I ate here for my birthday so I was pretty excited, we made reservations and came on a lobster Monday night . I was a bit disappointed, I got the lobster tail and crab cake. The lobster tail was cooked great. The crab cake had several pieces of cartilage in at at least 8 pieces that I found and I then stopped eating it because I got tired of taking out the little pieces from my mouth (shocker it's not appetizing). When I told the waiter he said that it was made from fresh crab (duhh that's what I expected) and that's why it had those pieces and I argued that I've had plenty of crab cakes and they have not had that many cartilage pieces, he then said sorry. Our food came out fast, but I would have gladly waited so there would be NO cartilage in my crab cake. I also had the potatoes and they literally tasted like mashed up potatoes - no salt, no butter.... something so easy to make. We also weren't given any bread, and after reading comments and seeing it on tables I think it was free, but oh well we didn't get any and there weren't that many people so I'm not sure why that detail slipped. SO UPDATE. After my review I did receive a message from the owner and he did rectify the situation so I went back and tried this place again. This time I did get bread, and the food came in a timely manner and was mostly tasty. The waiter was also nice. I ordered the calamari (it is great and love the sauces) and the stuffed Maine lobster. The lobster was cooked great and there were no shells/cartilage in the lump crab cake and it was good. The asparagus was overcooked and the potato croquette wasn't to my liking, but someone else might like it. They have great customer service and overall the food was way better than last time! read more

The Hard Shell - Crab cake was not great had at least 8 pieces of cartilage and I stopped eating, and potatoes were so bland. I liked the lobster tail. - Seafood Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Bland, overpriced. Both locations are incredibly underwhelming. Spend your money on food that's been seasoned

Do you see an Ocean close to Richmond? At the prices Hard Shell are trying to charge, you think you would have an Ocean view while eating. The food is over rated. It is hardly "Good" let alone great. The menu is small, and the prices are... well... Lets just say there are plenty of other places in Richmond at the same price point that put the Hard Shell to shame. Your drink prices will change depending on where you are seated, which also depends how many people are in your party. Not sure if people are just getting drunk and thinking this place is great or what. If you decide to go here, I hope you have low expectations for Sea Food, or just don't care what you are shoveling in your face. read more

The service was extraordinary, food was great and the wine was fine. All at a good price, I would recommend to friends and come back myself.

This visit was quite different from the first. The service was spot on and the food was delicious! I ordered the soft shell crab and was nervous about how it would come out...but it was cooked to perfection and was delectable! They didn't have my favorite Riesling but the one they offered was pretty good. The Hard Shell definitely salvaged my impression of their food and service. read more

Average seafood house with above average prices. It's really a great looking restaurant. It's small and intimate, but can easily get over crowded. It's a good place to take a date because you can walk Shockoe afterwards. They have a superb lobster bisque soup. Parking can be an issue so park in the garage across the street and get your parking validated. read more

We came here for Mother's Day Brunch and started with some Blue Points, Sweet Baby Jesus, and Old Salt - all fresh and plump. The Jumbo Lump Crab Cake on kaiser roll and Club sandwich on French Baguette were decent. The best part was sitting outside with my pooch! read more

My favorite restaurant when I'm visit Richmond! Another delicious meal with incredible service. My dining companion described it as her best meal ever. read more

I ordered the Sunday special of crab legs tonight and was shockingly disappointed. The size of the crab legs were beyond small and the portion was less than filling for dinner. I ordered the cocktail "the strawberry letter" and it wasn't anything worth ordering again. Overall the food was subpar and didn't match the menu prices. Still searching for a delicious seafood restaurant that is worth the drive and price. read more

The filet mignon was very good. The flavor melted in your mouth as the steak tenderly satisfied every chew with the right balance of saltiness and melt in your mouth flavor. The asparagus was cooked just right. It is quite easy to over or under cook this beautiful vegetable, but the chef managed to achieve the right balance. The mashed potatoes were very good, they left no question that they were real. The lager I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend was the Devil's Backbone Vienna Lager. 5.8 proof for those that enjoy tracking this sort of thing. I asked for medium rare and the chef nailed it. My wife had the seafood, Shrimp and Scallops. I think I made the right choice for me. I highly recommend the the steak. It was amazing. Parking was very difficult to find. Google does not help. I highly recommend using a GPS to locate this wonderful gem hidden on a side street in Richmond, VA. The service was very good, your wine glass was filled quickly and plates were cleared when they sat idle for 1-3 minutes. I was impressed and I can assure you that I am not easily impressed. Ask for Crystal and Pierce. read more

