Blue Atlas offers pretty tasty tapas style small plates, though a little pricey their prices aren't unfair. We enjoyed a Saturday night dinner with friends in October. I think we were all pleased with the assortment of creative appetizers and entrees. The restaurant is located in an historic Richmond school building that has been renovated to be home to businesses and personal apartments or lofts. We were seated into a part of the restaurant that looked to be a market place during other parts of the week or time of day. They appeared to serve coffee and offer a barista (though not at dinnertime) and have small tables and a bar to sit, drink, and probably get some work done. Parking is a problem as the restaurant only offers a few private parking spots within the lot before you have to fend for yourself and find a spot on the street in the small neighborhood nearby. Our party involved three cars and everyone ended up in different directions taking the only spots available we found up and down the street at the time when we each arrived. Blue Atlas I think will need to reduce the hassle of not offering adequate parking if it aims to be the higher-end type of establishment it appears to be going for. If I wanted to return here I wouldn't invite more than 1 person to join me and we ask if we could ride together. read more

Ohmygosh what an unexpected gem of a place. I was meeting a friend for a last minute dinner and was searching fruitlessly for an outdoor patio and stumbled upon blue atlas. Upon some quick review it seemed to have a lovely patio with a variety of food options. I have to say the location caught me completely offguard because it looked like I was going to an apartment building. Once I got properly parked I wandered into the building and saw the hostess stand located towards the back of the hallway. The space is actually much smaller than I anticipated but it's absolutely gorgeous. The wood contrasted with the navy painted walls and the black furniture makes it look rich and cozy and we were shown out the double doors to the patio. I was immediately impressed by the view which is a lovely city space. The patio has steps down to a large lawn with more tables and adirondack chairs. We ordered the beef bao, the mussels, lamb arayas, and the cauliflower which were all great. The cauliflower was my absolute favorite - crunchy, but savory and spicy with a sweet finish of the fig jam. Really unique! The mussels and lamb were tied for a close second. The mussel broth was light tomato based with a nice Smokey finish and the lamb was just a perfect few bites of goodness with a great sauce to temper the fattiness and flavor of the lamb. The beef bao were definitely interesting pick and I'm glad I tried them but it didn't feel like anything too special (just a big hunk of beet in a yummy bao bun). Our drinks were also well done and perfect for the humidity. We finished with the strawberry chess pie and the chocolate hazelnut torte. We were both split on which we liked better since both had complete different flavor profiles but both were a great way to end the meal. read more

Blue Atlas - Cauliflower - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Excellent food, service, and ambiance! What a hidden gem we are happy to have finally found!!!

We've visiting a few times now: first for dinner, then for coffee and pastries, then for coffee and a full breakfast. We keep telling everyone about this place because it is just so good! The breakfast burrito is one of the best I've had (hello crispy tots!) and the frittatas are delicious. As for dinner, you literally cannot go wrong, but my personal favorite was the bar buns! Purchasing gift cards now for our loved ones as Christmas gifts! read more

I've dined at Blue Atlas a couple of times now and have been very impressed by their take on global cuisines and the market and outdoor space is quaint and inviting. A group of friends and I came in for the collab with Lemaire for Bastille Day. Between the four of us, we basically tried everything on the menu and everything was outstanding. Some standouts included the crepes and asparagus salad, the trout almondine which I am almost certain had four sticks of butter in it, and the croque madame which they made with mushrooms instead of ham for my vegetarian friend. It's a bit out there but so worth the drive! read more

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Great service, good menu and interesting surroundings (building appears to be an old school and the outdoor setting is gorgeous on a sunny day). read more

I have nothing but good things to say about this place! We sat outside on a Friday evening and got the enjoy the beautiful view and sunset while eating the delicious food and drinks served here. My favorite dishes were the harissa cauliflower, Georgian flatbread, chicken sliders, and pork bao buns. Will absolutely be back again the next time I'm in Richmond! read more

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The food was delicious. My siblings and I took my mom here for her birthday and she loved the small plates.

BEST BREAKFAST BURRITO IVE EVER HAD. Seriously I haven't had one better even outside VA. and it's consistently good!!! read more

Food , service and ambiance all were great . Out on a business dinner meeting , great experience , met expectations. Small plates , enjoyed the variety. read more

My wife and I dined at Blue Atlas for the first time last night. The menu has 4 quadrants, each one representing shareable small plates from different regional cuisines. We shared 1 dish from each quadrant and enjoyed them all. The Harissa Cauliflower was a standout as were the perfectly cooked Pork Belly Bao Buns. The different regional flavors paired very well together and nothing seemed out of place. They have a small but well selected by the glass wine list. Can't wait to go back! read more

Awesome spot over by Triple Crossing Fulton. Went on a cold Friday night and were lucky to get inside seating though they had heaters outside. Wife got a nice winter warmer drink called hot buttered rum which was delicious and I got the penicillin which was also great. The restaurant features an international menu of sorts with dishes from around the world. We were told to get 3-6 entrees to share between us. We ordered the Crispy Harissa Cauliflower, Fried Chicken Sliders, mussels, and japanese pancake. If I had to rank them I would say the best were the mussels followed by the pancake, cauliflower and then the sliders. Each item was less than 12 bucks except for the mussels. Great food and great service. read more

