The Lilly Pad Reviews

It was a Nice Experience. Sat on water enjoying a Cocktail while waiting on table..Very Busy..But it was all good..
There doing a Good Job.

Great place to enjoy the James River. You cannot count on them being open , this is the best way to kill a business.
UPDATE: Under new management and this place is rockin!! Food is great and the service has improved dramatically! Dependable hours now

We were disappointed they had 86'd lots on the menu... but I ended up with the cheeseburger and a biege miata ... well two ... great weather, service, views and food!

Food and service is great! I like to stop in when I'm out on the river boating.

Cool fun spot for drinks and awesome crab dip on the rivah!

Get drunk next to a river. Oh and the food is much better than you would expect a little dive (affectionately) to have.

Delicious food, lovely staff, beautiful views. A real Richmond secret, so don't tell anyone

Great place to go hang out not crowded outside on the water. Food was amazing

This isn't your father's Lilly Pad. Same location but a completely redesigned space. Everything that made it a dive is gone: chain link fence, gravel ground cover and, yes, the gondola booths. In their place is a restaurant worthy of the view. Servers who know what they're doing, food and drinks that come out in a timely fashion, food quality and breadth that is far above what it was. This is a gem on the river you don't want to miss. Never thought I'd say that about the Lilly Pad.

Great experience. Beautiful environment, delicious meals.

My wife and I tried this place for the first time today. We were unsure walking up to it, but it is fun inside, has a great outdoor seating area, and their people are very friendly.
We had a couple sandwiches (the bernie and fish/cod) , and were very impressed with the food and the drink specials.
We will definitely be back!

Great food, great atmosphere along the river front. I just wanted a snack while waiting for my son. I ordered calamari, which was perfectly done. I hear they have a wonderful wood fired oven pizza. I loved the tables on the marina docks and the special seating choices. Lots of free parking. Thumbs up!!

Not from this part of the country, but stopped here off of the river and this place is awesome, great atmosphere and great priced beer. Next time I'll be sure to grab something to eat.

Thursday night is pasta night. Eggplant parm. was awsome. Good drinks, cold beer and great crab legs. I usually go by boat and sometime by bike. Friendly little place. Great biker stop.

My experience of Lilly pad was an absolute delight. From the openness of the patio to the refreshing drinks and environment I really enjoyed my visit of the Lilly pad. Food was really enjoyable and fairly priced, I love this little place on the water which I will invite my friends and family to; Absolutely. Can't wait to be back.
Thank you

BBQ Pizza had great flavor and ambiance was great. There are a few things they could improve and I sent those suggestions to them privately which I wish more people would do.

Can t say enough good things about this place. The staff is always so nice and the food is always *chefs kiss* also.. the view. It literally feels like you re not even in Richmond when you re here! Pretty much gonna spend the whole summer here drinking yummy cocktails and eating crab legs.

My boyfriend and I have been here a couple of times. We went for a beer (who doesn t love buckets of beer on the water?) but came back for the food. It s SO good. The shrimp & pepperoni pizzas, burgers, bbq sandwich, chicken tenders All delicious. This place is such a hidden gem, go & go SOON! Huge covered & heated patio, dog friendly & great staff.

Nice little spot down by the James River for food and drinks. The new renovations look great!!

Went for an early brunch on a Sunday...The hangover burger was THE BEST! Can't wait to go back again.

PBR in a bucket of ice. Now that's somethin to write home about!

This was our first visit......won't be our last!!
The location is right on the water......beautiful view. There was plenty of outside seating. The staff was fun and friendly and the burgers were amazing!! They were perfectly grilled.....cooked but still juicy......and the french fries were hot and crunchy!!
I highly recommend The Lilly Pad!!

Love this place it s absolutely a go-to. Was amazing before and now even better with the redone outdoor area. Awesome atmosphere right on the river. The shrimp basket fried or peel is on point every time.

Great drinks...great food...just waiting on the band to start

Awesome Service....And Great food, Cheese Burger is really good!

You have no idea how much difference a year can make. If you came here before 2020 then you've never been to The Lilly Pad before. The service, the food, and drinks are better than any previous incantation of this restaurant. Do yourself a favor and stop by and beat COVID for a dinner out.

Great atmosphere, great service and yummy food!!!! Cant wait to go back!

Very nice spot by the water. Good specialty drinks. Friendly staff and good atmosphere, stop by if you're around that way or miss out

Great food, comfortable, friendly atmosphere. Live music on weekends. Outdoor seating. On the James River.

Wow!!! That's the easiest way to summarize my experience at this new richmond landmark. I say "new" because you wouldn't even recognize the current version from what it used to be.... went from a hole in the wall dive to a truly remarkable experience. Max and Karen are personal friends of mine, so I could've reviewed anytime just to say nice things, but I wanted to wait until I actually went down and ate their, which I did this past Saturday (which was delayed because of covid) Speaking of covid, they do a great job of spacing things out for your safety, and masks are mandatory, when not eating or drinking!! Thank you guys for creating this destination location, you'll be seeing me often!!

