River’s End Café

Food is okay-​view is everything !
Takes a while to get food. But hey, sit back and enjoy good company and amazing views! Relax and enjoy the meal!

I understand a party of 6 is mandatory 18% tip for service. However I only got one cup of water & it never got refilled. I had a clean delicious chicken sandwich with steak fries that was on point. The food here is fresh clean above mediocre. But it seems like when they knew there were going to get the tip the service was even worse. The only reason I will come back is for the family meet on the behalf of my brothers.
The bus boys and the laborers (Mexican) workers are really polite. The two stars is for them working and greeting everyone so nice.

This place can take you sometime to be seated and long long long long time to get your food. but the view of this place is nice and can make waiting bit easy. They wont seat you even though the place has a open seats (perhaps because of not enough waiters or waitresses not sure) but yea they wont seat you. After waiting for while when you are let in, it is very hard to seat where you would want to seat. Even fight can break out so watch out because sometimes people who are already seated usually calls for seats that are beach view. So even though you come in and see the seats empty, you might not get it. The workers are friendly but their food does take like 35mins to come out. I don’t know why but it does. Food is okay nothing special but bit better than Dennis I would say. I think there are a lot of low star reviews because of wait time for the seats and food, which can make customers cranky and can make customers more sensitive to little to big negative things. I would come back to this place just to relax and have some food whenever it comes out. This place does run off by its location rather than food or service. The price is not that high anyways, it is not like high end place so I don’t really mind long as food comes out and it has nice view for this kind of place.

Great location. Service and food is lackluster at best. My second time here for breakfast and that’s enough for me.

I have no idea why this has three stars! We biked 5 miles to the beach. Only had to wait about 10 minutes, which wasn’t bad because it was packed and thought we would be waiting a lot longer. The service was ok. Our waiter could have been friendly, maybe a smile. But he was fast, accurate and met all out needs, so I would rather have that than the other way around. But the food… The food! Omg was sooooo good! I had the best pastrami sandwich of my life. Sean had the breakfast burrito, which he did not stop raving about. And he had a side order of French toast which was to die for! We will back next weekend for sure! Minimum four stars. And only because the bathroom smelled like the beach bathroom across the way. Other than that, 5 stars!!!

Stopped in for a quick bite. I wish they served breakfast all day. They were also out of bananas, strawberries and blue berries. We ended up just getting chips and guacamole. You can however bring your dog and its a great view.

Firstly, great location, parking is easy, friendly service, good food, great prices, yes would come back again… again…again
Secondly, slow, slow, slow, no really I mean SLOW and mismanaged staff for California standards, there will always be no less than 5 open tables and at least 10 people waiting outside
If I wasn’t from Hawai’i and understood island time I would be agro (if you have been to the Keys too you know what I’m talking about). I am writing this while listening to people watch other people eat and wait… wait…wait.oh Lizzy party of 5 just left…
Gotta go, we are up next… next…next…

We went to the Rivers End Café this morning. The staff is very friendly. The location is beatiful. Parking was easy. Unfortunately, my meal was disappointing. The waiter wrote down what I wanted, but the cook didn’t measure up.
The house was not full and my request was far from tuff. So «PLEASE READ your tickets Chef»
FYI, DON’T ORDER ANYTHING WITH HOLLANDAISE

If not for mimosa, I would have just rated this 1 star.
Service took F.O.R.E.V.E.R.
Why?
No freakin’ idea.

Chiliquitas for the first time with rice and black beans. Delish is all I can say!
Server was on it and so very friendly. Service was awesome.

Normally I’m not too quick to write a bad review but so many things went south so fast I just couldn’t let future PAYING customers go through this. I am terribly unimpressed. The location was nice, but it’s very misleading.
Apparently there was some event today and one lady said it was fine to come in but then another lady was absolutely rude to us and said we couldn’t come. We decided then just to walk around the beach and when we came back they apologized saying we could eat there.
The chair my friend was sitting on pinched her skin in some weird way which was not pleasant for her.
We wanted milkshakes but they didn’t have any ice cream for them?! Bummer. So I ordered these steak fries that were 4 bucks and BLAND. No flavoring or seasoning what so ever. WORSE of all there were ANTS IN THE KETCHUP. I told the waiter and he didn’t even apologize for it! I was absolutely mortified!
I hate to be that person that never tips but I just left less than a dollar because they honestly didn’t deserve it.

