Stopped by Sally Bell's to grab a few boxed lunches to take home and later in the evening carry to a picnic thing in Petersburg that was being put on by the Virginia Opera. Ordered one with chicken salad on a roll, potato salad, and a caramel cupcake. The other, a roast beef & swiss on a roll, macaroni salad, and a lemon cupcake. We waited as everything was made fresh and neatly and sweetly packed up in those snug little boxes, along with the cheese wafer and deviled egg. The folks working behind the counter were nice and courteous, this food travels well, everything packed neatly into the cooler along with our Buskey Cider. We loved loved loved everything, I don't even like potato salad but it was great! Same goes for the macaroni salad, it's not really my thing, but this was so good! This is the kind of lunch (dinner for us) you wish you could have every day, a lunch that for whatever reason makes you feel happy, like a kid again. I don't know, I'm babbling, it's just awesome to have this Richmond food institution still cranking out fresh and delicious simple goodness. Oh, and if you are directionally or geographically challenged, this is located next to Pizza Hut across from the Science Museum. Great location! read more

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I placed an order over the web in the morning for 1:00 PM pickup, and arrived right on time. I guess the lunch rush was over; nobody was seated, and there were only a few people in line picking up orders. The woman behind the counter was effusive with the two customers in line before me. But when I approached, I didn't get any greeting or anything -- just ignored for a couple minutes and then a stone cold hard stare that said, "What are you doing here?", and eventually the words What do you want?" in a decidedly unfriendly manner. I said, "Hi! I'm here to pick up...order #xxxx!" She was quite displeased with me, but did fetch it out of the fridge. She seemed very angry the entire time and wouldn't say a friendly or even common civil word. I have rarely encountered such hostility and it was made quite clear to me that I am was not welcomed at this establishment. Needless to say, this was baffling. However, watching her interact with the subsequent customers, I was able to make some sense of it. If you are a black person, then you get happy welcoming friendly service. Otherwise, you get "the treatment". White folks ain't welcome here, simple as that. I actually drove 90 minutes to RIchmond just to check this place out. I can verify that it is indeed a "classic" and from a "time gone by". Unfortunately, it is from a very bad time. Maybe it's just this one employee, but I won't be coming back. Obviously. read more

This review is only concerning cupcakes. Since they moved to the Broad Street location, the quality of their cupcakes changed. The frosting appears to be whipped, instead of the creamy recipe that they once used. Haven't tried anything else since the move. I hope all other recipes are the same. read more

Two friends and I began visiting Sally Bell's as part of our weekly work break lunch tradition. We'd heard SB's was a local tradition, and we wanted to see it for ourselves. I can see, now, why everyone talks about this place. A small cozy nook in a neighborhood that is being slowly (or quickly) built up by VCU parking lots, SB's serves small tasty boxed lunches that are all comfort food. If you're hesitant about mayo, this might not be for you. If you want to choose your sandwich filling (cream cheese and nut is surprising) your side (pasta salad, obviously), and your cupcake (oh my god options), you're going to find a home at Sally Bell's. It will be the kind of home where a brusk great aunt wraps you up a lunch to take with you out adventuring in the world. Speaking of, it's not a sit-down restaurant, so grab a box and go sit in Monroe Park a block south of the restaurant. I always feel like I'm about seven years old. read more

After hearing so much about Sally Bell's Kitchen, I finally made it there to have lunch. I ordered the Roast Beef and Swiss sandwich with mac & cheese and a crushed almond cupcake. It totaled to be a bit less than $8. When I first got the boxed lunch, I thought it was kind of small, but then again, there are a lot of pieces to it, so you do get full eating it. The sandwich was fine, but there wasn't anything great about it, it was something I could have made myself at home. The cheese wafer was good and I liked the deviled egg as well. The mac and cheese was horrible in my opinion...it didn't taste like mac and cheese at all! It was more like potato salad, except instead of having potatoes in it, there was elbow macaroni. Finally, the cupcake...I heard many good things about the cupcakes at Sally Bell's and I was anxious to try it, but I was very disappointed; it was dry and the frosting was crusty (as if it had been made a couple days ago). Overall, the food is okay, but not worth $8 in my opinion. But the service there is wonderful and you get to try a bunch of stuff in one meal. read more

