BlackFinn American Saloon

Dear Blackfinn,
You bill yourself as a sports bar. You have TVs galore. Why then when more than half the bar is wearing a Capitals jersey and watching Game 7 of a seven game series and there are tables full of fans on your «dance floor» do you turn the sound off and replace it with horrible DJ-​ing? If you’re a sports bar, BE a sports bar (and if you’re a dance club get an actual DJ). Go to Penny Lane’s, T. Miller’s, or Home Team for sports, Richmond.

So I have to review my previous review. The last time I went to Blackfinn it was a «Rockstar VIP Thursday». Don’t let them fool you, outside of the drink specials (we were getting Jack and Coke for $ 4), it’s pretty horrid. We stayed for 2 hours and didn’t see ANY of the «Complimentary passed hors d’oeuvres», and I think the most people at any one time was about 30 – 40 people. The girls at the front door and the guy checking IDs were all extremely nice and friendly.
We sat down at the bar, and it took us probably about 15 minutes to finally flag down a bartender, who didn’t seem at all interested in serving us. In fact, she went to all the male groups before she finally came to us.
We got there around 10, left about midnight, because there was just nothing going on. The only great thing about this place, is the parking is now free (once you get validated). I would assume it may be more packed on a Friday or Saturday, but the barstaff would make me dread going, if it takes 20+ minutes to get a few drinks and they ignore me several times.

EXPERIENCE:
Like a Lifetime movie, one night with Blackfinn makes you want to cry in the shower wearing all of your clothes and questioning your self worth. Under the thin veil of a classy and exclusive saloon (whatever that means in the 21^st century) lies what can best be described as a gender-​confused bar/​club.
On the one hand, Blackfinn really wants to be a trashy house party at the University of Immature Debauchery, a party where a group of loud drunk girls scantily clothed in strips of exotic safari print Lycra dictate the playlist, and guys are desperately trying to get laid in striped American Eagle button downs and distressed denim, all the while carefully avoiding the girl from last time.
On the other hand, Blackfinn also really wants to be exclusive, like a night club with posh booths where you pay for overpriced vodka surrounded by girls that no adjective can describe. You know, a night club where VIP means something, and if you’re not on the list or have a nice T to A ratio then you must be lost, because this place is clearly for the beautiful and rich social elite-​the 1% of the 1% who has no class at all.
When these two ideals join forces you get BlackFinn American Saloon, a place that acts much as a dated couch covered in vinyl– it’s got an image to keep, but nobody admires it except for the owner and apparently her cats can sit on it but you cannot.
If you go to BlackFinn and you don’t have a «VIP» pass; then you’re a sucker who is making a downpayment on a terrible evening. If you go to Blackfinn and you have a «VIP» pass; then your an sucker who thinks the drink specials are actually exclusive to you and that you will be part of the social elite.
This all may seem like an exaggeration, but after one evening at this place I’m confident you’ll see exactly what I mean.
Quick Anecdote: BlackFinn fills itself with guys and gals who wear unspeakable things, yet asked me to remove a stocking cap 30 minutes before close because they don’t allow hats unless it’s a «fashion thing,» a statement so ironic it’s palpable.
BOTTOM LINE: Reasonably priced drinks in a terrible setting.

Brutal… Food under cooked and cold. As someone who rarely sends food back I had to send back a chicken dish twice. First time was undercooked so badly that it was still pink on the inside. When it was sent back out it was like eating rubber. The food was comped but still, under cooked chicken?
Being raised in the tri state area and knowing the 90’s location on 52^nd & 2^nd l was very surprised at how poorly this was run.
Next time I am in Richmond I will give it another go. Hoping it was just an off night.

Had dinner here, and liked the atmosphere. Got the sweet & spicy shrimp for an appetizer, which was pretty good (not as good as Bonefish Grill’s bang-​bang shrimp though). My wife had fish & chips, which she said was okay. The fries are awesome though. I had the bourbon burger. The taste of the burger was great, but I think I pissed off the chef by ordering it well done… because it was charcoal burnt. Even like that though, it still tasted good. Imagine what it could have been had they cooked it properly.

I went here with my fiancé awhile back. We really had a great time and the food was really awesome. He got the Delmonico steak entrée, and I got the Salmon dish. Both dishes were really good! I like how you get the downtown feel without the hassle of downtown parking. They have a parking garage attached so it’s a breeze to get in and out. They have an open patio, but it was pouring the night we went so I haven’t been outside yet. I hope to return soon. It was yummy. P. S. I had no issues using the Groupon deal.

