This place doesn't need another review but I cant help it. This place is orgasmic. Yes, when you head up the creepy stairs to what you think can't possibly be the right place...you're in the right place...I am the queen of a killer linguine and clam sauce at home, but this place does some sort of ridiculous magic to theirs. So yes we waited huddled against a claustrophobic wall for an hour waiting for a table, smelling the euphoric garlicky goodness of their cooking. And yes, I wiggled my way to the bar for a couple of juice glasses of wine and navigated around the restaurant back to the line to enjoy these, elbows tight to the side, with my husband. And yes it was worth it. Specials are great, but I like to stick to the basics. You just cant beat their pasta! Wait staff and host are head and shoulders above those of their sister restaurant Mama Zu. read more

The food is WONDERFUL as you can see in the other reviews. But our waitress actually took away from our dining experience. It was embarrassing how rude she was to our guests. Our guest made the mistake of asking too many questions about the menu. We realized that we were imposing on her when she abruptly said "I'll be right back" while we were ordering. Our questions were met with slight eye rolls and short answers. Our request for Parmesan cheese (why did we have to ask if we ordered pasta?) took forever to be completed. And, when we saw a huge crowd waiting to be seated, we asked if those folks had reservations or were waiting for an open table (you know, small talk). Her reply was "I don't know. I'm not the hostess." I'll say! There was nothing hospitable about our server. We'll be back because we love the food. Unfortunately, our guests won't give it a second chance. read more

I love it here. I don't care that people think the service is bad, I'm not there for the service, I'm there for the amazing food. The server brings me my drinks and keeps it full, someone brings the food, and I'm good. I'm not there for the sever, I'm there to have a great meal with my friends. I love how noisy it is and the tight space, makes the family style and Italian food seem more authentic. White bean arugula squid salad is beyonddd. Gorgonzola pasta with peas, lamb sausage, duck, seafood spaghetti, and so much more makes this (and mama zu - same owners) the best Italian restaurant in town. read more

I honestly stood in front of this restaurant for 5 minutes lost and looking for the location. My GPS blaring "you have arrived!" I'm looking around and I noticed people kept opening this glass door behind me . I look inside and the stairs lead upwards. I take a chance and go inside the door. The carpet on the stair case extremely weathered and dated,but as I arrived on the landing the decor and ambiance was completely opposite of first impressions. Luckily my friends already were seated and I didn't have to stand in the long line of guests in the non existent waiting area. It's a small restaurant with little space to move around, but looked very clean. We ordered appetizers, fennel, calamari,mozzarella and red peppers . The fennel was amazing. That sauce I couldn't get enough of .the pasta plates are absolutely enormous talk about portion distortion. You have food for entire week leftover. The service was awesome and I would definitely come back. read more

Sausage ricotta and broccoli rabe!!! Get it. This is a must-go-to Italian place in Richmond, VA right in the heart of the undergrad campus. The service is great, the food is delicious (the whole pan fried fish specials are amazing), and the atmosphere is lovely. Be sure to come early for dinner or make same-day reservations several hours beforehand or else you'll end up waiting a while. My only complaint is that the side street parking can be a hassle. read more

I really love this place. Great for a date or just a nice meal, this place is one of my favorite spots in RVA. It has some of the best fried oysters I have ever had. Try one of their amazing pasta dishes with a bottle of wine. And, even if the tables are full, the bar proves to be one of the best seats in the house. Parking is trouble as the streets fill up fast around it, so you may have to walk. One of RVA's best hidden gems! A bit on the pricy side, but worth the price you pay. read more

Went for the first time ever on New Year Eve. Food was awesome,service was pretty good. But the atmosphere was to much to handle I felt like a sardine and Omg it was so loud in there. Its just a bit much for me, but if you like great food and cafeteria environment it might be just the thing. read more

Caught dinner as we drove through for work travel. Had the mussels. A lot of pasta for this girl! Definitely shareable. Small place, not fancy but a solid dinner option. read more

Highly recommend this place to anyone who likes Italian! It might not look presentable from the outside but it has a very cozy vibe inside! We ordered a shrimp da friavolo spaghetti, arugula and bean crostini and sausage, broccolini and ricotta penne and they were all well-made with he right balance of flavors. The wait for the food was a little longer than expected but I think it was worth it for some really good food! Definitely would go back again! read more

