By Sophie Sloan

Pondering where to celebrate my aunt’s birthday dinner last month, my mom, aunt, and I decided on Edo’s Squid, an upscale Italian joint in downtown Richmond. My mom Pam Sloan, a culinary arts teacher at Manchester High School, has dined at Edo’s Squid a handful of times in the past few years, so her sister Amy Rosemary and I were eager to see if it lived up to her prior excellent dining experiences. Edo’s Squid provides a selection of Italian food alongside seafood options, making it the perfect place for Italian food enthusiasts.

Pasta with marinara sauce. Photo credit: J. Hendron.

Ed Vasaio opened Edo’s Squid in 2013. Vasaio is well-known in Richmond for his Italian restaurants, and especially for Mamma Zu, his famous Italian restaurant in Oregon Hill that was in business from 1994-2021. 

The parking at Edo’s Squid is about three flights of stairs below the restaurant. After making the trek to get into the restaurant, we walked inside. As I was met with the dim lighting of the interior of the quaint restaurant, my nose was flooded with the smells of oregano and basil, my ears tingling with a slight murmuring of jazz music playing in the background. The restaurant was scattered with beautiful decorations and paintings. The host quickly took us to our table, and our fine dining experience began. 

As we began studying the menu, my mom brought up the halibut and said, “Last time I got the halibut, it was delicious, the perfect size, and had a nice crust on the outside with a flakey inside.” Sold on my mom’s description, my aunt ordered the pasta with marinara and a piece of halibut on top. Contrary to my picky eating habits, I wanted to branch out and order something different than my usual noodles with butter and parmesan. My aunt suggested the shrimp al burro and described it as “kind of like an Alfredo” and said, “You should like it.” Initially reluctant in my decision, I decided to order it. Lastly, my mom ordered the traditional penne pasta with marinara.

Halibut. Photo credit: Yelp user Kim. H.

After taking our orders, our waitress brought a warm, steaming bread basket accompanied by seasoned olive oil and butter. Digging right in, I grabbed a piece of bread, tore it in half, and slapped a piece of butter right between the soft sides. My aunt and my mom followed. After indulging in our first bite, I realized it was possibly the best bread and butter I’ve ever had. My mom agreed and said, “How could something so simple be so delightful?” After a few minutes, our bread basket was gone, and we were brought another. We decided to save it to dip into our pasta sauces. 

After around twenty minutes, our food came hot and steaming to our table. I was astonished by the large portions and was greeted with the fresh smell of seasoned shrimp and tomato sauce. We dug in. The fettuccini pasta in my dish was homemade and had the perfect flavor and texture. The sauce, similar to Alfredo, was bursting with flavor and was the ideal mixture of smoky, salty, and cheesy. The shrimp were cooked and seasoned to perfection. 

A personal pet peeve of mine is when restaurants leave the tails of the shrimp on, forcing me to pick the shrimp all out and take off the tail. However, Edo’s removes the tails, making the dining experience that much more enjoyable. My mom described her pasta as “delicious” and exclaimed that the “marinara was a perfect mixture of sweet and salty. The noodles don’t need much added to them, because they are so good as they are, so I am happy with my simple dish. I would get it again.” 

My aunt, astonished and delighted with her dish, described the halibut as “the perfect addition to my pasta. Although my pasta was topped with a simple sauce, the fish was the perfect garnish. The seasoned crust on the outside is almost like another sauce and is packed with flavor. The different seasonings worked perfectly and created a burst of flavor. I would get this in the future again.” 

Cannoli and tiramisu. Photo credit: Edo’s Squid via instagram.

After our dinner, we decided we wanted something sweet to finish our meal, so we ordered the cannoli. It was delectable. The pastry dough encrusted around the creamy ricotta filling was everything I wanted and more. The chocolate chips on the outside were the perfect touch. The powdered sugar on the outside provided a perfect flavor contrast to the ricotta filling. 

The pricing of Edo’s Squid is not too far-fetched, as the large portions will result in least two meals. The pasta with marinara topped with fish and the shrimp al burro were $25 each, and the cannoli came out to $5, well worth every penny. Entrées range in price from $18-$25, and the desserts are all about $5. 

I am not the only person who enjoys Edo’s Squid. Betsy Clarke (’25) described Edo’s Squid as her “favorite Italian restaurant in Richmond. I got the squid arugula salad, which made me realize that I actually love squid and am not grossed out by it.” A review on Google by Anthony Coulliard says, “You won’t find a better Italian dining experience anywhere.  Edo has been a Richmond gem for a long time. Every time I’ve come here, the food has been exquisite.” 

Edo’s Squid is the perfect retro Italian restaurant. Overall, the service is excellent, and the atmosphere is enjoyable. I recommend getting a reservation, because there was about an hour-long wait without one. The portions are humongous and can be two, or even three, meals with the leftovers. I would give my overall experience a 9.2/10 and recommend it to anyone.