This was not a bad experience, but it was not great. It was clean and inviting. Service was acceptable. One dish, shrimp and scallops needed seasoning. The 2nd dish, crab pasta, was off, perhaps too much lemon, too much liquid. It could also be the taste preference of my party just didn't match the chefs vision.

We were visiting Richmond for the Wine Expo and had dinner at Hard Shell Friday night. Liked the menu so well we returned for lunch the next day. Great seafood, creatively prepared and friendly informative servers. We will be back when in Richmond.

Fully enjoyed our meal. Have always been totally satisfied with this restaurant and continue to go back because of that. Taylor, our waitress was fantastic and they provided us with a free dessert to help us celebrate our anniversary!

It was great!!

Our food was absolutely a disappointment! The raw oysters appetizer was good. However, the rockfish, mahi mahi , and salmon were way over cooked and so old and gross. The scallop dish was swimming in grease. The entrees as a whole were over salted as if it was an afterthought so they dumped salt all over the plate to finish. Will NEVER go there again especially with all the other wonderful choices downtown.

She crab soup was a little watery but everything else was great!!

Great find! Busy but not too noisy. Food was excellent. Service was impeccable. Definitely will be back.

Service in particular was very impressive as we came in rather late. We loved the menu - lots of choices for a later light dinner. And the raw oyster platter was great!

Great spot for a good time with one or an entire party

Hands down one of the best meals my husband and I have had in a long time! Service was kind and quick, and the food was phenomenal. Highly recommend this place if you’re in the mood for dinner in the city, and want exceptional service.

I told the waitress that we would need to leave by 600pm. There was 10 of us. We all arrived at 445. Place our order at 505. Did not get our order until 615 and some of the order was not right.

I have not been in over 15 years. It was a great return. The small plates were perfect for a Valentines dinner. Great service and vibe. Parking across the street was key.

We booked a table for 2 for Valentines Day 1 month prior. I was offered a tiny table crammed in some corner with 4 other couples. No room what so ever!! So, I asked the greeter for another table and she was extremely RUDE about accommodating us. Gave us nothing but attitude!! I explained to her that the location was unacceptable and shouldn’t be offered to anyone. Needless to say, we waited an extra 1/2 hour at the bar for a better table or she said for someone to get up and leave!! Then there was the waiter, nice personality but missed the mark and several things and wasn’t very attentive. In addition, there was an extra long wait for our dinner to be served. For the reasons mentioned we won’t return nor recommend - food wasn’t bad but the service was poor!!

Seems like every time we go the food just keeps getting better and better. Also had our wedding rehearsal dinner here last May and everyrhing was perfect!

Apps, entrees, and drinks were incredible. It is on the pricey side (~$50/person with drinks) but the food is very high quality. Service was excellent. Highly recommend for a nice date night, out of town guest who wants great seafood, etc.

We enjoyed having lunch at the Hard Shell restaurant. The atmosphere was upscale yet casual and relaxing. The she crab soup was excellent and reasonably priced. The service was prompt and friendly, not rushed. This is a great place to catch up with friends.

It was busy even on a Monday night. When I made the reservation I stated that we were celebrating a birthday. The host and waitress had no clue and had to be told at the end of the meal. It was lobster night and I ordered the surf and turf. The steak was delicious, the lobster was plain and should have been cooked a little more because it was too soft mushy. The creme brulee for dessert was tasteless. I would go again but I would order steak and not lobster...unusual for a seafood restaurant. And I would also ask for a larger table. It was a little cramped and crowded.

Great space for dinner. Enjoyed the food and drinks. Perfect for taking clients out.

Food was fantastic. Service was flawless. Pricing was well worth the portion sizes and the quality of food. We will be back!

Food was bland, and seafood was cooked earlier and kept warm but dried out.

Absolutely amazing food and service. The manager was so hospitable and accommodating. The lobster dip is out of this world. They have the most friendly yet sophisticated atmosphere in RVA.

Great food, great service.

We normally love the Hardshell and have been there many times, the food however last night was subpar to what we are used to from them. One bad meal however will not keep us from returning.

Good, fresh seafood. A little too salty. Waitress was friendly.

The hostess, our server, the food, everything was wonderful! I absolutely loved the scallop and bacon appetizer.

Good food, great service and nice location.

Excellent seafood, drinks and service. It was a quiet Sunday evening with couples, families and groups all enjoying the casual, quiet calm of a well run, attentive service. We could not have had a better time. Thanks to kitchen and front of house crew.

Food was delicious and the service was impeccable

Service was great, however, I ordered the fish tacos and ate 1, fish was mushy, not at all what I expected. My husband ordered the crab cakes, cakes we good but side dish was not as good as told. Very disappointed in food.

We went for our anniversary and it wasnt a nice experience. Didnt quite feel welcome by our server. Food was great. Would have much rather went to Texas Roadhouse to have our anniversary dinner. Expensive doesn't always mean better.

First and last time going here.

Great experience --- one of our favorite places for downtown dining1

New Year’s Eve

A great restaurant to spend New Year’s Eve! Received phenomenal service from Alex! Food and drinks were great!

Waitress totally ignored us. We ate early to avoid the meal rush. Everyone else was being tended to by other wait staff. I think ours was out back on her phone. No apology when we finally asked if we could have a new waitress. Someone found her and sent her out to us. Bad beginning to our special evening.

This was our 2nd time there. We decided to do New Year's since our first experience was so nice. This time the service was outstanding. I would definitely want Alex again. The food is always delicious and the drinks are creative and wonderful.

Good food, service and ambiance.

Quality of the food and presentation were excellent. Attentive service overall it was a good experience

Christmas Eve dinner was ok but just ok. Our friendly server and the raw oyster sampler were the hits of the evening.
Next came 2 bland bowls of lukewarm she crab soup which were white as snow, not a hint of spice. Before our spoons hit the soup, our entrees came.
We split the mahi-mahi, and the portion size was right, but it was only ok, not the usual dining experience from The Hard Shell. We skipped our usual wine, coffee, and dessert. The restaurant was not crowded, so the noise level was not an issue. Would not recommend anymore.

Met for Christmas Eve lunch with family, some from the DC area and the rest from Va Beach. What a fabulous find! All of the food was fantastic. Excellent calamari and baked oysters. Many of us enjoyed grouper fish tacos. My Dad has a beautifully cooked steak. Great place!

Food was very good, but the service was not great. We were rushed by our waiter throughout the meal and the table we were seated at was tiny. We asked for a different table and were told the other tables were being held for reservations, but another couple was moved to one of the larger tables 10 minutes after we asked. Plus all of the tables were still open when we left. All of this honestly I would have gotten over except that the waiter was not personable at all and tried to take my plate “to box it up” while I was still holding my fork. We had been there less than 45 minutes at this point. I had the distinct feeling that we were an inconvenience for him. This was supposed to be a special date night out since my husband and I are rarely off on the same day and I wish we had gone somewhere else.