Bar: Cobra Cabana
Location: 901 W. Marshall St, Richmond, VA 23220
Score: 9.1/10
Recently I had the opportunity to visit Richmond, Virginia. I was visiting a buddy who moved there and decided it was time to go up for a weekend and check the city out. I am not sure what I was expecting but Richmond was overall a great city. The bar scene at Richmond was very unique as was much of the city. The city overall did not make any sense. In terms of the buildings, different districts, and the bar set-ups. This is not a bad thing though as it worked well and gave its charm.
One of the bars I visited was the Cobra Cabana. From the name alone I knew this was going to be an awesome place. When I arrived that suspicion was further proven correct as the outside façade of the building had massive murals of Cobra’s covering the side of the building and the main windows. Immediately my expectations for this bar were high and boy it delivered.
When I walked into the bar I was shocked. It was only 2 pm and the place was slammed. The inside of the bar was not that big, but every inch was being filled by patrons. Summertime would give this bar 2x more space as they have a good-sized patio for more people to sit at.
For the bar itself, they had bar stools surrounding the old wood-paneled bar and seating along a wall. Booth seating on one side, regular chair seating on the other. The place was crammed, but it was alright as the vibe of the place was immaculate and they played some damn good music while I was there.
Like most of the bars in Richmond, there are not many standalone bars. Meaning, they all typically serve food in parallel with drinks. I found this interesting as most cities I have visited have a clear divide in terms of bars and restaurants. Nonetheless, it worked for the Cobra Cabana. People consistently filled the bar and even sat outside in the mid-50-degree weather just for a beer and one of their burgers. Regarded as one of the best burgers in Richmond, every person at the bar was eating one. They looked damn good as well, a very nice pairing with an ice-cold beer.
The beer selection as a whole was very impressive. They had a few beers on tap and then most canned domestics. The canned beers ran for $3 while most drafts were at $4. They even had a beer and shot special for $5 all day, every day. This proved to be the best-priced bar we visited all day.
What made the Cobra Cabana stand out compared to the other bars we visited was the décor and overall theme of the bar. Beyond the wood-paneled bar top, you could see a massive Cobra head above the bar, I mean this thing was huge. Other things I appreciated were the exposed brick on all the walls, the old High Life sign, and the King Cobra beer sign. They also had an old Coke menu board to list their prices, a great touch.
As far as TVs go, they had two. They had a wide variety of DVDs displayed and it appeared they just ran random movies on the TVs. The movie they were playing that day was Twins with Arnold and Danny Devito, an absolute classic 80s film. I will admit, I’d never go to a bar to watch a movie, but I found myself tuned into this American classic.
Most importantly what makes this bar different than others is the live music that they have. Their Instagram has a ton of upcoming shows and bands that are going to be playing. This is primarily a metal bar, but it appears they have some other music styles that play. If metal is not your style (it is not mine) still check it out. They had a great variety of music playing indoors. I did not think I would stumble across a retro, metal, Cobra-themed bar, but this is the type of situation I consistently find myself in when I am in the field scouting for WeRateBars.
Knowing I will be back in Richmond this year, I will ensure that my first stop will be the Cobra Cabana. This is a bar you go out of your way to visit if you happen to be in the city.
Decor: Great décor, the Cobra theme was unique and the bar had a retro 70s/80s vibe to it.
Price: Cheapest beer prices I found, all day. $3 a beer in a big city is a great price.
Service: A+ service, even though the place was slammed, I was getting my beers quickly.
Atmosphere: Very diverse and upbeat atmosphere, everyone was having a good time.
Cleanliness: A clean bar, a place you can easily eat at and not wonder what the kitchen looks like.
Bonus points: No bonus points.