Upon reading all of the rave reviews about the food & service at Botanya, our experience was the total opposite. Yesterday evening, my husband & I got all dressed up for dinner reservations in celebration of his 50th birthday. The ambiance was trendy, classy & quaint; however, the service was ZERO stars. Needless to say, we never even tasted the food. After sitting at the table for nearly 30 minutes, there was no acknowledgment of our presence by the 2 servers working the small area. We saw the phenomenal service provided to the others around us. Finally our server NORKYS R came to our table and asked us what would we like as appetizers. No greeting, no request for our beverage order. When we inquired about specialty martini's, she replied the only martinis that could be made was "regular" and "dirty". She did not make an attempt to ask the bartender and treated us as if we were a bother. We placed our drink order and our server came by a few times minutes a part rushing us to place our order instead of allowing us to enjoy the dining experience. The final straw was when she informed us that a party of 9 just arrived and we should order immediately or it would be a long wait. Under normal circumstances this would be a reasonable request to mention; however, in light of the poor service, we requested the bill for the drinks. She did not even inquire as to why we were leaving so we abruptly. Since it was a Saturday evening & we were all dressed up, I quickly found reservations at Azzuro on OpenTable where the service & food was exceptional. In conclusion, our experience at Botanya was beyond disappointing. read more

We celebrated my friends birthday at Botanya and we had a great time. Our server Sheena was THE BEST. We tried their Caesar salad, Pesto pasta,cordon bleu and Gnocchi. All the food was 10/10. Sangria and tiramisu were so good. I'll definitely come back and highly recommend this place. read more

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Wonderful experience. Interesting menu with a blend of Spanish and Italian cuisine. Spinach lasagna seemed to be a big surprise as a favorite. Also pesto dishes with shrimp. We also tried the beef lasagna which I was very surprised by the full flavor and fresh cheese. The only disappointment was the table side preparation of the pasta made in the cheese wheel. The dish was overly cheesy so you could not taste anything but the cheese. Inside restaurant was very nice and service was fantastic. Very much recommend you try this place. read more

The food was good, not great. Would recommend the Brussels sprouts appetizer. Service was absolutely terrible, probably because of staffing issues. We finally had to get up and request check after waiting half an hour for drinks ordered when our entrees came out. Overall poor experience' read more

Let me start by saying we REALLY wanted to love this restaurant and hope this was just an off night as most of our issues stemmed from the service. The restaurant itself has a great vibe. We sat outside and had perfect weather to take in all the energy of Carytown. The server took our drink and appetizer order and did not reappear for another 30 minutes. Brought out one drink, then a few minutes later emerged with the other. She seemed overwhelmed so I felt bad adding anything to her plate but finally had to request waters (which should be automatic at a restaurant of this caliber). We weren't in a hurry and wanted to enjoy the night but the appetizers came out a bit later and to no surprise were cold. We had the shrimp which had good flavor, but is supposed to be served hot. For entrees, we had the carbonara (which they don't do table side outside which was disappointing but understandable!) and the gnocchi alla vodka. Both tasty but needed a little spice. I saw someone else reviewed that there was only one pepper grinder for the entire restaurant which was true! The server asked if they could take it and I said that we would still like to keep it. They responded that they were going to take it anyway which was just strange. (It was just a little $15 hand grinder, nothing crazy) Side note - the hostess spent the entire busy Friday night leaning into a car parked on Cary St. We acted as hostess the whole night because people were confused when they weren't greeted at the hostess stand. Made for an unprofessional greeting but was entertaining for us. This restaurant has a lot of potential and we still intend to give it another chance someday! read more

Top to bottom, from drinks, to salads, entree, delicious. The staff is amazing and on point with all of their recommendations. Highly highly recommend,. The decor is gorgeous, I would suggest reservations as the space is not large but is thoughtfully laid out. read more

Stellar experience! From the cool, modern, relaxed atmosphere to the inventive cocktails, my group was super impressed. We shared a bunch of small plates.. Brussel sprouts, meatballs, prosciutto crostini & patatas , all phenomenal. We will definitely be back! Oh & great service! read more