Grumpy old ladies with expensive lunch boxes I guess the portion size is what we should be eating but they are literally scoops of potato salad, scoop of cupcake a scoop of sandwich. But they've been in business for probably a hundred years so Richmond loves it read more

While I've had their food literally hundreds of times before, I'm actually kind of ashamed it's taken me this long to visit their actual brick-and-mortar store. With the exception of the Jefferson Hotel, I do believe this is one of Richmond's longest standing food institutions. It's a quaint little spot on Grace Street in what looks to be like a little brick shack. The place is so old the sign has almost rusted off the hinges, but it's SO GOOD. They also split their kitchen with the fine folks at Red Eye, so while you enjoy your delicious ham biscuit and potato salad boxed lunch, place an order for some fresh baked cookies and support two local businesses. Southern staples, excellent boxed lunches, the best damn potato salad in the state, and a super sweet staff of Southern belles who would love nothing more to watch you bite into something delicious and leave with a smile, Sally Belle absolutely gets an A+. read more

My favorite simple and delicious boxed lunch! Back to basics, nothing fancy just really yummy sandwiches with homemade sides that come in the boxes. The deviled egg is delicious and so is the cheese cracker. Egg salad, tuna salad ham sandwich and olive and cream cheese sandwiches all delicious!!! The cupcakes are to die for! I like the potato salad best, but the macaroni salad is delicious too. I don't think you can go wrong with anything on the menu here! Perfect for picnic lunches and quick take-home meals! The people that work there are so friendly and sweet! read more

I have been a loyal customer for years. On 5-23 around 1245pm I "tried" to call in my order. After not answering the first try, she answered and told me they are in the middle of lunch, and couldn't take my order. It would have taken less than a minute. To me that is poor customer service. And on Saturday , its seems like the potato salAd was missing ingredients-maybe celery but it wasn't up to standards. And if your a fan of lemon filled cupcakes, they said they don't even attempt to make that on Saturdays. They seem like they don't care about phone orders or the quality like they used to. I mean after all potato sald is what they are known for. My visits will be few and far between and I wouldn't make a trip there on Saturdays since flavor is not up to par nor is the selection..... read more

If you are in town, stop here to grab lunch. Way cool place that totally hasn't changed in years. Like Meade said "This place is so Richmond." Note: it takes a few minutes, so beware if you are in a rush. Food is pretty good too- potato salad, deviled egg were really tasty and had some nice flavor to it.. The cupcake was a wonderful surprise... Check it out. I was happy. read more

Overhyped and not worth the 10 dollars and some change I spent on a teeny box and a snapple. The ladies working are super sweet, but the chicken salad and potato salad were 96% mayo. Actually I can't even recall chicken in my chicken salad sandwich. The cupcake was dry (chocolate w yellow batter) but the deviled egg was amazing ! Maybe ill give it another shot & try something different but way too much money for what you're getting read more

Where do I start???? If you're going to go here and try some of Sally Bell's famous foods then you might as well splurge and order a boxed lunch. My favorite thing to order is the egg salad sandwich on white bread, with a side of potato salad, deviled egg, cheese cracker, and then the crushed almond cupcake. If you're looking for a place to sit down and enjoy the view, then this is not where you should go. (Go to the Valentine Museum location if you want to sit down and relax) They neatly pack up your order in a great little box and ask you if you want them to tie it for you as well. I'm a firm believer in their egg salad and I haven't stopped ordering it since the first time. I also love their deviled eggs, while I wish they would give you two halves instead of just one, I usually just fork out the extra change and splurge for it! The potato salad is to DIE for. It has a tangy, sweet taste to it, which isn't everyone's favorite, but it is certainly mine. I'm thinking about just ordering a scoop of potato salad for lunch instead of the whole boxed lunch next time I go there...just kidding. Sally Bell's Kitchen has now opened up at the Valentine Museum, a great location for downtown/hospital visitors and employees. Sally Bell's Kitchen is an institution in Richmond and I hope this place never closes/changes. Take care & savor it up! read more

