The River Bistro

The service was impeccable. Our server, Thomas was incredibly knowledgeable about the food menu and the alcoholic beverages, offering thoughtful recommendations without being intrusive. He was attentive and genuinely warm, adding to the overall experience. He was so wonderful that we went for breakfast and returned in the evening for dinner. It was perfect because they're open later, on the weekends. They play wonderful music inside and outside the restaurant. The River Bistro is more than just a place to eat; it's a true culinary experience. Every dish is a work of art, and the attention to detail is evident in every bite. We're already planning our next visit and can't wait to see what other delights await us. If you're looking for an unforgettable dining experience, look no further.

I walked into this restaurant with high hopes—the atmosphere gave off good energy and the vibe seemed promising. Unfortunately, that was the peak of the experience. Things started going downhill the moment I saw that their specialty cocktail was a Red Bull vodka. That should’ve been my first clue. Wanting to share some plates with our large group, I ordered the sliders and pizza. Apparently, they were out of everything required to make them—not exactly a great look for a place during peak hours. We settled for a Caesar salad, which was anything but. There was barely anything Caesar-like about it—bland, limp, and clearly not fresh. I also ordered the avocado toast, which the menu described as coming with arugula, sesame, and a variety of toppings. What I got was a sad single slice of white bread with plain mashed avocado. No seasoning, no extras, no effort. When I brought this up to our waiter, he simply said, “I’m just filling in today.” Not exactly reassuring. To make matters worse, when the manager saw we were having a bad experience he came over and said “you won’t need these anymore right” and attempted to take out menus away. All in all, this was a major letdown.

Absolutely gross food and poor service! Probably one of the worst breakfast places I've ever visited in Rhode Island. My waffle had rotting salad leaves (see pictures) that I had to pick out one by one. The toast and home fries came burnt. Wife's shrimp omelet was dry and overcooked and had a very strong fish smell. She asked for Sriracha to mask the taste and smell, that was never brought to the table. When we pointed all this out we were promised new salad greens that never came out and replacement home fries just as burnt as the first batch. The attitude was indefferent, but full disclosure we were given 20% off our check when we pointed everything out but with no real apology. The decor is super tacky. The severs seemed overworked and under paid. I did not scrimp on the tip even though we had a very poor dining experience. The only saving grace is the view of the river and the location but that is nowhere enough to make up for the unappetizong and frankly unsafe food with rotting salad leaves.

Unfortunately, our recent visit to The River Bistro was deeply disappointing from start to finish. Despite arriving just an hour after opening, the kitchen had already run out of several key ingredients, including home fries, tomatoes, prosciutto, and smoked salmon. This set the tone for what became a frustrating and poorly managed dining experience. We waited over 30 minutes for our drinks—even though we were seated just a few feet from the bar—and nearly two hours for our meals to arrive. When the food did come out, the quality was unacceptable. The avocado toast was missing its namesake ingredient and came instead with dry shrimp and olives on top of stale, rock-hard bread. The Garden Benedict’s hollandaise sauce was dry, and the Italian omelette was burned and oddly composed. My own dish, the Farm Benedict, was never put into the system at all. Instead, I was brought French toast and a bowl of cold tater tots. To make matters worse, the staff showed little concern or apology for the issues. After waiting nearly three hours with barely edible food and substandard service, we were still charged for the one drink we did receive. The manager made no effort to rectify the situation or offer any form of apology. This was one of the most disappointing restaurant experiences I’ve had in Providence. I will not be returning, and I will be advising friends and family to avoid this establishment as well

I don’t usually leave reviews but this was one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had in a long time. I came in expecting a simple, decent meal—what I got was rotten avocado toast, raw chicken on my Caesar salad, and a front-row seat to utter chaos. The avocado on the toast was brown, sour, and clearly way past its prime. The chicken in my salad? Raw in the center. Not rare. Raw. That alone should’ve been enough for me to walk out, but I gave the place a chance to make it right. Instead, when I brought this up to the manager, Thomas, he was dismissive, condescending, and downright rude. No apology, no concern—just attitude, like I was bothering him by not wanting to eat spoiled food. He deflected and blamed the issues on former staff that no longer work there, im sorry but the people who aren’t employed anymore didn’t prepare my food. To top it off, a waitress spent half the time recording herself twerking and dancing around in the dining area. I’m all for good vibes, but when your food is unsafe and your staff is more focused on TikTok than the customers, there’s a serious problem with priorities. Save your money and your stomach. This place is a mess—both in the kitchen and in management.

Unbelievable inedible food. I’m a horrible cook and I make better food for myself. Not to mention the lack of accountability among the workers. Paid 17 dollars for the picture of toast attached below. Menu said the avocado toast had arugula I asked for it they take it back and give me this in return. This place is a joke.

Wanting to avoid the food truck options we made reservations for the water fire event. We were even able to add guests to our reservation at last minute, certainly we were very appreciative. We were also told there was a limited menu which was understandable due to the number of people in attendance of the event. The more people you get in and out the more money you make, simple economics. There were signs requesting a 90 minute timeframe which we felt would be adequate to enjoy a sit down meal. This is where our meal became disappointing. The limited menu had enough variety for our party of 6 to select from, 4 of us selected the chicken Madeira, 1 hot honey chicken sandwich and 1 burger. Within 10 minutes our meals appeared, which led us to believe all of the food was sitting in steam ovens waiting to be assembled. There was no offer of a salad/soup or bread, just a plated dish. We all felt like we were being served leftovers. All of the Madeira plates went back to be warmed up, the other items should have gone back but didn’t. We all felt that it was overpriced for the quality and quantity. The waitress tried to make it right, by reheating everything. Unfortunately we left , in less than an hour, disappointed and probably should have stayed with the food truck option.

I did like this place a lot. Although it tends to be on the pricey side, you simply cannot beat the view of the waterfront. We took Irish coffee and it was good, but not the best I've had. The meat lovers' pizza was very tasty, though. The service was very warm.