Carver's Steakhouse & Lounge

We found this place at the last minute to celebrate Christmas. We wanted to have steak dinner, that's why we choose this place. But they had a special menu for Dec 24 and 25 only, which does NOT include any steak! Wrong move. If this is a steakhouse, you should always have steak on all of your menus. I honestly was disappointed by that. I had boneless beef ribs. The meat turned out to be tender, and I would say it's not bad, but it's also not memorable. The server was good. He was hospitable. I don't recommend this place at all.

It was fathers day so we decided to spend a day in Richmond and have a nice dinner. I dined with Carver's on multiple occasions in the past and had great experiences. I'm not sure if it was because the chefs have changed since then, I thought it didnt compare with what I was used to in the past. The food was ok. My wifes steak wasn't cooked to order. My salmon was dry as can be and the salad was way too big. Deserts were boring. Service was slow. I had to ask for a bandage for my daughter's cut on multiple occasions. I asked multiple times for a to go box.

Didn't have much expectation when we went in, but for sure we left with our greatest disappointment. Don't waste your money unless you love escargots - the only edible item on the dine out menu (at least the ones we had were not) As a steakhouse (or so they called themselves), the steaks that we had (NY + Oscar) were tough, dry and way too chewy! Escargots - surprisingly good Crab cakes - no good Steak - tough, dry, chewy ( we love chewy steak but definitely not that chewy) Cheesecake - i personally dont think banana and cheesecake makes a good combo Chocolate eruption - a decent chocolate cake Our server was friendly and attentive. So 1 star for her and 1 for the escargots.

The filet mignon was grilled to perfection. It was juicy and flavourful. Truly an amazing steak. We also got the rib eye steak, it was grilled exceptional well. The cut of meat had a lot of fat and tendon but it was still flavourful. The sides included Carver’s grana padano gratin potato, and seasonal vegetables. These were just so so. Nothing mind-blowing. For dessert, we had turtle molten cake - Fudgy chocolate bundt, toasted pecans, caramel sauce, vanilla ice cream, berry coulis. This was not overly sweet but just right. It was delicious and tasty.

Pleasantly surprised how good the food was. Boston clam chowder, cesar salad, salmon and steak. Usually never order salmon at a restaurant but was blown away by it. Steak was perfectly cooked and the service was fantastic! Servers actually cared about their food. Really looking forward to go back.

If good food with very scant service and drinks made poorly is what you're looking for, Carver's is your place. It had been a few years since we last visited Carvers because the service was not great that time either. We made a reservation on OpenTable to make sure we got a table on a Saturday night at 7, only to arrive and find the restaurant less than half full, on a Saturday night, in September, albeit a rainy one. We were seated and quickly water glasses were filled. After that we waited more than 5 minutes before our server arrived. We ordered two sodas for the time being which he brought back a few minutes later. We were not expecting 2 cans, which he poured for us, at a Steakhouse ( which has a lounge and presumably soda on tap) We ordered an appetizer, which was not listed on OpenTable, sweet and spicy steak bites, which were excellent. When this was ordered I also decided to order a Bellini which I have occasionally. He informed me they made them with champagne which is a version not recommended but served occasionally at restaurants. My wife wanted one as well, which I did not know, but he was gone before she had a chance to speak up. What arrived was a champagne flute with peach chunks at the bottom and champagne above, and no puree. It was not exactly what I expected nor all that enjoyable. Chose not to order one for her as well. We asked about the cost of their three-course dinner because there was no price listed we were informed $35. We were also told there were items not listed on the menu which we never would have known otherwise. So if you would like their 8 oz prime rib for $29 or 10 oz for $34 you have to ask. We are glad we did because the prime rib was excellent, served with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and seasonal veggies. Service continued to lag to the point where we waved down another gentleman to ask for a water refill and the check, not wanting to wait another 15 minutes or so to be asked if we wanted the check. So the only refills we got were water, as we received the check. Dessert was offered finally as the machine was brought out for us to make payment. Good food, great company, but unacceptable service over a 90 minute meal. Likely a few more years before we consider visiting Carver's again.