Nice beach view, just burgers, sandwiches, breakfast all day. Food is seriously nothing special.

In my book, this place gets 5 stars for location, 4 stars for food, and 3 stars for service; that averages out to be 4 stars.
The location is fabulous — right on the sand of Seal Beach, where watching surfers and sun-​bathers is easy.
The food was good but not great — I had the grilled shrimp tacos with rice and black beans; nothing spectacular about any of it. My mimosa was watery and warm, no ice: fail.
The service was slow, inattentive, and unresponsive when asking for something to be brought, like extra napkins, which never arrived.
Would I return? Probably. It’s a fantastic location to get a bite if you can sit at a table near the sand. I’d think twice if I had to sit away from the beach sights. Would I recommend to others? Probably. For the reasons I already mentioned, it’s a good place for some food if you’ve never been there. And on a brilliant sunny day, it’s a very nice location in which to enjoy some breakfast… just get a Bloody Mary instead of a mimosa :)

I have read many recent less than stellar reviews and feel the need to weigh in.
This is a lovely place, a small restaurant on the sands. It is not a fast food restaurant. You will not be served immediately and nobody is trying to get you to finish so someone else can dine. This is the place to go when you want to enjoy your meal in good company. This is where you go to sit back and enjoy the scenery. The wait staff are respectful and in no hurry. The food is good. No, not five stars good, but good. Come here to celebrate the important people in your life, even if it is just you.

I have read many recent less than stellar reviews and feel the need to weigh in.
This is a lovely place, a small restaurant on the sand of Seal Beach close to the San Gabriel river. It is not a fast food restaurant. You will not be served immediately and nobody is trying to get you to finish so someone else can dine. This is the place to go when you want to enjoy your meal in good company. This is where you go to sit back and enjoy the scenery. Have a drink (the do have a liquor license). The wait staff are respectful and in no hurry. The food is good. No, not five stars good, but good, decent food. Come here to breath and relax and celebrate the important people in your life, even if it is just you.

The final destination to a beautiful bike ride along the San Gabriel river trail to seal beach. It is a perfect trap for bikers to sit, rest and eat here as there is nothing else around but the beach. beautiful location, eat in the patio and enjoy the sun, water, and pretty houses/​trees.
view: spectacular
food: ok
they have the basic bfast items with eggs, omelettes, potatoes, pancakes, etc
the plain toast was shockingly tasty to me… probably from all the butter they slather on them.

A group of 4 of us volunteered for the Seal Beach cleanup which happens every month and thought we’d pop into this cute beach café for brunch after. They were getting some traffic from the people wrapping up the cleanup so we expected a wait to be seated. After 5 mins we got a table but it was in direct sun with no umbrella so we asked to wait for a shadier table and were sat after 10 more minutes.
Throughout our time there our server was rarely seen. I didn’t really see her at other tables around us either so I’m not sure what kept her from taking our order in a timely manner or checking in us after the food came out. We all ordered breakfast items (eggs, toast, fruit, and potatoes) but it took 40 mins for our food to come out. I got the crabby eggs Benedict and there was so much sauce I couldn’t taste anything else and my muffin was burned so I couldn’t cut it with my knife. The other 3 girls’ potatoes were all over cooked, dry and burned and the eggs had no seasoning so we’re nothing special.
I normally don’t complain about my food, having worked in the food industry and having been a server myself and living off of the tips I got, but since none of the plates of food were edible I had to say something. When I asked an employee who was just standing around for a manager I was told there wasn’t one on duty!!! Who’s in charge? They got our server instead and her response was «oh it’s always slower service on Saturdays and Sunday’s and takes 40 mins to an hour because we’re busy.» For eggs? This isn’t acceptable. Go to IHOP or Denny’s during their Sunday after church rush when the place is packed and you’ll never have to wait 40 mins for some eggs! If you know you’re busy on those days, get another cook or two in the kitchen! Maybe if you had a manager they’d know to hire another weekend cook!
We ended up being there over an hour and all I ate was the cantaloupe that was the side item and a slice of my friend’s toast. They comped the bill but I would have rather had an edible meal in a timely fashion. We won’t be back.