This place has a good concept and good service. I love box lunches and was really excited to try it but the food just didn't live up to my expectations. It wasn't bad but it wasn't good either. I placed my order one morning at 10, right when they open, because their website warned that they may run out of certain sandwiches if you decide to just walk in and place your order. You can also fax in your order. You get your choice of sandwich and choice of cupcake. All box lunches come with potato salad, a cheese wafer with a pecan on top, and 1/2 of a deviled egg. The box is $7.50 I ordered one box lunch with an egg salad sandwich and pineapple cupcake for a friend and one box lunch with roast beef w/swiss cheese and yellow cupcake with chocolate icing for myself. The roast beef and swiss were good but nothing better than what I could get from the Ukrops deli case. The homemade roll the sandwich was on was probably the best part of the meal but it was smeared with butter. It came with a packet of mayo and mustard that I left off. My friend said the egg salad was fine and I noticed it was served on two slices of white bread instead of the homemade roll. The potato salad was standard but seemed like it had a fair amount of sugar in it. They put a homemade pickle chip on top of the potato salad. The cheese wafer was pretty delicious and I wish I could buy a whole box of them, but they are sold for $0.35 each. I think the biggest let down was the cupcake. The cake was dense and dry, not light and fluffy like I usually prefer my cakes, and the chocolate icing was very bittersweet. My friend had the same cake but had pineapple frosting on top. The frosting was sweeter than the chocolate frosting, but I wish it had more pineapple flavor to it. I love that they frost their cupcakes upside down so that the sides are frosted as well as the bottom(or top...however you want to look at it), but it is disappointing that the frosting isn't that good. When I picked up my lunches around noon the place was packed with business types and they have you take a number if you didn't place your order in advance. There is a separate cash register if you called or faxed in your order ahead of time. The lady who served me was quick and pleasant. They have a long standing history and everything is made from scratch. I just mostly felt that the food had too much sugar where it shouldn't or was lacking sugar where it needed some. read more

One of my favorite places to go on VCU's campus, and a true institution. The food reminds me of summer time picnics, and the women who work there are just absolutely great. I know everyone raves about the potato salad, but get the macaroni salad every once in a while and you'll be in for a treat. Oh, and the little deserts are just dynamite. I haven't had a bad one yet. read more

I grew up going to this place, and while I moved from RVA back in 2000, I find myself craving their lunch boxes and cupcakes all the time. This is seriously a Richmond tradition. I hope it stays that way. read more

I just stopped in Richmond to return something to a friend and thought "Let me try this place..." I've walked past it so many times while living on campus as a student, and now that I'm commuting I give it a shot?! I ordered the box lunch, which comes with your choice of a sandwich, side, tart or cupcake, and then it comes with a deviled egg and a cheese wafer with a pecan on it. I ordered the Smithfield ham sandwich. It was small so I was doubting its ability to be satisfying, but yum! The ham was super salty and the sandwich had some mayo and lettuce on it with a good bread roll. This sandwich was so delicious thanks to the salty ham... I love my ham salty. I chose the potato salad as my side, which was topped with a spicy pickle slice. It was a nice surprise. I liked the potato salad since it had a unique spice to it, but maybe too much mayonnaise for my taste. I also wish it had been a bit less like mashed potatoes. I missed the chunkiness that is usually potato salad. The cheese cracker and deviled egg were both yummy, nothing to complain about them. My dessert I picked was their lemon chess and it was very yummy! It was a bit too sweet for me but that seems to be the style of flavors and food here: very homey and sweet, salty, comfort-y. I have found a new lunch place in Richmond and can't wait to try again! Don't be turned off by the run-down outside or interior of this place, it's worth the try!! read more

I wanted to try this place after watching a YouTube video on the establishment. I ordered the chicken salad lunch box with the yellow cake. The cupcake was a little dry for my taste but the potato salad was amazing! Next time I am in the area I will order a tub of it. Everything tasted fresh and the staff were friendly and helpful. Portions are on the smaller side but I still left satisfied. read more

