Hadn't been for a while but were quite pleased with our decision to finally go. Had She Crab soup, Oysters Rockefeller, and Bacon wrapped Scallops. Everything was delicious! Service was excellent. Will return soon! read more

I really enjoy this restaurant. It can be hard to get a table and can get a bit pricy so make a reservation if you can or come with enough time to wait. The smaller the party the better as it usually is a busy place. 1) Food was excellent! All of our meals tasted great. 2) Oysters were fresh and tasty. 3) Beers were cold and fresh. 4) Wait staff was friendly and attentive. Overall we love this place and come here whenever we can. Please give it a try. read more

Ehhh everyone told us to check this place out! Highly disappointed.. reminded me of red lobsters which I'm sorry has just gone down the tubes in my opinion! If you want a good seafood meal stay with bonefish. read more

This is by far the best restaurant that I have ever eaten at and I have eaten at many locations in Richmond and abroad. Their clam chowder is the best in the world and I mean a whole lot better than any that I have had in New England. Their chopped salad and dressing is to die for!! read more

Food and service is excellent here. The ambience is also great with a large tropical fish tank above the bar. I highly recommend this restaurant! read more

Best seafood around with the best staff I've had in a long time. I go out to eat a lot and haven't been anywhere better.

They. An really come such a long way since opening that old gas station 15 years ago in Chester. The decor rocks, service is friendly and the seafood is great!!!! Summer is awesome outside on their patio as well where you find love music most weekends. read more

Just finished dinner- we were early and they weren't busy so we felt optimistic about this experience. We had a bad one about a year or so ago and haven't been back. We decided to try again and unfortunately it was disappointing. First of all, our server Hope was excellent. She was friendly and professional and was prompt with check ins throughout our meal. The meal was the problem. The peel and eat shrimp were very rubbery-very overcooked. Our crab cake was inedible- we couldn't even taste the crab. The clam strips were also overcooked, fries were greasy. So sorry this didn't go well- we've decided that this will be our last dinner at Riptides. Good luck to all who want to take a chance on a better experience. read more

The food is amazing! First experience at Riptides and I have no words to express how absolutely delicious the food was! Visiting with my sisters and enjoyed darn good dining. Especially loved the live music and friendly ambiance, awesome waiters/waitresses... really enjoyed a great night! The fettuccine alfredo with shrimp was to die for, the appetizers... coconut shrimp, calamari... the list goes on. Definitely recommend a visit if you're in town. Chesterfield, VA read more

Riptides Seafood Restaurant - Sister Night - Seafood Near Me - Chester, Virginia

Excellent Catfish and Shrimp and Grits at the best seafood restaurant in Metro Richmond. read more

Riptides Seafood Restaurant - Catfish - Seafood Near Me - Chester, Virginia

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$30 for 2 crab cakes, French fries, and a saucer of canned corn. Way over priced for the quality and preparation of the crab cakes. The crab cakes were small and flat as pancakes. Not much crab at all for $30. The crab cakes were pan fried and almost burnt. This was our first and LAST time eating at Riptides. read more

Again I had the scallops and they were divine. This time I ordered Cobia with blueberry sauce which was delicious but the fish was a tad over cooked in my opinion. Service was again very attentive. Oysters on the half shell were good. Tried both kinds from Virginia. read more

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The steak was under seasoned but cooked well. My seafood platter was pretty great but a couple of scallops needed cleaned better. The fries were burnt and not good at all. Giving 3 stars because the prices were high considering the quality of the food. read more

Beautiful afternoon atmosphere. The patio was open. The music was nice. The drinks were delicious. My waiter (Dakota) Was awesome sauce! I would definitely recommend this place to friends and I will be coming back. read more

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Great everything food was the best service was quick and friendly. Very comfortable dining area

