Riverside Cafe

Visited recently for the first time and was very pleased. I ordered the grouper Reuben and it was excellent. Everyone else enjoyed their meal and the setting was very nice.

Just grabbed a quick drink with some friends while in the area. Bartenders were friendly, and they have a lot of TV’s if you want to watch the game… more of a sports bar vibe here. I’ll be back to try some food, I heard it was great from the few people I met there.

Sadly it’s gone downhill… Friday nights are empty. Rap music. DJ’s who could care less. It’s sad. This place use to be the best in Vero. Food is still good…

Our friends picked this restaurant as a midway point to meet as we were on opposite ends of the state. The scenery and atmosphere were cool, but the food, mediocre for the price, and the service was not great either — apps came fast, food slow. I ordered the crab cakes which were OK. Nothing special about them really. They weren’t fishy, but isn’t have a lot of flavor either. My husbands black and bleu burger was the poorest version he has had with a small serving of fries to boot. The menu states it was perfected over eleven years, but my husband joked, it needs more perfecting! Our waitress didn’t clear our table of dirty plates or refill our drinks very timely, etc. on top of all of this, there was an hour wait on a Tuesday night. Perhaps because it was peak tourist season?! Not quite sure. Vero beach appeared a beautiful area and I know there are many other places to eat that are just as scenic.

waitress was sweet and informative. fish sandwich had a large fresh portion of fish, apps were decent, view was pretty

I was pleased with the decision to dine at Riverside Café our first night in Vero. Located on the bank of the Indian River, the views and ambiance were pretty spectacular as the sun was setting. The staff was very friendly and even though it was busy on a Saturday night, we were able to get a seat in the bar area. We were there during Saturday college football and it was very busy. The bar area had multiple televisions displaying various games. The bar was busy and pretty loud. You could tell this was a place the locals enjoyed. Margaritas were pretty good, enough so that we each had a few, but I have had better with out a doubt. We got the garlic oysters as an appetizer, they were pretty good, definitely enhanced by the garlic/​chive mix. My boyfriend and I were visiting from Colorado and were looking forward to indulging in some authentic fish tacos. We both ordered THE fish taco, I upgraded to the shrimp. It was good — not great. And dare I say, there are places in Colorado — a land-​locked state — that offer equally as tasty fish tacos. It was slightly disappointing to receive a plate with a single taco on it. After we told our waitress we were pleased with our meal, she informed us that if we were to give the restaurant a 5-​Star review on TripAdvisor, we would receive a free meal the next visit — my advice, take a 5 star review of this place with a grain of salt. The restaurant was not an overall disappointment but it was a bit spendy for what you got. If I were to return to Vero, I probably would try another place before returning to Riverside Café. That being said, there was a brunch advertised on the back of the dinner menu that I would consider trying before I would return for dinner.

Great food. Don’t let the unassuming interior fool you because the food is excellent. I visited Vero Beach with my 4 sisters. We tasted each others dishes and loved everything. The Chicken Marsala was exceptional. For seafood the crab cakes are huge. The clam chowder had huge portions of potatoes and clams. Yummy!

Been here over 100 times. It’s one of the best spots for locals and tourists. Great food, try any of their fish entrees. You should be pleased. We always start with the fish dip and a pound of could peel and eat shrimp. Absolutely the best place to watch the sunset. It’s a tradition similar to Sunset Pier in KW. Great spot to watch the 4^th of July Fireworks on the lagoon too.
And they have a decent selection of import, domestic and craft beers.

My wife and I visit here almost weekly especially during NFL season we sit on the tables on the porch next to bar. We LOVE the food and our service is always nice!
However I went to the bar tonight to have a quick dinner and drinks… The bar staff (John) was very stand-​offish and rude, it wasn’t until we asked our bartender his name that we actually began to get service fearing we were secret shoppers… If you go to eat. Don’t eat at bar…

There was a large party probably 16 or more in the main dinning room. They were so loud we couldn’t even carry on a conversation. Waitress was very good and food ok but the noise level ruined the night for us.

lots of people love this place. I’ve never had a good experience here. Tried a bunch of times. Oh well…

Since we had tickets for the performance at the Riverside Theater, we thought this place was the one to have our pre-​theater meal. And it was a good one.
We had reservations for 5:30 on January 29, and glad we did, as it filled up quickly. When we made reservations we were asked if we wanted a high top or low top. We opted for the low top, not knowing where the high or lows were located. We were seated promptly in the main dining room. Our server Kim was right there with drink orders which arrived in good order. We then order our entrees. The pork chop for her and the catch of the day Grouper for me, fried, with the side salads for both. There was an up-​charge for the Grouper, but well worth it.
Our salads were served within a reasonable period, followed by the main course. But I found the kitchen to be stingy on the sauce place on top of my fish. Unfortunately, Kim didn’t stop by our table shortly we received our meal to ask how things were, and I had to hail her down to ask for more sauce, which took several minutes. But we both enjoyed our meal and were full at the end. I even tried some of the pork chop, which was nicely prepared, and swimming in a tasty portabello sauce.
The dining area is nothing to brag about, and the noise is higher than average. We didn’t take a look outside at the river because it was a little chilly for us. Overall a nice evening and we recommend taking the Riverside Café in.

