They took our IDs (we are all 21) and they broke my friends ID because she was from Pennsylvania and said her ID shouldn't bend. They would not reason with us and got very rude. We left without eating because the service was so terrible. read more

Kind of like the fat friend you love going to the gym with because it's just gonna get better. Not amazing nor memorable brunch food but it can easily be seen as a hip dive bar. Maybe will come to dance with the beau. Obs: the coffee here is wayyyy better than at Millie's. read more

Social52 - Steak and eggs and English muffin as a side - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

The perfect layout for a group hangout, birthday bash, or family dinner. It's got a fairly extensive menu (burgers to flatbreads to pan-seared duck breast) with a large selection of beers, ciders, and mixed drinks. Nice amount of food-to-dollar spent ratio. Private parking in the back. Add on the excellent service and we've got a winner...except when it comes to the food itself. Our mushroom burgers ($10) arrived with a side of slightly warm and soggy sweet potato fries. The upper pretzel bun of the burger was delicious, but the oil/grease from the meat and gorgonzola cheese smothered the lettuce and lower bun making the rest of the burger a mushy mess. The other issue had to do with the patty itself. Not a huge issue that my burger was well-done vs. my requested medium rare, however the server was extremely kind and attentive such that he insisted that he bring my bitten-into burger back to the kitchen for a redo. The next burger that came out was unfortunately a bit too raw. I hate sending things back to the kitchen, so I bit off a few bites and salvaged the rest for home to be re-baked in my oven. As the food improves (as I'm sure it will!), I would love to try this place again for a future social event or group dinner. read more

Social52 - Blue mushroom burger - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Excellent.Little noisy. Had shrimp and grits Excellent. Wife had chicken and waffles very good. Friendly staff.

So I went here with a group of 8 for brunch. The number of people in our party increased last minute, and they were very helpful. Our waitress Caroline was great! We had a difficult person in our group & she handled the situation wonderfully. The food was good & reasonably priced (I think the pitcher of the Funday mimosa was $12, and they were delicious). There was only one mistake at our table, someone didn't get the potatoes they were supposed to, but it was quickly corrected. The restaurant itself is nice & has a nice location. read more

Social52 - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

We had a 5pm reservation. Arrived on time and ordered dome great cocktails....about an hour and 30 minutes later they took our order. Food was pretty good however one in our party received a cold entrée. So the bar is really good, food is ok, service needs work and atmosphere was awful. Evidently this is bar for locals. Obnoxious guys yelling and cussing during the meal. read more

I like the vibe in this place - there is a ton of room and the layout is designed for the ultimate socializing, hence the name Social52 (so I assume). I appreciate the bar having flat top tables and stools in addition to seating in front of the bar. Unfortunately, we had trouble getting service in this area the first time we sat there (the bartenders would not look up from the drinks they were so busily pouring), so we moved to a dining table. Then we were told we couldn't take advantage of the happy hour specials there, although we were told the contrary when we first came in. The server redeemed my impression by being nice enough to move us back to the bar and took our orders; that was when a server from the bar came over and took care of us during the rest of our visit. My mom and I each ordered a flatbread - they are half off during happy hour. I had the Redneck (bacon, jalapeno peppers and cheese) and my mom had the Thai Shrimp...we each traded a slice and both were quite tasty. I also had a glass of their house red (I think it was a cabernet...?); it was very mild yet tasty, not at all as dry as I thought it would potentially be. I am determined to go back at least one more time for Sunday brunch and my mom will be in tow yet again because moms eat free on Sundays AND they have $10 mimosa pitchers! I may also consider coming back for happy hour and even a full course meal if the service is as consistent as what the last two servers provided (sorry, I don't remember your names!). As Lisa suggested, this place has potential. read more

Social52 - Chicken and waffles - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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I've lived in Richmond for awhile and have seen social 52 go through reconstruction etc. and I will say I miss the old social 52! The brunch now is subpar at best and the service has go down hill. My friends and I drank 2 pitchers of Mimosas to get the morning going but was basically given ice and cranberry juice with no alcohol to be seen. Our waiter hardly acknowledged us and we just accepted that we were going to get some juice and some cold biscuits for our $30 brunch. I know the service industry is struggling but social52 used to be such a staple and I'm sad to see it go down hill. My recommendation is to find another brunch spot that actually serves mimosas with alcohol in it and food that is served at a warm temperature. read more

