Downtown location is always reliable Friendly staff, good service, consistent food. Homestyle, comfort food. Full bar Street or public pay lot parking My rating rationale +1 Service +1 Food~Taste/flavor/quality +1 Presentation + .5 Atmosphere/vibe +1 Value read more

Tarrant's Cafe - Inside - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

I really wanted to love Tarrants Cafe downtown but we had a lot of issues! But let's start with the positive! The customer service was great! From the host to the server, we really enjoyed everyone! The restaurant itself was cute! It was small and quant but we are used to that living in the city in DC and some of the best restaurants are like that! Now the drinks and food!! For the drinks we had the rosemary martini and espresso martini. The rosemary was one of my favs!! So light and delicious! The espresso was lacking and I'm an espresso martini snob! It was just so watery and was lacking flavor from the espresso! We ordered two kids pizza and a few apps. The fried green tomato's, spinach/crab dip and fried oysters which was a special! The pizza was delicious but the menu doesn't state that they sprinkle Parmesan on top. Both my kids have an allergy so they had to remake it. Once they remade it with no parm it was DELICIOUS! Def get their pizza! The biggest issue was the fried foods. The crab/spinach dip is a must try! It was good!!! But the fried green tomatoes and oysters were not good bc we can tell they haven't changed their grease in ages. They came out super dark and tasted burnt due to the grease it was cooked in. I worked in a restaurant for ages and can tell! If they had fresh grease it would have made a ton of difference! I'd love to come back and try it again but only if they have improved how they cook their fried food! If you're just looking for pizza and cocktails, this is a good recommendation! read more

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It has been forever since I last visited Tarrant's. It has always been one of my favorite places to dine but sadly it had been years since I last ate there. When I saw on their Instagram page that they would be open for Brunch of New Year's Day, I knew it was time for a return visit, Needless to say I was not disappointed. My husband & I had reservations for 12 noon & were expeditiously seated & our server attentively approached our tables to take our drink & appetizer orders. So far, our reacquaintance with Tarrant's was definitely off to a great start. The dining areas were festively decorated. The ambiance was lively & communal. There were lots of groups dining & the conversations were bright & boisterous but not overwhelming. As far as cocktail menu offerings, My husband & I ordered The Tokyo Snow, which was served in the cutest glass. I have to say it was not my favorite drink of various cocktails I have tried. It was a bit tart for my taste but I liked that it was a sake based cocktail so I might try it again on future visits. For our main course, I ordered The Fig & Pig small pizza. I don't eat a lot of pizza consistently so when I dine out I try to sample unique versions of pizzas I discover. This was quite tasty. It was pulled pork with Fig jam, arugula & balsamic vinaigrette! It was definitely a pizza I would try again. My husband ordered the meatloaf & thoroughly enjoyed it. For desert he ordered the sweet potato pie to go. He enjoyed that as well. After this Brunch dining experience at Tarrant's I am sure it will not be such a long absence on my part before I return to dine again. Brunch at Tarrant's was a truly lovely experience. read more

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Tarrant's was such a wonderful surprise! I live within walking distance and finally made it in for dinner last Friday, which happened to be the First Fridays block party. The street was so lively and we had a great time browsing the vendors and picking up some local art before ending the night at Tarrant's. It was the perfect way to finish the evening. We split a bottle of wine, the hummus plate, and the salmon with green beans and wild rice, and every bit of it was fantastic. The portions were just right for two people and the whole experience felt really special. We will absolutely be back to work our way through the rest of the menu! read more

Tarrant's Cafe - the inside when you first walk in! - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Started with the hummus plate and wow it was delish. An old fashion for me and expresso martini for my lady. The drinks tasted really good however we both felt like the drinks came up short on the amount. I had the pasta n shrimp with vodka sauce...tasted good but was not warm.? My wife had the fish tacos n salad. Her meal was not hot as well. All in all the food tasted real good..Thank You Chef and Thank You Nicolas for great service. read more

Tarrant's Cafe - Expresso Espresso martini - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

