District 5

Ordered $ 8 bourbon and was charged $ 10 because it was on the rocks. Manager came to table and refused to compensate an unhappy customer. Told him it was illegal false advertising but he still refused to rectify the situation. As an aside, table next to ours had similar issue that they were being charged for food they had sent back. Will never return or recommend :-(

Two friends and I went for late dinner and drinks on a Saturday night. The bar was not particularly busy, and there was no line, but the bouncer was extremely rude, and insisted that my (Black) friend change his shoes. I noticed that a number of the patrons in the extremely casual bar and beer garden we wearing Rainbows, Clarks, Chuck Taylor sneakers, and Nike Running shoes, so I calmly asked the bouncer what their attire policy was. He responded, «We do allow flip-​flops, running or hiking shoes, Clarks, and Chuck Taylor. However, we will not allow Timberlands, Nike Basketball shoes, Jordans or Air Maxes.»
At that point, I insisted on leaving, I felt as if the policy was racially profiling patrons, but my friends just «wanted to have a good time». Luckily, my male friend had a separate pair of shoes in the car. The food was mediocre, not particularly flavorful, and came out cold, and the drinks were okay considering how slow the bar service was. I will never return to District 5, and am disgusted at such a door policy.

This place was AWESOME! We had a party of 6, seated really quick. Food, Atmosphere & Beer were great. Good service as well, can’t wait to visit area again. Will definitely come back…

They wouldn’t let my friend (African American) eat here because he was wearing Jordans very disappointed.

I visited this bar with a friend for Sunday brunch! Food was decent and the brunch buffet was decently priced. My favorite would have to be the mimosas…3 stars just for that. I would attend again but wish the buffet had more options.

Great happy hour, and tasty food, but not at all accommodating to customer allergens or requests. Was the only group in on a wednesday afternoon and I had to change my whole meal bc they would not accommodate a bread change. I would have loved to try the Reuben, but they could not handle a wheat bread request instead of rye. 8 people saw this interaction, bad customer service, and a bad rap for district 5.

After all of the bad food reviews on here, I was scared to go back, but I knew that the inside was lovely and the food was at least decent (I had an alumni event here) so I decided to come tonight after a play.
I came in when the kitchen almost closed, but they did take a while to seat us /​find a seat for us. Which would have been fine, if they acknowledged us /​told us to wait. Instead we basically had to hunt down the staff.
It was very loud and crowed, but the lights and ambiance was nice. The food I actually enjoyed, I had the shrimp dish and the shrimp was good, and the tuna one was also good /​average. I did not like my drink, it’s like they had no idea what went into the basic drink we ordered.
But overall idk, despite all of that, I had a good time. Not sure if I will return or not, but I am glad I tried it at least.

The restaurant is nice, the food is good, and the management are RACIST! I have been here a couple of times since they opened and enjoyed happy hour and an early dinner. I made the mistake of trying to attend a birthday gathering for a coworker one night and was refused entry due to the fact that I was wearing «Jordans» sneakers. Now I’ve never heard of a place that has a policy against a brand, but they have one. At the same time they were allowing their Caucasian patrons enter with sneakers, flip flops, etc. I will never patronize this establishment.

Our friends and I were there for our friend’s birthday (13 people total). So we made a reservation and got to our table instantly. However; there are a large amount of people there because it’s a bar as well. The place reminded me of a hooters or Buffalo Wild Wings because the people were extremely loud. The service is okay. I’m not sure if it was because we were a big group or there were too many people at the place but the waitress barely checked on us. My friend and I ordered waffle fries. 40 minutes later it still didn’t come out. The waitress acted like she was surprised to not see our fries come out. She explained there was a confusion going on in the kitchen. On the bright side, the fries were on the house. The entrees came out in a decent amount of time. I got the Twisted pesto. It’s good but there was a little amount of chicken compared to how much pasta there was. My friend got the little Italy pizza, it was really good. The food is good but I don’t think it’s worth the price. Also, there menu is quite small and there’s not much choices to choose from. The experience wasn’t bad but I probably wouldn’t come back here just for the food. There are far better places to go to.

