Queen City Bistro ready for business in downtown Staunton
STAUNTON — John Allen left his position as manager of a Charlottesville restaurant near the end of last May, right around the time his son was born.
"Everyone thought I was crazy," Allen said. "But I had been wanting to start this for years, start something."
That something is The Queen City Bistro in downtown Staunton. It's located at 23 E. Beverley St., the former home of Emilio's and The Pompei Lounge, which closed in late 2021 after 27 years in business. Slyde at 23 opened there in January 2023, closing about eight months later. Allen and his wife, Arianna Allen-Hawkes, then found the space and signed a lease last fall.
Allen spent months looking for the right location, admitting that maybe he was being too picky. He searched places in Charlottesville, Ivy, Crozet, Waynesboro and Staunton, and was close to giving up. Allen almost went with his backup plan, buying a food truck and selling grilled cheese sandwiches on The Corner near the University of Virginia. It wasn't what he wanted to do, but it would have been a way to make a living.
"I didn't want to sign a lease on the wrong location," he said. "But when I realized this spot was up for grabs, I jumped."
He wanted a restaurant that had an upscale vibe, but still casual. He also wanted a space for events. The restaurant met both of those wants.
"Making people delicious food and giving them a good night, that is amazing," Allen said. "But celebrating some of the best moments of people's lives with them, I feed off of that energy."
He already has a few private events scheduled and hopes to have more soon, but the restaurant was scheduled for its grand opening Wednesday, March 13. Queen City Bistro will be open this week from Wednesday to Saturday, 4:30-9 p.m. Allen plans to add an additional day, Tuesday, starting next week. He is also working on an online reservation system. While reservations won't be required, they are encouraged, Allen said.
Entrees on the menu include a New York strip steak, grilled Atlantic salmon, chicken cacciatore, tri-tip steak with mushroom marsala, spice-crusted rockfish, stuffed bell peppers and eggplant caponata over tomato mole. There are also several pasta dishes, including pizzaiola primavera, mushroom ravioli, fettuccine carbonara and rigatoni bolognese.
The menu also has appetizers, salads and soups and desserts. The restaurant offers a full bar.
Chef Tom Hughes spent time in Seattle before moving to Stephens City, near his parents, a little less than two years ago. He and his wife had a goal of moving to Staunton, a city Hughes had passed through, and stopped in, on many trips home from college at Radford.
"We love this town so much," Hughes said. "It feels like a small neighborhood in a much bigger city."
Hughes has been cooking professionally for 20 years, starting in Radford. He eventually ended up in Washington, D.C. working with various restaurants and caterers. He also taught cooking for about five years before moving across the country to Seattle where he worked in restaurants again.
He learned a lot of lessons along the way about how to run a kitchen.
"Jumping in with John was kind of my chance to prove that all the stuff I've been saying about how to run a kitchen better is right," Hughes said.
Allen said he and Hughes had very similar philosophies, including treating all the employees with respect and fair pay.
"A lot of people try to cut corners, but don't cut corners with employees," Allen said. "You're going to pay for it anyway. You're going to pay for it in training costs."
Queen City Bistro seats approximately 40 guests downstairs, including the barstools, and 60 upstairs.
This past weekend, during a soft opening, Allen said they served about 260 guests over a three-day period. He was encouraged by the feedback.
"While there were some hiccups I think everyone left full and happy," he said. "We invited a lot of the former regulars at Emilio's since they already were fans of Italian and I think they were pleased with how things turned out."
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— Patrick Hite is The News Leader's education reporter. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Contact Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and follow him on Twitter @Patrick_Hite. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Queen City Bistro opens in downtown Staunton
