Lemaire Restaurant

I had not been to the Lemaire in years, and regret I waited so long. Service and all menu items were delicious. There were 6 of us celebrating a graduation event. My favorite was the seared scallops, but we also enjoyed the beef tenderloin, pork chop, pasta, and burger. The chocolate orange dessert was so unusual and a definite item to try. No reason to wait any longer for this gem and parking is a breeze!

Its one of the best places to go for a foodie. If you are looking for a 5 star experience in richmond, where the food is the entertainment. They have wonderful not your everyday chain restaurant items, like shortribs, soft shell crab. It does cost a pretty penny, don’t go in without $ 150 if you wanna have a good time.

I took my mom here for a special meal, and I have zero regrets. I really appreciated the quality of the ingredients, and the thoughtfulness behind the menu. Many of the items are unique to the area and/​or to southern cuisine in general. The wine menu was also impressive.
I’m holding back on the five stars because while it was great, it was not mind-​blowing. It basically was very high-​quality fancy food. At that price point, I am looking for an experience and at least to that end, the food was very predictable. The architecture cannot be beat, and the waitstaff is also very knowledgeable, but the food was just not quite there. Overall though, very good.

In 2008, I had THE best meal of my life here. Literally, my whole family still talks about how delicious and perfect everything was to this day. I have eaten dinner here several times since throughout the years and it gets worse and worse each time. I keep returning, hoping that one day things will go back to the delicious meal I remember from years ago!
I believe they have completely redone the menu 2 – 3 times in the past few years and they just can’t seem to get it right. The waiters are typically snooty, rude, and unhelpful. Save your money and spend it elsewhere, because you will be disappointed here.
It is laughable to consider this a great restaurant. For such a fabulous hotel, you’d think it would be out of this world. Truly, I have had better/​more memorable meals at Cracker Barrel…

I truly believe this is one of the best restaurants in Richmond! From the time you are seated until the time you leave, you are treated like royalty. The staff at Lemaire are so friendly and welcoming. Our server Kevin was very knowledgable about the menu and the cocktails listed. My husband and I have eaten at many fine restaurants and this is definitely one of our favorites!
He and I shared the beet salad and the mussel appetizers. Both delicious and the mussels were cooked perfectly. I had the tenderloin which was truly the best I’ve had in a while. Perfect! My husband had the filet special and though the same about his choice. I had the apple tart for dessert and he chose the cheese sampler. The tart was awesome!!! I could have ordered a second one because it was THAT GOOD!

This was my first visit in several years, I expected a memorable meal with perfect service and was not disappointed.
I’ve always thought one had to visitl to Cabo for a real Caesar salad, but I was wrong. They are making them at Lamaire. The tuna was the expertly prepared and presented as was the tenderloin and duck breast the others in my party ordered.
It’s not inexpensive but it’s not supposed to be. Do yourself a favor and make an evening of it

Oh. My. Tastebuds!
We spent our fifth wedding anniversary between DC’s National Harbor and Richmond, VA. We chose Lemaire Restaurant inside the Jefferson Hotel for several reasons:
*It had high ratings on so many review sites.
*It is an Award-​winning restaurant.
*It is locally sourced, and sustainable.
*It is a fine dining establishment that is affordable. (No main entrée was over $ 30, and the breathtaking architecture reflects its historic reputation for grandeur.)
Honey, let me tell you… You think you’ve heard the praises for Lemaire’s Sunday brunches, but their Fall 2015 dinner menu is to die for! My husband ordered the best flank steak and Mac ‘n’ Cheese that he’s ever had in his life. I had a marinated seared tuna with the most delectable butter sauce you can imagine. I was introduced to savory sautéed pears and I fell in love.
I’m not exaggerating. We’ve dined at all kinds of restaurants because we love dining out… And Lemaire has left a heavenly imprint on our tastebuds. I encourage you to try them at least once, because one time is all it takes for you to want to go back for more.

We ended up at Lemaire when we couldn’t get reservations at our first choice. So glad that happened.
Best meal I’ve had in a very long time: salad (autumn apple and eastern shore bay blue cheese with edward’s bacon, caramelized cipollini bulbs, field arugula, walnut banana bread croutons, and pomegranate reduction), entrée (golden seared jumbo sea scallops, dave and dee’s oyster mushrooms, baby spinach, mustard späetzle, and truffled mushroom broth) with creamy mac & cheese, and broccolini for sides. For dessert: praline vanilla cheesecake pie. Every single dish was so perfectly executed, beautifully presented, and filled with flavors that complemented rather than overpowered. Kudos to the talented chef!
You might think the service at the Jefferson would be stuffy and overly formal, but it was personable and special.
Lemaire is the perfect place for celebrating a special event. Yes, it’s expensive, but it’s worth every dime.

Dined here twice during a a recent stay at the Jefferson, also stopped in for an irish coffee at the bar one evening. This is a very good restaurant. Food is well prepared and the servers are well trained. Prices are as you would expect, very high. Even breakfast for two is going to run you $ 50.

Expensive and worth it.
My wife and I had reservations for a date night. Upon arrival we were immediately seated at a nice corner table.
Our waiter was on point. He arrived at the perfect moments throughout dinner, not interrupting us. His recommendations were great.
Food was amazing. We shared a stuffed poblano pepper for an appetizer, licked that plate clean. For my meal I got a beef tenderloin with finger potatoes and mushrooms. Licked that plate clean too.
Will definitely be back for more.

