Riverside Cafe

Got there about 4 in the afternoon. Plenty of available seating. We sat outside, don’t know if they have indoor seating.
Service was a little slow, I think some of the evening servers were just getting there.
Quite a list of offerings on the menu, and most were reasonability priced.
Food out of the kitchen was slow, but when it did arrive, it was abundant but lacked any special flavor. It was sort of like dining at a mom and pop diner. Lots of food needing to be spiced up to make it really good seems to be the way to put it.
Anyway we will go back, try different offerings. Maybe we just needed some other foods.

RUN DOWN — DIRTY BATHROOMS!
My family and I have been coming down to Riverside café for over 15 years or so, the food is always pretty good — I think we keep coming back for the beautiful views and soft breezes .
We always get the flaming oppah cheese and they have a fully stocked bar so one of us can cocktail .
In the last few years we’ve gone more for breakfast on the weekends along with the bar too.
The one spot I think that needs HUGE improvement is the bathroom — they are gas station grade !
This has been a problem for many years and is my only objection when we talk about a visit .
The owner — whom I’ve met on several occasions should put someone in charge of «freshening up «the bathrooms and keeping them clean !!!
The ladies toilet nearest the bar didn’t flush this Saturday after Christmas.
This will put me off the next time my husband asks — it’s just a deal breaker for me !

Excellent food. View is great, and there’s a pool and full bar. Love the French Dip! Have to try the Riverside Rollin’ BBQ if you ever need catering or go to an event. Their pulled pork is to die for!!!

We had the cheesy bruschetta as an appetizer and it was the highlight of this meal. Deliciousness.
Then out came our corn chowder. Bland bland bland. We added salt, pepper and hot sauce!
I ordered the crab stuffed catch of the day. It was quite good. Yes it was.
However my side of «real mash potatoes» were not. They actually tasted like nothing, gravy tasted like nothing. How is that even possible?
Next my friend ordered the riverside pasta who’s description sounded dreamy and delicious. However it was not. It was the blandest spaghetti anyone could ever crack a can to make. The pasta was just that as well, spaghetti. It had absolutely no flavor, no seasoning whatsoever. The shrimp on top were good and plenty included in the dish.
She took it home to doctor up as leftovers.
So if you decide to eat here you may want to bring your own spices!

Had the breakfast which was normal breakfast, nothing special about it. The view was great. We were sat in a couple of minutes, but the waiter wasn’t the friendliest. She seemed nice to the «regulars» not so much my friend and I. The food came out at a decent time. Will probably go again.

The food was good and the service was fine. Went there early on a Friday evening — the Friday special Great Lakes Perch was excellent, vegetable of the day was beans and they were cooked properly, not mushy like some places. We could not relate to the negative reviews, based on our experience. Nice atmosphere, didn’t stay for the live music, but it looked like fun as they were setting up.

A great grill and bar with an outdoor deck overlooking Regatta Point Marina. A combination of Margarita Ville and a Greek Restaurant. The Chicken Delight is my favorite. Most nights there is great music on the deck.
Has a good lunch and a full bar.
We always eat here when we hit town!

Good food. But whatever you do, DO NOT LOOK UP! Those ceiling vents haven’t been cleaned since 1972. Pretty darned disgusting. But the food is good. Just don’t…nevermind.

I’m being generous with the two stars. I really wanted to like this place but ‘er um… let me start with the wait staff which weren’t very attentive & they really need to be cleaned up. I hate to judge people by their appearance but it’s hard to feel comfortable receiving food from some who looks like they don’t wash their hands after using the restroom.
Let’s address the stray cat that hangs around lurking waiting for its next victim to attack. Don’t get me wrong, I like cats & I think they’re cute but not around my food in a restuarant that looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in a while.
I ordered the grilled chicken pita w/​fries which came out cold (no even warm) but cold. It wasn’t bad tasting but I expected my grilled chicken to be freshly grilled. As a matter of fact it seemed pan-​seared & not grilled at all. The fries were less than average… seems like I got the bottom of the bag fries.
Nice view at Riverview but not nice enough for me to return… sorry :(

Stuffed shrimp was so good, great atmosphere, very laid back. The live band was good and knew a lot of the songs I like.

The Greek chicken pita is very good. Hawaiian chicken sandwich was just ok. French dip was soggy. The place is in need of a serious deep clean. The servers are all grouchy and reek of cigarettes.

Nice view. But the food was only so-​so. Admittedly, I was only there for lunch. I had the Cuban sandwich. OK. The really thick chicken soup isn’t bad. The service was OK.

