When I walked into Edo's Squid for the first time... I walked right out because I couldn't figure out if I was in the right place. And then, I walked back in and up the stairs to one of the best restaurants I've tried in RVA yet. The first thing I saw when I walked in upstairs was a few people at a table peeling dozens and dozens of garlic cloves... and this was the first great sign because I am a Garlic Girl. Be aware that the menu is very bare bones - just lists the name of each pasta, appetizer, and beverage without any descriptions or further info (so maybe not the place for people with food allergies or dietary restrictions). Luckily our waitress was happy to answer my (many) questions and was willing to accommodate our very out of the normal order way of ordering - we decided on entrees first, then wine, then antipasti because we were very indecisive. I got the pasta with broccoli rabe, garlic olive oil, and ricotta - there was a choice of penne or spaghetti, I chose penne. We also got a bottle of pinot grigio and the roasted red pepper with fresh mozzarella appetizer. To put it frankly, everything was amazing. The pasta was so flavorful and the roasted peppers with mozzarella tasted extremely fresh. The wine pairing was perfect. I'm normally one who adds seasoning to my entrees and I didn't doctor this one bit. We were so pleased with this meal and I'm very excited to try more of their pasta dishes in the future. The only qualm I had was that their windows didn't have any curtains or blinds - so I (as well as several people at the table behind me) were sitting in excruciatingly direct sunlight and this was uncomfortable, I had to cover my eyes the entire time we were there and I heard the people at the table behind also lamenting about the sun. read more

Edo's Squid - Pasta Broccoli Rabe , Garlic , Olive Oil - Italian Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Interesting.... Firstly bartender is great. He gave us a huge list of great things to try and sadly we only ordered one of them. That was the fennel.it's the bomb! We ordered the lentils...clean and tasty. Then the Carbonara...salty and I've had much better many other restaurants. Overall...I'm gonna try other places. read more

Last night was my second visit to Edo's Squid (so sad that Mamma 'Zu is closed now). Let me just say that both visits were worth the wait and the food was just as good as Mamma 'Zu. I always get the mixed seafood pasta, and it doesn't disappoint! Clams, mussels, shrimp, fish, and calamari on a piping hot bed of spaghetti with red sauce... so delicious! My wife had the rockfish which was excellent. The bread, house red wine, appetizers, everything was amazing. The first time we went was on a Saturday (with a reservation), but still had to wait 45 minutes for our table. The second time was on a Wednesday evening (with a reservation), walked in and seated immediately. No complaints except for the street parking. read more

Edo's Squid - Mixed Seafood Pasta - Italian Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Came here recently for a friends birthday! It was not my first time. A few things to note- we had a party of 7. We were only allowed to have a maximum variety of 4 pastas. This worked out for us, as we luckily had a few people who wanted the same things, but if all 7 people (or even 5+) wanted different pastas, that would've been a problem. I will say, they did let us know this when we made the reservation so we were able to plan for this. Also, we did pay all together with one card. Pretty sure this was required as it was just simply brought out when the time came. We also were expecting this, based off of coming here previously. We started with the calamari. It was really good! I loved that it had a really even ratio of tentacles to to rings, and it seemed fresh and it was lightly battered- not drenched. The whole table loved it. We then ordered the spaghetti and meat sauce, the carbonara, and the the seafood pasta to eat. My one friend ordered a salad for some reason which he obviously regretted. Not because the salad was BAD, but because pasta is the obvious choice. I'd rank the seafood pasta first. It had great variety and flavor. The spaghetti was a close second and the carbonara was last. I actually prefer the carbonara at Bacchus because they have peas in it and I find it more flavorful, although I do think the one from Edo's is probably more traditional if I had to guess. I just found it a little bland. Lastly, the staff was pretty nice! I remember coming in previous years and thinking the opposite but I stand corrected now! read more

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Finally, after 5 years in Richmond I finally tried Edo's Squid! My friend and I decided to go on a day where we knew it wouldn't be crowded so there was no line upon walking in. Whenever we looked up at the restaurant (on top of Hibachi box) we thought it was closed because it was SO dim that the lights just seemed all off. We entered through what felt like a hidden door up a set of stairs. The environment was very very dim and the air was so thick. Probably because it was such a tiny area for the mounds of people and tables they try to fit. It felt like sardines in a sardine can. We were seated in table seats between other people, so close that our conversations were getting mixed up with the people basically sitting on our lap. However, as the night went by you sort of habituate to the environment and you don't really notice all the chatter as much. The ambiance, though very crowded even though all the seats weren't filled, felt like a nice little hole in the wall place that was also very fancy. Nice place for a romantic dinner! I ordered the carbonara on spaghetti and got a bottle of wine. The carbonara was divine! Noodles cooked to perfection, everything perfectly seasoned. I'm pretty sure the meat was pancetta which was amazing. We also got the tiramisu for desert and it was pretty good! Not bad but nothing out of the ordinary. Our waitress recommended the wine and she was right -- paired with our meals excellently. Unlimited bread while we wait which was a nice touch. read more

