Hats off to the staff at Lillian who continue to be wonderful, but now that they have scrapped…read moretheir dollar oyster lunch specials, the food has absolutely nothing to offer. Like too many restaurants in the Scott's Addition area, this is seafood cooked without finesse and then absolutely brutalized with absurd amounts of palate fatiguing, brash, loud flavors. Every item on the menu endeavors to conceal mediocrity in the quality and handling of the ingredients with explosive, overwhelming additives meant to shock you into submission. Things like black garlic and chili oil, raw garlic, sesame seed oil, and punishing heat are inescapable on the menu, which really says to me loud and clear "we do not understand the appeal of seafood, and might have a fundamental misunderstanding about good food in general." I don't exaggerate when I say these dishes would be improved (setting aside things like inability to properly cook octopus) by scaling back the flavors to 5-10% the loudness level they are currently at, to let the ingredients speak, and to make the dining experience less of a punishing marathon with no relief. I have had much subtler and more skillfully balanced dishes at Indian and Thai restaurants, cuisines known for strong flavor profiles. I'm through listening to these Richmond restaurants trying to excuse simply bad food by claiming "that's the nature of the cuisine." In this case, Lillian claims that dishes characterized by these cacophonous competing flavors is "South American." No it isn't - the person conceptualizing the dishes is just a bad chef who doesn't know what he's doing, and at the prices Lillian charges, that's inexcusable. Drowning every dish in flavors that overwhelm the palate is not a way to respect your ingredients or your diner, and only communicates youth and insecurity. Anyone who's eaten widely and knows their ingredients will rightly feel assaulted and insulted by this overpriced, unskilled fare. To anyone who decides to go anyway: Good luck with the digestive distress, and with the taste that will still be left over in your mouth the next morning, no matter how much you brush your teeth.

Lillian is absolutely delicious. I had the best shrimp I have ever eaten here, served on the…read moreseafood tower my sister and I shared. Every bite was better than the last. They offer a variety of sauces and flavors that really elevate the seafood and make the experience feel unique and interactive. It was such a fun meal to share, comparing each bite and talking through all the different flavors. The service was excellent. Our waitress was knowledgeable about everything we ordered and made great recommendations. The atmosphere is just as impressive. The decor is simple but thoughtfully elevated, and sitting at the bar area feels like you have stepped out of Richmond and into somewhere like New York City. I also love following Lillian on social media to keep up with their latest specials. I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves seafood.

No way I'm spending 18 bucks for shrimp with one egg, a fucking hot dog dude? I got a god damn hot…read moredog. I hope yall learn that a hot dog shouldn't be in a seafood boil bs wtv tf it is. Next time yall get an order for shrimp make sure the shrimp actually is seasoned well please, I had the blandest fucking shrimp ever. Kindly burn down and get new jobs, seafood is not your specialty.

Best food in RVA, love the seasoning . The service is good too. Love the ambiance as well.read more

Extremely slow... unacceptably slow... when the food finally arrived it was decent, but not worth…read morethe wait. My wife and I came here on a Friday night with a reservation, got seated right away and ordered shortly after. Our drinks came, and then we waited, and waited, and waited for the appetizer. When it finally arrived after about half an hour, the waitress apologized and said they had a big group that had caused the delay so she was comping us the appetizer. I appreciated that, and expected things to go more smoothly after that... But then we waited, and waited, and waited some more. The waitress kept walking past us without even looking in our direction, and when we finally got her attention to ask if our food was coming, she said it would be out in two or three minutes. By the time it finally arrived, about ten minutes later, we'd been sitting at our table for more than 90 minutes. The manager brought it to our table and explained that they had a group of 30 people in a separate room, and there had been some last minute changes to that group's menu that had caused delays. Ok, I understand how that could happen, but the dining room and patio weren't even full, so it's not like the whole restaurant was slammed, and if you know that a group of 30 is coming on a Friday night, you staff accordingly, right? And if the manager brings the food out and offers an apology, you might expect him to also offer a round of drinks or something, right? Nope. We got the one comped app, but other than that, just a halfhearted apology for the fact that we waited an hour and a half for our meal. As for the quality of the food, the oyster po-boy was pretty good, but on the small side, and the sides were decent but nothing to write home about. If it were the best seafood in Richmond, maybe I'd go back, but I've had better elsewhere without the wait, so I don't plan to go back anytime soon.

Ok, Bar Buoy!…read more Boyfriend and I came in for happy hour. Brenner Pass was a regular favorite of ours and we were excited to try out this seafood focused remix! It was a 10/10 experience from food to vibes to service. As oyster connoisseurs, we definitely weren't going to say no to a dozen with the $1/each happy hour deal. They were fantastic! A delicious saltiness and the mignonette was top tier. We paired those with the ahi tuna nachos as well as the shrimp toast. They were both also exceptional and decently portioned. It was a perfect amount of food for the two of us. I tried the HH special orange crush which was fruity and definitely crushable. Those apps plus my drink and we closed out right around $65, with tip. We were not at all mad at the price & given the quality of the experience, it felt like a good deal! Our server and everyone in the area was very friendly and attentive. A winner for date night!

