The dining experience was amazing! Make your reservations now and begin to anticipate the 5 star treatment.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lan Sluder
Dinner at Alewife was the highlight of our five-day visit to Richmond. First off, it was a relief to get out of downtown Richmond with its huge empty parking lots, boarded up storefronts and deserted streets. The historic Church Hill section, with its 19th century row and other houses and interesting looking restaurants and shops, was such a pleasant change. Parking near Alewife was a bit of a challenge, but we quickly found a spot just a block away.The restaurant itself has a fascinating vibe, part friendly neighborhood spot and part disarmingly upmarket dining room. You just knew the food would be interesting, and it was. We started with a gin and tonic and a non-alcoholic beer. The menu is fairly short and apparently changes nightly, or at least frequently.I would never in this world think that I would enjoy an appetizer of raw oysters, bright green pickle juice, creme fraiche and fresh dill. But it was an amazing flavor combination. My partner's appetizer was equally interesting -- lox on thick, toasted rustic bread.As mains, we had the arctic char, with grilled carrots, and the skate, both perfectly prepared and delicious. Service throughout the meal was just right -- friendly, attentive but not overly so. Our charge for two, including tip, was around $150, well worth the price. Thank you for a great meal experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Melanie Scott
Got the steak and oysters and it was an absolute delight. Unique flavors. Kind server 10/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Blue Point Oysters with Citrus Mignonette and Szechuan Peanut Crumb
Wil-yum L (Wil-yum)
Rockfish was very fishy tasting, not in a good way. The white meat itself was delicious, but it was hard to separate from the gross brown/grey slimy yucky stuff.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Rebecca Moon
Got the steak special, rockfish and Korean BBQ ribs special - everything was great! Small rotating menu, so what’s available one week may be gone the next. Even though the menu is small, the dishes are very strong. Highly recommend for a date night for any seafood person.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Chris Friedemann
Really nice evening at Alewife.The two bartenders were great - personable, extremely knowledgeable of the menu, made good recommendations (on both food and beverage) and helped an out-of-towner better grasp the vibrant Richmond foodie scene.Enjoyed my rye & beet juice cocktail - very creative and well done (on a list of about 10 rotating craft cocktails that all sounded interesting). The Chablis was excellent.I started with the flounder crudo appetizer. Wanted to love it, but I found the flounder to be a bit tough and sinewy. Flavors were excellent, but the texture was average to below (on the crudo scale).Fortunately, the rockfish entree made up for it and then some. Perfectly cooked (with crispy skin) and seasoned. Loved the accompanying mussels and potatoes. Almost had a seafood stew vibe going on. Really delicious and memorable.Space is fairly large and modern. Fun to watch the kitchen staff and bartenders at work.In the category of strange observations - the music selection seemed a bit off for a venue competing in the James Beard realm - I get music is a personal selection, but normally it's not calling attention to itself. This time it did - was the playlist for the staff...or the patrons? Hmmm...
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Rose Peterson
This is my friend’s favorite restaurant in Richmond and they’ve been very eager to be here!We ordered the chicken liver arancini, the VA Oysters, the duck breast, Grey Tilefish, arctic char so definitely got a good rate of everything! We enjoyed it all and had great service . The bill was about $250 for our group of 3 to try a lot!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish
Erin Henshaw
I love seafood and this place is incredible. The Thai flavor on the calamari, monk fish bolognese perfection. Plus it’s a very cute spot!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish
Aarat Patel
Great atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jonathan Gaspar
Wow…truly the best dining experience we have ever had in Richmond. We were met at the front by an extremely nice/friendly lady who walked us to our table immediately. Our server, Kayla, was also AMAZING. Very friendly and gave excellent recommendations. She also checked on us throughout the meal. My wife and I shared oysters, anchovy toast and yellowfin tuna for appetizers. All amazing. For dinner my wife had the Skate wing and I had the Arctic char for entrees. Both were absolutely superb. Amazing cocktails as well…I especially loved the Duck wing. Alewife is an absolute must go for anyone who loves great service/atmosphere/food and cocktails. My wife and I can’t wait to go back!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Blue Point Oysters with Citrus Mignonette and Szechuan Peanut Crumb, Arctic Char, Fish
Alewife is our go to restaurant when we come to Richmond! They always do a top notch job with food, service and adult beverages! Keep up the great work!
LaVaniel
Went here for a late Valentine's Day meal and was not disappointed. For starters, I had the crispy potatoes and the sesame BBQ ribs. Both were good, the ribs were tender and delicious. They were also sizeable portions.For my main, I had the pork chop with sweet potatoes and collards with sausage, which was excellent. All items were equally delicious. Since I was on a roll, decided to finish off with the panna cotta for dessert, which was a nice light end to a pretty heavy meal.Service was good. Our waiter gave us good recommendations. Atmosphere was ok. Only negative were the seats, which could have been more comfortable.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Julia B
Alewife is singular. Incredible creative and done right. Everyone working there had a smile on their face.I highly recommend the oysters, anchovy toast, new potatoes, the rockfish, pork chop, and the horchata flan.Make a reservation or get there right at open because they were booked!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Francis Smith
Worst cocktails, food, and service that we have had in a long time. We had high hopes...the place was incredibly pretentious and the food and service terrible. Our cocktails were so bad that we sent them back! The oysters tasted like they were trying to hide the low quality with seaame oil. Typically when you order Branzino, it is accompanied by vegetables like zucchini, squash, onion, etc. This was not the case and the fish was the length of my palm for $35. We left disappointed and hungry. Not a place that we will ever return to. Don't waste your time.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Danielle Bunish
Very disappointed in the food here. Potatoes were flavorless and raw. Fish was incredibly bland and not worth the price. There are too many amazing restaurants in RVA to waste money on this place. I will say the service was great so they have that going for them, but for the price you would expect at least decent food. Hands down the worst meal I’ve had in Richmond.
