I wanted to like this place. I grew up summering on the Rappahannock river. Arrived earlyish for dinner. Sat at the bar. I was served a glass of wine fast enough, even though the serving seemed small. After being asked if I was eating dinner, I was given a menu, and then the the two bartenders avoided eye contact for 10 minutes! I had to finally speak up with one right in front of me that I was ready to order. Bread is $4 extra, I ordered that along with Pan Seared Fish. The fish itself was great and cooked superbly, but the accompanying vegetables were just ok. They did not bring the bread out, I had to remind them 5 minutes later. It was fine, just not worth $4. Oh, and the whole place was smoky from the wood fired grill. Like, really smoky. My clothes smelled like I had been at bbq. All in all, not worth the price paid ($32 entree) and the service was indifferent. read more

I'm a fan of Rappahannock. I love the raw oysters and could sit here all day eating them. The sampler suggested by the bartenders is the route I normally go. If you do this, make sure to start with least briny of the oysters and then make your way around to the most salty...otherwise, your palate might have difficulty adjusting. My friends had the cobia ceviche and a few main dishes. The mains were good, but the appetizers really stood out. The restaurant itself isn't large and can get quite loud when full. Also, its proximity to the Centerstage Complex helps pack in the restaurant before and after shows, so take that into consideration. On street parking is the only option and because of its downtown location, parking can be difficult especially during the evening rush hour. That being said, this place is great. read more

Rappahannock - Cobia Ceviche - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Stopped on the way south for a break from winter and was wowed by this little place. Great seafood, great bar, and great vibe. Describe your tastes and the bartender will invent something. Made to stop back two weeks later into the still-frozen North for another hit. The delicate Rappahanock oysters are my all time favorites. Delicate sauces didn't overwhelm fresh seafood and shellfish. First-class service from Kaitlyn - she's a luv. read more

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Loved Rappahannock, RRO's third installment. The oysters are awesome as usual and are of course still the signature. Try them topped with caviar here... To die for! All of the small plates and entrees we had were excellent as well. The clams, scallops and the gazpacho were a few group favorites! read more

Rappahannock - The clam entree - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Higher end seafood joint. What the menu lacks in variety it makes up in service and atmosphere. The bar area was alive with action but not too distracting or anything that makes dining at a table less than desirable. Had the smoked yellowtail and was not disappointed. The emperor rice was delicious and a new one for me. Wish they had a surf n turf option but for the diehard seafood lover, you'll find something you like. read more

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Service extremely slow, menu had strange options, pork dish was okay, fish was also just okay, burger was weirdly good

It has definitely been a minute since my last post, apologies yelp, I was out of the country these past few weeks but now am back and ready to write. You don't really care about that so Rappahannock....real dope oysters! The olde salts are definitely a must, they have one for every oyster lover whether you like yours alittle more salty, subtle or paired with something flavorful that will go with your cocktail/wine. The craft cocktails here are pretty good and if your not sure what you want, the bartenders here will take care of you and make you something based on what you like (liquor). Ambience was casual, nice spot for a date or hangout with friends. Everyone seems like they enjoy drinking here so prepare yourself to have a great time. Huge bar if you want to sit there, there always busy it seems so haven't snagged a table yet but seems like some bit of a wait. Street parking, better to walk if your close by. Otherwise, street parking wasn't too bad! read more

Food was fantastic. Greatly appreciated the wine recommendations as well. Would highly recommend!

Went in with high hopes because of how busy it was. Server was extremely helpful and appetizers were amazing. Then we got our main course, which was absolutely awful. I have never had scallops that were drenched in a sweet maple or honey tasting sauce with slices of pineapple. It was so unbelievably confusing. Then I look over at my husband's dish which looked like a complete mess. The only thing on that plate that was edible was the pork, which was surprisingly good. But they put so many different components that didn't even make sense. Fava beans, cinnamon candy chunks, tomatoes, caramelized WHOLE onions, and greens. The plate was so cluttered. We left confused at what we just ate. The only saving grace was their service and the oysters and ceviche. I think they should rethink their main courses because I'm still confused on what I just ate. read more