I went here with family and left full, happy, and still thinking about those desserts!…read more We had a few different small plates but the ones that stood out were definitely the calamari and the trout and churros. The smoked trout and churro was a balanced dish with some playfulness to it that set the tone for some wonderfully cooked entrees, but the main stars of the night for me were absolutely the desserts and cocktails. The mango rice pudding was smooth, bright, and the perfect ending to the meal, But the real standout for me was the strawberry mascarpone cake, which was unbelievably delicious and had some of the best plays on flavors in a dessert I've had in a while here in Richmond. Service was phenomenal too, with our server always checking in.

I'm going to pile on to the great reviews for Slack Tide. The space is beautiful, service excellent…read moreand the food creative, fresh, and delicious. We had the Caesar, shrimp fritters, baked goat cheese, pichana steak, and shellfish risotto. You can tell only one of us likes seafood! My landlubber husband loved the different take on a Caesar, and the baked goat cheese with toast baguettes slices was out of this world. The spicy shrimp fritters were delicious; I would have liked even more heat and they were a bit too brown, but that didn't stop me from finishing them. My husband loved the pichana steak and sauce (menu said gribiche, he thought it was bernaise). The beef fat potatoes were just fine - they would be much better if crisped up a bit. My risotto was to die for. Not as heavy as traditional risotto, with a distinct Asian flair. It came with two large, sweet scallops, a pile of tender mussels, and some lobster pieces throughout. The almond slivers added a nice crunch to the dish. I highly recommend the Yellow Umbrella cocktail - tart and refreshing. The wine selection by the glass is small but well-curated; we enjoyed our Vino Verde and Cab Franc. For dessert we shared the strawberry mascarpone cake. Light and creamy, and the strawberry-basil combo is so summery. We will be back.

Me and my friend ate lunch/dinner at the bar. Rachel was our bartender and she was awesome...so…read moremuch personality it was infectious!...Had a blast!

Great experience! The food was fresh and flavorful. Our server Rachel was very friendly and…read morehelpful. We will come back when in Virginia!

This was a cute seafood boil spot and I will be back soon. For $20 I got a minnow bag which…read moreincluded a snow crab cluster, 1/2 lb headless shrimp, corn, potatoes and I asked for an egg to be added. The mild sauce was amazing and the owner who makes the food was very nice and accommodating. The menu was pretty straight forward and the wings looked very good so I will be trying those on my next visit!

I didn't know this place existed until now! Walked in on a Sunday evening. There were plenty of…read moreseats open. Got seated right away. The ambianc is very casual. Part of the place is a convenience store selling candies, some pastries, detergents, wines, etc. Got the Minnow Bag #2 which included 1/2 lb of snow crab and 1/2 lb of shellfish of your choice: shrimp, clam, crawfish or mussels. I got shrimp. Served in a bag with a shell opener, the food was freshly cooked. It was delicious and very flavorful! It comes with potatoes, corn, and sausage. There were bibs and plastic gloves available. Service was quick. Food was great! Will defintely be back!

Great menu, super tasty seafood that was very well done and not super expensive. They have a cool…read moreJaws theme going and even sells Narragansett tall boys. I will go back every time I am in Richmond!

Just about two blocks from the Alteria theater and close to VCU so perfect place to grab a bite to…read moreeat before a show. Not a lot of seating- 3 tables and two long bar areas. But nice service and people working the night we were there. Also has the fisherman vibe with the decor inside. Food: Crab dip and the homemade chips-very good!!! Buffalo wing special that night was also very good! Good flavor to the wings Beer-can't recall what my hubs had, but he liked it. Overall a great small dive-ish bar with good food and service.

Celebrated Juneteenth by eating at Shrimp's and the food just doesn't miss! Small neighborhood…read morevibes, with r&b music playing in the restaurant. I first had Shrimps at a catered event so I already knew what to expect. I ordered the wingettes meal and it was just what I expected - excellent! The wings so so crispy, the Mac n cheese was so good and the yams are exceptional. The yams, the yams, incredible. The part of the experience that wasn't the best was the customer service. Everyone was kind which helped, but my husband and I asked for tartar sauce for his fish four times and never got it. From what I learned, it's homemade and like a staple for the fish, so that was very disappointing. While most of our needs were met, it didn't feel like it was a priority, so I would say maybe they need just a few more staffers on the team. Next time we might order takeout there instead. But, overall the food is incredible and that alone would make me order again.

Shrimps does not play around. The fried fish and shrimp are spectacular -- crispy, seasoned right,…read moreand not swimming in grease. Exactly how fried seafood should be. But let me give you the cheat code: order the shrimp and chicken Alfredo. Thank me later. It's rich, loaded, and the portion size is ridiculous. Like "why is this plate this heavy?" ridiculous. Come hungry. Leave full. Possibly reconsider your life choices halfway through the plate -- but in a good way.