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Edo's is one of my absolute favorite night out dinner spots. I have been there easily 20 times. However, until tonight, I never experienced Family Style. Typically, Family Style is right up my ally. I love to get multiple options & share. My hubby doesn't love this style quite as much as I do, but hey, it's a restaurant policy so I win by default lol. The stars of the show as usual are the braised fennel & scungilli. These flavors are unmatched. The mains we got were crab spaghetti, carbonara, veal piccata & Tuna. All of them were awesome. Least favorite was the crab spaghetti & I'll stick with my standard favorite, the squid genovese. Here is my only complaint & suggestion..... If you are required to do the Family Style you must pick 4 mains to share. My suggestion is to avoid non-pasta dishes. Why? It's because we received only two tunas filets & 4 veal piccata filets for our group of 6 people. I asked the waitress if we were supposed to cut the 2 pieces of tuna into 6 pieces (one piece was very small) & she said "yes, it's one serving & I'll bring you additional cutting knives". We didn't need knives lol, we were just surprised that this small portion was considered family style for 6 people. The family style option is not unlimited. For pasta dishes it really it doesn't need to be unlimited given the pasta sizes, but for the main meat entrees, they should at the very least provide a half piece of meat for each person at the table. I will avoid Edo's for large parties now that I know how the Family Style works. All in all a great restaurant for an intimate date. read more

Whenever I visit Richmond, I always make sure to stop by here. It was my first time coming back since about 4 years ago, but it was still just as delicious as last time. Honorable mention to the bread, because it was so delicious! We went on a Saturday night, and even before it opened there was a line to get in. Thankfully, they sat my friend even though the whole party wasn't present yet. You can also call to make a reservation earlier in the day to avoid the line. I recommend the calamari, mixed seafood spaghetti, and the Swiss chard. To note though, even though the spaghetti was quite large, ours only had 1 shrimp. Also, it was incredibly busy and a little slow towards the end to get our check, but the servers were all very nice and my water was never empty. read more

Edo's Squid - Italian Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Mamma Mia, this excellent place could easily be named Edo's Garlic! The brocoletti appetizer started us off. The rockfish and broccoli rab pasta were complimentary mains. The tiramasu was a fantastic topper (no garlic on this). No vampires were in the room but it was shoulder to shoulder. read more

Edo's Squid - Rockfish with side of spag - Italian Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Lucked out and got a seat at the bar on a Friday night. Crab spaghetti is a favorite, and the eggplant parmigiana was delightful. Always impressed by the consistency of the food and quality. read more

We recently visited Richmond and, at the urging of several people on Reddit, made a reservation at Edo's Squid for dinner and while the restaurant had a lovely atmosphere, we weren't particularly impressed with the food. We ordered a crab pasta, grilled fennel, and squid with white beans and kale. The squid with white beans came out first and was okay. The best part was the squid itself which had a wonderful charred taste, and is some of the only squid I've genuinely enjoyed eating. The white beans and greens didn't really add anything to the dish though - they felt kind of tossed on as an afterthought and the dressing was kind of flavorless (I don't have COVID, I checked haha). The fennel was another unique dish people recommended and while it was worth trying, I thought it needed...something else to really be complete, like the squid it was well-done but entirely one-note: It tastes like fennel and cream (okay, two-note). Same deal with the crab pasta, tastes like good crab aaaaaand that's it. You ordered crab pasta, you got it. The food was all well-made but exceptionally simple, with what felt like very little seasoning/sauces. I can very much appreciate well-executed simplicity but I kept wishing the food tasted like more than one or two ingredients. I think the many ecstatic reviews and reddit recommendations might have given us inflated expectations which is why it was a slight let-down. If we'd stumbled on it ourselves it might have been a nice surprise (although that's unlikely to happen given the waiting list). They also give you absolutely massive portions which weren't useful for us (our hotel's mini-fridge got about as cool as a breezy summer day) but if you had access to a working refrigerator, I'm sure you'd appreciate having multiple days of leftovers. We also got the tiramisu for dessert which was fine but was (and I can't believe I'm saying this) too boozy - it was hard to taste the coffee/chocolate through the rum(? it might have been a coffee liqueur with not a lot of coffee flavor). I'd give Edo's a 3/5 based on our experience. read more

Edo's Squid - Crab Pasta - Italian Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

I found the food and the service to be excellent...the food was exceptionally excellent. Authentic Italian food...served in large portions.