Finally got a chance to check this out. It's a real deal lunch box to eat on a nice summer day in the park. Very charming and old-school. Definitely will return. read more

Sally Bell's Kitchen - Chicken salad, potato salad, lemon cupcake, deviled egg, and cheese cracker. Perfect! - Bakeries Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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I love Sally Belle's Kitchen. My grandmother introduced me to it when I was a child, and the box lunches are great. Now its true that they aren't huge lunches- but they are what people considered "a meal" over 70 years ago, because people weren't used to "Supersize" and "Big Gulp" when this place first opened. The box lunches are just under 10$ You get your choice of cupcake- chocolate, caramel, strawberry, or vanilla. The cupcakes are always good and fresh tasting. As far as sandwiches, my personal choice would be chicken salad- but the cream cheese and olive is equally good. Each box lunch also comes with a cookie, and usually potato salad. They have drinks there. Be sure and call and order your lunch on the phone ahead of time- its better that way! They're OLD FASHIONED, no email ot text message will suffice. Be sure and take your beautiful box lunch to Capital Square, a local park, or one of the nearby James River Plantations to get the full on Richmond experience! read more

I've been reading about Sally Bell's Kitchen for years and although I've driven down Grace Street a million times, I've never been able to spot where it is located. Today, I did and was a little embarrassed that it's been right under my nose all along. If you are driving on Grace Street, you cross over Belvidere and boom it's right there on the right in a small brick building beside of a book selling business and right before you get to Panera/Chipotle/Pie Five. Since I finally found it, I decided to come back to pick up lunch. When I did, I was relieved to see there is a small row of parking spots beside of Sally Bell's and I was able to snatch a spot. So, I went inside and this is where things got confusing. I pretty much knew what I wanted with the exception of the cupcake flavor I wanted. After standing there for about a minute, I realized that they wanted you to take a number. I took a number, but this system was not used to take my order possibly because there were so few people inside at the time. They were just serving people in the order they arrived. Also, I do think their menu board is a bit small and I did not realize the cupcake flavors were listed up there. Anyways, I got the box lunch with a chicken salad sandwich on roll, potato salad, deviled egg, cheese wafer, and lemon cupcake. First things first, I loved the chicken salad. It's simple and some of the best I've had in Richmond. The potato salad was full of sweet pickle and possibly onion (not sure), but I was not a fan even though they are known for their potato salad. The cheese wafer was delicious. The deviled egg was the most basic deviled egg I've ever ate. The filling was pretty much just the yoke smooshed up and sprinkled with paprika. Lastly, the lemon cupcake was delish. I thought the cupcake was the best part of the box aside from the sandwich. I agree with other Yelpers about the value. I was shocked when they handed me this tiny box because I knew it was supposed to have all of that stuff inside, but everything is very small. A box lunch will run you close to $9 and a drink will put your total over $11. Luckily, I was not hungry when I went so the box made me full, but I can imagine that people who eat larger portions would be really dissatisfied and hungry a couple of hours after eating it. Overall, I'm pleased and I'll be back. read more

Wholesome, old fashioned box lunches and biscuits. Located just a half mile off I-95, it is halfway between Baltimore and Chapel Hill, a drive I make a lot. I always try to stop here for lunch when I'm passing through. You should too. read more

By far some of the best local grub in RVA. I get giddy when work wants Saly Bell's to cater. Find southern favorites in these delicious boxed lunches that are sure to please even the pickiest of eaters. Homemade and from scratch food is sure to tickle your tastebuds. Ask any local and they will tell you that you have not truly experienced all of RVA until you have been to Sally Bell's. read more

Seriously this place is great. It will be missed. Come get it while you can. They serve very typical old school Virginia lunch fare. Sandwiches, deviled egg, killer potato salad....the kind of lunch your grandma would make you. It taste good, but its not so great for the waistline. read more

Its a good, cute idea to have a boxed lunch with a sandwich, half deviled egg, cupcake, potato salad. I ordered the roast beef with swiss on their roll. It was kind of old and stale. All the other food was fine. The coming in a box part was pretty cute. It smells bad/strange in there. Food places are supposed to smell good. Lower the price to $6 and advertise, and you've got a hip period place with its own depressing charm. But $9 is too much. With so many other options to choose from, I doubt I will be going back there. read more

