Rappahannock - Richmond

Well, where to start. Oysters, amazing, mignonette house made and amazing wh8ch accompanied the oysters and a cocktail sauce with a blend of old bay mixed in. I had an amazing oyster shooter with a twist, it's a must have, Whiskey Sour, amazing and then, I had the whole wood grilled fish which was spectacular. I never leave a review, this is my first and I will be back to this restaurant again!!! One more thing, thr bartenders, oyster shucker and the entire staff, were amazing. GREAT JOB!

An absolute delight! If we lived in Richmond this place would be on our regular rotation for sure. We started with a dozen raw oysters and the shrimp cocktail. The oysters were REALLY good and prepared perfectly!! (Almost no shell chips to be found in these.) From there we had the grilled octopus. It is a beautifully balanced dish with every component adding to the overall presentation and taste of the octopus. Served alongside the octopus was a potato that was sliced thinnly and spread out like a deck of cards when sliced into. This served as a perfect way to gather some of the sauce & octopus & potato in one bite for a cornucopia of flavors. Easily one of the best dishes I've had in recent memory. It was all so good we ordered another round of small plates. I had the chowder and it was wonderful but paled in comparison to my companion's choice... The Trout Crudo. I mean... wow! First, visually it's a work of art, and with as good as it looks it's taste is equivalent. If you are an adventureous eater this dish is for you. We sat at the bar and the guys were fabulous. The ambiance is straightforward and classy in an understated way. Decorated for the holidays in a simple way that adds to the overall feel to the place.

This was my first time eating here since the pandemic and all I can say is, "WOW!" The quality and service are just as grand, if not better! Brooke, our server, was so friendly, knowledgable, and patient with our questions as we sought to order the tastiest items on the menu for my birthday dinner. We ordered a 1/2 dozen baked oysters and a 1/2 dozen raw for starters. They were so fresh! You must try the Apple-Old Bay on the raw oysters...just trust me on that! I ordered the Wood-Grilled Octopus w/ fingerling potatoes, marinated red peppers, castelvetrano olives, and lemon crème fraîche. It was my first time eating octopus and it was cooked to perfection! My friend ordered the Kielbasa w/ white lima beans, cherry tomatoes, arugula, cipollini onions, muesli, and caraway beer mustard sauce. It was amazing! I chose the house-made Snickerdoodle Cookies w/ Salted Caramel and Vanilla Ice Cream for my birthday dessert and was not disappointed! There's something about those cookies and ice cream...they tasted like a guilty pleasure, but were still very light! In a nutshell (or should I say oyster shell), we were so pleased with our dining experience that we can't wait to come back!

Our first time here. The food was outstanding! We had oysters, the beet salad, the scallop entree (which was delicious!) and the seared fish (which was also delicious!). For dessert, we had the cookies and gelato. Loved the atmosphere. The service was fantastic all around. Everyone was extremely attentive. Our server Brooke was top notch. Highly recommend. We will definitely be back next time we are in town.

Rappahannock Restaurant lives up to its namesake Virginia’s Rappahannock River known for its fine oysters. A variety of oysters from the Chesapeake Bay Area are on the menu. I was with a celebratory birthday party of five, and the oyster appetizers disappeared before I could snap a picture. We also shared two plates of the Yellowfin Tuna Crudo. Sugarplum Fairy Smash was the Christmas-New Year’s featured mixed drink ordered by some in the party; I stuck to straight Scotch from the well-stocked bar. Customarily for this group we each ordered something different, and tasted each other’s dish, except for the vegetarians. The meat-eaters order and thoroughly enjoyed the Braised Brisket with blue cheese grits, and the pepper and cumin crusted Pork Tenderloin with broccolini; pan seared Rockfish with root veggies and pomegranate butter, and Rutabaga Risotto with roasted root veggies, mushrooms, pickled cauliflower (yum!), and marinated pine nuts satisfied the rest of our party. Desert was temping, but was a no-go with such satisfied appetites. I am usually picky about food that’s too salty. Unfortunately, three of us thought the risotto was extremely salty, and the rockfish was slightly salty. We opted to not report this to our extremely good, but harried waiter. This friendly, casual restaurant was extremely crowded for a Tuesday evening. I think it is worth another visit.

