Top Bars in Richmond, United States

Friendly atmosphere. Wait staff courteous, helpful and friendly. Recommendation from server was spot on. She suggested the Upstart grilled cheese with bacon, apple and cheese. It was delicious!

This place is FANTASTIC! The food is great. The staff is super friendly and accommodating. The outside patio is PERFECT!

We were spending a night in Church Hill and stopped in on Sunday for a late lunch and some drinks. We sat at the bar and enjoyed watching the bartender work like crazy making a variety of their specialty cocktails. We also tried a few and they were very good. The menu was huge and it was very hard to pick. We ended up splitting a chicken sandwich and a burger, both smothered with pimento cheese. They were both great, I liked the chicken a little better. Shoestring fries and sweet potato waffle fries were the sides. The sweet potato waffle fries were some of the best sweet potato fries I've had. The restaurant has a fun eclectic vibe and fits in well with the reinventing of the Church Hill neighborhood. We'd love to get back to try more dishes.

The female bartenders will disrespect you if you are also female. They will take every man’s order at the bar before your own and when they do take your order they’ll have attitude about it. However my biggest issue here— DO NOT PAY WITH CARD. They have added additional tip/over-charged my card and many of my friends recently and the only way to get it resolved is disputing it with your credit card company. Why is that? Because they will HANG UP on you if you call and mention disputing a charge. Saturday was my LAST time going there because I was— Ignored at the bar, given an open tab when I closed out, and when I asked about the food we ordered, no one seemed to know how it was handled/where it was. When I asked to close out my tab after she opened me one without asking (a minute after she scurried away after dropping my card in front of me), she told me it was going to be a 5 minute wait? It wasn’t busy. She was not overwhelmed. She just didn’t want to do her job— So maybe get a new one if drawing a receipt is that difficult.

VCU graduation weekend the same bartender LOST my friend’s card and REFUSED to look for it. After asking multiple times she FINALLY went back to her cash register and was like “Ooops, here it is!” No apology, no compensation for her negligence.

Tap is THE WORST bar in Richmond and I recommend going anywhere else if you can help it— If not, BRING CASH.

***I usually tip my bartenders because I’m also in the service industry and I know dealing with drunk idiots is hard. However, ignoring me at the bar and refusing to help recently was my last straw. The fact I took a pic of my receipt because I KNEW they were going to input an invalid value is hilarious***

We found this restaurant looking on line for a place close to an event we were attending. We all were very pleased. Three of us had the cheesesteaks and one had the fish and chips. We shared a basket of onion rings. Delicious! Service was very good. It’s a typical enjoyable pub atmosphere, and we will go back there the next time we visit friends in that area. The location is on the end of a strip mall, and there is adequate parking.
Highly recommend!

Excellent food and drinks. Good sized menu. Absolutely want to come back and try more.

I love the weekly specials! There’s nothing like a half priced pitcher on a Wednesday! The sangria’s are well worth it!

Had the lunch special, which was two hot dogs smothered in chili with mustard. Excellent but messy. I think I used 10 napkins by the last bite and my fingers were stained yellow.

Really great service and delicious food.

Epic $10 deal for a chicken sandwich, fries, and a tall boy on Thursday. Chicken sandwich was delicious and vibes were good overall. Nice lowkey spot

Actually was looking for another place my co workers and I went to on Patterson I couldn't find it so came across this place. First time here was Leary at first but decided to go in especially being of another race. Anyway the place is nice, clean and the waitress was very friendly..ordered the burger it was cooked to order and a perfect medium Temp.. the fries were hot!! And the beer 🍺 was super cold I asked the waitress was the beer super cold she said yes I asked her again to make sure and expressed how I do not like beer room temp but advertised as cold beer when asked.. how about the beer was super cold!! I was impressed!! Left a big tip as usual for excellent service. Beautiful place will return for lunch again one day!

If you want literally the best hot mac you've ever tasted you need to go to Liberty Public House. Their happy hour is also bomb (I'd recommend the RVA style fries and the honey habanero mule!)

Give me Liberty or give me death!!! I felt like death leaving this place. And you will wait for your food to hit the table...