Terrible breakfast. Hospital food is better. I thought I'd take a break from the hospital food at the retreat just down the block and treat myself to some breakfast down in the old fan. For $20 I got: -A long wait for my food to come out -Cold eggs that were cooked in a microwave -Bland fried potatoes with no seasoning -A missing waffle stolen from IHOP (also cold) -Congealed syrup that had been sitting out Overall, lots of execution problems. There seemed to be a lot of wait staff around, moving around and hanging out, but not really doing anything substantial to make the operations better. This place won't last long. read more

Sunday Brunch After being opened an hour they are turning people away because their kitchen was so slammed. Go figure..or go somewhere else which is what we had to do. Better I wasn't asked to wait as the other times I was there It was better when it was Avalon. read more

The food is good, I will give them that but this has honestly been one of the worst service experiences I have ever encountered. We sat at our table for literally 20 minutes after placing our drink order and ended up having to flag down another server and reorder our drinks. its a shame because the place itself is adorable and like I said the food is great but I can guarantee we will never be coming back here again. read more

First time and I will be back. First, the food was amazing - street corn, fried Brussel sprouts, tacos, scrumptious nachos, shrimp, wings, flatbread and a wonderfully delicious Hardywood ginger cheesecake. The Riptide Rush cocktail was so delicious- smooth, refreshing and sweet but not too sweet. Our waitress, Tracey, was very accommodating, attentive but not overly so. The manager was super nice asking us if we were happy with the service, food and drinks. He came back again and sat to talk to us (group of 6 middle aged woman - lol) to see if we were happy. We will definitely be coming back again! read more

Everything, all the food, was amazing. I initially made a reservation for 6 but it turned in to 8 and they were able to accommodate us and give us a larger table without any issues. Everyone tried something different and we all liked what we got. The pitchers were also great read more

Vibe is amazing, food is incredible. Great portions for great pricing. The space is extremely well designed and the bar is cozy with ample seating. Definitely recommend!! read more

I have to admit that I consider myself an explorer and this was the first time I stepped into this bar ever. It was great! We arrived before it was officially open, but the bartender said "no problem" and allowed us to sit for those early few minutes there while we perused the menu. The cocktails were quite good, and he was very knowledgable and enthusiastic about them. Traditional as well as craft drinks available. The interior vibe was nice and the food menu also was surprisingly good. We were there for happy hour, so drinks and food items were on special. I will definitely return. My overall feeling is that I was pleasantly surprised by this little gem in the Fan! read more

Great atmosphere if you're going for drinks; however, dining in is a different experience. I love their brunch menu. The green eggs and ham is amazing. The brisket bowl is a winner as well, but I cannot rely on great food to keep me coming back to Social's brunch. The mimosa pitchers seem to be primarily OJ and ice with a splash of champagne. They up-charge you for sriracha. The service is beyond slow, even during slow mornings. We had a table for a party of 8, but only 4 people were on-time. They threatened to break up the table if our whole party wasn't there in 5 minutes, with numerous other tables still available. I've brunched there 3x and have yet to get out of there in under 2.5 hours. read more

This review is for the food. Everything I've had here has been excellent. The Brussel sprouts will turn even any non believer into a fan. Try them with bacon for even more flavor. The burgers are probably the best in the fan, Always juicy, full of flavor and big! Wayyy better that the so called burger place down the street (beauvine). The steaks and sides and pretty much everything I've had has been impressive. Sometimes I've had to wait a bit and I've had the order messed up but that happens and it was fixed. All in all its been a great experience. read more

Save yourself. Do not I repeat do not order the truffle fries. I consider myself a french fry connoisseur, and these were the ULTIMATE in french fries. you will not be able to eat anything else once you start munching on those delicious ff!! Rebecca was our server and she was in the process of training a new server and she was doing a stellar job on training and on serving our table. Smiling and recommending food that was very helpful. My husband ordered the seared salmon with risotto and asparagus spears, and he was served enough for two people. Super tasty and very well presented. I had the Caesar salad and it was a bowl full. we are visiting from Texas and staying at the museum district bed-and-breakfast and when this little jewel came up as one of the closest places to eat, we thought we would try it. We were both very pleasantly surprised at how tasty and delicious the food is! did I mention how sweet and friendly Rebecca is? highly highly recommend this place for delicious truffle fries and friendly service! Rebecca rocks read more

The nicest thing about this restaurant is the bathroom. Not sure what happened today, since other reviews seem pretty high. But there's no excuse for today's experience. We made reservations on their website and received a confirmation email/number. Apparently their website is out of date? Is that our job to know? Ha. "Luckily" we were able to be seated. Ordered our mimosa pitchers and coffee. Received pitchers, no coffee. No word from waitress until food was coming out. (Waited over an hour for food.) Brunch. Eggs and waffles. Complicated? Other guests that were seated after us received their food before us. Several in our party had cold food. And when we spoke with the manager, he was barely concerned. He apologized about the website while very sternly correcting us about using their website to book reservations. In short, we would've been better off going to IHOP. But ya know, people come to Sunday brunch when they have money to spend. Right? Well, if you enjoy patronizing service, cold breakfast and disenchanting management, then Social 52 is the place for you. read more