It’s a Sunday and VCU in the A10 championship is on. Why is there a DJ and why is he playing the most awful music right now? The chicken sandwich was pretty good though.

Horrible service. We ordered a bottle of champagne at a time when the bar was not at all busy. And then we were ignored for two hours. We had to flag down somebody to give us a bill, who was not the person who took out order. And then we had to flag down a different person to run the credit card. Finally, the total on the bill was different from the total they ran because they don’t add tax to the bill until they get your card. Ridiculous. Won’t be back.
However, we probably could have walked out without paying the bill because the service was so lax that no one would have noticed. If that sounds intriguing, this might be the spot for you.

I’ve been several times, brunch, lunch, dinner, partying at night.
I’ve had good service from the waitresses every time I’ve been. Fast, checked on our table frequently, never messed up an order. No complaints there.
The beer list is very solid. Lots of choices, lots of different styles. And when I’m drinking mimosas for brunch, I honestly could care less what kind of champagne is being mixed with the OJ. So the «magnum» bottle deal (only $ 20 and comes with unlimited OJ) is probably the best mimosa deal in Richmond. I think happy hour is half off all draft beers, pretty good deal.
Not that I was expecting much, but the food is weak (why I’m giving 3 stars). I won’t go in to tons of details about the food with the exception of the honey BBQ wings I got the other night, which prompted me to write this review after all these visits. These things were TINY, tasted nasty. I’m 99% sure they’re frozen and heated up. All the other food I have had is just meh, nothing special. If you’re there to booze, but need some food, just get the pizza. It’s the best thing on the menu I guarantee.
If you’re looking for a place to party, booze, watch whatever game is on (lots of big TVs too), you will not be disappointed. If you’re looking for a place to have a nice, quiet, sit down dinner, steer clear.
Of course I will keep coming back, but they need to step up the food situation big time. They’ve done everything else perfectly with this place… but better food gets them to a 5 star review with ease.

A great bar spot. Drinks look interesting and the food is good. Ambiance is fun, but loud. Good for large parties and the service is good.
I ordered the 3 state grill cheese, YES! The sandwich is good and hot and the waffle fries are tasty.
I’ll come back with a smaller crowd. Happy hour specials until 7.

Their brunch buffet on the weekends is absolutely delicious! Biscuits and gravy, customized omelet bar, bacon, sausage, the works! They also have ‘magnum mimosas’ with huge bottles of champagne, orange and cranberry juice for $ 20! TV’s everywhere and so much room as well. Great for big parties!

This is a review of a private event held at District 5, I have yet to go for a meal.
Last Thursday I had my work holiday party here. I was not the one to plan the event, so I’m only speaking as a guest. I thought the event was great and the food and service were great as well. I remember standing there talking to someone with an empty glass and someone came and offered to get me another. I’m not sure what is typical for this type of thing but I’m usually held responsible for going to the bar myself so I thought this was a nice gesture of the waitstaff. Our event was open bar so I imagine it’s easier to do something like that when that’s the case.
There was room for a band, a dance floor, a couple tables of buffet style food, and still plenty of tables, chairs, bar stools, and standing room for everyone. I would say we had at least 125 people there.
Our buffet consisted of roast (sliced to order), shrimp and bacon Mac n cheese (yum!), potstickers, and several other things that unfortunately I can’t even remember. I do remember everything being good and as far as I’m concerned the Mac n cheese was the star of the show.

I got the jambalaya pasta and it was okay. If it wasn’t spicy I feel like it would just be bland. The shrimp and the sausage in it was better than the chicken. I probably wouldn’t get it again. Also the wait time was long. The ambiance us casual, they have a full bar.

