Bellos Lounge & Restaurant — Restaurant in Richmond

Google led me to Bello’s Lounge & Restaurant for what I hoped would be a relaxing date night in actual lounge. Unfortunately the lounge area upstairs is designed for smokers.

Street parking only, which meant hiking a block and a half uphill just to get to dinner. During the day, it’s scenic. After dark? Think ATVs, motorcycles doing wheelies, and a background cast of “on the point.” at night the area doesn’t feel particularly safe.

We were seated immediately, which was appreciated. However, the booth seating is poorly constructed—thin cushions over wooden boxes that sink in as soon as you sit down, creating an unstable and uncomfortable experience. My date’s chair was positioned near a step, which felt unsafe. I felt like if I complained they would pull the lever for the trap door seating.

The lighting was almost perfect — dim at the bar, spotlight interrogation bright at the tables. Nothing says romance like feeling you’re about to be questioned about your tax returns while you eat. Still, the atmosphere was pleasant and sectioned off nicely.

Then came the drink experience. I ordered a club soda with lemon and lime. The server, bless him, inspected the glass for cleanliness (which I appreciated), but then — with the casual grace of someone who’s clearly never met the Covid epidemic… grabbed my citrus with his bare fingers. which raises sanitation concerns. The soda itself was flat, indicating a possible issue with the well gun or carbonation system. Checking soda lines regularly for pressure and carbonation consistency. It had the personality of tap water. I switched to Red Bull. At least I knew that came sealed and unfingered.

I appreciated knowing what wasn’t available upfront (a rare courtesy these days). He recommended the Asun and Salmon Bites appetizers. The Asun was flavorful and fun to eat, though it arrived with a few mystery ingredients I had to improvise my way through.

The salmon bites tasted fine but had a strong fishy smell — which, if you know fish, means they’re past their prime. Presentation though? Excellent.

Timing was solid. The server kept us updated like a pro — 10 minutes became 18, but at least he communicated. I ordered the Oxtails, my wife chose Salmon. My oxtails were well-presented but salty, heavy, and oddly tangy — possibly a Worcestershire situation gone rogue. There wasn’t enough meat floating in the sauce of a pool size bowl on a small table.

The portion size appeared small for the price. I recommend cutting them in half and serving in smaller bowls to create a fuller presentation.

My date’s salmon unfortunately shared the same “ocean aroma” as her appetizer — edible, but not enjoyable. It didn’t go to waste.

It took 25 minutes for our order to come out which was great because we had just finished our appetizers.

During the time we noticed what we felt at the time was “owner” walking around as she checked on all the guest at their respective tables. When she approached our table we engaged her in conversation finding out at this point Niecey.. was the “manager.” She really took pride in position. She spoke to us until our dinner arrived and asked if this was our first time visiting. She asked what we ordered and complimented our choices. She excused herself from the table and left her with the enjoy your meal.

Later She comes over to the table with two mocktails. She said she spoke with our server and heard that we didn’t order any drinks. This was amazingly presented and a wonderful surprise to push the review over the top. Niecey saved the day with her concern, conversation and her attention to detail. I still think she has ownership if not give her a raise. she cares about her job and elevates this place with what you would expect from a luxury restaurant. I would admit it was smart to bring a mocktail just in case we didn’t drink that drink the presentation the smell of fresh mint the fruit doing a backstroke was top notch.

Niecey gave this restaurant a je ne sais quoi that We have recommended 3 others but warned them about the box...

I want to be fair, accurate and honest in my review of this restaurant -- a place I'd been meaning to go to since I moved to Richmond two months ago. Overall the experience had its positive moments, but some things happened that made me really question how the place is managed and run and whether it's an ethical operation. I see others have referred to it as a "shady" establishment, and based on my experience I have similar suspicions.

The most glaring issue was that when I asked for the check, my waitress -- who was very, very friendly -- did not provide one. Instead, she walked up with a portable card reader and verbally told me the cost of the meal: $38. After running my card, she turned the card reader towards me so that I could choose a tip amount. Strangely, the only options were 3%, 5% and 7%. When I expressed surprise at the low tip amounts, she indicated I could also put in a custom tip. I said, "Obviously, the tip is included in the cost, then," and she replied, "Well no. I mean...there's a gratuity, but we have to share that with the kitchen."

