Three storefronts on the same short stretch of Hull Street in Manchester have changed hands in the past few months, and the shuffle says something about how fast this corridor is turning over. Richmond BizSense’s restaurant news column reported on September 1 that Pig & Brew closed after eight years at 1313 Hull St., Red Hibachi & Beer shut down over the summer at 1011 Hull St., and newly filed city planning documents show a concept called Richmond Halal Chicken & Gyro getting ready to move into that vacated space.
What Closed, and What’s Moving In
Pig & Brew’s closure ends an eight-year run for the barbecue spot, one of the longer tenures among small restaurants on this block. Red Hibachi & Beer’s closure came quietly over the summer, and the space sat empty for a few months before the new filing surfaced. Neither closure came with a stated reason in the BizSense report, and no timeline has been announced yet for when Richmond Halal Chicken & Gyro would open in the former Red Hibachi space.
Why Hull Street Keeps Turning Over
This isn’t the first wave of change on this stretch. A 2023 BizSense look at construction along Hull Street in Manchester found two apartment projects moving forward within a few blocks of these storefronts: The Commodore, a 173-unit building at 15 W. Seventh St., and The Cove, a 65-unit building at 512 Hull St., both with ground-floor retail space built in. More residents within walking distance means more customers for the storefronts at street level, but it also means more turnover as new operators test whether their concept fits what that growing population actually wants. Restaurants with thin margins and short leases are often the first to feel that shift, for better or worse.
The City Has Been Planning This For Over a Decade
None of this is happening by accident. The City of Richmond’s Hull Street Corridor Revitalization Plan, first adopted in January 2013, specifically targets this corridor for the kind of transformation now visible on the ground: better multi-modal connections, housing options, and job opportunities meant to turn Hull Street “from simply a highway through communities to a vital, vibrant place where people from both the area and the region want to live, shop, work and be entertained,” in the plan’s own words. More than a decade later, the apartment construction and the restaurant churn on this block are two sides of that same slow-moving policy goal finally showing up in daily life.
Manchester sits directly across the James River from downtown, and its riverfront identity has become as much a part of its draw as the restaurant scene – Brown’s Island’s ongoing renovation just across the water is part of the same broader story of riverfront investment pulling more people toward this side of the city. For anyone tracking what’s happening a few blocks over, our look at the T-Force site clearing nearby on Semmes Avenue covers another piece of Manchester’s ongoing change. Nearby, Forest Hill and Westover Hills round out the south-side neighborhoods within easy reach of this stretch of Hull Street. If you want to see what’s currently listed in any of these south-side neighborhoods, browse our active listings page.
Curious what a neighborhood like Manchester actually costs to buy into right now? Let’s talk through your options.
Frequently Asked Questions
What restaurants closed on Hull Street in Manchester?
Pig & Brew, a barbecue restaurant at 1313 Hull St., closed after eight years in business. Red Hibachi & Beer, at 1011 Hull St., closed earlier in the summer of 2026.
What’s replacing Red Hibachi & Beer?
City planning filings show a new concept called Richmond Halal Chicken & Gyro is preparing to move into the space at 1011 Hull St. No opening date has been announced.
Where exactly is this stretch of Hull Street?
It’s in the Manchester neighborhood, on the south side of the James River directly across from downtown Richmond.
What is the Hull Street Corridor Revitalization Plan?
A City of Richmond planning document, first adopted in January 2013, that targets Hull Street for improved multi-modal transportation, housing options, job opportunities and visual upgrades along the corridor.
Is new apartment construction connected to the restaurant turnover?
There’s no official study linking the two directly, but nearby apartment projects like The Commodore and The Cove have added hundreds of new residents within walking distance of these storefronts in recent years, which shifts demand for the retail space at street level.
Is Manchester a good place to buy real estate right now?
Manchester continues to see new residential and retail investment, though we always recommend reviewing current listings and recent sales directly with an agent, since neighborhood-level data changes month to month.
