by far the worst service i've ever had at any restaurant. i live in the building and hate this place. shut your doors so someone else can make another resturant thats open more than 8 hours a werk that is legit. everyone in the building wants you gone!!! it's selfish to continue when it can be replaced with an actual restaurant.
Kim Gustafson
Sadly, this restaurant seems closed. Stopped by to try it out on Friday night at 7:30 and it’s locked up tight. Perhaps they. We’d to update their hours. Disappointed!
Puja K.
Amazing atmosphere and delicious wine!! Will def come Back again! They so many options to choose from they let us sample a few before we picked our favorites.
Andrew R
I was part of a 25 person reservation. Unfortunately our meal left much to be desired. Our entrees were given to the restaurant about a week ahead of time to give the restaurant time to prepare, but it seems that they did not take that time to prepare at all.We had ordered NY strip steaks, Salmon, and Lamb Chops. The orders were all cooked in a broiler and the steaks came out looking gray and unappetizing. Meats came out in a range of rare to medium-well, and sometimes even on the same plate.As for side dishes, they were bland and did not have enough seasoning. The asparagus came out soft on the outside and crunchy on the inside since some frozen grocery store brand was being used. The saffron rice was actually some instant yellow rice from the grocery store, and even then it came out soft, mushy, and bland.The staff had 4-5 waiters, but only 2 actually helped our large group who basically took the majority of the restaurant and the others stood to the side staring at us and talking. At the end of the day Bateau relies on getting customers drunk on their large wine selection so customers don't realize what they are being served.
Adam Kovac
First of all, I completely understand all of the COVID restrictions and the additional time and hassle it takes to operate properly. My wife and I were super disappointed at Bateau. We are new to Richmond and we made a reservation for my birthday dinner. No one knew of the reservation when we arrived, not that we needed it and not a big deal, but service was just completely absent through our entire visit.Ordered a $95 bottle of wine, which took almost 30 minutes to arrive and still didn't have silverware/water. Wine came out already opened with no presentation/tasting and plastic cups! Don't serve higher end wine if you can't serve it properly. During the wine delivery our server spilled the water, which we had to ask for, all over my wife. To which we basically had to clean up because our server just froze and did nothing to resolve the situation. We had to ask for water and silverware repeatedly as well.At this point we had ordered wine and a charcuterie board. Our server appeared to be petrified after spilling water on my wife so he just never came back to the table. Literally never came back. I had to go find him for service.I rarely comment on restaurants as I am in the industry and I completely understand the challenges especially over the past year but ignoring your guests is never the solution. We wanted to dine at Bateau all evening but we quickly realized we needed to close our tab and leave. I didn't even have the opportunity to order food or request a check because we never had any service. Literally had to seek someone out to order anything, or request napkins/water/silverware. I eventually tracked down our server and ask to close our tab so we could leave and go to another restaurant to have a meal. At this point we were just hungry and wanted food.Super disappointing considering customer service isn't something that should be lacking as we come out of COVID protocols. Totally understand that everything will take more time and to be patient. We really want to support local private restaurants but if the basic steps of service can't be accommodated then I just can't recommend this restaurant. Please don't sell expensive wine if no one knows how to serve/present. Just stick to the basics.
Melody Jacobs
Let me be clear, this restaurant is not for everyone. I am a native of Richmond and coming "home" does not always feel like home. But this restaurant felt like for a few hours nothing else mattered. Like Auntie was in the kitchen making my plate special and I laughed and talked over glassES of wine. It felt like a sanctuary away from all of the fast paced franchises and finally some real cooking made with love. It felt like a staff that cared about your life and investment in the community. It was a place built around love. Love is rarely fast and easy, but over a slow simmer it will always bring beauty. So as I said, it's not for everyone, but if you have some time to let love in.. you might as well enjoy some wine and good food in the process.
Shannon J.