My wife and I really enjoyed Rappahannock Restaurant! The food and service were exemplary! I requested with my reservation a bottle of Moscato and they had it ready and chilled to perfection. Outstanding!

This is one of the best places to get seafood. The oysters were shucked perfectly by Mark. They were some of the best tasting salts I've ever had, and I have been eating them for over forty years. I had the seared mahi, and my wife had the scallops. We both loved the mahi and my wife loved the scallops, and even said it was the best she has had in the Richmond area. Our server, impressed us at every visit. So, please give Sage a huge pat on the back. The credit on the food preparation goes to Chase. What a wonderful presentation and mix of flavors. I will walk away tonight and share with all my friends. Thanks to Mark, Chase, and our lovely server,Sage!

Loved this place!! Food was great! We ordered oysters, caviar, and the lamb as entrees. However my husband lamb was cold in the middle. When we told them they automatically apologized, grab the plate and made him a new one. No asking do you want us to remake it? Just automatically did it. This impressed me. Showed they were very concerned with putting out quality food. You can see the cook from the bar area. Which I found intriguing. They were busting out dishes like crazy. Great place to eat.

Enjoyed this restaurant! Lily was our server and she was pleasant and attentive! We had a cosmo and a gin gimlet! Excellent! The oysters were cold and the sauces complemented it. We ordered a delicious rib eye cooked perfectly served with roasted sunchoke ! Highly recommend

Wonderful Valentine's meal and experience. It was pretty full, but we didn't have to wait for seating, even though we ultimately opted to sit at the bar. The cocktails we ordered were creative, delicious, and both bourbon based. Oysters?!?! Top notch! Scallops for me, grilled Mahi for her. All GOOD! GO!!!

World class dining. Rappahannock oysters were amazing, cold, well shucked. Scallop crudo fresh and delicious. Steak was incredible while the sunchokes and mushrooms stole the show. Bravo!

Great place for happy hour. Great deals on oysters 🦪 Great service as well!

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!

THIS PLACE IS DELICIOUS. little expensive.. but the hot sauce is 10/10 amazing. Brianne was a great bartender too.

A perfect special date night when you want outstanding food served by knowledgeable attentive wait staff. From the cocktails to the desserts, one of our most enjoyable dinners. And this includes meals in DC, NY, London and Paris.

Really good drinks & fresh seafood prepared to perfection. We had a dozen oysters, scallops & grits. Also ordered their Rock Fish...delicious!! Our server Ashley was absolutely the best. We will surely return.

When you walk in the smell of warm woodsmoke hits you and you know it’s going to be a good meal. This place is serious about seafood and cocktails and does not disappoint on either. It also manages not to feel overly stuffy in the same way that other high end seafood restaurants can sometimes be.

The first time we came here was when they first opened and again last night for our anniversary. It was great both times! The drinks are creative and food is flavorful. They know their stuff about the different types of oysters and are knowledgeable about their origins and flavors. The paella is amazing and my wife had and loved the borrige. Try the shrub spritzer too. Mine had grapefruit rhubarb.

My team had excellent dinner at the Rappahannock last night the place is modern, the service was pleasant-plus, the drinks and food came quickly, and several appetizers we had were all yummy! See you again next time we come to Richmond!

So far, one of only a handful of places in Richmond where I highly recommend and eat Oysters On the Half-Shell. 'Nuff said. During my visit, two options were available. The taste profiles were completely different (much appreciated) and I was able to split my order any way between them. The staff was courteous and welcoming. I will be returning, especially in months ending in "R". Update: I visit in other months, too.

