Avenue 805

Awful service. Bartender was rude and ridiculed us for ordering expensive cocktails. The food service took forever despite a half full restaurant, and the food was just okay.

I have never been to this place but found it on Unilocal.Number has been disconnected.
Just putting that out there before someone drives to this place only to find that it is closed.

The food selection was good and reasonably priced. The service was just the right amount. There when you need them but not standing over your shoulder asking if you need anything every 2 minutes. I would visit them again and would recommend others to visit..

Extremely rude and narcissistic feel and attitude of staff and management. I will never step foot in this restaurant again.
COMPLETE DETAILS
The Attitude: Narcissistic and Arrogant
Let me start by saying there is an overly upper-​crust feel and attitude in the air as if you have just walked into a Ruth’s Chris or Fleming’s Steakhouse, yet chances are you were just seated in a no frills hard wooden both no better than a Subway.
Management/​Owner Decision: Stupid, Arrogant and Flip
This review may have been much different.. . Had my wife and I been served!!! This started a couple of weeks ago when I called to confirm the usage of a certificate I was given as a birthday gift earlier in the year for an early dinner on December 31, I was told it was fine as that was the last possible day to use it before expiration.
Now to fast-​forward a bit.. . I made an online reservation as early as available, 6pm just after they opened as to not interfere with any possible later rush they may get for New Years eve dinners.
My wife and I show up on time for our dinner, the restaurant was almost empty with patrons at just 4 tables. We were seated in a hard wooden both and given a single-​sided 1 page white copy paper menu. At that moment a red flag went off in my head.. . I our waiter over and asked if this was the only menu for tonight, he replied yes.
I started to explain that we had a certificate and he abruptly talked over me and said we are not accepting those tonight. I attempted to continue and explain that I had called 2 weeks prior and confirmed it’s usage, yet again I was unable to complete my words without interruption as he said «I’m sorry». I then stated that the certificate expires today and he responded «I know.»
I awkwardly stared at him as if to not accept that answer until he stated «let me check with the owner». .. The waiter disappears for a minute or two and comes back and says «Yeah, we are not accepting those tonight», I was dumbfounded and said OK, then he walked away.
My wife and I sat for 2 – 3 more minutes as I boiled over inside. I stated nothing more within the restaurant as we proceeded to quietly exit.
I have managed restaurants, owed a business and I have professional shopped others. .. I am still stunned at the downright stupidity and arrogance shown by this restaurant and the management/​owner. .. if they were actually consulted by the waiter. This was an absurd and IGNORANT way for anyone to handle such a situation, you never allow a patron to leave in such a way.
This was a prepaid discount certificate, not a freebie!
My wife and I drove a few blocks over to Cary Street and had a wonderful dinner and drinks, spent almost $ 30 extra on drinks, that could have gone to the arrogant other restaurant called Avenue 805.
It is their loss as I have contacted the issuing company for a refund, so the only thing lost, is them losing me as a customer and possibly anyone who may read my review and understand what we went though and choice to go elsewhere as a result.

We had an awful New Year’s Eve dinner here. Our reservation was at 6:30pm. We were seated and order taken pretty quickly but our appetizer arrived 45 mins later. Then comes salad another 30 mins later. It is 8:21pm and we just received our entrée. We received our entrée after 3 tables that arrived 30 mins after us. My husband approached the manager and he simply said «we are slow». No apologies just left it at that. This is off our list of future dining spots. The staff is not friendly here and food had to be sent back twice because it was cold. Just an awful way to spend New Year’s Eve.

Avenue 805 presents well. The outside of the restaurant looks interesting and inviting. The atmosphere is relaxed, cozy and clean. The service was better than average. The food was watery. Yes, I said watery. That is the description that my date and I used to describe both the shrimp bisque and the seafood risotto. For the price, it should have been delicious. In fairness I will say that the sweet potato ravioli was good. The chicken Marsala was bland. When we left, my date and I agreed never to return. The poor quality of the food was enough by itself to dissuade another try. When coupled with the price, never again.

Great little off the wall place with great eats and atmosphere. I brought my now-​girlfriend out there for our first date and it was a perfect spot for it. I recently went again with her and my parents after graduation and it was delicious yet again. The only issue was that the service was a little slow but it was a busy weekend and understandable. Regardless, the waitress was very knowledgeable on the menu and alerting us of menu items they were out of before ordering. They had a surprisingly diverse beer menu, both on tap and in the bottle. I ordered the chicken parmesan scallopini (my favorite food) and it was very good, crispy and tender. Everyone else was similarly satisfied with their other variations of scallopini. I would definitely recommend it for your next intimate dinner with your loved ones.

