L'Opossum — Restaurant in Richmond

I was hopeful for dining here. The reviews were promising. A James Beard nominee is high praise. There were a number of people waiting outside before the restaurant opened, a good sign.

An amazon delivery person was in front of me in line to get in. I thought this was strange as most restaurant deliveries are received in the back. I was seated right away after I waited for the delivery to be signed for. At first the decor was a bit off putting. Later I appreciated it as there were star wars plates on the wall. I am a big nerd and I loved this.

The server was great. She knew the menu and offered great wine pairings. I had a cocktail to start. It wad DELICIOUS! HEAVEN IN A GLASS! The water was said to be infused with mint. I love mint! There was no mint in this water that I could taste.

My soup was good. The potato was difficult to chop though and difficult to add to the broth, but good. My reccomended wine pairing was good. I'm glad it was good because I was served a full glass. I would have preferred a small taste before because had I not liked it a full glass would have been wasted.

I had scallops for an entre. I was excited because I was presented a spoon first. I thought, spoon means delicious broth! I was also presented a steak knife. Why a sharp knife for scallops? While waiting for my entre another full glass of wine was served. The server asked if I was ready for another. I said no, as I was still nursing my first glass and was in no hurry. The glass was removed. Again, it would be a waste to present a fully poured glass to have the guest say no thanks.

My entre appeared quickly thereafter. It was presented well and looked delicious. The orange with rind on top was strange. I tried the broth first, it was good. I removed the meat from my mussels and dug in. The mussels were cold. I could not cut through the scallops with my fork. Thus the previous presentation of the steak knife. Parts of the scallop were overcooked and parts were under-cooked. The vegetables and greens were not cooked and raw. Exception being the peas. The peas were cooked perfectly. The carrots were of high quality, but not cooked. The consistency tasted like the raw baby carrots I give my child. The greens on the entre were still on the stem and seemed thrown onto the entre. The onions were raw and undercooked. Imagine an under-done saute. The FLAVOR was EXCELLENT, the COOK, was RAW.

My wine paring for the entre arrived after I was well into the dish. Was the previously offered full glass for my entre? It was. It's good that I liked it, otherwise a full glass would have gone to waste. The paring that the server recommended for the entre was spot on. It is a shame the food was not cooked to the same standard.

I kept trying different bite combinations to see if the problem was me. Did I misunderstand the menu? Was I eating the dish incorrectly? Were the vegetables crispy and not undercooked? The flavor was DELICIOUS, but the cook was POOR.

The server and host were most accommodating. I told them exactly what I wrote above. They were genuinely apologetic and I was not charged for the entre. I would have gladly paid for everything. This was 100% a CLASS ACT. I tipped based on what the full amount should have been, not what it was.

The desert menu seemed fair, but after my disappointment in the meal, I was reluctant, and did not try. I decided to have another cocktail for my desert and it was DELICIOUS!

I was given the bill and told there was no rush. An all to brief moment later I was asked if this was ready to be taken care of? NO was the answer, but I promptly presented my card. I went to the bathroom, it was very clean and pleasant, and left.

My very poor rating, and DO NOT RECCOMEND, stance comes from disappointment. The online reviews were good, BUT. It says James Beard, BUT. The service was excellent, BUT. The flavors were delicious, BUT. At the price point, and James Beard nominee listed on the restaurant's website, I expected more, and was severely disappointed. I DO...

I was soooo excited to eat at L’Opossum for my one year wedding anniversary last night. We must have come on an off night because the experience left us disappointed.

First things first- decor and atmosphere are a whole VIBE. It’s super quirky and a celebration of queer culture. The menu itself is really interesting and funny. Definitely the top standout of our experience!

The food was also really good! We shared 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and dessert plus drinks with each course. The food was all great quality and flavor. I will say the Swank Bank was surprisingly our least favorite dish, it’s one of the most expensive dishes on the menu and the pasta didn’t taste homemade or fresh, and the amount of lobster was disappointing. The flavor of everything was out of this world though, so it didn’t get us down too much!

The cocktails are all excellent, there wasn’t a bad one in the bunch. The wine was pretty good, and the port was okay (VERY small pour even for port). If you get drinks, focus on the cocktails.

What REALLY let us down though was the service. It really did not meet our expectations. Again, we must have come on an off night because it was just sooo far from what we expected from a fine dining experience. Upon entering, the host greeted us and asked about any special celebrations. We had noted our anniversary when making the reservation but maybe that note didn’t save or something? Anyways the host was very kind and asked how many years, we mentioned it was our first one and he took a minute to jot down some notes. We were excited that they might do something special for a milestone anniversary because of the note taking! Unfortunately we were disappointed because it was only mentioned again when our check was being dropped off.

