1870 Restaurant and Bar

Review summary

1. J

   Jason

   Milwaukee

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   It’s a space with five too many tables. Not intimate like I thought it would be. It is loud so conversations are hard to have. Chairs at the tables are not comfortable. With the price of the food I expected an elevated experience.
   

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2. J

   Janice

   Richmond

   14 reviews

   3.0

   14 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 3

   This restaurant is a study in contrasts. There are wonderful things happening in the kitchen & we are lucky to have such fine dining available in Midlothian. Unfortunately, the service in the front of the house is a jumbled mess of confusion where servers seem far more concerned with scope creep than they are with enhancing the customer's experience. We were seated & immediately offered water. Our server appeared promptly explained the menu. Beyond that & taking our order, I don't know what his purpose was other than to appear once we had been served to ask if everything was okay. It clearly was not his job to clear away dishes once we had finished a course because despite our giving every signal that we were done, cutlery left in the dish, hands in lap, eye contact, he took no interest in asking if we were finished or in clearing our plates. This became a problem when the runners appeared with our next course. One runner literally stood there with two salads in his hands & stared at us. I wasn't about to clear my own plate. Not at those prices. He set my salad down in another area of the table, removed my appetizer plate, & walked away. It was up to me to reach for my salad. I had the smoked beef tartare & my husband, the lobster bisque. Both were quite good but I thought the quantity of beef tartare was way too large. The salads were disappointing. My house salad was underdressed and mostly lettuce greens. I had to hunt for the few pepitas and berries. My husband's Caesar salad was served on unwieldy romaine leaves & overdressed. We both ordered the filet mignon as entrees & found them to be prepared perfectly w/incredibly delicious sauces. My side dish of roasted carrots was sublime while my husband's "grilled" asparagus w/truffle breadcrumbs was not grilled nor could one detect any truffle flavor in the breadcrumbs. We enjoyed a sumptuous creme brûlée for dessert. The food was overall very good but given the prices, the service was incompetent.
   

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3. J

   James

   Richmond

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 6 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Was pricey but was very worth it. Was an amazing dinner date, food was amazing. Some of the best oysters we ever had. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the food and servers was great.
   

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4. C

   Cindy

   Richmond

   111 reviews

   5.0

   111 reviews

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Our meal was spectacular. Our appetizers, meal, sides and dessert were outstanding. We will be back for sure. It was such a fabulous dining experience. Just wish you weren’t so far away.
   

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5. e

   elaise

   Richmond

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined 7 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Service "The service was excellent, "The staff was polite and attentive” Cleanliness "The restaurant was clean, "The staff kept the dining area clean. Atmosphere "The restaurant was inviting, "The restaurant was charming & cozy. Food "The food was delicious, "The flavor was great and mouth-watering” i wish they would add more sides selection like rice/risotto since there’s seafood on the menu & more chicken selection for people who doesn’t eat steak.
   

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6. M

   Maggie

   Milwaukee

   1 review

   4.0

   1 review

   Dined on February 20, 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Overall the food was good - Cocktails: sparkling served in a coupe (bubbles evaporate too quickly vs a traditional sparkling wine glass. Appetizers: shrimp cocktail - not the traditional type (not a sharing size), burrata very good (can share). Mains: my hanger steak was overcooked (I chose not to say anything), my in-laws ribeye was very good, kids salmon also very good. Sauces: au poive no good, béarnaise good. Sides: cooked carrots really good, sautéed mushrooms smothered in heavy garlic/cream (expected a non-cream sauté version), potatoes au gratin also too heavy on the garlic, mashed potatoes very good. No desserts had. All in all I wouldn't go running back for the food - for the bar ambiance yes . . . prefer the chef's other restaurant.
   

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7. S

   Suzanne

   Richmond

   100 reviews

   5.0

   100 reviews

   Dined on February 20, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Our group of 4 was seated by the windows of this historical home turned restaurant. This was an ideal setting as we were able to watch the sun go down as we ate. Our server, Jacob, was very knowledgeable about the menu items and made great recommendations to us. The service at 1870 is attentive and helpful but not intrusive. We started with cocktails which were perfectly made. Three of us had the filet mignon, cooked perfectly and so tender we barely needed the steak knife. With each entree you are given a choice of sauce or compound butter and a side. We had the roasted carrots, the green beans, the creamed spinach and the potatoes - very generous portions. For our beef, one of us had the au poivre sauce, one the horseradish cream sauce and one the shallot-merlot compound butter - all were delicious. The fourth member of our party had the lobster bisque en croute - not only was it beautifully presented but it was delicious with large lumps of lobster. We finished with the bread pudding - a unique presentation that is almost a cross between bread pudding and french toast. This was a celebration meal and the staff at 1870 made us feel special. We look forward to going back. Midlothian is so very fortunate to have a restaurant of this quality!
   

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8. s

   susan

   Richmond

   1 review

   3.0

   1 review

   Dined on February 20, 2025

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 3
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great ambience, great service, many options for seating. I expect we will go once more to determine if this rather pricy dining yet not fully enjoyed meal. glad we were at happy hour for our appetizers and libations ! as a local, we are glad to see another upscale restaurant nearby and super glad to see the Jewett Hall refreshed and still buzzing with people inside ! We four ate in the upstairs bar, greeted immediately, service was wonderful and patient with our table conversation. ordered 3 appetizers - shrimp toast, fried wings, mini-pearl oysters. somewhat tasy but we will not order again. wings were slighty undercooked and tough. shrimp toast - way spicy and did not taste of shrimp. we were advised that the oysters were sweet and small, but as an oyster lover any oyster was good, except this appetizer. i could not find the oyster because it was overladen/overpowered with the dip. our table ordered filet mignon (2), lobster bisque, scalloped potatoes, asparagus, and green beans. steaks were cooked as specified, very tender and flavorful. asparagus was awesome. green beans were great. potatoes were good. bisque was very salty and no lobster taste. having said my friend who ordered the bisque was very pleased with it. best you go and decide for yourself.
   

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9. B

   Brian

   Richmond

   5 reviews

   5.0

   5 reviews

   Dined on February 15, 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Phenomenal food is only matched by the incredible service. Highly recommended! 
   

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10. J

    Jason

    Richmond

    4 reviews

    5.0

    4 reviews

    Dined on February 14, 2025

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    Jake the server was wonderful!! Ask for Jake when you go!!
    

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