Man, let me start by saying, "Table of 4, holiday weekend, kick off, so the team decided to grab lunch together, COOL."

I am a 1st and LAST timer......

My order: Ol' Faithful (scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, biscuit, and hashbrowns)
I wanted a side order of pancakes. Well, the waitress wanted to give me an entire pancake meal, and I asked for just 1 side order (a la carte).
The pancakes only (side order) were $12 for 3 that were not edible.

Photo: My food and pancakes were dusty dry inside. Couldn't cut with a knife. They were tough. At clean up, I found out it was gluten-free. No thanks

Others: enjoyed their meal, one inhaled the burger, not sure if she tasted it.

Everyone eats, and we are heading out, returning to the office. Instantly, I needed to sit down and center myself. Felt loopy, headache, nauseous not just me, all of us!!!!
One took a 15-minute nap to try to bounce back, I am flushing with water, and the others are in the bathroom. So, notification are being made to our job because something is clearly off and we all are not sure what is going on....we left the office and directly to get lunch to return directly back to the office. ( I fast until 1100hrs, this was my first meal for the day)

The best way I explained it, feeling loopy like when I eat Chinese food and forget to tell them no MSG.

Nothing on the menu states cooked with MSG.

Called the location just to check if they cook with MSG, Alexia/Alexis (manager) heard my issue, quickly put me on hold to check a sauce they cook with; returned to say no MSG in the building. But you have a sauce you cook with, ok.

Yeah, I will pass on this one. You all enjoy, thou...

The location, vibe are excellent. Very spacious, so even if it gets crowded it doesn't feel that tight. Great collection of beers and cocktails. You get great discounts during happy hours (weekdays 3-7 pm). Cocktails and classy beers get very cheap. However I didn't like the food that much. I ordered 3 starters (as in pics) and all of them were not up to the mark

My husband and I stopped by The Tavern on a whim not knowing anything about the place...Oh boy did we stumble upon a local treasure. It was so quaint and spacious despite the appearance from the outside. The food was delicious, the wait staff were all very pleasant, and the restaurant itself was very cozy and clean. I will definitely be bringing my family here sometime to enjoy this hidden treasure in town. The menu ranges from the good old standards, to innovative specials, and elevated ingredients. Pricing is more than fair for the portions they serve.

False advertisement as far as grill cheese sandwich’s. This atmosphere is not for kids because all they do is curse and smoke inside. Then there is the bill, they charge your card for more than the amount you put on the receipt. By far the worst restaurant we have visited in Richmond.

First time here and already planning to come back next time we are in town. Fantastic cook on the brussel sprout appetizer and the fried chicken on my sandwich. Everything tasted wonderful. Service was excellent. Attentive but not over bearing. Prices value were great.

Food was great service was great! Had the Belt sandwich and a Pom cider, wife had the Bennie and the kids shared the French toast. Belt came with a side of Brussels and they were damn near the best I’ve had perfectly cooked. Cool spot will go again.

My friend, our dogs and I where there Friday night and we loved it, the food was delicious , the service great and how they treated our fur babies was amazing 😊

This has been our go to spot for happy hour in downtown Richmond for several years. We’ve never had a bad experience. Service is always excellent and food is delicious. Atmosphere is relaxing and staff are always welcoming and friendly. Last night we had the chicken chipotle salad and Cuban sandwich. Both were delicious!

We Love this Place!!!! Wednesday Night SMASH!!!! Burger rafter VMFA Jazz night but before Reveler. Just wish they would hold the kitchen open until 9 pm

One of my favorite local bars!! Good happy hour. Great food! The vegan sloppy Joe is one of my favorites and their wings are amazing!

