GWARbar

My family recently had a visit to GWARbar in Richmond, VA, which left everyone deeply unsettled. I was visiting my sister with my family when my wife and sister decided to go out for a girl’s night. They wanted drinks and wings and decided to try this place. My sister and wife — the only two Black people in the restaurant — ordered wings that were served completely burnt to the point of being inedible. What’s most baffling is how these wings made it past the kitchen, to the server, and then onto our table without anyone acknowledging how unacceptable they looked. The char wasn’t just a little overcooked, it was extreme, as if no one cared about the quality being served. When they complained, the order was taken off the bill, but the server simply tossed the food in the trash with no apology, explanation, or offer to make it right. The whole thing felt careless at best and intentional at worst. I hate to even suggest racism, but given the circumstances, it’s hard to ignore how my sister and wife were treated. This was a horrible dining experience that left us feeling unwelcome and disrespected. I would never recommend this place to anyone, and I sincerely hope GWARbar takes a serious look at their kitchen standards, staff training, and the way they treat all guests — because this was unacceptable. The last picture is how they were suppose to look, from their site

It does what it says on the tin, it’s a bar and there is GWAR everywhere in there. Food is good and the atmosphere is immaculate. If you love GWAR you should check this spot out.

The food is so good like it really didn't have to be THIS good. The burgers are astronomically delicious. I could just eat the patty in it's own. Super cool staff. Awesome decor. Killer music of course. I can't wait to come back and try some of the other menu items. The prices are very reasonable for the quality youre getting. Love everything about this place!

Love GWAR it’s a great late night spot lots to look at inside and they have so many vegan and vegetarian options the pineapple barbecue cauliflower with ranch is absolutely delicious I get it every time

Unique spot! Loved the music videos playing on two screens, the GWAR. The food/drinks are a bonus. Great vegetation options

This place is GREAT!! Stopped in here on a road trip and I tell ya, that food was tasty!! I HIGHLY suggest eating the bay of pigs sandwich! For real... one of my favorite things I put in my mouth on vacation! The atmosphere is just as fantastic and outlandish as you would expect for GWAR!! So glad we stopped in and experienced this little dive 🤘🤘

Great food that is pub perfect and tasty. This is all thrills no frills type of place. Chicken sandwich was great and so were the fries!

Loved GWAR since 6th grade. I'm 40 and finally made it here. Great food and decorations.

The Ambiance and Service is pure dive bar for a reason, the decor is odd and eclectic for a reason.. its pure VCU/RVA for a reason.. Its GWAR. That said, most the meat and blood is fake also just like GWAR.. They have some of the best Vegetarian bar food in all of RVA. Unique, flavorful and fun - Just like GWAR - Brockie would be proud.

Being from New Orleans we love our dives and my friend took me to this great metal dive bar in Richmond. I didnt eat any of the food on the great menu but the beer was cheap and the ambiance was exactly what I look for in a dive bar, add to that the great GWAR artwork and it really was an experience.

Hole-in-the-wall bar vibe, cool place to grab a late-night drink and snack with friends.

Deliciousness - 4/5 Happiness - 5/5 What a trip. Definitely make sure you make your way here because this is a super memorable place. GWAR made it super fun, even if you don't care about the band or metal. First, the staff was really friendly. The bartender and I talked for a good 45 minutes, swapping travel stories and chatting about Richmond and how much it's changed over the last decade. I must have taken photographs of, like, every single wall there because there are cool decorations everywhere. Stuff they've used in their shows, and general macabre things abound (definitely need to have a liking for the odd and eerie to enjoy - and I most definitely do). The beer selection is good and they also have a surprising amount of wine you can sacrifice, metal style, to your liver. The food is most surprising as it is elevated bar stuff and very vegan friendly. I built my own fries with seitan, jalapenos, mushrooms, onion straws, philly steak and a damned good runny egg. There was nothing left after I ravaged the dish. Also, while they did play metal over the speakers, they had Who's The Boss and Burn Notice on the TVs, which was a fun juxtaposition. There is also plenty of outdoor seating for the warmer months. Absolutely recommended!

Great place to drop in and grab some beet pickles deviled eggs and a burger. Heavy metal plays. Everyone staff and patrons are friendly. This is the kind of bar that could be dropped anywhere in the United States and work. Highly recommend a quick visit.