It saddens me to only click two stars for this restaurant but customer service is so important that, for me, it can make a great place mediocre. My first visit to Bateau was for a private holiday dinner with the agency I work with. I fell in love with Bateau - the special location right off of the canal between downtown and Shockhoe Bottom, the intimate setting that feels like someone's home, the live jazz music, the ambiance, the wine, and the food, oh the food. To top it off, I learned that evening that Bateau is a black-owned business - how amazing! That night, this restaurant was 5 stars, no question. Then the pandemic hit and I hoped it would survive. Thank goodness it did. Fast forward to my second and most recent visit in May of 2021. It was a sexy night out with my girlfriends who were so graciously celebrating my birthday with me before joining our husbands after dinner. We had reservations at 7:45pm but did not eat dinner until after 9:30pm. This is how that unfolded... When I entered, I saw that the dining room was filled to capacity. Keep in mind, Bateau is quaint - as small as someone's living room - so you can see every table from the door. I stood at the front for several minutes and was not greeted. I felt awkward, as if I wasn't supposed to be there. Several minutes later, my friends joined me and then we were greeted and asked to sit at the bar-type area by the door while we a waited. A half hour passed. Finally, because we asked, someone came to take our drink order and offered us to sit on the couch. We did, but the couch faces a two-seater dinner table so sitting there feels like you're imposing on someone else's dinner night out. Then one hour passed. No one asked if we wanted an appetizer or more wine. It was after 9pm and we still were not seated - we were hangry and way too sober. The night continued with us talking to the owner several times (a very nice, attentive man who seemed to not have the support of his staff), being moved again to another table that wasn't ours (by a waitress who was lack-luster and didn't seem to care, at all), being talked to or greeted very little (pretty much ignored), finally getting a cheese board (because I threatened to leave), and then at 9:30/9:45pm, getting a table and ordering dinner like nothing ever happened. I ordered the salmon entree and more rosé wine but I don't even remember how the food or wine tasted. The night left a horrible taste in my mouth. What's so unfortunate is that the waitstaff didn't seem to care, so the owner looked overwhelmed, defeated and tired. With such a small, locally-owned business, I'd expect a family environment where the staff cares and treats every customer well. That's also something I've grown to expect from most black-owned restaurants - a you're-like-family feel. But here, that evening, it was the opposite. I do hope that the owner is able to build a team that cares, or looks into why everyone who works there seems so down, cold and careless. And maybe simply limit seating, don't offer reservations if you can't support it and hire people who want the business to succeed. Because if the customer service matched the beauty and location, Bateau could be one of Richmond's hidden gems that people far and near would be lucky to experience.
Hannah Shaw
Tonight was my first visit to Bateau but it will not be my last. The food was sublime. The service attentive & courteous. The ambience relaxing & the live music performance relaxing. I enjoyed every minute I spent at the restaurant and cannot wait to return.
Janaye Oliver
Wonderful atmosphere, food is great. Definitely good for a date night
John Rezabeck
The jazz was great. The service was excruciatingly slow crowned off by my eating soup with a fork because we had no spoon and the waiter was nowhere in sight. Still we will go back for the music
Truly a nice dining experience. Food was appetizing and the drinks were nice.
Judy Stewart
Lovely, well-appointed spot on the canal. Excellent food, attentive and professional service. We shall return!
Sarah Thomas
Bateau’s atmosphere and location is nothing less than on point, which makes it even more frustrating that my dining experience there has failed to live up to its full potential.My friend and I went this evening to relax and listen to jazz during happy hour. The waiter was nice, and maybe she was new (?) but she had absolutely no idea what wine or other drinks were available for happy hour specials. She walked away to check and came back vaguely mentioning “a chardonnay?” No other specifics or wines mentioned. Once we finally ordered, it took another 15 or so min just to receive our wine. She completely forgot the coffee my friend ordered, and we had to remind her. There were maybe 2 other tables outside, and no one inside, so it wasn’t busy. At that point; we were a little annoyed and elected not to order food, since we assumed it would also take forever.We supposedly ordered happy hour wine, but upon walking inside to ring up our checks, we were charged full price. At that point; we just wanted to get out of there, and I didn’t have the energy to question it.Again; I really want to like Bateau, and I can’t speak for the quality of the food, but the service is so subpar that I don’t think I’ll be back after tonight.
Travis Jackson Sr.
