Ripple Ray's opens Deadhead bar in Carytown

Ripple Ray’s is taking over the space at 3123 W. Cary St. that was occupied by dive bar Town Hall during the pandemic and before that, Weezie’s Kitchen.

Enter Ripple Ray’s in Carytown and you’ll be transported back to the days of psychedelic drug use, live music and mushroom-infused décor. You know, before all those things became synthetics or edibles you can buy at Vape Stop on any day of the week.

Katie Jarvis, owner of the intimate night spot, has been readying the space for the past year.

The interior is bedecked in tin star light fixtures that hang from the ceiling, which cast a glow rather than shining direct light. The walls had been painted in a swirling, trippy scene. Artwork on the walls is being sold at the bar to help support the creative community.

“It’s been a labor of love, because there was a lot of problems when we took it over, so we had to kind of roll backwards before going forward — it’s a 100-year-old building, so that was really difficult. We had to start updating all the codes for electrical and that went all the way down into the basement,” Jarvis said.

When I arrived, Jarvis and her crew were organizing and unpacking boxes of glassware and processing a shipment that got dropped on them all at once three days before the grand opening, which is today, Friday.

Jarvis pulled inspiration for the interior and the vibe from the Grateful Dead.

“I chose the Grateful Dead because they’re amazing,” Jarvis said. “If you look at the culture behind the music, it was revolutionary and that’s what I’m trying to create here.” Jarvis’s mother grew up in Arlington and partied with the Dead at house parties in McLean, which helped push Jarvis into her own fandom.

Jarvis said, “Music is loved by Deadheads and I’m trying to create a community for Deadheads, so we can connect through music and food. I’m trying to bring it all together.”

The chef is Jager Parks, who designed the menu. Prior to heading Ripple Ray’s kitchen, he was a sous chef at District 5, which is now known as Skybox. The two were introduced through mutual friends. When she told him her vision, he decided to jump on board.

Menu items to check out include a range of bar favorites like wings and fried Brussels sprouts. Burn One Down the Line ($13) are smoked pork belly bites tossed in a honey barbecue sauce and served with coleslaw. The Shakedown Sliders ($11) references “Shakedown Street” by the Grateful Dead and are mini burgers that you can have made with salmon cake and creamy coleslaw, a brisket burger with cheddar cheese, pork belly, or the Shroom Delight — a house-made plant-based mushroom patty with pomodoro and onions.

“We have a smoker,” Jarvis said. “We’re smoking meat and smoking salmon. My chef is very creative but also makes the burnt ends which is a traditional dish.”

Ripple Ray’s has kept the stage at the back of the space for live music. The stage will hold Richmond-based acts like the Wolph Band from Williamsburg, Va. who will play Friday for the grand opening and the Richmond-based Hashberry Collective, performing Saturday.

As far as drinks go, don’t come here for a specialty cocktail. True, you can order one but, as Jarvis said, “This is a shots and beer place.”

This is the first restaurant for Jarvis, 36, who was a bartender for two years at Town Hall. In her past life, she worked as an assistant to an editorial wardrobe stylist and lived in New York City and Washington, D.C. But she was put off by the materialism and moved to Richmond in 2017, where she fell in love with the city after getting a job as a server at District 5.

“Ripple Ray’s is how I view life, and I wanted to put it into a space that was safe and fun for everyone,” Jarvis said. “It’s beautiful. It’s hard. You can be happy and sad, and everything all at once, because that makes us who we are.”