I wanted to like gwarbar but it was awful, the blonde bartender was mean and off putting to everyone, every time. I'll never return. Not kidding or exaggerating - she's so awful it's not worth going to. None of the staff was friendly any of the 3 nights we were there. Spend your money where it's wanted read more

Drove to Richmond yesterday to attend the Beer Bourbon and BBQ festival. That was fantastic. My friends and I left fat and happy! I had no idea what to expect when my friend suggested going to the GWARbar. It is located in a bit of a warehouse district....edgy and cool setting. Felt very safe. We were greeted by a very friendly and attentive bartender. She walked us thru the menu ad answered our touristy questions. We sat at the bar and ordered more GWAR beers and some wings. The wings were Delicious! Perfectly cooked, naked with sauces on the side. (I'm not usually a "sauce on the side type but in this case I couldn't decide between 2 great sounding sauces) I'm glad we did, they were both excellent. The mango habanero took the unanimous win. Ended up getting another order of wings, they were that good! While on the habanero kick, my buddy and I got a couple Techno Seductress cocktails. Again, an excellent offering. Very slight hint of heat. I would have preferred more of a bite but I tend to push the spice envelope. As we sat there, we enjoyed our dialog with the other staff. Turns out the other bartender is originally from a town near where I live. Was fun to reminisce about the Amish Market and the Asian market there. I will make it a point to visit the GWAR Bar next time I'm down there. Very unique and a fun place to explore. read more

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It's the fuckin' GWARbar! What's there not to like!? Our last stop out of Richmond was memorable at GWARbar. Everyone in our traveling group is a GWAR fun so this was our most exciting and stop in Richmond. Everything you'd expect this place to be, is what it is. Good beer selection, full bar, decent food, and all the GWAR memorabilia you can stomach and then some. Permanent stop every time we're in Richmond! read more

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This place was everything I hoped it would be. Man I bet it was amazing when it was full of people pre-Covid. I had a couple Gwarbeers and a jamo-shot. Wife had a gin & tonic. We bought some merch and took some pictures. Loved it. read more

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Can a metal bar spattered with fake blood and hanging plastic body parts be charming? Somehow, someway, they've managed it. Major props to the servers, who were seriously the nicest, most down-to-earth bartenders I've met in RVA. After an appointment at the phenomenal Civilization Tattoo only a block away, I was desperately in need of some greasy food. I'd heard surprisingly great things about GWARbar and now I'm a fan myself. The restaurant takes the GWAR theme and tones it down enough that it is not an intimidating horror fest for those not familiar with the band. Sure, there's a corpse on the ceiling, the food has kind of gross names, and it's a bit dark inside, but it's mostly pictures from concerts, guitars, and art on the walls. They of course have metal music playing, and there are also two TV screens behind the bar that will feature either cheesy black and white movies or horror films. They have a great happy hour seven days a week, and very reasonably priced beers on tap. The menu has the typical bar grub you'd expect, plus lots of vegetarian and vegan options. I ordered an IPA and the build your own Jizmak (penne pasta mac and cheese) topped with confit duck. It was awesome. I actually laughed when it came out of the kitchen, it was so much food. It was served on what was basically a stainless steel bowl the size of a pizza tray and I barely managed to make a dent in the pile of cheesy carbs, although the bartender said I fought valiantly. I got two more delicious meals out of it, and will definitely be back for more. read more

GWARbar - Barbeque Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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This place is fucking awesome, the atmosphere, the food, and the staff. This is my husbands favorite place in Virginia. It's a wonderful little bar. read more

This is pretty biased coming from a GWAR fan.. but the food was amazing, the bacon had that sweet crisp on the baconcutioner- and the fries had a taste to it that made it unique to other bars. The ambiance resonated with the history of GWAR and all of the props that went with them throughout the years. Cannot recommend this place enough. read more

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Not my style, but my friends love this place, so I do too! Friendly staff, metal band atmosphere, dark, patio is cool too read more

