Yes, and in South Richmond it is worth saying loudly, because almost all of this city’s halal dining sits north of the James. If you live in Stratford Hills, Westover Hills, Bon Air or anywhere along Forest Hill Avenue, you have probably crossed a bridge to eat halal more times than you can count. We are at 7037 Forest Hill Ave, Suite B, on your side of the river. Here is what makes hibachi halal or not, and what happens in our kitchen.
The three things that decide whether hibachi is halal
Hibachi is a cooking method, not an ingredient. The answer is never about the hibachi. It is about the kitchen behind it. Three things disqualify most hibachi restaurants.
The meat.Chicken, beef and lamb have to come from a halal supplier and be slaughtered to halal standard. Most hibachi restaurants buy commodity meat and have no answer when you ask where it came from.
Pork on the premises.A restaurant serving pork gyoza or bacon fried rice is cooking it on the same flat top as your chicken. Even a kitchen with halal chicken cannot hand you a clean plate when there is pork six inches away on the same steel.
Alcohol in the sauce.This is the one almost nobody checks. Traditional teriyaki, eel sauce and many yum yum recipes are built on mirin or cooking sake. The meat can be perfectly halal and the sauce poured over it is not.
Flame clears all three. Every location serves a 100% halal menu. There is no pork anywhere in the building, so there is nothing on the grill to avoid. Our sauces are made in house rather than bought in, which is what lets us control what goes into them.
Those are also the three questions to ask any hibachi restaurant in Richmond: who supplies your meat, is there pork in the building, and what is in your teriyaki.
At our Forest Hill location
We are at 7037 Forest Hill Ave, Suite B, Richmond, VA 23225, on the Southside stretch of Forest Hill Avenue. Forest Hill Park is close. Stratford Hills and Westover Hills are minutes away, Bon Air is a short run west, and Chippenham Parkway puts Midlothian and the Powhite corridor within easy reach. Carytown and VCU are across the river, roughly fifteen minutes depending on the bridge.
Hours are Monday through Saturday 11AM to 10PM and Sunday 11AM to 9PM. Holiday hours can shift around Eid and the major public holidays, so the Google Business Profile is worth a look before a long drive.
The James River Park System is a few minutes from the door, which makes this a genuinely good pickup stop before Reedy Creek or the Buttermilk trail. Hibachi in a box travels better than most things do. Weekends run heavier than weeknights here, with Saturday evening the busiest window of the seven. If you are coming from Bon Air or Midlothian, Chippenham Parkway is usually the faster approach at rush hour than Forest Hill Avenue itself.
Getting here, and the neighborhoods we serve
Forest Hill Avenue runs through the middle of Southside, so this store is an easy drive for most of it. Forest Hill, Westover Hills, Stratford Hills and Woodland Heights are minutes away. Bon Air is a short run west, Chippenham Parkway brings in Midlothian and the Powhite corridor, and Manchester and Blackwell are close to the east.
Across the river, Carytown, the Fan and VCU are roughly fifteen minutes depending on which bridge you take and when.
The James River Park entrances at Reedy Creek and the Buttermilk trail are a few minutes from the door, which makes this a strong pickup stop before or after. Everything is cooked when the order comes in, so ordering online first means the food is hot and ready rather than something you wait around for at the counter.
What to order at Forest Hill
Salmon Hibachi, $11.85. Our best-selling item across the brand, and the one to try first.
Hibachi Chicken Roll, $7.85. Hibachi chicken in a sushi roll. It is the most Richmond thing on the menu in that it should not work and does.
Watermelon Slush, $6.49. In a Richmond July this is not optional.
Chicken Hibachi, $9.85. Under ten dollars, two sides included, and the student order.
How the plates are built: every hibachi comes with your choice of any two sides — fried rice, white rice, lo mein noodles or vegetables. Bento boxes arrive loaded already, with hibachi, vegetables, rice or noodles, a 4-piece California Roll, two dumplings and two spring rolls. Extra chicken is $2.95 and extra salmon, beef or shrimp is $3.95, which is usually the cheapest way to stretch one plate across two people. Individual sides run $2.95 to $4.95, and Yum Yum sauce is $0.50.
For a trailhead pickup, the bento closes flat and stays hot longer than a plate. For a family dinner on Southside, two combos and a roll across the table covers four without over-ordering.
Visit us
Halal hibachi on Forest Hill Avenue. No bridge required. Flame Japanese Hibachi Forest Hill, 7037 Forest Hill Ave, Suite B, Richmond, VA 23225. 804-997-7009. Mon to Sat 11AM to 10PM, Sun 11AM to 9PM.
