My husband and I stopped for a late lunch, and were happy to find an updated menu of diner favorites with some creative additions. We shared a dinner portion of oysters plus a Chesapeake burger, both of which were perfectly prepared. The oysters were huge and succulent with a very light breading. They were accompanied by fries and Cole slaw, with cocktail and tartar sauce on the side. The burger was cooked medium rare as I requested, and was especially tasty since it was topped with lump crab meat, bacon, lettuce, and tomato. I got it with sweet potato fries, which were dusted with a touch of cinnamon and were a perfect side kick for the burger. We ended up taking home about half of each meal because we wanted to leave room for ice cream It just seems wrong to leave a well-preserved early 20th century diner with a soda fountain and counter seating without having some sort of ice cream! We were pretty full, so we shared a hot fudge sundae, which was definitely big enough for us both. It had vanilla ice cream, a generous portion of hot fudge, whipped cream, nuts, and two cherries (since we were sharing). We had a choice of wet nuts or peanuts, and I chose peanuts, as the salty flavor is a nice complement to the sweetness of the rest. Overall, we enjoyed this visit and hope to come back. I'd like to try the Caprese Burger and maybe have more oysters. They offer gluten free buns as an option, which is a helpful touch as well. Whether you live in Matthews or are just traveling through, it's worth a stop. read more

Richardson's Cafe - Oyster dinner with fries - Cafes Near Me - Mathews, Virginia

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This seems to be the staple constant casual dining establishment in Mathews. Cute diner type place with a side window to order ice cream from the sidewalk and daily specials. Includes seating on outside tables on sidewalk and inside has booths, tables, dessert fridge, in a diner atmosphere decorated with local historical pics and artifacts. Very friendly and respectful staff. read more

Under previous ownership, the hallmarks of Richardson's were those of quality of food, preparation, and service with a 60's vibe that has been of secondary importance. My steak last night ($25.00) was full of gristle, and it was cut so thin that the expression "medium rare" could only have been meaningless to the chef. This problem cannot be resolved by sending the steak back, it is a problem that exists has resulted from the restaurant drifting toward "nostalgic family fun" and assistance with various fund raisers and away from quality food and preparation. I suggest that the owner buy the highest quality of food available with locally-sourced seafood, steaks, and poultry. Go easy on the "nostalgic family fun" theme and the emphasis on how perky members of your wait staff are. These are cheap currency. read more

Clam strips used to be great but last night's offering was grossly over cooked and the fries limp and cold. Very disappointing as last time we visited (2yrs) I had been dreaming about having that platter again. Sad. read more

Second time at this cafe and it wasn't a good experience. The bathroom was disgusting, service slow and the food meh. I think the menu should be smaller so they can focus on making better quality diner food. read more

They are perfectly located in town on Main Street. I did a quick Yelp search for a place to grab lunch since I am not from the area. I did not search long the reviews were enough to get me inside. I waited about 10 minutes for a table. I was seated in just about the time frame. The chicken salad sandwich on rye hit the spot! I could have gotten it on white or wheat as well, but I let the waitress pick. She made a good choice going with rye. The rye bread was very tasty! The deluxe salad was nice and crisp, homemade croutons and a FANTASTIC ranch dressing. I also had a side of onion rings. They were a little sweet for my taste but otherwise they were delicious. The lobster bisque soup was just what I needed on a cold, rainy day in December. I washed it all down with a coke. Pricing was very reasonable. They also had a large selection of ice cream. The brands were Hershey and Blue Bell. I highly recommend hitting them up. I will definitely go back the more I visit. read more

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Been to Richardson's cafe many times. Whether it's for a lunch or dinner, the food is always great, the staff could not be friendlier, while the prices are quite reasonable. For just a treat, Richardson's has the best truly homemade ice cream you will ever eat. Ever changing flavors served up in any way you want, their ice cream is absolutely the best, whether it's a scorching hot summer day or a cold midwinter night. Richardson's Cafe is a go-to place to eat in Mathew's, Virginia. Don't miss it! read more

Food has changed drastically to taste and Servers need to be more attentive. Meaning you may have to assist in different areas if needed like the takeout section. Hamburger steak taste like potted meat. read more

Truly not impressed (but really wanted to be). Had their halibut (?) taco special.........very overcooked. BLT was edible. Service a little slow in delivering food which was cool when it arrived.........I almost picked it up myself from window. read more

Always love their food. Wait staff friendly and helpful. Very pleasant atmosphere as it takes me back to old diner days!

