Brickhouse Diner on the Blvd — Restaurant in Richmond

Even though I've given 5 stars for Food/Service/Atmosphere, my overall rating is 4 stars because 5 stars should be reserved for exceptional places that I hope to visit. Brickhouse Diner on the Blvd is a new find for us, even though we are quite familiar with Brickhouse Diner on Midlothian Trnpke. Without knowing specific details, I'm guessing these are sister Diners whose owner has expanded because their Net Profit from one Diner allowed for the expansion. My wife is annoyed that I can't say, like so many other reviewers, "Great Food! Great Ambience! Great Service! Highly Recommend!" I mean, I guess a review like that might spur me to walk in the front door, and perhaps that is all you yourself require as you access these reviews, but I can't bring myself to be a food critic machine. I enjoy nuance, so I embellish. Sue me. The best indicator of the quality of a diner is if I will drive any distance to get there. We picked up a family friend in downtown Richmond to have lunch, and obviously there are numerous establishments in that locale which might have 5 stars, but I knew the quality of the Brickhouse Diner food and not wanting to take a chance on those two birds in the bush with a guest, instead we drove a handful of miles to get to Brickhouse. Surprisingly, the entrance was handicap friendly with no stairs to negotiate (we had a Rollator in tow), and we made camp at a sunny corner table fit for six even though we were only four. It was weekend lunch time, yet our waitress was on us immediately. Our table ordered bacon burgers and Cobb Salads and Tuna Melts. I can only speak for the Cobb Salad, and I would have to give it 5 stars. It was hyooj! The ambience is not glitzy like Mel's Diner or River City Diner; there's no chrome wallpaper or motorcycles parked in the entry foyer; however, in this instance I came to chat with someone, not scour the walls looking for historical artifacts. Regarding the service, the best service is when you have everything you need and barely notice that you HAVE service. I have, on occasion, eaten in a restaurant wherein they actually train their staff and require black trousers and shoes and perhaps a black vest over a white shirt, instead of hand them an order/receipt book and encourage them to wear deoderant and have at it. Nevertheless, I often encounter pleasant humans willing to serve my food as they themselves would like to be served even if they are attired in Spencer Gifts hand-me-downs, sport Nose Metal, and choose to color their hair as one might during Halloween. I could not ask for more, and although I failed to notice their eccentricities, if they even had them, this is what you find in the Brickhouse Diner. Pleasant people, serving as they themselves would like to be served, earning a living, and enduring the jibes of amateur food critics....

Had lunch here with a friend on a Monday. Was really excited to try it since K64 closed. A good number of customers for a Monday, but we had no wait to get a booth. Wait staff was very professional and attentive. When they brought out my plate and I reminded them I had ordered sweet potato fries, not regular fries, they left the plate with me and immediately went back to the kitchen to get the sweet potato fries. They were scrumptious.

Sadly, I cannot say the same about the Reuben. It's pretty much my favorite lunch sandwich when going out to eat, and this was easily the least appetizing one I'd had in decades. The corned beef was kind of scrunched up in a mass in the center and did not cover the bread (which, IIRC, had not been grilled). After my first bite I had to check to see if they had forgotten to put on the thousand-island dressing; I noticed some traces of orange, but had to ask for more. It was similarly skimpy on the sauerkraut. My wife visited later in the week and was similarly unimpressed with her strawberry salad. She did not expect it to have tomatoes added, and didn't care for the dressing they used.

I'm very familiar with the food service industry, and how much work it requires. I know how easy it is to have an off day; plus, these are just two dishes, so I plan on visiting again. I share this just as feedback, in hopes of enjoying my meal more...

PLACE CLOSES AT 3PM EVERY DAY - STOPS SERVING BREAKFAST AT 11AM. DESPITE ALL ONLINE REVIEWS, BREAKFAST STOPS AT 11AM. THE RESTATURANT SHUTS DOWN AT 3PM EVERYDAY.**

very important info there. google searches and no reviews in google or yelp or their website mention this. breakfast stops at 11am. restaurant closes at 3pm. in fact, all online info says they stop breakfast at 3pm and are open until 11pm. these are incorrect.

went in at about 1:30pm on a weekday. went their specifically for breakfust/brunch. after the initial disappointment in the online research i just did, i quickly got over that.

It has a dozen booths, a bar with stools, and an covered heated/cooled outside patio!

everyone there was awesome, very welcoming. has old richmond photos on the wall too.

kids had the kids grilled cheese, and chicken tenders. they looked good. the fries are all shoe-string style.

I had the bbq chicken panini with shoe-string fries. it was awesome! the burgers looked great too.

The signature house drinks are really good, with real fruit and not super expensive. i think their most expensive was $8..which for a house drink is cheap. I had something with blueberrys and rum and punch with vodka and strawberrys.

I will definingly be back for...