The dining experience was amazing! Make your reservations now and begin to anticipate the 5 star treatment.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dinner at Alewife was the highlight of our five-day visit to Richmond. First off, it was a relief to get out of downtown Richmond with its huge empty parking lots, boarded up storefronts and deserted streets. The historic Church Hill section, with its 19th century row and other houses and interesting looking restaurants and shops, was such a pleasant change. Parking near Alewife was a bit of a challenge, but we quickly found a spot just a block away.The restaurant itself has a fascinating vibe, part friendly neighborhood spot and part disarmingly upmarket dining room. You just knew the food would be interesting, and it was. We started with a gin and tonic and a non-alcoholic beer. The menu is fairly short and apparently changes nightly, or at least frequently.I would never in this world think that I would enjoy an appetizer of raw oysters, bright green pickle juice, creme fraiche and fresh dill. But it was an amazing flavor combination. My partner's appetizer was equally interesting -- lox on thick, toasted rustic bread.As mains, we had the arctic char, with grilled carrots, and the skate, both perfectly prepared and delicious. Service throughout the meal was just right -- friendly, attentive but not overly so. Our charge for two, including tip, was around $150, well worth the price. Thank you for a great meal experience!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Got the steak and oysters and it was an absolute delight. Unique flavors. Kind server 10/10
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Blue Point Oysters with Citrus Mignonette and Szechuan Peanut Crumb
Rockfish was very fishy tasting, not in a good way. The white meat itself was delicious, but it was hard to separate from the gross brown/grey slimy yucky stuff.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Got the steak special, rockfish and Korean BBQ ribs special - everything was great! Small rotating menu, so what’s available one week may be gone the next. Even though the menu is small, the dishes are very strong. Highly recommend for a date night for any seafood person.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Really nice evening at Alewife.The two bartenders were great - personable, extremely knowledgeable of the menu, made good recommendations (on both food and beverage) and helped an out-of-towner better grasp the vibrant Richmond foodie scene.Enjoyed my rye & beet juice cocktail - very creative and well done (on a list of about 10 rotating craft cocktails that all sounded interesting). The Chablis was excellent.I started with the flounder crudo appetizer. Wanted to love it, but I found the flounder to be a bit tough and sinewy. Flavors were excellent, but the texture was average to below (on the crudo scale).Fortunately, the rockfish entree made up for it and then some. Perfectly cooked (with crispy skin) and seasoned. Loved the accompanying mussels and potatoes. Almost had a seafood stew vibe going on. Really delicious and memorable.Space is fairly large and modern. Fun to watch the kitchen staff and bartenders at work.In the category of strange observations - the music selection seemed a bit off for a venue competing in the James Beard realm - I get music is a personal selection, but normally it's not calling attention to itself. This time it did - was the playlist for the staff...or the patrons? Hmmm...
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
This is my friend’s favorite restaurant in Richmond and they’ve been very eager to be here!We ordered the chicken liver arancini, the VA Oysters, the duck breast, Grey Tilefish, arctic char so definitely got a good rate of everything! We enjoyed it all and had great service . The bill was about $250 for our group of 3 to try a lot!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish
I love seafood and this place is incredible. The Thai flavor on the calamari, monk fish bolognese perfection. Plus it’s a very cute spot!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fish
Great atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wow…truly the best dining experience we have ever had in Richmond. We were met at the front by an extremely nice/friendly lady who walked us to our table immediately. Our server, Kayla, was also AMAZING. Very friendly and gave excellent recommendations. She also checked on us throughout the meal. My wife and I shared oysters, anchovy toast and yellowfin tuna for appetizers. All amazing. For dinner my wife had the Skate wing and I had the Arctic char for entrees. Both were absolutely superb. Amazing cocktails as well…I especially loved the Duck wing. Alewife is an absolute must go for anyone who loves great service/atmosphere/food and cocktails. My wife and I can’t wait to go back!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Blue Point Oysters with Citrus Mignonette and Szechuan Peanut Crumb, Arctic Char, Fish
Restaurantji Recommends
Alewife is our go to restaurant when we come to Richmond! They always do a top notch job with food, service and adult beverages! Keep up the great work!
Went here for a late Valentine's Day meal and was not disappointed. For starters, I had the crispy potatoes and the sesame BBQ ribs. Both were good, the ribs were tender and delicious. They were also sizeable portions.For my main, I had the pork chop with sweet potatoes and collards with sausage, which was excellent. All items were equally delicious. Since I was on a roll, decided to finish off with the panna cotta for dessert, which was a nice light end to a pretty heavy meal.Service was good. Our waiter gave us good recommendations. Atmosphere was ok. Only negative were the seats, which could have been more comfortable.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Alewife is singular. Incredible creative and done right. Everyone working there had a smile on their face.I highly recommend the oysters, anchovy toast, new potatoes, the rockfish, pork chop, and the horchata flan.Make a reservation or get there right at open because they were booked!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Worst cocktails, food, and service that we have had in a long time. We had high hopes...the place was incredibly pretentious and the food and service terrible. Our cocktails were so bad that we sent them back! The oysters tasted like they were trying to hide the low quality with seaame oil. Typically when you order Branzino, it is accompanied by vegetables like zucchini, squash, onion, etc. This was not the case and the fish was the length of my palm for $35. We left disappointed and hungry. Not a place that we will ever return to. Don't waste your time.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Very disappointed in the food here. Potatoes were flavorless and raw. Fish was incredibly bland and not worth the price. There are too many amazing restaurants in RVA to waste money on this place. I will say the service was great so they have that going for them, but for the price you would expect at least decent food. Hands down the worst meal I’ve had in Richmond.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 5