Viceroy

This is the only restaurant in Richmond I’d never give a second chance to. Rude, pretentious, and totally full of shit.

So after reading all the positive reviews on Viceroy, we decided to give it a try for ourselves.
The place:
I was confused with this part, because every review on here mentions the crowd and noise and that is kinda what I was expecting. However, when we walked into the place, it was DEAD (8:45PM on a Saturday). Anywho, we literally had many options for seating lol they have a nice size bar, booths along the wall and tables. They kept the front door wide open so people could stand outside and talk and smoke? Overall, seems like it would be a cool happy hour spot.
The Food/​Service:
We went here with intentions on eating a full meal. However, we first ordered glasses of wine. Now when my glass arrived, I sipped on my Malbec and was appalled at the smell that grazed my nose. It almost made me sick… it smelled like 5 day old dishwater and you could see a residue on the glass with further inspection. I was grossed out. I asked the waiter to smell my glass and with one sniff, he was appalled as well. The waiter took my friends glass as well and put his nose over her cup to see if hers smelled as well and he said that her glass was not as smelly as mine, so he sat it back down in front of her and proceeded to go fix me a clean glass –this was gross because you cannot put your nose in someones drink and expect them to drink it –I was a little set aback by having to explain that now he needed to replace her drink as well. Anywho, while waiting for the wine to return-​I noticed a bug in my glass of water floating at the top (now this can be attributed to the front door being wide open all night) but nonetheless, between both of these happening-​we decided to finish our wine and go eat else where.
I may return when I have the guts to eat there, because I see all the good reviews. But I guess we hit them on a hit or miss type night and it was a 100% miss. Our server was friendly (besides the wine glass mishap above). I will update this review if I ever decide to walk back into this place again.

Been dying to try this place for awhile. Was kinda disappointed. The BF and I went for apps and drinks to kill time one day. Took a bit to find parking, but not too bad. Place was pretty inside, people were dressed in period clothes which was cool (not sure if there was some kind of event going on or not). We sat at the bar and ordered the salad with roasted beets and crispy spring rolls. The spring rolls were average, dipping sauces were good, the salad was soooo weird. Greens were fine, beets were good (best part) but there was granola on the bottom of the salad which was weird but the dressing was the worst. Thick and cloying and tasting like molasses it did NOT go with the salad. Wine/​beer selection was ok. I was just overall not impressed. There was nothing else on the menu that I’m dying to try so if I come back it will be for drinks only. :(

Very solid Richmond dining experience. Local, bustling with diverse groups of people and variety of drinks and food. We had reservations and table was ready on time. Waitress was patient and around just enough.
All of use tried the more «Western» fare and we ate our plates clean. I tried the fried green tomatoes BLT with blue cheese. It was well done and just a little bit different to make it interesting. Friends got fish and chips and their version of a french dip.
Only possible con was that it was loud and the fries were just ok. We also had a toddler with us and they were welcoming and actually the loudness ended up being a positive for us! They have a small $ 5 kids menu which we did not try on this visit.

I’ve been many, many times and have never had anything that I haven’t enjoyed. Great upscale atmosphere & wonderful, attentive staff. The bahn mi is a must-​try! Make sure to stop in for a craft beer during their great happy hour!

Came here with my husband for a Friday night date night before going out with friends. Loved the vibe, everyone from the hostess to the bartender to the waiter was super friendly which was much appreciated as we have just moved to Richmond!
We started with the torched mozzarella appetizer, which was definitely enough to share with 4 – 6 people. I thought it had good flavor, just WAY too much for an appetizer — they could probably serve this in two sizes at two price points to make for a more appetizing dish.
Hubby got the Philly Chicken Roll which was very moist and flavorful. I chose the Banh mi which was also pretty good. It was a little dry for my liking, but it was my first time having Banh mi, so that may be the way it is supposed to be. GET THE FRIES — they are phenomenally crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and SALTY!
In any case, we both left with full stomach’s and an interest to come back for HH & drinks with friends.

The Viceroy Bahn Mi sando is to die for. Get attentive staff. Menu is very intriguing. And the deep fried PB&J and bacon a la mode was amazing. Excellent food and atmosphere. Love the wonderful artwork also. Just go.