My husband and I dined here on Tuesday. I say «dined» because «ate» just isn’t a fancy enough word for the ambiance.
From the minute you turn your car over to the valet and walk through the gorgeous foyer in The Jefferson the service is impeccable. We were promptly greeted by our waiter and informed of specials.
The cocktails were great. We ordered a poblano pepper stuffed with duck (appetizer special). It was like a very fancy, very delicious jalepeno popper. I asked the server for his recommendations on entrees because I could not decide. He recommended the pork chop, sesame tuna, flank steak or scallops.
I am not a big fish lover, but I decided to go out of the box and get the tuna. It was incredible. It came with a wonderful assortment of vegetables and some cheesy risotto. My husband ordered the filet and he was very pleased with his meal as well.
I will say, because of price this is one that in the future we will reserve for special occasions, but it is well worth it if you are looking to indulge.

They were packed on a Saturday evening after a wedding and a ball had wrapped up. We had no reservation, and although they were very busy, the staff was friendly and happy to accommodate us.
Our waiter Sean, was incredible. He delivered top-​notch service, was extremely knowledgable, friendly, and accommodating. His wine recommendations were spot-​on and complimented the meal perfectly.
The burger was one of the top five burger experiences I’ve ever had.
All around a great experience!

BEWARE! If you’re going for the happy hour special (3 apps for $ 20) you apparently must tell them before ordering.
As it was explained to us after we got our full priced bill, «the 3 for $ 20 apps come in smaller portions» so we couldn’t receive the discount since we didn’t alert them ahead of time and therefore received full sized appetizers.
I’m SO not the type to throw a fit for discounts, this just seems like a questionable business practice, no? Maybe it should be advertised as 3 SAMPLE appetizers for $ 20? Or 3 MINI appetizers for $ 20?
Beyond that, the apps we tried were very good (ahi tuna crudo, pimiento cheese, fried pickles) and the negronis were pretty on point. Just want to make sure no one makes the same mistake we did.

I tell many people — don’t be scared away from Lemaire because it is in the Jefferson Hotel.
The Jefferson is Richmonds landmark hotel and it is pricey for a room. However, they have done a great job with Lemaire not overpricing the food and I think it has given it a great reputation for not being some overpriced hotel restaurant… to actually being an excellent value and probably one of the best places for a special romantic night.
The bar is excellent, elegant, classy but not stuffy. The food menu is not overpriced but what you would expect in a high end restaurant as far as quality.
Free Valet parking is another big perk to make it an easy way to get there for date night!

Dinner for two ran around $ 185. Food prep and service were excellent. Comfortable seating. Nice ambiance. Quiet. Romantic. Beatiful 20′ ceilings Period-​correct artwork line the walls.
The only nit I have is that I’d recommend skipping the crabcake appetizer; it was very tasty but a much smaller portion than I had anticipated. I had the tenderloin entrée and it was expertly prepared — and also very filling.
My wife is vegetarian and was happy to see tons of options on the menu. plus the chef will make substitutions on virtually any of the entrees to accommodate vegetarians.
I was delighted to see some Franciscan wines available at a reasonable markup.
We wrapped with crème brûlée to share. Perfect size for 2.
Our server was very attentive — always nearby, but never in the way. Excellent service.
We’ll be back. I’m tempted to give 5 stars.
UPDATE: We’ve visited most of the high-​end restaurants since moving here a year ago. Lemaire is still my favorite. I’m bumping my rating up to 5 stars for being my favorite «date night» restaurant in the area.

I’ve been here twice recently, both for smaller things like drinks and dessert and their happy hour and both were excellent experiences! They have a very affordable dessert menu with most items at $ 7 which I thought is very reasonable. They have an extensive wine selection and an interesting cocktail menu, mostly around $ 10 – 12. Their happy hour on Wednesday is $ 15 bottles of select wine and $ 20 for three small plates. We got the fried pickles, oysters (4 instead of 6 for happy hour), and their charcuterie plate. While it would be easy to spend quite a bit here, the food is good and so are the drinks. The bartenders are attentive and the atmosphere is nice.

Food is satisfactory, nothing spectacular and not worth the price. Service is painfully slow, portions are extremely small. As I’m writing this my rating decreased
the bread they start with is forgettable. The appetizers we got were tiny and also pretty forgettable.
shrimp and grits ($ 28) — only thing I really enjoyed on the plate were the grits. The shrimp didn’t taste great, the tomatoes were slightly cooked tomatoes nothing crazy there, and that chorizo was easily the saltiest I’ve ever had.
The desserts weren’t made fresh, and I wouldn’t get them again
The restaurant/​hotel themselves are very nice

Everything works well here. Great service, great food, great location.
I had the lamb special and my wife had the salmon. Both were nicely seasoned, well paired and nicely presented. Top 5 in metro Richmond (along with L’Opossum, Magpie, etc).

Really enjoyed the ambience and the service was prompt and respectful.
Got a Barnyard Burger, which was well-​cooked, and loved the truffle sauce that came with it. The beet salad was visually appealing but quite small and not particularly flavorful. The house chive potatoes were good as well.
All the food was very good, but did not blow us away, which is what we were expecting given the meal’s price tag.
Would definitely come again, but not the top of the list when thinking about dinners to splurge on.

I have been to The Jefferson many times but this was my first visit to Lemaire. We went for Happy hour and sat at the bar. I was a little disappointed they didn’t have fun girly specialty cocktails and with the beer scene in Richmond I expected a little more selection but that is my ONLY complaint. Maybe I missed them?
The food we ordered was AMAZING. I ordered celeryroot and cellared apple bisque and crab cake appetizer and my husband had the crab cake sandwich. The hotel is unique and always a wonderful experience. Service is definitely on point. Definitely don’t be intimidated by the fine dining appearance. People came in wearing jeans! I wouldn’t but it’s definitely still a comfortable experience even though it’s super fancy.