The River Palm Terrace

We took my wife’s parents here for a going away dinner. We ordered a seafood platter and porterhouse. The food was okay, but nothing stood out. The prices were a bit steep for the quality of food and I do not think we will go back.

The food was okay nothing to rave about, atmosphere is old fashioned and dated but there’s nothing wrong with that. It felt like a banquet hall so dinner is not intimate. Though the server seemed nice she was not attentive once we received our dinner. I ordered the $ 5 Martini that there was a sandwich board advertising that special when you drive up. Apparently since we didn’t sit in the bar (which we did request but it was full) so we opted for the dinning room you cannot order the special. I ordered a baked potato for my side and the person who brought our food just dropped the food and left. So we thought okay well our server will come check on us (as I wanted some sort of topping for my baked potato). I finished my steak within 2 bites and she finally came over. When asked if the potato comes with anything she said no. How can you order a baked potato and it comes with nothing??? Apparently you have to ask for any toppings you want as they don’t offer and don’t come with a side of anything. I didn’t eat the potato as I was full from the steak and munched on my husbands side dish.
BOTTOM LINE: poor service/​outdated/​5 star prices for average food
We read the reviews and despite some bad ones and our friend telling us it wasn’t that good we thought we would still try it out. Next time I’ll just take the train to NY and go to a steakhouse I know it worth the 5 star price!

Went for dinner tonight with two other couples to celebrate a few birthdays and thought the food was good but not worth the price. The restaurant itself is nice and has a homey feel to it but that doesn’t make up for the cost.
The staff was accommodating especially since we received our bread and noticed there was a mold growing on it but it was replaced with a ‘fresher’ batch. For mold to be growing on bread makes me wonder how old it was since store bought bread lasts 4 or 5 days before mold shows. Not the worst thing in the world so we decided to order our food and a few bottles of wine.
Wine selection was decent but kind of pricey. Unfortunately the waiter accidentally mixed two different wines in my glass, which tasted nasty and ruined basically two good glasses. The salad was brought out. That was good, nothing special. I ordered filet mignon medallions and shrimp scampi; that was good as well. The sides were good (lobster Mac and cheese and truffle fries) and there was plenty of food to go around. The dessert (tartufo and waffle sundae) were delicious.
In the end, you’ll get a decent meal for about $ 150 per couple plus tip. There are better steakhouses out there that give more bang for your buck but an ok experience.

Ok, so here’s the deal. This place has so much hype surrounding it that it’s possible that my expectations were very high.
But I feel that if we are paying $ 400 for dinner, it better be damn good.
To be fair, there were 6 of us. But we didn’t order THAT much food to begin with and only one person had an alcoholic drink which typically bumps the bill up quickly. But no, only a few sodas and one margarita.
The ambience isn’t really anything special either, kind of loud and pretty standard. Reminded me of Macaroni grill — which is not a good thing for such a high end restaurant.
The food was good. Yes. But it wasn’t excellent. Or amazing. If a restaurant has amazing food, great vibes, great service… then the price is worth it, but unfortunately it just wasn’t. Don’t think I’ll be back.

We go here at least once a month and love the food service and atmosphere highly recommended

Been here numerous times. Made the «mistake» of ordering blackened swordfish. Over cooked Tasted like leather. Being at a table of five I just endured it. Waiter was mediocre at best. Bad night.

The porterhouse for two is perfect. Seafood is great. Service is great. There isn’t a lot to say. I have eaten here around 15x in the last 2 years and I plan on continue to visit whenever I can.

Always our family’s go to place for when we crave meat (or fish). The restaurant was repainted about a year ago and looks really warm and inviting with warm browns, wood trim and etched glass.
As for the food… The warm bread is great as well as the chopped salad with homemade Itailian dressing and a side of blue cheese that comes with the meal. We always ask for seconds, including our kids (it’s that good!). The porterhouse for two never disappoints. It is truely to die for. My husband and son recommend the rack of lamb and said it was «excellent»! Our other son loves the NY Strip and never tries anything else.
Service is always spot on — very attentive, but not in your face.
Highly recommend the River Palm in Mahwah for a great night out!

