Red Pump Kitchen Reviews

Over all a bit underwhelming. Nice interior and good service. Food was just not great based on price. If I had gotten this at the Olive Garden I would have been happy but was expecting more here.

Excellent food, fablous staff, and great atmosphere!

The chicken parmesan was one of the best I've had. The Porch Swing cocktail is the best I've had and I highly recommend it. No one at the table of 6 had any complaints about their meals or drinks.

Excellent mid day food options. Unique combinations. Very tasty. Dont miss the burrata dish. Will go back.

This place is amazing, and if you want delicious food, amazing presentation, and great service you need to eat here. In my opinion it has some of the best Italian fusion dishes in Charlottesville. Will definitely come back for more.

If you are fickle about fresh/high quality food, go to this restaurant!
Pastas were light and fresh. Salad was delicious! Farm fresh vegetables and herbs make for great flavor!
Server and hostess were warm and welcoming. We enjoyed a delicious meal!

Great atmosphere, excellent service, and delicious food! The waitress said the meatballs were a family recipe from the cook. Cocktails were INCREDIBLE.

My fav spot for quality italian food. It's so tasty. I will be bringing friends next time. The prices are good for what you get. Menu is similar to a restaurant in El Paso I loved.

We went to Red Pump on a Friday evening that was coincidentally after the UVA/VT game in Charlottesville. After a single bottle of wine (shared 3 ways) the server and manager declined to let us order a second bottle of wine and dessert because we apparently looked like we were at the football game (which by the way does not serve alcohol). This is the first restaurant in the world where I ve ever been cut-off from ordering a $100 bottle of wine and dessert just because I was wearing an orange and navy scarf. Spend your money elsewhere as the management and service is embarrassing for Charlottesville.

The most amazing Eggs Benedict I have ever eaten....and outstanding service!

What a great place to eat, meet friends and just hang out and relax. Love the food , Love the bar, the decor-and whatever else you are supposed to like about a restaurant. I am terrible at writing these. You either like the food the service and the place or you don't-period- I have no idea how some comments and reviews can go on and on about meaningless stuff-you either like it or you don't. We like this place-the food-the service and the place itself. Plan to visit many more times.

5th Anniversary dinner disaster... My wife and I made a weekend trip to Charlottesville for our 5th anniversary and booked dinner at Red Pump, a recommendation from a friend. When booking they asked if it was a special occasion. "Why yes, it's our 5th wedding anniversary. Thanks for asking." We showed up way too early but asked that they let us know if anything becomes available as we grabbed a drink across the street. Done with drinks early we headed back to Red Pump 10 min before our reservation time. Still no table ready so we got a bottle of wine at the bar. Despite numerous open tables, a couple check ins with the hostess, and finally a talk with the manager, we were not sat until almost 30 min after our reservation time. The food and atmosphere of the restaurant were nice, can't complain about that. When we got the check the bottle of wine was not included. Not sure if it was a mistake or a nice gesture I asked the waitress. Nope, it was a mistake. We signed the check, still with a modest tip, and left. Never a single mention of our special occasion (Why even ask?). About a block down the street the manager caught up with us to apologize and say he would do something with the check to make it right. He said he meant to stop by our table before we left. It was a very nice gesture and I think he really meant well, my wife teared up a bit. It's been 10 days and I haven't seen any adjustment post so I'm not sure what happened but it's par for the course at this point. We won't go back or recommend Red Pump to any friends.

My husband and I went to Red Pump Kitchen for an early Valentine's date. We were seated in this adorable nook with pillows. We both ordered cocktails, - which were fab, and they waitstaff was super attentive.

My husband has a gluten allergy, and the waiter knew exactly which dishes he could order. He chose the soup (parsnip, I believe) and loved it. I had the Kale salad with the poached egg, and it is probably a new favorite. Stuffed with leafy kale, pistachios, currants (like little raisins) + tasty cheese - super yummy! For our entrees, we had the rock barn pork tenderloin and the steak. Both delicious!

We had the waiter-recommended red wine (decanted - so nice!) - and it was perfectly paired for our meal. We ended the meal with the donuts + salted caramel (I think) + ice cream (hello, amazing!), and my husband had the Creme Fraiche ice cream (he ate the entire thing!) ;-)

Previously, I've also enjoyed the clementine cocktail - so good! The ambiance is lively and welcoming, and the decor is warm and inviting.

All in all, I would absolutely recommend this restaurant for your next outing - especially for a date night or with a group of friends.

Had a great experience here before a concert the other night. Our group of six plus a small child was quickly seated and attended to very well. Many front of house employees checked in is to make sure we were comfortable at the real table by the kitchen. Our food was excellent and everyone was happy. I will return.

