The River Cafe Reviews

Well if you are not a friend of Maitre'D don't you ever expect to be seated at the window with the nice views. So after 5 times I have tried to be seated at the window in 5 different trips to NY from the other end of the world I can insure the management of this restaurant that I will never return back here. As an Officier of the Chaines des Rotisseurs in my country I would definitely say, this is a disgrace for a restaurant to treat returning customers in such a fascistic way. The one star for the people in the service who do a great job.

everyone was very prompt especially the floor captain. Overall, the place was exquisite with a great ambience!

Unparalleled views and a surprisingly great breakfast experience. I took my partner here for his birthday and the service and hospitality were outstanding, the view gorgeous, and the food delicious. The presentation was classic and phenomenal, but still with a touch of whimsy that kept it from feeling stuffy. They brought him a delicious little gourmand plate of mini desserts with a "Happy birthday" chocolate which was an amazing and thoughtful touch.

Breakfast is in a glassed in veranda room or outdoors on the patio (we chose inside) and was utterly charming. I look forward to enjoying dinner in the dining room right on the river sometime very soon! New York is losing classic institutions, dear reader, and if you value what makes this city special I strongly encourage you to support institutions like the River Cafe with your hard-earned dollars, and keep the magic alive.

A+++

This place is absolutely spectacular! Your pockets won t enjoy it but your special loved one will! We came in with high expectations, being that s it s a Michelin Star restaurant, and the chef didn t disappoint. Jackets are required for dinner and complimentary valet is available in some days, we got lucky that day. Our dinner reservation was for 6pm and we walked in at about quarter to six and got seated right away. We got sat in the middle of the room but views were still spectacular and you can see all of the financial district at its glory along with the Brooklyn Bridge. I opted for a bottle of wine instead of cocktails since we ordered the chef s tasting menu. Why wouldn t we try what River Cafe has to offer! We started off with an amuse bouche and Ricky, our server, was super helpful and very knowledgeable of the preparations and where their ingredients came from. He recommended the lamb and it was on the money! All courses were cleared immediately after being done with and wine glasses were never empty and neither was the water. Needless to say, service was excellent. Dessert was phenomenal and the Brooklyn bridge chocolate mousse cake was to die for, a masterpiece! I will definitely be going back to soak in more of that beautiful view of the greatest city in the world and enjoy more of this delicious cuisine!

This place might be illustrious, fancy and serving good food, but the man in-charge of private dining (Luke Vossen) is just plain rude and unprofessional who simply does not live up to the restaurant's reputation. I sent him an email (as referred to by an employee via phone call to the restaurant) with regards to my interest on holding an intimate gathering for a party of 25-30. Apparently, in my email to him, he only replied with just 1 line. No greeting nor whatsoever. It just disgusts me how a wonderful restaurant can allow workers like him to be employed in a prestigious place. I hope this makes it a reminder that no matter where you are, where you go, to always remember your manners and respect especially to customers.

What a stunning Spot ! We went For Sunday brunch and the food was amazing.. beautiful views of Manhattan and top class service makes this place an absolute delight

Amazing view. Even better view. Friendly service. You cannot ask for more from one of the best restaurants in New York.

Andres and King provided superb service, great conversation with plenty smiles and laughs. They were the cherry on top of the gorgeous view and delicious food! What a delight!

Great lamb chops. Great service. Reasonable wine list

This place has been around for a long time. I love The River Cafe! I think the fact it's very old school and classic when it comes to having a dress code is one of the main reasons I like this place. I always feel like I stepped back in time when coming here.

The food is delicious regardless what you order. I've had the poached lobster a few times....it was so good. The steak here is really good! We've had the smoked salmon and caviar app a few times...really good too.

Anyone dining here for the first time, regardless if with family or spouse, you must have the chocolate Brooklyn Bridge!! It's humongous and so good!!!

One of the best restaurants in NYC. Excellent food and outstanding views of the city, right on the water.

Great service, great views, the team really went out of their way to accommodate my eleven year old Son & make a fuss of him (the friend that recommended this restaurant to me had the same experience with her son too!). It is expensive but you won't forget the experience in a hurry!

it was great, not sure why the service was horrible today

My girlfriend took me here for my birthday. Everything was phenomenal. Really fancy and romantic but also nice with a group of friends.

