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    Dinamo

    4.4 (197 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 9:30 PM
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    DINAMO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise

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    Tagliatelle Bolognese
    Rafael M.

    Great atmosphere and delicious food. Went to dinner with a few friends and enjoyed appetizers of clams and their white pizza. Also a fan favorite the tagliatelle bolognese.

    Pat C.

    Lucky to get in even though we walked in on an early Thursday evening. It is recommended to have reservations. The place looks dark from the outside with the blinds down that you'd think it's not open. Ambiance was casual. Food was great and tasty: mussels marinara, calamari and shrimp with squid ink fettucine, calamari with chard. Caprese salad was fresh. Chocolate espresso torta was heavenly. It was a busy evening; our server tried his best to take care of us but there was only so much that he could do. Nevertheless, would still give it a 5/5.

    Beet and Fennel Salad Dinner
    John A.

    A sister restaurant to the fantastically successful Edo's Squid. The vibe here is curious -- to say relaxed is perhaps an understatement. But like drinking a sesame latte, a curious combination that leaves me wanting more. The name and coloring on the website suggest to me one of the many places I visited in Eastern Europe (back when it was fashionable to call it that). The propeller in the window evokes feelings of a factory-sponsored restaurant where everything in the town might be called "Dinamo". The place is casual but in a fun way and the food is certainly not factory-like. We dined with a crowd, and the servers handled it superbly. The dishes were well-timed and prepared with care, even though the restaurant was packed that night. Our table felt well cared for -- which hit my Italian family note. Portions were generous. My rockfish was well-seasoned. Beet and fennel salad -- c'mon, we all need more beets on menus please. I loved the earthiness of the beets with the licorice-like taste of the fennel (another curious combination that worked!). And the buffalo mozzarella, red pepper and anchovy dish was a nice mix of creamy and savory. The ricotta gnocchi was a bit heavy for my taste -- nice flavor, but I would have preferred something to break up the cheese on cheese on potato. Our wines were a good accompaniment -- they don't have a full bar here though, so you can't use cocktails to vary the experience as I do sometimes. I would suggest a BYOB, but I don't even know if that's possible on Cary Street. Overall made for a fun (and full) night! The creativity on Cary Street is fun -- a nice ecosystem, not to be taken for granted.

    Beet and Fennel Salad Dinner

    Everything we got was so good! The gnocchi was so soft and creamy, fettuccine has the perfect saltiness and the salad was so balanced and flavorful. We got the tiramisu to go and the taste of alcohol was too strong for me and it didn't have enough sweetness to balance it out. Overall we loved the vibe it was the perfect date night spot!

    Tiramisu and cannoli
    Jessica R.

    Oh my gosh. I cannot say better things about this place. Made a last minute decision to come here and everything worked out perfectly. While we preferred a table, we sat at the bar because there was no seating available, as this place is very small, but service was amazing! Our waitress was tentative, she gave great reccs, and was a doll! Wish o got her name to give a shout-out. I highly recc having a reservation if you come during "rush" dinner hours. All pasta, bread, and pizza dough are made in house. The bread that came out was light fluffy and to die for. We shared a pizza and i do not know what to say other than it was incredible! The crust was crunchy and thing, pizza sauce was sweet and savory! The bolognese was just *chefs kiss* I literally do not know what to say in this review because I was blown out of the water. YOU MUST TRY THIS PLACE ASAP if you want an authentic Italian experience.

    Espresso Martini
    Lindsey S.

    I would love to give this place 5 stars but, much like mama zu and Edo's the customer service always leaves a bit to be desired. I was the second person in line to enter at opening as the reservations for the six or so tables they had were full. I requested a space for two at the bar and was told I would have to wait for the second person, which while my friend was parking wasn't going to be a long while and I get it, but there are only four bar seats. My friend arrived and we were seated. Two of the tables remained empty the entirety of the hour and half we were there, which is annoying when we were crammed in such a small space. We quickly ordered drinks and food as we assumed the place was going to be packed momentarily. We got cocktails and a white pizza as an appetizer and they were all exquisite. I ordered the gnocchi for a main and friend ordered another red pizza for her main. Everything came out fresh and hot. It was all divine. The gnocchi was exceptional. We ordered a second round of drinks and the bartender looked pressed. We weren't pushy, understood she was busy taking calls and drink orders so we repeatedly told her no rush to anything and when she was free, but each interaction felt like we were going out of our way to annoy her when we never gave a rushed vibe. I just don't like being treated in that manner when I get that it's busy and things take time. We will definitely be back but I just don't understand the attitude.

    Tiramisu
    Connie T.