Had a fantastic dinner there tonight, with cocktails raw oysters, grilled octopus, and a fresh tomato burrata salad. All three were excellent.

First time visiting Richmond before moving here. Glad to have chosen Rappahannock as our first date night. Oysters, Octopus, and Scallops were all awesome.

Greeted immediately when we walked in the door. Host took care of us until the server came. Chez, the server, was fantastic. I hadsome crazy dietary restrictions, but she shared them with the chef, and he prepared exactly what I wanted to perfection. I will be back sooner than later.

The freshest LOCAL oysters, and octopus cooked so tender that you wouldn't need teeth to eat it. I was nothing but impressed with my meal, and the service was outstanding.

Had a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner! Food and service were both excellent. I highly recommend this restaurant.

There’s a reason this brand keeps expanding with new locations - it hits every single time. Coming from a mediocre meal a few blocks away, my friends and I stopped at the bar to save the night and end on a high note. The great oysters and stellar cocktails helped, but it was the banging service at the bar that made the night 10x better than when we walked in the door. Sit at the bar, talk with Andy, down some oysters, and enjoy the company you came with.

We sat at the bar for dinner around 6:30 on a Saturday evening. The food and drinks were delicious, but the service wasn't great. We spent a lot of time waiting. I understand that bartenders are busy, but maybe they could staff a third person behind the bar.

Good service, great executive chef! They accommodated a big group with appropriate notice. A very fun downtown trendy restaurant vibe. The Manhattan was delightful. And we enjoyed the aperitifs immensely.

Best oysters, yummy cocktails, and great service. Definitely a favorite when in town.

I walked into this restaurant and got seated quickly at the bar. The staff was nice and very friendly. I ordered 6 oysters, a salad and 2 beers. The beer was cold and the food was great. I gave this place 4 stars because I paid $50 bucks! In my opinion that was a little too pricey for the volume of food I ordered. Fyi...the Rappahannock oysters were great! If you decide to come, they are a must try.

Really really good with the except of the level of salt in the dishes. We tried the paella and the seared fish, both would have been a 10/10 if it wasn’t for the overwhelming amount of salt with each bite. My recommendation to you would be to ask for less salt upon ordering. It would be a much more enjoyable experience. Service was excellent as it tends to be in most RVA spots

On our way back to NC from NY we decided to spend an evening in Richmond and were told to check out Rappahannock for the oysters (not pictured). We started with the the shooters and champagne which paired really well. We followed that up with a dozen of their local oysters, and then the paella. Oysters were shucked to perfection! No grit or shell splinters and the perfect amount of brine accompanied. The Paella was abundant with shellfish and shrimp and seasoned well but the rice was just off a little. I believe because it was pre-made. Never the less I’d go here and focus on the Oysters!

I’d return for the paella. Generous and truly excellent. The ceviche was high quality but the panna cotta was forgettable.

Overall: Just okay. Here’s what we ordered. Dozen Oysters (3/5): Fresh with a decent selection, but about half weren’t fully shucked. The mignonette was plain sherry vinegar—no shallots or seasoning. Baked Oysters (4/5): Solid and enjoyable. Mixed Green Salad (3/5): Good flavor, but included several slices of hard, waxy cheese rind. When we mentioned it, it was dismissed as normal, which was disappointing. Whole Grilled Fish (4.5/5): Excellent and the clear standout. If there’s one reason to return, this would be it. Might add more veggies to improve the portion Banana Pudding tiramisu (3.5/5) - okay. More Banana pudding with a little tiny piece of coffee soaked ladyfingers Service (3/5): Interactions felt rushed, possibly due to understaffing. Atmosphere (3/5): Despite being only about one-third full, all the guests were seated close together in the back, making it uncomfortably loud.

