Local restaurateur Londoño opening new concept in former downtown City Dogs spot

The new spot is a sister restaurant to La Bodega. (Mike Platania photos)

City Dogs’ old home downtown has been brought back to life. 

Queens Comfort Latin Kitchen and Cocktails opens today (Friday) at 1316 E. Cary St. in Shockoe Slip. 

The new concept is from Carlos Londoño, one of the busier restaurateurs in the Shockoe area with established spots Margarita’s Cantina, Papi’s and La Bodega nearby.

Londoño said Queens Comfort is a spinoff of La Bodega and pays homage to his hometown, the New York City borough of Queens. The restaurant signage looks like a subway sign, and painted behind the kitchen is a subway car. 

“This place looks like if an old-school luncheonette, a kosher deli and a Latino spot in the Bronx all got married,” Londoño said. 

Queens Comfort’s branding was made to look like a subway station.

Queens Comfort’s menu includes the extra-large heroes that Londoño said La Bodega has become known for, with some new additions like meatball and chicken parmesan sandwiches. It also serves Sabrett hot dogs, tacos and a number of entrees, including mofongo, a Puerto Rican dish made with plantains and pork cracklings. The restaurant serves breakfast all day, and Londoño said it’ll be open late on Fridays and Saturdays. 

Londoño said he was able to secure the space by being in the right place at the right time.

City Dogs ended its 16-year run in the Slip in the spring, while keeping its Fan location open as usual. As soon as he saw that the Shockoe spot had closed, Londoño said he inquired about the space, only to hear it had been taken. 

“Then one day I was walking down the street to go to Papi’s, and I saw them putting up a ‘For Lease’ sign,” he said.

“I walked right in, and the guy was like, ‘Yeah, the deal fell through.’ I said, ‘Don’t put up the sign.’ Within 24 hours I had the space.”

Queens Comfort totals around 2,000 square feet and has seating for 40. 

Other new restaurants heading to downtown include Fat Kid Sandwiches, which is taking over the former Sub Central space on East Main Street, and a new, to-be-announced concept is in the works to replace Kabana Rooftop atop the Hampton Inn & Suites hotel. 

The post Local restaurateur Londoño opening new concept in former downtown City Dogs spot appeared first on Richmond BizSense.