Edo's Squid is a true hidden gem. Delicious and delightful food and thankfully a little hidden for the rest of the town to find:)

I've been living in Richmond for about 40 years and while familiar with Edo, I've never eaten there. That was until last Wednesday evening. I could write a lengthy, detailed review, but I'm going to get right to it. It was simple outstanding. We sat at the bar and although it was extremely busy, the young lady who was working was awesome. She was polite, attentive, and very good at her job. We ordered the white beans and squid as well as the sautéed cabbage and they were both amazing. A couple seated next to us ordered the Monkfish and I couldn't keep my eyes off of it so I did what anyone would've done in my situation. I came back only a couple of days later. This time we ordered the lentils, the braised fennel, and the monkfish. Unfortunately they were out of monkfish, so we ordered the Rockfish. I can't tell you how amazing our experience was. There is no question that I will be going back very soon. Edo is probably the best restaurant in Richmond. read more

Wow. This place is hidden. To get in you have to go up a dirty smelly hallway and then after you walk in to what looks like a linen closet door, it opens into a packed dining room smelling of amazing Italian food. I get that they are busy all the time but if you're a heavier person, you cannot fit between the tables. It is very tight. We all ordered off the main menu because we didn't know the specials were posted on the wall. When the waitress came over, she expected us to know what we wanted already and didn't explain anything. There are no descriptions of the food so I had to look up half the items online. As for the food, it was an enormous amount. I made three meals out of a plate of pasta. The taste was really good because I like spice and garlic. But the amount of garlic in each pasta dish was overwhelming and I didn't taste a difference between the plates because it was so heavy on the garlic in every plate. Even after going home and brushing my teeth, I tasted garlic in my mouth the entire next day. I'm not sure I would be back except to get a massive amount of food for the money. read more

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This place was amazing. Rolled in no tea and sat at the bar. Impeccable service, perfect drinks and the food was out of this world. Can't wait to go back read more

My husband and sat the bar because there was no wait. I'm glad we did because the bartender was friendly. We received our food quickly and it was delicious. We had the mussels and I got the broiled Branzino. It was cooked to perfection. We would love to come back and try more of the menu. My only critique was the volume got very loud at peak service time, but it was ultimately a great sign they were packed. read more

Edo's Squid - Mussels - Italian Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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This place has a terrific reputation and has been recommended to me repeatedly by Richmonders. I must agree with everyone that this is a fantastic place. The place is tucked away upstairs and feels like a hidden gem. It appears pricey but given the massive portion, I think it is well priced. If you don't eat a lot and don't plan on taking home any leftover, I recommend splitting entrees. The food is out of this world. The wine is delicious. The space is tight, but I imagine that is part of the charm. Server was very patient and efficient. 12/10 read more

Server was overall very condescending to my mother who had hearing aids and had a very hard time hearing and just overall will not be coming back - my pasta puttanesca also had some weird like plastic strings it in. read more

This review is LONG overdue! The MONKFISH. Monkfish. MONKFISH. Who cooks this in Virginia?!! EDO does. Get it. Poor man's lobster that tastes better than lobster! Delicious spaghetti and angel hair with garlic and oil. Good bread. Decent wine. Stairs. EAT THE MONKFISH. read more

It was ok. I don't get the hype. Food took a long time to come out, Service was just OK. And the place is too tight. couldn't hear your company. read more

Amazing. The broccolini appetizer was delicious and I can't say enough good things about the pork chops. Simple delicious food, amazing.

