This place has been our favorite for a couple years now. Terrific food and friendly and welcoming staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eric W.
Rowland is another nice example of a small Richmond corner restaurant located in an older, "classic" space. My group and I went there to celebrate my wife's birthday, and enjoyed it. Good cocktails and interesting appetizers. My rockfish was very good, as was my wife's strip steak, which was actually done rare, as she had ordered (not always the case). The only blip was that one person's salad never showed up until we mentioned it, and then it was not as ordered. Parking is the usual city challenge, and I believe there are no lots nearby, but we got lucky and grabbed a space just across the street.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Till Bruett
A lovely neighborhood corner restaurant with excellent food, cocktails and wine. Make a reservation-- it was packed. A good mix of seafood (including oysters), meals and vegetarian.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Marci Fradkin
I’m not sure it’s fair to review a restaurant during restaurant week. I have to say I walked away a little hungry because the portions were small but that might’ve been because it was restaurant week. Our drinks were lovely and very strong and the soup with short ribs was incredible, my entrée of cinnamon pork was lacking in taste the flavor and the bread pudding did nothing for me
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Marci F.
I'm not sure it's fair to review a restaurant during restaurant week. I have to say I walked away a little hungry because the portions were small but that might've been because it was restaurant week. Our drinks were lovely and very strong and the soup with short ribs was incredible, my entrée of cinnamon pork was lacking in taste the flavor and the bread pudding did nothing for me.
Vsa K
We went for restaurant week. This is not fine dining. The food was terrible and the portions were so small. Will not come back here ever again nor will we recommend this place to anyone. Please dont waste your money here. I beg you.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
gobelins
Disappointing. This restaurant is not suitable for a party of any more than 4 people. Your group table, which is simply a collection of 2 person tables strung together in a line, will not be conducive to conversation between members of your group of 8. The place is very loud, making that table set-up useless for the purpose intended--to gather a group of friends over a meal. I had to shout to be heard by the person sitting directly opposite and had to get up and walk to the other end of the table(s) to talk with the others. The food, while perfectly ok, was no better than any other restaurant of this type in the Fan. If you have 6 or more, they tack on a 20% tip. Automatic tips are sometimes added in restaurants for larger groups, but generally only in higher end restaurants, not for groups that are just 6, and usually for 18%, not 20. (Even Lemaire doesn't automatically tack on the tip until your group is larger than 6.) And I've never had a restaurant include the sales tax when calculating the tip, which this restaurant did without apology. We all know that the idea of tipping is being turned on its head. But adding to the insult of not leaving the tip amount to the customer (the service was aimless on this occasion), the fact that this restaurant now bases the tip on the sales tax is somewhat pernicious. They don't tell you that they are going to flout convention in this regard. It was automatic: you were charged on your credit card. The only way to fight back against this trend is to call it out and go elsewhere. But wait...this review is not over. In fairness, this restaurant, like many Richmond Fan restaurants, is in a building built on a 25 foot wide lot that was never intended to house a restaurant, let alone a larger group of diners. Most such restaurants are cute, intimate (for two diners), but can't possibly make decent money on the number of tables they can house without raising prices (and tips) beyond what the food and service are worth. That is probably what is happening at Rowland. Then there's the matter of the hideous 7.5% Richmond restaurant tax on top of the 5.3% sales tax. Perhaps some of the better chefs/owners will figure all this out, get beyond their emotional attachment to cute old buildings in Richmond, and put together restaurants in Chesterfield and Hanover counties. (Even Henrico only charges 4% restaurant tax) Finally, there's the matter of staff attitude. When I spoke to the head waiter about the use of the tax as a basis for calculating the tip, I was met with a very steely stare and a curt --"that's the way we do it, too bad" Well, maybe he just had a bad night...but I doubt it. Attitude plays an important part of any restaurant experience and may well be the number one reason for bad reviews on Trip Advisor. Rowland just got one. In short (no irony intended), I can find no reason to again patronize Rowland when there are many other options out there.
Udare Santha
We hosted our rehearsal dinner here and it could not have gone any better. Our guests raved about the food and Chef Bruce was incredible easy to work with! Rowland will forever be special to us. Thank you so much Chef Bruce & Virginia!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Desserts, White Chocolate Bread Pudding, Hanger Steak
Alejandra Shaw
A warm, romantic atmosphere with great service and delicious food. Definitely a place to come back and enjoy a perfect dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Elizabeth Marrs
Our favorite Fan restaurant. Never had anything other than perfection here. Great food, interesting cocktail offerings, informative and kind staff. Husband and wife team in the kitchen make you feel welcome and appreciated! Great desserts made fresh daily. We will be back soon!Parking: Parking along side streets is easy to find within short walking distance.
