The Hard Shell

Went out for a late Valentine’s Day date. Our server at the bar on Feb 27 was fantastic and we both liked her suggestions. She was also very friendly. Would go back again on a date night.

Amy and I visited The Hard Shell on Friday for Valentine’s weekend and had a terrific experience. We arrived to find no street parking but remembered reading they will validate your card at the parking garage across the street. We had reservations and were seated right away. We informed our server Brian that we are going to share a few things off the menu and bring them out when ready. The kitchen must have been on overdrive cause each dish came out so quickly. We started with the crème brûlée. It was spectacular! Next we tasted a cup of the She-​crab soup and oysters Rockefeller. She-​Crab was hearty but not too creamy. I love the flat crispy bread that came out with it. we had to ask for more. Next came out the ceasar salad. I was so excited to see that it had a few anchovies on top. The croutons were noteworthy. I usually don’t eat these but I ate every one. Lastly, came out the Stuffed Lobster with asparagus and croquetttes. It was excellent! Lobster dinner, appetizers, dessert, two glasses of wine and validated parking for $ 75 was a great deal. We dined like a king and queen. Thank you Hard Shell for the fabulous experience and making our Valentine’s memorable.

I’ve been here several times and I am never disappointed. The calamari appetizer was fantastic.

By far one of the best seafood restaurants in the Richmond area. Warm and romantic ambiance that is always perfect for a date. The seafood selection is always extensive which is further enhanced by several nightly specials. Wide selection of raw oysters. If you are looking for well prepared seafood, that isn’t deep fried, then The Hard Shell is what you are looking for.

Excellent service, atmosphere and food. Was there for prime rib night and it was delicious! I asked to substitute my salad for she crab soup and they made it happen! I substituted my potatoes for Brussels sprouts and it was Amazing! The Brussels sprouts are flash fried… yummy! I would definitely go back.

Went there early New Year’s Eve for dinner. We received a gracious greeting and we were prompted seated at a window table. The service could not have been better. The portions were a bit small and even appeared smaller on the huge round plates. I had the salmon which was excellent, however the accompanying small scoop of mash potatoes tasted as if they were instant. My wife had the crab cakes which were nicely done, again the side left something to be desired. White rice with no taste, as if it was left over from a Chinese carry-​out. We love the RRG’s other restaurants and will give the Hard Shell another try. Being it was New Year’s Eve

I enjoyed sitting on the patio at the hard shell! Had some drinks and a full course meal. Staff was nice and we did not feel rushed. The downtown location makes for pleasurable people watching as they walk by.

In town for work and stopped here for lunch. It was not overly busy but our server did had 3 tables. He was still very attentive. Now to the food — the absolute best Brussel sprouts I have ever tasted in my life. If you think you don’t like Brussel sprouts, have them here and your mind will definitely be changed! Entrees were fish tacos and pecan crusted salmon — both were great! Grabbed their chocolate pecan pie and an Irish coffee. The coffee was strong and the pie was amazing. Highly recommend this restaurant!

We were here for thanksgiving holiday and wanted seafood on Friday night to celebrate our 33 anniversary. The sea food war the best we have had in a long time in fact it was excellent everything was fresh and the presentation was even better. The sea food was was so good it seem like they just caught it. The desserts so excellent also we had chocolate pecan pie, bread pudding, Key lime pie and crème brûlée which was the best even better than I had in a French restaurant in London. The only thin better than the food was the service. Will go back next time I am in Richmond. Would recommend it to everyone only if you wanted a excellent meal.

My first time here. My best friend had her birthday dinner here. The food and service was excellent. I ordered the salmon with soy ginger butter with Brussel sprouts and roasted potatoes. I must say the Brussel sprouts were the best I’ve had! Everybody else in her party enjoyed their food as well. Definitely going back again! Only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because there was a big work group that came in and they got hammered and we’re kind of loud.

I had the pleasure of dining at Hard Shell during Restaurant Week. One of my best friends had her birthday dinner there on Saturday evening.
The ambience is very nice. It was dim lighting throughout the restaurant and candles lit on the tables. The music was awesome. They played old school R&B, which was not to blaring but floated nicely so you could groove to Al Green while you enjoyed your dinner. Our dinner party thoroughly enjoyed that aspect.
I ordered off the Restaurant Week menu and got the Caesar Salad, Petit Filet Mignon and the Pumpkin Crème Brulee. Everything was delicious.
The service was wonderful. Our poor waiter had to deal with a party of around 12 girls so it was a handful. He handled the pressure wonderfully and kept a smile on his face despite some of the complaints from some of the women. I really appreciated his demeanor, it was not lost on me. I look forward to eating here, just with a smaller group of people who can enjoy the overall appeal of this restaurant.

I rarely give five stars to a place I’ve only visited once, but I’d say they really earned it. My fiancée took me here for my birthday dinner, and we had a wonderful time. I couldn’t believe it, but this is the only place between Norfolk and Richmond that we could find that sells large live Maine lobsters. We called ahead about a week in advance and requested a 2+ pound lobster, and they had three specially delivered on the morning of our reservation. As such, the killer crustacean was as fresh as anyone could ask. Now that’s service. But I get ahead of myself.
They have a bar and several tables in the front, but we got seated in the back room, which was nice because it was quieter and more intimate. The ambiance was great, I loved the classic rock they were playing, and the place was impeccably clean. The service was perfect.
I started out with some fried VA oysters served with an aioli and house-​made hot sauce. Those just melted in my mouth — sooo good. I had a couple of well-​poured moscow mules from the bar — good enough that I had two. The massive lobster was perfectly cooked and super fresh. It was served with corn on the cob and potatoes, but who cares. For dessert, we split a crème brûlée — it was just okay, but at that point anything would have been a downer from the lobster high I was on.
Outstanding job, Hard Shell!

