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The Hard Shell - Bellgrade, Midlothian, VA

The Hard Shell - Bellgrade

4.4 (2752)
$30 and under
Seafood
11400 W Huguenot Rd., Midlothian, VA 23113

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 16 times today

About this restaurant

  • Good for special occasions
  • Great for happy hour
  • Neighborhood gem
Located in Midlothian, 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 & indoor reservations are available . Please contact the restaurant for private dining requests. Dress is casual.

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, Steak, American
  • Hours of operation
    Brunch Sat, Sun 10:30 am–3:00 pm Lunch Mon–Fri 11:30 am–3:00 pm Happy Hour Daily 3:30 pm–5:30 pm Dinner Mon–Thu 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–10:00 pm Sun 4:00 pm–8:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (804) 464-1476
  • Website
    http://thehardshell.com/
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Chef Jeff Kolakowski
  • Location
    11400 W Huguenot Rd., Midlothian, VA 23113
  • Neighborhood
    Midlothian
  • Cross street
    Huguenot and Robious Roads
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Entertainment
    Saturday Evenings 630pm to 930pm
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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Menu

The Hard Shell - Bellgrade's menu was last updated on 5/15/2025.

View menu on restaurant's website

What 2,752 people are saying

The Hard Shell - Bellgrade 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

4.4
4.4 based on recent ratings
  • 4.3Food
  • 4.5Service
  • 4.3Ambience
  • 4.2Value

Noise • Moderate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Hard Shell - Bellgrade offers a delightful dining experience with "excellent service," a vast menu, and "delicious food." Guests frequently praise the "friendly and attentive staff," particularly standout servers like Jack and Amanda. While some diners express frustration with the no-substitutions policy, the restaurant's atmosphere and quality dishes ensure many happy returns.
2,752 Reviews

  1. Tonya VIP

    Virginia30 reviews

    4.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Our food was delicious and service was great. Loved the Happy Hour!

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  2. Mike VIP

    Virginia22 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Great service, loved the crab legs, loved the wine,

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  3. OpenTable Diner

    Virginia1 review

    5.0

    Dined 6 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    The food and atmosphere were great but the best part about our dining experience last night was our waiter: Jack. He was one of the best waiters we have ever had! Very upbeat, knowledgable and accommodating. Jack is a big asset to Hard Shell as is the manager, Amanda.

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  4. Tim

    Virginia4 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on July 5, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 4
    Overall, my wife and I were very underwhelmed. Everything we ordered was rather bland and quite average for the money we spent. I wanted to like it more but it was just not great. I don’t think we’ll be coming back. There are too many good options around, even for seafood.
    The Hard Shell - BellgradeResponded on July 7, 2025
    Tim, we're sorry to hear that your experience didn’t meet expectations. We take comments like yours seriously and are always working to improve. If you're open to it, we'd love the chance to make things right! Please reach out to us directly so we can invite you back for a better experience.

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  5. Glen VIP

    Virginia74 reviews

    1.0

    Dined on July 4, 2025

    1. Overall 1
    2. Food 1
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    We have been going here for years but they have had a major negative shift in their culture. They no longer will do anything to accommodate any request. You either take it as is or suffer. I used to have the fried grouper tacos made with grilled mahi and it was no problem for them. Now they have a hard core NO Substitutions policy, not even if we will pay an upcharge. We were told they changed and would no longer do anything for a customer unless it is exactly as written on the menu. Maybe it is one of two things, the kitchen staff is not talented enough, or the finance department is squeezing every efficiency penny possible. Either way the customer experience is now on the bottom of their priorities. We will not return.

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  6. James VIP

    Virginia16 reviews

    3.0

    Dined on June 29, 2025

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 2
    Used to be one of my favorite restaurants. Oysters are smaller and overcooked. Prices are high. Service is mediocre. Other options in area are better so probably my last time giving them a chance
    The Hard Shell - BellgradeResponded on July 8, 2025
    Hi James, thanks for taking the time to share this feedback. We're sorry to hear that the oysters weren't up to our normal standards. Oysters do tend to be on the smaller side during the summer months, and after similar feedback from guests, we have changed to a large sized oyster for that dish. If you could reach out to us directly at thehardshellbellgrade @gmail.com, we can make this right. We value your patronage, and again thank you for letting us know about your experience.

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  7. Joanne

    Virginia27 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on June 29, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    We went for Sunday brunch. The picture on the sign outside showed delicious looking crepe-like pancakes with blueberries and strawberries. But the actual blueberry pancakes, while delicious and loaded with blueberries, had no strawberries, and were not crepe-like. I asked the server if you had real maple syrup or just corn syrup and it was the latter - and I don't think she knew what maple syrup is. But you should offer that for a quality pancake experience. After learning their were no strawberries as pictured, I ordered an omelet, and it was delicious.
    The Hard Shell - BellgradeResponded 4 days ago
    Thanks for leaving us a great review! Regarding the pancakes, while our photos are intended to give a general idea of our dishes, everything is made fresh to order, so there can occasionally be slight variations in appearance. While we don't offer pure maple syrup at the moment, we’ll be sure to keep it in mind as we continue to improve. We hope to welcome you back again soon!

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  8. staci

    Virginia2 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on June 29, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Great meal!! The only issue was that our French fries were cut extremely small-we had to eat them with a fork!
    The Hard Shell - BellgradeResponded 4 days ago
    We're thrilled you enjoyed your meal! We appreciate the feedback about the fries. Since we hand-cut them in-house from fresh potatoes, their size can sometimes vary a bit. That said, we’ll keep an eye on consistency and thank you for bringing it to our attention. Hope to have you back again soon!

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  9. David

    Greater Boston2 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on June 27, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 2
    4. Ambience 3
    Food was so so for the price. Drinks were small for the $ and service was marginal Asked for a quiet booth. Put next to the kitchen. Stated in res it was an anniversary dinner, no mention no nothing

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  10. Lisa

    Virginia3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 21, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    First - our server Kate was great! She was very friendly, attentive and took wonderful care of us our entire meal.. Second- the food was delicious! I had the crispy-skin rockfish. Yes, the skin WAS crispy! The crispy brussels sprouts had a hint of sweetness.. Yum! The only thing I did not care for was the polenta. It was NOT creamy at all! Very lumpy and really unappealing. If I was going to send the plate back for anything, it would be for that. My husband really enjoyed his crab cake and lobster tail. Impressed that the lobster was perfectly cooked. Looking forward to another visit.

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FAQs

The Hard Shell - Bellgrade offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (804) 464-1476.

The Hard Shell - Bellgrade is rated 4.4 stars by 2752 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. Midlothian

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 16 times today
Google Map for The Hard Shell - Bellgrade

11400 W Huguenot Rd., Midlothian, VA 23113

Dining areas

Additional information

  • Cross street
    Huguenot and Robious Roads
  • Neighborhood
    Midlothian
  • Hours of operation
    Brunch Sat, Sun 10:30 am–3:00 pm Lunch Mon–Fri 11:30 am–3:00 pm Happy Hour Daily 3:30 pm–5:30 pm Dinner Mon–Thu 4:00 pm–9:00 pm Fri, Sat 4:00 pm–10:00 pm Sun 4:00 pm–8:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, Steak, American
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Parking details
    Public Lot
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Executive chef
    Chef Jeff Kolakowski
  • Entertainment
    Saturday Evenings 630pm to 930pm
  • Additional
    Banquet, Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Corkage Fee, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Non-Smoking, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Private Room, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

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