Good food, great service, definitely worth a visit. First I'd like to give kudos to Katherine, our server and the rest of the staff who stepped in to keep everything moving quickly. All the staff was extraordinarily friendly and proficient. I started out with a pesto sour, I think that's what it was called, it was delicious and unique. The menu is set up in sections and the expectation is you order one item from each section to share but my boyfriend and I would never be able to agree on one thing to share so the concept didn't work for us but I like it. From the Stuzzichini section we ordered prosciutto crostini and prosciutto di Parma croquettes. The prosciutto crostini is one of the best things I've ever eaten, the pesto and marinated mozzarella with the prosciutto, it was a masterpiece of flavor, now I made myself hungry again. The croquettes were really good but it's hard to beat a masterpiece of flavor. We skipped the insalata course and went for a primi dish of Fritos misto. It was good, loved the sauces, especially the aioli. We then skipped the pasta course which was unfortunate because we saw some that went by that looked delicious but we were getting full. We had two dishes from the secondi section, truffled tagliata and pollo diavolo. I had the tagliata and the steak was cooked perfectly and the food was seasoned well however, it was cold, the steak and risotto were cold but the carrots were hot, my boyfriend's chicken was hot. Botanya has only been opened a month so they're still working out a few hiccups but it has the potential to be a ten out of ten so I will go back. read more

This place has some cool vibes and decor, but the service and food were so so so bad. The menu lacks creativity and the poor quality of the food does not justify the prices. We deemed our pasta dishes as overpriced Noodles & Co. The pesto was watered down and the pasta consisted of boxed noodles. I was horrified at the presentation too - shouldn't an "Italian" restaurant have pasta dishes instead of serving a sloppy pile of fettuccine on a regular plate? As the cherry on top, our waiter basically ignored us the entire time. Only giving this place one star because of the live music on the patio, which was a nice touch although we couldn't hear it inside. read more

Let me start off by saying the food and drinks we had were very good. The lobster risotto, croquettes, cannoli, smoky old fashioned - everything was delicious. That said, initial impression when we walked in was .. concerning. Weird sulfur smell like bad hard boiled eggs permeated throughout. Luckily that passed (or we adjusted) after five minutes or so. The main issue, and why I only give this place three stars, is the price and the 3% "living wage" fee they tack on. Regarding the former, we recently dined at a Michelin star restaurant in DC for less than what we paid here for a few small plates of food and a few rounds of drinks. While the food, as I've said, is very good - it cannot justify the prices. A Michelin star restaurant this is not. Eating out in the city of Richmond is already an expensive experience with sales tax, meals tax, tipping, and then they have the audacity to add another 3% on top of all that. So take the already expensive prices on the menu, add about 35% to what you see, and that's what you'll end up paying. I'm sure little if any of that extra 3% goes to the actual workers. For as good as the food is, I can't possibly see people dining here for regular occasions because of the prices and additional fees. I'll be shocked if it's around another 1-2 years. read more

The food at Botanya is excellent! The service was fantastic. Sarah was very welcoming, friendly and helpful. My daughter has been here a few times and was anxious to bring me here. I'm so glad she did, the food was delicious! Looking forward to returning for another excellent meal! read more

Party of three for Friday dinner. Service was disappointing. Pretty much ignored for 10 minutes and it never got much better. Food is okay, nothing remarkable. read more

Philip was a fantastic server and the food was delicious! Will definitely be coming back again!

By far the best attentive service I've ever had at a restaurant. It might seem silly, but I drink a lot of water at restaurants and it always peeves me when I have to wait for more water. A slightly inconvenience, I know, but here I literally never had an empty cup. The ambiance was superb, I love the colors and theme of the restaurant. It was very calming. Also, such a great playlist was playing! I just had mimosas and some potatoes, but all were incredible and the group's food was fantastic. Overall, would definitely, definitely recommend!! read more