Great seafood and steak! Had a private party in a side room, the food and service was excellent. Crab cakes were large & fluffy. The steak was cooked to perfection. The lemon pie was just the right amount of tart & sweetness. And, I had the pleasure of going to 2 locations in one night! But, that’s another story.

I thought this place was OK, but this last experience ruined it for me. Terrible service to say the least. Waitress made it clear she didn’t have time for us — tried to charge us for drinks that never arrived, forgot to put in our appetizers, so we waited 30 minutes for them. The manager came and apologized about one of our party’s entrees not coming out in a timely manner. He said the waitress forgot to put the order in. She kept blaming the kitchen for her mistakes. The manager offered a piss poor offer to comp one of the meals even though we were kept waiting and our food was cold anyway. (She also threw a pen on the table for our 3 separate checks and said «I only have one pen» before walking away)
UPDATE:
The manager offered a $ 100 comp towards our next meal, totally worth it. Better service and the food was absolutely amazing. Thanks will be back again for sure.

Stopped at The Hard Shell on a Saturday for lunch. I ordered the oyster po-​boy and really enjoyed it. Also had the lobster chowder which was really good — even though it was not quite like what you might find in Maine. The menu was full of good looking seafood that I wish I had time and appetite to enjoy. I would definitely come back again. (Visited 29-​Sep-​12)
Pros: Nice atmosphere, good and quick service, good food quality. Cons: a little pricey.

A couple weeks back during restaurant week, el Mattador and I met a couple of friends out for dinner at the Hard Shell. We decided to let them take over our Unilocal page for the week. Here’s what they had to say!
Kaitlin (Greg’s lifelong sister friend):
The Hard Shell was delicious! And quite honestly better than I expected! Their restaurant week menu was well balanced and had a lot of tough-​to-​choose-​from options! For my first course I chose the roasted clams and muscle! OUT. OF. THIS. WORLD. and I don’t typically like clams! Second course was rockfish over mushroom risotto and asparagus. The rockfish was prepared perfectly, not dry or fishy, and well seasoned. The mushroom risotto, while very tasty, came totally unseasoned, and I had to salt and pepper it several times to truly appreciate it. Asparagus, as always, was very good, just wish there would have been more of that! Dessert was a chocolate bread pudding with raspberry chip ice cream. The bread pudding was not my favorite, but the ice cream… oh the ice cream. PERFECTION. I’ve been craving that ice cream for the past week.
Our waitress was lovely, with a great sense of humor, and she handled our table’s shenanigans well! The restaurant itself was much bigger than I thought it was and the atmosphere was awesome!
If you need a good seafood fix, The Hard Shell is definitely a good pick!
James (Kaitlin’s boo thang):
Four of my friends and I visited Hard Shell to enjoy the Restaurant Week three course meal. We had wine, lobster, crab legs, mussels, and much much more. Everything was delicious! Our server was very accommodating and put up with all of our nonsense… If you haven’t had a Canal Walker cocktail yet, take the first one slow.

We walked in for Sunday brunch. We figured we give a try after have snacks and drinks a while back. Go spend your money elsewhere. 2 entrees, 2 beers and a weak 6 ounce mixed drink was 60 $.
now that is fine for good eats but this place was not good eats. The poached egg wasnt soft but prepared earlier than nuked. The crabcake was cold. the hollandaise was chalky. this somethinf that I expect from a waffle house short order except w.h. taste good!
There are better spots nearby. This is a poorly managed brunch joint that just wants to suck your money. NO

I live in NYC and went to RVA knowing they have a vibrant restaurant scene but not expecting something quite this good! I was in Richmond for work and dined alone at the Hard Shell. The hostess and waiter made me feel incredibly comfortable.
Atmosphere:
Definitely has a an upscale, refined vibe. It was dimly lit (in a good way).
Food:
I started with the House Salad, which was the perfect size. As my entrée, I ordered Mahi-​Mahi from the «Simply Grilled» section of the menu with a side brocollini and Brussels sprouts. The Brussels sprouts were AMAZING, as was the fish. I have nothing but positive things to say about the entire meal.
Service:
I’m a bit of a picky eater, but my waiter accommodated all of my requests without batting an eye!

At three O’clock on a Saturday while sitting at the bar was told the kitchen was closed, they needed a break. OK fine. I should think it silly for a biz to run like that, but if that is there rule so be it. Only it wasn’t. The rest of the restaurant is being served food, just the 8 people who are at the bar don’t get that privilege. WTF? With people with in arms distance away getting read to days specials and the bar tender telling us the kitchen is closed? How does that make sense? If they don’t serve food at the bar, say that, but don’t lie about it. It was also not just people who had been seated before three, others came in and got food.
Also they had a wedding party happening right by the front door and an empty back room? How does that make sense? Why would they not put the wedding party in the back room? It was totally empty

This place is in my weekly lunch rotation. Good food at a fair price. I typically get the cod sandwich or oyster po boy. Both are $ 8.95 including french fries. They also sell seafood and lobster at market prices.
They have a nice patio for sunny days.
EDIT April 2015…
Removed a star and have not been for a while since they jacked up the prices. Too expensive now for regular lunch. They should have kept the prices as is. Now they have lost my regular business.