GWARbar - They made my PBR look like continents, cuz I'm Lauren Be Explorin'. Excellent service to me! - Barbeque Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Gwar bar is what I consider a hidden gem. It's probably not somewhere you'd consider as a POC who's not super into heavy metal -- but I love it here! Cheap drinks, chill atmosphere and a patio for warm nights. The food is ok. My only complaint is there's 1 waitress that is horrible. Don't know her name, but she has medium black hair with bangs. The last few times we've come, after the bouncer tells us we can sit at a table, she'll come over and yell at us that we can't sit there and she needs to clean. Because we frequent the spot, last time we ignored her and just ordered from the bar. Otherwise, everyone else I've encountered is nice & friendly!! My fav bartender is Ashley, she's great and always treats us well!! read more

One of my favorite Richmond spots! The divey, dark, Smokey gwar bar. Firstly it's great beautiful it's pretty big between the outdoor and indoor area. Next, the massive cheap drinks help as well. For $6 I get a massive pint of my Jameson ginger with weekly specials that make drinks even cheaper than they already are. Staff is kind and attentive. I've never had an issue ordering food or a drink. They're always conscious of patrons! Finally, the food. The most underrated aspect of gwar bar. The food is superior. They have an entire menu filled with eccentric dishes such as tots with truffle and Mac and cheese with bacon and collards. There's an entire vegan selection on the menu and the desserts are unparalleled. Definitely one of my favorite Richmond spots. read more

Unfortunately I live so far away from the best bar on earth. However when I do end up down here it's a must. Also this was the first stop on my bachelor party road trip. Try the deviled eggs. read more

Didn't think this would be my style of bar but it was pretty awesome, even though of course due to COVID it's probably not as hype as it normally would be. You order at the bar from someone then bring your drink to your table or to their patio, which has some fire pits/warmth. We sat inside and it was quiet and distanced (quiet relatively to other people, not the great music!). We had just eaten but I got the chips and salsa and damn, was it good. Something so simple but so tasty, don't miss out. A pitcher of PBR was $10 which was great. I hope to revisit in a 'normal' era as well. read more

Yo man, I've been a fan of GWAR since "Scumdogs of the Universe" was released. That song "The Salaminizer" really speaks to me. All hail GWAR!! YEAHHH DARK LORD AND STUFF!!!! Just kidding, I actually never listened to GWAR, but we did Wikipedia them and managed to listen to some song about banging an animal on the way down and I probably like the song "Salaminizer" now cause it straight out took rap lyrics from N.W.A's "Gangsta, Gangsta". What I did know was that I had heard of their on stage antics, and expected a trip to GWARbar to be insane. When you combine alcohol, blaring thrash metal, meats, blood, some flame throwers and freaky a** costumes, you would expect a good time. Like all the drama, screaming and bloodshed of a sorority house during period week. What we ended up with a heck of a lot classier. First of all,the descriptor as a "dive bar" is not accurate. Prepare to walk in and think, "I love what they've done to the place!!" Despite the fake blood in areas and supposedly scary lit up masks, this place is actually kinda hip and nice. It's not as gimmicky as you would think it would be. Seriously clean and almost like a lounge. Also the death/thrash/heavy metal was at low levels, or maybe I'm just deaf, cause it was almost like ambient GWAR. I could actually have a conversation in here. The staff looks the part (pink hair, tats, mohawks) and they are quite friendly. I'm not sure what I expected out of them, maybe some screaming? A light sprinkling of blood as a welcome? As we settled in, we ordered the GWARblood, a Killsner (I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE!) from Strangeways RVA. Not bad. Could be bloodier. Let's move onto the food. The menu is unique and the titles will appeal to the 12 year old inside us all. You have two entree options: either jiz or balsac. Our sweet waitress recommended the jizmak n' cheese ($13) which was penne mac n'cheese with truffles. The other option was the filet o'Balsac which I still have no clue what it is other than I guess a slab of beef with cheese? We ended up ordering a bunch of appetizers and sandwiches vs. entrees. We went with the Grilled Postulus ($9) which is griddled mac n'cheese, with avocado. Basically mac n'cheese inside a grilled cheese. We also ordered the Frank n Further Scumdog ($9) which was pork-veal-lamb-bacon sausage with pickled jalepano, onions and the side of tater tots. Then we ordered the chicken McDuckgets off the appetizer menu, which was duck confit, chicken thigh, truffle and smoked mozzarella served with GWAR bbq ($8) and a side of pork rinds. We waited a bit for our food, which gave us enough time to conduct a Dexter style forensic analysis of all the blood splatters, and the consensus was that it was not indeed realistic. The food arrived cold. The best option out of all of our choices was the Grilled Postulus. The scumdog despite the glorious combination of pig, cow and lamb was really gamey and had a rank flavor, very much like it's namesake. Three of us could not take more than one bite. My picture of the chicken McDuckgets is rather misleading, because they look like crunchy fried goodness, but in reality the duck and chicken inside, was mushy and almost gelatinous. The pork rinds were good but unfortunately so rock hard they had to be tooth shattering.The best thing I had out of all that was the tater tots. It's a shame the food was a let down, because I did like the service and theme here coupled with the fact that our bill split three ways was only $11 a person, however if this is on your culinary/thrash metal bucket list, do not let my review deter you. Several people around me were really enjoying their burgers, perhaps we ordered the wrong things.They like to advertise the food as "the 2nd best thing you'll ever put in your mouth," and maybe you'll agree. Then of course I'll judge you on the first best thing you put in your mouth. Rock on. read more

