Staff was super friendly went in to have some oysters with the family food was extremely fresh cocktails were amazing absolutely on my hit list to return amazing job from the server to the chef's behind the bar thank you all so much hope to see you all agin soon!!!!
Catherine Tintle
We had an amazing experience here! Great atmosphere & vibe. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Would definitely recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amanda
Good casual diner-style place. We sat on stools at the counter and ordered oysters. Service was okay, food was good. Nice place to pop in for a quick meal.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
P Jasinski
Some of the best fresh seafood available in Richmond. Creative options, like the hot sourdough served with two types of anchovies, or their own version of pintxos, and their nice drink/wine list. Service was warm and attentive.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Sean Green
Oysters on half shell were so unbelievably salty. Not sure what they did to them but definitely not the salinity of ocean water. Tasted like salt was added to them. Mortadella sandwich was very good though.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Sea WhenAbsent
Lillian has one of the best happy-hour deals in town. You can order up to a dozen oysters for $1 each; after that the price jumps to about $3.50-$4 per oyster. Even at full price the quality and freshness are impeccable. They arrive clean on crushed ice with a cucumber mignonette, Crystal hot sauce, and a kombu jam. I would love to see the accompaniments rotate more often; Alewife sets a good local example on that front.
Service is attentive and conversational, and people here are kind. During a period when I was avoiding spice, one server brushed off my request and twice brought dishes with heat despite my double-check. It was frustrating in the moment. The manager and a different server took over and handled it with real aplomb, which went a long way.
The sourdough and butter are delicious, and entrées are strong if on the expensive side. A mortadella sandwich on fresh focaccia was to die for. A soft-shell crab sandwich scratched the itch perfectly, though another crab would have made it sing.
My one ongoing complaint is the cocktail list. For months it has leaned heavily on beer- and tomato-based drinks. Multiple Michelada-style options make the menu feel narrow and polarizing. Earlier cocktails sat around 3.5 out of 5 for me, and I have largely skipped the bar program since the shift toward liquor-beer-clam or tomato juice combinations. Some more classic-leaning, layered builds would be very welcome.
All that said, there is a lot to like at Lillian, especially at happy hour. A beautiful sourdough-and-oyster late lunch for around twenty dollars is hard to beat.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Dalton Stokes
Very cool place, love the bar experience and atmosphere. The menu was fine. The food was prepared well and solid. But there felt like something was barely missing from each dish. I LOVE tidal cuisine but was left wanting more from. The 4 dishes we split.
The cocktails were delicious, very herby and sophisticated. PJ, the sommelier was very knowledgeable and offered us 3 choices of wine to pair with our meal. Our waiter was very prompt and friendly. Cocktail shrimp were fantastic and so were the oysters. The food portions are a bit small for the price and I wish the seats were a little bit more comfy but otherwise, great experience!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Anna Malone
Immaculate across the board - vibes, staff, food, service, and drinks all top notch, every time. Easily the best oysters in Richmond!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michelle Holder
This is a bar. Very limited menu if you're hungry, and you'll pay dearly for what they do have. Fancy pants only!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 5
Charlotte McKnight
The food was good, but not really phenomenal. Our waitress told us that the establishment was “not really kid friendly” when we arrived with our children. She made our kids a special drink which was nice, but was clearly trying to get us out of there asap. Bottom line: don’t go with kids. Because we dropped over $100 on only 2 beers, 2 limeades and 2 appetizers with a pretty crappy experience, we will probably not return.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 2
Will Angus
My wife and I had a fantastic experience. The service was friendly and down-to-earth. Free sparkling water, love it. Everything we had was tasty. Too often, chefs try to get fancy and mix ingredients that just don’t get along—but not here. The dishes were exciting, varied, and genuinely delicious!
Happy hour and staff A+.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Everything was top notch! Will be back
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Staff was super friendly went in to have some oysters with the family food was extremely fresh cocktails were amazing absolutely on my hit list to return amazing job from the server to the chef's behind the bar thank you all so much hope to see you all agin soon!!!!
We had an amazing experience here! Great atmosphere & vibe. The staff were very friendly and helpful. Would definitely recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Good casual diner-style place. We sat on stools at the counter and ordered oysters. Service was okay, food was good. Nice place to pop in for a quick meal.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 4
Some of the best fresh seafood available in Richmond. Creative options, like the hot sourdough served with two types of anchovies, or their own version of pintxos, and their nice drink/wine list. Service was warm and attentive.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Oysters on half shell were so unbelievably salty. Not sure what they did to them but definitely not the salinity of ocean water. Tasted like salt was added to them. Mortadella sandwich was very good though.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 4
Lillian has one of the best happy-hour deals in town. You can order up to a dozen oysters for $1 each; after that the price jumps to about $3.50-$4 per oyster. Even at full price the quality and freshness are impeccable. They arrive clean on crushed ice with a cucumber mignonette, Crystal hot sauce, and a kombu jam. I would love to see the accompaniments rotate more often; Alewife sets a good local example on that front.
Service is attentive and conversational, and people here are kind. During a period when I was avoiding spice, one server brushed off my request and twice brought dishes with heat despite my double-check. It was frustrating in the moment. The manager and a different server took over and handled it with real aplomb, which went a long way.
The sourdough and butter are delicious, and entrées are strong if on the expensive side. A mortadella sandwich on fresh focaccia was to die for. A soft-shell crab sandwich scratched the itch perfectly, though another crab would have made it sing.
My one ongoing complaint is the cocktail list. For months it has leaned heavily on beer- and tomato-based drinks. Multiple Michelada-style options make the menu feel narrow and polarizing. Earlier cocktails sat around 3.5 out of 5 for me, and I have largely skipped the bar program since the shift toward liquor-beer-clam or tomato juice combinations. Some more classic-leaning, layered builds would be very welcome.
All that said, there is a lot to like at Lillian, especially at happy hour. A beautiful sourdough-and-oyster late lunch for around twenty dollars is hard to beat.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Very cool place, love the bar experience and atmosphere. The menu was fine. The food was prepared well and solid. But there felt like something was barely missing from each dish. I LOVE tidal cuisine but was left wanting more from. The 4 dishes we split.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
One of my favorite restaurants in Richmond!
Great food, kind service, and a beautiful space!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
The cocktails were delicious, very herby and sophisticated. PJ, the sommelier was very knowledgeable and offered us 3 choices of wine to pair with our meal. Our waiter was very prompt and friendly. Cocktail shrimp were fantastic and so were the oysters. The food portions are a bit small for the price and I wish the seats were a little bit more comfy but otherwise, great experience!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Immaculate across the board - vibes, staff, food, service, and drinks all top notch, every time. Easily the best oysters in Richmond!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is a bar. Very limited menu if you're hungry, and you'll pay dearly for what they do have. Fancy pants only!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 5
The food was good, but not really phenomenal. Our waitress told us that the establishment was “not really kid friendly” when we arrived with our children. She made our kids a special drink which was nice, but was clearly trying to get us out of there asap. Bottom line: don’t go with kids. Because we dropped over $100 on only 2 beers, 2 limeades and 2 appetizers with a pretty crappy experience, we will probably not return.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 2
My wife and I had a fantastic experience. The service was friendly and down-to-earth. Free sparkling water, love it. Everything we had was tasty. Too often, chefs try to get fancy and mix ingredients that just don’t get along—but not here. The dishes were exciting, varied, and genuinely delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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