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Rachel, Fran and son Reese Lenahan enjoy brunch at Paul’s Deli & Neighborhood Restaurant before taking a family ride in New Town.
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Paul’s Deli & Neighborhood Restaurant in New Town is ideal when biking with the whole family or a group because its extensive menu ensures that all the group members can find something they want to refuel before the ride home.
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With so many bike-friendly restaurants around Williamsburg, there’s plenty of piquant reasons to lock your bike and linger a while.
“On a bike, being just slightly above pedestrian and car eye level, one gets a perfect view of the goings-on in one’s own town.” Musician David Byrne may have been talking about New York City, but it’s just as true closer to home.
Williamsburg has been designated a “bicycle-friendly community” by the League of American Bicyclists. With more than twenty-five bike routes and the completion of the Virginia Capital Trail, more local residents are hopping on bikes as a means of getting around or enjoying the outdoors.
But it’s not all about the exercise. Pedaling along local bike lanes, cyclists may want to make a pit stop along the way.
“Thanks to the efforts of Williamsburg City Planner Reed Nester, there’s been a large increase in the number of bicycle racks installed over the past year in Williamsburg,” says Jim Gullo, ride coordinator for Williamsburg Area Bicyclists (WAB). “This makes it easier for bicyclists to ride, lock up their bike, and have a meal.”
New Town, with its wide Main Street and abundance of eateries, is just one neighborhood offering a variety of bike-friendly places to sip, sup, and relax.
Riding with a plan to catch the game or refuel with a monster sandwich? Try Cogan’s Deli & Sports Pub, a welcoming oasis with three dedicated areas, depending on the vibe you want. At the front bar, the emphasis is on watching TV screens, while the back room is more laid back. On sunny days everyone gravitates to the spacious patio.
New Town’s Paul’s Deli & Neighborhood Restaurant is ideal when biking with the whole family or a group because its extensive menu ensures that all the group members can find something they want to refuel before the ride home.
“My favorite eatery before or after a ride is Cul’s Courthouse Grille in Charles City,” says Deana Sun, president of WAB. “It’s an easy twenty-eight-mile roundtrip from Chickahominy Riverfront Park on the Virginia Capital Trail, so you don’t have to deal with motor vehicular traffic much at all.”
Bikes Unlimited on Monticello Avenue offers group rides of varying speeds five days a week, with most of them ending for food, drink, and socializing at local spots around town.
“Any restaurant that has outside seating where you can dine and keep an eye on your bike, I would consider bike friendly,” says Barry Herneisey, owner of Bikes Unlimited.
“Some restaurants like Second Street even installed bike racks in their parking lot for cyclists to lock their bikes while they’re inside.”
Fran Lenahan, manager at Conte’s Bike Shop, appreciates that Panera Bread in New Town has bike racks, making it a frequent stopping point for group rides. “And Williamsburg AleWerks does a beer and eggs thing on Sunday mornings that’s pretty cool,” he says. “Not a lot of restaurants have a place to put your bike, so you have to be creative.”
Gullo points to Rick’s Cheese Steak Shop, DoG Street Pub, and Williamsburg Community Chapel Café as amenable destinations.
“The restaurant we eat at most is the Daily Grind coffee shop on William and Mary,” says Herneisey. “Scot, the owner, is a cyclist and the location is a convenient place to end a ride. There’s always a lot of activity, so it’s great for people watching.”
David Byrne would undoubtedly agree.
With so many bike-friendly restaurants around Williamsburg, there’s plenty of piquant reasons to lock your bike and linger a while.
