The Hard Shell

We had a very nice dinner here. The shrimp and scallop with the orange sticky rice was perfect. The hardshell pasta dish was lovely. Seafood cooked perfectly. Service was friendly and pleasant. You can park across the street in the parking garage and they will stamp it for you.
Also had the chocolate torte. Delicious!

Went with my girlfriend for her birthday and we had an amazing time! The service was great and the restaurant was super cute and comfortable. We started out with drinks and got the salt air margarita and strawberry limeade alongside some snow crab legs and raw oysters. We followed it up with the shrimp & scallops and the whole Maine lobster. The food was so delicious, everything came out fairly quickly and was wonderful. For dessert we got the cheesecake and Creme brûlée. Overall I highly recommend going here for a date night if you haven’t been.

I enjoyed an excellent oyster lunch here. I started with a half order of the Chesapeake and Ruby Salts oyster sampler. They were sweet, salty, and delicious. Then I enjoyed a fried oyster po boy with parmesan truffle fries! The fried oysters melted in my mouth. Everything was reasonably priced and delicious.

My fiancé and I came here for a date night and fell in love with it so much we decided to host our rehearsal dinner here. It was absolutely perfect! From the food, to the service to the overall ambiance, their private dining area was exactly what we were hoping for. We had about 38 people and fit comfortably in the private area. They have great menu options and everyone was pleased with what they ordered. All the staff were incredibly amazing to work with. Emails and questions were answered quickly and the room was set up perfectly. I absolutely recommend The Hard Shell for an intimate date night dinner or a larger event. 10 out of 10 all around!

This place was a 10/10 experience! The seafood is very fresh and the staff were super friendly. Ask for Christian when you go! I was born and raised in RVA. This restaurant probably has some of the best service in town. I can’t wait to come back when I come back home. I plan to bring my family next time.

It's been a long time since I've had fresh lobster. The Hard Shell knows how to serve it up right! Drawn butter, baby red potatoes with a hint of rosemary, and corn on the cob. Delicious! I followed it up with the Chocolate Truffle Cake with Raspberry Sauce and a Laphroaig 10 single malt. I know the Laphroaig is a little bit aggressive, but I wanted its razor sharp smokeyness to offset the perfection of the rest of the meal. I'm a photographer, so contrast in all things is important to me.

Our family stumbled across this place on a day trip to Richmond to see museums. We were immediately struck by the abundant light and cleanliness of the place. The service was quick and friendly. The menu choices were wide-ranging and attractive. And the food was incredibly fresh across the board! Our waiter misheard my wife's order, and she was served a BLT instead of the turkey club she ordered. The waiter immediately provided turkey and reduced the charge on her item by 50%. We were thrilled with our experience and can't wait to return and sample more of their fresh food offerings. Did I mention how fresh everything tasted? THIS is what you want a seafood restaurant to be!

This is by far one of the best seafood
restaurants I have been to in Richmond Va! The scallops were perfection, the lobster tail was soft succulent grilled just right to ensure that it melts in your mouth without any signs of being over cooked or rubbery !! I Also enjoyed the crab cake but the lobster was definitely the star of the show! The cook even prepared a special order of fried shrimp for the kiddos to enjoy! 10 out of 10 would highly recommend. And the best part the...the prices are very reasonable and won't break the bank! The quality of the food surpasses the price! And definitely try the Key lime pie! Thank me later!!

Service was excellent and food was amazing. Celebrating my birthday enjoyed lobster, blackened mahi mahi. Scallops appetizer and deserts

We had a birthday lunch there, our first time. All of us (8) were very pleased. A medley of different dishes and drinks. Thank you for an unforgettable time spent with you! A plus was the parking directly across the street.

We are from out of town. We did a last minute weekend visit to Richmond and we were looking for Oysters place. We ended up here and we really had a good experience. We sat by the bar, loved the vibe, staff were friendly and efficient. Our bartender was super helpful with all the things to do in the area. This restaurant is really nice and has such a good vibe. Food was excellent and drinks were on point. We will come back again next visit. Thank you ❤

It’s been awhile since I’ve been here. But you can never go wrong with anything here.

I ordered the:
Lobster Dip
She crab soup
Crab cakes with potatoes & spinach.
Key lime was great!

Everything was amazing. The only complaint I will say were the overcooked pita chips. Everything else was great.

I’d definitely revisit!

Wow! I don't know when we will ever visit Richmond, VA again, but if we do this restaurant will be on the list of places to visit! We Googled best restaurants in Richmond and tried to get in the Croaker Spot and the wait and line was over an hour. Back to Google and found this gem, the Hard Shell, a mile away and it didn't disappoint!
The service, top-notch! The atmosphere was perfect and the food was some of the best
We are die-hards for roasted Brussel Sprouts and these were the best we've ever had... wish I'd snapped a picture 📸
The Scallops were amazing, and the Crab-cakes were to die for!
When this place hits 3,000 reviews there will be a line outside as well!
Don't wait!
Back to Texas we go-
San Antonio needs some seafood lessons 😋 😂

Great dinner before a metal show. You should come here, then go rock out. Highly recommended

My sister took me here for my birthday we were a party of ten females we had an excellent server Michelle she didn't drop the ball at all in fact from hostess to bartender to the cooks everyone was outstanding. this was our first time here and we were very impressed especially with the food from appetizers to entrees it was worth every dime ($$$) lots of options to choose some of the things we ordered were calamari, scallops, brussel sprouts, ribs, lobster tail& crab cake, prime rib steak, fried oysters...so much food with good service definitely will come again

The chefs know how to cook!! Food came out hot. Lobster tail and rock fish were tender. Seasoned perfectly. Beautiful ambience. Great service. Amazing prices. No complaints here. Would love to come again.

Special occasion time means special place to eat. Made some birthday reservations for this place. Upon arriving, I was surprised how busy it was for a Tuesday night.

They have a nice area for some outside seating but it was a little too warm for me so we choose to eat inside. Waitress was super friendly. Patiently explained the menu and some of the cocktails selections.

The fried oysters appetizer was killer. Perfectly cooked bite size oysters placed on top of some amazing salsa. I had the Blackened Mahi Mahi. Very nicely cooked. The mashed potatoes was very creamy and seasoned well.

I always have a great time by at Hardshell. I had my usual the Raw Oysters and the delicious huge steamed shrimp. Besides the creep at the bar who wouldn’t stop harassing me. The atmosphere was great as usual. Had to have staff walk me to my car. Thank you to the staff for helping me. I will be back but with some bear mace.

Delicious like idk why we've waited so long to come here! Lil' pricey but totally worth it for a date night, special occasion, or when your parents come to town! Patio was gorgeous and in perfect shade for dinner at 7 and we got a nice sunset in Shockoe Bottom 🖤

Amazing staff, the raw variety and drinks were phenomenal!!