I'm a sucker for cozy ambiance, good service, and great food, so Tarrant's Cafe is naturally one of my go-to spots when I'm visiting Richmond. There's a lot of history in the building, which apparently had a former life as a pharmacy in the 1800s and 1900s, before it's more recent transformation into a fun dining spot. Nothing is too over-the-top or fussy at Tarrant's. It's warm, comfortable, familiar. Typical American fare, well-executed, a nice beer selection, and good cocktails round out the experience. And if you're around for the holidays, they do a hang-up Thanksgiving Platter with turkey, ham, or both (!), along with the usual sides. But be sure to make a res early because they're usually packed on the holidays. Enjoy! read more

Tarrant's Cafe - The Thanksgiving Platter with turkey and ham and all the fixings. - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

This is a historic place with interior and pieces dating back to when it was still a drugstore (hence the name): hardwood flooring, pharmacy shelves, and stained glass. Got seated right away when we walked in on a Wednesday evening. Jacob, our server, gave great recommendations. Blackberry mint fizz was refreshing! It had mint, limeade, and blackberry. Seafood combo was soo flavorful. NY strip was great. It was very tender. Their desserts were lovely too. The cheesecake of the week was turtle cheesecake. Upside down apple walnut pie was also yummy. With music from 70s, 80s, 90s were playing in the background, I really enjoyed the experience here and would definitely come back. read more

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The only reason this place is getting 2 stars is because their she crab soup was really good. I came here during Richmond Restaurant Week and was very disappointed. My steak was supposed to be medium rare but instead was well done. When the waitress asked how everything looked, I expressed some discontent, but he was so busy he said "great!" and never came back to check on us. I would've moved on from that if the dessert hadn't been awful. The blondie was (I kid you not) as hard as a rock. I had to use a knife to break the blondie as if I was an ice chiseler. Very disappointed. It took 15 minutes for the waiter to come pick up our card with the bill. Ambiance was a bit chaotic. Seemed like this place had a lot of potential but was not impressed. Pro tip: they will discount street parking price if you have a receipt. That was a perk. (Info on back of menu) read more

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Restaurant week review - unfortunately an underwhelming experience with the 3 stars primarily because of our nice server --------------------------------- Food: we ordered the 3 course fixed price meal off the restaurant week menu since we were both very hungry however despite that it was "3 courses" the servings were very small, which is honestly fine, however the quality of the food wasn't the best. Appetizers: we both got the scallop and zucchini apps which were the best part of the meal Mains: The salmon and mushroom risotto wasn't terrible but left more to be desired, the sauce on the salmon looked like it had been sitting there for a while, and the presentation of the dish as a whole lacked color (maybe considering adding some greens/reds?), the steak was okay but the potatoes just tasted like boiled potatoes. Overall very underwhelming - but at this point, nothing was overly "bad" Unfortunately the dessert was the inedible part :( ordered the blonde brownie sundae and the brownie thing was so hard and dry, it was actually inedible Recommendations: would recommend their normal menu not restaurant week Affordability: the menu seemed reasonably priced, but somewhat overpriced for restaurant week Ambiance: despite our negative experience the restaurant was packed. Liked the ambiance more than the food, the kind of place where it can be a fancy date or casual bite Service: our kind server was the main reason for the 3 star reviews and that we would be willing to try this place again, he was very attentive and helpful and offered to speak to the chef (which was not necessary) Overall, not the best restaurant experience, but I always believe in a second chance and giving people/places the benefit of the doubt read more

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My girlfriends and I went to Tarrant's on a week night during restaurant week. One of us did the restaurant week special, and the others ordered off the regular menu. Our server, Leah, was great. She had lots of great recommendations did not hesitate to give us her opinion, and was very attentive, despite having a very busy restaurant and section of tables. Our food came out in a reasonable amount of time, and overall the flavors were really good. Our group ordered calamari, bruschetta cheese, ball, sheet crab, soup, hot, honey, salmon and risotto, chicken sandwich, and fried green tomato grilled cheese. Overall, all of our food was really good, and the flavors were really great. Tarrants gives upscale Tavern, Café, bar vibes, and a more mature setting. Two of us had cocktails, while we waited for our appetizers, and both were very good, true to the flavors, and not weak. The prices were really reasonable, especially for the quantity of food. Overall, Tarrants is a dependable, good quality reasonably priced great place to go with colleagues, friends, or for a nice night out without having to get too dressed up. read more

