We had lunch at the bar and everything was spot on. The fried oysters with corn salsa were absolutely delicious. The raw oysters were delicious as well. I had the steak frites and it was cooked perfectly medium rare as ordered. The fish tacos were hot and crispy. The pineapple salsa really helped to bring all of the elements together. Tim the bartender took great care of us and the setting was lovely. We will definitely eat at Hard Shell the next time we are in Richmond. It's a neighborhood gem!!
Peter
Great experience! Food was awesome as was our waiter. Drinks were good and reasonable prices. Great find!!
Nicole
Hard Shell is such a nice quaint space. This was my 3rd visit. The crispy rockfish is amazing! If you are into mocktails, save your money here. We got the "no-jito" and it tasted like sugar water. I hope they expand their list and incorporate fresh fruit and club soda, not just sugary syrups. A citrus garnish and even fresh mint or basil would be amazing! If you order the brocolinni as a side and don't like overwhelming garlic, ask them to go light with it. It was wayyyy too much.
Cathy
Excellent as always! We've been coming here on our anniversary for years and The Hard Shell never disappoints!
Whitney
Wonderful New Year's Eve dinner...the decor was beautiful and the food was awesome! The Parker rolls are a must and a great value at just 5.95!
Burton
Kristian made our holiday family meal so relaxed and enjoyable! Such a knowledgeable, professional server. The food was excellent, especially the scallop and tuna appetizers. The basic hamburger did not match the quality of other menu items. But we love The Hard Shell! Thank you!
Brooke
Our server, Kylie, was outstanding. By her description, the best -- and most humble -- server in the house. The food -- rockfish simply prepared, and the lobster and crab cake special -- was good but not outstanding. The lobster was very small. The "crab cake" was more of a crab hash. I'm from Baltimore, and know what a good crab cake is (and isn't). The chef needs to spend some time in Annapolis and Baltimore and learn how to make a serious crab cake (if you can't see chunks of lump crab, it's not one). The wine was good, but the by-the-glass list is extremely limited. I appreciated the on-the-house creme brulee for my birthday. It was very good. Would we go back? Maybe. But not for crab.
Inger Escamilla
Absolutely amazing!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gregory Wayne Baldwin II
Great food on our way home from Disney
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jamykal Holloman
My party and I recently visited The Hard Rock Shell, and while the food itself was fine, the customer service from the General Manager was extremely disappointing. We were not informed ahead of time that our entire bill had to remain on a single tab, which ultimately inflated the gratuity in a way that felt unnecessary and unreasonable. When we asked for clarification, the General Manager’s attitude was unprofessional and flat-out nasty not what paying customers deserve.
Policies are one thing, but respectful communication is another. A simple explanation delivered with courtesy would’ve gone a long way. Instead, we were met with rudeness over something we weren’t even made aware of. This experience alone makes me hesitant to return or recommend the restaurant to anyone looking for quality service.
2nd time I've been here. Both times for company Christmas dinners. Really great food, and even better service. Certainly, will go there on our own when in downtown Richmond.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood, Steak
Todd Keffer
There for a private event but everything and everyone was great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Laura Williams
Formal date night atmosphere... very nice!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Vic K
Love this place. Relaxed with an upscale vibe. Simply prepared Mahi (blackened) is my go to with a side of grilled Brussels sprouts. Omg slightly sweet and delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
dekeya boggs
Traveled to Richmond for a comedy show and decided to have dinner here prior. We arrived at 4:30 and the restaurant was not busy. There was no one at the door to greet us and we waited about 5 minutes until we were greeted. Let start off by saying the service was excellent and the food was ok. The reason for the one star is both my daughter and I ordered lemon drop martinis. I wanted mines with vodka and she wanted hers with reposado tequila. The drinks were taking quite some time to arrive. My eyes were constantly over at the bartender watching to see what could possibly be the delay. I watched her make both drinks and noticed that she did not use a resposado for my daughters drink but instead used Lunazel blanco which is not what she ordered. Then I noticed that she topped my martini with the rest of he tequila lemon drop... I did try it and sent it back because I did not want the tequila taste. We did order another round and again same Tequila was used for my daughters. Both rounds took anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes to arrive to the table. We asked for the check and was completely surprised when we were charged for Don Julio Tequila which is not what we received and mine you the Don Julio martini was $21 and the Lunazel was $11.00. Had we received Don Julio I would not have had an issue paying for it because that is our preferred tequila. I immediately asked for a manager and of course she gave me a ridiculous excuse for the mix up and adjusted the bill. I would have been more appreciative for just a sincere apology. You guys should really be ashamed of yourself of trying to get over on people. SO PLEASE PEOPLE REVIEW YOUR BILL!
