My wife and I came to this restaurant to meet up with my wife's sisters. We had heard good things about this place, so we decided to try it out. The first thing we all noticed when we walked into the restaurant was the smokey, fishy air. I'm not sure if the place had a ventilation issue, but the air was tough to get used to. I've worked at seafood restaurants before, and it was never this bad. Even when we got home later that night, we had to wash all of our clothes because the smokey smell was on everything. Regarding drinks, I got a draft tropical IPA that was good. My wife got a rum cocktail from the menu that was excellent. For food, we got some fresh oysters for the table. They tasted great with the cocktail sauce. We also had the ceviche. It was alright but needed some more flavor. A little too citrusy. My wife and her sisters are Peruvian, so they try ceviche whenever it's on the menu. Moving on to entrees, I got the cheeseburger. It was flavorful and satisfying. The beef was cooked perfectly for me. My wife got the paella. It was a little too juicy. Almost like a soup. The rice was hard and stuck to the dish. They were even crunchy. Out of all the dishes we tried, the paella was the only one not finished. It missed the mark flavor wise. Overall, the staff was very friendly. The host, server, and bartenders were all polite. The restrooms could have used a once over. Paper towels overflowing out of the trash can. The air in the restaurant was too smoking and fishy. We all had to wash our hair, faces, and clothes to get the smell out. The restaurant isn't bad, it just needs to managed a little better. There should be a quality control check up. read more

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My copilot and I had a quality dinner here at the bar. Our server took great care of us and we enjoyed some small talk with the "oyster shucker"(?). We ordered a few cocktails of their cocktail list before switching to beer later on during the meal. They didn't have my first choice of beer after recently running out so our waitress made another recommendation that was fine. The cocktails were pretty good but seemed pretty expensive for what you get. We started with 30 oysters which included 15 Rappahannocks and 15 Olde Salts. They all tasted the same to us but we enjoyed them. For our meal, we each went with the Pan Seared Rockfish which was pretty good. It was a large portion of fish and they side of vegetables were tasty. Overall, we enjoyed our meal and didn't have any issues. The dining room is very inviting and has a relaxing and class atmosphere. The bar is impressive in size and we had pretty good service. read more

Rappahannock - Pan Seared Rockfish - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Hold onto your hats -- this place is not cheap, but the shellfish is sea-briny fresh, the fish is cooked expertly, the drinks menu is carefully selected to highlight the food, and the service is excellent. Well worth the price for a superb meal. read more

Happy hour $2 oysters Mon-Fri 4-6pm. Really fresh and delicious oysters. The wood grilled octopus is amazing. Tasty and delicious. I will definitely come back. Good customer service. I sat at the bar and nice cozy environment with good music read more

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What happened?? This has been one of my favorite restaurants for over 10 years and I visit about twice per year and look forward to every visit. I am very sad to say that my visit tonight might have been my last . The food was overpriced, uninspired, poorly portioned, bland, and kinda weird. The baked oysters came with a dollop of dukes mayo (why!?; gross), the swordfish was served with peanut laden salad, and the ceviche had no flavor. The wine could've been much better, the service was mediocre. Again, I'll ask, what happened? read more

You know that definition of psychosis? The one that says it is defined by doing the same thing over and over again and expec different results. I was thinking about this tonight at Rappahannock. Two drinks, a dozen Old Salts oysters (small, unappealing), an order of soup, an order of grilled asparagus: $130. the place was almost empty at 6:00 on a Saturday night, but the service was slow and unimpressive. I noticed an elderly couple seated at the lousiest place in the house when we came in. when we left they were still sitting there, looking for a waitress that clearly wasn't coming. The once beloved, special, delicious Rappahannock is gone, and that's it for us. read more