Wait, what?? If it's true that the restaurant claws back some of the tips that the wait staff receives, shame on them, truly. I know a lot of restaurants are doing that now in response to skyrocketing inflation, but it's unethical. Just charge your prices to cover your costs and let the customer decide how much tip the WAITRESS gets.

It became clear that the waitress was trying to get me to pay an additional gratuity by hiding the true cost of the meal. I know that at this point I should have stopped and demanded to see an itemized receipt.

In any event, I selected a custom tip (I have a soft spot for wait staff and always tip generously), paid the bill and left the restaurant. The next day I checked my credit card statement and saw that the restaurant charged me nearly $55 for the meal. Even with my added custom tip, there was no way the final amount could have gone from the $38 she had told me to the amount they ultimately charged me. So either she told me the cost of the meal before gratuity and/or taxes or she just gave me a figure out of thin air.

The irony is, $55 is not an unreasonable cost for dinner out. Had they just been fair, upfront and truthful, I would have had no issue with that as the ultimate cost. I just don't like being tricked into paying more, which is what I feel happened.

As for the food, it was average to above average. I got the peri peri chicken, which unfortunately seemed overcooked or reheated, including rubbery skin. The vegetables in the salad were fresh but the dressing tasted like nothing more than mayonnaise. (Maybe that's a Caribbean or African thing, but if so it's not to my tastes.). However, the rice dish was outstanding and the drink I had was also really good.

A couple of other oddities also occurred: At 7 p.m. on a Thursday, I was the only dine-in customer in the place, which seemed really odd. Also, a gentleman walked in to place a take-out order and tried to order a drink while he was waiting but was told that the bartender had gone out to pick up some ingredients for the restaurant. That's strange enough -- since when does a bartender abandon her post during business hours? -- but one of the waitresses had earlier told me that he bartender had left to take care of some "personal business."

I'm not sure what kind of operation they are running there, but unfortunately "shady" is the word that comes to mind...

Now i normally dont do reviews anywhere But what can I say? I came to this lovely black owned establishment and I fell in love. Even for a white guy I felt completely comfortable and Safe here. I'll start with the Food; absolutely incredible. Full of flavor and spices, my compliments to the Chef or Maestro as the Young Gentleman DK called him. Service I will say was nothing short of professional. The young lady Sami was a doll. Very attentive, sweet and knowledgeable as far as the menu and what bellos has to offer. Lord forgive me if I spelled it wrong, but uniqueee offered me a Hokkah. Now ive seen people enjoying it but that is not exactly my thing. However she was very sweet , nice and had the biggest smile in the room. Now the drinks were a bit pricey for my taste, however the presentation of such a fine beverage sets the tone for the Price, Right? I stayed a bit for the lounge portion of the night. It was a bit over crowded and loud, but what can I say it's a young people's game. I am 51 years old and will not base my review on that. As I'm outside I observed the Same Young man that came to my Table DK. The way he coordinated Security, And Guest was absolutely fun to watch. The amount of handshakes he has to do with these people is very hilarious. When I asked him what is his position here because I've seen him doing a bit of everything from the start of my visit until the very end. He explained " I am whatever this place tells me to be, that's why we are successful " wow. Wise words from a young man. Over all my visit was a delight and I will be back. The only reason this will be receiving 4 stars instead of 5 is because each bartender I went to seemed a bit to concerned about a tip. Now I read my receipt, there is already 15% gratuity on here. I normally tip upon leaving, however each bartender proceeded to either make me feel bad about not tipping or asked multiple times for a time. That was a bit weird but as a person that received stellar service, I gave a tip to each. Finally I will give anyone reading this a Tip; visit Bellos lounge, Tip the bartenders, ask Sami to be your Server, Get to know the Guy who calls himself DK, wear your mask at...