Fanboy — Restaurant in Richmond

Uff…i have so much to say. I tried so hard to like this place. I really wanted Richmond to have a cool vinyl hi-fi bar but…

I have been here four times now. The food menu is a joke. They don’t seem to have a theme; I would hate to work in that kitchen, no idea how they handle all those incredibly random ingredients. I’ve been going due to wanting to listen to good music (their DJ line up is decent, mostly local people who only spin vinyl). The sound levels have been WAY too loud every single time I’ve been there. You can’t have a conversation. I asked the DJ to turn it down last time we went bc my girlfriend was literally holding her ears closed. He said he wouldn’t be able to hear his set if he turned it down. Hmmm get a booth monitor guys! Unfortunately, whoever designed this space has no idea how to make a listening bar. It’s all glitz, no smarts. Every surface is slick and hard, nothing soft to catch the sound. It’s an extremely small space, why not lean into that and make it feel cozy!! The speakers they are using are ridiculously overkill. Should’ve gone with some small space-age round ones rather than those unnecessarily massive ugly ones. Also not sure what the story is with the girl who has the shaved head, she seems to be the manager; every time we’ve been there she gives off an incredibly pretentious vibe. She micromanages the bar tenders, and doesn’t seem to be good at realizing when she’s just being straight up snooty to guests. Hope she sees this and considers joining her cohort in wearing a uniform, because it would make her seem like more of a team member. The first time we went she was wearing something akin to a nightgown. Not one to police what people wear but I’ve worked in restaurants and bars and it made no sense that she looked shlumpy while everyone else looked slick in their mixologist-aprons.

TLDR: great cocktails at big city prices. Mid-food that’s greasy and poorly curated. Pretentious manager. Bar tenders are very nice. Music curation pretty good but sound design of the space...

Unbelievable. 8 of us went there tonight. There was only one other party of two in there at 1am. We ordered drinks, we were told to be quiet. At first I thought it was a joke. 7 brown people and 1 white person. When the white person (my friend Scott) spoke loudly, it was not a problem. We were told a second time to be quiet when we were having a normal conversation. Really unusual. We were at sabai prior and went there after. We left fanboy puzzled. What bar does not let their patrons laugh and have a good time. I have been to most of the spots in Richmond and never have I had an issue with the volume of my laugh based on the color of my skin problem. ...

Second time visiting but it felt brand new - new menu and cocktails! Came here a year ago and loved the experience so we came back for our anniversary. Love the vibe inside and the food and drinks are stellar. Our appetizer came out tasting burnt and they promptly corrected the issue and brought a fresh batch which were absolutely to die for. Both our entrees were also delicious! As far as drinks, the staff are extremely knowledgeable about their cocktails and explain things very thoroughly. They helped us pick the perfect cocktails for the occasion and meal! Can’t wait...