I came with a large group for a corporate dinner. It was an easy half hour before our drinks were served, and another fifteen minutes or so before our appetizers arrived. There was only one not very professional server for our group of about 30. The AC was on full blast and it was freezing. Everyone who ordered the salmon complained that it was overdone. One of our number was not served at all and had to get up and track down our server in order to get his burger delivered. I'm very embarrassed to have picked this place for my group. read more

The worst. It is 10:08 and we have been here since 8:00 and still don't have dinner. Nothing has been offered to us, even an apology. I will never come here again. Waitress said , " we have a small kitchen and a lot of tables, so order quickly." Remove some tables and act like you are part of the RVA scene. I would not even give 1 star. read more

I took a friend there for his birthday and he loved it. The food was refreshingly tasteful and the atmosphere was enjoyable and cozy. Good job with the service as well. We both look forward to coming back especially for the cocktails as well as for the food and music. Enjoying life at 50+! read more

Ate there last night before a concert. Not sure they were well staffed for the crowd. Ordered the fried chicken bowl and one of the pieces of chicken wasn't cooked. $54 later for 3 of us, I was completely disappointed. read more

The food was ok. Unfortunately the portion size was disappointing no matter whether you got a small, medium or large dish. The duck on the large dish menu was just that - duck. It was accompanied by no sides at all (no veggies or starch of any kind). This was extremely disappointing to pay $23 for a chunk of dry duck and nothing else. We will not be eating here again. The drinks on the other hand were good as was the service. read more

Got there early for the Psychedelic Furs show at the National. All I can say is don't waste your time with this place. If you are hungry before a show, your best be is to eat somewhere else. Why? Because they won't have time to serve you food before the show. read more

this was the worst food i think i have ever had .previous chef Owen lane is no longer there which is why i went. i ordered the trout with mac and cheese and kale. my girlfriend ordered the roasted veggie plate . My fish was just covered with old bay and extremely salty . my mac and cheese was old and hard.the kale wasn't too bad .My girlfriend veggie plate was nothing but raw veggies not roasted at all and no seasoning .my cornbread was hard .i couldn't even finish my dinner and felt nausea the rest of night then to find out this is part of mamma js was extremely shocking . i will never go back and i advise other to avoid at all cost read more

Remarkably bad, especially for a restaurant billing itself as swanky. Fried green tomatoes were fine, chicken and waffles were kinda depressing. The chicken was powdery and not well fried, waffles were saggy and didn't feel fresh. The Caesar salad was dry and had little taste and almost no dressing. The drinks were adequate but not rave-worthy. I was downstairs and found the ambiance pretty dead - was bright and there was little decor, it felt industrial and cold but not not in a cool way. One of the worst meals out in Richmond I can remember for awhile. Bathroom was similarly weird (see industrial hand soap in otherwise cute decor). read more

Reservation problems--need to tighten up their system. I called weeks in advance to make a reservation for 2 on a concert evening and had lengthy discuss with the receptionist about timing regarding early entrance to the National as the website advertises. Drove 2 hours from out of town looking forward to having dinner at this "trendy" spot prior to show. Arrived 20 min early to reservation was told by hostess that they don't take reservations on concert nights. Sure wish someone had called me back to tell me that since I had left my phone number when I made the original reservation. Instead of enjoying dinner at Vagabond, stood in cold rain for an hour before seeing concert. Hostess made no effort to making up for their earlier error (like offering seat at bar for example) and offered no apology. read more