I never even got to try the food which might have been a blessing in disguise. As soon as I came in I waited for 5 minutes for a hostess to greet me only to be redirected to the bar to pick up my order. When I get to the bar I’m then ignored for another 10 minutes. I understand if you’re busy (although they didn’t seem to be) but you could at the very least acknowledge my existence. One of the bar tenders then starts conversating with someone who came up after me and then when she finishes that conversation she continues to ignore me. I’m finally asked from the male bartender how I can be helped and I’m finally able to tell them I’m literally only there to pick up food I had ordered a while ago. He tells me there’s something wrong with the system and they never got my order and instead of offering what they can do to help he just continues on serving other customers. I wait there for another 5 minutes and he never tells me what’s going on or if they’re trying to fix it so I leave. Definitely not a place I will be coming back to, the ratings for the food weren’t all that great to begin with so I should of known better. I’m not one to leave reviews but this place really blew me and caused me to be late coming back to my job and hungry for the rest of my shift.

This place wasn’t too bad. I went for brunch and was sitting near the kitchen and noticed that both cooks weren’t wearing any gloves or hair nets. They were cross contaminating other orders, touching the walls, their clothes and everyone’s food! Please be more cautious handling people’s food it is gross and dangerous for people with allergies.

Definitely the spot for a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich with a side of tomato soup! Plenty of other options on the menu as well. And they stay open really late! Cool Carytown bar vibe.

Food was great!! Service was great! Definitely a place to revisit. We had our dog and they gave him water, only small issue was that the outdoor spot you sit with your dog was littered with cigarettes butts and with having a puppy we had to brush them away so he won't keep trying to eat them.

My previous review mentioning problems prompted such a speedy, professional, and gracious response from The Tavern's owner that I went back. I have gone here for years and if you are not a doctor receiving luxury dinners from drug reps this casual, patio, bar, and restaurant is a terrific place to get a steak, pasta, or NC BBQ. There's spicy dishes and black pepper on the shrimp so ask about dishes. Carnivores, vegans, and gluten all will discover fun food at The Tavern.

I lived near here in 2018, and this was my watering hole back then. I came back while I was in town in 2023, and it feels just as great as it was. Friendly staff, great drinks, and cozy atmosphere. This is an awesome neighborhood bar if you live nearby. Don't think about it, just go and see for yourself!

Rude staff. The waitress looked in my eyes and ignored me multiple times when i was trying to order a cup of coffee. Food was cold. Took too long to come. My So Cal Bagel didn’t even have the stuff it said in the menu. Arugula was missing. Drinks were overpriced and nothing special. Food the same. Was our first time, won’t come back and don’t recommend it.

First time at The Tavern and as we walked in, smelled delicious! I got the Oyster Po’Boy and BEST OYSTERS EVER!!!! Fries were good too! Would highly recommend to all!

On a whim we decided to check out the taphouse for happy hour and bring along our dog to the patio. I can say the food and service was great. The layout of the restaurant and patio along with the location near the canal was inspiring. I will be back again during happy hour specials there is a large selection of great beers. The tacos were pretty good. Recommend using the nearby parking garage since street parking is limited.

Cute place, good food and attentive server. Off the beaten path but the day's aimless wandering brought us here for a late lunch. Ended with a strawberry chocolate layer cake. Wonderful!
As with all things Richmond...parking is challenging!

Nice place to visit for food and drinks. Don, Emily and Eric made sure we had a pleasant experience. The selection of beer was vast and varied. I tried the Richmond Lager and D9 Brown Sugar Ale. Both worth buying again. The Cajun Salmon PoBoy and Sweet Potatoe Fries hit the spot. The Crispy Brussel Sprouts were well seasoned and perfectly prepared. Happy Hour pricing is reason enough to return however the above makes it a great place to frequent.
Update! Returned for brunch after a nice River Walk.

The chicken came out raw the fries were soggy and cold. My husband ordered a well done burger and it came out medium. He couldn’t eat it. I was not charged for the chicken but they charged us for a burger that was not eaten. We sat beside the kitchen where the one and only cook never washed his hands and did not were any gloves. You better have a steel stomach if you go there to eat

We ate around 1pm on a Saturday and ordered from the Brunch menu. I had the French toast with sausage, and it was delish. The husband had the fried fish sandwich. The fish was very thick and battered/fried to perfection. Good variety of beer choices, something for everyone. Highly recommend to anyone visiting the area and looking for quality food, great service, and the Richmond experience.

