Alewife

Not your usual cocktails or dishes. The most original outstanding flavors I’ve experienced in a seafood dish!! My cocktail was so complex and delicious. Every sip took me on a journey. I had the fish dip and the scallops. Both were absolutely out of this world!

Took my partner to Alewife for our anniversary with the hopes that we would celebrate with some delectable morsels. The food came out both visually appealing, but more importantly, a pleasant assault on my taste buds. Absolutely loved the oyster mushrooms, and was so appreciative of the portions offered. Really, the only problems I had with this whole experience were the small table chair were a might tight on the bum. Also, I'm not sure if our server was new, but they seemed less confident in offering menu advice/information. Again, this restaurant dining experience was fabulous, and please take my advice that the food is worth trying.

This is my friend’s favorite restaurant in Richmond and they’ve been very eager to be here!

We ordered the chicken liver arancini, the VA Oysters, the duck breast, Grey Tilefish, arctic char so definitely got a good rate of everything! We enjoyed it all and had great service . The bill was about $250 for our group of 3 to try a lot!

We had a reservation but decided to sit at the bar. First come first serve bar seating. Worth it. We had a wonderful dinner. The bartender was super kind and helpful. All of the food was excellent. A perfect place for a date night. I would visit again. Lots of parking in the surrounding neighborhood.

Went here for a late Valentine's Day meal and was not disappointed. For starters, I had the crispy potatoes and the sesame BBQ ribs. Both were good, the ribs were tender and delicious. They were also sizeable portions.

For my main, I had the pork chop with sweet potatoes and collards with sausage, which was excellent. All items were equally delicious. Since I was on a roll, decided to finish off with the panna cotta for dessert, which was a nice light end to a pretty heavy meal.

Service was good. Our waiter gave us good recommendations. Atmosphere was ok. Only negative were the seats, which could have been more comfortable.

Alewife is singular. Incredible creative and done right. Everyone working there had a smile on their face.

I highly recommend the oysters, anchovy toast, new potatoes, the rockfish, pork chop, and the horchata flan.
Make a reservation or get there right at open because they were booked!

Went to Alewife right before New Years with some friends and was blown away. The atmosphere was fun, some people were wearing casual outfits and some people were dressed up. The staff is super friendly and helpful. The cocktails and food were out of this world. Everything was super flavorful and unique, it was absolutely delicious!!! It is a pretty crowded place and not super big inside so I’d definitely recommend making reservations. Can’t wait to go back!

Ask for the Siren Song for a fantastic sampler platter with pleasing presentation. We had a wonderful meal for a party of four.

The dining experience was amazing! Make your reservations now and begin to anticipate the 5 star treatment.

Finally had an opportunity to have dinner and drinks at Alewife. We started at the bar with an appetizer, beer and cocktails. The bartenders were incredibly knowledgeable about their cocktail menu and they were able to answer all my questions. Fantastic signature cocktails BTW...
After a stint at the bar, our table was ready for our party. The excellent service continued with our server. She gave what turned out to be accurate descriptions of the food we ordered and we were NOT disappointed.
The appetizers and main entrees were beautifully presented, tasted amazing and cooked to perfection. The staff even popped a candle on a dessert for the birthday girl at our table.
This is an amazing neighborhood restaurant with great staff, ambiance, food and cocktails. Highly recommended!

Best meal I’ve had in a long time! Arctic char, softshell crab were fantastic. Great service as well. Will definitely return.

We went to Alewife for the first time on a Friday night with reservations booked. Service was great and the food and cocktails were fantastic! We ordered an off menu special for the appetizer/small plate and each got an entree - some reviews have mentioned small serving sizes but we were struggling to finish our entrees. Between the app, two entrees, and two cocktails each the bill pre-tip was $144. Overall we were very satisfied and intend to visit again.

My husband and I went for dinner. I highly recommend the shrimp & grits! We also had the trout dip and crab claws. The food was so delicious we placed an additional order to take home for later. The staff was very friendly. I enjoyed the open kitchen the cooks are also really nice. Highly recommend trying them out, they have a great menu and they are located in a quiet neighborhood in Churchill.