Absolutely the slowest service food is good but by time you get it you don’t want it
Morris Eubanks
My wife and I had a wonderful dinner here. The jazz music was a great addition to the ambiance. The owner was very pleasant and attentive. Will certainly be coming back.
by far the worst service i've ever had at any restaurant. i live in the building and hate this place. shut your doors so someone else can make another resturant thats open more than 8 hours a werk that is legit. everyone in the building wants you gone!!! it's selfish to continue when it can be replaced with an actual restaurant.
Sadly, this restaurant seems closed. Stopped by to try it out on Friday night at 7:30 and it’s locked up tight. Perhaps they. We’d to update their hours. Disappointed!
Amazing atmosphere and delicious wine!! Will def come Back again! They so many options to choose from they let us sample a few before we picked our favorites.
I was part of a 25 person reservation. Unfortunately our meal left much to be desired. Our entrees were given to the restaurant about a week ahead of time to give the restaurant time to prepare, but it seems that they did not take that time to prepare at all.We had ordered NY strip steaks, Salmon, and Lamb Chops. The orders were all cooked in a broiler and the steaks came out looking gray and unappetizing. Meats came out in a range of rare to medium-well, and sometimes even on the same plate.As for side dishes, they were bland and did not have enough seasoning. The asparagus came out soft on the outside and crunchy on the inside since some frozen grocery store brand was being used. The saffron rice was actually some instant yellow rice from the grocery store, and even then it came out soft, mushy, and bland.The staff had 4-5 waiters, but only 2 actually helped our large group who basically took the majority of the restaurant and the others stood to the side staring at us and talking. At the end of the day Bateau relies on getting customers drunk on their large wine selection so customers don't realize what they are being served.
First of all, I completely understand all of the COVID restrictions and the additional time and hassle it takes to operate properly. My wife and I were super disappointed at Bateau. We are new to Richmond and we made a reservation for my birthday dinner. No one knew of the reservation when we arrived, not that we needed it and not a big deal, but service was just completely absent through our entire visit.Ordered a $95 bottle of wine, which took almost 30 minutes to arrive and still didn't have silverware/water. Wine came out already opened with no presentation/tasting and plastic cups! Don't serve higher end wine if you can't serve it properly. During the wine delivery our server spilled the water, which we had to ask for, all over my wife. To which we basically had to clean up because our server just froze and did nothing to resolve the situation. We had to ask for water and silverware repeatedly as well.At this point we had ordered wine and a charcuterie board. Our server appeared to be petrified after spilling water on my wife so he just never came back to the table. Literally never came back. I had to go find him for service.I rarely comment on restaurants as I am in the industry and I completely understand the challenges especially over the past year but ignoring your guests is never the solution. We wanted to dine at Bateau all evening but we quickly realized we needed to close our tab and leave. I didn't even have the opportunity to order food or request a check because we never had any service. Literally had to seek someone out to order anything, or request napkins/water/silverware. I eventually tracked down our server and ask to close our tab so we could leave and go to another restaurant to have a meal. At this point we were just hungry and wanted food.Super disappointing considering customer service isn't something that should be lacking as we come out of COVID protocols. Totally understand that everything will take more time and to be patient. We really want to support local private restaurants but if the basic steps of service can't be accommodated then I just can't recommend this restaurant. Please don't sell expensive wine if no one knows how to serve/present. Just stick to the basics.
Let me be clear, this restaurant is not for everyone. I am a native of Richmond and coming "home" does not always feel like home. But this restaurant felt like for a few hours nothing else mattered. Like Auntie was in the kitchen making my plate special and I laughed and talked over glassES of wine. It felt like a sanctuary away from all of the fast paced franchises and finally some real cooking made with love. It felt like a staff that cared about your life and investment in the community. It was a place built around love. Love is rarely fast and easy, but over a slow simmer it will always bring beauty. So as I said, it's not for everyone, but if you have some time to let love in.. you might as well enjoy some wine and good food in the process.