Tha decor was amazing and really fun. The food was pretty decent but we'll never return due the service. The waitress greeted us promptly. Took a few minutes longer than usual to bring our drinks but that was ok. Our food was served by a different server. After our food was served we waited a full hour for anyone to check on us, refill drinks, or ask about desserts. The restaurant was half empty and seemed to be very well staffed. Our server spent over 15 minutes with another table talking about babies. She then went on greet people at the hostess station with the host before checking on us. A very large party arrived and they needed our table. Well then magically we had 3 servers clearing our table and asking about the bill. read more

Visiting friends and they suggested to check out this recently opened restaurant. They have a great wine and mixed drinks selection. Food is offered as tapas but the portions are very generous. We had mussels, meatballs, prosciutto crostini, and torchietti. The only disappointment were the torchieti, very bland and watery. The idea of bolognese verde is good, it just didn't bring anything to this pasta dish. Service and ambiance were great. read more

If they had any shame, they would shutter their business. It is deeply insulting to two fantastic food cultures. The "stuffed artichokes" were canned artichokes over meat sauce, a truly bizarre interpretation of a traditional Italian dish. The panzanella was a mix of store bought croutons and unripe cherry tomatoes - if you don't have respect enough for your customers to toss bread in olive oil and toast it, I'm not sure why you would even bother. The eggplant dish was half filled with water, as I assume they didn't know you're supposed to dry it before cooking (it was also only partially cooked), and the "table-side carbonara" tasted like straight up cheap vodka and was completely inedible. I suppose I should count myself lucky as the other photos I have since seen on the reviews showed a piled mess of scrambled egg. It truly seems as if people who have never eaten and certainly never cooked Italian food opened a restaurant that inexplicably also claims to be a Spanish fusion - which after scouring the menu, the only item close seemed to be the sangria. I can't even get started on the service but we ordered an app, a salad, and an entree per person - and asked for the courses to be spaced out. She brought one salad and one app. We then flagged her down to explain, to some confusion, that spacing out courses does not mean one person eats at a time. The people of Richmond deserve better than to be lied to about things being "homemade" and "traditional" to explain how poor this whole operation is. Anyone who has eaten real Italian food before knows when pasta is from a store, and it's extremely disrespectful to suggest the people leaving reviews don't know how these dishes "traditionally" are prepared. Yea, we do, which is why this is so insulting. Do not go. read more

We LOVE this spot for happy hour. Such amazing tapas and appetizers... ambiance is off the chart, staff is friendly and knowledgeable... go for the patas bravas, the Brussels, the meatballs, and the croquetas morada.... Drooooooling just writing this. So. Freaking. Good. read more

Excellent service (Sheena) and food was delicious! Highly Recommend! You won't regret coming to this restaurant!

The food was so delicious! We had beef lasagne and chicken cordon bleu. I would recommend this restaurant for sure! The service was a little slow, but not a big deal. Very fun quirky atmosphere. read more

.A fun little place with interesting decor, the appetizer was delicious, however our main dishes were sort of pitiful. The waitress was extremely nice and accommodating. A fun place to go for a drink and an appetizer but I don't recommend dinner there. Ordinary food and overpriced. read more

Went for the table side carbonara and to try a new restaurant. Ordered appetizers, salads and entrees. Appetizers came out, then carbonara was made but because of how tight the tables are, others diners enjoyed the show. Ten minutes later the rest of the party at our table got both the salads and entrees at same time. Food was not amazing as it really should have been for the amount of money we paid. Really disappointed, place looks nice inside but not somewhere I think we'd go again. read more

Botanya was excellent. The flavors are excellent. The staff is incredibly attentive. The bucatini seafood pasta was outstanding. The ambiance is immersive and sets the scene for the experience. I would highly recommend going; you won't be disappointed. read more

Would not recommend this place. Staff was nice but there were nats in my water, lipstick stains on the wine glass, and it took 45 minutes for our drinks to arrive. Wanted to love this place but I will not be returning. read more

Love the vibe. Cocktails are unique and flavorful. The food is too. Highly recommend! Best Italian (with Spanish infusion) in Richmond.