If I could give this zero stars, I would.
This became the alternative restaurant when the Riverhouse had a 35 min wait at 7pm.
This restaurant was less than half full and we thought we would get quick service.
We got menus, had to wait 15 min to ask waitress for a drink. Then, another 15 – 20 minutes went but and still no waitress took our order.
It was 7:45 and we got tired of waiting, so we left.
It certainly appears they are short-​staffed. Frustrating.

It forced me to choose one star. Worst service ever. I had to flag a guy down to pay. And still waiting. My food was cold. My husband had chicken salad so his was already cool. Don’t waste your time

Love this place! Great view of the water and the food is always great!

This is a nice little quaint restaurant the breakfast is really good lunch and dinner can be served outside or inside the waitresses are just perfect they are on the ball and they know what they’re doing the food is great I love the quiche. We eat breakfast here often.

I got the captain’s fish sandwich, which was the basa fish. I got it fried. It was a good portion. I think if you stick w/​the fish sandwich you’ll probably be alright. It was hot, flaky, and fresh. It was a pretty solid fish sandwich.

The two star rating is purely based on my experience with the food. The location is great, as the café sits right on the Manatee River with a lovely view of the marina. My husband and I visited for brunch the other day, and we loved being able to sit outside and enjoy the breeze on the water. I ordered the eggs benedict, and my husband went with the french toast. I was grossed out when my dish arrived. It was literally smothered in hollandaise sauce and looked completely unappealing. I’ve never seen anything like it. The english muffins were soggy as well. It was also slightly cold, which didn’t help the situation. My husband’s french toast looked tasty, and he enjoyed it. I really think I just ordered the wrong thing… I was looking at other patrons meals, and they all looked much more appealing than mine! I’d be willing to try this place again, but I will definitely be ordering anything other than the eggs benedict!!!

I really wanted to love this place. The service is wonderful — big smiles and so welcoming. And the location/​setting is so terrific — right on the water, super casual, utterly laid-​back and feels like old world Florida.
I started with the Greek Lemon Chicken Soup — and it was VERY VERY GOOD, so perhaps my expectations were set too high. I ordered the Mediterranean Fish Dinner ($ 15.95) — flaky white fish, grilled and topped with tomatoes, spinach, feta cheese & greek olives — with green beans. It wasn’t grilled. It was dusted in flour and fried, er – sautéed in a tremendous amount of grease. The beans lacked any taste or texture (frozen I think?). The Feta was quite good. My friend had the Shrimp Kabob ($ 9.50) — grilled shrimp, skewered and served over rice with a Greek salad. The salad part was delicious. The shrimp were small, hard and overcooked.
There is one-​man-​band who is entertaining — not overwhelming, but happy entertainment. The patrons of the Riverside Café all seemed extremely cheerful and enjoying themselves. Maybe we picked poorly, but with so many options out there, I’m not sure entirely sure I’d come here again (except for maybe soup and salad — with a great view!)

I really like the Riverside Café. Another worthy casual place to chill with a nice water view (onsite near Regatta Pointe Marina on the Manatee River). A good local establishment to bring someone from out of town to experience a little bit of the FL lifestyle without having to trek all the way out to the beach. Easy access from Bradenton as it’s right across the Green Bridge on the Palmetto side.
Granted, the last time I was here about close to 2 years ago, but I remember the food to be decent and reasonably priced even though I can’t remember what I specifically had. Possibly a chicken caeser salad and fries (my default a lot of times). I also believe there were a number of Greek-​style dishes to choose from along with breakfast fare. While there I DO remember having a pitcher of beer on the outside deck with a friend. Got nicely buzzed and thought to myself how I got to live in FL and experience little ‘mini-​vacations’ like hanging out at the Riverside Café in daily life while other people paid hundreds to thousands to do the same. Suckers!
I thought the little crabs crawling all over the place was pretty neat as is the resident feline (something that may appeal to the kiddies). From what I recall, the outside deck is mostly a covered area so you’re good to go if it rains a little or grab some shade. They do have entertainment towards the evening on many nights. The noise level is average usually, but it can get pretty loud and busy with people when the music comes on. The last time I was there, there was a one man band guy singing things like Jimmy Buffet songs (shocker…very common and unoriginal but FL people seem to love Jimmy B). I think he was also taking requests/​tips.
Anyway, give the Riverside Café a shot on a nice sunny day. Maybe play hooky from work and live it up a little.
(Oh, how I miss thee Florida!)
Edited to add: Just checked out the RC’s website and took note of the Flaming Cheese appetizer and related review…2^nd one linked from the ‘Who We Are’ section… sounds exciting and worth a try. Food and live fire, how can one go wrong? Can’t wait to go back!)