Bonvenu Restaurant & Bar

Meal: Lunch
Day and Time: Saturday early afternoon
We stumbled into Bonvenu after walking around in Carytown. The ambiance was quaint, simple, and a sharp contrast from the elegant, expensive, and nearby Can Can. We just had lunch, so it is hard to give a proper, full-​scale review. But one thing to note is that there was only one waitress (who also was the bartender) and she had at least 4 – 5 tables to manage (plus make all the drinks). She was very friendly and seemed to be doing her best, but she had too many tables and the service was slow.
My wife had the portabello sandwich and potato soup. I had the meatloaf sandwich with sweet potato chips. Starting with the sides — the potato soup had a surprising amount of flavor (I never would have ordered this), although it was a little too chunky for my taste. The sweet potato chips were great, but I love sweet potato chips and it’s hard to mess them up. My wife’s portabello sandwich was mediocre, almost bland. My meatloaf sandwich had a good amount of flavor, but mainly from the fat and the mushrooms. I’ve had meatloaf two other places in town (from what I can recall), and this ranked 3^rd (other two places = Sullivan’s, Metro).

Items worth noting:
1) The dinner menu looked interesting, with lots of options that sounded tasty. We likely will go back to try those options.
2) Happy Hour is Tues — Friday; $ 1 off beer, liquor, and wine. I believe they have $ 3 rails everyday as well.

I visited this place for the first time during restaurant week in October 2012. There were pros and cons to the visit:
Pros:
–personable service
–great TABs (limeade with vodka… yes, please!)
–good food (I had the shrimp hushpuppies, cedar planked salmon and pecan pie)
Cons:
–though the pecan pie was tasty, it wasn’t ORGASMIC like pecan pies I’ve had from other places
–small space!
–we were rushed from our table when we finished eating to make room for other guests, an effect of a restaurant being in a small space
The last bit really turned me off and prevented me from giving this place four stars, in spite of the good food and drinks and personable service provided by our service. Not certain if I’d go back…

Um… Mac n cheese is crack 4 ur mouf!
Lobster dip (if they have) insane with homemade crackers… who does homemade crackers for god sake?
Oysters rock r way different than you’ll expect… fried & set up like a sushi roll on top of cream spinach…
Calamari is okay… nothing special but good…
Shrimp n grits is yayayummy
Cesar dressing again… homeade n killa
And not entre over $ 18 come the F on peeps… and why’d u go to Ruby Tuesdays?

We visited on a Monday night, so the restaurant was quiet and the service was wonderful. They have a small but varied drink selection, and a «try before you buy» wine policy.
We started with the fried green tomatoes as an appetizer, which were perfectly crispy, nicely complemented with a horseradish sauce, and cole slaw to cool down your mouth after the horseradish.
I ordered the chicken breast, which was honestly probably the most delicious chicken dish I’ve ever had. It was tender and juicey, and perfectly complemented by the olive and tomato sauce. The grits were nothing special, but the creamed spinach with bacon — amazing. I tend to stay away from creamed spinach due to the fat and calories, but this was definitely worth it. It came in a reasonable portion size as well.
My boyfriend ordered the jalepeno meatloaf. It sounded strange, but was incredibly delicious. The heat from the jalepenos was minimized by the gravy, and the most buttery mashed potatoes I’ve ever had.
This was by far one of the best meals I’ve ever had. Check my reviews of other places if you need context!

Came for Restaurant week. I was surprised to see that the restaurant was only half filled on a weekday night. The variety of seating options is nice.
This time, I tried to be more adventurous with my food, so I ordered the Steamed Mussels w/​sundried tomatoes, navy beans & tarragon over grilled flatbread, Eggplant Roulade w/​mushrooms, spinach, onion & feta topped w/​a tomato & extra virgin olive oil concasse over sweet corn rice pilaf, and Key Lime Pie. The steamed mussels were good, but the best part were the beans ³⁄₅. The Eggplant Roulade was way too salty, even though the tomato made it bearable. I really should have sent it back on the first bite ¹⁄₅. I really enjoyed the key lime pie though ⁴⁄₅. Paid around 28 dollars for it. Given that one of the dishes was terrible, I can’t say that it was worth it.
Ambiance ⁴⁄₅
Food ²⁄₅
Value ²⁄₅