So it's Monday night and I'm going to a show at The National so I book a reservation at the conveniently located restaurant Vagabond. It's a great spot with an awesome basement bar/lounge area. I'd checked the menu out online and wasn't overly impressed with the menu but I figured if well executed it would be fine. So, we arrive a few minutes late for my 6:00 reservation but patrons are few despite the impending concert. Obviously no problem getting the table and really didn't need the res. Of course that could be attributed to the fact that it's Monday and the band isn't attracting the demographics that would be interested in a restaurant other than your casual inexpensive chain. (Wow can I get more pc?) So, let's get down to it. There is no one here yet it takes over 10 minutes to put in a drink order (which feels much longer!). I order a glass of wine and the wings and beer cheddar bread. The service from this point is fine but I must say that nothing burns my ass more than waiting a long time to get a freakin drink. Nevertheless that glass of wine does come. It's warm Pinot Noir in a small stemless wine glass and the pour is small. Oh well it's only $10. Let's move on to the food. The wings are cooked well. Crisp and flavorful. A nice homemade dipping sauce would have been nice but there are just a few scattered sliced jalepenos. The cheddar bread that is soaked in some PBR is pretty bland really. Texture is fine but just really nothing special. No beer taste and no cheddar either. We order the burger and tacos as entres. The burger we order sans scallion aioli, as we don't like mayo and are told there are no substitutions allowed. I explain we despise mayonnaise and it's not really a substitution but understand. The burger is eventually delivered as ordered with no trouble. It's a nice burger but nothing overly special. The tacos with braised pork cheek are another story. I have never met a taco I could not stuff in my face. Ever. Until now. The problem is that this pork was not tender. If the texture is not tender then it needs to be cut small. As it was the, pieces were as big as my thumb and not even seasoned well. A bad dish and I ate very little of it. Not that the waitress clearing out the table noticed. My bill came to around $85 with tip. One of the advantages of eating here is that you get private access to shows at the National through the underground Vagabond bar downstairs. We go downstairs a bit before 7 and are told it's too late as they close the door at 6:45. Never mind that I just had done this a few weeks ago for a show and the door was still open after 7. I just spent nearly $100 in this shit restaurant and still had to go outside and wait in line, basically thanks to the slow service. If the food was good I would care less but it wasn't and I won't be visiting this space as Vagabond in the future. I just hope someone can figure out how to make this space work at some point. I bet Vagabond will join the list of failed restaurants that can't figure out how to make money in this great location.. read more

My wife and I were there for a disappointing lunch. We strongly agree with the comments about very small portions. Bento box had 1/3 of a chicken breast and a few others items. The bowl of soup was a cup. Service very good. Flavor of food good to very good. We spent over $36 (not including alcohol) and left hungry. We are not large people who eat a lot. Too many other good places for us to return here. read more

This was less than stellar -service was fine but the food was unacceptable especially for the price - I would NOT suggest this venue to anyone read more

This was fantastic. Went here Friday prior to Panic! At the Disco concert and the food was great! I heard a rumor that one of the former Magpie chefs was there now? (Side note - I miss you Magpie!!!) All of my friends enjoyed their meals very much. I had short ribs over grits. Phenomenal. Meat was tender and delicious and grits were out of this world. My 1 friend had steak and the other had carnitas tacos. All were great and cooked well. Drinks were delivered promptly by our sweet server Lindsay. After our meal we went upstairs for drinks. The decor, btw, is gorgeous, and a far cry from its previous tenant Gibson's (I never came to its Coda iteration). The bartenders upstairs were attentive and took lots if pics for us (it was my friend's birthday). My only concern for this place is cost (it's pricey for the portions...not for me personally but I can see concert goers saying this) and might be an odd food choice next to a concert venue. No bar food on this mostly game menu. I hope it sticks around! read more

Um, not really impressed. We ordered the beer cheese bread (very thick but not horrible, especially with the butter), chicken wings (um, no. ..fat was still chewy, huge disappointment...and no idea why sliced fresh jalapeño and pistachios were scattered about the plate, strange toppings), pig head ban mi (flavor was OK, but too saucy and too sweet because of all the sauce...and most of the protein was fat, not meat), and the curry chicken sandwich (didn't taste a bit of curry at all, too wet for the plain hamburger bun, but overall the flavor was good and it was not the worst dish of the night). The fries, however, were the best thing we all ate- crispy and seasoned. I also ordered 2 lemon drop martinis from the bar- good, made with fresh lemon, although the martini glasses are a tad small. All in all, we came here just to get early admission to a concert at The National, which is connected to this restaurant...and that is the only reason I'd ever come back. The food was just not that great and we sampled enough dishes to form a solid opinion. read more