My parents and other family absolutely love this place and I can see why. It’s an absolutely charming location, it has a beautiful view of the ocean, and has a very attentive staff.
During the surprise birthday my family threw me recently at River’s End, the accommodating staff made it a birthday to remember. They worked with my family to set up a decorated area and the staff was very sweet and attentive during all my friends and family’s needs (as well as during clean up). The staff and crew were AWESOME.
Now since there aren’t surprise birthdays being thrown everyday, for the average joe, it’s a great place to grab some solid Bloody Mary’s (with bacon!!), grub on some food, and watch a unobscured sunset (sailboats and birds flying by included). Its nothing fancy on the food, but if you’re like any other long beach or seal beach-​er, like to drink with some friends and chill by the beach, this is the place to be.
If you doubt my word, just check out the pictures and I’m sure you’ll be more than convinced.

I personally love the River’s End Café! My company and I frequent this restaurant quite a bit and are always met with excellent food and a funny, charismatic, all-​around awesome staff of people.
You really can’t beat the location, it’s the best in the Hungtington/​Seal Beach and worth the small parking fee.
Be sure to try their Tuna Sandwich! mmmmm

Less than underwhelmed.
Thought we would try River’s End while on vacation with our family. 17 of us. The location was great, end of 1^st street near the beach. But that was the best part.
It is located in a parking area for Seal Beach so you have to pay to park. Parking is currently $ 3.00 for two hours. The signs say the restaurant will «validate» which means thy give you a dollar off your bill if you spend $ 10 or more. Which won’t be difficult.
Most all meals were $ 13 to $ 20, plus $ 2.50 for sodas.
What could have been a very cool venue with great ambiance was rather drab and, while not necessarily dirty, it didn’t feel crisp and clean, either. It was quite plain and appeared there had not been any updates or money spent on the venue in quite a while.
Not sure how many staff they had working on a Friday evening, but we only saw two. Luckily there were only two other couples in the restaurant as service was rather slow.
They were pretty excited to see us until they realized we weren’t going to be ordering alcohol. And while we can’t say that made any difference in the level of service, they were obviously let down.
Sodas were delivered in fairly good time, though the cokes were flat. But they provided free refills. ;)
we had a variety of entrees as we were a sizable group.
The regular burger and the turkey and avocado sandwich were dry and «ok» but nothing amazing.
The mango chicken was really a let down. So much opportunity for something special, but just so-​so. not much flavor in either the chicken or the mango.
Some of the kids had grilled cheese sandwiches and a couple had hot dogs. Only one of them finished theirs. The others said they didn’t like the taste of the bread. How do you not make a grilled cheese that kids will eat?
One of the kids got the banana crepes, best thing anyone ordered in the group.
The «Ends Enchiladas» were really bad. Not sure if the dark sauce was supposed to taste as bitter and burnt as it did, but it was nearly impossible to eat. Then add the heavily vinegar crème sauce, and my son couldn’t make it through more than a couple of bites, even after scraping off the sauces.
The pork chops were ok and my other son enjoyed his chili burger.
We were an hour and a half and averaged $ 14+ per meal, and half of our group were kids 5 to 9 years old.
I rarely post such poor reviews, but I cannot recommend this location to anyone based on the lack of flavor, or just plain bad flavor. Our waitress was a sweetheart, but the gentleman that appeared to be in charge was rather abrupt. And, as is sadly «customary» in so may restaurants, they added 18% automatic tip to the bill.
We won’t be back when we return next time to Seal Beach.
Visited October 2015

My fries where very hard I couldn’t even eat them, and the sandwich was good although it was more bread then the steak and cheese inside. the service is super super super slow.

