Bar: Wonderland
Address: 1727 E Main St, Richmond, VA 23223
Score: 8.6/10
When I think of unique bars, Wonderland in Richmond, VA comes top of mind. When I visited Richmond I set out with having a list of six bars that I had to visit. Truthfully, Wonderland was not on this list, but I immediately regretted this when I saw the bar. As I was heading to another bar in the city, I walked past Wonderland. The sign is what drew my attention. In large font was the name of the bar and every letter had a different color and pattern. The downside of this bar was the hours that they had. Opening at 8pm, I was not sure if I would be back in this area when they opened.
Fortunately, I was still around the bar at 8pm and decided to go in. To my surprise I walked into a Punk/WWE/Clown themed bar. Yes, all that is accurate, read that previous sentence again. Not everyday you walk into a bar with all those themes, but it just worked. The quirkiness and the randomness of the bar fascinated me. On all of the TVs they had Wrestling on, and it was the infamous night where John Cena turned heel. Look, am I the biggest WWE fan? No, but I appreciate the entertainment of the sport and how many people genuinely care for it. It is pretty neat if you ask me.
The next thing that stood out about the bar was the use of clowns all over the bar. Some people hate clowns, ill admit they can be rather creepy, but seeing them used this much in a bar theme was neat. Owner must be a big fan of IT or horror in general.
Past the WWE and clown theme of the bar, it was a pretty relaxing spot. The bar top followed a similar art deco geo design by having multiple colors and patterns on the bar top, very refreshing from the wood bar tops that we typically run across. Behind the bar top, the shelves were stuffed with WWE and clown decor, every inch of these shelves were filled, giving you something to look at, at the bar. Service at the bar was solid as well, the bartender was very friendly and informative. I found the beer selection to be wide, they offered a good mix of cheaper beers and then your Craft beers. The crowd at Wonderland was a mix of all ages, not one age group dominated this bar.
Personally, I enjoyed my time at Wonderland. Would this be my watering hole if I lived in Richmond? Probably not, it was not my preference, but I truly enjoyed the uniqueness and authenticity of the bar. Those two things would have me coming back.
Decor: Clowns and WWE, what more could you want?
Price: I believe I paid $4 for a Miller can. Median price for the city.
Service: Great service, bartender was really knowledgeable
Atmosphere: Lots of WWE fans mixed with people just grabbing a beer.
Cleanliness: Clean bar
Bonus Points: No bonus points.