dot's back inn

a taste of the good old days.... i had to go twice before i really felt i had a handle on this place, once for dinner, once for breakfast, and as i grew up going to diners in brooklyn, this had that kind of old-style greasy-spoon feel. it's busy and cramped at peak time, and don't expect to carry on an intimate conversation, but be ready to be wowed buy their lengthy menu. the burgers are tasty and filling, and the choices are extensive. the "spicy red" potato salad was a bit disappointing as it was just plain potato salad with some paprika and spice thrown in.

breakfast was impressive for the choices as well, i had the breakfast quesadillas (although i would have liked a choice of the type of cheese i could get besides boring old american) and my wife's greek omelet was filling and there were only two big lumps in her grits (it was more like a matzoh ball soup without the soup).

now, i can safely say i have never seen a more diverse cross-section of richmond-ite than in this place, long-time old-money bellvue area residents with u of r and vcu college kids, families, couples, singles, tattoos and well-dressed churchgoers, all together in one cramped place. and all of them enjoying themselves.

the booths are limited to about five, and there are probably twenty tables in all, so expect to wait if you want to eat at peak times, especially since this place was featured on the food network, probably for the most overrated dish on the menu (and one of the most expensive). the other thing i liked was the specials menu above the bar, since for both breakfast and dinner the extra opportunities were quite intriguing. the kids enjoyed their breakfast/brunch choices, and they liked the two big tvs hanging over the bar area.

unfortunately, i had to take a star off for cleanliness, as i was a victim of the old lipstick-on-the-mug bugaboo when i received my coffee for breakfast (the waitress didn't seem to appreciate the "it's not even my shade" joke i tried to make to lighten the situation). still, all these things aside, it's a fun throwback and tribute to the days of drug-store-woolworthy-neighborhood hangout joints of days gone by, and if you aren't expecting the ritz, you can do a lot worse.

get the black bean corn cakes!. best ever!

never a bad meal. whether stopping in for a burger & beer or going out with friends to dinner, it's hard to beat dots. affordable w/ great service, dots has great basics & a wonderful daily specials.

dropped in on our way through town pretty randomly and the recent reviews seemed a little mixed but the breakfast was amazing! i got the breakfast sandwich with a side of grits and they might have been the best grits and biscuit i've ever had. my beau's pancake was delicious as well.

like most experiences there are pros and cons. this place had no pros .this was a joint aired on triple d's with guy ferry and because it was advertised on television i expected a whole lot more. i decided to step out of my comfort zone and ordered a falafel , which is a mediterranean fried chick pea "fritter". i have never had falafel and i now know that dots was my first and last time eating it . honestly this is not a place i would waste gas to go eat at again , the best part of my meal was the french fries ; who can mess up french fries , quarter them like dots.
in conclusion the atmosphere is wonderful the food is mediocre. maybe you enjoy mediocre meals but i enjoy esoteric works of art.

the hamburgers are some of the best in richmond, the breakfast is a killer as well. jimmie and crew do a great job with great food, good service and fair prices. haven't been dissatisfied there yet. i can recommend them for great food at a reasonable price.

the breakfast menu at dots is pretty straightforward with omelettes, pancakes, and french toast. i got the french toast and a side of sausage. the french toast was crisp on the outside, and gooey and custardy on the inside. it was very good. the service is fast and my coffee cup stayed full. there's a pile of newspapers to peruse if you forget your smartphone. dots back inn is a place i would return to for breakfast the next time i'm in richmond.

don't waste your time. chicken was hard. food lacks flavor. very disappointed

lots of hype. food and service teeter on the edge.. my list was made at the beginning of my two weeks of classes at fort lee. i was going to try and hit all of the major food network featured restaurants in richmond. dot's back inn was the final place on my list and i knew i could only go to it on my drive out of town back west because this place isn't open during dinner.

this place seems a lot more wore down and mismatched than i would have imagined, but i simply put it off as part of the appeal for this place. i had a very pessimistic friend when it comes to food or new restaurants in general. he was nitpicking the whole meal the whole time from the amount of time the service was taking (yes it was slow, and got slower as the place filled up and the meal went on) to the taste of the food. he got a falaffel sandwich and claimed that he never heard of falaffel as anything more than a type of jewish bread. this is true, but what kind of person thinks of a bread when they hear of falaffel? so he immediately threw out the falaffel and ate a bare naked sandwich. weird.

however, my black and bleu ny steak sandwich was a mix of confusing in my mouth. the steak didn't taste like it was new york steak because it was way too chewy and tough, but it was so thin that this didn't require a lot of chewing necessarily. the bleu cheese part was a very creamy spread that was very liberally spread all over the sandwich. this was okay with me because there was nothing in the way of condiments on this sandwich that would've added much needed lubricity to the meat and bread. my sandwich, i concluded, was excellent and i will try to recreate it at home.

in the end, i believe this place really is a great place (and kind of off the map) because my friend ordered some deep fried cheesecake and it looked amazing (and he ate it all very fast, so i can't tell you how it was except "gone")

i will say that dot's is a great place, but i almost need another try to really cement that idea. but i urge you to try it.

finally made it to dot's back inn. wow! i had the creole shrimp over the cheese grit cake. best shrimp and grits i have ever had. dessert was elvis pie-peanut butter and bananas, chocolate crust, salted caramel topping. i am not sure i can come up with a superlative that will do it justice. i already want to come back.

grilled rockfish with garlic creamy spinach. i came here with a meeetup group and i ordered a grilled rockfish with garlic creamy spinach which was on the big white board, not on the menu. the fish was cooked right and the initial bites of the fish did appeal to the taste bud. the garlic creamy spinach was very delicious and burst with flavor. my two sides were collard green and cabbage. but they ran out of cabbage and i chose green beans. the collard green wasn't overcooked like most places. it was definitely a plus and very yummy. the green beans were cooked with stewed tomato and weren't bad either. as i eat more of the fish, the ungrilled part wasn't as flavorful. the dish was $17.99. the service was decent with the waitress checking us every now and then. we were there around 7pm on a weekday. it was packed.

the last time i went to dots back inn i asked a waitress how much wur the root beer sodas , with out awnsering my question she took upon her self to pop the lid on the soda before telling me the can soda costa $2.40 . me personaly, i don't buy can sodas for $2.40 after i've asked before hand whats the price. good food i must admit. bad service i must say!!!

reliably good. i love this place.i hurt every time i leave this place because i can't say no to one last bite. i love their fries, burgers, chicken sandwich...that is all i have had there. i am not all that adventurous. i hear they have a great brunch but i'd be afraid to try it to find another reason i have to go here. any time family is in town and wants to eat, i shout, "dots!" plus, i can say guy fieri has eaten here and he has his own tv show! i hate him so i guess that's as far as that selling point goes.

dirty, dive-y and delicious!. had to wait for a table at noon on a saturday- the place was packed, which is always a good sign. try not to look at the water pitcher when the waitress comes to fill up your glass- it's gross and so is the water. but my mushroom-swiss burger was incredible and so were the corn and black bean cakes.

americana at its most honest. there are no pretensions when you arrive. simple and personalized decor, tasty and affordable food and a wait staff who i would take my hat off to. most dishes are priced less than $8 and there is always a buzz whenever you step inside. the food is great (if you like hamburgers and taco's etc.) but do not go there expecting 'haute cuisine'; it ain't that kinda place (and nor should it be). i enjoyed myself there and had a good meal that filled my needs. and, for this foreigner, it was great to see how 'real' america works.