I have seen Bonvenu many times (stumbling out tipsy from NY Deli or coming out of a movie at the Byrd), but I have, for some reason, never been here until last night. We arrived around 7:00 on a Sunday night. Their was only 1 person working (which could be fine for a small establishment). The restaurant seats about 40 – 50 (typical for a place like this).
There were about 7 people at the small bar, and they were obviously having a VERY fun «Sunday Funday.» Their boisterousness definitely took the ambiance down a few notches.
I will say the service was amazing. The woman who waited on us was very patient and answered many questions. It turns out she is the owner along with her sister. After ordering beer (many good, cheaper selections) and wine (many good, more expensive selections), we decided on Pork Chops with polenta and mixed vegetables, and a salad with smoked salmon.
After we ordered, the server brought out the most amazing, baked in house, melt-​in-​your mouth dinner rolls I may have ever had, served with sweet cream butter. These were definitely the highlight of the meal. We wanted more, but were trying to save room for dinner.
The food arrived at the perfect time. The Pork Chop was excellent, but kind of dry, and served with a sauce on it (I needed more). The polenta was great, as well as the vegetables. The Spinach salad with smoked salmon was a little fishy tasting (according to my fellow diner), and was quickly corrected with a nice bowl of mushroom couscous (which was delicious).
Overall, I would give 5 stars for service and menu, and 3 stars for ambiance.

My friend and I happened to run into this place for dinner the other night, when the restaurant next door was too crowded. What a treat! The wait staff was very easy going and attentive to our needs. She made great recommendations for food and wine choices. We were able to try some wine before we decided what bottle to purchase. Everything on the menu looked so good that I couldn’t decide what to order — so I asked our server to let the Chef decide. He made me the night’s special of Mango Shrimp & Grits. YUM! The atmosphere and food were amazing! This is now at the top of my list for favorite Richmond restaurants! I can’t wait to go back!

We have been to Bonvenu more than a dozen times over the past year or so and had I written this 3 months ago I would only have good things to say. However, my most recent experiences have been disappointing. I am not sure if they got a knew head chef or another change has happened but the food has gone downhill. My husband and I went 2 weeks ago and it made us sad that one of our favorite places was such a let down. The appetizer was boring at best, the shrimp were cooked fine but it lacked in flavor as I’d both our entrees. I ordered the sweet potato gnocchi and they were tasteless and dense. My husband got the cous cous which tasted gritty and bland. We were so dissatisfied with the meal, the only bright spot was the bottle of wine the waitress recommended. Sadly, we won’t be returning to this little spot for quite sometime.

Great food for the money. Good atmosphere and service. Most everything was under $ 20 dollars. We will definitely be back.

Nice ambience, easier to get a table than some nearby places like Secco Wine Bar. The menu is small but pleasing. However, we’ve stopped by twice recently and the restaurant reeked of cigarette smoke. Two years into Virginia’s smoking ban in restaurants, I’m not sure how this is happening. Either there’s some down-​low smoking among patrons going on or the staff is smoking inside after hours or in the kitchen. This is why I’m giving it two stars. .. There are too many other options in Carytown for me to put up with secondhand smoke.

I didn’t get a chance to eat, but the menu looked as great as I had anticipated. We were there for the after hours DJ gathering. Bonvenu is where The Track used to be only it’s been modernized and remains a great spot in the heart of Carytown for late-​night socializing.
The crowd continued to flow in and change throughout the night as it seemed most would bounce back and forth with New York Deli, directly across the street. All in all, a very friendly and cozy upscale joint. I’ll definitely be back w/​plenty of food and drink reviews to follow. It’s hard to review free PBRs all night besides, «sweet!?»

Very good restaurant! Great food, nice proportions, and excellect atmosphere. I would certainly go back.

Good food, great ambiance, quick service, no wait times. Menu changes by season. It is limited but delicious. Always only 1 – 2 veggie options, so I can go only once every season or when menu changes. Their bread is sooooo yummy. Soft warm fresh, slightly sweet, homemade butter has sugar and honey and is good. However I prefer salty butter to sweet butter. Also if butter was softened a bit, would be great. On the whole, a great restaurant. I will go back there again.
PS: I have reviewed this restaurant previously. Seems like the last time I went here, it was a long wait for food. One fact holds the same. Minimal vegetarian options.