GWARbar is a great corner bar right off Brook that serves some great food along with their drinks. I only tried the cauliflower wings - which were absolutely amazing, very crispy/crunchy and delicious - but the place smelled amazing earlier in the night when people were eating. I tried two mixed drinks, the bonesnapper and techno sudectress. The Sudectress was a little too tangy or bitter for my liking, since it had pineapple and coconut I was expecting more of a pina colada or "fun" drink but the alcohol taste was very strong. The bonesnapper was more what I expected, it was sweet and tasted great! Like I said, the cauliflower wings were amazing and I definitely recommend them. The bar also has a great atmosphere if you're into it, skulls, decapitated heads, I'd try to describe it as grunge but that's probably not the right word :)

An absolute must-stop when visiting Richmond. The decor is legendary, filled to the brim with horror imagery and GWAR memorabilia, which is a neat vibe whether you care for the band or not. They typically play neat underground music or have something cool on the TV. There are a bunch of vegan food options, which is always appreciated, and the few I've tried have all been tasty (despite being a bit on the higher-priced side for the city). In terms of drinks, there are all the kinds of alcohol you'd expect from a bar, but as a beer drinker, there's a good mix of craft beer options (though some of these are priced a bit high) as well as really inexpensive beers you'd expect in a dive bar. The service typically just... is. Not rude nor particularly friendly, which is fine. Regardless, I typically wind up here either before or after shows at The National and it's always a good time.

I really couldn't pass up the chance to eat at GwarBar. We got there not long after they opened and had a beer, two Cobb Gobbler salads, Tochtos and whatever the chicken and duck confit nuggets were called. I love the names of the dishes. But the food wasn't really very good. It sounds good, and they did a nice presentation. But it just didn't work. The salad was.... a salad. Good, but buy some salad, cheese, egg and bacon and you can do this. Restaurant salads are usually much bigger affairs that justify the $9-$15 you pay for it. This was a little side salad in a Togo container with cheap plastic forks that could barely do their job. The tot dish was slathered in canned cheese and jar salsa, and the duck/chicken things tasted like they were without seasoning. It was a neat place, and I loved the bartender in her Playboy Bunny outfit, but the food was barely better than meh..

Was a cool dive bar. Had a lot of cool things too look at. Wasn't crazy about the music they didn't play what matched the place. I was expecting too rock out.

SCUMDOGS rejoice! This place rules, even if you aren't a GWAR fan the gormet quality food and elite drinks would tickle anyone's fancy.

Gwarbar is great A staple of Richmond culture It's so fun and so lively Staff is cool Food is really good for a bar

I first visited this bar in early 2020 (before COVID). At the time, my partner got the Philly cheesesteak wrap (amazing) and I got a burger that was delicious. The second time we came, I got a burger again and it was just OK. We came here again for a third time and unfortunately were disappointed. We both got the Philly wrap and it was just OK. The meat was lacking and some of the cheese in mine wasn't fully melted. The fries seemed super stale, like they may have even been made the day before and refried. We both enjoy the funky decor and overall vibe, but unfortunately the food was lacking this time around.

YUMMY! That's the most important thing you need to know, especially if you eat vegan or vegetarian (I can't speak for the carnivorous population, as I did not have any meat items). We started with the fried pickles (DELICIOUS). I got the Buffaloaded with fried tofu, and it was so good. I did add extra bleu cheese, because I love to dip. I also got tots that were extra crispy, and they did the thing! It was perfect. My girlfriend got the Hail Seitan (which has seitan as the protein), and they really liked it, but did wish they got it with the Carolina sauce instead of the Gwarbq. My girlfriend also got the $1.25 mystery beer (which ended up being an Old Milwaukee), and I got the techno seductress (x2) and it was so good with the habanero syrup. We cannot wait to come to Richmond again and come here to try a different menu item.

I wanted to like gwarbar but it was awful, the blonde bartender was mean and off putting to everyone, every time. I'll never return. Not kidding or exaggerating - she's so awful it's not worth going to. None of the staff was friendly any of the 3 nights we were there. Spend your money where it's wanted

We were in Richmond over a couple nights and after reading the great reviews I knew we would try to squeeze in a visit to GWARbar! GWARbar is described as: "Fake blood-splattered bar offering meat & vegan pub fare inspired by the heavy metal band Gwar" so the ambience is interesting and genuine, even for those of us that are not fans of the band! We ended up coming here for dinner on our second night and we loved it! My husband is not vegetarian but loves veggie chili and GWARbar's is excellent! My daughter and I both had Hail Seitan sandwiches, hers with Gwarbq sauce (sweet) and mine with Carolina (tangy). So yummy! Staff is super friendly, too!

Local beer Baconecutioner burger. Crispy French fries. Woah! Service was great too. Intimate little place with a warm feel.