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This place is close to my hair salon and I was ready to eat after my appointment. I was ignored for so long. The patron beside me gave me his menu since he had already ordered. Eventually the bartender came over and took my order. My drink took longer than all the other people I observed but it was tasty. The food was good but the service was terrible. Against my better judgement, I gave this place a second chance after another hair appointment and same deal... completely ignored. They weren't busy either time. During the second visit I just got up and left since I'm clearly not welcome here. Unfortunate because it's in a convenient location for me and I really wanted a drink. read more

Tarrant's Cafe - Lemon drop - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Love this place. The she crab soup is to die for. I always come back. Their xmas themed stuff is so cute !! Service was good as well. read more

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A friend invited me here for happy hour & we had a great time. Very chill atmosphere. The bartender Nate was very nice. We really enjoyed him! The food was very good. I ordered wings and the crab & spinach dip. We had a few margaritas. My friend ordered the club sandwich. 10/10 highly recommended. read more

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It took a very long time before anyone came to take our drink orders, and the wait between drinks, appetizers, entrées, and dessert was unreasonably long throughout the meal. We had to ask for utensils and drink refills. The appetizers were underwhelming -- the artichoke appetizer came with surprisingly few pieces, and while the fried salmon bites were okay, they lacked flavor and needed a lot more of the spicy aioli to be enjoyable. As for the entrées, the lasagna arrived cold, the pesto basil pasta was overcooked, and the baked salmon was smothered in a bland seasoning that didn't do anything for the fish. The Cajun chicken pasta was probably the best dish at our table, but even that fell short of expectations. On top of that, the server forgot who ordered what, so we ended up passing plates around awkwardly. By dessert, we found out they were out of their two most popular options -- the cheesecake and berry dessert -- which was disappointing. We settled on the brownie and apple pie, and thankfully both were delicious, but definitely heavy if you don't have a big sweet tooth. Overall, with the poor service, long waits, and lackluster food, we probably wouldn't go back. read more

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I went here for dinner with a coworker on a Thursday night. Pretty cool ambience. Our waitress Nadia was excellent, she was super friendly and very attentive making sure to check on us. She also gave us a good recommendations. We ordered the clam and spinach dip with chips for appetizers and it was delicious. I ordered the rockfish for my main entrée. It was also really good. It was well plated, so it looked and tasted delicious. Prices were ok and not expensive. We are able to converse and have a good time in a nice restaurant with good food. We are both very happy with our choice of restaurant. read more

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This bar and restaurant has a good Christmas drink selection and is much less crowded than the other Christmas bars around the city, which makes it a nice alternative if you want something more low key. We sat at the bar, and the staff was friendly and easy to talk to, which added to the overall experience. I did try the hamburger, and it was just OK. It tasted like a premade patty, so nothing special, but it was fine if you are hungry and not expecting anything standout. The drinks were really the main draw here, especially for the holiday season. Overall, I would recommend this spot for a very casual night out or for drinks when you want festive cocktails without the chaos of the more popular Christmas bars. read more

Tarrant's Cafe - Bar - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Took off one star for the service, we had Jocelyn and she didn't seem in a good mood when we entered. However, her attitude did improve over the length of our lunch and the service was adequate. We had the salmon, the tarragon chicken salad wrap, the hummus and veg wrap, Cesar salad and the she crab soup. All were rather delicious! The place is a nice little quaint cafe and bar and if you get better service I would recommend. read more

