Lola's Farmhouse Bistro

Review summary

1. S

   Scott

   Richmond

   2 reviews

   3.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 2
   4. Ambience 3

   Service, from the moment we walked in the door, was poor. We arrived 2-3 minutes before our 1 pm reservation, and it took 10 minutes to get seated! It took our waitress quite a while to take our drink orders. Then there was a long delay before she took our order. Our entrees arrived at our table @ 1:45, or 45 minutes after our reservation. The restaurant was full, and I can only assume either they did not have a full staff, or the staff was not properly trained. Food and ambiance were both fine!
   

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2. S

   Steve

   VIP

   Richmond

   11 reviews

   4.0

   11 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 4

   Very busy night. Day 1 of liquor license - new owners. Zero systems in place. All okay short term issues. We’ll go back - food pretty good. Wait staff attentive. Here’s the rub. The bar manager (velvet coat) was not great. He was standing around not helping the overwhelmed single bartender. Not content with being unhelpful, he thought giving her a list of tasks to do while she was trying to make drinks for the bar patrons (16) and all of the tables. Then a waiter called us - we thought for our table, but he said the maitre de told him to take care of us as in comping our drinks. I asked why and he didn’t know. When they did call us to our table, I handed the bartender $20 as a tip and said again that I didn’t understand why our drinks were comped. Then Mr. Velvet Coat says to the waiter - not to me - That was a miscommunication. I said hey no problem glad to pay for the drinks. Mr. Velvet Coat wouldn’t look at me or speak to me. No explanation. Just weird all around. Then again no system place to pay the bar tab. Everything had to be looked up and entered by hand. Did Mr Velvet Coat help? Nope - the poor overwhelmed bartender had to do it. One must approach a Valentines Night dinner with a little grace. So we will give it another shot in a few months
   

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3. J

   Justin

   Richmond

   4 reviews

   5.0

   4 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 4

   Was exceptionally busy due to Valentine’s Day but service was great. Food was a bit slower but nothing unexpected and everything was hot and fresh.
   

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4. C

   Chris

   Los Angeles

   1 review

   5.0

   1 review

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   My wife and I love Lola’s so much—we are somehow always lucky to be served by Madeline who takes great care of us. We’d eat at Lola’s every night if the week—love it all!
   

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5. B

   Brad

   Richmond

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great out of the way spot for a quiet dinner/lunch for two! Great "old timey" ambiance.
   

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6. L

   Linda

   VIP

   Richmond

   65 reviews

   4.0

   65 reviews

   Dined 4 days ago

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We are longtime fans of Lola‘s. The changes the new management is making is serving to bring this sweet restaurant to the next level. Madeline took great care of us. So happy to see Eric and Mary Ann, the new owners. A true gem for us out here in Manakin, Sabot. . 
   

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7. J

   Janet

   Richmond

   3 reviews

   5.0

   3 reviews

   Dined on 8 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   I only recently discovered this charming place in Manakin. It is an old farmhouse, but somewhere inside, magical elves whip up delicious appetizers, entrees, and desserts to delight the palate. I took a different friend for dinner after just a week from the first visit. Plenty of parking. Reservations recommended.
   

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8. A

   Arthur

   Richmond

   2 reviews

   4.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on 8 February 2025

   1. Overall 4
   2. Food 4
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Very nice restaurant, good food, very good service, nice atmosphere. New owners are very friendly. I’ll go back.
   

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9. L

   Linda

   Richmond

   2 reviews

   5.0

   2 reviews

   Dined on 5 February 2025

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Lunch with my sister today was a delight. We are not big lunch eaters, so sharing the Lola's French Dip with fries was perfect
   

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10. J

    JoAnn

    VIP

    Richmond

    138 reviews

    4.0

    138 reviews

    Dined on 2 February 2025

    1. Overall 4
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    We'd been wanting to eat here for quite some time, so it was great to finally have the opportunity. It's such a cozy place! We loved the fireplace. And it definitely looks like somewhere to come in the Spring to eat outside. Our dinners were good. The lamb chops were huge and cooked correctly, which is always a challenge. My husband loved his scallops. The fried green tomatoes were a disappointment. It was strange to see them served on mozzarella -- kind of a fried caprese salad with no basil? But that didn't really work. The tomatoes didn't have any real flavor. Maybe it would be better when the large local tomatoes are in season - not sure. Our server was attentive and personable. I feel remiss that I don't recall her name. But we had a great time and will definitely be back to try lunch!
    

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