My wife and I were in Richmond for a couple of days. We were looking for a nice dinner followed by a live music show. We got excited when we found "the vagabond" online and made arrangements to visit on a Saturday night. We shouldn't have... 1) Our reservation was at a very reasonable time, yet when we got there they told us that three of the main items on the menu were not available. However, they did have one special for the evening: fried Brussel sprouts (I kid you not! THAT was the Special. Love Brussel sprouts, but hardly consider them worthy of being the only special on a fine menu) 2) Bummed by the few options, but not wanting to miss the live show starting in a couple of hours, I decided to order a few appetizers instead of a main dish. Gazpacho, beer cheese, and beef tartare all sounded good... but not so fast: beef tartare was not available tonight either (as a matter of fact, the waitress said she was surprised to still see it in the menu as they have not offered it for the past several weeks) 3) fine: I'll have the gazpacho and the lamb French dip. Two spoonfuls of the gazpacho were enough to send it right back (I NEVER do that, but this should have never left the kitchen) The gazpacho was very, very sweet (as in a ton of sugar sweet). None of the tomato texture expected from this cold soup, just a red goo. On top of that, the cook greatly overdid it with the mint. It was unbearable: toothpaste makes a better gazpacho than this. The sandwich was just OK, and my wife's burger was plain to say the least. Both dishes came with mediocre fries (could have come from a frozen bag). -"Room for dessert?" -"No thank you" (I already had the sweet gazpacho and I didn't like it! ) 4) the price for this "dinner": $45 + tip! A similar meal in a mom and pops diner would have been way better and less than half the price. good things: the very limited selection of beers on tab actually offered a very descent sour blonde. The atmosphere/decoration of the place is very pleasant and interesting. The "vagabond bunny logo" is my personal favorite. The waitress did an OK job despite being the only one serving at the place. The music show was nice: It speaks well of the place to give a chance to very young musicians (very young kids, yet talented and mature enough for classic jazz). Was hoping for something more daring, but that's on me, not them. The vagabond has a lot of potential, but a huge way to go in pleasing their intended market (or any market, really). I can't see it lasting much longer in its current shape. Too bad, I really wanted to like this place. read more

Food was awesome! Can't wait to go back. Follow the white rabbit you won't be disappointed. Chef Owen Lane is a rockstar of the RVA culinary scene. read more

Sat there for 15 mins as bartender walked back and forth, and never acknowledged us. We even asked for two drinks. Far cry from the first time I came here. read more

I was in Richmond on business and stayed at a hotel right across the street from Vagabond. My wife and I met up there with our cousins, oddly enough both hers and mine, for a nice sit down dinner at this very cool establishment. It was very quiet there but I think it was only because all of the colleges were out on break. The quiet was the perfect setting to spend some good quality time with the cousins. They have a small but trendy and modern bar area that was staffed by a well versed mixoligist. The staff put on an excellent meal for all of us and I really enjoyed the authentic Louisiana Duck Gumbo. They could not have done any better with bringing a true taste of the gulf coast to Richmond. The menu is very interesting with lots delicious choices. How about Chicken Fried Rabbit, Oysters, Barbecued Short Ribs, Lamb Shoulder Tostada, or even a Rock Shrimp Po Boy? Everything that was delivered to our table looked fantastic. I would have given this place five stars but I really did not get to hang out long enough to get the full picture because of a work commitment. I will say that when I think of this restaurant, I think that it would be a great place for a guy to take his date if he really wanted to impress her. 4 outstanding Yelp stars for Vagabond! Yeah u right. read more