Do you want to treat yourself? Try Red Pump. They don't oversell it because they don't have to.

Ok this part is just for Red Pump:
Hey Red Pump (if you are reading this), you're doing good stuff over there. Please make sure none of your tables wobble. Cuz if they wobble I'm gonna wobble them real bad. Not on purpose, I'm a wobbly man.

One of the best meals I have ever had. Both mine and my wife's were delicious. I had the handmade cavatelli and she the skirt steak with tomato butter. Excellent!

Dined outside. Popular beverage choices were unavailable. Extremely slow service. Expensive, small portions. Out of town friends were very disappointed.

The food was great and the service was amazing. The portions were small and I ended up being hungry after, so defiantly get and appetizer if you are very hungry.

Just hit the bar. Service and selection a little lacking.

Loved Salmon my husband ordered, but the roast pork dish I ordered was not what I expected, would not order it again. The Panne Cotta dessert was delicious.

Great food! My fiance and I booked the "Chefs table" on Valentines day and were pleasantly surprised. We arrived a little late but the staff was understanding and accommodated us without hesitation. The atmosphere is exquisite yet comfortable. We highly recommend this place! Service was stellar!

Charming restaurant. Great pizzas to start the meal. Attentive service

We had a wonderful experience here. Kind, efficient service. The drinks were great. Delicious pizza. Thank you guys! An awesome night out.

I go here about once a month for work dinners. I've had mostly good experiences, but a few bad ones that were so bad I'd reconsider going. Great up beat atmosphere. Great wine & cocktail selection, food is a mixed bag. Depending on your taste you may feel like they are doing to much with their dishes. Fairly reasonable prices for what you get.

Small, intimate dining atmosphere, with great food. They have a really interesting cocktail menu.

Incredibly friendly staff, really good food and nice cocktails. I've never been inside because sitting to eat on the patio outside is just so great.

Great menu. Good wine list. Very nice ambiance and wonderful service. We really like the pizzettes.

Was here for a private dinner. Staff were a mix of helpful and not. Appetizers okay. Gnocchi entree was mushy. Not in a hurry to return to this venue which seems to be more about the setting than the cuisine.

italian food and the setting here is better than most. Normally I would have posted a pic but food looked so good I couldn't stop. The staff was very kind and attentive. Prices are fair I would say.

Convenient to my office and big portions. Nice people.

Red Pump has never failed to wow me. The menu options are robust as well are the flavors. Service has always been stellar.

Notably I was hosting a client for business and they stayed 30 minutes longer than normal as to not rush our meal.

Kudos to the team here.

It was a great atmosphere with great service and awesome food! I want to give a special shoutout to our server Hector who provided my wife and I with great service and conversation!

The best meal I've had in Charlottesville and I've been here two weeks. I had a lamb based dish and a dark beer. They have an extensive wine list and knowledgeable staff. Moreover, while a small-time restaurant, they easily accomodated a party of seven with a reservation. #datenight

Excellent meal, quality fresh ingredients, and a top notch staff; very friendly and knowledgeable of their food. Brussel sprouts and meatball starters are yum, the pasta dishes are fantastic.

Recently moved to the area and this is now reigning as my favorite restaurant in town- lovely atmosphere and absolutely Delicious food! 10/10!!!

Atmosphere was nice, a little loud. Slightly overpriced. Service was good!

The drinks were spectacular! I will be requesting Hector for every meal going forward!!

The food was good and our server was awesome. There aren't a ton of options on the menu, but everyone enjoyed what they had.

I would return to Charlestonville just to eat here again, it was that good. We had the NY strip steak and the gnocchi pasta, both wonderful and tasty. You can tell the quality of the ingredients and the care to which they were prepared.

Meatballs were delicious. Food was good but portions on pasta small for my husband. Service was great!

The ambiance is nice. Everything else wasn't. Unimpressive food with rude staff that were aggressive and not friendly at all. The food was just okay...the presentation was awful. We were given a happy hour menu that was not honored because it apparently only applies at the bar. Don't order the lamb. We were disappointed. It certainly didn't live up the the hype.

Wonderful, locally sourced food accompanied by exceptional service. I can't wait to come back!

Our meal was absolutely delicious. My bf and I went on a Sunday night around 7pm. We had a pizette appetizer that had fried egg on it which was amazing. My bf's Cabernet wine was great. And for the main course we had the Red Napper and Gnudi. It was the best meal for the price that we've had in a long time.

Great experience. Made a reso on Open Table for 6:15, and we were seated immediately. Lucky for us it was restaurant week. We had an incredible 3 course meal for $35 a piece.

