McCormack's Whisky Grill — Restaurant in Richmond

Visiting from Philly

I’ve only been to McCormack’s on Robinson twice, and based on my most recent visit, I will not return for a third try.

In 2022, I made the trip from Philly to celebrate a friend’s 50th birthday (and meander through old stomping grounds). The bartender was courteous, professional, and knowledgeable. I found this Fan bar to be pretty appealing overall, and looked forward to a return trip the next time I made it back to the Fan.

I recently got into smoked old fashioneds and was eager to get one from a place such as McCormack’s. We arrived around 4:30om on a Friday afternoon in early November 2023; there were 5-6 other patrons, and two guys working behind the bar (neither was the previous staff person). We each asked for a smoked old fashioned with a specific whiskey, but they did not have it. Oh well, no biggie - we just asked for something comparable and decided to trust the barkeep’s recommendation. My friend and I chatted while the bartender took his time carefully making the drinks. When he brought them to us…there was…no smoke. I was disappointed and reiterated my desire for a SMOKED old fashioned. I was told that theirs was better, that the smoke is just a show anyway, and they somehow add smoke from their grill. The second guy came over and again repeated that the smoke is just for show, so really, what’s the big deal. I disagreed, indicating that presentation matters – and yeah, I wanted the “show.” Guy #1 said he could blow some smoke from his vape pen into the glass if I wanted. Snarky, but maybe well-meaning humor? Oh well – let me give it a try.

Nope. Nope. Heck no Peter, just nope. Awful. Whatever smoky substance they added made the beverage taste disgusting. (Ever baked chicken in the oven and added liquid smoke to it? Yuck. Same thing here.)

I guess the look on my face registered that I did not care one bit for it. Guy #2 made a comment along the lines of maybe I would prefer a margarita, appletini, or perhaps something else I could handle. Not snarky, not funny, flat out insulting. As my friend and I tried another couple of sips, the mean-spirited commentary from the bartenders kept coming. My friend called them out on their rudeness. Guy 2 essentially said since there was nothing that could be done to make difficult customers like us happy, there would be no charge for the small sips we took and that we should go. No problem. I was still not fully processing in the moment the disregard we experienced, and I threw down fiver as a "tip" on the bar – which I wish I hadn’t done. That experience was not worth a nickel. We promptly left, ultimately deciding we’d never return.

If you think this type of customer service is a rarity at this establishment – go check out some of the other 1-2 star reviews. It’s not an anomaly. To be clear, we were dressed casually, but neatly. We are seasoned drinkers with varied tastes. We are solidly upper middle class with plenty of money to spend on our jaunts through the Fan. The barkeeps acted like high fallutin’ whiskey snobs and treated us like low-class customers who don’t know the first thing about ETOH. I cannot recommend that anyone else give this place a try.

Update: Based on the "owner's" reply, I do indeed know the difference. At the Whisky bar, there are two giant douches...

We came to this location looking for something new to do on a Friday evening. Most of the other reviews highly recommended this place so we were excited to give it a try. The location was easy to find; however, parking was a slight challenge. We circled the block at least three times looking for parking before seeing the alley next to the restaurant that offered parking. Walking inside we were greeted warmly and told to pick a seat! Our server quickly came to greet us and brought water without us having to ask for it. Nice touch! We told him from the beginning we were new to the place and interested in learning more about the menu. He stopped by at least once to see if we had questions, we did. We ordered food after getting his opinion on menu favorites. After watching our server stop by other tables to offer assistance I was finally able to flag him down to inquire about ordering a drink. Being that we’re at a whiskey bar one would think we would like to order a drink, right? Well, he states he wasn’t sure if we wanted drinks so he didn’t stop by to check. Again, I state that I don’t really drink and would like to learn more about the offerings. He gives a basic overview and then brings two glasses and two bottles to the table. No explanation, about how the process works. After getting the drinks he managed to stop by once to see how we were doing. No offer to try something different or suggestions based on my feedback. I only know that this is what normally happens because I saw and heard him do it to other customers. Big disappointment. The food was okay, nothing that I would have to try again. Not to mention that I ordered a burger that was listed for $11, but was charged $21. The place is super cute, I just didn’t like the vibe from the server and felt he had no interest in serving us. I would like to recommend the place if that bar tender isn’t working. He completely ruined my experience. We weren’t even acknowledged upon leaving as we witnessed then do to other customers. Huge...

Extremely disappointed. My boyfriend and I (both experienced bartenders) Were very excited for this place. We are visiting from Virginia Beach (he bartends at a bourbon restaurant) and was looking forward to the selection at your establishment. We showed up after trying a cocktail and snack at Jasper (and receiving excellent customer by the way) to receiving the complete opposite at your establishment. I’m not a person to write reviews that are poor as I myself am a service industry worker and know how things are but, in this case I really feel like our voice needs to be heard. The customer service we received upon our arrival wasn’t even close to sub-par. Upon our entrance at roughly 11pm the bartender had two friends sitting at the bar who appeared to be waiting for him to get off work. We weren’t greeted with anything but, “sir you have to take your hat off and all you’re going to have time for is 1 drink because we are closing” first of all, okay, we understand both of those requests but, can we get a warmer welcoming into your establishment instead of being treated like intruders?? We felt horrible. Like we were bothering YOUR BARTENDER when we were the customers. Secondly, we know whisky, we like whisky and we pay well for quality whisky and as bartenders we also tip very well. I’m incredibly disappointed with the way we were treated because your bartender was in a rush to hangout with his friends when we walked in with every intention to drop a good amount of money at your bar. My boyfriend has heard wonderful things about your selection on forums but, I am disgusted by your customer service. I understand closing early due to business needs but, can we at least be greeted with a...