Tarrant's Cafe - Lemon Basil Cream Salmon - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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There is street parking close by and also a pay to park lot if parallel parking isn't your thing. We (party of 5) went for Saturday brunch and everything was good. The waitress was super kind and checked on us regularly enough to catch if we needed something but not too regularly that we felt rushed. They start you off with cinnamon rolls which weren't anything magical but were good. We got the farmers omelet (4/5), breakfast pizza (5/5), French toast foster (3/5), eggs Benedict (4/5) and two egg breakfast with chocolate chip pancakes (3/5). Mimosas and Bloody Mary was good. I liked the cranberry better than the pineapple one but that's just personal preference. A couple notes on the meal. I was hesitant to get the breakfast pizza because I grew up with ukrops breakfast pizza so thought I might be disappointed. I wasn't at all! While it's not the same as ukrops, it holds its own with the sausage pieces and over easy eggs. The French toast foster was the most disappointing because it sounded DELICIOUS on the menu. It was a few pieces of French toast with a little bit of fruit and whipped cream. The bourbon sauce was good but the dish was pretty soggy because the bread didn't stand up to the toppings. read more

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We came in for veg*n food week (I'm not typing the full word because I wouldn't normally recommend them for veg*ns due to the limited options) The v chocolate molten lava cake was soooo good though. I hope they'll offer it more. We sat at the bar which was SO cute. This place has a vintage vibe which is lovely. Service was friendly and relatively quick although the bar was busy. read more

Tarrant's Cafe - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Stopped in here for a couple drinks and some friend green tomatoes. Their espresso martini is perfectly crafted and served in a neat glass. The fried green tomatoes were a nice change of place from the traditional way they're served: a nice little salad to balance the heaviness of the tomatoes and some chips for texture. Excellent, prompt service, and the restaurant has a laid back, friendly neighborhood vibe. read more

Tarrant's Cafe - Fried Green Tomatoes - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Things have changed and not for the better. I was once a huge fan of this spot. Great atmosphere and a lovely front room with big windows and high ceilings. That said, the last few times i have gone the place looks threadbare and the menu, which was once very generous with its offerings seems to have been cut in half. So less variety should mean better quality, right? Not in this case. Service is also spotty. In a town known for high quality food and beverage this one has sadly slipped to a point that I will be spending my money elsewhere. So long old friend. read more

Lovely downtown cafe perfect for date night or dinner before the many downtown Richmond events. Their scallops in butter and wine sauce are simply to die for, lol!!! We usually split an appetizer and entrée! Plus they have a great selection of IPA beers. Highly recommended. read more

I tried this restaurant for the first time. I'm from out of town and I saw the high reviews and decided to check it out. We ordered a pizza and they gave it to the wrong table. They said they will be making us another. We also ordered the mini crab cakes and it took them a long time to bring them. They said it didn't meet their quality standards so they remade them (very nice gesture), but when I did get them, they weren't very hot. Kind of lukewarm. They were very good though. I also got the She Crab soup as it was highly rated here on Yelp. Mine tasted like they poured an entire bottle and then some of Sherry in the soup. An alcoholic would not be able to eat this. From start to finish to get our meal and leave it was about 90 minutes. I love how serious they take their food, however it was slow and a lot of mistakes were made. I did apologize several times because I didn't want any handouts. They offered me free dessert but I'm watching my waistline. They did give me a discount and insisted I take a new batch of soup to take home. Another kind gesture. I might give it another try, the vibe was nice. Just slow. read more

Tarrant's Cafe - Mini Crab Cake App - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