I opted for the meatballs w/ crostini app, italian meat pizza for my entre (they called it Sarda Pizzette Pomodoro, 'Nduja, Coppa, Fior di Latte, Balsamico)

One of he beat pies I ve ever had. Pizza oven was the real deal, and probably reached over 700 degrees to make that crust! Wood fired oven, and yes it kicked ass.

Finished the meal up with the best tiramisu I ve ever had. Light, delicate, and not overly sweet. Just perfect.

Meatballs were balanced, and had plenty of salt to my liking. Crostini was toasted well, and sucked up the remainder of the San Marzano sauce. Finished with a light dusting of pecorino remain cheese. Beautiful.

Old fashioned cocktail was filled with bourbon and spot on.

Service was fast, friendly, and prompt. Never had an empty glass, water or libations always were filled.

Training on the staff was apparent. They all cross over tables so you didn t wait for water, plates etc. kudos to the brainchild of this place because they care. It shows in all aspects of the business.

One of the best experiences I ve had out in a long time. Bravo!!!

Red Pump Kitchen Management -

Last week, I had dinner with a group of friends at Red Pump Kitchen. We had a 5:45 pm reservation for dinner, and some of our group was delayed in arriving until 5:55 pm. The manager was understanding, and sat us as soon as the six of us were there. We had a great table in the window - it was made up of two four-tops put together, leaving the two seats at the end of the table unoccupied.

We ordered drinks at 6:05, and did not receive them until almost 6:30. When they arrived, it appeared that they may have been sitting for awhile, as none of them appeared freshly poured (cocktails and beer). This was frustrating - the restaurant appeared busy, but certainly not packed. At no point did our server come over to check in to let us know about the delay.

We ordered our dinners and three appetizers, which came out in decent time. While we were eating, a couple we knew passed by the open window outside, saw us, and came in to Red Pump. They came over to say hello, and realizing that the table had two empty seats, asked our server if they could sit and order a drink. He agreed, so they had their drinks while we finished dinner.

Unfortunately, the dinner did not end well - when the time came to pay the bill, there was a great deal of confusion/difficulty resulting from the fact that the server treated the table as an 8-top. The couple who had only drinks had paid their bill and left to get to the concert at the Pavilion (we were all headed there). It took 2 managers 25 minutes to sort out the bill, leaving us frustrated about missing the concert. Why was it so difficult? The original party of six (3 couples) split evenly on credit cards, with the couple (there for a half hour) paying separately. In addition, a gratuity was added because we had become a table of 8, which left us frustrated - our service had not been great, and we were unable to reflect that in the tip. In the end, my husband and I received two bills at the end, leaving us feeling uneasy about the resolution of the bill issues. This all seems like something that would be a routine experience at such a bustling restaurant.

Our experience was negative. Each couple paid over $100 for our dinner, which feels like a lot for a mediocre experience. We are disappointed enough that we will not be returning to Red Pump Kitchen, and will not recommend it, until we have confidence that the service is improved.

Everything we had was good. However, $26 is too pricey for 3oz of salmon.

Fast, friendly service, great food, and decent portions. We came in for brunch and weren't disappointed. We had the eggs benedict but everything looked delicious. They even have a live vegetable garden on the wall.

Great for dinner, Great to meet friends and hang out.We went to Red Pump when it first opened but had not had a chance to return until recently. We liked it before but we all felt it was even better this time around. The place is beautiful, the food is good and the service was excellent. We tried 3 of the appetizers, a pizzette and and 2 entrees and everyone liked all of it. After dinner we were able to sit and hang out and enjoy selections from their wine list. Definitely going back

Not great for large groups. Food was very expensive for not a gourmet restaurant experience.

Had a lovely dinner there with family & the servers are sweet, knowledgeable about their menu & wines and straight-up classy.

Friendly and wonderful staff, delicious food and lovely atmosphere!

Mixed drinks we r awesome and very unique, make sure Brian makes your drink.

Food was cold. My daughters gnocchi were dry and missing brown butter sauce. Server did not know what she was talking about. Been there not an a Saturday night. Service was better and food was hot!

Dinner was great! Chef Lee is very talented. Thank you!

Great service, delicious meal, a little noisy with full restaurant

Amazing upscale Italian restaurant. Great, attentive service. Not a lot on the menu, but what they have is awesomely delicious. Nice atmosphere with dim light. Yummy cocktails.

Great food and staff. Had the rehearsal dinner for my wedding here and everyone was super helpful and accommodating.

Rainy day anniversary that became one of our favorites with amazing food and the best service ever! Thanks TC and Hecter. Will be back as soon as possible!

We ordered the chef's menu and it was fantastic! It rivals the Clifton Inn. We highly recommend this for a special occasion!!

overpriced food They took so long to bring food ! steak was so dry And little!