Opus 9 Steakhouse — Restaurant in Williamsburg

We have dined here a couple of times and everything was wonderful. However, our visit last night wasn’t bad but did disappoint us. I come from a long line of working in restaurants, managing, bartending, you name it and my family also own restaurants out west. So, I can be picky. However, I promise I was absolutely giving an amateur server the best support I could. There were just so many mistakes throughout the meal. It started with the server not knowing the menu( I thought okay she’s new no biggie). However, she didn’t have any knowledge of the beer menu and ended up bringing me the wrong beer, I politely told her and she kept asking me if I just wanted to drink the one she brought, but I declined. Okay, no big deal. Then when we received our food the manager did his normal check in, but was very vague and honestly didn’t want to take the time to actually care if we were enjoying anything or not. I say this because our previous experiences the manager would chat for at least a minute instead of asking a question as he was passing the table and then he was gone. Okay again no big deal. But we never received a water refill, then the large party next to us was incredibly loud. We tried to enjoy the atmosphere but it was hard too. Okay, can’t control what other guest do, I get it. But then in the other room a table had two small children and both of their iPads were so incredibly loud. Again, it is what it is. We came in to try the restaurant week menu. Our dishes were decent, but the open Philly was not flavorful at all. Finally, it was time for dessert. We didn’t have our menus, so we asked for them but the server hesitated and then stated oh wait I know what they are. She stated a coconut cake , s’more cakes, and Ben and Jerry’s ice cream. Not knowing that the coconut cake was not on our menu for the 40 dollar special, I ordered it. Well, a minute later she came back and said they ran out. It didn’t seem logical to me but I said okay I’ll take the other option. Desserts were great, they always are. When our server went to wrap up our desserts to go, she let me know she dropped mine, so the chef gave us a new one( that was very nice of them, and I feel bad those mistakes are costly).Our poor server made mistake after mistake and was not attentive for the whole experience. When we walked out I asked to speak to the manager, hi name was Travis, just to inform him that she probably needs some additional support. So, this was the worst part. When I began to explain our evening, instead of apologizing or even just hearing what feedback I had, he came back very defensive with why didn’t you say something when I stopped by your table? I again, told him because I tend to be forgiving. He never apologized, in fact I was very put off. The only thing he clarified for me was that the coconut cake was not apart of the 40 dollar menu and yes they have it. Look, this restaurant is normally wonderful. Food this time was average at best. There can be so many reasons for that, different cook, short staffed, etc. it just happened that many things made our experience not so great. It’s an experience, it’s fine dining it’s supposed to be. I do have expectations that a server at least knows the menu, doesn’t lie to get out of not knowing something, and can fill my water or bring me the correct beverage. That’s it! But most importantly, that feedback is received without a manager being defensive or thinking I’m asking for something. I’m not, I wasn’t. So, to the owner, please, make sure your leadership is strong and servers struggling have support and guests are heard. I will not state who the server is because I’m positive she was already embarrassed and honestly this seemed more like a leadership issue than a server issue for now.Consistency is key. Your guests spend a considerable amount of money on a meal and experience. I was going to book my daughters graduation dinner here but because things tend to be inconsistent, I’m having second thoughts. Hopefully we will come back in the future and things...

4/12/25 Came for lunch and ordered the lunch seafood special. The food was delicious; however, we were surprised by the very small portions. The fish was the size of a deck of cards, we were given 5-6 very slender asparagus spears and a small scoop of smashed potatoes. There was not a choice of tea as the box was very low. Other than that we had a nice time. September 27, 2024 My husband and I came for our anniversary dinner. We waited a while for the server to appear. I ordered the pan seared halibut, which was delicious; however the rice was very sticky and the steamed broccoli was still crunchy. I asked that the broccoli be steamed to take the crunch out. It was brought back like it had been under a broiler and was still crunchy, so I did not eat it. Our server gave the couple beside us a complimentary bottle of champagne for their anniversary. We did not receive one. February 19, 2024 My husband took me for Valentine's Day. After being seated and waiting a while he noticed other ladies had been given a rose. He had to ask for one to give to me. I asked for cream with my tea. The server forgot. After waiting some time (it was not busy) she said she had forgotten and that there was no cream. Fortunately the manager, who is a real asset, said he knew where the cream was and she brought the cream. The lavache was really toasted, to the point of almost being burnt. Other than that we had a nice meal and the food was delicious. January 2, 2024 When I look at the e-mail I just received from Opus9 for the New Year's Brunch it says $39.95. It does not seem appropriate to charge more for the holiday brunch to the tune of $52.95 when the food is the same as a regular Sunday brunch.