This cute little hole in the wall is so good! It's a very simple menu but everything is tasty. My sister got the roast beef sandwich which was my favorite. I got the chicken salad which was a little underwhelming. The deviled eggs and cheese wafer are good little sides that come with the box. The BEST part of the meal is the cupcakes. I'm don't have a sweet tooth but I was impressed by the cupcakes. I would recommend this place. read more

Got a tip to come here from a friend & RVA native. They have pretty limited hours (Weekdays and lunch only) so it took me a while to get here, but man I am glad I finally did. Nestled between VCU and the chain restaurants behind Brandt you could easily miss it. These delightful ladies make amazing and authentic food. You could come here just for their cupcakes (which taste perfectly homemade---like if your mom went to pastry school) but you'd be doing yourself a disservice. Get the boxed lunch. For $8.50 you get a sandwich, side, deviled egg, cupcake, and cute little cracker all adorably packed in a cardboard box. It made me think of when my mom would pack my lunches for me when I was a kid. You can taste the love and craft in their food. I personally got the chicken salad, potato salad, and devil's food cupcake. All were wonderful, but I did like my husband's cupcake (yellow cake w/orange icing) more. If you are out for lunch during the week near VCU's Monroe Park campus do yourself a favor and make a stop here. You will be so happy you did. read more

We've been frequenting Sally Bell for years, whether it's for the potato salad, cupcakes, boxed lunches etc. you'll always finish the food with a smile on your face.The lady's inside feel like they are your grandmothers and upon walking in you feel at ease. P.S: If your ordering anything around a busy holiday order it at least two weeks early! P.S.S: If you've never been and your trying to find it be on alert because you will pass it and never even realize it. read more

I heard some good things about this place and I decided to try it out one day after work. First off, the outside of the shop is very sketch and seems like the place isn't even open. It pretty much looks like an abandoned restaurant. The inside was okay and small. The workers were very sweet. There's a number system for orders; I'm assuming for when it gets busy. It wasn't too busy when I got there. The food is all already prepared which makes it a quick access. You pretty much tell the workers what you want and they arrange it for you. I got the "original box lunch." At first, looking through reviews I thought it'd be huge but the box was small/medium. This box includes your choice of sandwich, your choice of side, your choice of cupcake, a deviled egg and this little cracker thing. I got the chicken salad on wheat. It's a regular sized sandwich. It's good but I've had better. The potato salad was yummy! I loved the deviled egg, so good. The cupcake was delicious but I think after eating everything, I got too full and the cupcake ended up tasting dry. I didn't like the cracker thing too much. Overall, it was a good lunch and very homey and heart worming how the old ladies were packing your lunch basically. However; for $9 total I think the lunch wasn't worth it. It's good but the price is a little steep. read more

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My cupcake was dry, my sweet potato pie was bland, and the only redeemable part of the box I ordered was the potato salad. Seasonless food. I will not be going back. read more

I love coming to this place! I usually get a lunch box which includes a sandwich, a deviled egg, potato or macaroni salad, a praline cookie, and a cupcake sweet. If you live or work near/on the VCU campus, this place is easy to get to; take advantage of it! Unfortunately, my work and my house are in areas where this isn't the ideal place to pick up my lunch. update: Sally Bell's is at Byrd Park! I think they are only there on the weekends, but that's still good news for me! No, there aren't any cute little old ladies at the landing, but the food is the same. apparently, they pick it up from the original sally bell's and assemble as customer's order. its a nice, convenient picnic lunch read more

How have I not reviewed this place? For Richmonders, Sally Bell's is at least a place you've heard of. The have the most delicious homemade box lunches for worker bees like me, or anyone else on the go. My go to is the roast beef and Swiss with horseradish sauce. The bf is crazy for their chicken salad sandwich. The box lunches also come with a delicious cheese and pecan homemade cracker (strange but shockingly good), a side, and a dessert. I always get the potato salad as my side topped with a bread and butter pickle. Yum! For dessert they have several cupcake options- mocha topped Devils food cake, lemon iced over white cake, and strawberry iced over white cake are some of the most memorable ones. They do offer individual-sized pies in place of cupcakes for an upcharge. They provide individual or catered lunches. You can definitely order a la carte, but box lunch is where it's at. No place inside the original Grace street location to sit and eat so plan on taking it to go. read more