I went to Social 52 for brunch and it was okay to say the least. I ordered the chicken and waffles with home fries. The waffles was decent but the chicken tasted like it was frozen patties from the grocery store. Not at all what I expected. The strawberry mimosa was good but they put so much ice that you only get two glasses out of a whole pitcher made for two people. It was a rip off. I would not recommend this place. So many better ones to choose from in Richmond. read more

Great service. Drink is great. Food was pretty good but not amazing. Chicken is kind of burnt but still tasty somehow lol but overall great place with amazing service and ok/good food. read more

Love Social! Use to spend most weekends here so I've got nothing but Love! They've got a great beer selection, a nice brunch to cure every hangover and a dish called, macoroni and cheetos! Who doesn't love that? The service is always great if you are at the bar or a table! Keep in mind, after 10 the tables come up so seating is hard to accommodate at this point but, if your up for a night of drinking and good food, Social is my pick! read more

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My wife and I were in town and tried to go to Brunch (the restaurant) but there was an hour and a half wait. So we walked down to Social52. There was no wait which made me wonder what we were about to get. WOW! I had the steak and eggs, wife did an a la carte breakfast and EVERY SINGLE ITEM on both of our plates was amazing! The steak was cooked perfectly and came with a tasty chimichurri sauce. Her cheese grits were phenomenal! Highly recommended! We weren't drinking yet, but their beer list was top notch and had some cocktails that looked great. read more

We just chose this place kind of randomly for a early dinner pre concert. 9 people at the table. We ordered a lot of appetizers and nothing disappointed. There were some really tasty offerings, with favorites being the bacon wrapped dates, truffle fries, and burrata bruschetta. Pretty extensive beer selection. The place had a good feel, music wasn't too loud, and service was good. read more

I brought two of my friends here, one from out of town and one from here because she wanted to try something new and it was a great experience. We came for brunch and got the pitcher of the sunrise mimosas (highly recommend!), the hangover burger, the fried chicken biscuit and the shrimp and grits and all came out amazing! We were so full but we couldn't stop ourselves from finishing our meals because it was so yummy! Great brunch place if youre looking for somewhere on the weekends but there may be a slight wait so heads up! We just grabbed a drink from the bar while we waited. read more

Truly difficult to give this rating - prior to the renovation, my husband and I loved this spot! Last Saturday we called ahead for dinner. We arrived around 7:15 pm or so and were seated right away. I'll say that the renovation looks great. The bar area is beautiful. The dining area is split from the bar but only by a few open windows in the wall. The space felt smaller than before. We were there on a Saturday, so we expected the bar area to be busy, but the spillover from the bar into the dining area was ridiculous. People stumbling in and out between the bar and dining area was constant, people getting so close to our table that a few were practically sitting with us. There really should be some sort of better separation between the dining and bar area. Not everyone who comes in wants to be swallowed up into the loud bar scene. I feel that there should be the option to come in for dinner alone, especially since there is a dedicated dining space. The music was so loud, though, we could barely have a conversation. The service is what actually put us off the most, though. The service was painfully slow and our server was not friendly, despite our multiple attempts to be nice to her, figuring perhaps she was having a bad night. Her attitude throughout the evening was upsetting, she certainly did not want to be there by the looks of her continuous sighing and blank stares. Our food took a long while, arriving after the tables around us who got there after we did. The food arrived luke-warm and my medium-well burger was rare. I specifically asked for the check while we were still eating because we had already been there for over an hour. I requested the check and our server did not bring it until 15 minutes later. Once we placed the card in it, it took another THIRTY minutes to return it. I hate giving sub-par reviews, but this was a major let down. Perhaps they are working out kinks as they are re-launching, but this experience was too sour for us to return again anytime soon. read more

We came back for the first time since their renovations which we were pretty excited for, as we live close by. Our waitress divulged to us it was "only her fourth shift," and that was very evident. She first came to our table after we were sitting for about two minutes and was already asking for our drink orders when we were still taking off our jackets. She didn't return for at least ten minutes to take our order. Something I noticed was that this particular waitress would only look at my boyfriend and stood next to him and leaned in his direction whenever she was at our table. I know this sounds petty, but it was so noticeable to the point that I felt uncomfortable about it. The food was okay, I ordered the nachos (but one get one half off shareable during happy hour; my boyfriend got the mac and Cheetos) and most of the chips were burnt. I'm also attaching a picture of our receipt to show the unnecessary flirty hearts and "xoxo" left by our waitress for my boyfriend who paid the tab. We might come back but definitely wouldn't be in a rush to do so. read more