C'mon, this place is great. The only restaurant I take my most annoyingly-discriminating guests. Its challenging dining logsitcs (parking, procuring a table, etc.) make it that much more appealing / alluring. It's basically fundamental flavors at their essence. They don't church-it-up, just leave it be, as it should. Prices are impressively fair. Transparency on my part: I have no clue what the name means and perplexes me to this day. read more

Good Italian food in huge portions, just off the VCU campus, I can see why it is so popular. When I was in college, a place like this with reasonable prices and the chance to take home half your dinner to have later was guaranteed to be a hit. We started with the trek up the worn stairs to an unmarked door beside shelves of cleaning supplies, I think to create the illusion of finding an unknown little trattoria. We got there early for dinner after a theater matinee show, so no problem getting seated, we could pick our table. The dining room has lots of windows, table seating at maybe a dozen 4-place tables lining the walls. There are lots of smaller tables in the middle that could readily be moved together to create seating for larger groups, although they are too close together if you are just a twosome. When we walked in the door, I was tickled to see a table with a huge pile of garlic cloves and 2 cooks sitting and cleaning them for use - so much fresh garlic! We seated and then unfortunately met our waiter, who turned out to be nearly rude, barely sparing a few words to explain a couple dishes on the menu. On to the drinks - I ordered a Campari and OJ, to bring back the zen of a happy visit to Italy - my drink of choice there. Nicely done. We didn't get wine but I did love seeing the cheap bottles served to the table with short juice glasses, nice touch of authenticity. The warm bread and dipping oil on the table was so good. Specials are on poster paper on the side wall, a little hard to see from some chairs so a dinner companion read it off for us. We ordered mostly pasta dishes from the main menu, choose your sauce and whether you want spaghetti or penne. The pasta was so-so but the sauces were out the ordinary, I had a puttanesca sauce, chunks of tomato, capers, olives and yes please with the optional anchovy. A friend had the gorgonzola sauce which was good but too strong to have a heaping plate of it all at once. We wanted more bread and our waiter had disappeared. Ready to go and still our waiter was nowhere to be found, so finally we stopped another waiter to get the leftovers boxed up and get our check. Still our waiter didn't come by - seriously this place is not that big and we couldn't flag him down from across the room - so we finally left and handed him the check and cash on our way out. I know, it's a college location and hip but I prefer quality over quantity and a more complete dining experience. read more

Absolutely delicious Italian food, I love every single thing on their menu. The restaurant is small, and given its popularity, the place gets pretty jam packed during dinner time. You may end up waiting in a long line, standing on the staircase leading into the entrance. But stick around my friend this place is worth every minute of your wait. In the mean time, the bartender would be happy to make you a drink while you wait. Easily one of the best restaurants in RVA. read more

This place can be quite inconsistent. Everyone raves about their calamari. First time, the calamari was noticable old and chewy. But the second time I ordered it, they were fresh, crispy and delicious. To be honest, I tend to order the Karl for take-out for this place since the place is usually packed. It can be quite loud inside there too. The meat sauce pasta can be overly "meaty" if that means anything. The white clam pasta is decent. If you ever place to come here for dinner, I would definitely make a reservation. On the topic of italian food, it's not authentic "italian" in any way, even though people do rave that this is the best italian restaurant in Richmond, which I would agree with. All in all, I would just consider Edo's a place to get a quick take-out to make life easy. read more

Edo Squid is a small, quaint, and even romantic establishment that has big potential ...but fell short like a "meh" blind date. We started with Conch as an app which was absolutely excellent! It packed wonderful flavors, great with home made bread for dipping, just an awesome start... One of the entrées included the Hanger Steak rubbed in "duck fat".....it really fell short of expectations unfortunately. I know what your thinking....you had me at duck fat! Sounds great right? But it was just average ... Maybe it was my love for rib eye cuts that threw me? If you're a carnivore...give it a try and let us know if we are wrong? Just expected better seasonings from the non-soaked/end pieces - wasn't bad... But didn't compare to other hanger entrees ( Can-Can) I've had at similar price point. Next up for entrees was the Mixed Seafood Pasta- another "meh". We would say it was more brothy then it was pasta. A nice thicker sauce with less of a Campbell's feel was expected. Good assortment however of mussels and octo/squid was nice. Right path/idea.... With such a large serving, the one single shrimp felt out of place with being the lone representative ... Well seasoned spaghetti and broth was the feature of this meal... Too harsh? Perhaps....but the potential is there....that's what's disappointing... Overall the service was average, the setting however was fantastic! But potential is the theme here..... The food was simply just not what we thought it would be. We won't let this discourage us as we would certainly give it another try.... If this was an interview, we wouldn't toss it, but the application would go to bottom of pile... read more