Chef Owen Lane is one of Richmond's most dedicated and talented Chefs. We had a fantastic experience here. Food is amazing. The service staff are friendly and educated. You will not be disappointed! read more

Love this place for pre-National show dinners and drinks. The food is great...smoked wings, beet pickled salmon and the crispy chickpeas were a big hit! Service was so friendly but maybe a little slowed down due to show crowds but I say just plan to getting there earlier to allow extra time. Well worth it! read more

Met for dinner with my sisters and mom before catching a show at the Carpenter theater, just a block away so very convenient! Not crowded at all on a Tuesday evening even with shows happening at the theater and the concert hall, the National, next door. Our server was attentive and kind. We all ordered the taco dish which comes by 1,2, or 3 tacos. We each ordered 2 tacos a piece (fried catfish, pork, or potato) all seasoned well with just the right amount of spice as to not offend those who don't tolerate spicy foods. We also ordered two appetizers: flash fried Brussels topped with grated manchego cheese (our favorite-we could have licked the bowl clean) were perfectly crispy with just a hint of charring & the chickpea mint hummus plate which came with warm fresh pita and pickled veggies which were outstanding! This meal took about an hour & 15min which gave us ample time to enjoy dinner and wine, pay and leisurely walk over to the theater before the show started. Will definitely be back for a Preston dinner very soon!! Wish they we on OpenTable for the points! read more

Excellent food and service. Went here for Valentines day. Got the pre-fix menu with wine pairing. Food was delicious!

Total disappointment. Five couples for a Saturday evening Valentines weekend dinner. The place was empty. We had the entire basement to ourselves. The waiter didn't start with the ladies, didn't pour the wine, and didn't provide utensils to dish the shared apps. The Entree course took over an hour to arrive and was totally underwhelming. All the men ordered the steak. All the women ordered the risotto. All the food was average. Not memorable at all. Cool place. Nice vibe. Looks like it was popular once upon a time but no longer. Biggest complaint was the service. "Bummer" - pun intended. read more

Would not recommend. Tried the roasted oysters. They did not taste fresh and had shell in them. The pork meatballs were way under cooked. But the atmosphere and service were good. read more

Great place! Our waiter was very nice. We had the mushroom risotto and Cuban ... both were so good. We finished with the s'mores desert which was amazing. Great selection of wine & beer too. Between staff, food and atmosphere I would highly recommend this place. read more

Food was great! Atmosphere was great! My server was great! I really like the early entry for shows at The National next door. That was really cool! read more

Had reservations for 6:00pm. Showed up 5 minutes early and seated promptly. Service was very slow. Took about 15 minutes just to place our drink order. Food took over 30 minutes to get, which only gave us about 15 minutes to eat, prior to having to make the 7:15 deadline to get early escort to the show next door. At 7:00 we still did not have our food: a salad, Cuban sandwich, and house burger. We chose to eat at Vegabond for the early escort into the National next door. If you have a deadline to meet, look somewhere else to eat. read more

Hands down the best meal I have ever had. Steak au poivre and lamb shank were both out of this world. The roasted carrots were cooked to absolute perfection which in my book is much harder to do than any protein. The steam buns were other worldly. I have never eaten something that simple but changes the way you look at food forever. To top it all off the service was absolutely superb. Perfectly attentive and incredibly knowledgeable. Which paired together made for the best meal I've ever had. Go here and go here often. read more

Beautiful ambiance (mainly the downstairs area) although I didn't even get to see it all. The rose was delicious. Service was great. The bruschetta per my boyfriend was "the best" we've had. The oysters were also really great- not too salty, which is usually a problem I have with oysters, and the flavor was great. My bf got the duck gumbo and I got the market fish. Both delicious. For dessert we had the blueberry cobbler with basil gelato. The cobbler was bit tart but the basil gelato was awesome and different. Overall pretty innovative foods. read more

