Northside Grille: The reviews keep on coming
Dana Craig with the Richmond Times-Dispatch weighed in on North Richmond’s new dining hot-spot:
Sisters Shanan Chambers, a former Sidewalk Café server, and Teresa Delmendo, a former bartender, along with cook Bill Fritts converted a former Bellevue Avenue hardware store into what the e-mail describes as “a neighborhood place — a la Cheers — that families can enjoy.”It’s this that makes Northside Grille stand out from several more established area restaurants. It knows how to keep the big people happy while not forgetting the little ones.
Not all adults want their happy hours pierced by screams of children in need of entertainment. Not all families want their dinners filled with clouds of smoke and booze-laden chatter.
Northside Grille falls right between partying and parenting. The open restaurant’s center is filled with a large, custom-made bar. Its wine list playfully ranks selections from “Good $6″ (Red Diamond Merlot) to “Better $7″ (Sartori Pinot Grigio) to “Best $8″ (Acacia Pinot Noir).
But the back of the restaurant houses a foosball table, a whimsically colored kiddie area and a floor-to-ceiling specials chalkboard, the bottom half covered in children’s doodles.
The place feels so comfortable you almost forget it’s barely been open three months. Of course, there are still some kinks, but this isn’t a place where you mind the occasional wait or order mishap.
outstanding! We’ve needed this for tooo long…welcome to the neighborhood! And long may you stay!
The long awaited Northside Grill contiunues to deliver. They always greet you with a smile and continue to add the best employees which makes all the difference with a new restaurant. The food is consistant and the neighnorhood atmosphere unmatched. Sunday seems to be the way to go. Northside benedict and 2$ Bloody’s and Mamosa’s. That is a way to keep a young neighborhood happy! Now all that is needed is the longer awaited patio and it is official! See you at Northside.
Don’t want to rain on the parade, but my wife and I have eaten at the NSG three times and have found the food to be adequate at best (and I am no food snob) though we’ll chalk it up to growing pains…
That said, I agree with gardner, I love the neighborhood atmosphere and the service. They have been terrific every time we are in there.
We’ll keep coming back and trying new things out.
I will be happy to rain on the parade. Wether it is the overpriced beer, rushed service, or the 4.00 cup of soup, NG never leaves me anthing but wondering “why do I come back”. Every time I order a waitress returns to tell me they are out of it, do not have it, or cannot serve it until 5. I often wonder if northside has a policy of hiring people without restraunt experience, be it in the kitchen or as part of the waitstaff. I always hear people call the food inconsitent, well I can tell you it is consistently bad.