The butter bean cake is worth the trip. This is good food in a friendly neighborhood place that made us outsiders fell very welcome !
VirginiaRoadster
While the food was pretty good the kitchen was very slow- over an hour from entree order to receiving it. What made it especially painful was how hard it was to get a drink, bread and salad while waiting. They appear understaffed and the staff they have, including the chef spend a lot of time walking around chatting. To add insult to injury my wife’s special appeared on the bill at $55, far beyond the price of anything with a listed price. Really poor approach.
TIFFANY HITAFFER
Everything was perfect. The ambiance was lovely. It's a relatively small establishment but they do very well with the space .It was so hard to decide on what to get but the service was excellent and happy to guide us through the options we were leaning towards. The plates were very well balanced and quite unique. I could eat a bucket of the Panna Cotta. Will absolutely be returning.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Janice Beacham
Gracious what a great find! wonderful decor - warm, inviting and eclectic. Had dinner on the patio - nice peaceful neighborhood. the food ~~AWESOME.....pork chops are delightfully seasoned bonein and moist .....yum! permitted substitution of the brussel sprouts for the butternut hash; white macch; dinner salad with a wonderful homemade cream dressing. Staff was wonderful and knowledgeable. Dinner for 3 with drinks, app, tip 179. Will be back! If I lived in the area I would be there several times a week.Vegetarian options: Good options.Dietary restrictions: Willing to accomodate
Rachel Allegra
For restaurant week, this food was not good. I am actually kind of shocked at what we experienced. My boyfriend's steak was literally cold..felt like it just came straight from the fridge and my chicken was completely raw in the inside. The chef never came out to say anything. They didn't offer me a new meal or take it off the bill, they just threw it in the microwave and said "we've got you covered". They took all my silverware back with raw chicken, so when my microwaved raw chicken came back, they said "hopefully now it's to your liking" (yeah, i dont think raw chicken is to anyone's "liking" lol) and then they never brought any new silverware back. So we just sat there and finished our drinks and asked for the check. We left and went to another restaurant since I didn't barely eat anything but bread lol. At least their bread was good. Apps were subpar. I think they were understaffed because our waiter was also bartending, which is fine, we totally get that and we understand it wasn't his fault which is why im giving 2 stars instead of 1, we still gave him a good tip but they honestly could have handled things a bit better. We won't be coming back.
This place has been our favorite for a couple years now. Terrific food and friendly and welcoming staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rowland is another nice example of a small Richmond corner restaurant located in an older, "classic" space. My group and I went there to celebrate my wife's birthday, and enjoyed it. Good cocktails and interesting appetizers. My rockfish was very good, as was my wife's strip steak, which was actually done rare, as she had ordered (not always the case). The only blip was that one person's salad never showed up until we mentioned it, and then it was not as ordered. Parking is the usual city challenge, and I believe there are no lots nearby, but we got lucky and grabbed a space just across the street.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
A lovely neighborhood corner restaurant with excellent food, cocktails and wine. Make a reservation-- it was packed. A good mix of seafood (including oysters), meals and vegetarian.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
I’m not sure it’s fair to review a restaurant during restaurant week. I have to say I walked away a little hungry because the portions were small but that might’ve been because it was restaurant week. Our drinks were lovely and very strong and the soup with short ribs was incredible, my entrée of cinnamon pork was lacking in taste the flavor and the bread pudding did nothing for me
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
I'm not sure it's fair to review a restaurant during restaurant week. I have to say I walked away a little hungry because the portions were small but that might've been because it was restaurant week. Our drinks were lovely and very strong and the soup with short ribs was incredible, my entrée of cinnamon pork was lacking in taste the flavor and the bread pudding did nothing for me.
