ACACIA midtown

"This was our second experience at Acacia. Our first was much better, which is why we returned. This time, we were seated at a tiny table next to a bookcase, with zero arm room and extremely close to the table next to us. My friend hit her elbow 3 times on the bookcase in the first 5 minutes we were there. Given that this is supposed to be an upscale restaurant, there shouldn't be a bad table in the place. We asked if we could be moved anywhere else, but were told "no" by the owner, with no apologies. The first drink we ordered was extremely bitter even though there was nothing in the description that would indicate why. We were never asked how we liked our drinks, so we just did our best to drink them so we could order something better. The red pepper soup was okay, nothing special. My friend enjoyed her fried green tomatoes. But, my Caesar salad was not very good. I wish they had mentioned that the dressing had anchovies in it. It was terrible, so I just had to eat a dry salad since the waiter didn't come around much and it was impossible to get his attention. I was also a bit put off by the fact that I had to pay $8 for bread which I felt should have come with the soup or the salad, at least a piece would have been appropriate, especially since there were no croutons on the salad (which is typically part of a Caesar salad). We ordered a second drink hoping to get something better than the first. It came with overflowing ice (a good way to make the drink volume less). There was so much ice that we both had to remove the extra ice with our fingers and put it on a plate in order to drink it without the ice falling out. My friend's fingers were wet from having to handle the ice, so when she picked up her drink to take the first sip, it slipped out of her hand and spilled all over the table. When the waiter finally came around, she told him what happened. He never offered an apology or to get her a replacement and came back with napkins that he handed to us to clean up the drink. Seems like that should have been his job. Regardless, when we got our check, there was already an 18% tip included, so it's no mystery why the service wasn't that great. I don't foresee us returning again."

"So SERVICE was fantastic. Staff wonderful and our table server Mike was top notch! Nice small restaurant. Sadly, the food was underwhelming. I love a good fish taco and try them when I'm at a new restaurant to know if I have a great new spot for this favorite. The fish taco was bland. Maybe there was supposed to be some wonderful spicy/ interesting sauce that somebody forgot to put on it?? But it was extremely plain. I was going to ask for some hot sauce but for some reason I had a feeling the chef might have not been happy if I asked for seasonings. Lol. And that's not from any knowledge just it was never offered or asked if any extras were needed. The fries were delightful though. Crispy and salty and there was a side of ketchup, whew. So from my experience, go for the absolutely fantastic staff and have a drink. Hopefully you will find the food fabulous, but it just wasn't my experience."

"Wonderful meal. I had fried shrimp as an appetizer - delicious sauce and coleslaw accompanied the 5 lightly breaded, toasty shrimp. Not overcooked and plump. The entree was roasted cauliflower, puree, basil oil, and three large perfectly seared sea scallops. So mouthwatering! Dessert was a deconstructed dark chocolate torte. Rich and heavenly! Lots of parking spaces but they fill up really quickly (6-7 timeframe). Service was quick and professional. Hostesses were very welcoming and helpful. Friendly bar service - very nice Riesling offered."

"The half grilled chicken with macaroni and cheese was absolutely incredible!! Laurel was an incredible waitress and knew if we needed something before we knew! 10 stars!"

"Welcome back! I missed you!! always one of my favorite culinary experiences in Richmond. It’s so sad to see them go. Well they are back and with a lot of improvements on the menu. Highly recommend coming to the new and improved Acacia. I had fried oysters, baked oysters, and the rockfish. And of course the crabcake, which is even more improved, which I don’t know how it’s possible. Can’t wait to go back."