Yet another disappointing dinner this evening at Black Finn. The steak tips tasted as if the meat had gone bad and the kitchen used a heavy gravy to mask the spoilage. The rubbery meat was served with a butter knife which was far too weak to cut through the mess. I waited ten minutes for the staff to provide a steak knife. The mashed potatoes were over cooked, over seasoned and under textured. On a prior occasion I ordered the fish & chips which featured cold french fries and excessively greasy fish so I can confirm that poor food preparation is a common issue at this establishment.
The BlackFinn website says they validate parking in their parking deck on weeknights. When prompted to validate my parking the staff notified me that due to changes in the automated equipment they could not validate and advised it would be a $ 2 charge. In the city of Richmond restaurants are required by law to provide a certain number of parking spots and the restaurants failure to adapt to technical changes in their parking deck is no excuse for non-​compliance. To thank the restaurant for the misleading parking information I have filed a complaint with the zoning board and you can too at:

My dinner at this restaurant was a big disappointment. I went with a group of six one Friday evening. We were seated promptly and service was fine. The food was not. Two members of our party received cold food. Another member of our party received beef that was way overdone and inedible. It was a horrible experience. After having to send two dinner plates back to the kitchen, a third member of our party just opted for drinks and went to eat elsewhere afterwards. I would never return unless someone else was paying.

The thing I remembered the most about this bar was that the floor was disgustingly sticky. This is the kind of sticky where it is hard to lift your feet, and every time you put your foot down again, you get squeemish. My suede shoes were sad =(. The bar was predominantly VCU undergrads and graduates. The bar had the usual southern songs — Sweet Home Alabama and the such. My friend who has never been to the south, was surprised and overwhelmed by the Southerness, but I had to laugh. The bar was crowded and the dance floor was full of crazies. Come here if you want to be seen by your classmates.

I would have to say, that as a visitor to Richmond, this is probably one of the better bars I’ve gone to.
It’s good if you’re in your 20’s and you want to hang out among people your own age. There are tons of people– it’s very crowded, barely any room to move and it’s sort of like pulling teeth to get the attention of one of the bartenders.
It’s also really loud, so go with friends you aren’t trying to get to know better because you won’t really get to talk much.

This place is just OK, yes, I’ve experienced better.
Here’s what you need to know.
It’s in the downtown Richmond area, very near the canal. It’s on the 1^st floor of a multi-​use center that combines offices and condo’s.
You can park in the garage deck, go to the third floor and take your ticket to the hostess for validation. You can park for free if you stay till after 7p anyway.
The menu is extensive, it’s like a book so they have lot’s of choices.
I went with a group for a work thing on a early Tuesday evening, so I split some quesedilla appetizers with some others… they were just OK.
I opted for the Flounder special, it was OK, breaded with red potatoes which were tasty and the infamous mixed vegetable side of squash, zuchinni and onions… meh.
Everthing you’ve read about the service is true… it’s mediocre at best.
We were with a group so the server gets an automatic 18% gratuity. Not much incentive to provide a high level of service. One of my mates asked three times for a refill on his beer… he ended up going to the bar for his brew.

OH my gosh. I absolutely hated this place.
Arrived around 10 or 11 pm on a weekend. The place was packed, wall-​to-​wall, with college age and young 20-​somethings kids. No room to dance, unless you call bumping and grinding in 1 foot of space «dancing.» (Oh wait, in sleazy clubs you do!)
Drinks — nothing interesting to report. Typical bar drinks, where you have to wait a while and hope the bartender actually waits on you.
Then there was the DJ. The worst DJ I’ve ever heard. I don’t know what he was thinking, but he’d be playing something good and then after about 5 minutes, when people are getting into it, he’s stop and switch it up COMPLETELY. From 80’s to hip-​hop, to 90’s to country, to blues to alternative — it was like the DJ had major ADHD and was on crack. You were NEVER able to get into a groove.
My friends and I spent the majority of the time just being shocked by how ADD the DJ was.
I will never go back here, because I really have no interest in cramming myself into a boring bar with a bunch of drunk people who just stand there spilling their less than average drinks on you. What the hell is the point?

I’ve only ever been to Blackfinn for dinner, so I can’t comment on the bar atmosphere (although I hear it’s bangin on Friday and Saturday nights, with a young professionals crowd)…
The first time I was here I got a surf and turf special and it was good. I really mean it. I’d eat it again. Ok fine, it’s not the best ever, but it was really good. Totally acceptable crabcake with a decent amount of crab, nicely flavored and pan fried, which is definitely better than deep fried in my opinion. It’s likely they made it from scratch in the back. And the turf was good too– tender, delicious, I put a little A-​1 on it but they shouldn’t take that personally.
It came with veggies and some really good potatoes.
I then got this Guinness mousse dessert that looked like a Guinness but was actually decadent chocolate mousse covered with whipped cream to look like a creamy Guinness. It was AWESOME.
However, when I went back, there was no more surf and turf special. And their regular menu items aren’t very interesting. I tried one of their burgers and it was ok, but nothing special.
I actually went here with my dad, and he got steak tips, which he said were incredibly chewy. Now, he’s a butcher so he may be a bit picky, but he wasn’t impressed.
So overall I have to say the food has potential, but it’s often not realized.
And, in case you think it’s just you that has had this experience… this place is hard to find. I usually have to drive around for a while and almost cross the bridge into Manchester before I find it… it is nice that they have a parking garage though, and it’s usually free or only a dollar or two…

I was apprehensive about this place because of all the bad reviews I’d seen, on Unilocal and other internet sites. All of those reviews are true– the DJ was no good (it is especially annoying that the music kept going out so that he could let the crowd sing along), it was super crowded, and the patrons were just plain rude!
That said, my overall experience wasn’t that bad, only because I had come with a party that reserved a private room. Our server, while very scantily clad, was very attentive and we never had to wait an unreasonable amount of time for our next drink. If I am in the area, I’d probably go there again for another private party, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend Blackfinn as a place to ”hang out.”