Great little rock dive bar. One of the guys from the band bartends once a week. Friendly folks. Chess players. Good beer. Some fun stage props from their shows.

We are loving GWARBAR! The food is great. The seating is very cool with lots of GWAR memorabilia. Service is usually very swift, there is no table service, you can see the menu posted at the ront window ir scan a QR code to pull it up on your phone, then order at the bar and food will be brought to you. Of course, they have a full bar. If you were going to see GWAR live in the late 80s and early 90s, like I was, this place just brings back a lot of memories of fun times had with friends. Don't leave without checking out the restrooms and just taking a look around.

Great selection of GWAR themed bar snacks. Duck nuggets quite unique and tasty. Spooky metal vibe is perfect for the neighborhood!

They do bar food well. Price of beers $7.75 seemed a little high. The food is interesting and has uniqueness in how it's prepared. It's tasty. Food service was slow tonight despite not being very busy. Overall I like it. Kind of a unique experience with friendly staff.

Went to Richmond for a concert around the block and FINALLY popped into GWARbar (a mandatory right of passage for anyone claiming RVA as home) but only had about 15 minutes between sets to grab a quick sandwich and dash outta there. The place was hopping at 9:30 on a Friday night, even so service was timely and perfect. Clearly marked menu options made vegan food easy to order and was delicious, barmaid was cool and aesthetically on brand, but the AMBIENCE is what you come for and it didn't disappoint. Cant wait to get back there and truly take in more than a sandwich. Yes: vegan friendly

Grab a table. Order at the bar. Sit back and take it all in. So many artifacts from GWAR'S live shows that it's worth a visit. Surprisingly in the middle of a pretty quiet neighborhood. It makes it feel like a locals joint, and maybe that is the idea.

Had to come see GWARbar! Great dive bar with surprisingly descent food. They have a really big food menu with a lot of vegan options. Loved the decor!

Gwar now who doesn't love them and their music as well as totally radical stage performance but they have a bar too and is it just as awesome as they are hell yes it is! Coming here has been a long time coming as I just don't make it to this part of the county as much as I'd like to so this was really a treat! It wasn't too busy when we came in so we grabbed a table quickly and then started browsing all the yummy dead things they serve. To start it was all about the fried pickles as those are always my favorite they were perfect here and kinda like none I've ever had before as the batter was more of a tempura style making for a super yummy texture to an already scrumptious pickle. To eat I went with the hail satan as it just sounded good basically it was ground beef they tasted like a mix of taco meat and teriyaki mixed with bbq on a ciabatta bun it was yummy like full of flavor and just good this along with those fries totally delicious and made for a good meal in a place with such a chill vibe! Inside you'll find body parts on the ceiling blood on the walls and a dark punk vibe with awesome tunes playing from a number of bands some of the ones I heard were Leftover Crack, Voodoo Glow Skulls, and a bunch of other tunes that u know and love. Overall super awesome place good vibes good food and it was sooo Gwar it's for that I hope to get here again at some point because we'll this place rocked in more than one way!

This place is fucking awesome, the atmosphere, the food, and the staff. This is my husbands favorite place in Virginia. It's a wonderful little bar.

Drove to Richmond yesterday to attend the Beer Bourbon and BBQ festival. That was fantastic. My friends and I left fat and happy! I had no idea what to expect when my friend suggested going to the GWARbar. It is located in a bit of a warehouse district....edgy and cool setting. Felt very safe. We were greeted by a very friendly and attentive bartender. She walked us thru the menu ad answered our touristy questions. We sat at the bar and ordered more GWAR beers and some wings. The wings were Delicious! Perfectly cooked, naked with sauces on the side. (I'm not usually a "sauce on the side type but in this case I couldn't decide between 2 great sounding sauces) I'm glad we did, they were both excellent. The mango habanero took the unanimous win. Ended up getting another order of wings, they were that good! While on the habanero kick, my buddy and I got a couple Techno Seductress cocktails. Again, an excellent offering. Very slight hint of heat. I would have preferred more of a bite but I tend to push the spice envelope. As we sat there, we enjoyed our dialog with the other staff. Turns out the other bartender is originally from a town near where I live. Was fun to reminisce about the Amish Market and the Asian market there. I will make it a point to visit the GWAR Bar next time I'm down there. Very unique and a fun place to explore.

Firstly, I am a huge fan of the band and crew and everyone behind the project known as GWAR. We came to town for one of their shows, and my partner is vegetarian, so we needed good vegetarian food. Well wouldn't you know, this place has everything you could ask for. Strong drinks, good veggie-head food, good meat eater food, and the best atmosphere I could ask for. So awesome. Cheers to the front of house and cooks as well. My taste buds aren't biased by my love for the band, literally everything here was 10/10 delicious. Thank you so much for the memory. Cheers from Alaska.