Overall a fabulous dining experience here last night. We each got a cocktail, a garden party and a boulevardier, both were delicious. Raw oysters and grilled octopus were outstanding. Sometimes octopus is not tender but this was beautifully executed and flavorful. Next moved on to some local beer, a brown ale and stout-both very good and ordered the baked clams, roasted beet and carrot salad and bread board. The clams were herbaceous and the beet salad was fantastic! Last we went for the coffee panna cota, it had a nice coffee flavor. The chocolate ganache was very sweet but overall it was tasty. The service was so good, that made the meal even better. The host that sat us, the waiter that served us were both so kind and helpful. I wish we were local because we would come more often! read more

My husband and I USED to love Rappahannock. Lately, it has not been as good. We go for happy hour and they USED to have both types of their oysters on happy hour, now the old salts are not on. That was disappointing. The mussels were good and the cheeseburger was great last time we went and just ok this time. My husband had one bite and let me have his half. Really sad they have and are still going down hill. read more

Unfortunately, the food was just ok and it felt like they forgot about us even though we were sitting at the bar. The octopus dish looked nice but the octopus tasted like a plain chicken breast and the beans were undercooked. The mussels were so small it wasn't worth the effort. I had no water refill for my entire meal nor did my friend. She also never got to order a 2nd drink because by the time we were asked we were ready to leave. After asking for our check and stacking up all of our plates, etc it still took another 15 minutes for them to run our card. The place was beautiful but we won't be back. read more

If you like oysters and are visiting Richmond then this is would be a great place to stop by. Its a corner restaurant with a bar taking center stage. The service is impeccable--the waitress I had was very sweet and always checking in on us. Only reason I dont give it a 5/5 is because their market fish was a mix of flavors that didnt connect well (lemon zest garlic inside versus sweet bbq tasting sauce outside) and their baked crabs were seasoned oddly--crunchy with ground beef topping--not my thing, but to each their own! I would say that their setting is rustic, quite a lot of couples were noticeable but easily a family place too! Given their prices and advertising as a classier restaurant, they could do better with the decor like covering up their AC pipes, it takes away from the actual nice setting. Overall, I enjoyed my dinner and definitely would come back for the drinks and oysters!! read more

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Great place for r oysters and cheese plate, bartender awesome. One thing I would love if when ordering food a side plate nice. Will still come back here as the food is ten across the board. read more

This place is meh. This is no reflection on the service whatsoever as the bartender was great and the ambiance here is nice. I ordered a dozen oysters and they weren't shucked appropriately. When shucking an oyster you're supposed to remove the oyster meat from the bottom of the shell so you can slurp them down. This didn't happen as all my oysters were still stuck to the shell and I had to use a fork to scrape them off so a lot of product was left in the shell. Needless to say, I won't be returning. read more

It was ok. It was not cozy enough for me but, the service was great. Food was ok.Fish of the day had a lot of things on it but, it lacked flavor. read more

Rappahannock - Fish of the day. - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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great seafood, especially the oysters from the Chesapeake bay. lively scene. good booze. good service.

Super fresh oysters. I love raw oysters so order them wherever they're offered. They provided horseradish upon request because I prefer the raw taste and then might add might add a little lemon and horseradish. We also ordered the oysters with caviar. They were so tasty I forgot to take a picture of them. Best paella we've ever had, and we've been to Spain. We enjoyed the crispy rice in particular. Delicious and fresh whole fish. It was red snapper when we visited. It fell off the bones, and the flavor was superb. Great cocktails (Negroni and dirty martini). Excellent service. Even tho I didn't specify outdoor seating in my reservation, they still accommodated it on such a lovely day. Host, waitress, and bartender were all fantastic. Walking distance from Dominion Energy Center (we went to a show at the theater beforehand). Definitely a repeat! read more

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5 star all around! We walked right in Monday night because Lillie Pearl was an hour wait. The cocktail menu was pretty basic. I told the waitress I was looking for something refreshing. She said I have a craft daiquiri. This was not your basic daiquiri! It was so refreshing and pretty, not too sweet at all. The ceviche, scallops on the BEST Carolina grits, and burger were all delicious. The service was great too! We will be back next time we are in Richmond! read more

