The Rivermill

The food was pretty good. The service was not however. This place has a very weird way of going about things. You pay before you get your food, you have to walk up to the counter to ask for something such as a refill, and by the time I ordered the waiter had confused me enough so that I had no idea what I was getting. If you don’t mind this then you will have a fine time here.

Really liked the atmosphere. Tater tot appetizer was amazing! Chicken club was delicious and my husband enjoyed his burger. Decent beer selection. Plan on going back.

A locals favorite! Great food, beer selection and chill environment. Try the Rivermill Cheese Fries, they’re awesome.

Fantastic service from our lady from NJ! Loved spending our night here… Chili yesss get it! Great tap selection and tipsy T&T! Tang and tonic! Great prices go college towns!!!

I have literally never been treated so poorly in a bar. The bartenders are all lazy and don’t want to serve you, and the table clearer will try to take your beer away when it’s half done — and when you ask him for it back he will flip you off and call you a «bitch»
There are way better places in Blacksburg — you don’t need this bullshit. They also don’t know their beer at all.

Well, I’ve been here a lot. T’was my local for many years. Lots of lunches, afternoon brew & bull sessions, meetings, you name it. When I first came here in 2000 they had Pilsner Urquell on tap. Awesome! Now they have a lot of taps but they are not rotated so often. The food is USFoodservice bar food so it’s OK, not much better although I’ve had the vegie tacos more than 30 times and still like them. Like any bar in a college town, it gets annoying when packed at night.
Rerate: I don’t know why but I’m liking this place more than ever. Hoppy lager by Sierra on tap is sweet.

excellent veggie tacos. spicy black beans. grilled soft shells. delish! excellent beer selection to go with it. a rare treat for Blacksburg.

I enjoy this bar. For the Blacksburg area, it has a different atmosphere with a variety of beers on tap. Double rum and coke is always 4 bucks. It’s a good bar where you can play pool, darts and grab a table and actually hear your friends. The rivermill tots are great: cheese, bacon, jalepenos, side of ranch. How can you go wrong?! Only downside is it’s 9 bucks which i believe is overpriced for an app of tots.

Solid college dive bar. Food is not fancy but keep to your favorites and you will be happy. Nice taps. My go to is a buffalo burger on wheat with tots. Also and somewhat aside, this is the soccer bar in Blacksburg. Anyone shows the WC: you can shout out your EPL or MLS (sigh) game here.

Pros: good beer selection, good lunch food, free pool tables.
Cons:
1. They’re missing over half their darts
2. The nacho appetizer was the most pathetic plate I’ve ever seen, I thought it was a joke. Took someone 10 seconds and a microwave, no real toppings either
3. It was so packed we could hardly move
4. Staff was extremely rude. One bartender was fine but two others I dealt with were complete a-​holes. One bartender yelled at my girlfriend when she reported broken glass on the floor, blaming her, when in reality she was innocent and wanted to make sure patrons were safe.
Overall I can’t believe how shitty the staff were to the patrons, I thought it was a classy place but it seems more like a snobbier and slightly cleaner version of tots.

This place is a bar with great food for a bar. The laid back atmosphere and inviting setting makes Rivermill worthy of a latenight visit for dinner or drinks. In an area overrun with load, greasy the late night bars this is the altervative. It’s a great place for a good of friends to come to avoid rowdy crowds and has enough TVs to enjoy games while drinking and eating.
I ordered the bbq tacos and chips ans salsa and was shocked at how good they were. I expected the same quality as at the Hokie House. This place was far superior (and makes homemade chips). The jalapeño burger my friend had wasnt dry and came with quality meat.

Great dive feel with awesome beers on tap and always a great deal. I make sure I hit up Rivermill whenever I am back in Blacksburg.

Have had dinner here in the past, but only came for drinks this time. I remember food being good, but not fabulous. Above average for downtown Blacksburg though. Good beer selection, not too crowded. I’d definitely return.

I’ve only been here for lunch, but the bison burger is amazing! When I really want a delicious burger this is where I go.
The only problem I have is deciding between fries or tots. The best option is to go with a friend and split an order of each.

I went here for lunch one time so I can’t comment on the nightlife although I do know it is a popular bar in the area. They have really good tots so if you go def. try those!

The mill has been my main bar in Blacksburg since 2003. It is my Cheers. Beer selection is good and the food is good for U.S. style bar food. The bartenders are great at mixing drinks. My favorites from the menu: loaded tots, ham and cheese on sourdough, and the Rivermelt.
I prefer going on non-​standard nights unless I’m DJing there with the rest of the Boogieburg crew. I definitely stay away during home football games.

I like the Rivermill. It has many qualities that I like to associate with a comfortable dive bar with good bar food. There are also a few things that I don’t like. Lets begin there.
There are no waiters. The first time Mary and I ate at the Rivermill we had no Idea that you had to order at the bar, so we just sat until we saw others going up to the bar and receiving service
They are routinely slow. After ordering, you might want to order a couple of beers because as soon as you finish the second beer, 20 to 30 minutes later, your food will arrive.
There is a DJ on Thursday nights. I associate this bar with a place to grab a good beer and chit chat with friends during happy, listening to 90’s throwback and classic rock music. But, around time the conversation is just getting good and many friends have gathered at several tables, they decide that a DJ is necessary. Why? I ask. The Rivermill does not scream night club to me.
As I promised, the good stuff. They have some amazing food. No really, the Veggie Guacamole Burger is really good and the tots are perfectly crispy. Of course, they don’t serve gourmet food but, I don’t expect them to. My regular meal is the BBQ tacos and if someone will let me, I will sneak a few cheese fries.
They have a great craft beer selection on tap. I regularly get a Fat Tire or Left hand Milk Stout on draft and several times a year they do a tap take over; I especially liked the Bell’s Tap Takeover.
Because this place is so casual, they don’t mind if you rearrange the furniture and move in. Its not uncommon for us to put 4 or 5 tables together to accommodate our group.
Rivermill = A OK in my book and I will continue to patron this establishment so long as I am in Blacksburg.

TOTS = the man. We should all try to fight the man and their $ 2 cover. Come to Rivermill instead and play some pool!
They have the most delicious Irish Car Bombs. I think their secret is a hint of Kahlua that they put in the shot. Along with the 30+ beers they have on tap, you can never go wrong here.
ALSO, is it just me or does the bar tender look like Zach Galifianakis? This place rocks!

This is my favorite bar in the ‘Burg. You’ll find more draft beer options here than at any other bar in town, including some local craft brews. The food is better than most bar food around town. There’s a laid back, comfortable vibe. Great place to grab a couple and hang out.

Get the bison burger. Put bacon and bleu cheese on this bad boy. You are welcome.