Probably some of the best Italian food I've ever had outside of Italy. The reservation process is a hot mess however I called about three times and each time was told to call back because of busy dining hours this was quite a turn off. Finally on the third try I got a reservation. When we arrived at 6:45 at our reservation time we had to wait an extra 45 minutes until we were finally seated. This system is quite broken however clearly it does not detract people from coming back because of amazing food. The calamari was amazing except did not come with sauce. Tiramisu was the final finisher which was delicious and soaked with alcohol which was lovely. The pastas were clearly homemade and also delicious and reasonably priced. Service was not too bad as well. When you come in you have to make yourself known or else they won't acknowledge your presence and you will get pushed to the back of the wait (all done by hand on a notepad lol). Worth the wait will come back! read more

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Amazing! We had the squid salad, braised fennel, seafood pasta, eggplant parm and more. Everyone (even the vegetarians) loved it. Make a reservation! read more

My wife and I had dinner here last week. Everything was delicious....I even liked the view out the front second floor windows into the power lines....reminded me of dining in New York City! Looking forward to going back! read more

Wow carbonara was tasteless... couldn't even finish the 1/3 of the portion. I wouldnt recommend this place

Worst service. Did not honor a reservation. Showed up at our appointed time and after 30 minutes the incompetent hostess was still unable to seat us. What made this worse was her attitude which was not remotely apologetic. So, I'd recommend several other Italian restaurants in the area that are as good or better depending on the dish which include Enoteca Sogna, Bacchus, or La Grotta. read more

Authentic Italian food. Highly recommend a reservation for dinner, and expect a bit of a wait even with one. However, it is worth the wait. The house wine is excellent, the calamari some of the best I've ever had. I got the pasta carbonara and the portions are huge. With a full restaurant, the space can be a bit cramped so expect a loud atmosphere and sitting close to the table next to you, just a heads up. Again, I have no complaints as I expected this going in for the first time. This is what I imagine a true Italian dining experience to be like. I'll definitely be back with a large group as they seem very accommodating for a family style type of dinner as well. read more

Edo's Squid - Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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I don't eat a ton of Italian food, but when I do this is one of the first places in Richmond that comes to mind. I took my friend here before the Richmond Marathon recently and it was just what I had remembered- dark and romantic atmosphere, crowded (small space), delicious food and wine, and somewhat slow service. You have to weigh the cons (finding parking, limited seating, sketchy narrow stairs to get to the restaurant) with the pros (delicious and authentic food, impressive wine list, romantic setting). In my opinion, the pros far outweigh the cons. read more

Edo's Squid - Eggplant Parmigiana - Italian Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

More than one person recommended this place. I had to call them about 50 times between 3-6 to get a reservation but it was worth it. When you enter the building you walk on a dirty carpet up an unassuming staircase. At the top you open the door and walk into a cozy little spot with a relaxed feel, dimmed lights, and good music playing. All of the food was delicious, whoever the chef is they put that extra love in the food that you can taste. Very good! They pour a nice drink, and the prices are reasonable. Highly recommended when in Richmond. read more

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A small pain to get a reservation- this place was well worth it. We went at 7:15 on a Friday and the place was packed. It seemed like there were a number of people at the bar waiting on a table. I wish we had brought more people because everything sounded so good, and with the amount of food you get it would have been wasteful for two people to order more than an entre each. We started with the squid salad which was phenomenal- I've rarely been able to taste each ingredient so distinctly and that went so well together. We each had a pasta entre. I had all amatriciana(just a personal favorite when done right) and my partner had the sausage/ricotta/ broccoli rabe pasta dish. Both were delicious and in such big portions we had enough for two more meals each. We finished with tiramisu and a cannoli, both of which were also stellar. Would definitely recommend getting a reservation beforehand, but an excellent experience and a top place in Richmond for us :) read more

They have great pastas and the atmosphere was good. It was packed with people so I recommend making a reservation. The portion is huge too!

Hole in the wall that doesn't disappoint. Huge portions! The decor and the entrance is a bit old but the food more than makes up for it. I had the mixed seafood pasta. read more

Edo's Squid - Mixed seafood pasta - Italian Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

I lived in richmond for 5 years and never went to this place until I moved away and a friend highly recommended it! I was very skeptical given i'm a vegetarian and very picky about my pasta but this place was AMAZING. we had the Karl and the burrata de parmagio in spaghetti and both were uniquely different but phenomenal. It was a tight squeeze in the restaurant but that's just how great it was! Portions are huge and the pasta came steaming hot! Will definitely be adding this to my rotation of restaurants in Richmond read more

