Wonderland

Best bar in town! It’s a weird, wild experience. Horror films, punk rock, wrestling, and good people make this freak show a cool, safe place to drink a «Man Can!» Be sure to get a hug from the owner, Chad (looks like a REALLY big jesus /​Rob Zombie, though he’ll probably hug you first. Also the weirdest food options in the bottom. I recommend the captain crunch chicken fingers or if you’re really hungry ask for a «Tin-​Man» you won’t be hungry for days!

My favorite bar in RVA! It’s a horror themed bar and I always have a great time every time I go there!

Agreed with james L review but i would add rassling as part of its charm. Chad is a old soul with a dangerous whimsey in his eyes. The only reason for the 4 stars is that I have never eaten there and Wonderland does not have Black Label beer.

This place is down, it’s dirty, it’s loud, the customers are all whack jobs and the bar staff are just the right side of badass.
Eat here. Seriously awesome food. Drink here (they let me stay even though I ordered Jack — I got Jim and a warning…)
I met some cool people and got a bear hug from Chad «this ain’t over till I say it’s over» for my trouble.
If I’m in Richmond this is my go to.

Always an interesting experience in the best ghoulishly decorated bar in Richmond. One of the few reasons to venture to the bottom. The owner Chad is friendly, artistic, intelligent and entertaining and always available with giant hugs for everyone. Not a place for a frat party, but for colds beer and less costly booze, with plenty of character and characters, Go to Wonderland.

It’s Halloween all the time! Fun place, great service, and where else can you play a game of darts over a coffin?!

So odd that it is awesome! A must to just visit and see all the décor. Love the coffin in the front and doll heads hanging from the ceiling.

Went in on Friday Night, Nice scene and crowd of people, So, My friends and I decided to stay and order some drinks, what a mistake, The bartender was inexperienced and rude. I asked him if he could make me an Irish Trashcan and he didn’t even know what that was, So, I asked him if I could show him the recipe to make it, He then got an attitude with me and said «Really, dude. come on, just order a drink?» So, I ordered a rum runner which supposively he said he knew how to make, obviously not, because when I drank it, it was nothing but straight syrup and way too sweet, you could not even taste the Captain Morgan what so ever and if that’s not enough, I couldn’t even drink it, So my friends felt bad for me so they went back to the bar and asked if he could remake it and all he did was gripe and complain and just poured more Captain Morgan in it, which took away the flavor of it and made it taste worse then before. The drink was a straight waste of 9.00 and a 2.00 tip and that is the only drink I bought, We left and trust me I will not be back. I work hard to make my money and I will not waste it on rude disrespectful people or service or poor quality drinks. I recommend you don’t either.

Omg I’m in love. Having the Pork Sammich and it is fantastic! Husband is having the fried mac and cheese balls with bacon. This isn’t your normal bar food this is better than Applebee’s food!

The Chad is the best & so are his culinary creations! Excellent food & reasonably priced adult beverages. Badassery & Halloweenesque atmosphere with hospitality & charm not found often enough. The people are real, the drinks made right, the food scrumptious & the owner is awesome & remembers your name & favorite drink! Can’t get better unless you live next door!!!

Great bar… but karaōke on Tuesdays are garbage. Favoritism and horribly managed. Much better places on a Tuesday.

I have performed in this place many times over the years and it is by far THE BEST metal/​rock/​punk bar in RVA! The beer is cold and affordable, the drinks flow like the James River and the ambiance just kicks ass! Parking is always an issue (hence 4 stars), but always the best place to hang for great bands on a Friday and Saturday night.

Definitely my favorite bar in Richmond. To quote them, they welcome all walks of life. Had an amazing fun time getting to know the owner and the other bartenders last weekend! Great bad ass people :)

Good place… loud, smokey, and what a real rock bar was before the age of trendy hop beers, happy lighting and smoking bans. Had one really cool bartender and another just sucked and was a real grouchy jerk. but i’d go back.

I was recently in Richmond visiting friends and family and had a chance to check the place out. Drinks are pretty reasonably priced. The guy at the door and sound tech where both friendly. One of the things I love about the place is the Halloween/​Rob Zombie theme of the place. Bartenders where a little slow on getting my order however, that was due to it being quite busy. My rum and coke was made correctly {smooth and even}. The stage/​concert section was small and intimate. This is defiantly on the top of my list of places to check out the next time I am in Richmond.

This bar defines gnarly dive bar.
Any part of me that could have been considered innocent was ripped from my soul the second I walked into Wonderland. It was dark, the people were leathery and the smoke created a fog that made the entire place a horror flick. From the severed heads to the spidery skeletal demons, I believed thrilling bars to still exist.
The scene is punk and biker, but they are an excepting crowd. The pool table looks like Edward Scissor-​hands played on it and the toilets in the bathroom usually vomit way earlier in the night. The beer is cheep, the food is salty, the music is loud, and the women could all pass as the chick in the Nightmare Before Christmas. Awesome.
So if you have ever skipped down the street before, don’t go here.

Wonderland is a Richmond institution that one must experience to believe. I sometimes wonder if the original owner was a VCU art student, who dropped acid watching 60s horror movies with a penchant for strong booze. The decorum is changing consistently with different installations going up every so often, but with the main attractions never really changing.
The drinks are your average booze and a mixer variety with an amazing array of cheap local and imported local beer, with a few extras loaded up for variety (they keep Strongbow cider on hand) The drinks are always strong so if you order a G&T expect a pint glass not a shot glass. If you ask for something special though the bar tenders are happy to oblige and will often help you make something pretty awesome (if theyre not too busy slinging beers)
Totally the place to roll by and pre game for the other bars in the bottom or Off the Hookah if that’s your thing. You never know though you could «fall down the rabbit hole» as the saying goes and become a regular. They have live bands a lot, but think the sex pistols and not aging 70’s cover band. If you show up on a Thursday night it could be dead or it could be packed, but weekends are generally the best bet for a steady pulse as with everywhere else, so take your chances kids.

If you enjoy being alienated by the manager, this is a great place to go. I know I won’t be going back.

A good place to chill out and have a drink… I wouldn’t go if you don’t like being in a loud bar though…

TERRIBLE… Allow me to explain.
I came for a burlesque show and the doors were supposed to open at 8. There were people inside playing pool, but the doors were locked… It was raining and people were just standing outside waiting for the doors to open… at 9 the doors were still locked! The show was supposed to BEGIN at 9. At 9:10 they opened the doors… We were shown to a cramped back room where there were a scattering of seats… We got seats in the second row and couldn’t even see the stage which wasn’t even raised!
While STILL waiting for the show, I got drinks from an angry looking old man, who seemed soooo thrilled to be there.
At 9:40 the show finally started. The sad part was that it was an amazing burlesque, the best, in fact. However, I could hardly see. Also, we had to leave early, because here it was 11:30 and a week night and it wasn’t close to over, thanks to the delay!!!
They should have held the show at Gallery 5, which is the BEST place to see burlesque.