We had lunch at the bar and everything was spot on. The fried oysters with corn salsa were absolutely delicious. The raw oysters were delicious as well. I had the steak frites and it was cooked perfectly medium rare as ordered. The fish tacos were hot and crispy. The pineapple salsa really helped to bring all of the elements together. Tim the bartender took great care of us and the setting was lovely. We will definitely eat at Hard Shell the next time we are in Richmond. It's a neighborhood gem!!
Great experience! Food was awesome as was our waiter. Drinks were good and reasonable prices. Great find!!
Hard Shell is such a nice quaint space. This was my 3rd visit. The crispy rockfish is amazing! If you are into mocktails, save your money here. We got the "no-jito" and it tasted like sugar water. I hope they expand their list and incorporate fresh fruit and club soda, not just sugary syrups. A citrus garnish and even fresh mint or basil would be amazing! If you order the brocolinni as a side and don't like overwhelming garlic, ask them to go light with it. It was wayyyy too much.
Excellent as always! We've been coming here on our anniversary for years and The Hard Shell never disappoints!
Wonderful New Year's Eve dinner...the decor was beautiful and the food was awesome! The Parker rolls are a must and a great value at just 5.95!
Kristian made our holiday family meal so relaxed and enjoyable! Such a knowledgeable, professional server. The food was excellent, especially the scallop and tuna appetizers. The basic hamburger did not match the quality of other menu items. But we love The Hard Shell! Thank you!
Our server, Kylie, was outstanding. By her description, the best -- and most humble -- server in the house. The food -- rockfish simply prepared, and the lobster and crab cake special -- was good but not outstanding. The lobster was very small. The "crab cake" was more of a crab hash. I'm from Baltimore, and know what a good crab cake is (and isn't). The chef needs to spend some time in Annapolis and Baltimore and learn how to make a serious crab cake (if you can't see chunks of lump crab, it's not one). The wine was good, but the by-the-glass list is extremely limited. I appreciated the on-the-house creme brulee for my birthday. It was very good. Would we go back? Maybe. But not for crab.
Absolutely amazing!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food on our way home from Disney
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My party and I recently visited The Hard Rock Shell, and while the food itself was fine, the customer service from the General Manager was extremely disappointing. We were not informed ahead of time that our entire bill had to remain on a single tab, which ultimately inflated the gratuity in a way that felt unnecessary and unreasonable. When we asked for clarification, the General Manager’s attitude was unprofessional and flat-out nasty not what paying customers deserve.
Policies are one thing, but respectful communication is another. A simple explanation delivered with courtesy would’ve gone a long way. Instead, we were met with rudeness over something we weren’t even made aware of. This experience alone makes me hesitant to return or recommend the restaurant to anyone looking for quality service.
Restaurantji Recommends
2nd time I've been here. Both times for company Christmas dinners.
Really great food, and even better service. Certainly, will go there on our own when in downtown Richmond.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood, Steak
There for a private event but everything and everyone was great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Formal date night atmosphere... very nice!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Love this place. Relaxed with an upscale vibe. Simply prepared Mahi (blackened) is my go to with a side of grilled Brussels sprouts. Omg slightly sweet and delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Traveled to Richmond for a comedy show and decided to have dinner here prior. We arrived at 4:30 and the restaurant was not busy. There was no one at the door to greet us and we waited about 5 minutes until we were greeted. Let start off by saying the service was excellent and the food was ok. The reason for the one star is both my daughter and I ordered lemon drop martinis. I wanted mines with vodka and she wanted hers with reposado tequila. The drinks were taking quite some time to arrive. My eyes were constantly over at the bartender watching to see what could possibly be the delay. I watched her make both drinks and noticed that she did not use a resposado for my daughters drink but instead used Lunazel blanco which is not what she ordered. Then I noticed that she topped my martini with the rest of he tequila lemon drop... I did try it and sent it back because I did not want the tequila taste. We did order another round and again same Tequila was used for my daughters. Both rounds took anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes to arrive to the table. We asked for the check and was completely surprised when we were charged for Don Julio Tequila which is not what we received and mine you the Don Julio martini was $21 and the Lunazel was $11.00. Had we received Don Julio I would not have had an issue paying for it because that is our preferred tequila. I immediately asked for a manager and of course she gave me a ridiculous excuse for the mix up and adjusted the bill. I would have been more appreciative for just a sincere apology. You guys should really be ashamed of yourself of trying to get over on people. SO PLEASE PEOPLE REVIEW YOUR BILL!
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