Edo's Squid - Italian Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Edo's Squid does not disappoint! For people who have never been - the entrance is easy to miss. Underneath the Edo's Squid street sign, you'll find a glass door leading to a set of sketchy, carpeted stairs. Follow those steps up to another door that says "Keep Door Closed" and you're in! It's small, it's crammed, it's loud, and it's GOOD. Call to make a reservation so you don't have to wait (there is no waiting area, so people waiting for a table are awkwardly close to people enjoying their meals), and try to secure a table against the wall - you'll still feel crammed, but less so. Also, they don't split checks automatically, so be prepared to do the math to say how much you want on each card if you want to split them. Some people say quality over quantity, but here you get BOTH! Whether it's a pasta dish, a whole fish, or some pork chops, you will leave here fat and happy. I've tried a few of there pastas, but the one that left me the fattest and the happiest was the sausage, ricotta, broccoli rabe over penne. My husband got the pork chop for $28 (he isn't a huge pasta fan - sacrilege, I know), and we were SHOCKED when a plate came out with two pork chops and a side of white beans. Again, not only was the quantity present, but it was probably one of the best pork chops I've ever eaten! Despite all the food we ate, we still felt the need to get dessert (like I said, we left fat and happy), so we got a whopping piece of tiramisu which was delicious, and I know people hate this word, but it was very moist. We will 100% be going back, but next time we might skip the meal before to make some extra room! read more

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This was a recommendation given by a local of the RVA area. He said it's his favorite place to go on date night with his wife and wow, I couldn't agree more. My boyfriend and I were blown away by the quality of Italian food, service and price. Definitely make a reservation more than a day ahead, if possible. We waited about 20 minutes, which definitely wasn't bad considering how great the overall experience was. We will definitely go back the next time we are in Richmond. read more

Edo's Squid - Italian Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

a big NO. we went as a party of 6. they would only serve us family style, which has a max of 4 entrees. the waitress was very disinterested and unaccommodating. When the entrees came, which were pricy, i was very disappointed to find they were mostly pasta, with a small serving of protein (shrimp, fish) and were nothing special. In my opinion, quite overpriced for the food and poor service. read more

I was with a large group so we did a family style meal. Love this concept because you can try a little bit of a lot! I highly recommend the broccoli rab with penne, mussels app, red pepper and moz app, the spaghetti con ricotta was also incredible....so simple with SO much flavor. Every dish was so full of flavor. Highly recommend read more

Finally got around to trying one of Richmond's staple restaurants and I was not disappointed! I've tried coming here a few times in the past but they are always (and I mean always) packed. I HIGHLY recommend making reservations. The spot itself is very small so tables fill up quick. Another downside to the size of the restaurant is that you can feel like you're crammed in like sardines. You're practically on top of the neighboring tables; I have no idea how the waitstaff maneuvers so gracefully throughout the tight spaces. It also seemed a bit loud, so maybe not the best spot for a first date. But all of that aside the food is delicious! It's reasonably priced and the portions are quite large. My boyfriend and I are vegan and we had no problem finding something on the menu. I tried the Puttanesca while he got the Karl. Both were great. read more

Edo's Squid - Puttanesca - Italian Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

I had a craving for some super indulgent Italian food, so I decided to place a pick up order at Edo's. I'd never eaten here before, but had heard great things. We called the order in: eggplant parmesan with penne and a cannoli (mistake #1, the filling gets a little melty) for dessert. I didn't check my order until I got home (mistake #2, details to follow) and found a GIGANTIC, saucy, layered, cheesy, fried eggplant masterpiece that could easily feed three people. Alas, there was no pasta. It was 9:00 on a school night and it came with bread, so I was content. I hadn't paid over the phone (mistake #2.5) and had a friend pick it up for me (mistake #3) and didn't get a receipt. Looking over my card statement two days later, and the eggplant was $27, rather than $18 as indicated on the menu. I fault myself mostly, but some clarity on the website would have helped. Overall, it was absolutely delicious! Next time, I'll just dine in to avoid surprises. read more

Driving in from NJ we stopped by Edo's for dinner after about 6 hours on the road. I got the eggplant spaghetti, my boyfriend got the penne in meat sauce along with a beer, and we shared tiramisu for dessert. I loved my eggplant spaghetti so much I could not stop talking about it the whole weekend on the road. All I could think about was how I was going to try to make the dish as soon as I got home. The large portion allowed me to take my leftovers to my airbnb and treat myself with more eggplant spaghetti the next day. I'm so sad Edo's is far away from where I live but I'm so happy I found this place through Yelp and was able to have a great meal during my short time in Richmond. If I'm ever back in the area, I'll definitely be back and place one order for dine-in and one to bring home! Also, don't skip on dessert - I absolutely loved the tiramisu here. read more

Edo's Squid - The most delicious eggplant spaghetti I've ever had. Penne in Meat Sauce. Featuring parmesan and an Instagram geo tag :) - Italian Near Me - Richmond, Virginia