Our server was a very nice person but seemed really frazzled for most of the night. After we ordered our cocktails, she took our drink menus away, which was strange because we wanted to order drinks with each course. We assumed we would get the drink menus back later but they never did. We had to keep flagging down people to get us drink menus throughout the night. Our server, again while very nice, didn’t really check in on us much which was a little annoying because we wanted drink menus and to order drinks. I mean, let us spend more money!

Unfortunately our entrees were delivered before we could order wine to go with them. We flagged down the girl pouring water and kindly asked if she could grab our server. She was so frazzled but tried to find our server. After a minute a different person (not our server) asked how they could help us. We said we needed sharing plates for our entrees. We had mentioned to our server that we were sharing everything up top, and before our entrees came she mentioned grabbing our sharing plates but never came back. This person was also frazzled and started walking away before I barely got in that we also needed drink menus and wanted to order wine for our entrees. She brought us drink menus, then a few minutes later another water girl came by and asked us what we wanted to drink. We were a little bummed that it wasn’t our server because we wanted to ask a pairing recommendation. We told this new person that we were deciding between two things and asked their recommendation. We got a deer in the headlights look and another frazzled question so we just decided on the rose. Thankfully it came out quickly with the sharing plates and we were finally able to enjoy our entrees about 10 minutes after they had been dropped off. The food was still warm but I wish we had been able to dig in sooner.

We want to come back and try again, because the food and drinks were really good. We’ve heard such amazing things but unfortunately our experience didn’t reflect that. The bill was over $300 before tip, the most expensive meal we’ve had since we moved here this year. Unfortunately I don’t think it was worth it. But we hope to come back again and see if it really was just...

Since 2014, L'Opossum is consistently recognized as one of the universally best restaurants in Richmond, Virginia, a dining destination city brimming with impressive award-winning restaurants. In addition to its multiple local and national accolades, ask other top local industry professionals where some of their favorite special occasion dining has been, or where they aspire to go next, and they often mention L'O. We’ve also dined at L’O with renowned chef friends and they offered their highest praise. It’s just that great.

A reservation a month or more out is usually needed, confirming its uniqueness, accessible exclusivity, and well-deserved reputation for consistent excellence. While most guests dress in smart casual, you will occasionally see everything from pre-theater formal dress, to tasteful shorts and t-shirts, to caftans, to costumes. It’s eclectic so come as you are and just be comfortable. Steps from the entrance is ample on street parking in a safe, quiet residential neighborhood steeped in history, a few blocks from the famous garden style Hollywood Cemetery.

As you approach, notice the warm exterior red lighting, stained-glass windows and upon entering, Andy Warhol Rorschach-patterned wallpaper on your tabletop. All senses are simultaneously stimulated from the gently minted water, creative craft cocktails, beer, affordable and easy drinking wines, substantial appetizers, beautiful presentations of delicious and expertly cooked entrees layered with sublime, balanced seasoning flavors, garnished with fresh herbs, perfectly portioned playful and tasty desserts, rich local roasted coffee, enhanced by curated, soulful music, original art decor, complimentary fine china, fresh flowers, flickering soft glowing lighting, wonderful intoxicating cooking aromas from the kitchen, to the professional, knowledgeable, long term staff that make it all seem effortless with finesse.

All the dishes are beautiful best in class presentations made with the multiple superior quality and luxury ingredients; nothing here is simple, plain, or average but climaxes together as simply delicious. For example, the singularly flavorful pink peppercorn and port reduction served under the filet takes a full week to make. Take a moment to stroke the fresh herb garnish to release its aroma and inhale deeply, this level of detail and technique is not widely found. Every touchpoint is deliberate and thoughtful. The servers will not pick a specific dish for you, but they will answer other questions you have about dishes you are contemplating. Pick your usual favorite or be adventurous and pick something you've always wanted to try, then ask about the preparation, mentioning your important personal likes and dislikes to help you narrow your choice...or better yet, just pick, open your palate, sit back and enjoy.

You owe it to yourself to slip down this Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole for a joyful, relaxing evening of creativity, magic, and fun that slaps. It's a comforting, satisfying dinner and a show in one that will make you feel special and momentarily forget about the world outside. While your current mood may not coincide on the first visit, and this level of sensory stimulation is not for the timid diner, try dining 3-4 times or more so you can truly decide for yourself without hype. Since you may not experience this in most restaurants, it may take a few times to fully appreciate the total hospitality experience.

We’ve dined at L’O hundreds of times and it’s a consistent, exceptional, stimulating and at the same time restorative experience of cooking, art, and craft making it our top favorite...