It's busy most times. It's al a o pretty small. The food is rather good with specials everyday. Good comfort food and ALWAYS a huge selection of homemade ice cream, malts & milkshakes. It is an old drugstore with bar & stools. Very retro and fun place to n eet read more

Came here with some friends for lunch in January and I was shocked that it was so packed until I realized it was a holiday. Fortunately, they went thru customers fast and we didn't wait long. The place had a great old time diner feel and the waiters was awesome. So the experience was great. I had the Crab Cake sandwich that I loved. Importantly, the potato salad was almost as good! Overall, this is a place that I will return to again and again in the future as it hits all the requirements. read more

Richardson's Cafe - Great crab cake sandwich and potato salad. - Cafes Near Me - Mathews, Virginia

Really wish we had a meal but only had the opportunity to have ice cream-which was amazing! One of the waitresses was rude.

Service was excellent and the food was good. The gluten free bun was one of the best I've had.

Our waitress was rude and seemed very upset that we were ordering only ice cream. We felt very uncomfortable while watching them complain in ear shot of us that we were only ordering ice cream. read more

We stopped in to Richardson's Cafe this past Sunday. This was our family's 1st trip here and oh what a wonderful time we had. We were sitting by the kitchen and I kept watching all of this DELICIOUS food coming out. It made for a difficult choice but I went with the Surf N Turf and was not disappointed. Our party of 4 enjoyed everything and our waitress, Lexi was 5-stars. Hats off to Chris-Amy Williams and all at Richardson's Cafe for the hospitality. See you again soon. read more

Toodling through town on Easter Sunday, we decided to stop for lunch before the church crowd let out and found Richardsons open and ready for business. We were warmly greeted and promptly seated and had drinks on the table within 2 minutes. I had an Arnold Palmer (my very favorite thing to drink) and DH had coffee and water. We had so many choices with the menu and they have a number lovely specials from which to choose as well. I decided to have Country Ham Eggs Benedict, one of the specials, the DH had the fish and chips. Both dishes were delicious. I loved how the saltiness of the country ham contrasted with the creaminess of the hollandaise. DH said the fish was prepared to perfection. Friendly service, too! read more

We were staying nearby on vacation and received a recommendation from our host to come here. We ended up going three times. It is definitely a local hangout with a lot of people that know each other. The first time we went, we had basic lunch food. The lobster bisque was very good. The second time we went was for ice cream. They have a nice range of flavors. The lemon crunch was especially good. The last time we went, we decided to try the seafood. I had the crab cakes with broccoli salad. The crab cakes were very good. Lots of chunks of crab and no shell pieces. The broccoli salad was great. My daughter had the clam strips. Compared to other places, these actually had flavor. Not just rubber strips. Highly recommend for lunch, dinner or dessert. read more

BEWARE ! Visited Richardson's for their Monday burger special advertised for $6.99 . They ended up being $15.99 a piece because I did not use the correct wording when ordering . I just simply said May I have the burger special as advertised on Facebook with cheese . I was advised by waiter that I did not order correctly and I had cheese . My response was so the two pieces of cheese brought my order to $15.99 a burger ? No response other than sorry and he walked off . I said that was not honest and it was misleading . He then turned around abruptly came back to my table called the Cook over to surround me. I did not get my second burger and the still charged me $31.00 for two burgers . RIP OFF ALERT . I turned it into my credit card company for partial refund . This sucks because I did enjoy patronizing Richardsons as you can see by my first review when I moved to mathews. Prices have gone up and portions have gone down as well as the quality of food. This could have been avoided ... read more

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Step back in time at this cool neat little place. Good food. Retro Ambiance. Very reasonable and friendly service.

Always worth a stop, great food and staff. And always having good deals on the specials!! Great atmosphere whether it's for children or adults!! (Also AMAZING ice cream) read more

To be fair, we didn't actually eat here. My rating is for the fact that we wanted to order ice cream but they wouldn't allow us to eat it inside as we would be taking up space for people wanting lunch (there were plenty of seats when we walked in). They wanted us to go outside and order from the outside window and eat outside. Sorry but I don't relish eating my ice cream outside in 90° temperatures. I will not be back even to eat food there, I was very put off by their attitude. read more

The food was awesome and the service was great also. Cool pictures on the walls showing the old Mathew's days of the area. Was really a great experience and looking forward to going back real soon! read more

We visited this restaurant during market days and we enjoyed it! Sat outside: husband had the Rueben and I had a club sandwich with a strawberry cheesecake milkshake. Highly recommend the shakes!! Very good! Would definitely go back! read more

We love the food and staff! Always a pleasant experience. Their specials are always reasonably priced. read more

The fact that Ive came to Richardson's twice now for ice cream and not been served is ridiculous. I can understand being busy but you can at least have an employee come up to the window and say that they aren't serving ice cream right now. I waited 15 minutes and even knocked on the window politely and 2 servers saw me just to ask for A MILKSHAKE and got ignored twice now. Get it together. worthless read more

Amazing food, best banana split I've ever had! Sweetest waitress also, she makes the best split!

Richardson's was recommended and didn't disappoint. A most enjoyable meal and great service.