Been driving 3 hours from NC arrived, host would not seat us because 2 people in our party were not there. Our party was only a four top and a child. Tables open every where zero hospitality, and there was no one waiting for a table. The rest of our party was five minutes out. Still can t wrap my mind around why we couldn t sit and at least get cocktails. We will never return and we won t hesitate to pass this experience around to all our friends and business associates.

Absolutely wonderful. Calamari is the BEST I've ever had and the dock is the place to be in Richmond. Imma tellin erbodys bout this place.

Thanks for the bubbles for the kids, everyone had a blast tonight!

Been going to the Lilly Pad for over 10yrs it was always a nice quiet place to go outdoors by the water to have a drink and good food. The remodel and revamp to the menu is amazing. Enjoy

Won't give the establishment a 1 star on the premise that I never got to try their food. You better have a decent chunk of time to spend trying to eat here: it was about an hour and 15 min wait to be sat for a table, followed by another 15 min wait before we decided to leave because it didn't seem like the staff cared. The sad part is it's such a drive to get here I wouldn't try coming again because of the first experience that I didn't really get to have. So, unless you have 2+ hours to spend waiting and eating don't bother.

My husband and I have been here 3 times so far, we just went a few days ago it was nice and empty because it was later in the evening as soon as we walked up the waitress greeted us as soon as we picked where we wanted to sit at she came right over and turned the heater on.. had excellent customer service and was fast pace with ordering and bringing our food..btw the food is amazing I have never tasted chicken tenders as good anywhere else like here my husband loved his pizza...so far the last three times we ve been here has been great service and great food especially when the sunset is nice the set up of the restaurant is very nice.. great atmosphere especially if your wanting a nice romantic dinner.. a little pricy but overall would highly recommend and great food with good customer service.

Gary the goose gave me a peck but I had a wonderful time. It is very cozy and beautiful to sit by the fire pits on a cold winter's night.

Great food and service! Love this place. Pizza is literally fire, be careful.

This place is the best kept secret in Richmond! Located 10 minutes from the city in Varina on the James by the Osborne landing boat launch. It's a fan favorite! Awesome food, the best crab legs and salads. Reasonably priced cocktails and beer. You get to dine outside on a former boat launch next to a marina, or if the weather's bad you can dine inside and enjoy the electic interior. On weekends in the summer they have live music in the afternoon. Beautiful sunset too! I can't wait to go back!

It is the closest thing to Key West, Florida in Virginia. The attitude there is a close easy going match. The food, drinks and service were on target. Snivelers would be as welcome there as in Key West. We can t wait to return on a live music night !

Good service friendly ppl .. 5 out of 5.... bring ur bank book prices are high

Took forever to get my tuna sandwich. But it was good. The waitress even apologized for the wait

Good food. Sat outside,was hot and you could smell everyone smoking. Liked the scenery and food. Would recommend.

Finally checked Lily Pad out tonight for the first time, with my boyfriend and a few of our friends. Let me summarize this establishment in one word: phenomenal.

Atmosphere - phenomenal
Service - phenomenal (even on a busy night)
Salmon - phenomenal
Burgers - phenomenal
Crab dip and calamari - phenomenal
Drinks - phenomenal

We all left with smiles on our faces and lighter hearts. This is definitely going to be our new RVA summer spot. Just go!

Great service. The bartender Kirsten is smokin hot and on point.

We usually love coming here! But lately they haven t been on their game. We waited over an hour and half for a table after being told we couldn t sit with our party because they did reserve another table. The food took forever to come and we waited almost 30 minutes between drinks.

fav spot in my hometown of varina ! can t wait to visit again this summer to see all the remodeling. this place is so peaceful, it even relaxes my high-strung self. absolutely love everything about this place especially the people, food and scenery

Great locals spot on the River with public busy ramp next door and small marina right there! Basic liquor, good canned beer selection, limited but great food menu! They just hosted a wedding for my brother, had a blast. Kendra and the rest of the staff are top notch! Don't expect fancy, expect fun!

Nothing But Great Things To Say About The Lily Pad. Beautiful Location, Beautiful Staff, And Beautiful Ambiance. Great Place To Grab A Bite To Eat And A Few Drinks..Be Careful Tho, I seen someone fall into the water

Love the renovations. Beautiful setting on the James River!

Wonderful new atmosphere! Perfect place to dock and eat.

My favorite place to eat! Unbeatable seafood - love the crab legs & steamed shrimp. Laid back community vibe where anyone feels welcome. A unique gem on the river!!