I will not try to Rap pahannock, but instead will sing its praises.... Thoroughly enjoyed my meal here. For a seafood place in the heart of Richmond, it was great. Good selection of items on the menu for one page only, very decent wine selections (most bottles were under $40) and a good cocktail selection. I like my craft cocktails and looking at all the simple syrups and the bar, I expected a better selection. Almost all cocktails were direct from a book (i.e. Negroni, Sazerac, Old Fashioned) so I was disappointed that there wasn't something more original. Three selection of fresh oysters, that were delicious, but again maybe getting a Kumamoto or a Kushi on the menu could've pushed me to give this establishment a five star. It wasn't mentioned on the menu, but I'm pretty sure that they strive to get their food from a sustainable source and keep the quality high, so getting something shipped from either coast would be considered wasteful. My table shared the Rappahannock oysters and pearls (yummy although there was a bit too much lemon shaved ice, I like to taste the oysters) and we had an amazing grilled octopus with red pepper puree. Scallops for her (with pancetta square on top Mmmmmm) and I had the Olde Salt Clams. My plate's star was actually the Merguez stuffed squid, as that's the more prominent taste on the table, and Matt our. friendly waiter was the first to tell me that. Last but not least, we had a scrumpdiddlyumptious seasonal cobble (apple!), cooked in an adorable little stainless steel skillet, that I wanted to put in my girlfriend's purse to take home. All in all a great place, more on the pricier side. Casual atmosphere, nice decor, great food. If you're craving local seafood prepared in a great fashion, come here! read more

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After an extremely long flight into RIC airport, I stopped in for something to eat. The place was packed, it was a Friday night so it was expected. The wait for a table was long, but the bar had available seats so we just sat there. The bar is very roomy and you will not feel cramped if you decide to eat your meal there. I was actually glad we sat at the bar because we got to interact with one of their bartenders, Luke. He was eccentric and knowledgeable, kept us entertained during our dinner. I asked for a cocktail suggestion, I like trying what a place is known for and he suggested the Undaunted Courage. This a gin based drink and I do not typically like gin, but it was fantastic. So good I had two. We started out with a dozen oysters, 4 of each kind, if you like raw oysters then this is going to hit the spot. They do not have a wide variety like East Coast Provisions, but what they do have is excellent. For my main course, I had the Seafood Paella and my husband had the Pork Chop. They were both amazing. A good pork chop is hard to pull off, but this is perhaps one of the best in Richmond. For dessert we had the apple cobbler ala mode. They have multiple ice creams for you to pick from so it will take you a minute to decide. Everything here is amazing, from the service, to the cocktails, and especially the food. read more

The happy hour oysters were such a good deal. I don't know much about oysters, but I do know that I especially enjoyed the briny Olde Salts. Their bodies may be small compared to others, but only to intensify their flavor is a smaller amount of volume. The restaurant is gorgeous, and the servers were kind. read more

Rappahannock - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Great water side oyster bar with wonderful outside covered seating. Portions are a tad small even on their large portion selection on menu however, the taste offsets this deficiency! Highly recommended read more

Rappahannock - Menu - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

The Setup: the restaurant has a rustic barn theme. It's not a large restaurant so I imagine it gets crowded quickly. I don't think the restaurant has central air because it was hotter inside the restaurant than it was outside. The Service: I wasn't impressed with the service at all. God bless our server Jason because I swear he was the only server covering tables that night. I wasn't bothered by his slowness bc he was being pulled in various directions all at once. I was however bothered by the amount of time we had to wait for our food. It took way to long for the raw oysters to arrive and even longer for the food to arrive especially since it wasn't crowded. I blame the kitchen bc the food arrived hot which means it wasn't sitting around waiting for busy Jason to pick it up. The kitchen was just slow! The Food: Wasn't worth the wait. The raw oysters were strangely bland. The baked oysters got rave reviews from my friends. I had the octopus dish which was just ok. I think the octopus was overcooked. A friend of mine had the paella and that was very flavorful. Another friend had scallops that she said were pretty good. They charge $4 for what should be complementary bread which I have never seen before and I live in the DC area! Overall it was just an ok experience and when I'm in the Richmond area again, I'll go elsewhere for dinner. read more

Girls night out and Craving seafood. We met up at Rappahannock Restaurant. The decor is warm and inviting. The service was outstanding. Ordered claims and bread. They were delicious. I ordered octopus which was grilled to perfection. The dessert was good. We were undecided about coffee so we got a sample. The coffee was delicious so we ordered a cup. The service is above average. The hostess saw we were eyeing the dessert order by the next table and bought over a dessert menu. The hostess asked how was the dessert. I will definitely return to Rappahannock. read more

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This restaurant has a very nice industrial style, very clean and the staff was friendly. The drinks and oysters were great. The food, in my opinion, was slightly pricey and average for what I received. I ordered the wood fired steak and the wood fired tuna entree's. The wood fired steak was a hanger that was supposed to be medium rare but it came out very rare. The steak was under seasoned and there was only 3 small slices of beef. The best thing about the dish was the tiny side salad, but the purée was bland, definitely not worth 32 dollars. The wood fired Tuna was very good. Seasoned perfectly and cooked to a perfect medium. The side salad and purée were delicious. The serving size of the tuna was good and at 32 dollars, I would definitely recommend the Tuna entree. I gave this restaurant a 3 out of 5 rating because of the prices and the underwhelming steak entree. I'd recommend only ordering seafood here. Other than that the restaurant was pretty good. read more