Just had the steak for two at Peter Lugers in Brooklyn. Steak for two at River Palm is better. The crust has more taste and the steak less fat. The steak at Lugers is by no means subpar, but having tried both recently, the win goes to River Palm. Both my fiancé and I had the same opinion.

Amazing steak for two, great service, nice ambiance! This place is really really good. The steak is better than any place in NYC.

Went to the rt 4 location. Not worth the money. Dirty waiting area, unfriendly hostess, sluggish wait staff that was nowhere to be found. They over cooked both our petit filets. Never go back. I was embarrassed that I brought a date there because I raved about the place spent a lot for a bad experience. Plus they had dance music playing. What kind of steakhouse has dance music playing?

Has gone WAY downhill in the last few years. Overpriced and under-​quality. Food routinely comes out of the kitchen inconsistently and service is spotty at best.
Most recent experience (although we’ve eaten there at least 4 times this year): appetizers and salads came out literally 5 minutes before entrée’s were served for table of 6. Two orders of the soup however, had to be sent back to the kitchen because each was served cold… not lukewarm. Cold.
Followed by two overcooked fillet entrees — both ordered medium and came out without the slightest bit of pink. One was sent back and the replacement came back cooked correctly but served cold — not warm — which suggests strongly it sat under the warming lights in the kitchen for some time before being brought back to the table — which makes sense because everyone else was already finished with their meal by the time it got there.
Just poor attention to detail all around and very expensive for what you get.
Added to that — the car valet brings around only one car at a time at exit so waiting for 15 minutes to get your car out is not unrealistic.
Don’t believe me? Check out the other reviews on this page. No response from management. What does that tell you? Spend your money elsewhere. I know we’re done with it.

Good food, however nothing special. The steaks are priced as if you were dining in New York City. Good service, valet, and clean. However, I say its overpriced.

I went to River Palm terrace for my birthday dinner with my family. I was served RAW scallops that smelled fishy. I returned the scallops and was not charged. However I was up all night really sick (not a great birthday celebration). I called to inform the restaurant and the receptionist at the front desk told me that a manager would get back to me. I just really wanted to let them know that they need to reassess where they order their seafood. Still waiting 3 days later for a call and an apology. Bad business. River Palm USED to be really good. Not impressed any longer. They need a make over on all fronts.

The food here is AMAZING! No matter what you may try, it will be good. I usually share the Porterhouse for Two and its too much to eat in one sitting. The Colossal Crab appetizer is so delicious and the Peach Bread Pudding dessert is decadently tasty. Staff is extremely attentive and very knowledgeable about the menu. Was here for my birthday and always love coming back!

Went to River Palm on a Saturday night for my sisters birthday. There was 4 of us. Used to frequent this place a few years ago but haven’t been there in about 2 years. Wow what a difference. We all dressed up for dinner but could have showed up in jeans and sneakers as most people had on. We ordered 3 appetizers. Bacon wrapped scallops was good but cold in the middle – fried calamari was ok and a tempura sushi roll was ok also. All appetizers were very small in size. We had 2 steaks an order of lamb chops and filet and shrimp. My steak was a porterhouse and I ordered it black and blue. It was cooked perfect but the cut of meet was just average as it was a bit chewy and was small in size. I have definitely had way better. We had a few sides and 2 came out cold in the middle and all were small in size. Bottom line is food is just average here. Service was just ok. Waiter was very nice and friendly but was definitely not attentive. Just didn’t stop at table enough and twice we needed to flag him down. Bus boy helping us definitely had an attitude when it came to water and wrapping up leftovers. One thing that particularly bothered me was when the appetizers arrived our waiter served them from one side of the table reaching across it to hand me the calamari. Then when our dinner arrived the server who was not our waiter did the same thing again. He asked who had black and blue – I said I do and he reached out over the table and said «here». Come on – I’m very far from an aristocratic but when you are paying well over $ 100 per person to eat please serve me the meal properly. This place is very average at best. It almost felt like they take their customers for granted cause they have been around so long. This once was a great place to go but to me something is lacking. If I’m gonna get charged astronomical prices please give me above average food and make me feel like you want me to come back. Btw our bill with tip was $ 490