Blue Atlas - Japanese pancake - Tapas/Small Plates Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Amazing food, nice city view, and a chef couple whose global travel-life-learning story has you wondering about the backstory to each amazing flavor their dishes impart. Four region world menu and tapas style dish sizes enable a table to literally have a global taste bonanza! Highly recommend Blue Atlas, but make reservations as the secret is getting out read more

Thanks to Yelp we found this gem on our way from Savannah to Philadelphia. Everything we ordered was exceptional. Like CHEFS TABLE caliber. Every member of the staff we encountered was polite, cheerful and attentive. We got seated within 10 minutes on a Saturday night without reservations. We sat at the bar which made the entire experience even that much better. The bartender, who I believe he mentioned was the beverage manager, was fantastic. We can't wait to go back on our next trek to Savannah. One of our best dining experiences ever. read more

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Lovely spot when you are able to snag a spot on the porch. Food was delicious and service on point. Looking forward to going back this spring. read more

Hands down THE BEST restaurant in richmond. Their harissa fried cauliflower is an absolute must!!

Great quality of food. They serve tapas from around the world. It's not authentic food from those countries but certainly is original in their own way. A great culinary adventure. Perfect for dates or family! read more

No luck getting reservations at Blue Atlas unless you're a real plan-ahead type, but I took a chance and walked in early on a Sunday and sat at at the first-come first-serve bar. The restaurant was soon packed, but the bar remained pleasantly busy. Such a great meal, well crafted cocktails, pleasant wait staff and bartender. The menu is so inventive. Bao, hot chicken and scallops. All were excellent. The vegan peanut butter pie was a fabulous dessert! read more

Amazing!!! The food, every single thing we ate was incredible. Beautiful atmosphere and good service.

Solid food and great service! We also love the view of the city. Looking forward to returning.

10/10, divine. Absolutely superb food, one of the best Manhattan's I've ever had. Service was spectacular as well. 100/10, we live roughly an hour away, and find ourselves here at least once a month! read more

First of. My Husband and I have tried coming to this place 3 times lately. Only to show up and they are closed. Their website has posted hours but yet each time we have gone they are closed. We have been before. Food was good. We noticed that they never answered their phone when it rings. So when we called to check if they were open or not we didn't think anything of it when we got a pre-recorded message saying they were busy. Here's a thought. Update your hours on your site. Even if it's a holiday/time off for redecorating. Re-record your outgoing message to say if your calling between this date and this date we will be closed for - insert reason. We do not live close but when we are in the area we drive to you. With it being so easy to update your schedule I have a hard time with not keeping your customers informed. read more

Blue Atlas is incredible! We have been here three times now, each time enjoying drinks on the patio and lawn area. The space is beautiful, with a rare city view and plenty of green space. The last time we visited, we also ordered food. My husband and I got two of the fried chicken sandwiches, a side of tots, and a side of the green Chile cheese dip. The fried chicken sandwiches are amazing, the best we've ever had. The tots are perfectly crispy. The cheese dip also hit it out of the park -- SO GOOD. We can't wait to go back and try everything on the menu! read more

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Blue Atlas is definitely our favorite spot to have opened in the last year. First, the space is beautiful...in an old school overlooking the city. You can choose to dine inside, on the patio, or on the lawn around a firepit. In addition to the beautiful space, the food is delicious and offers a bit of something different for Richmond. They have a globally inspired menu so you can choose from dishes inspired by cuisine from different continents. Personally, we love the Tater Tot Chilaquiles. Not to be missed is one of the cocktails as well. The Airmail to Barbados is my personal fave. The times we have been, the service has also been wonderful and very warm and friendly. The servers also really seem to know the menu well and can be relied on for recommendations. They also feature a market selling a variety of food and beer and wine as well as breakfast, coffee, and lunch. A lot of what they sell is local too. We haven't had too much trouble getting a reservation, but we suspect this place will only get harder and harder to get into so if you see an opportunity you should definitely go! read more

This place is wonderful. In an old school building. Tastefully decorated. Small plates. We tried so many things. They were all DELICIOUS! Cocktails were good too. Three desserts on the menu. Tried those w/a cup of coffee. Bon Appétit! read more

Love the variety of options. Great for sharing! The patio is beautiful too, when the weather is nice.