Had breakfast with friends. Service okay (had to ask doe coffee refills, syrup for French toast). Huge portions. The French toast was thick as promised and delicious. Quesadilla had lots of cheese with salsa on the side. Potatoes were good nice views of the beach. Good place to bring out of tow need

The only reason I keep coming back here is for the view of the beach.
The food is just average, and expensive for the quality of the food you get. The portions are big so if you just like to eat and don’t really care what it tastes like and don’t mind waiting 40 minutes after sitting down, then go here.
But if you order the chocolate milk, make it very very clear (repeat yourself multiple times) you want the small, or else they will bring you a large ($ 5), say they didn’t hear you, insist you pay for it, and give you a substantial attitude about the whole ideal which was entirely their fault.
And if you don’t want to ask your waiter for silverware five times before receiving it, even after receiving your meal, get up and get it yourself.
And before deciding what to order, or even narrowing it down, ask your server what they DO still have in the kitchen. They were out of chicken (how) when I ordered the chicken club, and when I overheard someone order the brownie sundae, the server replied, «We’re out of ice cream. And brownies.»
I am moderately pleased to say that I did have decent service yesterday. Maybe they finally reached their quota of one star ratings before deciding to do something about it. I will be back but I will probably only order something impossible to make bad, like hot chocolate or french fries.

I had the Crabby Cakes Benedict and they were great as usual. The service is terrible because they figure you only came here for the view. Expect to wait awhile for a table even if there’s plenty empty clean tables to use. Also pay attention to your bill as you may be charged more than you should because the math doesn’t add up. And the price may change as well. If you see my pic the food was supposed to add up to $ 24, not $ 25. We were told the coffee is $ 2, not $ 2.50.

I was so looking forward to this place. We waited 10 minutes for a hostess to come over and call our name and say, sit wherever you want. ???
We waited another 20 minutes for the waitress to take our order. Which she only took after the table next to us complained, they had been sitting there longer than us
Another 45 minutes later, no food.
The whole time we sat there the waitress only brought out the food for 2 tables, one of them finished their meal and got their check and we still had no food.
I complained and was shown the sign I will post below.
I don’t mind waiting, but an hour is rediculous, especially when you are in metered parking

Went for the first/​last time today. Here’s the rundown:
Service was downright appalling. Drink orders were taken and we didn’t get them until maybe 20min later? By the way, it wasn’t even busy. There’s really no excuse.
The food was mediocre at best. I don’t even understand how you can mess up breakfast. I honestly would have rather taken my chances at McDonald’s. My culinary skills are far superior to the cook at this restaurant. I’ll never go back.
Moral of the story: don’t waste your time or your money on this utterly forgettable café. It truly reminded me of another crappy restaurant, Ambrosia.

I was here for a Sunday brunch with a large group and it was not crowded at all. We got lucky since they don’t take reservations. Everyone must’ve read the reviews and were diverted elsewhere.
I’m pretty sure I’ve just had the worst $ 13 Craby Cakes Benedict ever. My patties were obviously not fresh and probably came from a box in the frozen aisle of a supermarket. They were doused in worcestershire sauce (that explains why they’re so dark in my photo). I don’t understand why they don’t just use hollandaise sauce like every other benedict. The menu said spicy Jamaican jerk sauce but I only tasted worcestershire. The worcestershire made the benedict extremely salty. The fruit salad that came with my dish was pretty much a melon salad. Just cantaloupe and honeydew. What happened to the bananas, pineapples, strawberries, apples, or grapes? We all know what fruits were on sale that week! Unfortunately I wasn’t the only person in my party to order this dish and others were just as disappointed.
My mom’s Crab and Shrimp Omelette looked a lot better but it didn’t make up for it’s taste. My friend ordered pancakes and the syrup was not included on the plate. We couldn’t flag a server down and she decided to eat her pancakes dry due to hunger. I’m glad they gave us a pitcher of iced tea and water so we didn’t have to ask for refills.
For the price you pay and the view you get, it’s better to just pay for parking and pack food for a picnic on the beach.

