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The Hard Shell - Bellgrade, Midlothian, VA

The Hard Shell - Bellgrade

4.5 (2744)
$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
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Casual Dress
  • Executive chef
    Chef Jeff Kolakowski
  • 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

What 2,744 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

4.5
4.5 based on recent ratings
  • 4.4Food
  • 4.6Service
  • 4.3Ambience
  • 4.2Value

NoiseModerate

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
The Hard Shell - Bellgrade offers an inviting atmosphere with standout service, highlighted by servers like Jack and Kate who make dining memorable. Seafood dishes, such as Dungeness crab and she-crab soup, are often praised as "cooked to perfection." The restaurant features a varied menu and "great vibe" perfect for any occasion.
2,744 Reviews
  1. David

    Greater Boston1 review

    2.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    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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  2. 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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  3. Cheryl

    Virginia19 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 20, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 4
    Our server, Jack, was outstanding!!! He made the whole dining experience memorable. Hard Shell is our family's favorite restaurant and they lived up to that expectation Friday evening. The majority of our guests enjoyed their Dungeness crab which was cooked to perfection. We also enjoyed the oysters and crab cake. Next time, we will reserve a table on the outdoor patio which looks to be a great combination of al fresco dining with protection from the elements.

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  4. Vickey VIP

    Virginia72 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on June 17, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 4
    Always a great experience but was disappointed that the rockfish with dates and potatoes isn’t on the menu. Its my favorite dish and hope you’d bring it back.

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  5. John

    Atlanta5 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on June 14, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 3
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    Most in our party liked our choices. Fried oysters were heavy on breading and disappointing, however.

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  6. Michele VIP

    Virginia8 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on June 12, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We were so pleasantly surprised, went for a borthday dinner after the boys golfed and wanted a surf and turf option. DELISH!! Great vibe, easy and not fussy but great food (so casual vibe but upscale food).

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  7. Jonaé

    Orlando / Central Florida East2 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on June 10, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    I had a great birthday dinner at The Hard Shell! The atmosphere was welcoming, clean, and comfortable. I got the Simply Prepared Shrimp with Roasted Potatoes and Broccoli. It was delicious! I even loved that they gave a free dessert for my birthday! I picked the crème brûlée, which was delicious as well!

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  8. Russ VIP

    Virginia21 reviews

    4.0

    Dined on June 7, 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 3
    The food was good but I was very disappointed with Hard Shell’s no substitutions policy. I don’t care for mashed potatoes and asked to sub russet potatoes and was told they would have to charge me for the russets as a separate side dish. I dropped $108 at this restaurant and they wouldn’t change the potatoes. Probably my last time there.

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  9. Ana

    Virginia3 reviews

    5.0

    Dined on May 26, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Menu was outstanding as usual, we had cocktails “I don’t feel my legs “, delicious. She crap soup and the new soup was amazing flavored, Salmon and Loabster were perfect cooked and seasoning. Overall excellent experience, reception, waitress excellent as well! Our favorite restaurant in Midlothian! Thanks Guys you rock always!

    1 person found this helpful

  10. Richard

    Virginia8 reviews

    2.0

    Dined on May 25, 2025

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 2
    Had our anniversary dinner at Hard Shell tonight. First, the crab soup lacked the requisite sherry or any seasoning at all and was just barely lukewarm cream, NOT hot!! However, the soup did have a decent amount of crab on top. Next issue was when I asked to substitute roasted potatoes for the whipped potatoes (both listed at $5.95 on the menu). I was told there would be a $5.95 UPCHARGE for the substitution of potatoes for potatoes!! I asked twice to clarify because I could not believe it. Lobster tail was decent albeit small. However, came with drawn butter and a lemon wedge NOT with their usual delicious citrus burre blanc sauce. Generic bread with dinner was served after requesting it, but with a $2.00 charge. We did receive a free dessert for our anniversary, but should not have selected the mediocre “brownie” with ice cream. We have been dining at The Hard Shell for many, many years and are quite disappointed with the mediocre food. We are disappointed that they appear to no longer value their patron’s dining experience.

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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 4.5 stars by 2744 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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