Tastebuds American Bistro

Delicious! Portons were perfect. The best salad ever. It was the beet and apple salad. Will definitely go back!

Super nice Manager! Quiet and intimate little place. The short rib appetizer was unlike any I’ve ever had. Very unique plates and lovely presentation. Highly recommend!

My wife and I had a wonderful experience at Tastebuds. My lamb chops were Greg and my wife’s salmon was cooked perfectly. My wife prefers sweeter wines, and initially ordered a pino grigio which is her typical go-​to when there are no other options, but our waitress surprised her with a Riesling that was off the menu. We ended the meal with delicious bread pudding, but not before we were offered a complimentary after-​dinner cocktail comprising Mix of Hardywood Gingerbread stout and a ginger liqueur. We will definitely be returning soon.

this restaurant is consistently one of the best hidden treasures in Richmond. the menu changes frequently, is not extensive but seems to always have something for everyone — my wife’s palate can be selective and we always find something we’d come back for again and again. had the grouper pasta last night, unbelievable. The seasoned gentlemen behind the bar is chef-​owner Andrew Wisniewski, they offer many reasonably priced good wines. whenever guests come to town, this is one of our go-​to spots to share Richmond.
there’s parking around the corner at the wine shop if you cant find something on the street.

I really wanted to love this place. But «meh» sums up my experience perfectly.
BFF and I had not seen one another in years and decided to have a lovely dinner out to catch up on old times. With all the Unilocal kudos, I was very excited to try Tastebuds. So I made us a reservation to ensure we would have a table.
Upon arrival at the restaurant, we were seated promptly, but it took the waitstaff nearly 10 minutes to bring us waters and menus. Once we had menus, there were several tasty choices from which we had to choose. If there were specials that evening, we were not informed. So BFF decided to have the Bistro Caesar with shrimp added. I opted for the salmon, which came dressed with a lovely tapenade and ragout of summer vegetables. Overall, the meal was fine (my salmon was a tad undercooked), but not something that would necessarily bring me back to Bellevue again.
Too bad, too. The place itself is really very charming. Maybe it was just an off night. Maybe I should have saved room for the bread pudding.

They were so, so accommodating and my family and I really appreciated that.
Due to some recent health issues, I’m on a low-​carb, no sugar diet. My dad is following the same restrictions as me. The server had no problem changing some things (subbed the succotash for a green salad) and they even left off the asian glaze on the salmon I ordered without even asking. I thought they were extremely considerate!
The food was fresh, delicious, and everyone enjoyed their meal. My sister ordered their cheddar/​pancetta/​fried egg burger and said it was literally the best burger she’s ever had. I concurred.
Great food, perfect service, will definitely be returning.

Had to plan around picking up a kid on north side and targeted this place on a Saturday night. No reservations available but a couple had cancelled just before we arrived. Lucky us. I had the duck entrée and my wife had the salmon entrée. Both were excellent. All the tables were full in a small place with only about 6 chairs at the bar. Service was pleasant. Nice little neighborhood place. Dots is super casual. The Mill is casual but good food and interesting menu. Tastebuds is the more upscale on the block but reasonably priced and delicious.

We live on the Northside and have tried the majority of restaurants over here and finally got to try Tastebuds this week. Tastebuds has a little bit of a «nicer» feel than the other eaterys in this area, but is not stuffy in the least. My husband and I were both beyond pleased with our meals; in fact, he never really praises meals and was doing so after the first bite of his hangar steak! My fish was a little tough but it had so much flavor that it didn’t matter. The prix fixe menu during the week was an awesome way to become acquainted with a new northside stop! We will certainly be back!

The food was creative and original. I had the pork chops and the duck spring rolls — they were fantastic!!!
The waiter did a very good job but the bussing staff was a little frustrating and did a poor job pre-​bussing the table.

The food is consistently excellent with ever changing menus that keep pace with fresh food as it becomes available. The service is constantly attentive without being invasive. It is small and intimate, in other words, a great neighborhood restaurant that is also a great city restaurant.
Scho.

The bf and I (finally) went to Tastebuds tonight for the first time. Why it took us so long? I’ll never know. We shared a romaine salad to start — sadly, the «tuna tots» were sold out, so those are on my list for next time — and the vinaigrette was light and tangy. A simple salad, but a great way to kick our tastebuds into gear. For our meal, we did something we never do: we ordered the same item. One of the night’s specials with a pan roasted grouper topped with Georgia peach salsa, and a side of green peppercorn rice with candied beet. The beet was chopped into small pieces and mixed into the rice, which was presented as a rice mold. Not at all what we were expecting, but delicious nonetheless. And that’s coming from a girl who doesn’t even really like rice. The grouper was thick, juicy, and delightful, but the star of the meal was the salsa. Talk about flavorful and unexpected. If I could replicate that salsa at home, I’d eat it with everything.
The cocktail menu was intriguing, with many of the options containing house-​made syrups or liqueurs. I chose a martini crafted with grapefruit (the exact name escapes me, but I know it contained the word bitter) and it was strong and most definitely bitter. Again, it wasn’t what I was expecting but I loved it just the same. It was hard to choose a cocktail from their extensive and enticing menu, so I look forward to working my way through the list during future visits.
Oh, the place was totally packed, so I think heeding their recommendation of securing reservations for a weekend evening is probably a good idea.