River Palm is a perfect example of a restaurant who was great back in the day, but over the years they just let it all fall apart.
We dine here at least 4 – 5 times a year so my review isn’t just based on one experience.
I find the front desk staff to be slightly rude and disconnected. Maybe they are frustrated because the place regularly overbooks and there is a line of slightly angry customers waiting to be seated. Well that’s a problem they create for themselves. So you get there and your table isn’t ready so they send you to the bar where you are met by an extremely unfriendly bar tender. It never gets any better as the night unfolds.
The table service is about what you would expect at your average chain restaurant. You are left seated for long periods of time with no waiter or busperson in site. You have to flag someone down to get water refilled or a drink from the bar. No apologies, in fact during our last 2 visits the waiter expressed his frustration with the kitchen staff because the food was so backed up. That’s just what I want to hear, the waiter slamming the kitchen.
The atmosphere is loud and crowded in the main dining room. Nothing classy or elegant here, just a roar of noise from the overcrowded room. What did you say? Sorry I couldn’t hear you with the noise coming from the other tables that we are right on top of.
Once the food finally arrives it is mediocre at best. Steaks more often then not come out from the kitchen cooked improperly and sides are small and sometimes cold. I guess you could send it back but then you run the risk of waiting for your food to return and that wait can be a very long time.
The prices are over the top. They charge prices that should include a pretty high level of service, but I guess they think their customers are too ignorant to appreciate good service. When you spend over $ 100 per person for a steak dinner you expect a little special treatment. You expect the restaurant has enough staff to properly take care of your table and of course you expect a great meal prepared in a reasonable amount of time. You get none of that here, at least I didn’t during my last few visits.
This last visit will most likely be our last.

We took a party of eight. The menu was severely limited. The food came out cold! The prices were incredible high. This place wants charge 5 star prices and give 1 star output. The service was good but the food was not! This place is not even close to Ruth Chris’s steak house. The bill was $ 1000.00 and we were completely un satisfied. Terrible way to spend New Year’s Eve.

Time Warp
Atmosphere/​Décor ** There are two dining rooms and both look like they are from another era. The room to the left is devoid of any atmosphere with its white walls, sparsely placed odd artwork while the room and bar to the right is a little better with everything covered in oak. Both rooms have etched glass and horribly cheap looking green vinyl covered chairs. This location isn’t that old so they must have designed it to look like it was built in the 80’s. The clientele was mostly older families.
Service **** From the valet to the waiter to the busboy everyone was very professional and pleasant.
Food ** Foiled wrapped butter in a place like this?! The first round of bread was rock hard stale. Nearly everything came out barely hot including the Cauliflower side which was cold and returned. The steaks were ok, not particularly tender or flavorful.
Value *** $ 220 for a family of 4 at a steakhouse should be expected.
Overall *** The restaurant was packed on Christmas eve so they must be doing something right but between it’s dated décor and nothing special steaks I wouldn’t return.

Great service by Howie who also kept us entertained with his witticisms. For a steak place, the calamari was surprisingly one of the best I’ve had, tender and lightly battered. My filet mignon was cooked exactly as ordered. The brownie sundae was also amazing. Only complaint is the crème brûlée was sadly disappointing… It had the texture of quiche… firm and eggy rather than creamy.

Hervorragende Steaks.
Genial ist der Krebsfleisch-​Cocktail mit Avocado als Appetizer.
Das Ambiente ist gediegen, aber etwas dunkel.
Der Service ist aufmerksam.
Preislich eher gehoben.