Dive — Restaurant in Richmond

I was talking a stroll down the street and saw a sign saying happy hour. I was feeling a little down at that particular moment, and unfortunately for my health, this is one of the few ways I know to get happy.

Walking in, I could not believe my eyes there was giant Alice in Wonderland mural on the wall and the decor all followed that same theme.

My immediate thought was I am not nearly cool or trendy enough to be here but I fought through my initial reaction to run away, terrified someone might recognize that I did not belong.

I went to the bar feigning confidence, acting as if I constantly went to bars based Lewis Carroll books and Disney themed movies. It is at this point I should note that it has been decades since I have seen Alice in Wonderland and despite the fact I read the book a few years prior, I retained virtually nothing of any relevance.

I then looked down at the menu where (I assume) all the drinks were references to the acclaimed psychedelic movie and forgettable novel. I smiled and chuckled to myself while I pretended to understand the various references, hoping with vigor that the bartender would think I got the joke.

I finally landed on a drink and watched the bartender prepare it and serve it to me in a tea cup. It was very unique and completely delicious. After nursing it for several minutes and forcing uncomfortable small talk with the bartender and those around me I settled up and got ready to leave.

As I walked toward the door I noticed a staircase leading downwards. Now I am not typically one for adventure or exploration. I find comfort in in the color beige, I drive in the right lane refusing to go more than 3 miles over the speed limit and my favorite cereal is cheerios, not honey-nut cheerios but plain whole grain cheerios. I know not why I decided to venture from my path of safety and routine but I did and explored the downstairs.

I was shocked to find that there was an entire new level to the bar, except this one had a retro theme. Pictures of older musicians hung on the walls, there were arcade games and a whole new slew of drink that I could pretend to understand the names of.

After taking a lap I decided that I had enough adventure and change for one day. I am excited to come back here another day and this is a great place to bring people from out of town as it is nothing like a bar seen...

I haven't been here since the Alice in Wonderland and Spiderman themes, but wow this place has gone downhill. I made a reservation, since it was Friday night, but I definitely didn't need it. There weren't many people and there was no hostess at the door to even check on reservations. The upstairs is Moulin Rouge themed, but was extremely lackluster and underwhelming compared to previous themes. The burlesque dancers mentioned online were nowhere to be seen. So we went downstairs to the 80s themed bar. Our drinks were okay. Everything tasted the same; fruity and sugary. I don't mind paying $13 for a great cocktail, but these weren't it. We made the mistake of ordering food. We decided on lemon pepper chicken bites and a Greek pizza to share. The chicken was the generic frozen overly breaded cafeteria stuff. No lemon pepper. The pizza (in attached pictures) was beyond disgusting. It looked like it wasn't cooked and tasted like nothing. There was no sauce or cheese on this pizza. Aside from the ABUNDANCE of feta and a smattering of cold vegetables, it was just a plain crust. We left to go eat actual food elsewhere. I didn't have the heart to complain to the woman working at the bar because she was so attentive and just nice. When I closed out, I noticed a 20% service charge that wasn't mentioned to us, unlike literally everywhere else that does this. I don't mind it, but I think it's something the customer should be aware of. All in all, just pop in for one drink if the rotating themes appeal to you or skip it altogether. You're not...

Very disappointed in this. Arrived at 6pm, was told downstairs (the Mario room) want open until 8. We couldn’t see that this information was anywhere online in advance. We decided to stay and do the Willy Wonka part. Decor was all right, but kind of felt old and like a kids theme park from the 1990s. Still, we were there for the drinks so we soldiered on. Red flags came up right away. I think maybe the bartender was new as she seemed frazzled, was unfamiliar with the drinks (meaning she couldn’t answer some basic questions) and had to use a guide to make them. One drink she had to call for another bartender because she wasn’t even sure what some of the ingredients were. Still - we are easy to please and we were okay. The drinks took FOREVER to finally get. Then, after sitting a while the 2nd bartender came over and said they couldn’t make one of our drinks because they were out of half and half. She said she could make it anyway and not charge us so we said fine. When the drinks finally did come, they were not complex and heavy on shtick. Lots of candy just thrown in the drink. I get it, we were at the Willy Wonka experience, but it felt cheap. We’ve been to several other pop up experiences that were much better than this one. Maybe a better bartender and more up front information would have...