Saison

I recently started a talk thread a few weeks back about where to get the best burger in Richmond, and I think I may have found it and it’s at Saison! It’s at a cozy little restaurant in Jackson Ward and the place itself looks very unassuming but looks aren’t everything.
This place is very small and the tables are fairly close in proximity to each other but not to the point where I felt like my personal space was being intruded upon. The menu is short as far as the food goes, and they have about 16 items on the menu. They do everything they can to source all of the ingredients and proteins from farms all over Virginia which I appreciated.
I ended up getting the burger and so did my friend. I got mine naked because burgers plus braces don’t go well together. haha. The burger here was the best I have ever had! It was fresh, extremely juicy and very well spiced. I also made the right decision of adding bacon to my burger and it elevated the dish so much more. The bacon was really thick cut and delicious and went well with the burger. It’s served with two or their house made sauces one being a spicy ranch concoction which was good. I still can’t get over how well the patty was spiced and I truly considered this burger to be a «hand crafted burger». My dining companion also said she liked hers as well but the other thing that we also did agree on was that it was just a tad bit too salty but NOT enough to overpower the overall experience.
The service was pretty standard and nothing really to mention. The price however, was a little bit steep for me; with the added bacon, my burger came out to $ 17 plus taxes. Pricey? Yes, but well worth it! I would come here again for my burger craving needs.
SN: parking can be a little difficult as it was street parking only.

Great spot! Tasty cocktails and a phenomenal burger. Would love to go back next time I’m
In RVA and try more cocktails and food items

I usually won’t give a five star after a first visit, but the pastrami ribs small plate are one of the best menu dishes in Richmond. Meaty, smoky, tender, well seasoned, and made even better by the sauce and cabbage base. The rundown seafood stew with Mahi and mussels was spot on, especially if you’re a sopper like I am and like to use crusty bread as an edible utensil. The broth has a manageable kick, but has so many layers of flavor it goes well beyond a one note punch of heat. Dessert was good, but not at the level of the savory dishes. Because they were that amazing.

Don’t be afraid to stray away from the menu. These guys are mixologist, ask for something special. I love their version of a White Russian. There Irish coffee has been a favorite of mine for the last three trips. Love the speakeasy feel.

Best meal we’ve had in RVA. And not by a little.
The total package. Great vibe. Warm and attentive service. Killer food. Solid drinks. Diverse beer list. We will be back again and again.

This is such a unique bar! They have great beers and great food. They bartenders could smile a little more.

Seven of us for dinner last night, it was great! The table was pre-​set for our reservation when we came in, and when we had a last minute change in number they quickly adjusted and set the table so no one had to sit next to the dreaded empty chair. Menus were very entertaining, pasted into real library books, one was a cookbook that we truly remembered.
The staff was attentive and unobtrusive, offering plenty of time for decisions, and lots of advice when requested. The restaurant was not that big, nicely intimate and noise was low enough for easy conversation. We arrived at 6 pm on a weeknight and were seated immediately.
I started with a Honey Badger cocktail — not on the menu in the restaurant but I’d see it on the website, and they whipped it right up. Rum, apple brandy, fruit juice and a jalapeño slice on a skewer. Very tasty, and with the skewer in the drink, added just a little hot kick, just a good preface to the rest of the meal. Three of us tried the Rundown, seafood and sweet potato in a coconut broth, with peppers and this time a little habanero for the kick. It sounded like the type of seafood could change, depending on what was good. Ours had mussels, shrimp, and 2 kinds of fish; recommended, but be prepared for some heat! We finished with coffee, unfortunate but the espresso maker was broken and the regular coffee was not that great, not served hot enough.
Tip: On-​street parking is tight, be sure to look on the website for the parking lot location, it is a half block down the street and it could be easy to park in the wrong lot and get a ticket.

This place is great, a bit small, so be prepared for close seating.
The cocktails are plentiful, strong, and delicious. Getting the bartender’s attention was easy, and everything came out in a timely fashion.
The food was perfectly cooked and I highly recommend the cheese app and saison burger.