5 stars great location, amazing food and excellent service a must visit place

This spot knows how to serve their customers. Always with a very kind demeanor. The food is affordably priced, constantly tasty and clean.

I do not think you can beat the views from here. Go at sunset and request a table by the window, amazing!

We ate the tasting menu which was brilliant. Varied, perfectly presented, great balance of flavours. Service was great, although could be topped by some high end Michelin restaurants - no actual gripes.

If you want great food and an incredible view, this is the best bet.

Very elegant environment beautiful decor fresh flowers and the food is amazing!! The staff is super friendly attentive and accommodating

The spot is superb and roomy, the menu was yummy and the rates were very inexpensive. fast, efficient service and very friendly staff members. Will definitely recommend this restaurant.

This place had very slow customer service with very limited choices of meals. This made it very difficult for me and my loved one to enjoy our dinner. This place is also over priced for no reason especially with the meal options they provide customers with. We felt discriminated because of the way we were being treated since it was our first time here and we had some questions regarding the menu. This place is not good for middle class people who want a fancy dinner with a view because of the way the waiters treat customers. Food was not worth the $400 dollars that we spent just for two people.

The place and service is excellent. The food like the view is top notch.

These courses are a full body experience. Highly recommend the chef's tasting menu, they're small dishes but incredibly savory. Not uncommon for the chef to send out extra courses if they are feeling creative.

Great cocktails and a wine list the literal size of a book. The experience at River Cafe is incredibly expensive and absolutely worth every dollar.

Came here for a Valentines dinner and never again. Food was not bad, but service and parking was absolutely terrible. As we drove up to the restaurant, valet took the car to park it. Come the next morning , I noticed several items were missing from the car. When I called the restaurant the manager said he would look into it and investigate to see if they could find the items. i was promised a call back and never received one. finally after days of trying to reach them i got a hold of the general manager who said the items were never stolen and he has no clue what i am talking about and implying that i am making up stories. he was extremely rude, said that he only trusts what his staff has to say about this, which was nothing but lies. They were very in-compliant and in no way helped the situation. My recommendation is, do not go there because you can not trust the people there.

If I could give 22 stars I would! I am an extreme foodie and the experience blew my mind. Ignore any rating less than 5 stars. This restaurant is a perfect example of a fine dining establishment worthy of $$$$. The view is breathtaking. The service is immaculate. The food is perfectly executed. Much like France, your table is yours for as long as you need. No rushing to turn tables. The seating is staged so there is no back up in the kitchen. And, as if it could not get any better, the concierge had a cab available to take us back to Midtown Manhattan for $42. I recommend the Madeira tasting from the desert course. The up-charge for it is worth every penny.

OMG. Breath taking! That's just the scenery the food is even better! We had a mix of items and everyone was impressed! Seafood... Steaks.... Appetizers.... Drinks.... And more.

After hearing about this 40 year old historic restaurant, we decided to dine there for my parent s 16th anniversary. As tourists, we obviously hadn t come prepared (this is a jacket-wearing restaurant) but were kindly offered blazers (mind you, they did have stains and were lacking in the button department). However, the three-course meal (at a fixed price of 130$) was absolutely delicious. The gnocchi was perfectly cooked in a beautifully delicate meat sauce and soft asparagus. The main was also delicious; lamb rack (medium done) with whipped ricotta and arugula-pistachio pesto together with cannelloni. The dessert was also amazing; seasonal pumpkin cheesecake (which I know sounds a little daunting at first, but was exquisite). As far as service goes, we were treated with the utmost hospitality, and the dishes were all served at exactly the same time, a true sign of restaurant professionalism. Many thanks to all the waiters and waitresses who made this very special evening one to remember!

The views are spectacular. The service is outstanding. The food is amazing. Yes it is pricey and the food isn't about quantity..but you will be absolutely satisfied!

Hands down the best restaurant I've ever been to. The service was out of this world as was the food and the view of new York skyline was amazing. If you want to splash the cash and impress an SO this is the place!