RICHMOND, Va. — The North Carolina art and music scene brought them together, but it's in Richmond's kitchens and bars where Herbie Abernethy and Josh Novicki truly found their groove. The two first crossed paths at East Carolina University in the late 1990s, drawn together by a thriving North Carolina music scene that produced bands like Future Islands and the Avett Brothers.
Abernethy fronted a band called Lo-Fi Conspiracy, which later became Valient Thor, while Novicki was DJing at local clubs.
Years later, a chance encounter at a canceled Warped Tour stop in Wilmington, North Carolina changed everything. Novicki, who had already owned and sold several restaurants in Wilmington, was heading to Richmond to open something new. He ran into Abernethy and popped the question: "Do you want to open a bar restaurant?"
The answer, eventually, was yes.
Watch: Cobra Cabana, Hot For Pizza, Brave Captain | Richmond Restaurants Talk on Eat It, Virginia
Abernethy had already been living in Richmond since 2012, having chosen the city for its central East Coast location, vibrant music scene, and proximity to the James River. He spent years driving a cab for Napoleon Taxi, learning every corner of the city while his bandmates started families.
"Driving a cab in Richmond, I learned about the city," Abernethy says. "I learned every nook and cranny."
Together, they spotted a vacant space on West Marshall Street in the Carver neighborhood, the former home of the beloved Black Sheep Restaurant. Cobra Cabana was born in 2018.
"People were walking by going, 'Are you doing something here?' — all day long, every day," Abernethy recalls. "So we knew we might be in the right spot."
The bar and restaurant quickly became a neighborhood staple, known for its affordable prices, creative bar food, and a live music backyard that has hosted performers from as far away as France, Brazil, and Italy.
When asked what made Cobra Cabana a hit so fast, Novicki didn't hesitate.
"Lightning in a bottle," he says. "The food is good, and our prices are insane. You can't get a beer and a shot for five bucks anywhere in the city, all day, every day."
In 2020, they expanded at the urging of their Carver neighborhood association, opening Hot For Pizza at 1301 W. Leigh St. The pizzeria, a not-so-subtle nod to Van Halen, features a sourdough starter approximately 40 years old, sourced from a Raleigh restaurant called J. Betski's.
The menu includes an 18-inch New York style pie, a thick Detroit-style round, and a Sunday-only Chicago-inspired creation called "The Carver."
Nearly everything, including the bread for their lineup of "Superhero" sandwiches, is made in house.
Most recently, the pair ventured outside of Carver for the first time, opening Brave Captain at 729 W. Cary St. in 2025.
The seafood-forward pub, named after a song by the band Firehose, offers an ever-changing menu that includes a lobster BLT, a lobster grilled cheese croissant, fish and chips, and vegan cheddar biscuits.
Across all three restaurants, Abernethy and Novicki have made it a priority to offer quality vegan and vegetarian options alongside their meat-based dishes.
"We started Cobra with the idea that we wanted everything we offered to have a vegan version, so that everybody could try everything," Abernethy says.
The results have been so convincing that customers have actually complained their plant-based burger was "accidentally" swapped for a real one.
"I can't tell you how many people have reached out to us saying... you served us beef," Novicki laughs. "And we're like, 'No.'"
With three Richmond restaurants, Abernethy and Novicki show no signs of slowing down. As Abernethy puts it, quoting an old band motto: "Bigger, better, onward and upward."
The full interview with Herbie Abernethy and Josh Novicki is available now on the March episode of Eat It, Virginia. You can watch or listen on WTVR.com, the CBS 6 YouTube page, and on Spotify.
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