I have eaten here multiple times over the years, however I will admit that until this night I had not been in maybe 3 or 4 years. I won't be returning because WOW has tgis place gone downhill. We had reservations and we're seated promptly, by a not so friendly hostess. Clue number one. Then we waited at our table between 10 to 15 minutes waiting for a server to appear. Clue number two. No drinks, nothing. When the server did it appear, we ordered our food, drinks, and appetizer all at once partly because we were trying to make it to a show, and partly because we were not sure we would ever see him again. A few minutes later we got our drinks. He also brought each of us a glass of water which we did not ask for but was fine. I will admit when a server brings you water without asking along with your soft drink or iced tea, it's usually a (bad) sign that they aren't planning on keeping up with any refills for you. Clue number three but so far the night is cautiously bearable.. About five minutes later our appetizer came, in five minutes after that our entrées. No catchup, so I had to ask for that. I should mention here that both times the food was brought by a runner and we had not seen our waiter since. Well - let me clarify that - we saw him, but he would walk past our table staring straight ahead and not even look at us. Very bizarre behavior. So let's talk about the food. I remember the food as being really good. No more. i don't even know how to describe it other than it tasted like it was made with very cheap ingredients (frozen?) and was barely- barely- above cafeteria food. There are fast casual restaurants that charge less per entrée and are miles ahead in quality and taste. Each of us only ate half of our food. I didn't want to even take my other half with me, but the rest of ours took theirs to go. (truth- they wound up giving it away to some homeless folks outside). Let's talk about our server, Carter. Completely absent and uninterested. We did not see him at all until the very end of the meal. Never got any refills. Sat for half of the meal with empty glasses. Multiple times I tried to get his attention as he walked by but again - staring straight ahead not even paying any attention to any table. But what may have been the most bizarre thing is at the very end when we did finally see him again, he brought some bread to the table and gave it to us. Now, at this point we are clearly done with our meals and are not interested in eating any more given the food that's left on the plate. Signals with napkins laying on the plate indicated we were finished. But here he comes with bread? And then he says - get this - I should have brought this by earlier but here you go. And walks away. Uhmmm- what just happened? Then, he comes back with our checks about two minutes later and took the bread away. So even if we had decided to have a piece for "dessert" or to take it with us in our boxes, we couldn't have done that because he snatched it back as quickly and as rudely as he brought it. But this was the height of rudeness: I asked for a refill on my soda. He said do you want it to go? I said sure. He comes back to the table drops off the cup with a coffee lid on it, never even looks at me, and says " these are all the lids we have". He never even paused to set the drink down, it was in one fluid motion as he walked by the table. I looked at the people I was with and all of us were just stupefied. I can count on two finger fingers the number of times I have under tipped in my entire life. This night was the second time. We didn't want to leave nothing even though we were confronted with nothing but ambivalence and flat out rudeness the entire time we were there. Poor food, and even worse - and flat out rude- service. Except for the food runner, I don't think we encountered a single friendly employee. Now, anyone can have a bad night. But an entire restaurant from the hostess stand to the kitchen to the server? Wow. Total strike out. there are a lot of independently owned restaurants in Richmond. Don't waste your time patronizing those who could care less if you do or not. read more

I recently went to Tarrant's Cafe Downtown for a work lunch. The service was excellent, and the Mozzarella sticks were fully loaded with cheese--just perfect! The hummus, though flavorful, was thinner than I'm used to. I tried the smash burger, which featured two patties slightly thicker than a traditional smash burger, but the addition of fried jalapenos really elevated the flavor. The side of corn and bean relish turned out to be more like a cole slaw, which was unexpected, but I was able to enjoy some of coworker's delicious sweet potato fries! read more

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This was my first time trying she crab soup from anywhere! I thought it was absolutely delicious and would come back again for it if I'm in the area. read more

Tarrant's Cafe - She crab soup - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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We went at 11:30 on a Saturday before a play. It was wonderful. The atmosphere, the service and the food were all perfect. History of the building is really neat too. Had the Turkey Avocado BLT wrap and the "Hot Brown" an open faced turkey sandwich with green beans (which we could have eaten a whole plate of) and mashed potatoes. I had a cocktail (no idea which one) it was great. We will absolutely be back!! read more

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We decided to go to this restaurant because it was right around the corner from our hotel and we needed somewhere quick to eat before the Jeezy concert. They had good reviews on Yelp so why not right ? I got the seafood combo broiled with a lobster cream sauce. It came with tilapia, crab cake, shrimp and scallop. Everything was cooked perfectly but the lobster cream sauce was a little bit runny but had amazing flavor. The garlic green beans were soft and perfect side to the seafood. The side salad was good but had light dressing on it. It was a fun fact that it used to be a pharmacy back in the day it seems before they turned it into a restaurant. read more

We went for Valentine's weekend for the first time and enjoyed! My steak could have had more seasoning, but my wife enjoyed her seafood combo. The Brussels sprouts were my favorite part. All together it was a good vibe and service was good even though they were busy. We would go back! read more

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She-crabby soup, seafood combo, atmosphere and service were top notch!!! Location was also great with easy, free street parking. read more

Tarrant's Cafe - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Food we all know and love, but they are doing it at their best. Their salads are huge, even the half portion, definitely recommend. The servings are great. The server was on it with refilling drinks and checking in on us. It's also just a really cool old building to spend an evening with family.hard wood floors, exposed brick, and very cool art. Also, try the sweet potato fries! read more

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racist af, I always pay and tip 20-40% and am always respectful, yet I got kicked out for being rude and not tipping, that has never been my character. As I look around I am the only colored person there besides one or 2 elderly locals. Food is mediocre and staff is full of pricks, I do not recommend read more

Great food and service. This is a grat place for brunch but dinners are great as well.