This is pretty biased coming from a GWAR fan.. but the food was amazing, the bacon had that sweet crisp on the baconcutioner- and the fries had a taste to it that made it unique to other bars. The ambiance resonated with the history of GWAR and all of the props that went with them throughout the years. Cannot recommend this place enough.

It's the fuckin' GWARbar! What's there not to like!? Our last stop out of Richmond was memorable at GWARbar. Everyone in our traveling group is a GWAR fun so this was our most exciting and stop in Richmond. Everything you'd expect this place to be, is what it is. Good beer selection, full bar, decent food, and all the GWAR memorabilia you can stomach and then some. Permanent stop every time we're in Richmond!

Can a metal bar spattered with fake blood and hanging plastic body parts be charming? Somehow, someway, they've managed it. Major props to the servers, who were seriously the nicest, most down-to-earth bartenders I've met in RVA. After an appointment at the phenomenal Civilization Tattoo only a block away, I was desperately in need of some greasy food. I'd heard surprisingly great things about GWARbar and now I'm a fan myself. The restaurant takes the GWAR theme and tones it down enough that it is not an intimidating horror fest for those not familiar with the band. Sure, there's a corpse on the ceiling, the food has kind of gross names, and it's a bit dark inside, but it's mostly pictures from concerts, guitars, and art on the walls. They of course have metal music playing, and there are also two TV screens behind the bar that will feature either cheesy black and white movies or horror films. They have a great happy hour seven days a week, and very reasonably priced beers on tap. The menu has the typical bar grub you'd expect, plus lots of vegetarian and vegan options. I ordered an IPA and the build your own Jizmak (penne pasta mac and cheese) topped with confit duck. It was awesome. I actually laughed when it came out of the kitchen, it was so much food. It was served on what was basically a stainless steel bowl the size of a pizza tray and I barely managed to make a dent in the pile of cheesy carbs, although the bartender said I fought valiantly. I got two more delicious meals out of it, and will definitely be back for more.

Cool place in Jackson Ward! Interior's pretty cool, it's decorated exactly the way you'd expect if you're at all familiar with Gwar. I got the Meat Sandwich and fries, $13.50, and it was pretty good. Very filling. I'll definitely be walking back here for drinks.

A unique bar for metal heads or fans of Gwar. Great food and all the decorations are fantastic. Definitely a must visit/see place in Richmond.

Not my style, but my friends love this place, so I do too! Friendly staff, metal band atmosphere, dark, patio is cool too

Gwar bar is what I consider a hidden gem. It's probably not somewhere you'd consider as a POC who's not super into heavy metal -- but I love it here! Cheap drinks, chill atmosphere and a patio for warm nights. The food is ok. My only complaint is there's 1 waitress that is horrible. Don't know her name, but she has medium black hair with bangs. The last few times we've come, after the bouncer tells us we can sit at a table, she'll come over and yell at us that we can't sit there and she needs to clean. Because we frequent the spot, last time we ignored her and just ordered from the bar. Otherwise, everyone else I've encountered is nice & friendly!! My fav bartender is Ashley, she's great and always treats us well!!

I was surprised by this place because we walked in off the street going "let's stop here." Little did we know it was a heavy metal bar. It was fun to be in a different atmosphere than normal. There were all sorts of people there so don't be intimated to go in if you aren't a GWAR fan (or even know who they are). The Mac and cheese was good- we did a create your own. The mushrooms were big chunks of mushrooms not just a tiny bit. Chicken and waffles- big portion and cooked perfectly. Loved the combo of what they put on with the sweet and savory but not sure the egg was needed on top. Would still order over and over again. The food came out crazy fast which we were shocked by on a Friday night. Service was good. Drinks were standard.

This place is a trip. The mood and ambience is so awesome. Heavy metal, gwar, and gore. The food is outstanding. Wife is vegan and this place is loaded with options. For the meat eaters their beefcakes are wicked good.