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Great atmosphere for dinner. Casual and but classy. Good food. Looked online at the menu but it was old menu. Let the menu surprise you and shoot from the pallet. It will surprise you. I just needed some oysters today and this was perfect. read more

Rappahannock - Center of restaurant - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Went here for the first time recently. The oysters were delicious -- we had raw and baked. My cocktail (a cosmopolitan) was very good but pricey at $11. I got the seafood paella as my entree and I was very disappointed, especially for the $32 price. The meager clams and mussels were tiny -- the meat was butterbean size. The couple of shrimp were large but overcooked. The sauce was bland with some flavors I couldn't identify. The sausage was chorizo (I think) but it was a very weird texture, like it had been puffed up somehow. They got it right with the rice -- it was flavorful and crusty. A couple of my companions got the steak and they raved about it. I wish I had gone that route. No bread was served with the meal. All of us there would have liked some. For the money, my meal was poor. But if you're going for the oysters or steak, you'll be satisfied. read more

Recommendation: Make a reservation beforehand, the place gets packed. We made the the mistake of walking in and were initially told the wait would be about an hour. They then suggested being seated at Rapp Session (more casual menu, less entrees), with the wait time increasing now to two hours. Thankfully, there were seats available at the bar. Bar service was good. They make delicious mules. Food comes out quickly as well. We ordered the oysters and caviar with the wood-smoked fish. Best oysters I've ever had and the caviar just amplified the delicious of the oyster ten-fold. The fish was fresh, fragrant, and tender. Looking forward to trying other entrees on the menu. read more

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One of my favorite places in Richmond. If you enjoy oysters and an upscale experience that isn't pretentious this is it. The menu offers something for everyone and you will not be disappointed. Go for the fish en papillote and you will be glad you chose it. Perfect dish to share with someone along with a couple dozen oysters. read more

Went there twice for happy hour for the half-prices oyster on half. Very fresh and delicious! We loved tried the paella ( one of the best I have had in RVa!) and the grilled octopus on the regular menus. The dishes are good, but pricy given the small portion. read more

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Overall - This place sux .. decent food but crappy management and average food at top prices - go somewhere else and don't waste your money. read more

Rappahannock - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

All I can say is wow! Not a surprise that it is always packed. Extremely well-prepared well-seasoned dishes where the raw ingredients are the star. You can never go wrong with the oysters on the half shell. Grilled octopus so tender and flavorful with just the right amount of char to make it crispy. Nudi with rabbit ragu -- oh my oh my. Pan fried mahi mahi. And of course the drinks. Servers were attentive without being overbearing. Well worth the $$$. Treat yourself and your loved one... you deserve this experience. read more

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So much hype and I finally made it to Rappahannock. Overall, this should be a 3 1/2 star but that is not a choice here. Definitely not a 4 star. The restaurant was extremely warm; over 80°. Cocktails were not memorable and small for the $12 cost. Oysters were very good, but at $2.25 a pop, they were quite pricey. Service was very slow and forgetful. Entrées were very good; skimpy on the greens and protein. Desserts were good, but not extraordinary. Small portions for the price. Too many great choices here to rush back. read more

My boyfriend and I were here for lunch on Friday afternoon. We were seated by a host who was clearly put out by having to walk us to a table. We ordered baked oysters - 6 total; one was smaller than a dime!! We pointed it out to the waiter and he just said that sometimes that happens and walked away. The owners of Rapahannock Seafood should be ashamed to serve something like that. Not coming back. read more

Rappahannock - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

I've been here twice in the past year. I am from out of town. The service has always been amazing. I've sat at the bar each time. The bar staff is always engaging and willing to recommend other great spots in the area. The oysters are top notch. The cocktails are what you would expect from a high end cocktail lounge. I highly recommend and hope to have the opportunity to return in the future. read more

I went into Rappahannock alone last night to have a quick glass of wine before the ballet. I walked up to where there were several empty seats at the bar and was about to sit down when a large woman ran up to me and asked if I had a reservation. I told her I only wanted a drink at the bar. She said in as nasty a voice as I've ever heard "we aren't doing that tonight". You need a reservation for the fifteen minutes it takes to order, drink and pay for an over priced glass of wine? I left and will never be back. There are plenty of restaurants on Grace Street that are more than happy to accommodate walk ins at the bar. I would recommend avoiding this place unless you like snotty, pretentiousness. read more

So my first ever venture of trying oysters in my life was here at rappahannock and i have been back here multiple times since then. Oysters were great and drinks are spectacular! I had the corps of discovery and it was super! read more