The Hard Shell - Wedding party - Seafood Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Walking down Carey St enjoying the beautiful Saturday evening and saw Hard Shell seafood and decided to check it out. Its not a big place but there is ample amount of seating for 130 or so people, I would say. There are booths and tables and seating at the bar. When we walked in, hostess asked if we had rsvp, we said no. She told us there was seating outside or at the bar. We chose the bar. I started off with a nice cocktail, Strawberry letter. It was sweet but just right for my taste buds. I don't care for the sweet, fruity drinks. The bartender brought out assorted breads and butter with a short glass of water. We ordered the NY strip and shrimp and scallops. I must say that i am not a steak eater but i tried a piece of the steak and it almost melted in my mouth, that's how soft and tender it was...seasoned perfectly. The scallops and shrimps were cooked to perfection, juicy and tender with flavor. The veggies, snap peas and carrots with stick rice tasted terrific with the ginger sauce. I will definitely return to Hard Shell. By the way the bartender was excellent......service with a smile! read more

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Not impressed at all! Shells in the crab cakes, ahi tuna was cold, watered down drinks, horrible server....would not recommend!

Stopped by for lunch today calamari was greasy Cesar salad soggy and lumb crab cocktail was tasteless and not fresh

I went with my boyfriend for dinner this weekend. The service was terrible. We were waiting for close to 10 minutes before our waitress came to say hello and give us water. We ordered the lobster dip appetizer. It was 95% salty, heavy cheese and only 5% lobster. We ordered steak and lobster. It took about 35 minutes. My steak was completely over done and burned outside. I remember this been a good restaurant a few years ago. I don't understand what happened. read more

Compared to The Hard Shell Belgrade it falls short. The recipes are different and The Belgrade location has by far the better recipes and service. The she-crab soup is very delicious however downtown location uses too much Sherry in the ingredients. Crab cakes are to die for, mainly lump meat barely any filler. Wish both locations shared recipes but hey here we are. read more

Had been dying to try this place for a while. It looks like I'll be needing to try it one more time, though, because they completely missed the mark. Went for lunch and ordered fried oysters as an appetizer and soup and salad. The oysters were delicious, but a little on the small side. They were presented beautifully on top of their shells, but there were only 5 of them for ~$9, which I consider a rip off. For the same price, I received a full plate of those suckers at Poe's pub, and they were bigger and juicier there. I ordered the she crab soup, which was terrible. It was bland, thicker than chowder, and a very milky beige color which was a visual cue that the soup was not flavored with any kind of spice. I sent it back to try the SOTD which was asparagus and pea soup. That was edible, but honestly it was like eating baby food... Had a caesar salad which will go down in history as one of the world's worst. Dressing tasted like straight mayonaisse, I mean zero-depth of flavor. The romaine itself was okay, still crispy, but not quite green enough. The croutons were bland, was clearly their day old bread, and was hard as rocks. I stopped eating them when I realized I might loose a tooth. Service was what earned this place it's 2 stars from me. The waiter was professional, attentive, and didn't make me feel like an asshole for sending the soup back. I'll come back again to try more of their seafood, because I'm confident that they must be doing something right here, but this lunch visit was a complete dud. read more

Generally decent seafood, and this evening was not much different- great apps (oysters, shrimp) and entrees (Mahi-Mahi, Shellfish Pasta), though our 3rd entree of the nights special (filet and shrimp skewers) was absolutely off the mark. Management was very quick to fix this though. read more

Whaaa? Really? God, I hope there aren't mice! This was my favorite restaurant in Richmond! I've been many times in the eight years I lived there, and never once had a bad experience. My favorite dish was the scallops with seaweed salad (which sounds gross, but is SO good). I liked their bread and wine, and they do a perfect job with calamari. The service is friendly without being overbearing, and some nights, there's jazz. read more

This place was good, I really liked the appetizers and beer selection. I did, however, order a steak that was over cooked and a little dry. It was certainly the difference between a 3 and 4 star rating... read more

Fathers Day brunch at the Hard Shell, this place never disappoints! Food, service and atmosphere....always top notch. There were seven of us and everyone loved what they ordered. read more

Everything is fine just overpriced. $50 for two drinks and a dozen oyster sampler platter. Nice patio.

Overrated. Very mediocre rib + crab combo.

