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The Hard Shell - Downtown, Richmond, VA

The Hard Shell - Downtown

4.7 (1835)
$31 to $50
Seafood
1411 East Cary Street, Richmond, VA 23219

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 17 times today

About this restaurant

  • Neighborhood gem
  • Good for special occasions
  • Good for business meals
Located in downtown Richmond's historic Shockoe Slip, The Hard Shell Restaurant is known to locals as one of the best seafood restaurants in town. With a new fresh look; The Hard Shell features sleek booths, lots of light and a vibrant city feel. The Hard Shell has Richmond's widest variety of fresh and local seafood. Menu items include signatures such as filet and lobster, shrimp and scallops, lump crab cakes. Patio requests honored when possible but tables are first come, first served. Happy hour is available at the bar and on the patio and is first come, first served. Private dining & reservations are available. Dress is casual.

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, Steak
  • Hours of operation
    Brunch Sun 10:30 am–4:00 pm Lunch Mon–Fri 11:30 am–4:00 pm Happy Hour Daily 3:00 pm–6:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Phone number
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Private party facilities
    The private dining room accommodates parties up to 50 guests. The Hard Shell offers custom menus and bar packages to suit every event. The private dining room is the perfect place for dinner programs, wedding functions or celebrations.
  • Neighborhood
    Richmond
  • Cross street
    14th St
  • Parking details
    The Hard Shell validates parking after 5pm daily in the garage at the corner of 14th St. and Cary St. directly across from the restaurant.
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 1,835 people are saying

The Hard Shell - Downtown reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.6Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.5Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Virginia

    Seafood

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Hard Shell - Downtown boasts "fantastic service" and a "casual vibe," making it perfect for special occasions. Diners praise its "delicious food," especially the "amazing oysters" and "excellent crab dip." Service is "attentive," enhancing the dining experience. Though some dishes receive mixed feedback, the overall experience is "highly recommended."
1,835 Reviews
  1. Dean

    Unspecified1 review

    4.0

    Dined on June 20, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The place looks great and the service was fantastic. We had calamari for an appetizer and it was good with good sauces. Our meals were a different story. My wife ordered the crab cakes and felt they were very fishy with not much taste. I ordered the scallops and shrimp which were good, unfortunately there was rice that tasted like floor cleaner, needless to say I didnt eat much of that. The desert was key lime pie and it was OK. For us not a favorite.

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  2. Dan

    Virginia1 review

    1.0

    Dined on June 20, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 3
    I hate to give bad reviews …. Service started out well. Then I saw our waitress leaving. We had received our food and then never had anyone check on us again. After 30 mins I finally went to the host and asked for boxes and our check. I guess our waitress had been cut and no one told anyone to pick up our table. We were basically just sitting there. No offer to comp anything. I’ve worked in restaurants, so I still tipped 20%, but definitely a strange experience. It was an anniversary dinner, which was kinda a bummer.
    The Hard Shell - DowntownResponded 6 days ago
    I am very sorry to hear about your recent experience at The Hard Shell Downtown location. We strive to make each experience memorable, especially anniversaries, with tasty food with speedy service and it looks like we have missed the mark. I am going to talk to the server and manager on duty to make sure things like this do not happen again. I am very sorry if this put a damper on your special night. With that being said I would to make it up to you. If you privately message your mailing address we will send out a gift certificate in the hopes we can show you how we normally operate. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you again! -The Hard Shell Downtown Management

    1 person found this helpful

  3. Marian VIP

    Tampa / Central Florida West19 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on June 20, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Four of us enjoyed lunch here on Friday. The mussels I had were very good. Service was even better.

    1 person found this helpful

  4. Paul

    Virginia4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 19, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    My wife and I went here for our 20th anniversary (which I made a not about on my reservation). The service was great, with the host and the waiter both offering their congratulations unprompted and the waiter brought us both a glass of champagne on the house. The food was delicious. Enjoyable time all around. Highly recommended.

    1 person found this helpful

  5. Brian VIP

    Virginia28 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 19, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Aubrey was our excellent server. Very attentive. Always great service!

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  6. Tom

    Virginia21 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 15, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Excellent from start to finish. Delicious food and our waitress was great. Thanks for a great evening.

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  7. Leigh

    Virginia15 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on June 15, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    It was Father’s Day and it appeared that the wait staff was under staffed. The waitress was slow to come to the table or return after our initial order was placed. We got the attention of the host a couple of times to request follow up on missing items. There were seven people in our party. I asked for my tuna steak to be rare and it was cooked all the way through to a well done. The calamari was over friend to a beyond crispy finish. The filet mignon was requested to be medium rare plus, but again cooked through. I could continue, but it would not be productive. I doubt this is the norm, but this was our experience. The past experiences at the Hardshell were not like this.
    The Hard Shell - DowntownResponded on June 16, 2025
    Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We strive to make memorable dining experience, and it’s clear we fell short during your visit. I understand that the busy holiday affected the level of service you received, and I’m sorry for that. I have shared your comments with our kitchen and service staff to ensure we address these issues moving forward. Had I known there were issues I would have addressed them on the spot to try and correct them to make sure everyone enjoyed their meals. We are glad to hear that you’ve had great experiences with us in the past. That being said we would like the opportunity to make it up to you. If you provide me with a mailing address we will send out a gift certificate in the hopes you will dine with again in the future. Thanks!

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  8. Ann

    Virginia3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 12, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Aubrey served us at the bar. She is the highest level of great customer service. We decided to eat dinner at the bar since Aubrey was so awesome!

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  9. Trina VIP

    Washington, D.C. Area4 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 7, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    My husband and I went here for the first time and really enjoyed our evening. Our food was excellent and the service was too! We will definitely return.

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  10. Casey

    Virginia1 review

    5.0

    Dined on May 30, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The steak frites and crab cakes are amazing! Dungeness crabs and the rolls were perfect. Finished up with cheesecake. We went for our anniversary and they brought us some champagne and strawberries. The main room gets a little loud at times but nothing crazy. I’ve never had anything bad. We love it.

    Is this helpful?

FAQs

The Hard Shell - Downtown offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (804) 643-2333.

The Hard Shell - Downtown is rated 4.7 stars by 1835 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

  1. Home
  2. United States
  3. Virginia
  4. Richmond
  5. Richmond

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 17 times today
Google Map for The Hard Shell - Downtown

1411 East Cary Street, Richmond, VA 23219

Additional information

  • Cross street
    14th St
  • Neighborhood
    Richmond
  • Hours of operation
    Brunch Sun 10:30 am–4:00 pm Lunch Mon–Fri 11:30 am–4:00 pm Happy Hour Daily 3:00 pm–6:00 pm Dinner Mon–Thu, Sun 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–10:00 pm
  • Price
    $31 to $50
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, Steak
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    The Hard Shell validates parking after 5pm daily in the garage at the corner of 14th St. and Cary St. directly across from the restaurant.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine
  • Phone number
  • Private party facilities
    The private dining room accommodates parties up to 50 guests. The Hard Shell offers custom menus and bar packages to suit every event. The private dining room is the perfect place for dinner programs, wedding functions or celebrations.
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