Worse branzino I've had in my life! Slimmy undercooked and whatever was underneath was soggy tasteless and I thought I got asparagus but it was burnt scallions and worse martini $ can buy. They will be out of business before winter avoid at all cost read more

This is my 10th time at Rappahannock, and something has changed. While our server was a delight, our meal was beyond overpriced for only perfectly fine food & cocktails (served in an eye-watering smokey space). read more

The food was a 10/10! If I could have had my entree a second time, I would have! It was the Mahi! The service was equally good! We really enjoyed how the cooking is done where you can see, very cool. Can't wait to return! read more

Rappahannock - Old salts - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

I only came here for a drink which was really good. The atmosphere is good for loners, people in pairs, and groups. The hosts are pleasant and accommodating. read more

On the way to a show, we had dinner at Rappahannock. The food and presentation was outstanding, as was the service. Very unique dishes, extremely flavorful, excellent beverages, and an overall great dining experience! read more

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Have been here a few times now and day at the bar every time although there are plenty of tables. I usually show up after work. Music is obvious but not so loud you can't hear yourself think. The bar is a big square which generally makes for the best service, in my opinion. Two of our three times the bartender (different each time) has been stellar, which tells you that, like every place, so much rests on the service, even more than ambiance. Menu has some inventive twists on bistro favorites. The charcuterie board features pork that you can see being smoked over the stove, and pickled veg that they do in house. The steak tartare is unusual and delicious. The raw oysters are delicious and the shucker knows what he's doing. Friendly hosts, friendly wait staff. Definitely going back. read more

Rappahannock - Top shelf spirits - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Ordered the scallops and it turned out to be one of the best dishes I've had in years. The raw rappahannock oysters and the baked oysters we're phenomenal. Service was fantastic. They change the menu based on the season. Highly recommend visiting. read more

Rappahannock - Raw Rappahannock Oysters. Baked Oysters. Caviar. - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Loved the vinegar! The oysters were very mild and had very little natural flavor. This may be good for some people, but I love the briny sea flavor of oysters. The scallop ceviche was very fresh, but also very bland. Had a really good whiskey sour, with raw egg! read more

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Came in. Sat at the bar. 15 minutes no one took the order. After 15 min someone did. 40 min later turns out the order isn't in the system. That's all. read more

When my first visit to a place is middling, I'm not apt to return soon. Four years later, and I'm still not overly impressed. Brought a friend for lunch and we both left still hungry. I got the crabcake sandwich, he got the burger. Both came with a side salad (very tasty), and we also got their oysters "Rockefeller" which were more ham-my than anything... okay, but definitely overpowered by ham. The crabcake was good enough, but just not enough of it. His burger was good enough, but just not enough of it. My prosecco on tap was flat. Had to order up to the bottled variety, which was much better. The service was good, in that everything was well-timed. Overall, just an okay visit. Not enough to bring me back... in four days, weeks or years. Richmond's food scene (we're #25 on Zagat's top 30!) is way too exciting to revisit mediocre restaurants. read more

Rappahannock - Oysters "Rockefeller" - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Food is fabulous. Service impeccable. Ambience is awesome. Our server Ray was exquisite. She was right on top of things throughout the evening. read more

What can you say about a restaurant who's head chef responds "we don't devein our shrimp here" when you send back paella after eating a mouthful of shrimp shit. You don't say anything because he said everything with that statement. Avoid this place like you would avoid any feces serving facility. read more

Good spot for oysters and drinks in my opinion. I like their menu and the service was good, as well as the food.