I really want to like this place. They have a ton of space, and their own parking lot. On Main, this is very attractive. The décor and lighting creates the illusion of a hip scene, potentially upscale. I enjoy the large bar with plenty of televisions, and the patio area. A note about the patio; you can smoke out there. Take that for whatever it’s worth. I personally find smoking where food is served fairly unappetizing, like a Denny’s.
The booze; I haven’t had much in the way of cocktails, however the company I have been with enjoyed things like bourbon and ginger and other simple pours all to their liking. I appreciated their extensive beer menu with a very solid draught list, and all came tasting fresh and crisp.
The grub; genuinely unimpressive even for chain restaurant standards. If you fancy a 2 for $ 20 at Applebee’s, you may even feel ripped off. There is a lot of flavor lacking. The «fried» chicken sandwich comes on a very chewy roll, combined with the less than crisp chicken leaves you focused on the art of mastication opposed to conversation. Order this for the talker in the group, it will keep their banter at a minimum. The bulgogi was tender, and all but flavorless. It seemed wet. I don’t know what that means, it just did. Buffalo chicken dip, is, whatever that is, I’m sure it’s standard anywhere you order it. It was edible. Pork shanks, mediocre. Pig and Pearl is my comparison on pork shanks and theirs are not easy to top. Waffle fries were not soggy but they weren’t crisp. I want a crisp waffle fry. I want a chick-​fil-​a waffle fry.
There are decent things on the menu, I did have a slice of pizza that was pretty solid, however, the person that ordered it said they didn’t like the crust. I found it enjoyable. But then again, I was escaping my overly chewy chicken. I had a sandwich that I recall enjoying, however at the moment I don’t recall which.
Service; hit or miss. ²⁄₃ servers I’ve had are just downright awful. A really nice plus when you are shooting for an upscale feel, have your servers trained to know about what you serve. There is nothing worse than asking about what IPA is on draught or a recommendation between 2 dishes and just getting a blank stare or a stock response. Also, it always seems light staffed, or for whatever reason, it takes forever to get a drink once you order it with your waitstaff.
In summary, drink here. It’s a solid watering hole. Fine dining it is not. Even if your idea of a good meal is Chili’s, think Red Robin is gourmet burgers, and you celebrate your anniversary at Red Lobster, I still believe you’d have taste enough to recognize the mediocrity here.

Amazing staff, excellent food, and the incredible beer selection should make you excited to visit this new hot spot on Main St. I absolutely adore the atmosphere in District 5. Classy, yet unrefined :). If you are in the area, make sure to check out the place. Sit at the bar and see my girl Casie. She will lighten up your day

After a concert downtown I was looking for a place to continue the party and grab a bite to eat too. Nothing was happening near the National and it was raining pretty bad so we jumped in a cab to head over to W. Main. I asked the driver what would be a good place to go, but he couldn’t really recommend anything lively.
He mentioned that District 5 had just recently opened and suggested that. I was skeptical after seeing the reviews, but we pulled up and it was the only bar on the street with people in it. After walking in, I was pretty shocked. I couldn’t understand why folks were hating on this place. They obviously spent some good money on a reno and the setup is pretty cool with a nice outdoor patio as well.
That’s until I ordered and ate. The servers at the bar were nice enough but really didn’t have a good grasp on the menu or the beers. We ordered a couple apps that sounded very unique and well thought out, but the execution fell way short. I actually felt bad. They must know things aren’t right and hopefully they’re fixing them asap. People will only give them so many chances. Good luck District 5.

You really can’t beat the happy hour at District 5!!! Monday-​Friday 3−7pm over 40 craft beers and wine by the glass is only $ 3.00!!! The food is an even better deal for the quality and size of it. We had the Tequila honey BBQ Brisket Empanadas and they were amazing!!! If you’re trying to beat the college crowded Bro Bar, then this is the place for sure!!! The clientele seemed to be young professionals 25 – 45 years old with drink and food prices of a college bar. A must see!!! We will definitely be back!!! Also pet friendly on the patio!!!