The Lilly Pad has a new young crew kind of running it so there are fancy drinks, square readers that take cards, live music, burger and beer bucket for $10 specials, right on the water! All around a great place to go. Just a 10 minute drive outside the city. Perfect to ride out on your motorcycle.

Everyone social distanced with great attitudes and the food was delicious

Great setup, fun atmosphere, it was busy so I understand the communication gap. Plenty of parking which is amazing. If you're in Richmond you can get here by going through Varina. The stage setup and lighting is awesome here. Drink area was a little confusing, you have to flag someone down to order drinks if you don't have a table. I think an easy way to fix that is to just have an easy access outdoor bar. Other than that, I can't wait to go back and try some food!

In my opinion the absolute best spot to spend your saturday night in richmond. truly a hidden gem. Upon walking in you are greeted by accomadating friendly professional staff. Only downside is the wait. which isnt bad considering there is a waiting area where you can still order food and drinks while you wait to be seated. The waiting area is equipped with 3 firepits and comfy adirondack chairs overlooking an epic view of the venue and the James. Once seated depending on the night there is usually a live band playing at the end of the dock which adds even more to the already spectacular atmosphere. The food is great and surprisingly affordable for the quality and portion. The drinks are amazing and are prioritized so they come out pretty quick. We met the owner Karen last night and she was extremely accommodating she was even working the floor with her staff which shows great leadership. If you havent been all I can say is.... Go! and you will love the amazing view, food, drinks and atmosphere! In my opinion the best Bar in Richmond. Their unique accomadations truly separate them from every other resturants/bar in RVA. Truly a Hidden Gem!

Thursday night is pasta night. Eggplant parm. was awsome. Good drinks, cold beer and great crab legs. I usually go by boat and sometime by bike. Friendly little place. Great biker stop.

Atmosphere is a five star as was my service. But the food and drinks were sub par especially for the price.

Very pleasant outside dining location at a dock on the James River. The tuna sandwich was very tasty. A selection of cans and bottles of various microbrewery beer was available. Very pleasant well spaced corona virus seating was available.

Great Outdoors place along the James River. Good food a no drinks.

The view is great, the staff is polite, and the menu is varied.

Great food options, great vibes, music on the weekends, sunsets on the water.

Last night was our first time. The food was delicious. Staff was super friendly. Enjoyed having dinner gazing at the water-romantic .

Nice local bar that is a great place to just hang out on the river.

This place is great
River side dinning with great food karaoke, live bands, cold beer and good drinks along with watching the river flow and corn hole it just doesn't get any better

Ecclectic spot, borderline dive with a nice view and strong drinks

They have done wonders fixing up repairing and just remodeling that whole area. Very proud of the new owner who has taken a legitimate interest in this restaurant the people in Verona and just overall having a nice place to visit. The previous people just let it run down and look like a trailer park around there but not anymore.
The food was fantastic and very professionally executed in All phases throughout our visit.
Really a fun place to go they even have great entertainment and even what they have on Thursday nights is special.

Awesome chill local hangout. A great place to heaf after work.

Great setting on the marina along the river. Good beer selection and the service was great.

Disappointing, loud, smelly and dirty.

Driven by fairly high rating on Google, I wanted to check out Lilly Pad as a promising restaurant in what seemed to be a lovely location by the river.

Lilly Pad is more of a bar place than a restaurant. It is surrounded by a large parking lot. It is extremely loud (music blasting from the speakers), air is filled with food smell, and the property (tables, floors, etc.) looked rather dirty.

I ended up leaving the place without ordering anything. I cannot speak for the quality of the food, but the portions looked very small and food was not appealing at all.

This place is a big disappointment disappointment. With such a lovely location, Lilly Pad has the potential to bring a unique experience of hospitality and quality food. Maybe one day.

Price: The pricing seems reasonable, however portions looked extremely small. The value you get for the price did not seem very good.

Quality of food: I cannot really speak to that.

Service: You technically order at the buffet.

Cleanliness: The place seems disorganized and dirty.

Ambiance: Loud, noisy, dirty and surrounded by a large parking lot.

Bathrooms: There was one. Did not check the cleanliness as I was afraid to touch anything.

Accessibility: Somewhat accessible for people with disabilities.

Final Verdict: Run, fast and far.

Cold beer, great service,very friendly people,,food good,loving sitting outside by the river

Don't go if you are a vegetarian, unless you just want the soothing river view and some beer. More of a PBR sort of place, but some unusual craft canned beers as well. Food is tasty with emphasis on shrimp, crab, and whatever catch-of-the-day brings. Burgers look good. The evening I went we had the low country boil special, which was enough for two. An active live music program keeps it interesting. Most of the seating is outside. Since they cater to the boating crowd, Lily Pad shuts down in the winter.