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The River Grill
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
19 reviews for The River Grill
Not a 5 - but close enough.
If the parking lot is full in front of a dining establishment - hmmm, must be good? River Grill certainly qualifies. I take the wife and kids there often and suggest it to friends when visiting our community.
Whether it's 75 in the shade (during the summer) or a hefty blizzard is headed eastward over the Sierra crest - this is usually a great spot for libations or a hearty meal to enjoy with family and friends.
Recommendation - pick menu items that are 'local' staples. For example, if I were in Seattle I would order oysters etc as that is a basic in the Northwest. At Tahoe, beef, fish and chicken entres are more the norm. River Grill offers this as well as a 'signature' plate: Mac & cheese! Fantastic.
Happy 'hours' are upbeat and the opportunity during favorable weather to enjoy any beverage at their Truckee River deck is unrivaled in this fair town.
The Grill gets a 5 for attentiveness and consistent effort. It is not a white-linen, candle lit table place - thus a solid 4 for overall courtesy and consideration to every patron. Thanks to all at The Grill. You make our town proud.
I went here with colleagues because it looked like a nice place for a sit-down dinner. The atmosphere was just right, but then the little details started piling up and we're down to two stars.
The server was friendly enough, but he did not check on us often enough and seemed allergic to clearing dishes. If he wasn't going to do it, then he should have found someone who could. Our bread plates were on the table when dessert was served.
And let's talk about refills. My water did not get topped off, even when the ice melted. It took two requests to get a second cup of coffee.
I had a filet in a cab sauce with mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach. They got the spinach right, the filet was rich and tender, but the other supporting players were apparently not in the quality union. I'm not sure the potatoes weren't instant, there was too much filler in them, and the cab sauce lost its flavor after I'd had two bites of meat.
I went in with high hopes. I was disappointed.
My husband and I ventured to River Grill on a quiet, off season Wednesday evening. Here's what we have to say:
Excellent food, terrific service, and plan to go back for sure!
Dynamite Prawns: light golden fried shrimpies with a sweet spicy glaze. Yummmm
Seared Ahi Tuna: Mmmmmm - almost used this as my entree
Ribeye with Potatoes Gratin & Asparagus: hubs got this and was cooing about it for the rest of the night. It looked super yum!
Halibut: Oh great scot, this fish was so delicious...I was so incredibly full halfway in , but it was hard to stop! Mmmmm
The atmosphere was enjoyable and easy to have quiet conversations in, the drinks here are great, and they have an ok wine list. Its really nice to have a window seat and enjoy watching the river go by (as simple as that sounds, its pretty relaxing). I bet when its a bit warmer, the patio is terrific!!
Very friendly staff, good food, gorgeous view. I admit to frequenting the happy hour (popular with locals) and tasting menu items at the bar--all delicious--especially the burger and the Asian roll with ahi tuna. The view of the Truckee river (and occasional racoons and ducks walking outside) only adds to the view. A favorite that I go to again and again.
River Grill is a great place to grab dinner by the Trukee River in the summer or by a cozy fireplace in the winter. I love the chicken for an entree and they have quite an amazing appetizer menu. My favorites include the sliders, Mac & Cheese, Chicken Enchilada and the Spring Roll! Can't go wrong with those! When I am up in Tahoe- we are usually regulars at the River Grill!
I am not sure why Sunnyside gets all the accolades when the food at the River Grill is clearly better? We walked in on Sunday evening on President's Day weekend after looking at a handful of property with the realtors, exhausted and w/o a reservation, but they were able to accommodate us and we were served a fantastic meal. I had the rack of lamb, my husband the beef short ribs, my daughter the mac n cheese with bacon and my son the standard chicken fingers. All were good but especially the lamb and beef. Yum. The wine was good as well. I am sure it's pricey but since we normally cook at the vocation rental places we stay at I am perfectly okay with splurging when we go out.
Will definitely go back again.
I went for happy hour. The food was good, not great. If they weren't charging the happy hour prices on the food I would give this place 2 stars. The view is wonderful, we sat right next to the truckee river and the service was good. We got what we paid for, it was good, but it was also half off. We got the fried green beans, lobster quesadilla and manicotti.
I would come back but maybe just for a glass of wine.
Great place for a relaxing dinner by the Truckee River. The food and service are fantastic. The bar menu during Happy Hour a draw for many travelers, vacationers and locals. Never have we been disappointed. During the summer Wed-Sun. nights find live music on the patio-this adds to the dining experience. The staff is welcoming and efficient. Enjoy your time-you will not be disappointed!
Quite possibly the worst restaurant I've ever eaten in in California. We ordered oysters on the half shell and they were lukewarm and one of them stunk to high heaven. I ordered a hamburger and the server asked me "how would I like it done." Don't see what the point of that exercise was. Their hamburgers are those pre-made foodservice patties that taste like cardboard. And they charge an astronomical sum for it. How hard is it to shape a real hamburger? Biggest rip off on the planet! There are much, much better choices in Tahoe City
Happy hour it is! Dynamite prawns are the best...we also always order the calamari and ahi apps. $4 margaritas are the way to go.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
8/20/2007
I have enjoyed both happy hour as well as dinner on the river at The River Grill. I like how they… Read more »
Bottle of Wine: $32
Salads: $25
Six Entrees: $140
18% Tip Included In Meal: $46
Total Bill with Tax: $255
Sitting Patrons Paying $255 for Dinner in Front of the Live Music's Speakers: ARE YOU F*CKING KIDDING ME?