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I drank from the cup of GWAR y'all, and it tasted like paradise. Unlike many folks that were excited about the opening of GWARbar, I've never been a GWAR fan. Maybe slightly curious, but a fan I was not. However, when I first heard of GWARbar just a few weeks ago, I knew I had to check it out my next visit to Richmond. What's awesome about GWARbar is that you don't need to be a fan of GWAR or thrash or any of that. Yes, it helps. And yes, I think you'd appreciate everything about this bar even more if you like either. But if either or both are foreign to you, they still have a great selection of drinks and the food looks delicious! Although their website states that they learned the secrets of intergalactic cooking from their mother before eating her, she must have been a deliciously talented chef. Upscale bar food at GWARbar. It exists! Yes, it's to enjoy amongst fake blood splatter, but you just have to embrace the whole damn thing. And although I usually would never opt for a fruit drink, especially at GWARbar, I was pulled in my the Tiki drink that tasted like vacay. And then I even went all in and got the $25 GWAR Tiki mug for memories. Yea, I did. The space is a bit small, but the personality is not. So come with an open mind and a slightly twisted spirit. read more

GWARbar - I drank from the cup of Gwar, y'all. And it tasted like paradise. - Barbeque Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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So I begrudgingly come here when my boyfriend had this as his pick for dinner. They were playing an old thriller movie since we went close to Halloween and I was instantly ready to run right out of the place. The waitress kindly sat us away in the corner where I was facing far away from any television and I could just block my ears (yeh, I'm a big wuss). Still, I wasn't able to get away from the fake blood that was pretty much splattered all over the place. --FOOD-- -McDuckets- These were actually better than I thought they would be and reminded my of a grown up version of the McDonald's chicken nuggets. The confit duck and chicken combination was nicely seasoned and fried up and was accompanied by their house GRAW-bq sauce. I didn't really notice the smoked mozzarella though and thought that the nuggets would have been better had they had more cheese. -Chicken and waffle sandwhich- This sandwich is basically most of your staple breakfast items crammed into one huge sandwich. The waffle itself wasn't super crispy but for once, that was actually okay for me. The flavor of the waffle worked really well with the bacon, egg, and chicken. The chicken itself was nicely crisp on the outside and juicy all the way through. The maple syrup sauce they serve it with is a little too thick and I think it would have been better served in a small container so that you could actually dip the sandwich into it. The sandwich was quite messy to eat, but I think that was the whole intention. -Wings- They serve four whole wings and we were able to choose two out of the three sauces that were offered-- their GRAW-bq and their bohabanero. I would have preferred my wings to be crispier but the sauces themselves were super flavorful and the habenero really packs an intense kick--but it's definitely not untolerable if you are into spicy. --SERVICE-- For the type of atmosphere this place projects, the service here is surprisingly warm. Our server was very nice and attentive. Also, one of the wings we ordered ended up being a little dinky so she gave us the McDuckets for free. She kept apologizing for the scary movie and assured me that they don't always play them. I'm such a huge wuss but I am so glad that I held out to try this place. Honestly, I wasn't really expecting much out of this experience, especially since my ears were covered half of the time to deafen out the movie. Definitely don't judge this place by their decor. Everything they do is really whimsical, but their main intent is putting out good food. Food: 4.5 Value: 4.5 Service: 5 read more