Despite the fact that a) Parking can be tricky like many other places in this part of RVA, (we only walked 1 block), & b) During our drink ordering we were advised that some wines may not be available since they are «waiting for an order,» & the basil mix for one of their attractive sounding signature cocktails, has «run out,» (At 7:30 PM?), all in all I highly recommend this place. The above perhaps may leave some Unilocalers thinking I’m picky. Well… I am a bit, however my issue is mainly with the awkward approach. I’d rather order a glass of whatever, and if you have it great, if not tell me then. With the amount of wine choices there was a slim chance I’d pick one they didn’t have unless their purchaser is that disconnected. The other part is that if you have a «signature drink,» it is implied that at least for those 7 – 9 or so cocktail choices, you have everything necessary. (Basil mix may or may not be that hard to acquire ingredients for, IDK). Otherwise I’d order an old fashioned or a Gibson martini.
First off I enjoyed the beer selection, and how willing our server was to have me try however many choices of unknowns I wanted before committing. All in all the server did a great job. The speed of service was perfect as well.
The menu is surprisingly good as was the food! I normally frown upon menus and names of restaurants that you see in anywhere, usa, that say: «Chinese food and Pizza, «or «Tacos & Thai,» etc. Identity crisis. This place is NOTHING like that. In keeping with the part of town and the somewhat eclectic vibe, the food options are diverse, well executed and delicious. My bride, and adult twin daughters decided to start with a few of their small plate offerings to share. The Mussels were incredibly tasty. Live a little and immediately dunk the toast tips that come with the order in the juice on the bottom of the bowl or your whole body or someone else’s if possible! The fries with the wasabi dipping sauce left little need for the ketchup in the bottle that was brought with them. The quail egg app was good and different and we devoured it. All of us would have preferred them to be soft boiled for the unctuousness that «God’s gravy», soft runny yolks, always provide.
For our main, one of my daughters and my wife both had the Lamb pita. One had it with the same fries we enjoyed already, the other tried hers with the potato salad, and we agreed that that potato salad ranked in the «top 3 or 4 best ever.» The lamb was very tasty as was the yogurt sauce. My other child enjoyed the Banh Mi sandwich. Very proper bread, and a decent amount of delicious pork. I was in a boring mood and stumbled upon incredible fish & chips. Great batter, stuck to the fish even after being dipped in a great tarter type sauce clearly NOT store bought, and I even tried a cup of their hot & sour soup which, if you are an Asian food nutjob like me, you MUST try.
In all a fine place to drink, dine, meet friends, to enjoy the quintessential RVA tattoos on patrons and employees alike, great artwork on the walls for sale, and part of why RVA is getting regional/​national recognition for foodie spots, bars, and fine grubbin’.

My new favorite in RVA… The combination of flavor and textures on each plate is incredible. Be sure to order the deviled eggs… they are perfect combinations of gooey, cheesy goodness wrapped in bacon and deep fried for a light and crunchy exterior — heaven! It’s a great spot not only for dinner… Brunch favs include a BLT with fried green tomatoes and the Virginia Benedict. Hats off to the chef!

I have been so stoked to check this place out. Remember nasty old café diem? This isn’t it. It’s nothing even remotely like it. High class, swanky décor, super friendly staff, amazing drink selection and the food I got was absolutely delicious.
I met some friends for happy hour and chose to just have a Stella on tap since during happy hour (4−7pm) they’re only $ 3! Score! We ordered the Chef’s cheese plate, fried artichokes and onion rings. Oh. Em. Geezy.
Lets start with that cheese plate, shall we? Tonight it was: smoked Gouda, salami, pickled jalapeños and asparagus, feta, Gorgonzola stuffed dates, micro greens, feta, pepperoncini, radishes, torched Brie, pomegranate relish, walnuts, olives, pear slices, apple slices, a hard boiled egg… I think that’s all — holy moly!!!
Fried artichokes were criiiiispaaaaay and delish! Thy came with olive/​goat cheese tapenade and oh yum. Creamy inside and a nice little tang from the olives!
The onion rigs were super tasty with a blue cheese creama that had some pickled jalapeños on top. Oh yes please and thank you.
Snacks are $ 5 during happy hour… absolutely worth the visit :) David was the bartender tonight and he was really great! very nice, informative and creative with drinks! go! Go soon :) yum!