We came here for Spring Restaurant Week and it was a home-​run! Food was awesome, cocktails were perfection. I had the beet salad and it was so, so good followed by the salmon which was equally amazing. Flounder with spinach/​potato cake was great, steak was also ordered and was outrageously good. (Shrimp & endive salad was just okay, maybe a tad more bland than the other things we got). And, dessert was killer. Our server told us they had the best bread pudding in town and I think she was right :)
Can’t emphasize enough how great the craft cocktails are. The man behind the bar, Andrew, is a true artisan with a drink. His attention to detail and interesting combinations are worth going in just for a beverage!
Service was great, too. All around, we had a great time and can’t wait to go back to try their full menu!

I was very impressed with the food here during brunch. I got an awesome mushroom bread pudding with fried eggs. Everything seemed really fresh. The service was great. Make a reservation, they’re pretty small.

Visited Tastebuds again this weekend after a trip to the VMFA to see the Chihuly exhibit. We had my grandmother with us who is wheelchair bound, so we needed a place accessible to her and this place popped into my head since we had such a good time here Mother’s Day.
Made a reservation for 5:00pm. The restaurant opens at 5 on Sunday so we probably didn’t need one, but what the heck. Better safe than sorry. Two of the five in our party (Jamal B. and I) arrived early and were seated immediately. They knew my name once I mentioned I had a reservation, so that was nice. The rest of our party arrived shortly after and we easily had the extra chair removed and moved my grandmother’s wheelchair to our table.
Started with a bottle of malbec and three appetizers: the tapanade, cheese torte (today’s was cheddar and onion), and the duck spring rolls. Music was playing in the background just loud enough to notice, but once we started out conversation we forgot it was playing. Right before the small plates came out, we were brought some bread. It was good, crusty bread, and had we not ordered appetizers would have been nice to hold us over until our meal. But instead we ate the bread, knowing very well we were being brought appetizers and entrees later (I know, I know).
The tapanade was standard, the cheese torte was rich and creamy and had bits of onion in it. Very good and a good starter if you’ve got between two to four people trying to share an appetizer. I skipped the spring rolls because I’m allergic to the pear sauce (weird, I know) but my party was happy to tell me that I was «definitely missing out». Our waitress noticed we had a little extra of the cheese left and nothing to put it on, so she brought out some extra crostini for us so we could finish everything off.
Three of our party ordered the specials: two mushroom risotto and one seafood paella. Another got the burger and I got the shrimp and sirloin skewers. A small dish was brought out to keep the used seafood shells, which I thought was a nice touch. I had some of the risotto as well as the brussels sprouts that came with it. It was fan-​freaking-​tastic. It was creamy, rich, and cooked perfectly. And the brussel sprouts were good as well. If the sprouts had always been cooked this way, I’m sure they never would have received the reputation that they have now. My shrimp and sirloin skewers were very good. And the rice came wrapped in a spring roll wrapper, so it was creative and gave a nice textured crunch to what would have been just plain rice.
And we also got carrot cake and bread pudding. Because why not, let’s go all out. I didn’t think that I liked carrot cake, but apparently I was wrong because I enjoyed the slice I had here. And the bread pudding, this time it was some mixture of orange and I think caramel? was delicious. Worth the indulgence.
I’ll definitely be back. This place continues to impress me with the food and the service.

If I could give it no stars I would… Everything was horrible … We had some snooty waitress with a horrible attitude… we started with the duck leek spring roll… It was cold and chewy… I got the pork chop and it might as well have been pork jerky… Super dry and super over cooked… When we asked to see a
Manager some guy that called himself the owner came over and asked us what was wrong… When we told him he basically just said «sorry» and had the audacity to roll his eyes and shrug his shoulders… What a horrible experience and a waste of time…

My boyfriend took me there for a Sunday brunch. He had a Cuban sandwich that was better than those you get at actual Cuban spots, and I had a specialty omelet with artichoke, roasted tomato, ham and feta cheese… absolutely delicious!
Food seems to be as local as possible, even their coffee is from a local spot!
Absolutely fabulously friendly staff, expert bartender, and a very classy/​casual atmosphere.
Liked it so much we made reservations for later that day (And do make reservations, it’s not a huge place, and it seemed fairly popular.) I would definitely recommend reservations for this place for brunch.

We went here for a family dinner. Several of the people with me got burgers, I chose the salmon, which was good but lacked the flavor punch that I was expecting based on how good it looked when it got to my table.
Everyone else’s food was good. I’ll definitely go back in the future but I think I want to check out others before.