GWARbar - Chicken and waffle sandwich - Barbeque Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Oh my god - Gwarbar! Just what I needed passing through Richmond.. Decor did not disappoint - everything I could have asked for plus the food was awesome. Gotta get some more of that Fennel slaw. Unfortunately out of Gwarbeer that night which is actually how we found out about this place. read more

What a let down. This place has very little actual Gwar stuff. There was a car hood and trunk? Balsac's guitar and some Oderus light fixtures. They didn't even play any Gwar the whole time we were there. Just blasted some Night Ranger and other random crap. The food was bad. Got pulled pork nachos for an appetizer. The portion was huge but the pork was plain and bland. Had more beans than anything else. The service was very slow. The place was half full of that and it was 1/2 price burger night. We ordered burgers and it still took forever. The sausage in the Frank 'n Furter tasted over cooked and odd. Also the menu says crispy onion straws and pickled jalapeños. Somehow I got crispy fries jalapeños and pickled onions? The idea was cool but poor execution and even worse food. No reason to ever return. read more

I don't know why I like this place. It's weird and a little kitschy but it's my kind of bar/restaurant. It's in Jackson Ward so you just got to find street parking. They serve a nice draft list and have the usual canned domestics. They also got a full bar. And you can get a pitcher of mimosas. What's not to love! I have eaten many a delicious cheeseburger here and I have loved the tots and fries, but let's talk about brunch. They serve BRUNCH!! I got breakfast Poutine with an egg and bacon on top and it was delicious! It's also as big as my head so I only ate half. I successfully reheated it at work and it was still yum! read more

GWARbar - Poutine - Barbeque Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Firstly, I am a huge fan of the band and crew and everyone behind the project known as GWAR. We came to town for one of their shows, and my partner is vegetarian, so we needed good vegetarian food. Well wouldn't you know, this place has everything you could ask for. Strong drinks, good veggie-head food, good meat eater food, and the best atmosphere I could ask for. So awesome. Cheers to the front of house and cooks as well. My taste buds aren't biased by my love for the band, literally everything here was 10/10 delicious. Thank you so much for the memory. Cheers from Alaska. read more

So I've been updating reviews to comment on how well these places are adapting to the new normal (takeout only) and I must say that the GwarBar does everything right. We placed an order over the phone for about four entrees and an app (more on this legendary app later) and they were hot and ready less than a half hour later. It's so hard to know what food is going to translate well when you have some lag time before you eat it, but the food here stands up to the test of time, and they continue to lead the way for not only top notch burgers, chicken and waffles, hot dogs and fries, but also vegan dishes like the "Qwartichoke" burger (breaded artichoke patty) and the "Hail Seitan" (faux bbq sandwich). I'm not usually a fan of vegan dishes, but these are legit, and if you didn't tell me they were vegan, I wouldn't have guessed it. And another OMG shoutout to the best cauliflower nuggets I've ever had, (yes they're also vegan). For take out, they correctly separate the sauce (I prefer the vegan buffalo but the "Bohabanero" is also a good choice for those who like it hot.). But without ANY sauce, these things are a revelation, beer battered, crispy, basically where cauliflower winds up if it dies and goes to heaven (or in this case, hell). I don't know anyone who does these better, and they're everywhere now. I really have little to complain about, maybe the fries were a tad soggy when they got home, but that is easily fixable with two and a half minutes in your toaster oven. And you might even like these fresh-cut bad boys more well done than they give them to you. So don't be put off by the names of their creations (scumdogs and wangs for example), just order and enjoy one of the better take-out experiences in Richmond. If you didn't think we were lucky to be the birthplace of Gwar, then wait until you try their food, it's the REAL take-out shock-rock! (Remember, at home, the heavy metal music is optional, but highly recommended). read more

This place is a trip. The mood and ambience is so awesome. Heavy metal, gwar, and gore. The food is outstanding. Wife is vegan and this place is loaded with options. For the meat eaters their beefcakes are wicked good. read more

