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what-the-what24 t1_j66yg0h wrote

It all depends on where you grew up, what you ordered, and how desperate you are given other options for Italian in RVA. If you choose wisely and stick to the basics when you order, it’s good. If you ordered sausage & spinach orecchiette, I’m sorry for your loss.

Edit: I have a Sicilian grandfather, was born and raised in Baltimore, and moved here after living in New Jersey, where my parents live today. Suffice it to say, I’m desperate for good Italian.

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theboyfromphl t1_j671izi wrote

Went last year for the first time and never went back since. Not good quality service either for the dinner price tag.

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SwearWordShow t1_j673sge wrote

Since Robin Inn closed they might have the title now

8

ktj46 t1_j67g0q0 wrote

I don’t know bro, Italian food is an acquired taste! 😉

−1

804RVALove t1_j67mqdf wrote

Biggest waste of money ever. Went once and that was enough for me. I lived in SF and I was super excited about the atmosphere as the packed restaurant and noise level reminded me of my favorite places in SF, but the food was overpriced crap. Small portions, slow, and sloppy service. No thanks.

ETA: I usually give a place a second try in case they were having an off night, but I wasn’t getting that kind of vibe from them.

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Swrdmn OP t1_j67ncko wrote

Replying to gamerthrowaway_ (#1,545,623)

No it’s not. Ordered the black linguine and they didn’t even get the shape of pasta right. The veal parm was garbage. It was legit just bland tomatoes on top of store bought pasta.

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nightopian t1_j67wu2h wrote

Got it take out (I know) and never thought to return

4

Jon_hamm_wallet t1_j683pcc wrote

Wow.....we also went last night and all of our food was great. Granted we just got apps, but we were super happy with everything we tried.

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RichmondTransplant t1_j684qxr wrote

Easily the worst for the $$. We thought the bill was wrong it was so high. And the food was nothing special at all.

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TehSnaek t1_j684ud4 wrote

Actually one of my favorite restaurants in Richmond. Black Salt Cesar is delicious, and Lemon pasta add fresh ricotta is worth all my money.

They are obviously doing something right if they are able to open a second Richmond location.

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TehSnaek t1_j685lcw wrote

A chain and a local restaurant are just not comparable. I’m not here to say that you have to like Gersi, but I think it’s harsh to say worst italian in Richmond.

1

Swrdmn OP t1_j685zez wrote

Replying to TehSnaek (#1,550,638)

So I’m judging the food, quality of service, price point of the menu, and atmosphere. And overall, Gersi is a worse experience than driving to Short Pump to eat at Maggiano’s. The fact that one is a chain and the other is not makes no difference.

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Ew_fine t1_j687w71 wrote

Atmosphere is lovely. Appetizers were good, pasta was watery and tasteless. I couldn’t finish mine.

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beeegs39 t1_j68932r wrote

I’ve had some good meals there and some subpar ones. $36 for veal parm is outrageous though. At most a $25 dish.

4

blackmamba1221 t1_j6896tq wrote

Replying to Swrdmn (#1,550,609)

no one goes to subway because it has the best subs. You go because it's cheap and convenient. They have that many stores because they are cheap to run and make money. The poster is correct in the sense that usually a non franchise won't open a second location unless they are making money at the first location, so yes they must be doing something right

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Mr_Kittlesworth t1_j68a695 wrote

Compared to Edos or Bacchus or La Grotta it’s just mediocre. And a higher price point.

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Hobartacus t1_j68ak0x wrote

My wife went a while back and thought the food was OKAY, but her group got pushed out the door after paying despite still finishing desserts and drinks etc. Thought they were pretty rude and not worth the money.

14

djeeetyet t1_j68da0i wrote

Replying to blackmamba1221 (#1,551,264)

financial success for a restaurant means they are doing the right things to make money and only part of it is making great food. the end product is ok but not phenomenal. i grew up in North Jersey and literally 95% of the Sopranos was filmed within a 30 mile radius of my hometown and a lot of it like 15 minutes away. i thus ate a ton of Italian food growing up given the demographics, all from local joints, and it was all better than Gersi.