Torn between a 4 and a 5 and I’ll go up for the bread pudding! It’s been a while since I had a really moan worthy bread pudding. Mmmm! It was lemon blueberry with caramel.
Cute/​classy restaurant on the Northside, on the street with Dot’s Back Inn and a few other restaurants. You might not find parking right in front of the store but there’s street parking and different parking lots.
There were a few weekly specials but I decided to go with the beets and apple salad and a plain pizza. Splurged with dessert. I’ve had a craving for a beets with candied nuts (walnuts) and cheese (blue cheese) salad since I had a great one at Iron Fish. This was pretty darn good but I kind of wish they tossed the salad instead of putting all the pieces separately. The salads come in a small and regular size so I also got the pizza and saved half of it for the next day. A good hot personal sized thin pizza. Good! Friend had the Marguerite pizza and she enjoyed it.
For salad, entrée and dessert with left overs I spent 25 $ which I thought was pretty fair given quality of the food. There are pricier entrees but nothing over 20 dollars. Also server says on weekdays you don’t need RSVP but on weekends it is a must.

Definitely take the time to seek this restaurant out. I’ve been here about 3 times over the last 2 years and each time the food has been delicious. The have a fixed price menu during the middle of the week and it includes salad, entrée and dessert. The house wine is $ 3.50 for the first glass. I had the spinach salad with goat cheese and shaved red onion (the onion was kind of pickled), shrimp with chorizo served over a kind of potato cake and the set dessert was a ricotta pound cake topped with a chocolate ganache. Hubz had the house salad and crab-​stuffed flounder. Their plates/​presentation is very nice and the prices were reasonable for the excellent food. We both enjoyed it very much.
Tastebuds is tucked away off of Laburnum Avenue and it’s so delicious. The waitstaff were very attentive. Try it!

Unless you live in Bellevue, you probably won’t accidentally stumble upon Tastebuds.
But it’s well worth the trouble it takes to find it.
Tastebuds is located in the heart of Bellevue on MacArthur Ave, in a little strip of shops tucked into the middle of a residential neighborhood.
My husband and I actually went there for a Wednesday date night because they have a prix fix menu Tues-​Thurs– salad, entrée and dessert for $ 16…
The ambience was perfect for a date night– candles on the tables, we got a seat by the window, and the restaurant wasn’t overcrowded.
The menu is inspired, with definite mediterranean and carribean influences, but none of the usual dishes that every Richmond local restaurant offers (caprese salad– HO HUM)… they offer en entrée of rice balls (an Italian treat you can usually find only at the Italian Festival), a white bean and arugula salad, and even a light vegetable pasta with ricotta (more on that later) — just like my Sicilian grandmother would have made, if she wasn’t busy yelling and waving around a wooden spoon.
They have a great list of daily specials– when we went they featured a Parmesano-​Reggiano Cheese Torte with Arugula & Prosciutto, as well as a Pan Fried Rainbow Trout, with Mango-​Chili Sauce, Cilantro Rice, and Sauteed Snow Peas on their daily specials menu. I also love that they have their daily specials on their website– tres convenient.
We decided to go with the prix fix, though there were a couple of salads and small plates that were calling my name…
For my salad I got the spinach with goat cheese and shaved red onion, and my husband got the house salad with raspberry vinagrette. Both were delicious– all the vegetables were fresh and crisp, and the salads were perfectly dressed– light, flavorful, and well-​balanced.
For our entrees, my husband got Mozzarella-​Stuffed Risotto Cakes Fra Diavolo and I got Campanelle Pasta with Asparagus, Fresh Spinach & Tomatoes, White Wine and Lemon-​Thyme Ricotta. The risotto cakes were freshly made, baked a tiny bit so that the outside was just a bit crispy, while the inside was hot, creamy and delicious. The perfect comfort food. They were served with a spicy tomato sauce (definitely not tobasco hot, more like red pepper spiced) and sauteed greens. My husband cleaned his plate. My pasta was equally delightful– usually pasta with ricotta is heavy and rich, but this dish was almost like a better version of pasta primavera– the ricotta added a great texture and thickness to the wine sauce, and the lemon and thyme were present but not overpowering.
But the real surprise was the dessert. The menu listed it as chef’s daily special dessert, and we weren’t expecting much– usually a place that has a great entrée and salad offers a premade cake or something for dessert… but no. This dessert was a homemade crêpe, light and buttery, stuffed with a sweet ricotta cheese filling and drizzled with fresh blueberry sauce. It was AMAZING.
And, because my husband doesn’t like blueberry, the waitress arranged to have the chef make his with fresh strawberry sauce! He said it was awesome.
But the moment that sealed the deal as my new favoritist restaurant in Richmond was when the owner stopped by our table to drop off our check, and thanked us for coming over and said she enjoyed having us in. Now that is customer service. I’m already planning my next visit, I can’t wait to go back and try some of the other dishes on that incredible menu.