Nota Bene Restaurant & Bar
| Address: | 2110 E Main St, Richmond, VA 23223, USA |
| Phone: | +1 804-477-3355 |
| Site: | notabenerva.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | Closed 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–10PM 5–9PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 10
LA
Laura Sebera
It was very busy, but we were seated right away. The waitress informed us when she gave us our menus that they were "out" of pizza because they had been overwhelmed by orders. Okay, thats fine; I wanted pasta anyway. I was underwhelmed with the menu (fewer choices than I expected--the alcohol lists appeared longer than the actual dinner offerings, minus the dessert menu--and it seemed overpriced), but I found something that sounded great nonetheless. We ordered an appetizer (bread and olive oil... for $3?), which was brought fairly quickly. The bread was good, but not worth $3, since the portion was about the size of my boyfriends fist, and it would have been nice to have some herbs or something to mix with the olive oil. However, it was a good thing we ordered the bread, because we then waited more than an hour and fifteen minutes for our food. In that time, the waitress only came to check on us once to see if my boyfriend wanted another beer. After that, no one during the wait asked if we wanted more water, if we maybe needed anything else, etc. A different server (not our waitress) did come and remove the bread basket when we were done. Around 10 minutes before our food came (that would be about an hour after placing our order, and at least 40-45 minutes since the last time anyone checked on us), a woman--Im assuming the manager--came and apologized for the wait, explaining that due to the kitchen "running out of pizza" (which is odd, because several tables got pizza after we arrived), the kitchen had been overwhelmed by orders for pasta. First, this sounds like a cop out; if you run out of one dish, it shouldnt affect the time it takes to make another. Second, we would have been more understanding of the situation if someone had explained this to us sooner--not an hour after we placed our order--or even if someone had come back to check on us more than once. My boyfriend and I had decided to leave if the food hadnt arrived by 9:30 pm; I had even begun to get my things together when the food arrived at 9:24 (I know, because I checked the time). The food was good, but not wait-75-minutes-to-get-it good, and the portions were small for the price (wild mushroom pappardelle was $17! More than the torchio pork ragu--$16--which had meat). In addition to all of these issues, while waiting on the "appetizer," I realized that I had missed a phone call from the hospital due to the noise level; I had to go outside to return the call because it was hard to hear someone sitting across from you, let alone someone on the phone. The staff cant really help that, of course, but the acoustics in the space are horrible and it didnt help that they had EDM or something blaring over the speakers, just in case the noise dropped to an acceptable level. In fairness, they did try to make things right by taking one of the meals off our ticket without us asking, but by this time we were annoyed and frustrated, we were much later getting to the hospital than we intended to be, and we were very displeased with the service and the whole experience. Im willing to overlook a lot of things, but this was just a disaster. Im giving a two star rating instead of just one star due to the food being decent and the manager at least trying to make it right in the end.
AN
Andrew Inge
Great food and service. Fig and pig is the greatest. Serving sizes were good on everything we got, so I dont know what the other reviews are talking about. Also, this type of pizza is supposed to be charred on the crust in spots, so the review that complained about it being burnt is silly. Its not like it tastes like burnt food. If you dont like Neapolitan style pizza, thats fine, but some black spots is not a cooking error, it happens everywhere. Be worried if there ARENT black spots. Marinated anchovies were great, and the warm bread you can order is perfect with it. Squid ink pasta with crab was also really good. Weve been a few times and are never disappointed. Beer selection is good and local, too. Hardywood, Ardent, Boulevard, Stone, and a few others. Wine is a little pricey, but you can do the wine flight for $12 that gets you somewhere around 2 glasses if not a little more. Good deal. Also the feel inside is great. Dark wood and brick all around, which we like. Okay I think thats all, bye.
NA
Naana Kessie
I wish I could rate this place a zero. I went here for the date with a friend this past tuesday (June 27), had a horrible experience. We have never been DISRESPECTED like that!!! Our server didnt mention his name and didnt explain to us the wine menu until we asked him. He kept making weird gestures at us and wasnt very attentive to our table. As my friend and I left, our server followed us outside. He told us we acted like teenagers and our a whole demeanor showed him that. Mind you, my friend and I are in our mid 20s. He continued to lecture us and ended by using profanity. He was EXTREMELY DISRESPECTFUL!!! My friend and I immediately went back inside and demanded to speak to the manager. We not be returning to this establishment.
DA
David B.
Paid $15 for a pizza to go. Got home and was severely unimpressed. For that price I expected it to not only be good, but also be pretty filling. The pizza was fairly small, like 8", very thin, and almost all sauce with hardly any cheese. This is only my second restaurant review ever, but I was so upset at how much I spent for something so severely unimpressive.
SA
Samuel Davis
Potential, but tiny portions. For $16 I got a serving of pasta carbonara that would have made a good sized side with a main course. Too small for the price and to be the main course with no sides. I will say the flavor and quality of the food was good, but not as good as other Italian in Richmond such as Edos which is also cheaper for a better portion size.
MA
Mark Braithwaite
I know this restaurant is in its early stages so it will probably take some time to get better. Wait staff was nice and its a great environment. The problem was the food. We ordered two pizzas and both were lacking in toppings and flavorless. The crust was also burnt on both. Hopefully they can work out the quirks and revamp the menu. Best of luck to them.
BO
Borden Edgerton
3 entrees. 3 apps. 4 people. 4 clean plates. Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom Nom
LA
Laura Morris
Amazing service, great bar, and fabulous food. They offer great variety from pizzas to pastas to fabulous entrees (steak, osso buco, and more). To the person that said they were flavorless, I seriously wonder what place he stepped in as that one review is as far from Nota Bene as possible.
BE
Beverly Dreyer
Wonderful Friday night date night with my wonderful husband. From the aperitif to the arugla strawberry salad, lamb and beef meatballs to the pig and fig pizza and to finalize with almond chocolate cake paired with ameretto and specialty drinks in between. I cant say enough. Magnifico!
WI
Wilson Mourino
Walked right in and got a seat. Wonderful couples deals and I spent less than $60 with tip for a lovely night with my sister. Great wine selection, but go during the weekdays. The weekends are overbooked.