If you’ve ever felt the need to have a TV stuck to the wall next to your booth then you’re in luck! Not only does Blackfinn have a nearly equal ratio of TV’s to patrons, it’s also just a fun place to be at!
Awesome staff, ubber attentive. Nice décor. Be as loud as you want or just enjoy a drink. We liked Blackfinn because it could accommodate pretty much everything.
Buuuttt…not the biggest fan of the food. Their fish (Parmesan crusted flounder) just made me sad. I had to eat it with ketchup =(
However, everything else, calamari, mussels, buffalo tenders, tuna burger, was up to par with a nice sports bar.
Oh, and having to pay for parking… balls.

Never had food here so I’m unsure how that goes but I have been here for drinks several times.
If you enjoy terrible DJing where the mix makes no sense and like to feel as if you just smoked a pack of Marlboros, this is your place! Other than that, the crowd is terrible lacking flavor, personality and style. Chicks all look the same and so do all the others.
Parking in the deck will nab $ 2 from your wallet and you typically have to pay a cover. This is Richmond for god sakes! Oh and if you are looking for a better spot after realizing that everything I said was true, you’re assed out. This is the ONLY spot to hang unless you like driving.
This is NOT your typical Richmond bar. I’d say hang out in the Fan where you can bar hop, see different spots, and not have to yell when speaking.

Overpriced food, clueless bartenders, and every word I had heard about the type of crowd that goes here was true.
Blackfinn tries to project an image of class or sophistication but it’s just like the guido wannabe sitting next to you: completely hollow.

I desperately wanted to like Blackfinn. I was there with eight good friends celebrating the end of the school semester, on the recommendation of my roommates girlfriend, who adores the place. I wound up totally disappointed with the ambiance and food, so the company was about the only redeeming factor, and if it weren’t for that, the place would probably be docked another star. Where to start…
The food was horrendously priced for the quality I got. $ 8 for a Guinness? $ 10 for a burger? Oof. I wasn’t there for dancing or drinking, and I don’t go to a lot of bars, but I couldn’t take this place seriously as a restaurant. I ordered a burger, figuring that would be a safe place to start, but I was really pretty disappointed with the greasy patty on a too-​small sesame bun that I got. The apple pie was good though.
The TV’s plastered on every wall appeared to be showing advertisements for the place. Excuse me, I’m sitting in your establishment, I don’t need to keep hearing about it. It’d be nice if there were options available besides one game and a dozen looped ads.
My group was sitting in the corner room, facing the street. Even from there, the noise from the bar was pretty pervasive. And the music choice? Yeah, it really is that bad.
I read a few of the Unilocal reviews before coming and found the descriptions of the barflies pretty spot-​on. Jeans, untucked collared shirt, pretty much the just out of college twenty-​something crowd you might expect.
The good? Our waitress was extremely nice, albeit not particularly knowledgeable, parking was a breeze, and it was entertaining listening to people excited about the bathroom attendant.
In short, it wasn’t as bad as I’d expected, but I won’t be going back.

Is anyone there at Black Finn taking notice of these reviews? We went Saturday night after looking all over Richmond for a fairly quiet, classy place to eat. By the time we walked down to Black Finn it was kind of «do or die,» in other words we’d decided to eat there before going in and seeing what a zoo it was! It certainly looks a lot classier from the outside!
What was good: The excellent filet mignon.
What was NOT good:
1) The deafening noise from music, literally dozens of TVs including one in our booth which we had to request be turned off (what’s next — a PC for each diner? I thought the idea of dining out was to communicate with the person you are with, not watch the freaking tube).
2) The two obnoxious parties of 8 who showed up and turned the place into what — Chuckie Cheese for «grownups?»
3) The strawberry shortcake martini was really awful. And no strawberry on top.
4) The carrots with the filet mignon were raw.
5) The fact that we paid $ 102 + tip for a quick unenjoyable (because of the noise) meal (we were told we could have the booth but it was booked for someone else in 90 minutes so we’d better make it quick).

I went on a Thursday and that’s the only time I’ve gotten in. I went back a Friday and the line was longer than any club line I’ve ever seen and said forget it. The place is not worth waiting for…
The good– its a bar.
The bad– the DJ when I went was HORRIBLE! Yeah playing old school music is fun to throw in– but pick a good song not Ace of Base or some other crap, repeatedly. The crowd was pretty lame, not much to look at. Also, it’s a pain to walk to that place and there’s nothing else next to it. So if you get there and decide the lines too long you have to hike it back up to the other bars.
My opinion? Don’t waste your time, there’s nothing worth going there for. Its just another run of the mill place.