First off, I heart seafood. It just sucks that it always cost so much to satisfy my palette. My boyfriend and I went on a Friday night at 8:00 pm and got sat right away. The crab legs were yummy and the calamari was very tasty with a really good chipotle aioli sauce. I ordered the stuffed lobster and my boyfriend got the seared sesame tuna. The crab stuffed lobster was decent. The lobster was a little overdone and rubbery. It comes with this deep fried mashed potato ball that is D-licious! A nice twist on a starch side. My boyfriend's sesame seared tuna looked very unappealing. It's on a bed of soggy veggies of cabbage, onions and carrots. The whole thing was doused with an exurburent amount of sesame oil. Everything was greasy and shiny on the plate. I always noticed that the jasmine rice was really fragrant. I don't liked the actual taste of jasmine overwhelming the rice. Overall, it was definitely a good environment and dinner. We had great service. Look to spend at least $30+ per person, not including drinks. The downfall is that the bar area which is combined with the dining area starts to get busy between 9-10 pm, and it's really annoying with young female Whin-o's (wine-o) hovering over your table. read more

Very average, so many better places. We were there a few weeks ago and the service couldn't have been worse and the seafood cold platter was very poor value for the $$$. read more

Started with the Hard Shell Oysters, ok very small, not what I was expecting. Ordered a Hard Shell Pasta with tomato sauce was a little spicy but for $27 I was expecting a bit more spinach, asparagus, or something with the dish. Pricey but good. read more

All you can eat crab legs on Sunday nights... need I say more? Very friendly service and nice shellfish. Excellent wine list at reasonable prices. There's also a reserve list that you must request to see. Live music from time to time is a bonus. read more

This is an aright seafood restaurant. The she crab soup was mediocre; to differentiate themselves, they could add more crab. The crab cakes were not up to par, it just didn't have the quality and flavor I would expect. I wouldn't say give up on this restaurant, perhaps try another dish. My recommendation. read more

great spot. love all the dark wood and cozy atmosphere. I ordered the seared rock fish with risotto and asparagus which was ridiculous and had two old fashions. done for the night! great spot. read more

Service was good HOWEVER, the She Crab Soup was horrible. It was a thick cream concoction with about a teaspoon of shredded crab meat on top, and seemingly no seasoning - very bland. One of the water carafes had floating objects and another literally had mold in it. The crab cakes were just ok and made with shredded crab meat. The flavor...eh. The potatoes were good. Wouldn't go back. read more

Had a great meal with a small group - service was very good and the apps and entrees were perfect. They have a great wine list too!

Great seafood and steak! Had a private party in a side room, the food and service was excellent. Crab cakes were large & fluffy. The steak was cooked to perfection. The lemon pie was just the right amount of tart & sweetness. And, I had the pleasure of going to 2 locations in one night! But, that's another story. read more

I've been here several times and I am never disappointed. The calamari appetizer was fantastic.

I'm a seafood lover and I can tell you this is a great place for seafood. Its a bit pricy though but the quality and the taste is superb!

Love this place! I've only gone for lunch but wouldn't hesitate to hit it for dinner if I was in the area. I used to get the bacon cheeseburger but stopped ordering it since they increased the price and added another patty (its too much burger and no bacon!). I've switched over to the chicken ceasar and it has been on point every time. The staff is always nice and greets everyone immediately. Would definitely recommend to anyone in the area! read more

great atmosphere, good service-serve those drinks a little faster please and awesome food we are there every two weeks read more

Love love love this place Awesome Totally Awesome staff friendly music relaxing and entertaining..

Everything was excellent! Oysters, clams and scallops were delicious. Already can't wait to come back.

We were here for thanksgiving holiday and wanted seafood on Friday night to celebrate our 33 anniversary. The sea food war the best we have had in a long time in fact it was excellent everything was fresh and the presentation was even better. The sea food was was so good it seem like they just caught it. The desserts so excellent also we had chocolate pecan pie, bread pudding, Key lime pie and creme brûlée which was the best even better than I had in a French restaurant in London. The only thin better than the food was the service. Will go back next time I am in Richmond. Would recommend it to everyone only if you wanted a excellent meal. read more

Went out for a late Valentine's Day date. Our server at the bar on Feb 27 was fantastic and we both liked her suggestions. She was also very friendly. Would go back again on a date night. read more

My first visit to the Hard Shell was wonderful. But oh lord there was much to be desired. Not only did my party of three have to wait almost an hour for a salad and breakfast food, but when we received our food some of the food was delivered cold. Even though the food was remade, the manager did not come to check on the table. Our waiter was the pits and should just quit. She was not attentive, one of the other waiters came to remove our dishes when we were finished. Not only that when we were ready to leave I had to go to the host stand to get the waiter to bring the check. read more