Gibson’s Grill

Gibson’s grill must be under new management. The place has really gone downhill from service to food to ambiance. I really miss the old Gibsons grill wish they would get their act together, it’s a good location.

OK — so half a year later I’m retrying this establishment.
Seems the produce inventory issues are no longer an issue… YAY for Gibsons! I really did not get a sense for the bar staff as it was a busy night and I can’t judge them for just «slinging drinks» because that’s what you have to do in a busy bar…
I still appreciate the vibe of Gibson’s and find the menu offerings to be very interesting and appealing. Revising to a 4 star — but may be temporary — since I’m planning on giving the bar staff another run through in the next few weeks.

Food 2
Ambiance 3
Service 2
Stopped by on a relatively quiet night because it was open and I needed something close to the General Assembly. It took quite a while for the waitress to stop chatting with the bartender and come take my drink/​food orders. Once the food came out, she never returned until I asked for the bill.
I ordered a hamburger, «medium», and it came out well-​done. The tomato soup tasted like it was from a can. The discount kind.
Not somewhere I’ll return anytime soon.

Started off with the appetizer the host recommended us, Croquettes. I had never heard of them before dinning here but now I’m hooked! Croquettes are deep fried mashed potato balls that come drizzled in a spicy cheese sauce. Next I had the Ravi Shankar, which is a bold black bean and quinoa burger. Absolutely delicious.
Although we were put off by the service, the food and early access to the National made up for it. I will be returning but requesting a different server.

I’m shocked this place is still open.
Started by walking in and having to stand around waiting to be seated. The hostess finally arrived and she was less than pleasant.
Tried to order a mojito, they’re out of mint. Fine we will have beers.
Came time to order food… I’d love the BBQ sandwich. Oh, they’re out of BBQ sauce. I was so hungry I got that with a side of mashed potatoes and I’d love a side salad to start.
You’ll never believe this, but my salad never arrived and the sandwich was the pits. The other half ordered a turkey sandwich and it was equally gross. The mashed potatoes were cold and generally terrible.
Needless to say we will never go back. It’s dead in here for a reason. The icing on the crap cake is they clearly use hunts ketchup and not Heinz. I wouldn’t wish this restaurant on my worst enemy. Period.

This place is beyond revolting and despicable. You might laugh but I’m serious. So bad I didn’t want to leave a star rating
1) The food here is equivalent to eating a shit covered taco. I asked for a bacon cheese burger with no onion or tomato, and they came back with a fully loaded burger. Sent it back and they took off the cheese and bacon. Still wasn’t what I ordered. Sent it back again. They came back with a medium rare burger with no onion or tomatoes and no bacon. I sent it back AGAIN! This time they came back with the burger I asked for but still something was missing. THE BACON! they said they ran out. I’m like Wtf!
2) Their drinks were like drinking sewage water mixed with fish making love in the water. Like really guys?
3) They put so much salt on my fries, I made the plate look like a salted martini glass
The only thing that was good about this place was leaving it. Waited over 2 hours for a burger to not finish it. Paid 12 dollars with the price being a flat rate for a party. Can you guess I’m so ticked off? Not to mention they never made my friends food and she waited Damn near 2 hours and 45 minutes… Just a poor excuse for a restaurant. Won’t be coming back here ever.

When we went the restaurant was transitioning management so things were a bit discombobulated– we were there for early entry for the National and the process was pretty unorganized.
Having said that the staff was doing the best they could and the loaded fries that I ordered were pretty good– real bacon, real cheese, pickled jalapeños– fresh would have been kick ass.
Overall an average experience with future potential.

My friend and I visited Gibson’s Grill before a concert at The National next door and it was a hot mess, literally, metaphorically, and perhaps a bit ironically.
Gibson’s Grill, according to The National, is billed as a great restaurant that will allow you to enter The National early if you eat dinner there first. However, you’ll have to put up with the poorly managed floor, the slightly slow staff, and the confusing order for seating (if you have a reservation, you should get preference, but that’s not how it goes here).
To be fair, when we visited, we found out that half the waiters and waitresses quit due to some trouble with the manager. Despite this, the service was decent, and I really felt for the servers that stayed because they had so much more to do. However, only two of the servers seemed to be with it, promptly processing orders and greeting their patrons in a timely fashion. The rest of the servers seemed to be unconcerned about any of their tables.
The food was good and I enjoyed the prompt service for drinks, as I needed a few to deal with the frustration of waiting in line for over half an hour, waiting 10 minutes for initial service, and then not even getting to enter The National early because the service was so slow.
Gibson’s Grill is a nice joint, which is why it was unfortunate that the service was so poor. The interior and atmosphere are befitting of a diner next to a music hall and there’s a decent amount of seating, although it’s not crazy spacious. They have a great menu full of variety, too. The service, though, is just too poor not to make note of.
Perhaps they’ll pull it together so that patrons who wish to eat there and then attend The National will be able to do so. Though, given the lack of organization we saw while there, I’d say it’s far more likely that you’re better off getting food elsewhere and then waiting in line to get into The National.