Social52 - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

First time checking out Social52 for brunch. We had a group of 8 and everyone got different items - stacked breakfast (which is basically a little bit of everything!), chicken and waffles, breakfast burrito (the perfect size, not too big not too small), beet salad, green eggs and ham, biscuits and gravy and the eggs and bacon. The biscuits that came with my breakfast were light, fluffy and delicious. Everyone enjoyed their food and the service was great! I'll definitely be back for brunch. Oh and if you go get the Funday Mimosa!! Just go ahead and get a pitcher because you will want more, trust me! read more

Social52 - Funday Mimosa!! - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

My and my lady met another couple here and they arrived first so I cant really give a fair judgement on wait time and the host. However none of that matters because they have the BEST shrimp and grits I've had at a brunch in Richmond. The grits have the perfect amount of cheddar and aren't to "gritty" and they aren't stingy with the meat. Only thing that I didn't like is that you have to pay to share this entree with someone at your table. And another bonus is they offer 2 types of mimosa pitchers. read more

Social52 - the BEST shrimp and grits I've had in Richmond. They have the perfect amount of cheddar and aren't to "gritty" and plenty of meat - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Very disappointed - I have not been back since the Reno- sat at the bar with a friend for over 15 mins waiting to get a drink. Bria did get us drink menu - but after that no sense of customer service or urgency to assist us after that. She seemed occupied in her own world. Extremely thirsty and Hangry - no food menu offered or even water. We left down the road and got served within seconds. Won't be back. read more

I'm conflicted on how to rate this place, so I'll just go in the middle. On the one hand, and for me most importantly, the burger I had was one of the best I've ever had. I loved every bite of it. It was absolutely fantastic! I would love to have this burger again, and often. But unfortunately, there was a lot I didn't like about the experience. About halfway through our meal, the service just disappeared and we sat around for about 15 minutes scanning the room for our waitress just waiting for the check. It took a long time to get out of there after we finished our meal, and we had somewhere to be. And to top it off, it was also extremely loud in there, even the aisles between the tables were filled with drunk people shouting over loud music. I just came in here for dinner, and while the food was absolutely *top notch*, I didn't like that I couldn't even hear the person sitting across from me. Sitting there forever after finishing my meal, with the music thumping loudly and the shouting drunk people, while I just wanted to get out of there, was pretty unpleasant. I'll try it again for lunch on a weekend, hopefully it will be a more pleasant overall experience when it isn't filled with that crowd. read more

Food: solid 8.75/10. Fried chicken and waffles were a delight to eat. Drinks: soft 7/10. Mimosa pitcher was mainly ice but overall, a bang for your buck. Service: 8/10. Checked up a couple times. Only negative thing to say was the fact that a 20 minute wait turned into a 45 minute wait. Open tables were "reserved" but never seemed to become occupied. Very disappointed in that portion of my visit. Still not a bad place to get some grub. Final rating: 7.75/10 would probably eat here again. read more

Claimed a 15 minute wait, which turned into a 40 minute wait; even though they had plenty of open tables. Food was good ! Mimosa pitcher was worth the price ! Service was alright... read more

Social52 - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

I went on a Saturday for brunch and the food was very tasty and the service was good. I love the outside of the building and the aesthetic inside also. We made a reservation prior to arrival but It wasn't very busy when we got there which was nice. The brunch menu has a lot of good options on it also which didn't make deciding on what to eat easy lol read more

I'm not sure about the low ratings for this place. The food is OK, but certainly not bad at all. The drinks are well made, the beer selection is extensive, the happy hour is great, the service is efficient and friendly, and the environment is great. It's got a nice, dark, bar, cool layout, plenty of side tables for cocktail service, and it's very, very clean. I'd go as far to say it's the cleanest bar that I've been to in The Fan, and that matters a lot if you've been to some other bars not far down the road at all. Sort of unintentionally, this place has become me and my wife's go to spot for post work drinks, and I've really been enjoying myself there. The food prices are a bit steep, but nothing totally ridiculous. Give it a shot. I think you'll like it. read more

Hands down THE BEST craft bar in Richmond. Fabulous finger paints. Excellent selection of lanyards. My only complaint is the cost of a glue gun rental and no left handed scissors. Enjoyed the refreshments provided. read more