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u-turnsonthehighway t1_j68i5w8 wrote

I went once and got the bruschetta, roast chicken and panna cotta and loved it ! haven’t tried anything else so maybe everything else is bad but i enjoyed my time there

7

thegreatmachine21 t1_j68itog wrote

Been a couple times and everyone enjoyed their meals all around. Surprised by all the hate flowing here.

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khuldrim t1_j68kne7 wrote

Replying to freetimerva (#1,553,167)

It’s a horrible picture and they have eaten some large portion of it. You’d think if you were disapppijnted with what you were served you’d take the pic right after it was given to you not after you ate a large bit of it and did who knows what to the rest.

4

RVAPerson01 t1_j68lyrc wrote

Grew up in NYC, first gen Italian family, go to a Italy quite a bit, particularly southern and Sicily, for several month a year…so I think I kinda of an a decent judge of this type of food..the ambiance is def red sauce Brooklyn vibe but that’s where it ends.. they brought us bread..after we had to ask.. and it was not just cold..it felt like it was in early stage defrost..one pasta dish was fine, the other terrible..the food reminded me of one of those awful tourist places in what’s left of little Italy.but at least there the service was decent. For sure better places in RVA for Italian

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BoxedRats t1_j68mi6a wrote

We arrived over an hour before closing and they rushed us out during a business dinner. Really rude servers. Will never go back and don’t get the hype

3

SonicBoris t1_j68mpqb wrote

Did they get a new staff that sucks? I went there a year ago on a whim. We had excellent service when eating at the bar, and the single entree we ordered to split was plenty of food for two people. Hell, I even remember texting a friend while I was there that we should eat there next time we hang out. My only trip was the prices.

There has to be a new staff or something. I can tell from the photo in this thread that whoever is ordering the ingredients is doing some serious cost-cutting, and that BOH doesn’t seem to gaf.

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1905band t1_j68n5km wrote

Richmond has a small handful of pretty solid Italian spots. Gersi isn’t one of them. Those small handful, dear to my heart as they are, don’t hold a candle to northeastern US Italian food. But then again of course they don’t, why would they?

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goodsam2 t1_j68nn3k wrote

I live not that far from it and the website talked about reservations so I only went last year before for Valentine's day stuff at noon and man it wasn't that good.

It's wild they are affiliated with a Gersi in like Brooklyn but I was disappointed.

Back to Edo's or maybe sprezza.

2

Northside_Newf t1_j68rvu4 wrote

Huh, I’m surprised at all the hate. I’ve thought it was good as hell every time I’ve been there.

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markerfive t1_j68v5nl wrote

We've generally enjoyed our meals at Gersi - great pasta and salads. We did have one issue with under-cooked pasta, but they made it right. (Not sure how a restaurant that focuses on pasta can under-cook it...) If I were to complain, it would be about the service and not the food.

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jodot_ho t1_j68xvsn wrote

Go to Arianna's Italian restaurant and pizzeria instead

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augie_wartooth t1_j691k7q wrote

Replying to Charlesinrichmond (#1,555,983)

See, this is my issue with that place! I’m glad so many people like it and have good experiences, nice to see a business succeed, etc. I just always want to tell people the other perspective on that place because there are better options.

1

Charlesinrichmond t1_j696vpn wrote

Replying to augie_wartooth (#1,556,240)

I hear you. And I'm worried now it's a trend, not a one off. I think the problem is that Chris Fultz is really good, but has an architecture firm to run.

This last bit was no better than I make myself, and maybe not as good. I do ok brisket, but I'd rather buy really good brisket.