We went for restaurant week. This is not fine dining. The food was terrible and the portions were so small. Will not come back here ever again nor will we recommend this place to anyone. Please dont waste your money here. I beg you.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Disappointing. This restaurant is not suitable for a party of any more than 4 people. Your group table, which is simply a collection of 2 person tables strung together in a line, will not be conducive to conversation between members of your group of 8. The place is very loud, making that table set-up useless for the purpose intended--to gather a group of friends over a meal. I had to shout to be heard by the person sitting directly opposite and had to get up and walk to the other end of the table(s) to talk with the others. The food, while perfectly ok, was no better than any other restaurant of this type in the Fan. If you have 6 or more, they tack on a 20% tip. Automatic tips are sometimes added in restaurants for larger groups, but generally only in higher end restaurants, not for groups that are just 6, and usually for 18%, not 20. (Even Lemaire doesn't automatically tack on the tip until your group is larger than 6.) And I've never had a restaurant include the sales tax when calculating the tip, which this restaurant did without apology. We all know that the idea of tipping is being turned on its head. But adding to the insult of not leaving the tip amount to the customer (the service was aimless on this occasion), the fact that this restaurant now bases the tip on the sales tax is somewhat pernicious. They don't tell you that they are going to flout convention in this regard. It was automatic: you were charged on your credit card. The only way to fight back against this trend is to call it out and go elsewhere. But wait...this review is not over. In fairness, this restaurant, like many Richmond Fan restaurants, is in a building built on a 25 foot wide lot that was never intended to house a restaurant, let alone a larger group of diners. Most such restaurants are cute, intimate (for two diners), but can't possibly make decent money on the number of tables they can house without raising prices (and tips) beyond what the food and service are worth. That is probably what is happening at Rowland. Then there's the matter of the hideous 7.5% Richmond restaurant tax on top of the 5.3% sales tax. Perhaps some of the better chefs/owners will figure all this out, get beyond their emotional attachment to cute old buildings in Richmond, and put together restaurants in Chesterfield and Hanover counties. (Even Henrico only charges 4% restaurant tax) Finally, there's the matter of staff attitude. When I spoke to the head waiter about the use of the tax as a basis for calculating the tip, I was met with a very steely stare and a curt --"that's the way we do it, too bad" Well, maybe he just had a bad night...but I doubt it. Attitude plays an important part of any restaurant experience and may well be the number one reason for bad reviews on Trip Advisor. Rowland just got one. In short (no irony intended), I can find no reason to again patronize Rowland when there are many other options out there.
We hosted our rehearsal dinner here and it could not have gone any better. Our guests raved about the food and Chef Bruce was incredible easy to work with! Rowland will forever be special to us. Thank you so much Chef Bruce & Virginia!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Desserts, White Chocolate Bread Pudding, Hanger Steak
A warm, romantic atmosphere with great service and delicious food. Definitely a place to come back and enjoy a perfect dinner.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our favorite Fan restaurant. Never had anything other than perfection here. Great food, interesting cocktail offerings, informative and kind staff. Husband and wife team in the kitchen make you feel welcome and appreciated! Great desserts made fresh daily. We will be back soon!Parking: Parking along side streets is easy to find within short walking distance.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
The butter bean cake is worth the trip. This is good food in a friendly neighborhood place that made us outsiders fell very welcome !
While the food was pretty good the kitchen was very slow- over an hour from entree order to receiving it. What made it especially painful was how hard it was to get a drink, bread and salad while waiting. They appear understaffed and the staff they have, including the chef spend a lot of time walking around chatting. To add insult to injury my wife’s special appeared on the bill at $55, far beyond the price of anything with a listed price. Really poor approach.
Everything was perfect. The ambiance was lovely. It's a relatively small establishment but they do very well with the space .It was so hard to decide on what to get but the service was excellent and happy to guide us through the options we were leaning towards. The plates were very well balanced and quite unique. I could eat a bucket of the Panna Cotta. Will absolutely be returning.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gracious what a great find! wonderful decor - warm, inviting and eclectic. Had dinner on the patio - nice peaceful neighborhood. the food ~~AWESOME.....pork chops are delightfully seasoned bonein and moist .....yum! permitted substitution of the brussel sprouts for the butternut hash; white macch; dinner salad with a wonderful homemade cream dressing. Staff was wonderful and knowledgeable. Dinner for 3 with drinks, app, tip 179. Will be back! If I lived in the area I would be there several times a week.Vegetarian options: Good options.Dietary restrictions: Willing to accomodate
For restaurant week, this food was not good. I am actually kind of shocked at what we experienced. My boyfriend's steak was literally cold..felt like it just came straight from the fridge and my chicken was completely raw in the inside. The chef never came out to say anything. They didn't offer me a new meal or take it off the bill, they just threw it in the microwave and said "we've got you covered". They took all my silverware back with raw chicken, so when my microwaved raw chicken came back, they said "hopefully now it's to your liking" (yeah, i dont think raw chicken is to anyone's "liking" lol) and then they never brought any new silverware back. So we just sat there and finished our drinks and asked for the check. We left and went to another restaurant since I didn't barely eat anything but bread lol. At least their bread was good. Apps were subpar. I think they were understaffed because our waiter was also bartending, which is fine, we totally get that and we understand it wasn't his fault which is why im giving 2 stars instead of 1, we still gave him a good tip but they honestly could have handled things a bit better. We won't be coming back.