Great atmosphere. I’ve come here a few times as a quick meet up spot with friends. We all loved our food and cocktails … Even though I’m not an oxtail person… I did enjoy Saison’s oxtail dish… perfecto! I was a little bummed about not being able to try their infamous biscuits… I hope and pray they start serving them in the evening (crosses fingers). All in all its definitely a must to try while in RVA. It’s an intimate spot so I recommend for small groups/​parties.
I got «The Rickey» cocktail… it was smashing! I’ve also gotten coffee from their «café» side… great espresso.

Went for drinks and dessert so can’t comment on the food.
Drinks were good, very different but if you want something different this is a good spot.
Dessert was also good, we got the S’mores and it was tasty and we split it between 4 people.
Cool ambience and they are open until 2am.

I was there on a Saturday night for couple of after-​dinner cocktails. My husband ordered the stout based egg-​white cocktail (bitter end) and we both thought it was a little overdo yet still enjoyable. My drink b’rer trickster was pretty good, an easy choice for me since I love Campari. Our bartender was very nice. We didn’t try the food yet but I would love to go back for it some other time. We also ended up checking the market next door and it had a huge selection of world beers including Belgian Kriek which is one of my favourite (a type of cherry beer that is aged, stronger than Lambic, worth trying).

I have to say we just came in here for drinks. And they have a very good and unique bar menu. Very good crafted drinks. I give 5stars because of how helpful and nice the owner was. He was recommending other places to try — made the area feel like a great community. We need to venture to this part of broad street more. We will be back soon for dinner (and drinks).

Really enjoyed my dinner at Saison last week. I had the ox tail appetizer and could’ve eaten about four of those to make a meal. But I decided to stuff myself and got the Berkshire Pork Butt Steak (Cumin-​Coriander Rubbed) with Stewed Heirloom Lima Beans and Pickled Purple Cabbage, and it was DELICIOUS! It’s a sizeable, hearty entrée, but I ate every single bite. I also followed up with the s’mores dessert, which was heavenly.
The menu is small, as is the dining area itself, but the ambiance, service, and of course food, are all very well worth a visit to Jackson Ward. They even serve Moscow Mules in metal cups! :-)
Enjoy!

An ambiance and floor perfectly matching the gritty Jackson Ward we wandered around a bit before eating. I don’t know Richmond, but seemed slightly expensively-​priced at just south of $ 15 for most cocktails and entrees around $ 20. Had no problem getting a table at 8:30 on a Friday night, but the place still had a buzz which was nice.
My dining buddy got the burger & fries and loved it. Really loved it. It was preceded by a wedge salad which underwhelmed at $ 10 but was still tasty. My seafood surprise had a clever twist on the broth — sriracha & coconut milk, if I remember correctly, and was generous with mussels, clams, monk fish, and shrimp, but, deeply, deeply unfortunately, tasted like someone spilled a container of Morton’s in it. It was honestly the saltiest thing I’ve eaten all year. I’m not sure if it was intentional or not.
Drink menu was a lot of fun. Several beers I had never heard of, and I had a hard time choosing.
For a special date night, awesome spot. For a casual dinner, a little on the pricey side for what we got.

Let me just start off by saying the «Pork Belly and Egg» dish was bar none one of the greatest things I’ve eaten in my entire life. I’ve lived and traveled to a few places in my short life time. I was raised in California and was blessed to be around some amazing food (Mexican, Vietnamese, Japanese, Hawaiian, etc.)
I’ve eaten Cuban food in Miami, soul food in Richmond, comfort food in Michigan, Italian food in New York, seafood in Key West, pub grub in London, crazy shit in Paris, and pasta in Rome. This dish was so good I ordered it again that same night. I would put this dish right up there with anything from any country; period.
I’m beside myself with anguish that I don’t see it on the present day menu (8÷17÷2015) but I have photographic proof of its existence. It was definitely there on May 14^th, 2015 for the *CMYE: Happy Hour at Saison* event. Maybe that’s just how it goes?
Chef Adam Hall and Sous Chef Thomas Owens just create artwork that isn’t repeated. You paint one masterpiece and then on to the next form of your artistic craft. For example I see (Lamb Belly– Cantaloupe Soubise, Curried Granola, Smoked Fennel, Shallot) — YES PLEASE!
Getting back to business I can’t express how happy I am that a place like this exists. The lost art of mixology is alive and well at Saison. The ridiculously creative food combined with masterful cocktails is a recipe for success. It was an absolute JOY to experience such a treat that night. Bravo Saison!