Is there anyone else in Richmond though? I've had no better

1

twelvesteprevenge t1_j69g0n4 wrote

Their new place, Uliveto, is exactly the same. Apps were okay, pasta entree was incredibly bland, service was poor, and they are trying to juice as many seats as they can out of that tiny ass space. I ate with my elbow in somebody’s armpit the whole time. I could smell dude’s hair gel he was so close. Such a stunningly poor value but damned if there wasn’t a line of suburban housewives out the door.

1

1905band t1_j6a926q wrote

Replying to atl_bowling_swedes (#1,560,856)

Dinamo, Edo’s, Bacchus, 8 1/2. RIP Mama Zu’s, although I’ve heard exciting rumors of plans for that space. Haven’t been to Lost Letter or Sprezza yet but they look worth a try. But they’re good in the context of a small Southern city. Compared against like, the North End or Baltimore’s Little Italy or any other regional Italian powerhouse they’re just not gonna stack up.

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Reasonable_Body7661 t1_j6ac9uv wrote

I’ve been 3 times. I don’t get what the fuss is about. It’s super basic and overpriced.

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gordonglover t1_j6aeaxj wrote

After going to gersi and feeling the same thing you did, I went on a journey to find the best Italian. My search resulted in every recommendation was just fine and the best Italian is olive garden.

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selfdiagnoseddeath t1_j6aj0n2 wrote

I am a career waiter and bartender and I'm here to say thay no matter where you dine, it is my assumption that if you are in anyway dissatisfied with a dish then you are under no obligation to pay for it unless you finish it.

However, It is still expected that you tip on the original cost of the food you were served, does that make sense?

If you do find yourself in a situation where you feel like the food isn't good enough for the cost then you should do this.

Stop eating the dish(es) and request from your waiter the manager. Tell the manager on duty that you appreciate the restaurants attempt to muse you with their cuisine but you are displeased with an offending item(s).

What they should do then is remove the items from the table and subsequently your bill.

Service may continue if you like.

Importantly, remember the items comped from your bill were still served to you and because of that you should still tip accordingly, based on the total of the order that you originally placed.

I hope that makes sense, have fun in Richmond dining because it is so important that we all have a good time with friends and family in hospitality settings.

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tpasmall t1_j6akrcy wrote

Never had an issue with Gersi, there are plenty of places that are significantly worse though

1

RVA-Jade t1_j6cn9cd wrote

I got the chicken parm but subbed the red sauce on the pasta for lemon at the recommendation of the server and it was great. My favorite Italian in Richmond is still Angela’s on ridge.

1

804RVALove t1_j6cxrip wrote

Replying to tylernicole86 (#1,557,915)

I don’t know if it’s because of the differences in cities or just the post-Covid environment, but I haven’t really yet. SF has this energy that I haven’t been able to find elsewhere. I did make a recent trip back to SF and some places were still popping with locals, but others were still pretty quiet. SF is still somewhat in a face-mask and isolation situation, though.

Yaya’s Cookbook is probably the only place I get that SF vibe… slightly.

1

a_real_tomato t1_j6emgg7 wrote

Replying to selfdiagnoseddeath (#1,564,806)

I completely disagree. You are trying a chef's product and it's completely subjective; you are not guaranteed to like it. You're taking a risk. If something is genuinely wrong with the food -- it's tastes off, it's way too salty, it's the wrong dish, it smells bad, it's cold, etc, that's different. You just "don't like it"? No.

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sevenbee t1_j6eppo3 wrote

Bar none the most overrated restaurant in the city right now. Spent $120 on mediocre pasta and a salty salad - ended up going to Joes to finish the night because we were still hungry.

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selfdiagnoseddeath t1_j6fdny8 wrote

Replying to a_real_tomato (#1,589,542)

That's fair, you're definitely entitled to believe that but in my experience I myself and other manager's who I've had the pleasure to work with have reserved the right to comp a dishes or dishes for this reason as well.

Source: am career food and beverage service professional with expertise in fine dining.

0

moni_bk t1_j6g3rfz wrote

Worst Italian i have had. I like al dente pasta,. But this was just plain undercooked crunchy pasta. I didn't finish mine either.

1