Oyster Society

Historic, antique and eclectic describe the Oyster Society venue. Don't let the word "Oyster" limit your thinking about this incredible culinary experience in Old Town Petersburg.Oyster Society has huge assortment of specialty small plate items including various meats, seafood and vegan choices. One could easily dine solely on assortment of small plates, but make sure you order from the "Manifestations" menu for your entree. On the manifestations, one is given the choice of beef, pork, seafood or vegan. You can't make a wrong choice. Speaking to the carnivores, don't rule out the vegan selections. You will not be disappointed. These folks are creative. Expect to see some different choices each time you visit. Oyster Society has a great selection of wine pairings and specialty cocktails. Your server will guide you with your selections, give you time to converse and generally treat you as if you are the only customer. Parking is conveniently located on Sycamore Street or in a lot within a short walking distance. This Old Town Petersburg Venue is on my "must repeat" list. OS is one of my top recommendations!

Had a very underwhelming experience at Oyster Society this past Saturday.. First impressions - the restaurant is VERY cute. Love the decor and eccentricity of the place. Service was great. Our server was attentive and helpful answering our questions. I didn't get pics but the cocktails were eye catching and delicious. As for the food:The beet salad was good, nothing that stood out vs other standard beet salads on menus across Richmond. But still had a good flavor.The shrimp toast was disappointing for various reasons. The menu reads as if it's a take on a breakfast item (head on poached shrimp on savory French toast, bacon, egg white, caviar, cured yolks, pickled shrimp). The only thing close to this description on the plate was that there were shrimp, bread and bacon (pork belly). The bread was more like half a toasted hoagie bun, no sweetness that French toast would provide. No egg, caviar, yolks, and the shrimp was not "head on" nor pickled and it had the texture of the rubbery store-bought precooked bag you get in the frozen section.The scallops were well cooked but like the beet salad, nothing special. 4 scallops, 1 1/2 Brussel sprouts, 3 sliced radishes and mini apples for $39. The sauce in the middle was flavorless.. My partner enjoyed the beef short rib but had to leave the last third on his plate as it was extremely fatty. He did enjoy the potatoes and peas, wished there had been more on the plate. Overall, the price point does not meet what is presented at this restaurant. There are too many well established restaurants, that are similarly priced, with better quality dishes in Richmond that will keep us from driving back to visit this establishment.

This place is so freakin magical, and the food and cocktails are just beautiful! Such a well thought out menu and everything is interesting and delicious. Always a great experience and the staff is wonderful - can't wait to go back!

It is a very unique restaurant. From the DeCora to the food, we did not order entrée we only ordered small dishes, because there were so many incredible choices to choose from. The flavors were very bright. Combination of ingredients were unique, and it was just overall tasty. My boyfriend went nowhere pastrami Aki had been all his life, I would highly recommend Oyster Society.

We attended Victoria's Lament Valentines Pre Fixe Dinner at Oyster Society tonight and it was spectacular. Six courses with six alcohol pairings. Ours was the 8:30 seating and it was a full house. We began with oysters. Ugh. Husband and I are not fans, but we decided to bite the bullet and just go for it. They were delicious. I'm still not an oyster fan, but I can now say that I have enjoyed an oyster. Second course was a braised pork belly that I could have eaten 468 more portions of. The pork was crispy and fatty and the tattooed heart was a nice touch, but the star of the plate were those beans. Creamy and rich, I wanted to stick my face in the bowl and just drown in them. Third course was a seafood delight with a blood orange gastrique that made me want to lick the plate. Both lobster and shrimp were cooked beautifully and whatever that root vegetable was with the tiny dollop of whipped cream made my day.Fourth course was the star of the evening. That bourbon glaze was incredible and my tenderloin melted in my mouth like butter. Fifth course was not my favorite taste-wise but came in first in presentation. A makeshift fresh buried grave complete with shovel on a stone slab. If you're not a fan of Gruyere cheese this won't be something you'd like. It was interesting to say the least, but the pairing of the sweet Vermut made it less......cheesy (?)Finally, as they dimmed the lights and the restaurant became dark, we were given our sixth course, a delectable blacker than black, black raspberry cobbler and ice cream. I did not care one bit that I couldn't see it because it was so dark, it was awesome. All in all, if you were looking for a quiet romantic dinner to stare lovingly into your partner's eyes, this wasn't it, honey. Lively and loud and full of energy we all were, excited about our food adventure, curious as to who we were sitting near and just embracing the unique "vibe" that is Oyster Society. I, for one, cannot wait to see what get they think of next!

The space is so cool. Love the eclectic vibe. Felt like if Edgar Allen Poe decorated a Cracker Barrel. So many animal skulls and old creepy painting. Velvet cushioned seats, church pew type benches. Really fun old style glasses and silverware. The food was delicious. Sometimes "fancy food" can be prettier than tasting good. This isn't the case. I had the Duck. It was cooked perfectly. Cut through like butter, melted in your mouth. The table side drizzling of apple cinnamon honey was a nice addition. The apple bread pudding had a great texture and so much flavor that accompanied the duck beautifully. All the root vegetable purées were delicious and full of flavor. I would get this again and again and be happy. My partner is a vegetarian who can't have dairy so he ordered the herbed gnocchi with stuffed cabbage and house made vegan risotto. He said it was fantastic (and he's a picky eater). We got the vegan deconstructed carrot cake for dessert. It was very cute and flavorful. The "cheesecake" was smooth and firm for being vegan and it had carrot cake layered inside. The staff were so friendly and attentive. A really great experience.

This is a great addition to the restaurants here in Old Towne Petersburg! It's pretty unique, a combination of fancy and eclectic, there's so much interesting memorabilia in here! The food was top notch and believe me you will want to try one of everything so I suggest sharing. The menu is broken into 3 sections: oysters, small places, and today's manifestations. You're server offers you not just a meal but an experience. The butter candle is for spreading on your bread. We got the fried oysters, the Sea Board, ham biscuits, duck, beef tenderloin, and salmon. All were amazing. We will be back!

This was the best restaurant I've ever visited. From the electric and spooky energy, to the funky decorating, the lovely servers, the creative cocktail (omg), and holy hell the food. It was the best food I've ever put in my mouth. The entire meal was an experience - from the cozy seating up front while waiting on a table (we opted for the bar) to the pouring of the drinks.... The presentation of the food..... cannot be beat.

4.5The food was top notch. Weird combinations that worked and were tasty. This was one of the best meals we've had in the Richmond area. Not cheap but worth it. Service was excellent. Attentive and explained everything. Told us her recommendation without being asked. We liked the ambience. It's funky but interesting. Wasn't too crowded or loud. We had oysters, two small plates and split a main course and had dessert. It was plenty without being too much. Hope this place can make it in Petersburg. Heard they have Po' boys during the day. Will definitely come back to try. Challenge yourself and go! It is not inexpensive but you can tell they work hard and take pride in their creations.

In my original review I said I doubt Oyster Society would make a go of it. I was correct. Too much $ for 3 star food. It was always a rather eat in Richmond at a better restaurant for same amount of $ decision for me. I expect other diners thought the same and that is why they closed. It's clannish in Petersburg and I suspect 5 stars were mostly fam and friends.