Oh dear, my oyster experience here was not a good one. Instead of sweet, juicy morsels of chewy goodness we were served dried, stringy oysters full of grit and pieces of shell. I can do better at home. This was to be a highlight of our trip and yet was a huge disappointment. Paella was okay, especially the Socarrat. Again shrimp and mussels were overcooked. Seafood chef take note.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Michael Lampros
I'm picky, but this place made me happy.I don't mind pricy, if the food and service warrant it.Most of the time, it does not.Here it does.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Wood-Grilled Octopus, Wood-Grilled Whole Fish
Jonathan Murdoch-Kitt
A downtown Richmond restaurant that showcases seafood. It has a limited menu, but it hits the seafood basics very well.Vegetarian options: Not a vegetarian place.Parking: A tough parking situation when it is busy.Wheelchair accessibility: Yes, but tight.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Fish, Wood-Grilled Scallops, Oysters on the Half Shell, Salad
susan b
Clams were very small served with too tiny pieces of bread, I needed to ask for more. Swordfish main entrée was extremely small served on a very large plate making it look even smaller, my piece of swordfish was so thin. Way overpriced for the portion and quality. Will not go
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
Les Jeter
A perfect special date night when you want outstanding food served by knowledgeable attentive wait staff. From the cocktails to the desserts, one of our most enjoyable dinners. And this includes meals in DC, NY, London and Paris.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Wood-Grilled Octopus, Seafood Paella, Seared Fish, Oysters on the Half Shell, Salad
Sydney Lane
If you’re in town for a night or two and staying downtown, you have to try Rappahannock! I was referred by a friend who used to live here. It was lively and fun (loved the music choices), the food was amazing (try the baked oysters), and the staff was attentive and friendly. I’ll be back next time I’m in town for work!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
kelsea selfe
My husband and I went here for a date night. We were so excited to come here as we we had heard good things about it. We came in as soon as the opened on a Saturday so it wasn’t very busy. That was a plus. The place itself is very nice and clean. The waitress we had was very attentive and nice. I drink a lot of water and she kept it full all of the time. Which can be hard for a lot of people. However, she was on top of it. We ordered the octopus, whole grilled fish, and the paella. The octopus was delicious. My husband and I loved it. When we got the grilled fish and the paella, we were amazed at how beautiful the presentation was. However, it was far too oily to eat. Both of the dishes were drowning in a pool of oil. Especially the paella. To people who are generally health conscious- these dishes are not for you. First thing, with the paella, the very first mussel I picked up to eat had a hair in it. Which was extremely unfortunate. I put it to the side and just counted it as fluke. I went ahead and tried the food but I could only eat the top part of the paella and the protein. It had a good taste. It was however way too oily. It was sitting in a soup of oil. The whole fish was also good. My husband felt that it too was way too oily. Those fish already have a lot of oil in them but then to have it sitting in oil for presentation and the sauce be oil based, it was very heavy. When you order fish, you typically want that light and fresh taste but this was not the case. All in all, it was not the date night we were looking to have. We just moved here from Tennessee and was looking forward to a upscale restaurant but was disappointed. Would I pay what I paid to come here again? No. It is not worth the hype.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 5
kmcmoran
We ate here last night and it was delicious. The wood grilled octopus with that potato stack were something my palate is going to remember for a long time. The Spring salad with raddicho and labne the chef is launching this week was perfectly seasoned. The pork and pickle plate had some great surprises like pickled daikon radish slices and minced apples. Service was also great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Philip Ozorkiewicz
Baked oysters were out of this world. I have never had grilled octopus cooked so well. It is normally a hit or miss everywhere I’ve ever been but here they absolutely nailed it. I was told the best place was in the Cayman, tried it, and was disappointed. The grilled octopus here is way better. Also had the swordfish as the fish of the day and it was also the best swordfish dish I’ve ever had. Not going to lie, the caviar was just OK.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Wood-Grilled Octopus, Wood-Grilled Whole Fish
DavidB
Very good food. Loud, “hipster” kind of restaurant. Service was great. No iced tea? And the dessert offerings were pretty limited (but that's ok, it's not a dessert restaurant). A little more than “moderately” expensive in my opinion.
Overall, great. Service was a little slow at first, felt like the kitchen was underwater for an early dinner rush. But they caught up and got us out the door in time for our show. Food was killer, perfect portions and great flavors.
This was my first time to the restaurant. We had the whole fish special (branzino) just simply grilled with lemon and rosemary. It was wonderful. The oysters were tasty. Our server Emily was very good and made our dinner all the more enjoyable. Will come back again!
machettk
Portions are much smaller, limited menu and extremely expensive. We would go again but for a celebration once a year. Service was good, had to ask for water several times, felt rushed even though we were assured that they would timeout the plates; I was still eating my app when the main course came out; they offered to take it back and let it sit, who would do that with scallops, they need to be served fresh otherwise they would get cold and chewy.
notsoeasilyimpressed
This location has greatly improved since I visited last. I was greeted quickly at the front of the house by a lovely team member, then chose to sit at the bar as it was late and quiet where I got great service by the gentleman there. The wood grilled octopus with the pickled beans and horseradish mayo was wonderful with an explosion of flavors, as well as the soup and walnut salad. It was a well-rounded great experience overall.