The food is phenomenal! Small plates that are shared. We tried four and each was superb. The setting is in an old school building featuring large windows, like 14' ceilings, an outdoor area with heaters--it was chilly but I watched another patron strip off two layers so the heaters must keep you plenty warm. The service was top notch, friendly and helpful with recommendations. We were a party of three so the waiter added items to one plate so there would be enough for all. This place is worth the visit! read more

The atmosphere is really cool, the food looks great, but all of the things we had were really lacking flavor. Everything just seemed over-hyped, typical of a lot of new places in Richmond. Hoping they can make some minor tweaks to the food so that everything comes together. read more

The food was delicious when it finally arrived; it was served at a proper temperature. The atmosphere is really cool, the restaurant was previously a school. The food however is very small portions that are not shareable. The staff recommends 1 person gets at least 2-3 plates, this is accurate. Food comes out at varying times, this is very frustrating for a group dinner. Our service was horrible, our waitress, Eve, met and greeted every table with a wonderful introduction & then completely dropped the ball for the duration of service time. We had to ask other staff for our water to be refilled, our drinks served, our check, the check to be split, etc. We would have ordered more food if the service was more prompt. However the management that stepped in when we were obviously not happy, were attentive to our needs & quickly attempted to recover our dissatisfaction. read more

Awful experience. 0 stars! The general manager and hostess were rude and made my friend and I feel targeted for being minorities. Read the full story onward: We showed up without a reservation on a Tuesday night. We thought... this place is new, not in a super popular district, and it's a weeknight, we should be fine. Upon arrival, the hostess looked us up & down and said, "Can I help you?" I asked, "Do you have room at the bar for 2?" She responded, "Sorry we're completely booked tonight" and walked away. As we walked back to our car and started to chat about a plan B, we realized, "Is it just me, or did that rub you the wrong way too?" We asked ourselves, "Are they really fully booked?" So we walked outside and called the restaurant. A man answered and suggested looking online at OpenTable to reserve. We thought that was strange, why would they turn us away in person and not mention OpenTable like they did over the phone? So, we went on OpenTable and saw at least one table available in every section of the restaurant. We made a reservation and went back inside the restaurant. The same hostess came out. We showed her the reservation we made and she said they'd get our table ready. No smile, no explanation. After being seated our server, who was very sweet, came and took our drink order. We then asked her if we could speak to the manager. A man came out, we told him calmly about our bad experience. We said, "We wanted to bring this to your attention so that others aren't made feel uncomfortable like we were," and so we could all acknowledge it and move past it. The manager went on to explain that, per his boss, that is how their reservation system works. Also, he was the same person who informed us about OpenTable when we called. He walked away after his attitude ridden excuse mantra, completely disregarding the entire mess. Next we decided it would be best to pay for our drinks and leave after all of that. We gave our card to the sweet waitress and to our surprise, the manager came back out with our card & tab and TOSSED THEM ON THE TABLE while saying sarcastically, "Don't worry about it ladies." To say the least, the entire experience triggered us. We gave the restaurant a chance to redeem themselves for a poor decision on the hostess' part, but clearly they have a systemic issue on their hands. I've never felt so disrespected from a dining experience. I hope we can save others from feeling this way by writing this review. read more

Crazy good! Tapas style menu sorted by origin (European, Americas, Asia, and Middle East). Rotating menu, very reasonably priced for the quality and quantity. 4-5 tapas were enough for 2 people. Highly recommend the Korean fried chicken and pork belly boa buns, although absolutely everything was delicious. Service was great as well. Really unique location with a great view, loved the open park area for after-dinner drinks. read more

This place is amazing. It's in a refurbished school so it's a little hard to find, but once you find it , the ambiance, the food , the service is all great. We sampled the Nashville hot chicken, cauliflower , summer chaat, bao buns .. go! read more

We went for date night on a Thursday. It was loud but that's expected for a popular restaurant in an old building. The food was excellent and really appreciated the waitress walking us through the menu a few times. Will definitely visit again. read more

This place is amazing!!!!!! You MUST try it! Fast service, amazing food, and etc. (you will love this place especially if your vegetarian) read more

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Best dinner we've had in Richmond, and it's not close. We ordered 4 plates for the 2 of us and each one of them was the best version of the dish we've had. The Georgian flatbread was incredible, the steak frites and creamy kale were perfect, and the scallops... omg the scallops. My only complaint is that a tapas style dinner meant that my husband thought sharing was required ! Also the cocktails - their take on an old fashion made my bourbon snob husband very happy. read more

LOVED this menu! My favorite plate was the Korean bbq salmon, but truly it was all delicious. I would absolutely come back if I were in the area again. read more

This is such a beautiful and quaint restaurant, inside an old schoolhouse. We sat inside but the outside is also beautiful. If you like the outdoors, you can watch the sunset and enjoy the city view. The menu options were small plates, all different and flavorful, with enough to share. It was a great way to try a little bit of everything. Our server was very nice and informative. Highly recommend! read more

One of the best places to eat in all of Richmond. This is a hidden gem that does it all right. Customer service, hot, flavorful fresh real food, an outside patio and view of the city/valley that you'll never forget. read more

This place doesn't honor scheduled reservations.

Great variety of food. We tried four small plates and two desserts. Split a bottle of the phenomenal The Fableist Cab Sauv and had their cocktails. All were delicious. We will definitely go again! The pork belly bao buns were the best I've ever had. We also loved the mussels (huge!) and the Georgian bread (add the speck!). Make sure to check out the little market next door. Great selection of single beers and wine. read more