The reviews posted paint a different picture of what this place is. The service is so so, the quality of food is average, I am being very kind here. The entrance is dingy, I nearly never went in based on the clutter and poor appearance. Inside is dark (dinner seating), which based on the entry is probably a good thing. Many of the specials were not available so I ask why bother posting them. read more

Eh. After hearing that this was one of the best Italian restaurants in the South, I was excited to go. It was fine. Not great though. Honestly, I was under-whelmed. The fried squid appetizer was good, but not any different from any other fried squid I'd ever had. I was pretty disappointed that it didn't seem like the pasta was made in-house, because fresh made pasta is always the best. I can buy a box of penne and cook it perfectly al dente myself. Also, if you have 5 or more in your party, they serve your table family style, which means the whole table has to agree on a few entrees. This could be annoying, particularly if you have people who are picky or have special dietary needs. Anyway, this restaurant is good. But, I think not quite as good as all the hype would suggest. read more

Delicious Italian food! My husband and I went there for our anniversary and left feeling quite satisfied. He had the penne with meat sauce and I ordered the spaghetti with mussels (in a red sauce). We had enough to take home for another meal. Pros: wine in juice glasses, delicious bread, good meat sauce, friendly staff, creamy gelato, getting lucky with a corner table, affordable Cons: extremely loud, had to wait for our reserved table, my dish was too watery, sketchy area of town We would definitely go back and try some of their other dishes! read more

Reservations are a must - it was packed on a Friday night when I went. Everything we got was amazing. The oyster soup sounds simple but was delicious. Loved the seasonal swiss chard appetizer. And the 2 pastas we got had spaghetti that was cooked perfectly (al dente) and the seafood pasta came with a lot of seafood. Portions of the pastas are really big. read more

Can't say enough good things about this place. They knock it out of the park. The food is always on point! My only complaint..they could renovate the place (without losing the charm). read more

If your looking for a great place to eat, COME HERE!! The food never disappoints, The Rockfish is one of my favorite things in world... I can honestly say I've eaten here several times and never have any complaints ( except for sometimes you'll have to wait your table, but I'm assuming it's this way cause the place is fantastic). . read more

Every time I'm in Richmond I try to go to this place. Family style at its best. I highly recommended anything on the menu. Get the pork chops if you can. Service has always been top notch. Also make reservations. read more

I live in DC where the restaurant-that-serves-internationally-inspired-small-plates-for-the-price-of-a-large-plate trend is inescapable, so it's incredibly refreshing to go to a restaurant that has a simple menu of Italian-American dishes with fresh seafood highlights and is proud to serve those in large, generous portions. We were visiting Richmond for a night and a lot of people recommended Edo's Squid, so we went in without reservations at 8:30PM. The restaurant was pretty full but a lot of people were coming in and out. The staff was super efficient in table allocation and keeping guests aware of how long they'd wait. We waited for about 15 minutes at the bar, where we ordered a (super affordable) bottle of white. We were seated promptly and ordered the fried squid (unfortunately, not that great - the breading was falling off the squid and needed more seasoning), the branzino and the spaghetti with ricotta, garlic, parmesan and broccolini. The branzino was delicious: big, tender and well-cooked. Simply well made. The pasta was a little light on broccolini, but it was also delicious. The service was great and quick. Overall, a great meal. read more

AMAZING FOOD, SERVICE, EVERYTHING! wow!!! I love this place so much, nothing but positive things to say