Oh dear, my oyster experience here was not a good one. Instead of sweet, juicy morsels of chewy goodness we were served dried, stringy oysters full of grit and pieces of shell. I can do better at home. This was to be a highlight of our trip and yet was a huge disappointment. Paella was okay, especially the Socarrat. Again shrimp and mussels were overcooked. Seafood chef take note.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
I'm picky, but this place made me happy.I don't mind pricy, if the food and service warrant it.Most of the time, it does not.Here it does.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Wood-Grilled Octopus, Wood-Grilled Whole Fish
A downtown Richmond restaurant that showcases seafood. It has a limited menu, but it hits the seafood basics very well.Vegetarian options: Not a vegetarian place.Parking: A tough parking situation when it is busy.Wheelchair accessibility: Yes, but tight.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Grilled Fish, Wood-Grilled Scallops, Oysters on the Half Shell, Salad
Clams were very small served with too tiny pieces of bread, I needed to ask for more. Swordfish main entrée was extremely small served on a very large plate making it look even smaller, my piece of swordfish was so thin. Way overpriced for the portion and quality. Will not go
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 3
A perfect special date night when you want outstanding food served by knowledgeable attentive wait staff. From the cocktails to the desserts, one of our most enjoyable dinners. And this includes meals in DC, NY, London and Paris.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Wood-Grilled Octopus, Seafood Paella, Seared Fish, Oysters on the Half Shell, Salad
If you’re in town for a night or two and staying downtown, you have to try Rappahannock! I was referred by a friend who used to live here. It was lively and fun (loved the music choices), the food was amazing (try the baked oysters), and the staff was attentive and friendly. I’ll be back next time I’m in town for work!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My husband and I went here for a date night. We were so excited to come here as we we had heard good things about it. We came in as soon as the opened on a Saturday so it wasn’t very busy. That was a plus. The place itself is very nice and clean. The waitress we had was very attentive and nice. I drink a lot of water and she kept it full all of the time. Which can be hard for a lot of people. However, she was on top of it. We ordered the octopus, whole grilled fish, and the paella. The octopus was delicious. My husband and I loved it. When we got the grilled fish and the paella, we were amazed at how beautiful the presentation was. However, it was far too oily to eat. Both of the dishes were drowning in a pool of oil. Especially the paella. To people who are generally health conscious- these dishes are not for you. First thing, with the paella, the very first mussel I picked up to eat had a hair in it. Which was extremely unfortunate. I put it to the side and just counted it as fluke. I went ahead and tried the food but I could only eat the top part of the paella and the protein. It had a good taste. It was however way too oily. It was sitting in a soup of oil. The whole fish was also good. My husband felt that it too was way too oily. Those fish already have a lot of oil in them but then to have it sitting in oil for presentation and the sauce be oil based, it was very heavy. When you order fish, you typically want that light and fresh taste but this was not the case. All in all, it was not the date night we were looking to have. We just moved here from Tennessee and was looking forward to a upscale restaurant but was disappointed. Would I pay what I paid to come here again? No. It is not worth the hype.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 5
We ate here last night and it was delicious. The wood grilled octopus with that potato stack were something my palate is going to remember for a long time. The Spring salad with raddicho and labne the chef is launching this week was perfectly seasoned. The pork and pickle plate had some great surprises like pickled daikon radish slices and minced apples. Service was also great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Baked oysters were out of this world. I have never had grilled octopus cooked so well. It is normally a hit or miss everywhere I’ve ever been but here they absolutely nailed it. I was told the best place was in the Cayman, tried it, and was disappointed. The grilled octopus here is way better. Also had the swordfish as the fish of the day and it was also the best swordfish dish I’ve ever had. Not going to lie, the caviar was just OK.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Wood-Grilled Octopus, Wood-Grilled Whole Fish
Very good food. Loud, “hipster” kind of restaurant. Service was great. No iced tea? And the dessert offerings were pretty limited (but that's ok, it's not a dessert restaurant). A little more than “moderately” expensive in my opinion.
Restaurantji Recommends
Great time and great food!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Overall, great. Service was a little slow at first, felt like the kitchen was underwater for an early dinner rush. But they caught up and got us out the door in time for our show. Food was killer, perfect portions and great flavors.
This was my first time to the restaurant. We had the whole fish special (branzino) just simply grilled with lemon and rosemary. It was wonderful. The oysters were tasty. Our server Emily was very good and made our dinner all the more enjoyable. Will come back again!
Portions are much smaller, limited menu and extremely expensive. We would go again but for a celebration once a year. Service was good, had to ask for water several times, felt rushed even though we were assured that they would timeout the plates; I was still eating my app when the main course came out; they offered to take it back and let it sit, who would do that with scallops, they need to be served fresh otherwise they would get cold and chewy.
This location has greatly improved since I visited last. I was greeted quickly at the front of the house by a lovely team member, then chose to sit at the bar as it was late and quiet where I got great service by the gentleman there. The wood grilled octopus with the pickled beans and horseradish mayo was wonderful with an explosion of flavors, as well as the soup and walnut salad. It was a well-rounded great experience overall.