Was in town for a show and being a huge horror fan I was recommended this place by a few ppl. Well, I appreciate the recommendations from those ppl but the place did not hold up to the hype. 1. Place is in a less than desirable neighborhood, so just be aware of your surroundings and what not. 2. Place inside is quite.. dirty? idk if it's part of the decor or not, but you can have a horror theme without looking like the inside of the texas chainsaw massacre home. Dirt/ dust everywhere! 3. Music is WAY too loud and it is/ wasn't good music. Just loud and obnoxious "sounds." Can't hear someone right in front of you, and the place was relatively empty when I was there. 4. Sat for about 10 minutes and no one came up to us, or acknowledged us at all. Had to ask the bartender if I could order when she was bussing a table. She goes "come to the bar". uh, or you can just take my order right here like literally EVERY OTHER restaurant/ bar ever.. ? 5. Food was just dropped off by some dude with long dreadlocks (idk if that's exactly sanitary for a place that serves food? ) I said thank you no less than 3x to which he responded by completely ignoring me and just bouncing. sorry you hate your job man, a little "your welcome" goes a long way.. 6. The water and Diet soda we had both tasted off. They had a plastic taste. took about 2 sips and could not drink any more. How is your water terrible? lol Anyway, the food (Pickle burgers and fried pickles) was actually really good so that's why they get the 3 stars. I wouldn't go here again, or tell anyone else to. Order take out and you'll be good. read more

The bar was great - bloodstained walls, flyers of shows-past cover the walls to the toilets, flying eyeballs and gigantic weapons fill the ceiling. The Meat Sandwich was delicious- pulled pork (long pork?) with sauerkraut and fried okra was delicious. But the show stopper was the GWARBAR TWINKIES. From their website: 2 housemade twinkies, waffle battered, deep fried and served with maple whip cream and a berry coulis My description: Low brow meets high brow and they have a cage fight in your mouth. The only losers are your arteries but this death is a guaranteed ticket to Valhalla read more

Been coming here for a few years now. Love the food and the strong drinks. Bonesnapper is my favorite. Seems recently they removed a large number of cocktails luckily bonesnapper is still on the menu. It is loud inside but you can go to the patio. read more

This place is delicious! My husband got the bacon burger and I got the seitan nachos and both were delicious! We have been wanting to try this place and it did not disappoint. It was take out only so we went to eat at a near by park which worked great! Can't wait to go back again. read more

GWARbar - The Baconecutioner - Barbeque Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Overated!!! Place was dirty. Bartender was good and very nice. Bad part of town. Has very limited seating especially indoors.

A solid spot near downtown. Metal fans will appreciate it and good drink options. I enjoyed my meal however my friends, who are longtime fans, were saying that they think they food quality has declined. This makes me sad. read more

I was surprised by this place because we walked in off the street going "let's stop here." Little did we know it was a heavy metal bar. It was fun to be in a different atmosphere than normal. There were all sorts of people there so don't be intimated to go in if you aren't a GWAR fan (or even know who they are). The Mac and cheese was good- we did a create your own. The mushrooms were big chunks of mushrooms not just a tiny bit. Chicken and waffles- big portion and cooked perfectly. Loved the combo of what they put on with the sweet and savory but not sure the egg was needed on top. Would still order over and over again. The food came out crazy fast which we were shocked by on a Friday night. Service was good. Drinks were standard. read more

Cool bar. The food was surprisingly good. The selection of beers on tap was more extensive than you'd expect for a bar like this. Would highly recommend, even if you're not into GWAR. read more

This is a cool dive bar in Richmond. As the name implies, they play Gwar music, which is heavy metal from Richmond. We got here just in time to see the second half of the Titans upsetting the Patriots. It's a diverse crowd and the beer selection is good. We had several beets including Gwarbeer (pilsener) and an IPA. read more