Good drink selections, (Iove the Guinness on tap) nice ambiance, friendly staff, and very unique food selection, but the dishes need work or maybe worked less? The dishes have too much going on, layers upon layers of different flavors, some go well together but some don’t and many dishes contains cheese. Its like the menu got its dish building inspiration from taco bell. (if you’ve eaten there or seen the SNL skits then you’ll understand my analogy) It’s a shame because they use good quality ingredients but they get hidden in complexity and unnecessary garnishes. There’s a difference between stepping it up a notch and throwing everything in but the kitchen sink. However, I realized this place may have a purpose for people looking to try something new by giving people a taste of certain types of foods that may be considered «bizarre» and different in a form suitable for first timers. If you ever wanted to try sweet breads, rabbit, or pork cheeks, then this place will cure that curiosity with a spoon full of sugar. But if some of these things are not new to you and you enjoy simplicity then you might be disappointed.
Fun fact: USDA, Food and Agricultural Organization says the country that consumed a lot of cheese was Greece.

Cool place, great service. While I enjoyed my meal (seasonal fish), the entrees seem to be a tad over-​priced for what you get.
But I would certainly go back for a smart cocktail and light bites.

Great food and service!
We went for happy hour and really enjoyed the snacks, which are actually small meals in and of themselves. We had planned to go out for dinner afterwards but were stuffed after 3 snacks for 2 people.
The service was great. The bartender was just the right combination of being very friendly and attentive without being obtrusive. He even ran outside in the snow to give us back our credit card, which we had accidentally left in the restaurant.
We will definitely be back and highly recommend this restaurant.

My experience was immensely positive. We wandered in extremely late, refused to buy anything alcoholic, badgered them into revealing the semi-​secret snack menu, and then begged for bread.
And we were treated wonderfully. The food was really good, and the price was extremely reasonable. Married to the fact that they have a rock solid draft root-​beer, I suspect I’ll be back at the Viceroy quite often! It’s open late on a convenient schedule, and manages to be welcoming without being terribly noisy.

Very noisy. Coupled with a new waitress that is very soft spoken made it a challenge to enjoy my company. Very much a neighborhood place.
Pass on the bread. Butter was okay but the bread was cold and tasteless.
Mozzarella wrapped app was very tasty. Tuna app special was okay. Cooked perfectly but very slight fishy taste.
Reservations were for 7:30. When we ordered at 8p, they were out of 3 of the four fish dishes. Gotta love Richmond, better get there by 5.
Szechuan shrimp salad got favorable review. Revised grouper special with crab was tasty. Beef short ribs were a little fatty but had a great taste and sauce. Fried green tomato BLT was very good. Toasted bread would have been better.
Overall, food gets a 4. Service and atmosphere get a 2.
Not sure if I will try it again.

One of the most interesting and inventive menus in Richmond. It took me and my dining companion 20 minutes to narrow down our order– everything sounded so delicious!
We started with the grilled artisan lettuce salad, it was excellent. Then came the rockfish special and the angus filet. Both really great, especially the grilled nectarine salad that came with the angus– inventive and delicious!
Service was really good, too. Especially for a new restaurant. Ambiance was nice, I really like the look of the bar. Classy but relaxed.

The space is very classed up from the former Café Diem. It’s a little loud, but has a very nice bar area.
The thing that attracted us to this restaurant were a couple of options on the Snacks Menu on the website. Unfortunately, those weren’t offered for dinner, so that was a bit of a bummer. Perhaps the website could specify if there is a certain time when those are offered.
The beer selection is solid and we just missed their happy hour, when draft beers are $ 2 off (lasts until 7pm).
My general view of the menu is that everything seems to be one ingredient too complex. There is a long list of competing flavors (for example our app was seared scallops with watercress, clams, radichio, bacon, shallots, white balsamic foam and grilled peaches). While it was good, I really think it would have been better if it was a little more simple. I had the Lemon Ricotta Gnocchi with crab, which was solid but a little bland. My wife had the Filet of Angus Shoulder Chimichurri, which I thought was good but too salty. She thought it was perfect, so I guess it just depends on your tastes.
The service was very solid and mostly attentive, but I would hope for a slightly better experience for the price.