I went there last night with a group of friends before a concert at the National. I ordered grilled chicken with prosciutto and cheese. I also asked if I could sub a soup instead of salad and if not no big deal. The waiter, Jonathan, was unsure but said he would ask. After about 10 minutes he returned to tell me he could but it was a $ 3 charge (I said fine no big deal).
He rarely checked on the table before bringing our food (my beer was empty for awhile). He brought the salads to the table and did not mention my soup, so I assumed it would be out soon. The entrees all arrived except mine (there were 5 of us and a friend later joined us). He said it would be right out…5 minutes go by it comes and I ask where my soup is — his response was I thought a food runner brought it. He was so inattentive he assumed I ate all of my soup and someone else brought it and picked up my bowl.
My grilled chicken was overcooked and dry. The only utensil I had to cut it with was a butter knife because an actual knife was not brought to the table with my meal. It was some of the worst service I have ever gotten at a restaraunt. I don’t care how close it is to the National, but I will never eat there again based on the bad food and service. On top of it all they added 20% gratuity to each of our checks because that is the policy (6 or more add 20%) – but does that mean because there is six of us we get terrible service? I’m not sure but I will not find out from there again.

Went here last night with two other people and I have to say this was one of the worst dining experiences I have had in a long time. We stopped here on the way to a show at the Coliseum thinking it would be convenient due to location. Service was horribly SLOW. It took over 10 minutes for a server to come and even take a drink order. By that point we order everything, food and drinks. The server knew that we were headed to a show that night. There were two shows going on in the downtown area actually.
About 30 minutes passed and our food was not out, nore had anyone come by the table to see about drink refills. We had to get up to find another server to check on our food, ask the seating hostess to check on our food and ask for the manager. Our food showed up before a manager ever got to the table, but only two of three orders. We had to hunt someone down again to ask for the manager.
When the manager finally came to the table he explained that there was a mix-​up with the orders and my friends food had gone to another table. They were comping her meal and taking 50% off the rest of the bill. They also automatically put her food in a to-​go box for some reason, we didn’t ask them to. I can understand only slightly that mix ups happen, however the lack of ownership by the server/​manager to proactivly notify us is was is upsetting. If someone had stopped by the table to at least inform us of the situation it would have been appreciated.
This resturant is located right next to The National and within walking distance of the Richmond Coliseum. Then your staff are aware of two events going on that night there really should be better kitchen and server management. We ended up being late for the show we were headed to, though thankfully not so late that we missed much. I won’t be choosing to dine here again in the future.

We had tickets to the Leon Russell concert and arrived early. Stopped in at the Gibson Grill. We weren’t that hungry and simply ask about dessert. CHOCOLATE CAKE… all I need is some type of chocolate for dessert… so both my wife and I had their cake. Pretty good, certainly acceptable. I decided on coffee for my
my opinion,…I think the coffee maker must have been turned off early. It wasn’t even warm, I asked for another cup. I think the server didn’t realize it was cold even after my asking a 3^rd time. Good cake… In my opinion really bad coffee…

The food at this place totally rocks… and it’s fairly inexpensive, too.
I was there today for a business meeting and thank God I didn’t have to do any of the talking because my open faced lamb sandwich was getting thrown down! Lamb shaped like a burger, a first for me, with goat/​feta cheese with a tasty Greek sauce… My fries were extra crispy just as I always like them. I just sat there and ate while my associates were talking away.
What’s cool about this place is when you walk in you immediately notice a floor below you. It’s a nice little treat since it’s not obvious from the outside and HRVA folks like me aren’t used to the underground scene. Apparently there is a tunnel that connects to the theater next door?
Oh how I love little road trips to Richmond for the day.

I came with a group of 4 on a weekday night and found a few groups already there. There wasn’t anyone to greet us even though the sign said wait to be seated. Soon enough, we were one of two groups left and we ended up having two servers. Wendy really engaged us in light hearted, interesting conversation. We talked about the National and people that come through. We really enjoyed that. The place gives off the gastropub diner vibe.
The portions here are massive. Most of the entrees are pretty expensive and so I got «a lighter option», the Gibson Grinder, and a side of rice. This prime rib, bacon, chicken sandwich was mouthwatering, right on the money. The check was around 12.
Ambiance ⁵⁄₅
Food ⁵⁄₅
Value ⁴⁄₅

This place is right next to my office so for the most part I went here because it was close by and a sit down restaurant. Probably not a good reason eat somewhere.
I feel like I am doing a public service to all Unilocalers when I say — steer clear of this place. The service is never particularly friendly — but not outright rude — but if that was the only problem I could put up with it. The food is unappealing in pretty much every way (creativity, taste and price).
Several items I have ordered have been totally inedible — A LIVE BUG in my salad? undercooked fish in my fish and chips meal? A dry chicken sandwich that needed to be slathered in mayo just to be able to be chewed? All part of my lovely experiences at Gibsons.
There are so many other great places to eat in Richmond — it makes me sad that because this place is one of the only ones close to two large hotels and a concert venue that people think this is all Richmond has to offer!
Ok — rant over. I feel better now.