This place needs a new owner to take over and or add some TLC. It’s such a prime location on the beach. Actually, a hidden gem.
I had brunch with my family and food was good but it’s the little things that will not make me return.
Here they are:
–Disgusting plastic cups and plates
–Outdoor chairs and tables were dirty
–Child booster seat was filthy and old like the place
–Public Bathrooms are not well maintained
There’s too many options just minutes away on Main Street.

Stopped in here about a week ago with my son. The wait on a Sunday at noon was about an hour. We were seated outside on the beachfront patio, and had to wait about 10 minutes for a server to take our drink order. My son had a soda, and I ordered a beer. Unfortunately I had to send it back because it was warm. I told the server to make sure the mountains were really blue. She brought me a new one and it was much better. (The young server came back to tell me that she thought I was messing with her until she read the bottle!)
For the food I would have to give them a 2.5 stars. It was just meh. I had huevos rancheros and the sauce was a little bland. My son had a Philly cheesesteak, and man, it was greasy.
The parking lot is city owned, and parking is like $ 3 for 2 hours. Dog friendly, and great views of the beach and harbor make it worth returning to.

Went here on Valentines day and they happened to be short on staff. The wait was pretty long and the staff seemed pretty flustered. As soon as we sat down things got a whole lot better. Drinks came pretty quick. The food, not so much. When it did come it was delicious. I got the chilequiles. They were so tasty.
Luckily the view is amazing. I will definitely come back here because the food was good. Hopefully they will have their staffing down and the service and wait time will be better.

I have many culinary «holy grails»…best fish taco, best dim sum, best burger, best grilled ribeye… you know, you do it too. One of my holiest of grails is in my search for the best fish ‘n chips. When its on, it’s on, and I know I’ll be in heaven when I find this grail. I’ve been there before but only for a brief visit. And it wasn’t even close to the LBC. And, alas, it wasn’t to be found here. My photo shows how good it can look but I don’t vote based on looks alone. I vote with the whole package in mind and this one failed with no one to blame but themselves. They’ve had a good two terms to get it right to no avail.
The «crispy golden brown» offerings were coated in grease, worse than fresh Krispy-​Kremes. The texture was of vulcanized re-​tread that made me feel like I bit into a Goodyear tire. This was a shallow, flaccid façade of a grail that promised the world a new era of hope, respect and justice. It failed.
The search goes on for a new leader. One we can honestly believe in and sink our teeth into without going broke. One that promises fish ‘n chips heaven and delivers.
But here at River’s café, it’s a dead End. No grail here.

Every few weeks or so, I put a little air in the tires of my not-​fancy Gary Fisher commuter bike, and ride down to Seal Beach from Arcadia on the river trails. If you take the trail as far as you can go before you’re actually on beach sand, you’ll end up at the River’s End Café.
As several reviewers have stated, another five minutes on the bike puts you in the heart of downtown Seal Beach, where there are many superior options for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. But if you insist on eating within sniffing distance of the San Gabriel River at low tide, this is your spot.
I’m not a restaurant manager or anything, but it just seems this place could be so much more. It is often characterized by long wait times for basic things like coffee refills and short-​order grill foods, and the necessity of using the adjacent public restroom that occasionally features some al fresco denizen of the beach.
I giggle a little bit at folks whining they have to sit in actual sunshine on a beach diner patio… GET TOUGH, MILDRED, IT’S A FREAKING BEACH!
The wait time for your food can be exorbitant, and it seems the whim and fancy of the cook doing whatever he is doing back there can make the difference between 8 minute eggs and toast, or 45 minute eggs and toast.
Best bet: if you’re in a hurry, head into town. If you have nowhere to be and sort of enjoy the intertidal zone between an urban watershed and the closest beach to Long Beach Harbor, because the area contains a public beach restroom and a vibrant population of local homeless and visiting cyclists… Well baby, you’ve arrived.