I went back to this restaurant even though I was none too impressed on previous visits. The difference was, that this time, I was dining with Edo's lovers...they planned what we would order before we even got there, and one of my companions came from NY-he was day dreaming about the dinner he'd have on his way. Apparently the secret is that all the most delicious dishes are from the specials menu, and that you should go with small plates. I really wanted to order the hangar steak because I've heard rave reviews and on previous visits, they've been sold out, but other than that, upon my friends recommendation, we ordered all small plates. I will start out by saying I am not a seafood eater. I don't hate it-but would never order seafood when dining out ordinarily. So take seriously what comes next! We had the fried oysters, the scungilli, shrimp and baby artichokes, the oyster stew/soup/don't actually recall, one other special I don't remember and of course the steak. The steak may actually have been the best ever..cooked exactly as I ordered it-medium, even though the server wanted me to order it medium rare. All the small plates were delicious-I did not try the soup because it turns out they flavor it with hogs jaw and I don't eat pork...but my friend said it was equally amazing. Aside from the stellar steak, the squid was probably my favorite...the dressing on it was bright and flavorful and just yummy. Even with reservations, we waited around 45 minutes, and the service was as barely adequate as ever, but the food made up for all that! Go, eat, love! read more

Second time here and will be back again. Make a reservation. Gets busy crowded in Saturday night. Jade this broccoli rabe and sausage with penne. Yum. Son had veal scallopine made with Marsala. He would have kicked the plate if I would have allowed it. Husband had mixed seafood with spaghetti. Was more like a soup then a pasta dish but relish. Daughter had al ammatriciana (so?) Really, really good. Fun atmosphere. Not for the hard of hearing as it gets loud. But go. read more

Absolutely delicious food! I was visiting Richmond for the day a local brought me here. The steak and salmon were exquisite and the tiramisu was too die for. read more

I've eaten here numerous times and it never disappoints. The eggplant is the best around. Moist, but not soggy. Great sauce and flat out delivers. I took a friend of mine who's from New York and you know how New Yorkers can be about their food. He had the scaloppini. He was floored. He couldn't imagine a place like this in the middle of Richmond that could rival and beat his homeland. Next time we'll go to Mama Zu's. read more

Excellent Calamari! Great beverages, unfortunately our visit was cut short due to power outage. Staff did try to accommodate as best they could. Can't wait to come back for what I'm sure woild have been a fantastic meal. read more

Went here on a Wednesday night and boy was it loud and crowded. We had to wait 30 min for a table, but it was fine because we just sat at the bar. I ordered the pasta with broccoli rabe, garlic, and ricotta with parmigiano. It was amazing. Absolutely phenomenal. I can't think of enough adjectives to describe how much i enjoyed that dish. My date got the flank steak very rare and it was also great. The steak was on the salty side but not enough to harm what is otherwise a flavorful tender deliciously massive steak, cooked to perfection. Pricy and loud but the food is worth it. read more

Very good Italian with a different atmosphere than most places in Richmond. You have to order family style if you have more than 4 in your party. they stay pretty busy so I recommend a reservation! There is not much room around the bar for waiting on a table. read more

I was impressed with how cute this place was when we walked in and how my water was always full. That's it. I sat at a table where I had a clear shot of the kitchen staff. The guy working closest to the window was wearing a sleeveless shirt which I thought was so absolutely disgusting. Just the thought of possibly eating some sweaty cooks armpit hair makes me sick. Anyway the place is way too cramped, the prices are way too high and what inspires me to write this review the most is that I found the food to be over spiced and otherwise tasteless. Not impressed. The people working there are so loud slamming the dishes in the bussing area and bumping into you while you sit, it's awful. I would never return but for the sake of anyone else that chooses to dine at this place, please, people in the kitchen, SHAVE YOUR BEARDS AND WEAR SOMETHING APPROPRIATE FOR COOKING. Gross. read more

What can i say!! I love this place!! The food is amazing and the price is even better. You can get a good meal for around 10-15 dollars a plate. The environment is nice for a date at night or a casual lunch during the day. I love the pasta dishes that are here. Everytime i come here, I always leave with a smile on my face. read more

I had the fried skate and it was amazing. It was so tender with a very crispy, light crust. Also had the conch appetizer, marinated in olive oil, capers shallots and red pepper flakes. It was by far the best lunch I've had in a long time. read more