    An underrated restaurant in Richmond. I've walked by the place countless times and somehow never realized it was there?! It is quite intimate so reservations are recommended. I went with a group of 10 and all of our dishes were cooked to perfection and timed perfectly. Pasta is made in-house. The portions are massive! Every person had leftovers.

    Mushroom Bolognese
    May-May R.

    This was so good! The restaurant is really small so be sure to make reservations in advance if you can. The food was delicious and came out quickly. I also loved that they provided bread throughout the entire meal...a must for scraping up all the delicious broths and sauces!

    tagliatelle bolognese
    Michael S.

    One of the better dining experiences I have had in months. We arrived for our reservation (reservations for dinner here are a must) and were promptly seated. I had informed the restaurant when I called that one of our party would be in a wheelchair and they remembered to set the table up for easy access. It sounds silly to start off like this, but I have to say the side salads were really good! Really crisp and tasty house made dressing and a large, generous variety of very fresh veg. I was seriously happy with this, more than seems reasonable in hindsight! I gotta get out more..... On to the mains -- my tagliatelle bolognese was perfect. The pasta was cooked to just the right texture, and the sauce was the best I have had since, well, since I ate in Ed's other local restaurants, before the pandemic. The pizza that my friend ordered was really flavorful, with a well cooked crust and lots of toppings. Best in Richmond? Maybe not, but I can't sit here and name 5 better ones. And the crab cakes that my Dear Love ordered were perfectly breaded, perfectly seasoned, and perfectly cooked. The only puzzling thing was the amount of greenery they were buried under -- like a salad amount of baby arugula -- but this was easily removed and the excess ignored. Even the highballs we ordered -- good bourbon on the rocks for me -- were generous pours and good quality stuff. Service was spot-on. Noise level is impossible, so it's not good for a quiet date night. But it is just the ticket for a nice sharable dinner.

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Reservation is a must, space is rather small. Food is delicious. We will certainly be back.

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Always exceptional dishes; we like to take out for home meals. Good for candle light dinners.

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    7 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    2 years ago

    sometimes a bit loud, service is richmond normal, but the FOOD is amazing. if they have a special, get it

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    13 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Excellent menu and creative cocktails. Loved the intimate setting and tenured staff. A must do!

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    Edo's Squid

    Edo's Squid

    3.9
    (901 reviews)
    0.4 mi
    $$

    i love the dim lighting and the family style entrees…read more the brocc rabe garlic + oo w ricotta + parm add shrimp was absolutely life changing i cannot wait to have it again we had an amazing waiter he was spot on w everything so grateful to have been shown this restaurant

    I know this is a Richmond institution bc it's been around forever. It's good but I feel like it…read morecould be even better. Very old school with no online reservations which is not super convenient but hey I can get behind it if they are going for an exclusive vibe. Very much an old style Italian restaurant but feels like they have really packed the tables in here - like sardines- so yeah it feels a little tight for my tastes. Service was friendly and helpful. (Making the reservation over the phone was not overly warm and fuzzy but hey I get it you probably are tired of having to take reservations over the phone all day lol). We got a popular app- the squid,white bean and arugula which was bright and flavorful so lived up to the hype but a little disappointing in that there was not a lot of squid so $18 for beans and arugula seemed a bit much. Also got the seafood bisque which was pretty tasty. For entrees we got the halibut, the monk fish fra diavolo and the spaghetti with crab meat. The spaghetti with crab meat was shockingly good. It better be for $40 but I don't always like crab bc it can be overly fishy in a not good way but this entree was very good. We also liked the halibut- nice piece of fish perfectly cooked. The MonkFish had a nice flavor, but the bones in it was a little bit overwhelming, and kinda made eating a lot of work. Seemed pricey to me since only one of us had a glass of wine and no other drinks, but I guess $50 a person sans cocktails and dessert is the new norm?!

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    Bar
    Bar
    Calamari
    Calamari
    Edo's Squid

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    Lost Letter

    Lost Letter

    4.2
    (101 reviews)
    1.8 mi

    Made a reservation and went here to celebrate a birthday. This place is great. Ambiance was classy…read moreand clean. The lighting really contributed to the very intimate feel of the restaurant. The open layout of the kitchen allows diners to see the cooks preparing food. One can also see the patio/outside seating from the inside as it was separated by a huge glass. Our server Matt, though he did not introduce himself, was very nice and knowledgeable of the menu and gave us great recommendations. Food was great. They a great and huge selection of wine and other drinks (I did not take pictures of this wine list that had multiple pages). I was not a fan of the nonalcoholic "Is that Cashmere?" Since it had grapefruit, pomegranate, cinnamon, vanilla, and soda, I was expecting a fruity taste but the cinnamon and other ingredients overpowered the fruity notes. Polpo alla griglia was great as the grilled octopus was chewy and flavorful. I would have preferred the beans to be softer though. Stinco di Maiale was very tender braised pork shank that really went well with polenta. Pesce arrostito was roasted rockfish and black rice with fennel sausage. This was very good too with a hint of spiciness. For dessert, the bunet was fantastic. It's chocolate, almond with amaretto. Love the texture. It was light and very good. Service was fantastic. Once you've told them food restrictions, everyone serving your table will know it without asking you again. The sommelier was very nice. If you're taking out your food, you'll receive a small piece of paper like for coat checks and you can get it when you leave. They also had card and a little something for birthday celebrants (cookies with candle) which was sweet. Would definitely be back!