Love the concept and the food is AMAZING, this red has become my favorite dinning spot, my current favorite is the Frank Sinatra. 100% recommended read more

I have been to Botanya for drinks and apps a few times and it was average. My gripe is that they have a nice outdoor patio but won't allow small, well-behaved dogs. I live in the neighborhood and appreciate an eating establishment that I can walk my dog to. There are many other wonderful places that allow them, such as Fire & Hops, Izzys, le Crepe... read more

We just celebrated our wedding anniversary here and it was incredible! The wine, coffee, service (thanks, Sheena), food, and ambience was perfect. I had the Cordon Bleu and it was absolutely delicious. My wife had the table side carbonara and it was such an experience. I highly recommend Botanya! read more

Waitress was so nice and the place is cool but they did t have any of the items pictured on Yelp and chairs outside were very uncomfortable.

I called up here recently to get pricing and to see if I could make a reservation but whoever answered the phone could've been a little nicer and maybe not hang up on me in the middle of speaking or rush me through a sentence. The customer service I received was poor I would say 0 read more

Really enjoyed my dinner at Botanya! I had the gnocchi with Prosciutto and my wife had the four cheese pasta. Brussel sprouts were delicious too! read more

The ambiance was nice, but it smelled like rotten eggs. Our server was very friendly and helpful, but other than the complimentary focaccia, the food was disappointing. The entrees and pasta were very small for the cost. The steak was tough, even though ordered rare and the pasta was very simple and plain. For only two of us, we spent $125 and didn't even leave full. Wouldn't recommend. read more

The atmosphere at this restaurant is lively and fun! Our cocktails were also creative and tasty. However, our appetizers & entrees were disappointing. The mussels and broth didn't have very much flavor and the brussel sprouts were just ok. My daughter & I had the ravioli which was a tiny portion and not very memorable. My son and husband shared the paella. The seafood was well cooked but the dish was lacking flavor. We will probably try again to see if maybe we hit them on an off night. I did take a video of the drink presentation which was fun. read more

We received a gift card for Botanya for Christmas and were very excited to try this new place for our wedding anniversary. We liked the atmosphere, although it was a bit loud, and the staff seemed attentive. We ordered drinks and the mussel appetizer to share. It was a bit skimpy for $15.00 but the sauce was pretty yummy. Then things really went downhill. We waited nearly an hour for our entrees of pasta bolognese and pasta with shrimp scampi. The server and the manager were very apologetic and kept promising that our meal was coming right out but we continued to wait. When our entrees finally arrived they were extremely small. We figured it was par for the course at a relatively high end restaurant until we saw the servings of the identical dishes given to the party beside us. Ours were about 1/2 the size! The bill came to about $150.00 but we were still hungry. Even though the food was very tasty, I don't think we'll be going back. read more

Great meal. Nice ambiance. Service was on the slow side but when Carla noticed we hadn't gotten our drinks yet, she was quick to help. The food was great. The chicken liver pate was so good we tried to scrape every bit out of the serving dish. The duck gnocchi was pillow soft and flavorful. I can't wait to return with a larger group so that I can try more of the appetizers. read more

Botanya is a beautiful restaurant with a calm and classy atmosphere and well-thought-out food and drinks. Katheryn was my server and she was professional and helpful in explaining the menu and wines. Overall a good experience and a great place to treat yourself and/or someone you care about. read more

Beautiful place inside. Service was extremely slow. The pasta was undercooked. Early in the evening they were already out of main entrees. Portions are minimal so if you are hungry this isn't the place unless you get a three or four course meal. Our waiter was nice but seem to be doing everything which causes us to have to wait so long to pay our bill. For what I would call an upscale restaurant the prices doesn't match the quality of food that our table received. I hope it gets better because I would love for them to succeed. read more

Once service gets perfected, this place will be top notch. Food was delicious but the highlight of the night was the alcoholic Pesto Sour drink! I will go back to have that again! read more

Recently enjoyed cocktails and dinner. Interesting menu, and drinks, wine menu options good, over all a very nice evening in a new and up coming spot. read more

great food the pizza fritta is amazing as well as the frank Sinatra pasta very tasty their cocktails are awesome and the service is always amazing a five star meal ever time I go there read more