The Blue Goat

I was out with my boyfriend and my dog and we had to find a dog-friendly restaurant for dinner. The Blue Goat allows dogs on their patio and were really accommodating--our server even brought out a water bowl for him!

We started with the pimento tots which were really crispy and quite addicting. We also got an order of their chicken wings with hot sauce which came out super hot and still had really crispy skin which we really enjoyed.

As for our main, we decided to split the shrimp and andouille pizza. The crust of the pizza was nice and crispy with a good amount of chew to it. The pizza had a lot of ricotta which I enjoyed, but my boyfriend wasn't too keen on the texture and would have preferred less. I think the sausage would have stood alone just fine without the shrimp. The shrimp was in bits and would have been better had they been kept whole.

We ended with their cheesecake with buttermilk ice cream. The flavor of the cheesecake was pretty standard but it had a nice smooth and creamy texture. The buttermilk ice cream was really refreshing and tasted like the plain frozen yogurt flavor at sweet frogs.

The atmosphere was calm and relaxing even with a party gathering near the bar.

The staff was friendly.

I ordered the chicken and waffles which was good but not great. Some more sauce or syrup would have helped since it got a little dry.

The menu selections were good but I did find anything in the end to rave about.

If you are catching a movie at the Hamoton, a nice stop for dinner.

Good just not great.

This restaurant makes me think of this random Saved by the Bell quote:

"Hi I'm AC Slater. The AC stands for absolutely charmed."

AC is exactly how I feel about the Blue Goat.

Everything about my brunch at the Blue Goat was stupendous -- from the food, to the service, to the cute old-timey antique bathrooms complete with hanging chain flusher.
Mimosas are light on oj and high in champagne. The french toast with elderflower honey and blackberry compote was THE most amazing french toast I have EVER had -- the only way to explain it's taste is NOMNOMNOMNOM. Our server was friendly, attentive and helpful in explaining all of the menu options to us. I can't wait to come back for dinner and try their famous pate!

Came here for Restaurant Week with a friend. It was such a nice day that we decided to sit outdoors, so I didn't really get a good look at the restaurant's interior, but memorable items included some T-shirts displayed on a shelf behind the hostess and a small, stuffed animal blue goat. There seemed to be quite a few booths/tables indoor, as well as interesting paintings on the wall.

Our server was very friendly and attentive, making the trek outside to check on us periodically. He was very patient with us after we took forever looking at the menus to decide what to order, and my friend Eveline and I also had a lot to catch up on, so we dragged our meal on to about two hours long. In the end, we realized two hours had passed by already (we had plans to catch the 9:30PM showing of The Grand Budapest Hotel next door), so we rushed inside to get our check and pay, for which our waiter was very understanding and accommodating.

The food itself was great! What stood out to me the most was the stunning presentation. Portions were on the smaller side, but the quality was phenomenal. Everything tasted very fresh and flavorful, and nothing was exceedingly heavy. My three-course meal consisted of vegetable consome, duck breast, and pineapple upside-down cake. See attached photos.

All in all, delicious and a pleasant dining experience.

We had dinner there last night, party of 9, at the Chef's table. Our reservations were at 6:00. We had an OK experience, which is why I'm only giving 3 stars. It felt like we were being hurried through the whole meal. We found out that they had another reservation in that room at 8:00. Whenever you have more than 6 people, you can almost guarantee a 3 hour meal. This was a family gathering and we didn't feel we could linger. The waitress talked very fast, rambled through the specials so quickly, we had to have her repeat them. The food came out really fast.

The food was OK too, nothing really stood out. I had the Bistro Steak. It was flank steak that should have been sliced very thin before it was brought out. The steak knives they provided could not slice the meat very thin and it was difficult to try and slice. Others at the table tried different things, like the blackened catfish, NY Steak, soft shell crab, chicken and waffles...again, nothing wowed anyone.

The Chef's table is nice and it can be closed off from the rest of the restaurant, so it is good for a larger group to converse.

Warning: this is not for their food, as we only had an appetizer (crab dip, which was tasty but nothing to write home).

I had a great time having drinks with friends at The Blue Goat! The drinks were VERY good! I tried their version of a blueberry mojito that was very refreshing with just the right amount of each ingredient to ensure one flavor did not overpower another. The ambiance was also very pleasing! The customer service was excellent, and we even had a small conversation with the owner who was out conversing and having a good time at the bar with his patrons, which is always a nice touch. I will definitely go back and try their food so that I am able to update my review.

Was very excited upon entering this beautiful location. Then I saw the beer draft menu with a beer flight and my wife and I actually said this place is getting 5 stars.

Then came the service, or lack there of. We were always looking for our waitress. Beers once ordered were slow to be delivered, emptied and awaiting our waiter to be refreshed.

Food was delivered as ordered, all 8 of our meals were correct and underwhelming. I ordered the bistro steak with sweet potato gnocchi. Steak temperature was correct but lacked flavor. Sweet potato gnocchi was dry.

Meals were consumed, no desert menu was offered. We waited a long time for our waiter to come check on us so we could get our checks.

This was my first time here and man was I missing out. This place is great, the staff was very nice and the food was excellent.

This is Friday night and most places in Richmond are crowded but we got a seat right away in the bar area at one of the tables. The bar was pretty packed and happy hour had already passed. But it wasn't too noisy. It was a comfortable atmosphere.

We got fried oysters to share and I got the crab cake sandwich with fries. It was soooo good. And to my happy surprise the fries were Parmesan fries. Yum. The crab cake wasn't bready, it was a good size and seasoned very well. I definitely enjoyed my dinner and was very satisfied. I wanted to try the desert (pumpkin creme brûlée which supported breast cancer month) but I couldn't eat another thing. I will have to go back soon.

What a treat. I am in love with the Blue Goat!
My first time here was dinner, and the decor and style won me over right away. My bf and I had the rabbit pate (Yum! with sprouts and a drizzle of balsamic, definitely my fave), forest mushroom ragout, and silky smooth potato soup. The second time I came for Sunday brunch and had their delicious french toast with elderflower honey and blackberry compote, strawberry mimosas and the goat cheese fritatta.

Everything is made so splendidly, the slightly higher cost is completely understandable. The bread and honey (?) butter is splendid. The servers are charming. There's a parking lot behind the building. What I love most about this gastropub is its heavy support of local farmers and using all parts of an animal. I love this place so much I want to lie and tell you that its terrible so you won't come here and I will always get a table and a parking spot.

I love the decor, seating, look and feel of this restaurant. It's basically a hip fan restaurant but not in the fan. It's located on Libby close to U of R. The parking situation is also ideal because they have a whole lot in the back for those that aren't into parallel parking.

I loved the beer selection and they had a speciality cocktail list but it didn't quite make sense. My friends ordered a drink named after a Willy Wonka character that was really good but I just didn't get how the name went with the restaurant.

We also ordered 3 appetizers to share. All of them were good but nothing exceptional and all that different than anything I've had before. We tried the macaroni and cheese, tot-chos(loaded tator tots and the barbeque on top was YUMMY), and crab dip. I look forward to going back for a full dinner to really give the menu a decent shot. This place definitely has potential and I know a lot of people that LOVE it!