Exceeded my expectations. Didn't know what I was getting into coming in but was pleasant surprised. The conch had a great taste to it along with the nice chili flakes that added some kick. I like the big portions particularly with the spaghetti and crabmeat. Even with little sauce, the flavor was in there. The fried smelts were also good. Basically I felt like I was having a small version of an Italian Vigilia. Would see myself coming back again soon. read more

It just left a bad taste in my mouth, in more than one way. When I walked in I was pleased. I was in town for the night and my friend wanted to take me somewhere uniquely Richmond. I don't know the city well but I hope he is wrong. Initially I was pleased. The liquor selection was not impressive but Negroni wasn't bad for what the bartender had to use. The atmosphere was cool and very casual. When we ordered our waitress was very engaging and interested. Then the food came. My friends veal was done well and he had no complaints. My next fried ordered the rare Tina seared. It came back cooked through. He sent it back and got a perfectly cooked piece of fish. I ordered the hanger steak- medium rare. It was a very large portion. Other than that it was very over cooked and one of the saltier pieces of meat I ever had. I mentioned that it was over cooked to the waitress. She took it back. I never have sent sent a steak back I my life so this was a big thing for me. Less than a minute later she brings it back and says "the chef says this is medium rare". I point out that it clearly is medium well. She argues and I give the definition of medium well and use my ridiculously bright cell phone flashlight to show that is is grey throughout with a tiny pick center, very tiny pink center. She says that the light in the kitchen is different and it is medium rare there. They must have a red filter on there light. My whole table demands I send it back. I felt awkward now so I just kept it. It was also the saltiest steak I have ever had but the taste I was left with from the strange argument with the waitress was worse that the salt I can still taste. I may end up moving to Richmond but will never come back to Edo's. I feel bad but there are a lot of options in this town and I don't feel like arguing to eat an over cooked over salted steak. read more

if this review were based on the tiramisu alone it would give it 7 stars. its that good. i dont even like tiramisu and i fell in love. the rest of the food was pretty good too. we got 2 different types of squid (how can you not? its called edo's squid!) one was grilled and in a delicious garlic/lemon sauce and the other was fried calamari. both were awesome. i think i liked the grilled one more, but you really cant go wrong. the fish portion (halibut) was nice and large, and quite tasty. also, we got there right when it opened for an early dinner and had no wait (and a window table!). the place gets pretty packed, and the service is not the speediest (which was fine for us since we were in the mood for a slow leisurely meal) but if you dont like waits or crowds, this is a good strategy. read more

I don't believe I will ever tire of going here. Although it can get a little loud when it's busy, the dark room, small tables, and views over the street give me a feeling of intimate ambience. And while I don't think anyone could accuse a server there of being overly attentive, I've always felt well taken care of and in a timely manner. The food is excellent and really what brings me back rather than try new places. The meat and fish entrees are fresh, simply prepared, perfectly done, and delicious. I would describe their appetizers and pastas the same way, abounding in garlic, lemon, and olive oil flavors. An excellent place for a date or small group, though perhaps it's in everybody's best interest to not go when this small restaurant would be crammed. read more

Excellent! My favorite restaurant in Richmond. Never had anything bad here. Broccoli Rabe, Bread, Tiramisu, and fresh fish selections are all delicious! Wait staff is kinda "hipster", but friendly enough and do a good job. Reservations are a good idea as it's a small place and they are almost always crowded. The noise can be a little loud. Definitely give this place a try, you won't be disappointed. read more

Great atmosphere. Prompt service. We sat at the bar. Very attentive bartender even though he was super busy making drinks for the entire dining room. I had a small window view of the kitchen. Food came out and every dish was so perfect! You should try the squid with arugula and white bean salad. They use wild arugula. Also got the fried oysters. The best fish I ever had is the fish. The Bronzino was not just fresh, but so tender. They serve the fish whole. Finally the skirt steak, perfectly medium rare. Each dish comes with a side pasta. So don't over order like I did, but then I will have awesome leftover for lunch the next day. If you are searching for a place to eat in the area, don't hesitate and search no further. You are promised an excellent meal at Edo's Squid. read more

Visited three times. Food is consistently amazing. Get the braised fennel appetizer - it is one of my all time favorite dishes. Can't go wrong with any seafood or pasta, but do try the Branzino. Easier to go on a Monday or Tuesday, still a full house but not as loud. read more