We went to Vagabond before a show at the coliseum; party of 8, reservations at 5pm & barely made it for the 730pm showtime. Server was pleasant but everything seemed to move slow, from ordering and receiving drinks, to ordering food and the time it took for the food to arrive, not to mention the drink refills, or lack there of. The food was all good, but the portions are small no matter what section you order from on the menu. Overall I'm glad I went, but I won't be going out of my way to return. read more

What a surprise. We had no expectations walking through the door. We drove up from Williamsburg to see "The Fab Four" at the Carpenter Theater. Staying at the Marriott, we investigated nearby restaurants and Presto! There was the Vagabond right next door. The dinner menu is tastefully simple, uncomplicatedly creative and the price point makes you feel you embarrassed the nearby, higher priced establishments for their price pretentiousness - Expensive is better. Summary: Quality. Taste. Atmosphere and Price. The trifecta plus one. Dinner: Flatbread - $10. Mushroom Risotto - $15. Cuban Sandwich - $13. Wine - $8 Perfect portions. The courses are more creative in taste than their names imply. read more

Great food and great atmosphere. We got in before 645 and we're granted VIP access to our concert at The National.

Excellent meal and even better service! Highly recommend. We shared small plates before an event at the Carpenter Theater and it was perfect. Definitely try the fried chicken biscuit! read more

Very friendly and accommodating staff. I ordered the mushroom risotto and can't stop thinking about it. It was amazing. Also I was very impressed with the fellow that greeted my party at the door. He continually checked in on us throughout our meal and made sure we got our food in time to attend the concert next door. High fives all around! I will visit again. read more

Service was great. Nice option to have Valet service. Appetizers (wings & brussel sprouts) were delicious. My cocktail, Fireside Chat) was one of the best I've had in a long time. Entree, rockfish, was just OK. A little dry and the polenta did not add to the dish. Overall a pleasant experience. Probably will come back. read more

Nice place, great for pre-concert drinks/food. My meal was good (fish slightly overcooked but not bad). Staff is extremely friendly and on top of things. Overall, definitely recommended. read more

We made a reservation on Open Table & we started to get a little nervous when it took them a while to find our table. They led us downstairs and were moving tables & chairs around- seated us- & then proceeded while we were seated to pick up the table and move it again! Appeared to be no waiter for our section... silverware, glasses, water- was coming out to our tables and those around us piece by piece! The waitress brought out the beer I ordered and held it up to me & the nearby table and said "who wants this, it's the last one tapped from the keg"! My husband's beer was flat- seems they probably don't clean their taps well either. Waiters would bring trays of food to our section & then walk to each table asking if this was our food- this happened several times, they didn't seem to know which table ordered what! Very small menu, probably 7 entrees total and they were sold out of 2 of them! Disorganized, under staffed, & we never want to go back. read more

Place is the move to get in early to the National. You always wonder how those people get in before you, its this restaurant right here. Spend like $15 or something a person and get in fifteen minutes early to general admission show. Get a chesseburger and get in early, other than that, wouldn't bother eating here for just the food. read more

We had dinner at the Vagabond before a show at the National and we couldn't have been happier. Our food was delicious and the dessert was fabulous. We were able to get into the show early without going back outside. We can't wait to come back. read more

I recently stumbled upon Vagabond when I was looking for a place to hold my 41st Birthday celebration. My husband and I booked a table for two an intimate birthday dinner and were not disapointed. The place is beautiful and the food is simply amazing! We asked the server if they had and area for private parties as we still had not secured a spot for my party the following weekend. He took us downstairs to their bar/lounge area and gave us a quick tour. It is Beauuuutiful and simply perfect for what we had in mind. We coordinated over the next few days to arrange a delicious menu of appetizers for our guests. They made it easy and gave some wonderful suggestions to the menu. When we arrived for the party, everything was set up nicely and the staff was so wonderful, friendly and accommodating. Everyone commented on how lovely the space was and had a wonderful time. Vagabond is terrific for dinner and perfect if you have a private event that your planning in the future. Check it out! read more