Decided to stop by here after driving by here several times over the past couple years since moving closer by this way for a celebratory lunch with my husband who is an avid seafoody being from Baltimore and all and I an avid steak connoisseur. We started out with drinks...ok... it's not TOO early for drinks...is it? They still offered their New Year's drinks of either blackberry martini (gin, blackberry jam, coconut rum, pineapple juice, lime juice, & simple syrup), ginger smash (whiskey, ginger beer, gingerbread syrup, rimmed w caramel), or Peach Mule (Vodka, Peach Schnapps, ginger beer, and simple syrup). I chose the blackberry martini after asking the waiter for his recommendation. He was not wrong! It was DELISH!!! My hubby ordered a dozen steamed East Coast oysters and a salad and I ordered a 10 oz NY Strip steak cooked medium to medium rare with a strawberry & spinach salad with candied walnuts and a sweet vidalia onion type vinaigrette. The sides I ordered were steamed broccoli and sauteed spinach, but what I got was a baked potato, hush puppies, and sauteed spinach. It didn't necessarily bother me at all and I ended up eating the baked potato anyway and took the hush puppies home for our little boys to eat later. The sauteed spinach was garlicky wonder! I tried one of my hubby's oysters --which was for my 1st time of having an oyster and I was impressed! read more

Riptides Seafood Restaurant - Delicious Key Lime Pie...if you were wondering about the flower...yes... my husband ate it . He said it tasted like it smelled. - Seafood Near Me - Chester, Virginia

Great food and very fast service. Nice seating. Good parking. Nice atmosphere as well. Winter was Bert friendly. And the food proportions well very large as well. Will definitely go here again! read more

My Fiance and I have been here twice and was never disappointed. Food was great and the drinks are thirst quencher. I recommend this place for anyone wanted fresh seafood or perhaps and burger read more

Riptides Seafood Restaurant - Dijon Scallops with sauteed spinach. - Seafood Near Me - Chester, Virginia

Menu prices shown on Riptides website are not accurate. The prices are higher on the menu in the restaurant. Service was lacking.

Visited Riptides twice. Solid seafood restaurant, wide variety of offerings. First time I visited they had a East Coast oyster special at $.75 each. Ended ordering 20, plus a bowl of corned beef cabbage soup (it was around St Paddy's day). Second time went with a friend on the way to dropping her off at the airport. We had a dozen oysters, seared ahi, crab dip with toast, and a bowl of clam chowder for myself. So good, we definitely got a seafood fill! Had a lot of the crab dip to take as leftovers. Total cost with drinks came out to around mid-50s, par for seafood. I'll be around Chester for another month, looking forward to getting some use out of the outdoor patio area. Great place to visit and slake your yen for seafood, can't wait until I'm clear on my weight for school so I can pig out! Definitely will repeat and highly recommend! read more

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I was surprised by the quality of my dinner experience here the other night! My Chesterfield friends love this place and I can see why! Located off of Ironbound Road in between the Courthouse and Chester, the location wouldn't lead one to expect sophistication. But the atmosphere was bright and contemporary with a bit of a nautical theme, including a large fish tank. We ubered over and some of us were a bit tipsy. Cheers to our server for being patient and friendly. The appetizers we ordered were excellent- crab dip and crab stuffed mushrooms. In fact those mushrooms were my favorite part of the meal. I subbed out a salad for the two sides with my entree and that was an excellent choice. The salad was freshly made and presented well. As for my entree, I went with the mahi mahi tacos. Not the best fish tacos I've had but were still good. And they packed each taco with a lot of meat and a spicy verde salsa. I only managed to eat one- unheard of for me. So, for sophisticated seafood Chesterfield, head to Riptides! read more

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I've been to Riptides a few times over the last few years and the food has always been pretty good- today I came in by myself and was sat pretty much immediately. My server, Callie, greeted me super quickly and was incredibly attentive the whole time. I ordered the Crab Dip, 1/2 pound of crab legs, and the chocolate raspberry mousse for dessert. Everything was brought out pretty quickly considering how busy the restaurant is- the crab dip and mousse were IMPECCABLE, I'd definitely recommend. The crab legs were also fine considering the price for out of season crab, but they came out a little cold. They still tasted great, but could have been warmer for sure. The restaurant was very clean and very calm overall. Will be coming back for more great service and more crab dip. read more