Was in town for a show and being a huge horror fan I was recommended this place by a few ppl. Well, I appreciate the recommendations from those ppl but the place did not hold up to the hype. 1. Place is in a less than desirable neighborhood, so just be aware of your surroundings and what not. 2. Place inside is quite.. dirty? idk if it's part of the decor or not, but you can have a horror theme without looking like the inside of the texas chainsaw massacre home. Dirt/ dust everywhere! 3. Music is WAY too loud and it is/ wasn't good music. Just loud and obnoxious "sounds." Can't hear someone right in front of you, and the place was relatively empty when I was there. 4. Sat for about 10 minutes and no one came up to us, or acknowledged us at all. Had to ask the bartender if I could order when she was bussing a table. She goes "come to the bar". uh, or you can just take my order right here like literally EVERY OTHER restaurant/ bar ever.. ? 5. Food was just dropped off by some dude with long dreadlocks (idk if that's exactly sanitary for a place that serves food? ) I said thank you no less than 3x to which he responded by completely ignoring me and just bouncing. sorry you hate your job man, a little "your welcome" goes a long way.. 6. The water and Diet soda we had both tasted off. They had a plastic taste. took about 2 sips and could not drink any more. How is your water terrible? lol Anyway, the food (Pickle burgers and fried pickles) was actually really good so that's why they get the 3 stars. I wouldn't go here again, or tell anyone else to. Order take out and you'll be good.

Oh my god - Gwarbar! Just what I needed passing through Richmond.. Decor did not disappoint - everything I could have asked for plus the food was awesome. Gotta get some more of that Fennel slaw. Unfortunately out of Gwarbeer that night which is actually how we found out about this place.

This place was everything I hoped it would be. Man I bet it was amazing when it was full of people pre-Covid. I had a couple Gwarbeers and a jamo-shot. Wife had a gin & tonic. We bought some merch and took some pictures. Loved it.

Didn't think this would be my style of bar but it was pretty awesome, even though of course due to COVID it's probably not as hype as it normally would be. You order at the bar from someone then bring your drink to your table or to their patio, which has some fire pits/warmth. We sat inside and it was quiet and distanced (quiet relatively to other people, not the great music!). We had just eaten but I got the chips and salsa and damn, was it good. Something so simple but so tasty, don't miss out. A pitcher of PBR was $10 which was great. I hope to revisit in a 'normal' era as well.

Unfortunately I live so far away from the best bar on earth. However when I do end up down here it's a must. Also this was the first stop on my bachelor party road trip. Try the deviled eggs.

Been coming here for a few years now. Love the food and the strong drinks. Bonesnapper is my favorite. Seems recently they removed a large number of cocktails luckily bonesnapper is still on the menu. It is loud inside but you can go to the patio.

Cool bar. The food was surprisingly good. The selection of beers on tap was more extensive than you'd expect for a bar like this. Would highly recommend, even if you're not into GWAR.

Its not bad, but not what I imagined it would be like. I was expecting a much $#!ttier dive bar, and that's the whole reason I went. On a positive note, prices are ok, staff is ok, and it's open on Mondays.

What a let down. This place has very little actual Gwar stuff. There was a car hood and trunk? Balsac's guitar and some Oderus light fixtures. They didn't even play any Gwar the whole time we were there. Just blasted some Night Ranger and other random crap. The food was bad. Got pulled pork nachos for an appetizer. The portion was huge but the pork was plain and bland. Had more beans than anything else. The service was very slow. The place was half full of that and it was 1/2 price burger night. We ordered burgers and it still took forever. The sausage in the Frank 'n Furter tasted over cooked and odd. Also the menu says crispy onion straws and pickled jalapeños. Somehow I got crispy fries jalapeños and pickled onions? The idea was cool but poor execution and even worse food. No reason to ever return.

Overated!!! Place was dirty. Bartender was good and very nice. Bad part of town. Has very limited seating especially indoors.

I don't know why I like this place. It's weird and a little kitschy but it's my kind of bar/restaurant. It's in Jackson Ward so you just got to find street parking. They serve a nice draft list and have the usual canned domestics. They also got a full bar. And you can get a pitcher of mimosas. What's not to love! I have eaten many a delicious cheeseburger here and I have loved the tots and fries, but let's talk about brunch. They serve BRUNCH!! I got breakfast Poutine with an egg and bacon on top and it was delicious! It's also as big as my head so I only ate half. I successfully reheated it at work and it was still yum!

The bar was great - bloodstained walls, flyers of shows-past cover the walls to the toilets, flying eyeballs and gigantic weapons fill the ceiling. The Meat Sandwich was delicious- pulled pork (long pork?) with sauerkraut and fried okra was delicious. But the show stopper was the GWARBAR TWINKIES. From their website: 2 housemade twinkies, waffle battered, deep fried and served with maple whip cream and a berry coulis My description: Low brow meets high brow and they have a cage fight in your mouth. The only losers are your arteries but this death is a guaranteed ticket to Valhalla

This place is sinfully repulsive and morally corrupt. A vile den of iniquitous heathens.