My very social, energetic - and pregnant - friend recently mentioned that she wanted to go out to dinner with some good friends. She wanted a fun environment, good food and reasonable prices, so we gave Social 52 a try for the first time since converting to new ownership. I must say, we were all incredibly impressed. Social 52 has totally managed to keep the character and integrity of the beautiful old historic Fan buildings, but has completely changed the establishment. The once dark and dingy bar area is now open, airy and inviting. Soft lights throughout the restaurant give it a nicer feel than most of your Fan bars and the music was at that perfect level where it's not so quiet that it's depressing but not so loud that you had to scream to talk to your friends sitting next to you. All in all, Social 52 truly seems to have a concept going here - you'll be comfortable in jeans and tee or your suit, it is comfortable yet elegant chic and in no way pretentious - they're certainly not going to turn their noses down at you when you order a Miller Lite in a craft bar, which is nice for us cheap beer drinkers. I had the duck and it was hands-down amazing. It was seared to give it just a little bit of crispiness. It was served a chutney-like sauce that complimented it beautifully. It was also the perfect amount of food - I was not "stuffed" but literally did not want another single bite of food. There were compliments from every single person at the table (I think there were 9 or 10 of us) and when one of the girls mentioned how much she loved blueberry mimosas, the bar manager hopped to it and presented her with one in minutes (even though it was not yet a house beverage!). Additionally, the prices were great. Between my entree, bottle of wine, tip and contribution to the birthday girl's meal, I walked out of there only $50 poorer, which I thought was pretty damn good. I think the only thing we didn't like was the fact that we had to make choices - there were too many things on the menu that we all wanted to try (from apps to beers to entrees!). Fortunately I have two reservations there within the next two weeks :) read more

I did not eat here (yet)! I partied here on Saturday night, and what a great time! The music was awesome. They played a good mix of danceable pop/rap music all night. There isn't a dancefloor or anything (it's a bar/restaurant), but there's space to get your groove on if you feel so inclined. We were only interested in libations, so we didn't eat, but the menu looked great and they serve food until 2am so that's awesome. There were a lot of people and it was a great crowd- not too bro, not too hip. They have an extensive beer list and I was able to try something new that I loved. I will definitely be back to eat and to party :) read more

I have been here a few times in order to get a good sample of things, and it has exceeded my expectations by far! I too used to hit up Avalon years ago, and the remodel to the space is amazing - bright, open, modern, but not too formal. Most of all, they are not trying to be "a scene", which too many local places seem to focus on... Each time I have been there, there was a good sized crowd, but you still move through without squeezing through. They truly foster a "social" atmosphere, with the layout of the spaces, and music that is not at nose bleed levels - so you can actually converse with people next to you without yelling, but still a very lively feel - a nice break from some of the other bars in the area. I've been with a large group for dinner, with a small group of four for snacks, and with a couple of friends for a happy hour, and I've felt equally comfortable in all cases. I am not a beer connoisseur, but the menu seems to accommodate plenty of tastes. But, the cocktail specials they have are truly unique to the area, and I haven't met I one I haven't liked! The service was excellent; I never found myself looking for a bartender or wait staff with an empty glass/plate, they were extremely attentive, without being overbearing and distracting. As for the food, I have yet to have a bad dish and the prices are certainly reasonable, considering the great dishes you can get. The salmon could be the best I have had in Richmond, and really as far back as I can remember, could be one of the best I have ever had, particularly for a fan bar/restaurant that isn't focused solely on seafood! I agree with others, the wings are dynamite! Just the right amount of heat, but they maintain actual flavor - the sauce served with them is the perfect match! I have tried the duck breast, which was cooked perfectly, and a generous portion, especially for the price. I tried the bleu cheese burger and it was a large portion, as well, and is exactly what you would expect in a burger. The duck spring rolls are a great app and cooked right - crunchy outside, tender inside, and NOT greasy! I am looking forward to trying one of the flatbreads, but friends have said I won't be dissapointed. Lastly, if you are pressed to try just one item, it HAS to be the beer/cheddar bread - once you have tasted it served warm out of the kitchen, you will definitely want to know what else they can do back there if they can take something as mundane as bread, and make it something I actually crave! As with any local business, I hope they thrive and become a permanent RVA establishment! Too many other great places have come and gone, so we need to recognize a good thing and support it! Great job so far, and I'll be back soon for sure! read more

Decant wings. Nice decor. Attractive attentive service. The Ghost Pepper Buffalo Chicken wings looked so good on the website I had to get them. No regrets. Crispy, not under or overdone. Nice amount of hotness to the sauce. Maybe not as good as Buffalo Wild Wing's Garlic Parmesan or Dry Rubs, but they're open LATE. read more