Good stuff at the Ave 805. Wife ordered from the price fixe menu done in support of Feedmore Food Bank. She was really pleased with a greens and fennel salad. Not my taste, but the citrus vinagrette dressing was delicious as I managed only a taste.
I sprang for the chicken saltimbocca after the waitress advised they were «sold out» of the veal. We were in at 6:30 on a Saturday. They open at 5:30, so maybe the entire Italian national soccer team invaded an hour before we got there and ate all the veal. All that aside, the chicken version was damn good. The chicken was tender and not overcooked.
There are always lots of interesting choices on this menu that changes with the season (I think). The people that wait tables or tend bar are knowledgable, patient and work hard. This is a really, really good restaurant, and I recommend it to anyone who wants something different, interesting and good to eat.

I wanted to treat my guy out to a nice Sunday brunch, and since I live in the Fan only 3 minutes away, why not try this place?
The waiter was very attentive and friendly from the moment we walked in. He was patient and helpful. There is a nice, intimate feel to the restaurant (a lot of the tables are set up for 2 people).
I ordered the Eggs Ordinare, which came with potatoes, bacon, beer bread, 2 eggs and a slice of fruit. All that was $ 6, but I was famished, so in addition I ordered the Strawberry french toast special (although, the waiter did warn me that it was a HUGE portion and came with 4 slices of bread. Clearly, he didn’t know that this girl can EAT! Especially breakfast food!). We also ordered the 805 omelette.
The food was good, I really liked the French Toast. Although a bit sweet for my liking, I noticed the syrup came in a miniature kettle. I enjoyed these small quirks that the restaurant seemed to have all over; the hot sauce came in a humorous glass bottle labeled «That Hot Sauce». The waiter said he even knew the guy who made it. Nice. Local sauce! It was delicious on everything, and I don’t even like spicy. The restroom Men and Women signs were comic book covers: Superman and Wonderwoman, respectively.
Overall, a nice quiet spot for brunch if you are on a date, or if you want to steer away from crowds. Come here if you enjoy brunch and friendly service!
Food– 3
Service– 4
Aesthetics– 5

I am a fan and will be back. Tried the putanesca and WOW… so good! The hubby ordered the pesto pasta, and he was highly impressed. The bread was perfect for sopping up the sauces. Only knocked off 1 star because the french onion soup was on the salty side, and we’ve tasted our fair share of french onion soups from other restaurants. Loved the pepper though! Great place and hope to be back soon!

I had a wonderful brunch meal today! Friends were coming into town and I was tasked with picking the place to eat. I am happy to say that my Unilocal pals did not let me down.
Tucked away on the edge of the Fan (on Davis between Grace and Broad, within eye sight of the Science Museum), I may not have found it if not for Unilocal.But with this location, parking in front of the restaurant was readily available (always a plus in the Fan). The interior was dark and woody, with a bit of a French bistro feel to it.
The brunch menu provided lots of delicious choices. I had «The Swanky», BFF 1 had «The Fancy» and BFF 2 had their special omelette. Each came with toast (not regular toast either), potatoes and a little bit of fruit.
Two of us decided to try something from the Mix-​Your-​Own-​Bloody-​Mary bar, which we thought was hilarious. They had a nice variety of mixes and fixes, making for a very nice start of the meal.
Best of all, we ate like queens for about $ 36 (plus tip) for the three of us.
I look forward to going back to try their dinner menu.

Food was pretty good, wine was pretty tasty, but I have NEVER had a more rude waitress in my 32 years of life.
We were not a rowdy or disrespectful party. And we did not seem to have any conflict with the waitress until it came time to pay… She simply would not split the check between the parties, snapped at us for asking for a menu so we could figure out how to break up the bill she left for us, and then sent the bartender over to collect our check… The bartender claimed there was not a manager with whom we could speak in our waitresses blatant absence.
To top it off, upon returning with our cards, the bartender asked if we had asked for separate checks before ordering. We said we weren’t asked, so we didn’t know it was a requirement — to which he replied that it states in their menu that guests are responsible for establishing separate checks when ordering.
Using the menu that we had to retrieve ourselves in order to split the cost amongst ourselves, I combed through the pages and noted that it does not say ANYTHING about separate checks.
The extremely poor customer service negated anything good that came out of the actual kitchen.

Had a great dinner tonight even though Richmond was shut down due to snow. Neighborhood places like this never close because they cant. I had the veal piccata, one had the 805 chicken and one had the pasta with sausage specials.
All three of us devoured 100% of what was one our plates, had dessert and a few drinks. Anyone wanting to go somewhat late, head on. Server was sweet, knew what she was talking about and non intrusive. This place is a gem. Inexpensive yet gourmet.

you shouldn’t be able to get a table here on the weekends. .. .let me tell you a story about a short rib named lucky. he was plump and pretty. he was braised for hours; given a bath of wine, rosemary, garlic and god knows what else. he was loved. he was cared for. he was laid beautifully on a plate, comfortable over a bed of perfectly cheesy grits. and then i found him and devoured his ass. bye bye lucky. hello smiles.
get your head out of your ass, and by that i mean cheesy Unilocal reviews, and get to this gem.

