The Stables

Without a doubt, this was one of the best dining experiences I've had in RVA. From the food to the service everything was top notch and I left full and with no complaints.Our visit was on a weekday evening without a reservation and we were able to be seated at a table right away. While the restaurant did fill up, the bar had openings throughout the evening had we come later and the space never grew too loud where it became a problem to talk to whoever you were dining with. The food itself was outstanding with some standouts being the chilled spring peas which was both light and refreshing and the pork chop which was cooked perfectly and very filling. Service was great, with wait staff who were attentive without being overbearing. Their recommendations demonstrated their understanding of the menu and ensured we had a great evening.Most entrees were in the $30-$40 range, and while this is on the more expensive side for the area I didn't leave feeling like I had overpaid for the quality, service, and experience we had. I will certainly be back again.

Super excited to visit this restaurant! Small, intimate restaurant but surprisingly unnoisy. Ambiance was great with a semi open kitchen concept on the bar side. The rolls and butter were okay but I thought the rolls were a bit dry.Drinks apps and mains were all amazing. Service was fantastic! Would love to return one day

My first visit to The Stable and it was definitely worth the trip. It's a small storefront in a residential area and reservations are needed but once you're seated the experience begins. Friendly knowledgeable servers guide your decisions and the chefs are well seasoned in preparing these wonderful victuals. When you go, parking is available in the rear or on the street. Full bar with premium spirits. Bring your appetite and don't be afraid to share.

Casual American Bistro at Belmont, Richmond, VA. There is good food and drinks here for everyone to try.

Friends were in town from Los Angeles. Asked that I pick somewhere nice and unique to Richmond. The Stables did not disappoint. We have a lot of great restaurants in our city. The Stables is at or near the top of the list. Can't wait to go back.

Probably one of my most difficult restaurants to review. I am a consumer who left without complaint so I will therefore give 5 stars and break my experience down into categories Staff: easy A+ on this one. Nice. Always filling my drinks. Very attentive. Atmosphere: uniquely kind of quiet. Makes you want to be hush hush in conversations. I liked the darker room and music. Definitely upper scale for dress code as I saw business casual around me. Not required, but hey make sure to look good and feel good. Finally the FOOD: my mouth went on a flavor journey... not in a good way. Also, not in a bad way. A few of the descriptors I came across were "fireworks, bacon, eggs, grandmas house, rich, filling". Yeah I don't know how those arose either. We started with bread rolls. Solid. Nothing special. The fluffy butter was what made it great. Next was pear soup. Delicious. Rich. Could have been a little larger in portion. The main course was pork chop. Very sweet. Very rich. The flavors were kind of all over the place. Not the American rugged flavor profile I expected and prefer. This was kind of like a candy meat which led to a very confusing end to the evening's meal. Did I enjoy my dinner? Sort of. Was it worth $60 a person? Most certainly not. I've had much better foods with comparable atmospheres around the city of Richmond for far less or of equal value.In summary, you receive my 5 star evaluation, but with hopes of elevating your menu flavor profile to a new status and attraction of similar value to your fellow neighbors.Just had the leftovers. EVEN better the next day. The flavors marinated into a great flavor.

An absolutely lovely valentines dinner. And actually, as someone who works nights, the fact they open at 430 meant we got in a scootch early which is good for me since I'm sort of starving when I get up.Now, I will admit we were a Little disappointed the regular menu was off the table but on the other hand, the sparse choices for it solved my occasional menu-decision-paralysis. The specialty menu was definitely designed to prepare and move quickly (salad, soup, scallops, etc) but it was done beautifully and neither of us left hungry, that is certain! The staff was very sweet and helpful, the cocktails (both on menu and a 'make me something interesting ') were lovely, and the location - a Bit off the main dragon Cary street- makes it easier to park, even. The only thing I would fuss about is the weather was too chilly to leave the front door open and I was kinda cold even after it was closed again.I particularly recommend the Pear of aces drink (tequila and pear) as being delightfully refreshing, and if they still offer it later on, the lamb chops with mushrooms and parmesan grits with onion soubise as being basically flawless.

This is one of my favorite restaurants in the very recent past. It takes something special for me to remember a restaurant, but I feel confident I won't forget this one. A little bit of a hole in the wall- but a treasure! I am not from the area, but would certainly go again and try more of the food. The menu changes every few months according to the bartender. We were seated at the bar because we went there on a whim and there were no seats. We felt like we had the best seat in the house, with the food being cooked right in front of us the entire night. We got to see everything that everybody ordered being cooked on the spot. Everything we got was amazing. We got a varied selection of food (meatballs, carrots, and a mushroom side), and everything was AMAZING.

I was recommended The Stables by a friend and coworker for my boyfriend's birthday dinner. Neither of us had ever been, and when asking others who had been how their experience was everyone gave rave reviews, so I decided to give it a shot! I made a reservation a few days prior, and upon arrival we were immediately greeted and taken to our table. The ambiance inside was beautiful! The tables are dark wood set with lit, warm candles, and the walls are tastefully decorated with antique looking paintings. We began with cocktails that came out quickly and were absolutely delicious! We then placed our entire food order and were met with knowledgeable feedback and recommendations by our server that actually saved us a few bucks! Our server, Olivia, also made sure to pace our appetizers so that we could truly enjoy each dish. We had the baby kale and arugula salad and the lamb lollipops to start, followed by the red curry mussels and were absolutely blown away. The mussels were accompanied by a baguette that was replenished for us free of charge. For the main course we shared a perfectly cooked and equally delicious ribeye. When informing our server Olivia that we were celebrating a birthday she surprised us with a champagne toast and a lit candle. Olivia truly went above and beyond for not only us, but each of her tables. She truly made our time at The Stables a fantastic experience. My boyfriend and I are in the industry and can confidently say this is the best meal and dining experience we have both ever had in our lives. We literally have not been able to stop talking about it. I cannot recommend it enough! I've already made plans to return for my Mom's birthday!

I really wanted to like this place more, but I just can't give it more than 3 stars.Firstly, it felt very stuffy in the restaurant, I feel like the tables were placed way too close to each other. I hear other tables conversations and they can hear mine. I felt cramped, so I was never able to relax at my seat. The service is so friendly and attentive and the drinks were great. For that all my stars go to them. Where I was disappointed was the food which is unfortunate because there was great care in the presentation. The entree I ordered just didn't make sense. It was described as something that was "lighter" which is fine, but I'm still baffled at why the purée and vegetables were cold and straight-off-the-cast-iron scallops sat on top of it. The hot scallops and cold vegetables don't make any sense to me. Within 3 minutes I had a cold meal. The flavoring was alright, but the scallops and vegetables did not taste cohesive, like they were intentionally put together. It feels like the chef really wanted to make something different just for the sake of it being different and then got stuck once they got the puree and bed of raw zucchini. So they slapped scallops on there. They were cooked just fine. Unfortunately, there were grains of sand in my vegetables too so that made the experience even more disappointing. Overall, I just don't see how that dish fits into the rest of the menu and it's an example of "just because you could, it doesn't mean you should".