The Ugly Duckling

Overview

Before you visit this Richmond watering hole, you should know one thing: the deceptively named Ugly Duckling is actually quite the stunner. In fact, with its contemporary design and polished patrons, it draws many more parallels with the 'beautiful swan' part of the famous fairytale.

All pastel tones, grey accents and smooth surfaces, the Richmond space is fresh and chic. A narrow front bar opens out into a bright, lofty atrium, where natural light spills onto intimate tables of after-work tipplers and date-night duos.

The small space fills up quickly which, thanks to that gorgeous skylight, means the acoustics are less than fantastic. Luckily, there seems to be an unspoken consensus that this is a place where it's more important to be seen than to be heard. Anyway, the liquid offerings here are much more deserving of your attention.

Having marked itself as one of the strip's new go-tos for good wine and top-notch cocktails, you can be sure the Ugly Duckling's drinks list is one area that doesn't disappoint.

The wine list is comprehensive and fairly wide-ranging, if slightly skewed towards those with a bit more cash to splash. A decent range by the glass and half-bottle offers a good excuse to sample a few different things, with drops from across Europe mingling with local labels.

Though the snacking menu is brief, it boasts some truly excellent produce — just try the buttery-soft Wagyu bresaola and you wouldn't dare to disagree.

Pay a visit and you'll soon see for yourself that this Ugly Duckling is living up to its street's name a whole lot more than its own.