It saddens me to only click two stars for this restaurant but customer service is so important that, for me, it can make a great place mediocre. My first visit to Bateau was for a private holiday dinner with the agency I work with. I fell in love with Bateau - the special location right off of the canal between downtown and Shockhoe Bottom, the intimate setting that feels like someone's home, the live jazz music, the ambiance, the wine, and the food, oh the food. To top it off, I learned that evening that Bateau is a black-owned business - how amazing! That night, this restaurant was 5 stars, no question. Then the pandemic hit and I hoped it would survive. Thank goodness it did. Fast forward to my second and most recent visit in May of 2021. It was a sexy night out with my girlfriends who were so graciously celebrating my birthday with me before joining our husbands after dinner. We had reservations at 7:45pm but did not eat dinner until after 9:30pm. This is how that unfolded... When I entered, I saw that the dining room was filled to capacity. Keep in mind, Bateau is quaint - as small as someone's living room - so you can see every table from the door. I stood at the front for several minutes and was not greeted. I felt awkward, as if I wasn't supposed to be there. Several minutes later, my friends joined me and then we were greeted and asked to sit at the bar-type area by the door while we a waited. A half hour passed. Finally, because we asked, someone came to take our drink order and offered us to sit on the couch. We did, but the couch faces a two-seater dinner table so sitting there feels like you're imposing on someone else's dinner night out. Then one hour passed. No one asked if we wanted an appetizer or more wine. It was after 9pm and we still were not seated - we were hangry and way too sober. The night continued with us talking to the owner several times (a very nice, attentive man who seemed to not have the support of his staff), being moved again to another table that wasn't ours (by a waitress who was lack-luster and didn't seem to care, at all), being talked to or greeted very little (pretty much ignored), finally getting a cheese board (because I threatened to leave), and then at 9:30/9:45pm, getting a table and ordering dinner like nothing ever happened. I ordered the salmon entree and more rosé wine but I don't even remember how the food or wine tasted. The night left a horrible taste in my mouth. What's so unfortunate is that the waitstaff didn't seem to care, so the owner looked overwhelmed, defeated and tired. With such a small, locally-owned business, I'd expect a family environment where the staff cares and treats every customer well. That's also something I've grown to expect from most black-owned restaurants - a you're-like-family feel. But here, that evening, it was the opposite. I do hope that the owner is able to build a team that cares, or looks into why everyone who works there seems so down, cold and careless. And maybe simply limit seating, don't offer reservations if you can't support it and hire people who want the business to succeed. Because if the customer service matched the beauty and location, Bateau could be one of Richmond's hidden gems that people far and near would be lucky to experience.
Tonight was my first visit to Bateau but it will not be my last. The food was sublime. The service attentive & courteous. The ambience relaxing & the live music performance relaxing. I enjoyed every minute I spent at the restaurant and cannot wait to return.
Wonderful atmosphere, food is great. Definitely good for a date night
The jazz was great. The service was excruciatingly slow crowned off by my eating soup with a fork because we had no spoon and the waiter was nowhere in sight. Still we will go back for the music
Restaurantji Recommends
Truly a nice dining experience. Food was appetizing and the drinks were nice.
Lovely, well-appointed spot on the canal. Excellent food, attentive and professional service. We shall return!
Bateau’s atmosphere and location is nothing less than on point, which makes it even more frustrating that my dining experience there has failed to live up to its full potential.My friend and I went this evening to relax and listen to jazz during happy hour. The waiter was nice, and maybe she was new (?) but she had absolutely no idea what wine or other drinks were available for happy hour specials. She walked away to check and came back vaguely mentioning “a chardonnay?” No other specifics or wines mentioned. Once we finally ordered, it took another 15 or so min just to receive our wine. She completely forgot the coffee my friend ordered, and we had to remind her. There were maybe 2 other tables outside, and no one inside, so it wasn’t busy. At that point; we were a little annoyed and elected not to order food, since we assumed it would also take forever.We supposedly ordered happy hour wine, but upon walking inside to ring up our checks, we were charged full price. At that point; we just wanted to get out of there, and I didn’t have the energy to question it.Again; I really want to like Bateau, and I can’t speak for the quality of the food, but the service is so subpar that I don’t think I’ll be back after tonight.
Absolutely the slowest service food is good but by time you get it you don’t want it
My wife and I had a wonderful dinner here. The jazz music was a great addition to the ambiance. The owner was very pleasant and attentive. Will certainly be coming back.