As much as I wanted to find something to hate about this place initially, I really can't. To be honest, I didn't want to give this place a shot at all. Is it loud yes! Will you have the time of your life? YES! I will start with the best part, the drinks. First night in was $2 rail drinks. How do you go wrong with that? Next night I'm in, I ordered one of their special Mac and cheese dishes. Is it rich? Yes! Is it delicious? Oh hell YES! Third night, on Monday's, they have 1/2 off burgers. I love to eat, and I love a good burger. After the initial bite, you could tell this meat was not frozen, it was fresh ground, and cooked to perfection. Cost aside, the burger was amazing. Probably one of the best burgers I have had out this year, and at a "dive bar." Can't wait to see what new surprise I will get this evening when I return. The bartender was really friendly and chatted up with the mostly regular guests at the bar it seemed. He still had time to be cordial to my ugly mug even though I was a new face. See ya soon. read more

Its not bad, but not what I imagined it would be like. I was expecting a much $#!ttier dive bar, and that's the whole reason I went. On a positive note, prices are ok, staff is ok, and it's open on Mondays. read more

So we went there while visiting Richmond for a couple of days. It has a great vibe and the menu seemed like it had a variety of options (both vegetarian, vegan as well). We went in on the burger Monday. My boyfriend said that the burger was very tasty! It looked delicious and it was a huge burger. The tater tots also had really nice seasoning on it. My only let down was on the vegan buffalo wings. They were really mushy and didn't have any texture. Also, I didn't realize how deep fried they really were and I typically don't like really oily food. The mushiness was also probably part bc they were fried. Lastly, they need more staff. There was only one guy working the whole floor and while he was really nice, he seemed like he needed help. read more

GWARbar - Barbeque Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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The death pod burrito was very good. It was juicy, the seitan was tender, and the sweet potato fries added some needed savoriness. Roasted potatoes came on the side w no charge. but burrito was relatively small & ngl was lowkey underwhelmed. Still a good burrito. read more

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I ordered the Cauliflower Steak with a side of Fried Okra, and my boyfriend had one of the vegan sandwiches. Everything was so delicious! I'm definitely coming back read more

GWARbar - Cauliflower Steak - Barbeque Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

This place is sinfully repulsive and morally corrupt. A vile den of iniquitous heathens. read more

GWARbar - A sword. - Barbeque Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

GWARbar is a total gem hidden in plain sight! I should of course preface all this by saying that I'm a fan, as the two times I've been here have been during GWARBQ weekends. The place itself is surprisingly classy despite having blood splatters on the walls and all manner of GWAR memorabilia hanging up; the bar itself isn't nearly as divey as the concept would suggest. That said, it's still got metal on the jukebox and splatter movies on the TVs, so know your audience. Staff is extremely friendly and accommodating, even during the rush of people in town for the band's festival. Last year I almost wrote this review with a way less positive slant because of an incredibly unpleasant interaction with the door guy, who seems to not be working there anymore, which left me with a pretty bad taste in my mouth. This year everyone was totally sweet, so hopefully the current crop of staff sticks around! On to the food - once again, way beyond expectations. They could have phoned it in with some typical greasy bar food slop and called it a day, but the menu shows a lot of love with creative options and more vegetarian/vegan options than you'd imagine. I had a hand-ground scumdog the first time I came here, totally delicious. This time I had the "hail seitan" sandwich, very interesting, essentially seared tofu with bbq sauce. Split the poutine and totchos with my friends and devoured it. Great mixed drinks as well, the techno seductress is my favorite along with having a place to enjoy GWAR beer! Fair warning, waiting for a table can mean you can sit down and get the late night menu instead of the full monte, but you won't be disappointed with anything you get here. Great spot, love it! read more

I barely escaped with my life. The girl I took was slaughtered most heinously. As I ran out to escape Balsac had already eaten half my car and I had to flee on foot. The food was great though. I had some sort of BBQ, I don't want to think of where the meat came from but it was delicious. Clearly they were trying to fatten us up to use in future dishes. I would have given 5 stars if not for covid forcing us to eat outside. read more

I'm traveling for work and here in town for a week and by suggestion of a co-worker we stopped in. I'm 48 years old and I grew up listening to Motown music however I listen to a wide variety and this place was slightly out of my normal range of experience. But I will say this. Whenever I come back to Virginia I will ALWAYS come eat here. I was made to feel like I was 100% welcomed there and I greatly appreciated that. Service was amazing !!!!! Food was amazing !!!!! I'm coming back on Friday !! read more

Adam's great! Very helpful. Great, knowledgeable bartenders and lots of tasty vegan bar food. GWAR is always a good time!