Service: I sat at the bar. It took about 5 minutes for the bartender to acknowledge me. She put a glass of water down with a menu. No greeting or warmth. I asked a couple of questions about a menu item. She gave me the "we rotate our menu constantly" response without actually listening to the question and realizing I'm a returning customer. I ordered and that was that. The rest of my meal was similarly cold. I had to request the check. She was not attentive at all. Bartender that worked the night of May 4. Food: I ordered the scallop dish with "rice grits". The scallops were perfectly cooked, but we're VERY gritty. The rice grits is a cute idea, but it fails in execution. It wants to be a risotto so bad. It tastes fine, but it's lacking when paired with the scallops.

Had dinner at Rappahannock a few weeks ago. The place looked nice and the service was okay. But, nothing was special about it. Loved the wine and oyster but the dinner was just ok! I expected more for the place who claim to be one of the best places for seafood in Richmond. Ambiance and decor : 4/5 Service : 4/5 Food : 3/5 Cost : $$$ (100$ for dinner for 2 ) Worth the $ : maybe! Will visit again and see how that goes 👍

Service good; food ok, for the price, well, underwhelming. Seafood Tower was more like a, "seafood studio apartment." Char-grilled octopus: tepid and surprisingly tough (sent back); restaurant comped with the pork relish plate, which was good. Martinis a bit diminutive (charging an extra $3 for three olives, unique revenue approach yes, but really?). Scallops, YoW, perfect! ~ third visit here, probably won't be back for a while, just not enough quality in the food & drinks for the price.

My husband and I went here for a date night. We were so excited to come here as we we had heard good things about it. We came in as soon as the opened on a Saturday so it wasn’t very busy. That was a plus. The place itself is very nice and clean. The waitress we had was very attentive and nice. I drink a lot of water and she kept it full all of the time. Which can be hard for a lot of people. However, she was on top of it. We ordered the octopus, whole grilled fish, and the paella. The octopus was delicious. My husband and I loved it. When we got the grilled fish and the paella, we were amazed at how beautiful the presentation was. However, it was far too oily to eat. Both of the dishes were drowning in a pool of oil. Especially the paella. To people who are generally health conscious- these dishes are not for you. First thing, with the paella, the very first mussel I picked up to eat had a hair in it. Which was extremely unfortunate. I put it to the side and just counted it as fluke. I went ahead and tried the food but I could only eat the top part of the paella and the protein. It had a good taste. It was however way too oily. It was sitting in a soup of oil. The whole fish was also good. My husband felt that it too was way too oily. Those fish already have a lot of oil in them but then to have it sitting in oil for presentation and the sauce be oil based, it was very heavy. When you order fish, you typically want that light and fresh taste but this was not the case. All in all, it was not the date night we were looking to have. We just moved here from Tennessee and was looking forward to a upscale restaurant but was disappointed. Would I pay what I paid to come here again? No. It is not worth the hype.

Everything about this restaurant could be considered mid to straight disappointing. Started with the hostess trying to sit us right by the restrooms after passing several empty tables in a half empty restaurant. We asked to move tables (did not want to enjoy the sound of flushing toilets while we ate) and then were left waiting for a waitress after being given 2 glasses of tap water. This gave us the chance to observe the underwhelming and outdated decor that was completely absent of warmth, feeling more like a brewery taproom from 2012. We weren't drinking tonight but were told they were sold out of their only NA option, Athletic. Settled on San Pellegrino after seeing it brought to another table; was not recommended a sparkling option by the server. She was content with us sitting with our half drunk glasses of warm water. The food could have made up for the ambiance and service, but alas, it expectantly felt short as well. Tiny oysters for the price, scallops zapped of all flavor and moistness, and a mushroom risotto that could best be described as crunchy (didn't know you could cook it quite like that). Anyways wouldn't recommend unless you want a story about the time you ate at the worst well-rated restaurant in Richmond.

I have eaten at this place a few times with friends, and i believe the food was good because we were present! This time, I ordered a whole fish and octopus to go, and it resulted in food poisoning. The fish was old and tasteless — they must have used old fish. Every customer should be treated with the same level of care and quality.