Great location for sunset across the river. Huge bar lots of TV’S. We ate in dinning room food very good I had fresh fish sandwich perfect. Bill for two with tip mid $ 30’s.

Must come here when my husband and I come to Vero Beach. Their foods are always fresh and tasty. Service is caring as well.
Same order all the time:
1. Pealing shrimp in old bay flavor
2. Dirty oyster (MUST)
3. Smoked Fish Dip
If you like fresh seafoods and find a place to watch football, this is the perfect place which having meal with beautiful river view!
Their Sunday Brunch is the best in Vero Beach as well. Get the «1^st prize of Sunday Brunch», also with all different kinds of fresh foods, surely seafoods!

Arrived 11am for Sunday Brunch, outside is full inside is totally empty. Clueless, they take us and my 85 yr old mother in law to a high top for 6. After getting moved we are told we have to be out by 12:30 cuz all the tables are reserved for the NFL games. I can see about 20 tvs from where I’m standing. Pretty much dark and unappealing by the buffet, outside is much better.
Buffet was good with many choices. Raw oysters, boiled shrimp, tuna salad on my first plate, followed by Benedict, grits, sausage hash an fruit on my main. Also had a omelet and carving station.
$ 19.99 pp What a deal.

Was in Vero Beach for a family wedding. We were on our own for the night before our wedding and did some searching on Unilocal and settled on The Riverside. After a teeny bit of confusion about where the front door was… we wound up going in a side door and walking to the front instead. We were immediately seated. Granted it is the slow season in Vero, but the hostess was friendly and seated us near a window, so we could look out at the water and at the bridge.
The menu is bar food with a twist. Lots of appetizers. Their Bang Bang shrimp were delicious! The shrimp were cooked PERFECTLY. My son ordered the smoked gouda mac and cheese and that was excellent! (I think I may have eaten more than he did) It was a very large portion too, a person could easily have that and a salad and call it dinner. For dinner the boy had a burger and fries and I had the shrimp scampi. After tasting the mac and cheese and seeing the pasta was cooked correctly I decided to «go for it» with the pasta. I am of Italian descent and can be particular about how my pasta is cooked. It was cooked perfectly al dente, and the scampi sauce was a little different than I have experienced before but delicious nonetheless. It was a garlicky, lemony, and almost creamy creation that made me almost regret getting an appetizer because I couldn’t finisher my dinner. Once again the shrimp were cooked perfectly. My son was very pleased with his burger
This place is a sports bar and the interior is kind of dated, but I don’t always need a perfectly updated and decorated spot. A lot of the time if the vibe is good and the food is even better who the hell cares what the place looks like as long as its clean. There were TV screens all over and I understand they have bands regularly. I also understand that they regularly see dolphins and manatees, though at the time of year we were there it is rare. We didn’t see any, but the food and service more than made up for it. If you are looking for a casual place after the beach this is it.

Food was great! I’d order 2 Tuna nachos next time and be done. Got the fish taco which was huge. Share it and try it w/​o the cabbage.
Food is much better than the college sports bar feel of the place. Go for the food not for the ambiance. It’s still worth it.
Super pissed. Waitress never asked us if we wanted dessert and just dumped the bill on us when we inquired saying it was too late and kitchen was closed. Very rude! NO effort on her part… really wanted the key lime pie.

Great devil burger with no bun (gluten-​free). Cool view of the bridge. Friendly service! Restrooms could be a lot cleaner. Urine smell in the lobby, fecal smell out front.

Atmosphere Great! Service is great or slow depending on who you get and what day it is I guess. Great casual food and drinks!

Great location. Well maintained establishment with a sort of rustic, all wood décor. Lots of flat screens to watch sports. Service can be slow/​spotty. Food seems a bit overpriced. Decent selection of beers on tap. There’s definitely better on the water restaurants/​bars in Vero but this is unique and good in its own right. Casual vibe… but not on Thurs nights after 9ish (possibly other nights as well). The place then turns into this stereotypical early 20’s crappy nightclub. It’s complete w/​shoddy lights and obnoxiously loud music & clientele. Food service shuts down and a food truck pulls up in the parking lot. Lots of security made the vibe not necessarily feel safer, but in fact very ominous for us since we were expecting some sort of confrontation to occur…
It’s worth checking out if in the area, but might be a good idea to think about leaving soon after sunset.