December 24, 2023 We reserved for the Sunday Brunch which normally costs $39.95 and were stunned to see on the bill that it was the called the holiday brunch and was $52.95. The food was the normal brunch. We did not see any advertisements ahead of time stating that the price would be $13 more. There was nothing mentioning the price on the tables ahead of time, nothing on the website, so how is the customer to know? Spoke with the manager and he said it was out of his control. I did ask to be reimbursed for our hot tea as the Sunday brunch card on the table said coffee and iced tea were included. Of course, the Sunday Branch card said the cost was $39.95, no mention of holiday brunch. We would not have come if we had known how much it was going to cost. Very disappointed.

March 4, 2023 ......Ordered the red snapper and it was like rubber. Jason, one of the managers, took care of everything and made our visit simply wonderful. He even listened to my thoughts about the price and quality of tea. He is a real asset to your establishment.

January 2023.....Love Opus 9 and have been going there for years and will continue to go. If you are going to charge $3.95 for a cup of hot tea, please offer a better quality of tea than Bigelow. You used to do this, offering Revolution tea, the ginger peach was my favorite, and it was delicious. My husband like the lavender earl grey. I have been to many restaurants and have never been charged that much for hot tea. Please put the price of the hot tea on your menu so that the customer knows ahead of time what the price is. The last time I went, with friends, the server brought out a cup and saucer with hot water in it. No tea pitcher was offered (this has always been the case in the past). When I asked for the pitcher of hot water she brought me one but not one for my lady friend. I had to ask for another pitcher of water for my friend, as well as sugar as that was not offered either. The tea box was not very full, another thing I have...

My girlfriend and I were staying in Williamsburg over the weekend and had reservations for 8:30 on Saturday. We arrived several minutes early and were told we would be seated closer to 8:30. Not a problem at all. We took a seat at the bar and ordered a couple glasses of wine. Eventually the hostess came by and called our party by my first name. To clarify​, we were the party they were looking for​. We provided the last name on the reservation. The hostess responded with the first name again, as she appeared to have mixed up my first and last name on the reservation. During this, a man behind the bar, who​m I found out to be the manager, interjected and loudly repeated my first name in a way that came across as frustration directed towards my girlfriend and I. I made a comment at the time that I found that unnecessary, but it was either not heard or ignored.

Once we were seated at our table​, we waited an additional ten minutes before anyone came by. At this point we had decided that if this was indicative of the experience we were going to have, we would rather simply finish our wine and leave. We ​politely explained this to our server. The manager showed up at our table soon after, not to ask why we had decided not to dine here that evening, but to inform us that sitting at a table ​d​rinking wine was "typically not allowed" and to ask if we had "intended to dine" there that evening. Of course we did! I wouldn't see another reason to go to the trouble of making a reservation. We informed him that we had changed our minds due to his previous comment and the lack of service up to that point. The manager insisted that his comment was not directed towards us, but​ toward the hostess.​ I don't believe that to be a true statement based on the timing of it, and at no point was an actual apology given.​ Regardless, we do not feel as though he should be raising his voice to anyone. Ultimately​, we were uncomfortable enough that we left without finishing our wine, which we had already paid for at the bar.

There have been many other fine dining establishments that have been kind, accommodating,​ and have provided excellent service and a great dining experience to us over the years. Not once had anyone raised their voice to anyone or did ​we feel like ​we w​ere spoken to like children as ​we were here this evening. ​We are baffled by the rudeness, condescension, and lying. No, I do not "intend to dine" here again, and I would recommend against anyone...