Went in with some friends for RRW; we all got the buttermilk and ramp raw oysters from the starters. Delicious, fresh, creamy and clean. Then two of us got the steak entrée, with potatoes, house made steak sauce, grilled onions and kale; and our friend got the artic char, which was definitely the winner over our steaks. The whipped yogurt along with the fatty fish and candied almonds was so so tasty. We tried all of the desserts- the milky way pie was like a deconstructed chocolate pie; and the strawberry desert was good and had three very distinct textures that all worked well together. Could've lived without the London fog Panna cotta- the flavors were not as pronounced as I would've liked and the texture once you finished the candied fruit was not my favorite. Super fun to jiggle around, though (see video). None of the desserts were overly sweet either, which I enjoyed.

Every single cocktail we tried was superb. The Silas' Knife, Summon the Moon, and Pure Morning were stand-out drinks from everything we tried, but everything was well balanced, with unique ingredients and complex, layered flavors.

Service was prompt, super knowledgeable, and gave great recommendations for both food and drinks.

Fantastic experience and food as always, Alewife killed it with this RRW menu.

This was the best dish I've ever had.

I had duck breast with arctic char and I just... My god was it delicious. We also had oysters with some sort of apple on top.

Not only was it delicious, but it was plated beautifully and felt quite unique - apple on oysters? Who would've thought?

I also love that it didn't feel stuck-up or too high-class... The definition of showing value through the food/service and not just presentation.

Anyway. This is a must-visit place in Richmond. I've only been once but I can't imagine it going wrong.

Wow…truly the best dining experience we have ever had in Richmond. We were met at the front by an extremely nice/friendly lady who walked us to our table immediately. Our server, Kayla, was also AMAZING. Very friendly and gave excellent recommendations. She also checked on us throughout the meal. My wife and I shared oysters, anchovy toast and yellowfin tuna for appetizers. All amazing. For dinner my wife had the Skate wing and I had the Arctic char for entrees. Both were absolutely superb. Amazing cocktails as well…I especially loved the Duck wing. Alewife is an absolute must go for anyone who loves great service/atmosphere/food and cocktails. My wife and I can’t wait to go back!!

My favorite time to dine at this tier of restaurants is lunch or brunch, when prices are lower and the portions are usually more reasonable - and Alewife makes a mean brunch! Our entrees were ridiculously good, and my Bloody Mary was STRONG. The only thing that left me a little underwhelmed was the dessert, but everything else made up for it.

Dinner at Alewife was the highlight of our five-day visit to Richmond. First off, it was a relief to get out of downtown Richmond with its huge empty parking lots, boarded up storefronts and deserted streets. The historic Church Hill section, with its 19th century row and other houses and interesting looking restaurants and shops, was such a pleasant change. Parking near Alewife was a bit of a challenge, but we quickly found a spot just a block away.

The restaurant itself has a fascinating vibe, part friendly neighborhood spot and part disarmingly upmarket dining room. You just knew the food would be interesting, and it was. We started with a gin and tonic and a non-alcoholic beer. The menu is fairly short and apparently changes nightly, or at least frequently.

I would never in this world think that I would enjoy an appetizer of raw oysters, bright green pickle juice, creme fraiche and fresh dill. But it was an amazing flavor combination. My partner's appetizer was equally interesting -- lox on thick, toasted rustic bread.

As mains, we had the arctic char, with grilled carrots, and the skate, both perfectly prepared and delicious. Service throughout the meal was just right -- friendly, attentive but not overly so. Our charge for two, including tip, was around $150, well worth the price. Thank you for a great meal experience!

Told the waiter it was one of the best meals I had in Richmond. He looked at me and said "oh stop it" - its true though 🤷🏻‍♂ that poached orange dessert was so great. Everything was on point. He mixed some sodas cuz dry January. Zero regrets.

Excellent restaurant! It has a cool, modern vibe with craft cocktails, beautifully weaved dinner flavors and excellent service. The portions are not “huge,” but chef inspired flavors that are meant to be savored and not sucked down. Ya know?! The restaurant only had about 15 tables, so make sure you have a resy.. and it can get a little loud, but it’s not a distraction from the food and company.