I would think it obvious not to sit your patrons trying to enjoy a nice dinner in front of blaring music, but apparently it's not. I could hardly hold a conversation with my parents and grandmother who I was taking out to dinner. And the majority of what we had to say revolved around how loud and unbearable the music was.
Looking around, we saw no other large tables on the deck to accommodate us. So, I asked our server to ask the musician to turn down the volume. The music only got louder and the local crowd roudier. Finally, after I could not take it anymore, I asked the server to move us inside so we could at least enjoy our coffee. While he apologized for the music, he did not seem very genuine in doing so and appeared perturbed at our requesting to be moved inside.
Upon leaving, I was going to ask the hostess if I could speak to the manager, but after a couple minutes of her not returning to the hostess stand, I gave up and left.
The food at the River Grill is quite good and the prices certainly reflect the ownership knows it, however, when you pay those prices, you expect not to feel like you are having dinner in front of a speaker at the House of Blues.
This is one of our favorite places for happy hour, which is from 5-6:30 p.m. daily. It's really pleasant to sit in a sunny bar/restaurant at the end of the day, watch as dusk darkens the Truckee river, and sip a glass of pino grigio. And while the drinks are good, the food is better. Try the crispy prawns with cilantro, the beer-battered french green beans, the sliders (done medium-rare) and the seared ahi tuna. The goat-cheese ravioli is also very good.
The crowd is a good mix of locals and second-home owners and tourists in their late 20's on up. The barkeep always has a smile and she doesn't rush you.
Want to catch a serious twist overlooking a river ? Only have $10. Then head on down to this canteen between for happy hour cause the beers are only $2.
For dinner I'd head to Wolfdale's. The prices are similar but the food ain't as good.
Ate here this past weekend ... I thought the food was excellent and the service pretty good. The overall wine selection was okay and prices in general were decent considering ambience, quality of food etc. Started with the Mac and Cheese appetizer and then finished off with the Short Ribs entree. Had absolutely no room for dessert. Drank a bottle of Orrin Swift's The Prisoner which is always a good decision and the Sterling Cab, which for $27 is a decent restaurant price. $65 pp including tip for a party of 5....
Delicious food. Horrible service and a bland atmosphere. Had an equally pricey meal at the Black Bear Tavern that turned out to be a much more pleasant dining experience.
The bf ordered the burger ($15!) and we didn't find out that they were out of burgers till about ten minutes later. Since the burger is cheaper than everything else on the menu by at least 8 bucks, I think they should have offered to give him another dish for the same price. The lamb was pretty tasty, although the portion was kinda skimpy- not exactly hearty or satisfying after being on the slopes all day.
Also, the bus boy threw the bread basket at our table- almost knocked over the water. What's up with that? When you pay 28 bucks a dish, you should at least have the bread basket set down nicely for you. And slow on the coffee refill, too- you really shouldn't have to ask for refills on coffee, period.
I liked the sweet mashed potatoes that came with bf's pork chop. Other dishes we ordered were roasted chicken and thai curry salmon.
Under different circumstances (not exhausted, all food in stock), this could be a decent place for a fancy meal out on the town.
I like this place - very cozy in the winter and just really low-key with solid food. I do think you have to order carefully here. They specialize in California meat-and-potato dishes (in the best possible way), and tend to be a little pricey for the entrees. We have rented a house nearby for the past couple years and have tried a wide selection of their stuff. I really like the salmon with mild curry + mashed potatoes, the rib eye steak can be great, so is the short rib. I also like the lamb shank, but could skip the chicken. They do a really good job of making the veggies and sides equally appealing as the meat, and the portions are for the most part quite manageable - not heavy or full of cream and cheese steakhouse-style. The salads are excellent, the mini-sliders please kids, and the appetizers are a little hit or miss. Try the crispy prawns to go with beer but skip the mac and cheese (don't know what they are thinking with that). We've always had good service there.
Wildly overpriced. I think they prey on out-of-towners.
What a pleasant surprise after a long day on the slopes. Tired and hungry we wanted to chill out and share a good meal. We were seated next to the fireplace which kept me warm. The food was serve within minutes of arriving the menu was excellent and the wine was delicious. Reservation are probably a good idea. We arrived early and seated almost immediately.
We went the other night and I was there a while ago. It is a casual restaurant with pretty good food. I enjoyed the live music which was a man playing guitar and doing covers of seventies' tunes who was very good and made me very nostalgic. I had the ravioli with chard. I believe it was homemade and it had a wonderful tomato rosemary sauce very similar to one I make at home out of "Trattoria" cookbook. The only thing odd was the dish had sliced sauteed portobella mushrooms on top. They were pretty incongruous with the ravioli and sauce and I could not for the life of me figure out why there were there. My husband ate them. He is a salmon fan but did not love his salmon entree. We had the sashimi ahi but like at Sol y Lago, the ahi was seared which to me is not sashimi, which is supposed to be raw unless I am mistaken. I would go there again. The service is very casual to the point of informal. It has a bit of a pricey menu, but it is Tahoe on the river (think Sam's in Tiburon for an analgous dining experience in the Bay Area), and the food is generally fine. Nothing to write home about, but it is what it is. For a great meal, go to Wolfdale's. For a pleasant riverside deck experience with a social feel to it, come here.