Recently visited this little gem after stumbling across their video on YouTube. I must say this place was everything I hoped it would be. I got a chicken salad sandwich lunch box with potato salad and a yellow batter cupcake, they also give you a cheese wafer and a deviled egg. I also added a drink and all together it was $11. Everything and I mean everything in my lunch box was phenomenal!! They make everything homemade (even the mayonnaise). Their customer service is astounding! Everyone was so helpful and pleasant. I live about 5 hours north of this place and I will definitely be back! read more

If you're looking for a lunch with no frills this is the place for you. It's a lunch that brings you back to simple days where a sandwich, cupcake and potato salad were just all you needed to be satisfied during your afternoon meal. I knocked off a star because service was a little slow, and another because of their problems with organization with handing out the food. It's a set up for someone to take home extra potato salad or missing potato salad! I'd come back when I'm feeling nostalgic but it's not something I would do every Friday. $10 a box is okay. I'm more so eating for comfort than for being full. read more

I love Sally Bell's! The boxed lunch from Sally Bell's is my go-to lunch when I've got some change to spare. I'm usually in and out pretty quickly, and it's the closest thing in Richmond to a home packed lunch. I like the tuna salad sandwich, and the potato salad is THE best potato salad in Richmond, I promise. The boxed lunch also comes with a half a hard boiled egg, a cheese/walnut cracker (not sure how else to describe it), and your choice of cupcake. read more

Sally Bell's Kitchen - Tuna salad sandwich boxed lunch - Bakeries Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

I was pleasantly surprised when I decided to try Sally Bell's for lunch. I ordered the egg salad sandwich and chose potato salad reluctantly. I have to say that this is the best potato salad that I have tasted from a restaurant! The box, although it appears small, was so filling that I did not finish all that was in it! read more

My company ordered boxed lunches for us from this place today. Definitely one of the best in terms of freshness, presentation, and variety. The freshness of the ingredients and softness of the breads are the real winners. The homemade flavor/style of the food is something that some will like and some won't. I gather that the potato salad is "famous". It was surprisingly sweet, if you're into that sort of thing. I added salt and bacon bits to mine, to balance out the flavor to suit my own tastes. The deviled eggs were nice, but do not contain paprika or relish. I had to add salt and pepper to my chicken salad sandwich. The boxes also included these oddly shaped little cupcakes. I could tell the strawberry icing was made from scratch. Fairly light on strawberry flavor, but certainly sweet overall. The cake itself was not a record-breaker in moistness, but still tasted fine. read more

I came from California and have been hearing about this place and made sure I made it one of the stops before heading back home. I loved the cupcakes! I got a packed lunch and everything was yummy. But the draw back was that the customer service wasn't very good at all. They stared and made us feel unwelcome. I really liked the food but next time I come into town idk if I'd want to go in for fear of the awkward and rude customer service. read more

Such an amazing place with super sweet service! The boxed lunch is an filling amount of food. Definitely recommend the potato salad! read more

Sally Bell's Kitchen - Chicken salad sandwich with potato salad a deviled egg cheese wafer and pineapple cupcake - Bakeries Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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This place is well worth the trip and lives up to it's reputation from the videos. The ladies here treat you like their grandchildren. The chocolate cake/chocolate frosting cupcake was phenomenal. It was moist and had a fudge like icing read more

I got lunch from here today. The women were very nice. The food was great. The sandwich (I got turkey) was not as good as I was hoping but everything else exceeded my expectations. I was a little disappointed though because I heard that their potato salad was amazing and they had run out when I got there. Also they only had two kinds of cupcakes when I got there. So, that being said I would recommend that people go when it opens not at the end of the day. Also I love how they set up the box, it looks so nice and appetizing. read more

Sally Bell's Kitchen - Bakeries Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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