    I can't believe it's been almost a year since our last visit. This time we got a spot on the patio…read moreand loved it. The weather was a balmy 72° at 6:30 PM and slightly overcast which made the patio the perfect place. A very serene setting for a sophisticated meal. I highly recommend the patio, but you need to plan way in advance. Even on a Wednesday night. And definitely get there early because parking is a bear. I don't mind the walk, but anybody with mobility challenges, might find it tough to get there on time unless they can get dropped off. For cocktails our friends got a very swanky bottle of white wine by Cinque Terre. My husband and I got mixed drinks : the Italian stallion and the ciao fantasy. Very different experiences, but both very good. The Italian stallion was complex yet refreshing and the ciao fantasy was complex and smooth. For appetizers, we got the beef tartare and the Borlatti farro verde. Again, both very different but equally delicious. The tartar obviously more a protein forward appetizer that had a smooth richness brought out by the egg and the well chopped beef. The extra sourdough was a nice touch. The Borlatti was the perfect starter for a spring evening and I actually enjoyed it more than my entrée. It has a lightness to it, but also richly satisfying, especially with the sourdough. For the entrées, we went back to our favorites from last time which was the cavatappi and the rockfish. I enjoyed the cavatappi more but I was trying to get more protein and less simple carbs so I stuck with the rock fish. This time the fish was not a great piece and had very little edible protein because of the bloodline running down the center of it, so for $38 it felt a bit stingy because I needed more of the fish than the slightly over spiced rice and sausage. Did not feel like a good choice for the evening. I did not finish and went back to my appetizer to satisfy any hunger pains left. Definitely disappointed that there was no specials for the evening and a lot of the menu seems pretty similar to the last time we were there. Also seems like fewer choices at least for the small plates. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful and again really enjoyed the atmosphere. However. Everything seems overpriced these days but even though prices haven't shifted that much at LL on this occasion, $172 after tax but before tip seemed a bit much for Richmond. Feels like everything is a few dollars over what the price point should be especially if it's not done to perfection. We will probably go back but not for a long while bc of price but also because of menu options. There are several restaurants in Church Hill that bring more bang for your buck.

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    Inside
    Inside
    Fried olives, burrata, sourdough, delicata
    Fried olives, burrata, sourdough, delicata
    Spumoni Cake

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    Spumoni Cake
    Oro

    Oro

    5.0
    (3 reviews)
    0.7 mi

    This is by far my favorite local business to get fresh pasta from. Oro is an Italian pop up…read morerestaurant and a farmers market booth. I haven't yet had the chance to attend one of their pop ups, but I'm an avid fan of their pastas and cannot wait to one day! Birdhouse Market on Tuesdays is my go-to for their pasta. You can also find them at the St. Stephen's farmers market. My favorite pasta they make is their sourdough tonnarelli. The creste de gallo is a must try. Other delicious and unique flavors I've enjoyed are the basil gnochetti and the porcini bucatini. I once got their white bolognese sauce and paired it with one of their pastas, it was divine. They have cute postcards with pasta sauce recipes, but you can also buy their incredible pasta sauces and pair it with the pasta you buy (which I highly recommend). If you need any help, the owner who runs the stand is incredibly sweet and can guide you in the right direction. Oro is incredible, if I could give them 100 stars I would.

    I typically try to catch them at the Birdhouse Farmer's Market when they're set up. Their fresh…read morepasta is wonderful! Especially coming from someone who has used a lot of boxed pasta over the years, I absolutely love getting to enjoy it fresh. Since I live alone, I'm typically able to break it into several nights of food for dinner, which works out great. After a long day, it's so easy to make (what I've tried so far was recc 1-2 minutes of cook time) Staff is always happy to answer questions about the pasta also! Pictured is the basil one, you've gotta love basil for this one, but it was very enjoyable, also loved the noodle shape, which I'm blanking on the exact name at the moment.

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    Butternut Sage Coffins
    Butternut Sage Coffins
    Butternut Sage Coffins
    Butternut Sage Coffins
    Two of my favorites

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    Two of my favorites

    Dinamo - seafood - Updated July 2026

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