Pub

We planned our day trip to Richmond, Virginia, around ROSIE CONNOLLY’S PUB & RESTAURANT thanks to its closeness to Richmond’s Main Street Station.

After a damp day of exploring Virginia’s Capitol Building and the Canal Walk (Wed, May 28, 2025), we knew we’d be dry, warm and well fed and watered in Rosie’s at the end of our visit.

The owner’s daughter, Helen, gave us a very warm welcome and she talked to us about the history of the pub and how she’d come here from Liverpool as a child. It actually felt like we’d just walked into our local pub!

Food was on our minds, so we ordered:

🥪 Reuben sandwich & fries = $13.95 🍛 Rosie’s Chicken Balti Curry = $16.95 🍺 Guinness = $6.16 🍺 Non-alcoholic lager = $5.31 ❤️ We received another round of drinks at the compliments of the owners 😢 Tax = $5.72 💰 Total = $48.09

We enjoyed our food, which was served piping hot and swiftly. The Reuben was the kind of sandwich you wished you could make as good at home! The Balti curry was interesting: a battered chicken breast was served atop the curry sauce with jasmine (coconut) rice, topped with mushrooms and onions. It had a good flavor.

A couple of pints of Guinness complemented the food nicely.

Rosie’s was busy but the owwner of the pub, Mr Thomas Goulding, waved to us and took the time to come over and introduce himself. We had a good chat and it was interesting to hear his story - the real American dream - about how he arrived here in 1985 and went on to run his own pub, having originally worked for many years at Ford back in the U.K.

When the check arrived, Helen kindly informed us that the second round of drinks was on the family. What a generous gesture and one that was indicative of the family-run business. We thinks it’s incredible that we can walk into places as strangers and find such kindness in many of the places we visit on our travels across the U.S.

Rosie Connolly’s was the type of place we could have sat in all night, enjoying the Guinness and the craic, but sadly we had a train to catch and we had to leave sooner than we would have liked. Little did we know that our train was delayed and we could have had another 30 minutes there, and as we waited in Main St. Station for our late train, we looked out down onto the rear of Rosie Connolly’s thinking about our memorable visit. If only we could pop back; we know...

Rosie's is run by a family from my home city of Liverpool and are the most welcoming, diligent and hard working people you could find. Since moving to Richmond from the UK, this place is my way of feeling at home, especially recently with the craziness of this world.

Helen and Tommy make every single person feel like a friend. They serve incredible drinks, superb food and have created a warm atmosphere that simply cannot be matched in Richmond. They even recreate one of the my favourite chippy teas from back home. That's how much they care for their customers. The owners of Rosies are now more like family and I am extremely grateful for their kindness and welcome every time I walk through the door.

Also, the staff they have simply do not stop. They work incredibly hard to serve their customers quickly and efficiently. Always with a smile. They are clearly valued and cared for by the owners and that is reflected by the quality of the food and the superb level of service.

The chap below, Wade, clearly is a bit of a melt... and with a name like that clearly isn't Irish. As an Irishman, he would know that bangers and mash is an English dish. But obviously a little bit of knowledge missing as well as a bit of liberal sprinkling of false heritage means he's wide of the mark about the food and the pub. I've had the Bangers and Mash and it's solid. Wade is clearly used to hot dogs and instant mash and needs to give his head a wobble.

I am at Rosie's regularly, as an ACTUAL Englishman who is accompanied by ACTUAL Irish and English ex pats who absolutely love the pub, the staff, the drink, the atmosphere and the food.

Rosie's isn't an English pub and it's not an Irish Pub. It's a family pub. Run by real scousers with real heart. My home away from home.

Thanks for everything...

My bar days are pretty much behind me, but I gladly make an exception for this place. My wife and I have been going here since we moved to Richmond, mainly on Taco Tuesdays. From the moment we walked in the first time, the staff here have treated us like family. It's nice to find a local hangout full of people who simply seem to be enjoying life.

Definitely go on Tuesdays to grab some dollar tacos and extremely affordable drinks during happy hour. Helen has to be one of the kindest workers I have come across in any customer-service-based business. You really feel that she cares about you when she welcomes people the instant they step through the door.

On top of good food, they have a nice selection of rotating draft beers at the bar, ranging from the obligatory Guinness to solid brews from Founders and other high-quality breweries. Also, the owner has serious beer-pouring skills. The man has serious appreciation for his craft. You'll see what I mean.

There is a large dining area set away from the bar if hanging out at the bar isn't your thing, but for small groups, I really would recommend soaking up the ambience of the well-decorated bar area. The dim lighting sets the mood, and there are plenty of booths tucked away perfect for kicking back and forgetting...