Gold Lion Community Cafe

06/13/2026

RVA, we really need your help during this tough economic time. This is our hail mary, as we are seeing over a 50 percent decrease in sales this June. June usually helps us throughout the slower portions of the year.

We know that we are all facing these issues together, but wanted to keep the community in the know with where things stand. Virginia is officially in a recession, and times are tough in every industry, but especially small locally operated businesses. Swipe thru to see how you can help!

06/11/2026

HAPPY PRIDE! Join us for a very special Still Life art night with model Milka! Bring your favorite medium, cozy up with a chai or specialty cocktail and have fun!!

06/10/2026

Hi friends! Pride has always been about building a world where everyone belongs..
At Gold Lion, we see that every day. People come through our doors looking for food, community, conversation, or simply a place to exist without judgment.

Duke's Tab helps make that possible by providing free meals to neighbors experiencing hardship, ensuring that no one is excluded because of their circumstances.

This Pride Month, we're asking for your support. A donation to Duke's Tab helps us continue creating a space where everyone has a seat at the table.

Donate here: tinyurl.com/duke12

Thank you for helping us build a more connected and compassionate Richmond!!

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06/02/2026

Happy Pride Month from all of us at Gold Lion!!

We've never thought of Gold Lion as just a restaurant. We wanted a place where q***r people, trans people, immigrants, artists, unhoused neighbors, anyone who needs community, could walk in and feel safe and cared for. That's the whole reason Duke's Tab exists.

So far in 2026, Duke's Tab has covered 1,600 meals for folks in our community. In May alone that was 310 meals, over $3,100 worth.

Heading into Pride, we're asking for your help keeping it going.

For a lot of LGBTQ people, especially young people, Pride isn't only a celebration. It can also mean isolation, family rejection, not knowing where you'll sleep or where your next meal is coming from, or just needing somewhere safe to be for a while. We see it at the cafe every day.

If Gold Lion has meant something to you, whether you came to an event, ate here, met a friend here, worked here, or just believed in what we're trying to do, we'd be grateful for your support right now.

Small donations go a long way. $10 covers a meal.
We're also collecting for Chelsea's Closet: hygiene products, sunscreen, hats, and summer clothing.

You can donate at http://www.tinyurl.com/duke12

Thank you for helping us keep building q***r community and mutual aid here in Richmond. ❤️

06/01/2026

Happy pride month from our little cafe to your q***r hearts ❤️🩷🧡💛💚💙🩵💜🤎🖤🩶🤍

05/15/2026

For the last few years, Gold Lion has been more than just a cafe to us. It’s been drag shows, comedy nights, first dates, study sessions, community meetings, mutual aid, late afternoon coffees, birthday brunches, and a place where a lot of people have felt safe, welcomed, and connected.

Right now is a really hard season for independent restaurants across Richmond. Costs are up, foot traffic is significantly slower, and a lot of small businesses are feeling it. Places like ours genuinely rely on people making the choice to show up regularly, grabbing coffee before work, meeting friends for brunch, stopping in for a drink, ordering takeout instead of cooking at home. But its not just us - in our conversations with other local businesses, we are all struggling.

If Gold Lion has meant something to you, now is a really impactful time to support us and other local spots you care about. Bring someone who’s never been here before. Come work from the cafe for a few hours. Stop by for a cocktail or chai. Order lunch on Doordash or Uber Eats. Share this post with a friend. Donate to Dukes Tab. Those small choices add up in a very real way.

We’re incredibly grateful for this community and for everyone who has helped make this strange, beautiful little space what it is. We hope to keep growing with Richmond for a long time to come! 💛

05/06/2026

Gold Lion Community Cafe is proud to host a fundraiser for Jad, Nour, and their family in Gaza on Saturday, May 9th.

This event was organized by members of our staff who have been directly supporting the family, and we wanted to open our space to help bring the community together around their cause.

Jad is a 24-year-old medical laboratory student from northern Gaza caring for his young daughter, orphaned nieces and nephews, his sister, and his elderly aunt while surviving ongoing humanitarian crisis conditions.
Join us for an evening of DJs, dancing, raffles, drinks, and community, with proceeds and donations helping support the family’s access to food, medical care, and the possibility of rebuilding their lives in safety.

If you’re able to come out, we’d love to fill the cafe for them.

May 9
3–10PM
$7 presale / $10 at door
If you can’t attend, sharing the flyer and spreading the word still helps a lot!!

04/24/2026

Join us for some live music and fun on Sunday afternoon from 1 to 3!

04/14/2026

Join us for an evening of art, community and creative q***r expression featuring .lavendermenace as our live model! Bring your favorite medium and friends, all skill levels are welcome!

03/05/2026

Hey y’all!

Starting in a few weeks, you may see a little less of me around the café for a while. I’ll be having surgery on my cervical spine to address some health complications that i have been dealing with. It’s something my doctors and I decided was important to take care of now so I can stay healthy long-term.

Luckily for all of us, Gold Lion has an incredible staff who are more than capable of keeping things running while I recover, and I’m so grateful for each and every one of them.

We’ll also be making two small schedule adjustments: we’ll be ending dinner service on Tuesdays and opening an hour later on Wednesdays. Our new hours are in effect starting next week.

Thank you all for the continued support. This café exists because of this community, and I’m really thankful for all of you.

If there’s ever a delay responding to emails, please call the café and leave me a message.

— Matt