Rappahannock - Rappahannock Oysters - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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What a disappointment this place was. We joined another couple who recommended this restaurant for a pre-concert (State Theater) dinner on a Tuesday night. Our friends made the reservations and the restaurant was more than half empty when we arrived...yet they still sat us at the very last table next to the rest rooms. First a few positives... great decor, convenient location and no problem finding on-street parking after 6 pm. Unfortunately that's about it. I ordered an over-priced beer ($9/pint) from the bar and my wife ordered a cocktail while we waited for our friends. When those friends arrived, they moved our table closer away from the rest rooms. My friend told our waiter he'd have what I was having...but when his beer arrived they told us it was a different brand since the one I ordered had tapped out last week. So, I was drinking something I hadn't ordered and wouldn't have known otherwise. No apologies. The wives ordered oyster appetizers...they were OK, but nothing special, though the presentation was nice. My buddy and I ordered the crab fettuccine but both of us commented on not being able to find or taste any crab meat and the portions were half of a size I would have expected. The server swore the crab was in there somewhere. The menu- which is the first one I've ever had trouble reading because the print was so small- said bread came with our dinners but our server advised us they "ran out of bread" (at 7 pm??). Maybe it just wasn't their night. Our wives enjoyed their meals... so that's a plus. Still...when the bill arrived ($192 for the four of us with just one drink each)... this restaurant gets my vote for least bang for the buck I've ever experienced. read more

Fantastic oysters with pepper shallot sauce on the side. Perfectly seared scallops. Great beer list and an incredibly friendly female bartender who gave me tips for other spots to try on my brief visit to Richmond. Loved it! read more

Rappahannock - The bar - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Love, love, love this place. Especially their oyster happy hour! They always offer a great variety of food and drinks. And the customer service is great. We always bring visiting friends here for a good time and good eat! read more

My favorite for a seafood date night in RVA. Great food, exceptional service, and an awesome bar. Get some oysters, a wood grilled seafood entry, and trust the bartenders with your cocktail. It will be a good night. Can't wait until we all reopen to visit again. read more

Awesome establishment. Great food and service. I need to figure out how to grill octopus. The oysters on the half had a watermelon sorbet with trout caviar. Complex flavors-fun presentation read more

Rappahannock - Yummy oysters, watermelon and trout caviar - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Rappahanock is one of my favorite spots for craft cocktails in Richmond. They have an ever changing menu with talented bartenders who can also craft you something special based on your personal tastes. At my most recent visit I tried the rusty revolver. A slightly sweet bourbon based drink with tributes to an old fashioned. I'd recommend pairing your drinks with some oysters, we usually get a few of each: the olde salts, and the more milder rappahanock river oysters. The atmosphere is great with a large square bar, able to seat numerous groups. read more

Rappahannock - Rosemary's Baby, Rusty Revolver, and the Sloe Death - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

It's so obvious that no one working there gave a crap. Got a dozen clams and baked oysters for apps, the oysters came out a full ten minutes after the dozen, that's sloppy. The baked oysters were dull dull dull and underseasoned. Wood grilled tuna was dry and underseasoned with plain boring rice, which was a shame because it was a nice piece of fish. Only interesting part of the dish was the pickled grapes. I had the wood grilled scallops, which were good and well seasoned and the succotash had a nice sweetness. Solid b plus but at A plus prices . Just an overall lack of attention and caring in both cooking and service. 7.21.17 read more

This is definitely my go to spot in Richmond. The staff is wonderful and the food is great! I normally get a few cocktails from the bar and their bartending staff are all top notch mixologist. Last night I had the bartender surprise me with a dealers choice and was impressed with the drink he whipped up. It was called the Suburban (mixture of bourbon and port wine). I also had oysters and the Pig and Pickle plate. I would like to come on a weekday so I can get there for happy hour which is dollar oysters and discounted cocktails. If you are in the area I would check this place out. read more

Rappahannock - My suburban cocktail - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Great food! Lovely service! Fabulous experience! If I lived in Richmond, I'd make it a weekly destination.

Really good place. It's located downtown, was a quick walk from the Richmond Marriott. Nice bar, friendly service. Awesome Oysters. Worth the trip. read more

A delicious spot with attentive and knowledgeable service. I ate here twice this week. Tonight was a selection of oysters followed by a perfectly charred skin-on Steelhead filet over tiny roasted root vegetables and charred peppers. I thought the portions were generous. Earlier this week I ate with a large group and tried the scallops, oxtail and fresh noodles and most of the small plates and desserts. All were delicious. read more

Rappahannock - Steelhead filet over root vegetables and roasted peppers. - Bars Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Everything about Rappahannock was top notch. After a small wait to make a reservation they were all over the service. We arrived and were seated immediately and the server was right there. He had great recommendations and they were ALL on point. Scallops, Monk Fish, and Pan Seared Fish of the day were all in the BEST category. Caesar salad was among the best any of us have ever had. GREAT Easter dinner!! read more