We went to the Viceroy the Sunday after they opened. Four of us – all with extremely diverse dining tastes, including a pescatarian –had a fantastic experience. We started with craft cocktails, which were all delicious. We tried lots of items from each of the menu categories (snacks, appetizers, entrees and desserts and loved everything. The chicken skin beignets were awesome, as was the grilled summer squash. The watermelon salad with goat cheese and fried capers was a perfect, light and flavorful dish on a hot summer night. One of our favorite dishes of the night was the crab and cucumber soup, served table side from a bar shaker. Very cool!
The short ribs were fall-​off-​the-​bone tender, with the sweetness of the cola braise offset nicely with the tangy bleu cheese polenta. The quail was succulent and full of flavor and cooked perfectly. The scallops were plump, sweet and nicely seared. The prime rib french dip proved to be an delicious up-​scale version of a tried and true favorite. The avocado cheesecake popsicles were a light, sweet treat – perfect after such a large meal.
The service was great, especially considering how busy they were and that it was only their third night of service. Yes, there was a lot of «paperwork» in terms of menus, but nothing that detracted from our overall experience. We understand that as a brand new operation, the Viceroy is a work in progress and expect they will refine things as they settle in.
We eat out a lot in Richmond, often at many of the more upscale «it» restaurants. Our experience at Viceroy blew anything we’ve had in recent memory away. The chef obviously has a talent for making familiar items new and interesting, with creative twists and presentations that take dining to a new level.
I’ve also had a number of friends try the VIceroy in the last couple weeks since we visited and their gushing feedback corroborates our experience.

I’m so glad to see the old Café Diem transformed into Viceroy. It doesn’t look at all like Café Diem, doesn’t feel like it either. And that’s a good thing. Kudos to whoever did the construction and design.
Our table of six had a blast last night. Good food. Good drinks. Good service. Good atmosphere.
A few nit-​picky things that keep me from giving Viceroy 5-​stars. They’re not on OpenTable. And when I called to make a reservation, they didn’t pick up. When I left a message, they didn’t call back. So, I had to call again to make a reservation.
It’s expensive. I don’t mind spending money on a good meal, and it’s still expensive. Entrees are expensive. Salads are extra. Sides are extra. It’s that kind of menu. Don’t even get me started about the «snacks» and «pre» menu sections. Plus, someone went overboard WRITING the menu. Descriptions are too lengthy, and there are too many obscure ingredients that make you ask, «What the heck is that?» (unless you’re a chef… even foodies will ask) which means the waitress better be prepared to answer (she was). I will say, everyone enjoyed their meals, though. I got the grouper, one of my friends got the gnocchi and we split. Both were excellent. (I still don’t think gnocchi should be an entrée, though.) Two other friends got the lamb. I didn’t taste it, but it looked beautiful.
The desserts. Nothing on the dessert menu sounded appealing. Again. Overdone. Sometimes people just want cake, pie and ice cream. Avocado Key Lime Cheesecake Popsicles. What the heck? No thanks. And I’m an adventurous eater! That just didn’t make me want to sacrifice my calorie count. Nor did the Beer Battered PBnJ. Pass. I really think the dessert menu needs a total overhaul. No one of our six ordered dessert. That’s a sign. I was really going to go to Cheesecake Factory and get a slice of strawberry cheesecake, but by the time I got there, they’d be closed.
Good beer list. Excellent dry martini.
I will definitely go again. Best spot in the Devil’s Triangle.

Went for dinner and drinks with friends. Hostess unironically called my party «kids» while seating us. The table was cluttered by an unnecessary amount of menus. One friend ordered a greyhound (vodka and grapefruit) and it was delivered with pineapple juice instead.
Cocktail menu is uninspiring and cocktails ordered were cloyingly sweet, one vodka soda was very weak. Good beer list however. After the first-​round of drinks debacle the waitress informed is that they were out of or substituting proteins for at least three entrees (this was 7:30 pm). We decided to try the black bean fritters and tuna carpaccio from the «snacks» and «pre» menus to give us a feeling about whether we would continue ordering dinner. These are on separate pieces of paper, seriously the menu is 4 pages but not bound if you count the cocktail and wine menu it is very cluttering on the table.
The fritters were dry and fairly bland while the tuna carpaccio was cool and fresh with a sort of sloppy fennel and cucumber salad next to it that screamed for a squeeze of lemon. After our first bites we unanimously decided to cut our losses and order a pizza from 8 ½.
The space is well put together and the bar is very nice. The service was good, not great. It was too bad the drinks were inconsistent and the food was so run-​of-​the-​mill. I will definitely be trying again because I have high hopes for this space. With so many restaurants at this price point I hope they can step up their game.
Side note: there is an old advertisement for a «raspberry douche» in the men’s room which normally I would have found hilarious but in this context it was almost inappropriate.