I really wanted to love this place. I had raw oysters (pretty good - beware the up-charge on the minuet), wood-grilled octopus (better than expected), wood-grilled whole fish (red snapper, over salted - to the point where it wasn't even appetizing, and I love salty foods), dessert (I don't even remember). The service was so very slow. Which I understand when it's busy or understaffed, but neither of those appeared to be the case that night. The kicker was all the extra items that appeared on our check from the next table over. About $200 worth. Overall a disappointing experience. read more

Yummy food and amazing service! The place smells great too The Cullen Skink and grilled octopus were amazing, the trout crudo was really fun and of course they prepared oysters excellently. Looks like they switch up the menu regularly too! Thanks again to the amazing staff, will happily return! read more

Used to be my go to upscale great food restaurant. Not anymore. Changed chef and menu. Was looking forward to the leather bound menu of wonderful food options and lovely, extensive wine list. Instead received a laminated front and back menu. The food was O.K. at best. The first server had a terrible attitude but fortunately left and the second server was awesome. Only a few people in the place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. It would normally be packed. Guy sitting two tables over was loudly talking on speaker phone. Not the same place. Just another meh restaurant. read more

I visited Rappahannock for dinner with my wife one night before a show at the nearby Carpenter Theater. Great location. Nice decor. Friendly service. The tables for two are very small and most of them are bar height which seems odd. They have a small wine menu with bottles starting around $65 and up. The atmosphere is a bit loud and lacks a sophisticated vibe. Food was good and well presented, but overpriced. read more

Went in during a bit of nasty winter weather, and was welcomed right away. Ordinarily, a single diner is treated as an unnecessary distraction, but the staff was attentive and hospitable. Needing something more hearty than oysters or scallops, I ordered the pork tenderloins. These were delicious and done properly. The sides, cheesy grits and vegetables, were very tasty. The kitchen was small, so getting several orders out at a time was not possible. But the food was worth the wait. The ambiance and layout of the restaurant is warm and practical. Service was good, and the servers are knowledgable about the menu items. The location, on the corner of Grace and 4th street, is convenient to downtown. Overall, an excellent place for dinner or lunch. read more

Out first time visiting this restaurant. The bar was perfect for arriving early and getting a drink. I had a beer and an old fashion bourbon. My wife had the "dealers choice" and she as very pleased - picked her poison and gave the bartender her pallets for a cocktail. They surprise you with their choice, unique way to order a drink. The food was amazing, but smaller portions. We also had a dozen oysters as an appetizer and they did not disappoint. Very fresh and the fixings were spot on. read more

Rappahannock - Oysters! - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Do I recommend it? Yes! Run don't walk! We had such a great meal but what made our dinner pretty special was our server Ray. I was calling her my ray of sunshine by the end of dinner. We had fun, and delicious seafood. Thanks Ray!! read more

I read so many good things about this place so I was super disappointed by the experience. First of all, we walked in and the place was full of smoke. Started with oysters which were extremely gritty- was pulling a lot of pieces of shell out of my mouth which is obviously not a good time. Octopus was very weird and overcooked. The scallops were so salty and also overcooked. We also tried the lobster salad which was super disappointing- overwhelmingly tastes like mayonnaise. The service was good and that is why I would give it two stars instead of one. I would never come back and think it's either incredibly overhyped or we ordered all of the wrong things. Drinks were unimpressive but not overtly bad. read more

I've done my research on popular Virginia food and oysters seems to be a favorite. I personally can't tell the difference between where different oysters are from, which part of the Atlantic ocean etc. but a handful of blogs pointed me to Rappanannock. I made a reservation through Open Table but came in earlier to enjoy happy hour. I tried all the HH oysters but enjoyed the Rappannnock best from its size and flavor .. not too salty! read more

Had some Open Table rewards so decided to try Rappahannock out. First impression, the bar is amazing. I believe you could get 30 people around it. Unfortunately, the A/C was broken this day so the inside was very warm. Food was good not great & a little pricey. Service was very good. Nothing too wrong with Rappahannock; there are just better options in the RVA market. read more

The food is mediocre. The portions are very small for the cost. Extremely overpriced. Atmosphere is OK. Nothing special.