I was in Chester for a work function and met up with a co-worker for dinner at this restaurant. We sat outside on the patio and enjoyed the fresh air after a recent rain. We had the crabbed stuffed mushrooms for an appetizer which were very good. I had the mahi mahi tacos with the flour tortillas. You get the option of subbing your two sides for any of the salads on the menu. I opted for the house salad which was excellent. My colleague had the surf and turf which he said was very good as well. What made this such a great experience was the excellent service we received from Erica. She didn't try to tell us that everything on the menu was excellent. She made some suggestions based on our preferences. She said she had been there for 2 1/2 years. She was a great sever, very nice and professional with a great style. read more

Sitting here eating my leftovers trying to understand how my food taste better than yesterday. Okay mostly all of the other reviews have said the same thing and I just want to second it. I brought my mom here and she wanted to tell the Yelpers she loved her food too. (she is not on Yelp and does not go out enough to join). I was able to make my own meal of Salmon sauteed spinach and black bean. Now the calamari wasn't that great but i should not have had that fried food any way. If you go on a Friday night try to get there by 530 because you will have to wait. I will definitely return here. P.s. my mom told me to tell you guys she had a crab cake, scallop, rice pilaf, and black bean and it was awesome. The crab cake was a large size and she received a lot of scallops. read more

Riptides Seafood Restaurant - Salmon, black beans, spinach, and a side of awesomeness. Yummy - Seafood Near Me - Chester, Virginia

My two friends/coworkers and I came here recently for our first excursion out of the house in MONTHS. We ate in and were happy we did that instead of ordering to-go since so much was messed up. I ordered a burger and fries straight off the menu and it was standard pub grub at above pub prices. Friend 1 ordered a burger with no bun (no carbs for her), side of broccoli, and added bacon. They brought... a burger, straight off the menu and completely ignored all of her requests. She asked for a plate to remove the bun (easy fix) and the bacon she asked for (and paid for) and they EVENTUALLY brought both, but it still sucks to have to wait so long for something that should have been brought with the food. Friend 2 ordered calamari and a flatbread with NO onions and if anything, they added more onions. Or they just really like to smother their flatbreads. She tried to pick them off but it was impossible since it was loaded with onions. HUGE chunks too. They offered to bring her a new one so she wasn't left eating just the calamari appetizer while we ate, but it then took about an hour to get the remade flatbread out. At that point, we were loooooong since finished eating and ready to leave, but couldn't find a server anywhere to even get our checks. It was just all around frustrating. The food is adequate if you order off the menu, but don't even think about having allergies or aversions here. The cocktail menu looked extensive and fun if you drink, so that would be fun, but we definitely won't be back. read more

We have been to Riptides twice before. The first time.... Not impressed. The second time it was delicious! This third.... and LAST time was awful. Our server, Brandon was fine. Very attentive. Our issue was with the food. I had the Blackened Sea Scallops. They may as well have been attached to paddle and a string and used as a rubber ball. There were ten of them and all of them were Overcooked. I got the House Salad as my side. I liked it, but my husband hates olives and it came loaded in olives.... So he scraped out what he could. I got a baked potato as my side and it had a big old black spot in the middle. My husband said it was rotten, I say it was burnt..... But it was just not edible. My husband had the fried shrimp and oysters with fries. The shrimp had no flavor and the oysters were crunchy. Quite overdone. The fries were good. The best thing of the meal. For nearly $70 with the tip this meal was a huge disappointment. We both left there wishing we had just gone to Captain D's. We will not be back! read more

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The raw oysters had bits of shell in it at my last visit but other than that my entree is always delicious and staff were helpful.

