Joshua Litchford, Michael Kaplan and Henry Preston (Courtesy Cicada’s)
A group of restaurant industry vets are looking to bring some added buzz to Shockoe Slip.
Joshua Litchford, Henry Preston and Michael Kaplan are preparing to open Cicada’s, a new restaurant and bar at 1316 E. Cary St., a space that was the former longtime home of City Dogs and most recently the short-lived Queens Comfort.
Each of the partners’ resumes is filled with stints at local restaurants. Litchford was a bar manager at Secret Sandwich Society, Preston is a chef who was previously at The Boathouse at Sunday Park, and Kaplan has worked at the likes of Can Can Brasserie and Acacia Midtown.
The three friends also have something else in common: they each either worked at City Dogs or lived above it, and all of them spent time hanging out there.
When the 1,200-square-foot space came available after Queens Comfort’s closure over the winter, the trio said they jumped on it.
“It was all of our favorite bar back in the day. We just wanted it to be that neighborhood bar again,” Preston said.
City Dogs had been in the space for more than 15 years. (Mike Platania photo)
“The location is probably why we’re doing this right now,” Litchford said. “It was mostly just the love for this place and wanting to revitalize this downtown area a little bit. We met friends that have then become family at this particular bar.”
The group said they’re hoping Cicada’s can rekindle the spirit of City Dogs in some ways, with affordable food and laid-back atmosphere.
Its menu will include sandwiches, salads, burgers, wraps and appetizers, as well as “Bird Dogs,” a dish from the Carolinas with a chicken tender and toppings on a hot dog bun. Litchford said they’ll also have gluten-free and vegetarian options.
“We mostly just want to do our thing and have some fun with the menu. We’re not trying to pigeonhole ourselves into any specific cuisine: just general hometown bar food,” Litchford said.
Kaplan added that they want to make sure Cicada’s has good value and large portions.
“One of the things that we were really trying to aim for is that if you’re coming in with just $20, we want to make sure that you can get fed, have a drink, and feel like you’re not breaking the bank,” Kaplan said.
Cicada’s will be open for lunch and dinner, and for late-night service on Fridays and Saturdays. The owners have been cleaning and redecorating the space with eyes on a July opening.
Litchford, Preston and Kaplan said they came up with the name by putting a piece of paper on the wall and tossed out nearly 100 ideas until they reached consensus on Cicada’s.
“One of the things that I’ve been thinking about lately is that cicadas are a keystone species, and that’s kind of what we’re looking to be as a bar,” Kaplan said. “We want to be a spot that is just here and part of the overall environment of being downtown in Shockoe.”
A block up from Cicada’s is the former Sam Miller’s space in the Slip that recently went back up for lease, and around the corner is Southern Railway Taphouse, which is now under new ownership.
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