Horribly slow service on a slow night. There were only 2 – 3 tables when we were there.
Started the night with a Makers on the rocks and it had been watered down. Not sure if it was the bartender or from sitting on the rail but if all you have to do is put liquid over ice and come up short well you know…
Ordered the special, a steak dish, the side of grits and asparagus were pretty decent but the steak was a poor excuse of meat. Was not served hot and way too fatty, once again if there is a simple food whose execution should be fool proof it is a steak.
I can see hitting this place up if ready to hit the venue next door but if your looking for a nice sit down I would keep walking.

I came here with two friends before catching a concern at The National. We got a table at the downstairs bar and had dinner and a few beers before the show.
The atmosphere of the place is nice inside. It took a while but a waiter did come and serve us after we sat at the table for 10 minutes or so.
The bar menu is a bit limited. There are really only three entrees (two sandwiches and a pizza) and maybe 8 – 10 appetizers to choose from. I ordered the turkey sandwich and it was all right, nothing remarkable really.
What makes this a two star review was the service. The waiter had a tough time remembering which beers they had on tap. On two successive rounds he screwed up the drink orders and some of us ended up with nutty brown ales instead of IPAs. If you’re a beer enthusiastic like I am, you’ll know this is a major atrocity :)
I’d definitely go back and give this place another try. I suspect the wait staff down in the bar might be their «B team» personnel. I’d recommend sitting in the proper restaurant area where you’ll have a better menu and likely more experienced wait staff.

So the wife and I stopped into Gibson’s on our way to a show in Richmond. It was convenient to our hotel and the venue, and our fellow Unilocalers seemed to like it.
It kinda reminded us of a midwest/​Chicago-​esqe eatery you might find downtown there, so the mood was set appropriately. I wasn’t expecting GREAT food, but we were pleasantly surprised.
I had the Brandy and Brie Pork Chop with the grilled brandied apples and mashed potatoes. I love brie, and the combination of the cheese, fruit, and pork all went together quite well. The potatoes were tasty and vegetables cooked well with a little «bite» left in them.
My wife had the Steak Wrap, that was good, but we both believe could have been better. The mushrooms, and caramelized onions were «there», but it was almost like they forgot the aioli or some other spice to tie it all together. So, good food, but not the same as the pork. They also lost a star because the pasta salad that came with the wrap seemed to have too much oregano in it.
Service was quick and courteous, and our server was attentive. It was slow that night, but often that’s when we get poor service because of the lack of hustle or fewer people on staff. Kudos to Gibson’s for keeping sharp even during the slow times.
While the «Headliners» (main courses) did seem to be a bit pricey, it was still good food, and I’d definitely do it again if we’re in town.

I’ve been to Richmond, VA a few times to see shows at The National (great venue) and I have found myself at Gibson’s Grill twice. If you have tickets to a show at The National, you can get in a few minutes early just for having a meal there! That’s not the only reason you should go there though — they have a well-​stocked bar, a friendly staff and the food is really good! I recommend the bruschetta as an appetizer.
It’s a little on the pricey side since it’s mostly just bar food, but I think it’s well worth it.

One of the few table-​service restaurants close to MCV, so a colleague and I gave it a try.
The setting is nice enough, with big roomy booths. I had the Cubano with home-​made chips, which was well-​prepared and filling. We enjoyed good service and made it back to work in a reasonable amount of time.

Gibson’s is awesome. It’s definitely built to complement The National, with a subtle rock and roll/​artsy theme to it.
It’s owned by the same folks that own 3 Monkeys, and you can see similarities in the menus, but I probably like Gibson’s the best out of all the restaurants owned by this group. Some of the more unique things they offer are asian slaw as a side, home fried potato chips, cone of onion rings, and a lamb burger.
I also like that they have a good mix of table types– booths, low tables and some high tables by the windows… and they also have a full bar…
They’ve also turned the basement into a lounge, which is probably great for hanging out after shows or even just on a random night… they have tables down there for eating, but I think you’d mainly end up down there to drink.
Speaking of which, I think they have a great drink menu, but I like girly drinks… My favorite right now is a Pink Panther that has firefly vodka, grapefruit juice and pomegranate liquor. YUM. I’ve also had the Hotel California, but it actually made me sleepy because I only had one, and really when you are drinking tequila you have to go all in, or not bother at all :)