Went for a nice Father's Day breakfast with the family. It want our first choice but we were outvoted. Only one waitress working, poor thing just couldn't keep up nor could the cooks evidently. Waitress had apologized to one patron that she was sorry that the food sucked. Other patrons we're having to get there own menus, condiments and clean their booths. Had a lip stick stain on one of our coffee cups. It was chaos. Food was just barely warm. read more

WOW. Just Wow. We are new to the area and spent my husband's birthday meandering and exploring our new community. We stopped for a late-in-the-day lunch, not knowing what to expect - we hadn't looked at any reviews. What we found was a friendly cafe decorated with a nice mix of pictures and memorabilia from the past - stars of the past and pictures of Mathews - an interesting mix and fun to spend some time studying. The service was excellent, with even better food. The staff was friendly and attentive but not hovering. The food was excellent. "The best clam strips I've ever had," said my husband and NJ Shore native. High praise! I had the chicken salad, and it was wonderfully fresh. The flavor of the herbs really came through and boosted this to another level. Overall, we felt welcome, were well-fed, and look forward to our next visit! Thank you, Richardson's! read more

Terrible place the food was served cold I contacted the health department on the restaurant. That place should go out of business

Wow I was so impressed with the old drug store soda shop look !! The food was wonderful.

This is my wife and my favorite stop after the beach. We were not disappointed again with the prompt service and the delicious food. Servers are very conscientious wearing gloves and masks during this ongoing pandemic time. My wife had the fried clam dish and it was excellent. Everything tasted wonderful and was prepared to perfection. I had the stuffed flounder dish. It was delicious however I would have preferred it to be browned. It would have been more appealing that way. So for this time four out of five stars. Would recommend for sure if you're passing through Mathews. read more

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Staying nearby and decided to give this place a try for takeout. I had crab cakes...so much crab meat in these cakes. Delicious!!! Fried green tomatoes were delightful. Fries were terrific and hush puppies...so good. Hubby got the fried flounder and it was fresh and not greasy or heavy at all. Overall...delightful and I am so glad we chose them!!! read more

The menu is broad enough to satisfy many tastes and every meal is great. The service is always awesome...everyone is always happy

Wow!!! I didn't even know you could get fresh clam strips anywhere! But you can get them here! And they are tender and fantastic! I highly recommend them! The lunch plate comes with hot thinly cut fries and fresh creamy Cole slaw. You even get one if those red spiced apples! I haven't seen those in a long time and had forgotten how much I like them! I finish off the meal with a big piece of "Smith Island" coconut pineapple cake. It actually has 12 layers and is homemade! You need to check this place out...I'll definitely be back!! read more

Richardson's Cafe - Delicious homemade "Smith Island" Coconut Pineapple Cake - Cafes Near Me - Mathews, Virginia

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Well that was tasty. I had a cheeseburger, which came with two hand-formed patties. I also requested a fried egg and bacon on top. Good burger, good bun, good fries. My companion had the caprese burger on gluten -free bun. It too got a rave review. Following this with ice cream was certainly a gild for the lily. But we enjoyed it. I'm not sure it was the best ice cream in a 30 mile radius, but it certainly did suffice. Nice atmosphere with an old time soda fountain, and attractive servers read more

Had wonderful sea bass at the best restaurant in Mathews Always can count on a great meal at Richardsons read more

Just left your restaurant super disappointed and disgusted. I've been telling my wife, who has digineratvre disc issues in her back which causes extreme pain, how great your restaurant is. We were in the area and stopped by this morning, we just left. The waitress wanted to sit us near the door at a tabletop with chairs. I informed her we needed a booth. (My wife is in pain if she has to sit in a chair like the one at the table.) She said you need to sit here. I repeated we needed a booth and would take the one in the back corner, which was vacant. She said very dismissively, that's taken, it's reserved. She started placing menus at the table I said we couldn't sit at and repeated that we'd be sitting at the tabletop. She did not give us the option to wait on a booth, which we would have gladly done so my wife could enjoy a meal without excruciating pain. So I said, fine we'll be leaving. At which point she looked at me like she was confused, made some weird jesture with her hands up like what the hell, and looked at me I was an idiot. You may want to retrain your waitstaff, some folks like my wife have handicap parking tags and seating requirements for a reason. Unless a manager calls me to apologize for making us feel like we were making ridiculous demands because my wife is handicapped, I will never return and tell everyone I know about our experience. What happened to this place??? Update to this review. The manager, who was extremely polite and professional, called me back and apologized to me and my wife and indicated the wait staff would be retrained on how to respond when folks make seating requests. read more

The service was exceptional and the food was delicious. I had sweet potato fries and the soft crab sandwich. My wife had the scallops with the Greek salad, she said the scallops were cooked perfectly. I would definitely eat here again. read more

Richardson's Cafe - Soft crab salad...yummy. - Cafes Near Me - Mathews, Virginia