Seasons Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Richmond

Today I had the pleasure of experiencing Seasons restaurant and bar. It was my friend and my first time visiting and it definitely will not be the last! Right when we walked in the door there was a beautiful open concept where your eyes were drawn down to the patio they have in the back. The decor is a warm tangerine and floral vibe. It’s really a beautiful restaurant. The back patio has a very botanical garden vibe with vines hanging from the ceiling and touched of tangerine flowers to tie in the vibe with inside. Our server, Naea, walked us to our table and had such a dope and inviting vibe to her. She joked with us and made us immediately feel at home and recommended a lot of options to us. Including hearing that we were interested in the hookah they offer (dope that we were able to enjoy this with our dinner. Nice addition) Though they offer hookah here, I will mention, it doesn’t smell or get Smokey inside like a hookah bar. Still a very enjoyable place to enjoy a classy meal. Alaina, the woman helping us with our hookah, was very attentive to making sure our hookah had fresh coals and checked in with us often to ensure we were enjoying ourselves. Naea then came back and pointed out some more recommendations because were stuck between a few things on their menu. It was clear she knew the menu and what she was talking about! I started with the Caesar salad and my friend had the ceviche. We also got some drinks— the watermelon margarita (so fire) and he got a beer. Drinks and the apps were all delicious. He ate his ceviche so quickly I didn’t even have time to grab a photo (lol) We then had the birria egg rolls and the shrimp scampi. Birria egg rolls were heavyyy they definitely had me taking some of those to go haha. His pasta was super flavorful and the shrimp were fat and cooked perfectly.

All in all everything was delicious, the vibes were vibing, and the service was great. All to give my friend and I a relaxing— and super filling evening...

3 of us decided to try this restaurant. Only one complaint, the service sucks. Our waiter Jah J took our food and drink order. We watched the bartender make our 3 Strawberry Lemondrops and they literally sat on the end of the bar for 15 minutes. Then we hear the food bell ring and look over and see it's our food thats ready. Meanwhile Jah our waiter is just walking around mingling, greeting his friends as the walk in. So finally he goes and bring the drinks to us. Drinks taste hot so I now need a cup of ice, meanwhile our food still sitting in the window. Then about 5 minutes later the cook ring the food bell again and withing then next 5 min another person deliveres another our food. Still no Jah ....so we proceed to eat and still no Jah. Then I see Jah mingling again laughing and carrying on. He never comes back to the table to check on us or to make sure our food was ok. So finally we have to literally get his attention and stop him as he is walking by to ask for cup of ice, Togo box, and the checks. This was by far the worst service ever and it put such a bad taste in my mouth as I was all for this new spot. Then to top it off he doesn't show us a bill, he just tells me my total is $108.79 for 2 people and told the 3rd person hers was $54. Now I need to see whats on the checks and they charge for stupid stuff like 50 cent for ranch when you order wings smh, and $3 for the flavor in your mix drink but none of those are mentioned on the menu. A simple heads up would have been nice. The food was ok but the wait for drinks and food is ridiculous and it's totally the waiter's fault. I truly feel like he caters to a certain type of guests which is his own age group (college students). I will not be revisiting and the facts that 20 gratuity was included on the chevk for hoeiible service makes...

The food overall was good. I ordered the chicken sandwich, and while it was flavorful, the balance of seasoning was off, I couldn’t taste the Old Bay at all. It leaned much more toward honey, which was disappointing given the menu’s description.

As for drinks, I ordered a Moscow Mule, but it tasted more like a lime-based cocktail than a proper mule. If there was ginger beer in it, it was undetectable.

The biggest issue with my experience, however, was the service, or lack thereof. The wait staff appeared more engaged with their phones and socializing in the hookah lounge than with attending to customers. At one point, I had to refill my own drink, which is simply unacceptable, especially when an automatic gratuity is applied. While our waitress was pleasant, she lacked professionalism, not entirely her fault, but likely a reflection of poor training and weak leadership.

Additionally, the staff uniforms (or lack thereof) were distracting and didn’t reflect the image of a well-run restaurant. A clear and cohesive dress code would go a long way in establishing professionalism.

The restaurant’s identity also seems confused. I originally asked for patio seating, only to find out that the "patio" is actually part of the hookah lounge. That space had more of a brunch party vibe than a relaxed dinner or date night atmosphere. A name or signage change could help set expectations more accurately for guests.

There’s potential here, but the restaurant needs to figure out what it wants to be. With better staff training, improved service standards, and a stronger sense of identity, this place could go far. Right now, it feels like style is being prioritized over substance, and diners...