I tried Saison within the first year they were open and thought it had potential but had a ways to go to fulfill its promise. A little over a year later they are well on their way. The food is consistent, beautiful, well executed and interesting. The beer and wine selection is exceptional and thoughtfully curated. The cocktails can at times be a bit experimental but always skillfully crafted.
My highest praise however is reserved for their terrific staff who genuinely care about the experience of their patrons. I am so pleased to have them as my neighborhood restaurant and look forward to their ongoing evolution.

Have been here twice. First time on a Saturday around 11pm and the second time this last Friday at around the same time and both times the places has had customers but it’s very relaxed.
I overheard the bartender saying it is usually busier after midnight when it becomes an industry bar so I imagine that’s probably a lot of fun.
Their cocktails are top notch quality and reasonably priced around $ 10 – 14.
My favorite one was The Troubadour which I recommend if you like cucumber and gin drinks. Very delicious.

The food was good. Not great, not bad. The fried soft shell crab was a lot of fried and a little bit of crab. The fish of the day was well-​cooked but bland. The food took a long time to come out, but only because the waitress made an honest mistake, and made up for it by bringing an additional free appetizer — the beef tongue, which was tasty. The «fried corn» is actually just burnt corn nuts. The biscuits are great.
The employees are your stereotypical hipsters — quite polite, but also inattentive. The menu lacks synergy. It’s a bunch of pages glued to a book with lackluster descriptions of their meals.
The water was cold.

If you want a craft cocktail in a swanky atmosphere, this is as good as it gets folks! I’m going to keep this short and sweet, much like the East India Cocktail that I enjoyed last night.
If you like to drink at all, you need to go to Saison. I can’t think of any other place like it in RVA. I walked in and it instantly reminded me of the craft cocktail bars in San Francisco. Allow me to count the reasons why this love affair with Saison ain’t going nowhere any time soon:
1. They give you menus in a book. IN. A. BOOK. At first I thought that maybe they sit books on the table so that you can have something to read while you wait for your food to come? But, no. They just glue the pages of their menu in books to add to the charm of the place. I love charm.
2. The cocktails. The menu is extensive, so if you’re indecisive like me, consider this a warning. Still can’t decide? Let me help you. The East India Cocktail is fab. Go during happy hour.
3. The biscuits. Smoked Cheddar Pimento Cheese Biscuits. Need I say more? Melt-​in-​your-​mouth baked goodness to coat your stomach while you suck down those cocktails.
Go on over to Saison for the biscuits. Stay for the drinks and cozy atmosphere.

I can’t get enough of these awesome new restaurants in Jackson Ward, and Saison is definitely a must-​stop for foodies and craft cocktail enthusiasts.
COCKTAILS
–Smoking Gun: rose water mixed with Scotch and tequila made for a surprisingly tasty cocktail; it was the perfect drink to accompany savory bites.
–Weekend at Bernie’s: I’m usually weirded-​out when I see egg whites in a cocktail but the egg actually adds a nice frothiness to the drink and was perfect for this rum-​filled, tropical juice concoction.
–Oaxacan Old Fashioned: with tequila instead of bourbon; prefer the original Old Fashioned.
–Maid in the Shade #1: tropical and spicy!
NOMS
–Pimento Cheese Biscuits: almost positive they add crack to these buttery delights, so dangerously addicting!
–Nashville Hot Chicken: DELICIOUS but hot diggity, this dish is not joking with the spice! Thank goodness for the side of mac’n cheese to cool things down. If you’re a fan of spicy chicken, this dish is right up your alley.
–Carnitas Rillettes served on Billy Bread: I’m a big fan of French rillettes and Saison’s twist with the carnitas is genius.
I’m a huge fan of snagging seats at the bar and advise you to do so if you’re rolling in with a small group (1 – 4 peeps). It’s added entertainment to see the master mixologists whip up incredibly awesome cocktails. And bonus points to the bartender who kindly refilled my water every 2 minutes while I was munching on that crazy awesome spicy chicken. Until next time, Saison!