Such a great little spot in historic Richmond! I LOVED the raspberry vinaigrette - it was probably the best I've ever had! My fiancée loved her burger and said it was very tender and fresh. The soup of the day (cauliflower) was really tasty! Our server was really kind and informed us of all her favorites. The space held so much charm from its pharmaceutical days. We'll stop by for drinks next time! read more

Food was good. Service was exceptional. Ambiance was perfect. Our server Jacob K was fabulous. Until next time. read more

Tarrant's Cafe - Health bowl - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Very lively bar and restaurant in the Arts District of Richmond. Housed in an old classic building, there was a lot of vintage decor and classic paintings on the walls. Seemed popular so we decided to go in for dinner. No complaints about the service - we were greeted at the door, seated right away, had a fabulous attentive server who was fast and friendly. Sadly our food was just ok. Flavor was good. But both the salmon and the blackened rockfish were overcooked. The balsamic drizzle that I had been looking forward to with the rockfish was hardened on the plate - as if it had been left under a heat lamp for an extended amount of time. Brownie dessert was great. Massive brownie and tons of vanilla ice cream to share. read more

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Restaurant Review: Tarrant's Location: Presumed to be somewhere bustling with charm, Tarrant's exudes a cozy vibe with an American-inspired menu. Ambiance: Tarrant's truly shines during the winter holidays, with festive decor that sets a warm, welcoming tone. Sitting at the bar offered a casual yet refined atmosphere, perfect for solo diners or those seeking lively interactions with staff and fellow patrons. The lighting was just right--dim enough for an intimate feel, but bright enough to admire the holiday-themed setup. Food: 1. Sledgehammer Burger: Aptly named, this burger is a beast in flavor and size. The perfectly seasoned beef patty was juicy and cooked to order. Toppings were fresh and abundant, with melty cheese and crisp veggies creating a great contrast. The bun held up well despite the heft of the ingredients, making each bite indulgent but manageable. 2. Seafood Combo: A solid pick for seafood lovers. This dish delivered a variety of expertly cooked seafood--likely fried or broiled to perfection. The portion size was generous, and each item retained its individual flavors. 3. She Crabby Soup: A standout! This soup was rich, creamy, and loaded with tender crab meat. The hint of sherry elevated the flavor, balancing the creaminess with a subtle sweetness. Served warm, it was the perfect comfort dish for a winter evening. Service: Sitting at the bar meant quick and attentive service. The bartender was knowledgeable, offering excellent drink pairings and engaging in light conversation. Overall: Tarrant's combines a festive atmosphere, excellent food, and attentive service, making it a top spot for a cozy winter dining experience. Whether you're craving hearty burgers or seafood, or just want to sip soup by the bar, this restaurant delivers. Rating: 9/10 + could of got a 10/10 but the manger was disappointing , as he was unable to accommodate our table of 5 . Luckily we saw seats at the bar and the Bartender saved the day . Traveling from out of town checking out a local spot didn't think we'd need reservations but trust "I" know now . Manager just needs to work on finding away to get us seated versus telling us to check the restaurant across the street Booooooooo And for that my friend you get a 0/10 read more

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Have been at this restaurant many times and this morning was without question the best experience! Kylie was charming on point and just fun. The food was amazing as always but Kylie made the difference! Shout out to the bartender for an amazing Bloody Mary! Will continue to visit when downtown Richmond!! read more

A fun place downtown to have a casual supper! Really enjoyed the special... A blueberry smashburger with goat cheese. YUM The server was helpful and attentive. read more

Tarrant's Cafe - New American Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

I will die for the mozzarella sticks, the service is amazing and everyone is so kind!