Great service, absolutely delicious, and FRESH seafood! Been twice, both for lunch and their dinner and had great experiences both time. Highly recommend their calamari and seared tuna sandwich! read more

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Best seafood restaurant in the area. Waitstaff was friendly and the food was amazing. I had mussels and hubby had gator bites and the Riptide Special. Everything tasted amazing. We'll definitely return. read more

We went there to celebrate my sisters birthday and brought our own cake as part of the celebrations. The food was decent, but the waitress that waited on us was quite a novice. I hold the restaurant responsible for not training their staff better. There were a number of issues where she fell short, 1) when taking the drink order we had order led a couple of mojitos. She asked "which kind?" The menu only has one, we thought there was some special, we responded "what else do you have?"... "I don't know, I'm just 18". Please know what is in your menu. 2) after taking our appetizer order she forgot to come get our main course order. The wait was just really awkward. We finally had to to ask her to come back so we could order. 3) no proactive drink refills. 4) she expected us to pass the dirty plates to her versus her working around the table. We were a table of 5, not a table of 10. 5) did not bring or offer fresh plates when she took the old ones away. I am not a fan to put my silverware on the table. 6) she insisted that 2 sides came with everything we ordered including the 2 hamburgers we ordered. We even asked if she was sure and she said yes. Needless to say it was not the case and we were charged for it. We did not realize until we got home since we left in haste. 7) 2 of us asked for a box and upon her return she asked if this was separate checks or one check. She then returned with the check. She did not ask if we wanted dessert and more importantly we had brought a cake which was in the back in their kitchen. 8) no recognition from her part she could have done things better. Feeling rather unwelcome we took our cake and went elsewhere to finish off our dinner experience. Despite the experience we still left a 12 percent tip, which is significantly less than what we would have normally left, and more than what was appropriate in this situation. I hope management takes training their employees more seriously. Serving is more than just taking orders and bringing drinks. read more

Absolutely the best seafood around at a good price I would highly recommend this place as well as reservations I go here a lot this is mine and my wife's favorite restaurant read more

The reason they get 1 star is because of the Bloody Mary I ordered a dozen oysters on the half wanted the specialty but they were out so east coast is what you get very small no flavor seems like they are food service oysters not fresh ordered gator bites as I am from Florida I love gator these were more like chicken nuggets did not have gator flavor at all and served with thousand island dressing gator bites should be chunks about 1 inch in diameter not then sliced or nickel sized pieces texture should be more like steak not chicken the dipping sauce should be a spicy aïoli and fresh not a salad dressing will not go back nor recommend. read more

Very comfortable atmosphere. The service was good but not to par with the prices. Food was excellent. While the server knew general information about available wines, neither she nor the bartender seemed to know much of anything about beer pairings. I'd definitely go back for the food. read more

Great patio spot. We like to get oysters. A large selection of seafood and other good stuff!

Food is good, service was dreadful! We were seated and had to wait 15 minutes before anyone came to our table. Once the young man arrived, he seemed very preoccupied. The men ordered beer and we ordered water. Drinks arrived via a delivery person, but our waiter seemed to have disappeared. A short while later, the people that arrived after us had their food, we still had no waiter to take our order. Managed to summon a manager or floor supervisor to let them know we wanted to order and she simply said ok and walked away. Ten or so minutes later the waiter returned to take our order. Food arrived, but still no server to ask for condiments. Disappointed in service for this restaurant that used to be one of the upper scale dining restaurants in the area. read more

My first time visiting, the food is good, I did got the she-crab soup, and it was very good. This is one of the few restaurants in the area that served seafood. read more

Emilee, my server, set the tone for my meal!! She was super sweet, quick, and attentive!!! My food was tasty and I had one of the best bloody Mary's ever! read more

Great service! Food was good, prices were on spot. Hush puppies are yum! Live entertainment was fantastic! Great date night, or night out with the family. Tina was a great server, very nice and attentive. read more

Great food. Taste fresh and great. The crab dip is awesome. The shrimp and scallops are great (had the combo platter). The sauteed spinach was a good addition to my meal. .I will return here again. My friends also enjoyed their meals. Thank you, Erica. read more

My daughter and I were traveling from FL back to NY and we decided to checkout VA local restaurants to grab a bite. Well, we discovered Riptides ! :) Great food and a very friendly staff and very welcoming atmosphere. The highlight of all was: Grab Bisque Soup with Gator bites, which were very tender. Definitely recommended! read more