So far, so good. The pitcher of mimosas help :) the food and service are fantastic!

We went here after a getting a Living Social Deal. It was good.

New to Richmond, I’m working my way through Cary Town by stopping at resturants. My husband got a livingsocial gift certificate from his boss so we were eager to try out the new resturant.
It was friday night and the place was crowded. We had a booth but my husband had made a reservation for a table at the window, we were told it would be a wait and didn’t feel like waiting so booth it was. There was a very strange odor coming from the booth… it smelled like a rotton fart. Seriously, not kidding… I kept wondering if it was someone around us or the booth… not sure but started off… smelly.
The waiter came over after we sat there for about 5 minutes and poured water, said Hi quickly and left. We weren’t entirely sure that was our waiter but after 10 + minutes, he came back and took our drink order. Finally we got some bread after about 20 — 25 minutes of being seated. The guy seemed to be the only one working but there were two others, not working as hard or helping out.
I orderd shrimp and grits and my husband got the crab cakes for entrée’s. I started with the grilled romain salad and it was delicious, very large portion with a great smokey/​grilled flavor. The hubby had soup, French Onion and loved every drop. We got our entrée’s and the crab cakes looked great, large amounts of lump crab meat served with large cut steak fries… every bite was great and generous portion. The shrimp and grits started off ok and got worse, the shrimp were not fresh and stunk soo bad. I tried to eat some of the grits but it was just awful. The waiter stopped at the beginning and didn’t come back until the end and I was over it.
The server felt really bad and they took off my meal from the bill and offered a desert, we decided on the blueberry crème brûlée which was delicious. Not sure if I’ll be back for a second chance.

My husband and I ended up at Bonvenu one night because the nearby wine bar was too crowded. We ordered some fun and surprisingly inexpensive house-​specialty drinks at the bar while waiting for a window table (the wait was about 5 minutes). The French-​inspired menu was creative and had a lot of great options. I ordered a medium-​rare steak that had a ground-​coffee-​bean crust. It was SO. GOOD. My husband also really enjoyed his meal and our seafood appetizer was yummy. The space’s design was attractive and interesting, and the staff and ambiance were pleasant, not stuffy at all. I would strongly recommend it to anyone who wants a reliably delicious meal and drinks in a relaxed environment.

Did not love the décor, or the ambiance, but food was really well done, especially for having mainly american food.
The service was great, the waiter was attentive and knowledgeable, which is always very helpful.
We had the mixed green salad with peaches which was interesting, and unique in flavor, the salmon, which was the special, which was cooked fantastically, and the ravioli was not remarkable, but still tasty and filling.
The wine selection was really good as well.
Generally a pleasing experience.

I headed here with a friend for my birthday and we had a fun, solid meal. First off, I love the interior. The owners changed the space from dark and depressing to light, trendy and contemporary. We sat in the window and had a great meal chatting and watching people go by. Don’t miss the super stylish lighting.
There were so many tasty menu selections, I ended up choosing two appetizers instead of an entrée so I could indulge in more new flavors. I started with a salad made with hard-​boiled eggs, mixed greens, beets and a juniper vinaigrette. The dressing’s flavor was unique and creative. Then I tried the prawns, which were a bit of a disappointment. Two large prawns arrived with the heads attached. Once I removed the heads (and sucked the juices, yum!) there wasn’t a ton of meat leftover. They were good, but not spectacular, and again, a bit small. I think if I returned I’d stick to entrees, as my friend’s chicken looked delicious.
The wine menu offered a great range and selection. I liked it so much that I headed back soon after my meal for late-​night drinks. The crowd at night was a bit more alternative than I expected, but the place provided a pleasant change from the typical local bar scene.
Lunch is offered Saturday and Sunday only.

The dark and frequently deserted former location of «The Track», right across from the Byrd theater, is now a light and modern restaurant and a great addition to Carytown. We did dinner and a show (actually Wicked, not the Byrd) and the food was delicious. The rack of lamb with wilted spinach and garlic potatoes was excellent, as was the stuffed pork (a touch overcooked, though) Wine selection is interesting and eclectic, with some tasty options that I had not seen before. My wife loved the «Chocolate Box» red blend. Throw in some attentive and friendly service and all in all, you get a very nice and complete dining experience, especially for a new restaurant. Now if only something could be done about those uncomfortable theater seats…