Avenue 805 was very good for Sunday Brunch. We had the usual items, omelets, french toast, fried eggs, breakfast potatoes. The item to rave about was the seafood omelet with fresh seafood in it. We did not have alcoholic drinks, but I was intrigued by the Bloody Mary Bar where you could make your own. What a concept!
One negative is that there were 5 in our party, and Avenue 805 is intimate and small. They have only one table [their front window table] that can accommodate more than four diners at a time. It was not crowded, but we had to wait a few minutes for the party at the large table to leave.
All in all, a good experience and a nice quiet place to enjoy the Sunday paper, your dining companions, and nice brunch fair.

Avenue 805 was not as good I thought the reviews sounded. We went for dinner a couple of weeks ago. The service was ok. The music made me want to fall asleep. My scallops were burnt. Great locations but I think it needs to be a little more upbeat, it was a Saturday night. By the end of dinner I wanted to go home and go to bed!

Based on the prior Unilocal reviews I wanted to try this cheap hidden jewel for brunch so I told the boyfriend I would treat him if he came with me. I like the hidden exterior so I was excited about going inside but as soon I walked in I was struck by 3 things that if I had listened to my gut feeling, I would have turned around and walked out before being seated:
1. only 1 table filled with old people (and the steady smell of your grandma’s horrible perfume– the invariable «old lady smell», permeating the space due to the ceiling fans)
2. horribly depressing music on someone’s ipod being played (way to set the mood).
3. dated décor in a dark, gloomy interior
But we were seated by a nice waitress, very pleasant, and reviewed the brunch menu. Meh. nothing wowed either of us. I tried the breakfast sandwich and my date got the eggs ordinaire. BF pipes in here and says the eggs were cooked perfectly, but the bacon undercooked and the beer bread slice was cold and horrible tasting. The fruit’s a nice touch, but presentation is lacking. My plate was big– actually 2 breakfast sandwiches for the advertised 1 (ok cook) but it looked sad and boring. I liked that focaccia bread was used for the sandwich, but that was about it.
The potato cakes that everyone here is raving about are nothing special. The potato cake ravers should try the saffron potato cakes at Pescado’s if they want to taste tasty, creative cakes. The one that’s served on the plate at Avenue 805 is unoriginal and overly salted.
I would not recommend this place to anyone.

I love the brunch! Only about 15 or so items but I have a feeling that they are all good. I’ve tried the pesto fritatta, grilled chicken sandwich, and the french toast. I’ve enjoyed it all and so have my friends. Usually they have a small but tasty side of fruit.
What makes me happy and dreaming of imitating is the potato cake!!! So yum. Flavorful, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
Their drinks are pretty reasonably priced too for brunch, about $ 4.50.
Not too busy around noon-​1pm on Sunday.

I love Avenue 805 for lunch and brunch. Head in on a weekday, and the place is rarely busy, but the menu and food are great. You’ve got a selection of sandwiches, a few entrees, frittatas, salads and more. The salmon BLT is great with grilled salmon, crisp bacon, lettuce and tomato. Delish. Although lots of things on the menu look good, I continue to return to the Pesto Frittata. Pesto, eggs, Roma tomatoes and fresh mozzarella: it’s full of flavor but not so heavy I want to go back to my desk and fall asleep after eating it. It comes with a delicious potato cake and grilled beer bread that is amazingly wonderful. The flavor is just right, and it comes out buttery and hot. It’s irresistible.
I did recently deviate from my norm and order the daily quiche, which was fine. The standout, though, was a broiled half grapefruit with sugar and bourbon that came on the side. It left me wanting to go home and experiment with broiling my own.
In the summer, one of the «soups of the moment» is a cool cucumber avocado. This is another thing I can’t get enough of. It’s cool and creamy with a bit of spice on the finish. It’s awesome.
Along with the lunch and brunch options, Avenue 805 is known for cheap date nights where you can get a bottle of wine, an appetizer, an entrée and a dessert for $ 35.

How did I not know about this place? Went with some friends to Cheap Date Night recently, which K.J. also mentioned — the service was great, the food was yummy, and you simply cannot beat a deal like that: $ 35 for a bowl of fresh salad, a bowl of pasta, a bottle of wine, and dessert.
Since there were four of us, we had both salads — house with Parmesan peppercorn dressing, and Caesar — and then linguini Bolognese (meat sauce) and angel hair puttanesca. Of the two, the puttanesca was my favorite, with a great smoky tomato sauce redolent with garlic and a hint of anchovy.
The wines were a decent Chardonnay and a very drinkable Merlot — can’t remember the vineyard on either one, but they were definitely a compliment to the meal.
Dessert was bread pudding, which I normally wouldn’t go for — this was truly superb bread pudding, though!
There was enough food that two of us took leftovers home: both pasta and dessert.
Two thumbs up.