We stopped in with a group of 8, and despite being a smaller establishment they were happy to accommodate us. Service was top notch with servers who were genuinely kind and attentive.

Food was wonderful. I've never had mozz sticks like I had here, and let me tell you, they were wonderful. The smash burger was also out of this world.

Highly recommend for great food, great service, and a cozy but lively atmosphere.

A very friendly spot where my husband and I had dinner. Delicious food in a nice atmosphere. Service was fabulous! The vegetarian Penne Naturale was wonderful paired with a fresh, crispy side salad. Hubby enjoyed the NY Strip. Generous portions enabled us both to bring home leftovers.

They're running a BOGO special right now, so I ordered it to try the restaurant. I'm really glad I did! I got the "mac and me" and it was really good! The grilled cheese was toasted perfectly! The bbq was a little sweet with a little heat, which was great! Tomato soup was tart and just right, (although only about a 1/4 cup of soup if that much!), but not a terrible deal for $10 on Postmates, probably less in store or ordering directly. It's a bit of a drive from there to my place, so it was cold by the time I got it, but I can't fault them or the driver for that. I will definitely order again!

My kids and myself decided to go due to a nice Groupon deal. The food was good. We had the Mac n cheese chicken finger dish. So, what I tasted was blue cheese, panko crumbs, cheese and Buffalo sauce. It was good, and different. 2 people can eat this. This dish was plenty.

We had a party of four, got great service and had a hard time deciding what to order because it all sounded amazing. The food was absolutely incredible!!! We all got something different and we’re all very pleased and left feeling stuffed. The price was very reasonable, too!

I walked over to try burger night. 6$ burger was fantastic! Great place in the museum district. The wings looked amazing and they are half price during happy hour. Will definitely try that next time.

Amazing food! Portions are big, and very decadent. Went on a night with a Comedy open mic and had a great time.

Friendly, neighborhood spot. I had the "little"Franklin burger, which was more than enough even though it's on the starters menu. A side of fries, with house made ranch dressing was a nice addition. Others in the group had the full-sized smash burger, which was huge... definitely for a bigger appetite. Overall a relaxing, satisfying experience. Great wait staff!

Seated quickly and service was great! Waitress was very familiar with both the food and spirits menus. Loaded tots to start, and they were the perfect starter! Beer cheese was tangy but tasted amazing!

I got Pretzel burger with bacon and smoked Gouda with the chips as a side, little guy got a regular with no mustard and fries.

First off... The chips are fresh cooked and AMAZING! The seasoning on them is unique.. salty, but just the right way and some seasoning I couldn't put my finger on... But I loved it!

Burgers were cooked perfectly, the taste of the bacon and smoked Gouda really added some great layers of flavor to the seasoning on the burger. I would have liked some salt on the pretzel bun.. but that's the only less criticism I can give on the food!

The only downside to the experience was a small one. The patio/entrance is the smoking area for the bar as well... So you have to walk through cigarette smoke to get in... But I had zero issue with it. I just could see it as negative for other visitors.

Very dive bar/downtown feel, diverse clientele, friendly and fast service, and great food all make this somewhat hidden gem!

Next time, I'm going for the meatloaf! Definitely a multiple visit kinda place for me!!

It is a place that offer different variations of grilled cheeses. The sandwiches were great and it is not as cramped inside as it looks. The fries were a little too cripsy for me but tasted good. Is not badly priced at all.

A lovely hidden gem! This place has excellent service and food. It is quaint and quirky and the girls working it were fun and vibrant. Will definitely be back. Plenty of parallel parking on the streets, two unisex bathrooms downstairs. Get there early because seating is limited!

It was okay, I really wanted to like it and all the grilled cheese options are really cool but what I got was not really worth $11. I know you're sorry my experience wasn't top notch, so you don't have to reply to this, just maybe yknow make the soup and grilled cheese warm next time. They do have a decent beer/cider selection though and the fried pickles were alright.

The atmosphere was snug and warm and the service was personable. Poutine fries where delicious and satisfying. The jerk chicken grilled cheese was also very good, but the star player for me was the side of tomato soup which was probably the best tomato soup I’ve had in a long time!