The Riverside Cafe

Great food and nice outdoor seating by the creek. The atmosphere is casual and comfy. Love this place!

Mediocre. I dined over the lunch hour on a weekend with my husband. Riverside was either out of an item, the order arrived with missing items, or the food was bland. Too many things were wrong for my experience to be only bad luck. Plus, service was slow. The shining star in my Riverside lunch was the Berry Vodka cocktail — delicious!

Loved the atmosphere… great outdoor patio seating overlooking Boulder Creek. Cute lights strung overhead under a canopy of trees. We gave this experience a generous «2» because of this.
The special of the evening was anything but. Our lamb skewers were lukewarm at best and tough as nails. Had to saw at it quite a bit with a butter knife. And the wine was horrible.
And they played Bob Marley music all night. Which was weird for a venue called Riverside.

After hearing a bunch of negative reviews from coworkers and friends, I decided To throw caution to the wind and try it out with my honey anyway. How could a place with patio seating overlooking the creek be that bad? How wrong I was.
There were maybe five other groups when we got there that were sitting on the patio and maybe four different members of the waitstaff. I waited a good ten minutes before anybody even acknowledged. There was absolutely no reason for this.
From there we decided to just get drinks and leave rather than subjecting ourselves to whatever let down the food was sure to be.
Before leaving I stepped away to use the restroom and I swear there was only one staff member sitting at the bar in this expansive restaurant. Not one customer. That alone should tell you the conclusion I came to– the only reason to go there is just to sit be the creek, luckily you can sit in the park across the way and pack your own picnic. At least you know you’ll get served, and not given watered down sickly sweet drinks.

ARTISTS: DO NOT BOOK WITH THIS VENUE, THEY WILL SCREW YOU. They booked a wedding over my regularly scheduled comedy show without telling me, so drove an hour and a half to be shut down by some random old catering waitress. Their service is also terrible. Prices are too high on drinks, and they don’t care if your order is wrong. Eat it anyway, they will tell you.

Really enjoyed this little gem of a restaurant which overlooks Boulder Creek and the park. Very unique, relaxing venue for those who like to dine amidst nature. Char-​Grilled marinated veggies on skewers over an orzo salad… delicious! Topped it off with a light filo dough pastry filled with a combination of jams, powdered sugar on top. Service was friendly and helpful. Prices reasonable. Great ambiance for receptions and weddings.

Stopped by before an event in the afternoon. While the patio looked beautiful we felt it was too hot to sit outside so we went in. The inside looks shabby, with dirty tables. The service was slow, and couldn’t answer questions about the menu. Two of us ordered hamburgers and I decided to be a bit more adventurous and ordered the South African sausage. After a lengthy wait I had to track down our server (though I give her credit as she was running in and out. While two other servers sat around the computer). She hunted down one burger and the sausage. The other burger was to follow shortly. The burger was pretty good but the sausage was was dry and grainy. And the «bread» it was served on was rock hard. The side dish to the burger was some inedible slaw/​pasta salad. The second burger finally came as we finished.
We might stop by again for drinks on the patio someday. But we will never make the mistake of ordering food there again.

Food was amazing but the service was terrible. Very slow, wouldn’t split checks and mischarged food to name three.

I had a great experience at the Riverside Café, I visited this Patio for brunch and cocktails and the experience was amazing. I was greeted by a friendly young man and was seated at a table overlooking the creek. The first menu item I ordered was a Riverita, a Margarita made with fresh lime juice on the rocks with a splash of grapefruit. I found this drink to be unique and very refreshing and tasty. Then the Mezze plate arrived, this was a unique presentation which included warm pita tips along with humus and green olive tapenade. This was a delicious treat to share with the table. My entrée arrived shortly after, I had a spinach and feta South African pie, they are outrageous. My server was very attentive and everything came to the table quickly. The food and service were incredible! Nomaste!

My husband and I were visiting from Atlanta and were looking for a nice brunch in Boulder. Riverside had the best reviews on Google so we took a chance… and I’m so glad we did! I’m a huge foodie and this is one of the best brunches I have had in my life. The pulled pork scramble was delicious, hash browns were crispy and not overdone, the bourbon pepper bacon was like none other. The scenic river and super friendly bartender/​server Tim rounded out an overall perfect brunch experience. Tim was knowledgeable, friendly, sat at our table and even let us try some local wine on the house. If you’re in the area, you should definitely try the food… you won’t regret it. (I’ve already decided to try the South African pies next time I’m ever in Denver!)

While attending the Boulder Creek Festival I decided to give this place a try. The location is amazing with an expansive tiered patio overlooking the creek. Unfortunately that’s were the praise ends. Even though the place was nearly empty it took forever to flag a server. Happy hour sangrias were $ 7 and served in a champagne flute with lots of ice so we left less than happy. Service was slow again settling up and the credit card slip was returned to me without a pen. Most interestingly our bill was rounded UP! While it lacks the creek views we were much happier with sangrias served in pint glasses at The Med for $ 5 and with less ice.

I’ve never written a Unilocal review and I’m not a spiteful human but wow don’t eat here. I had to write to try to save others from my date today. They don’t even have chairs at the tables, we should have known to bail immediately but the creek is so nice!
The spot by the creek is dope but the food is embarrassing and wayyyy too expensive. Service could use a quite a bit of help as well. I wish we could have gotten our food at alfalfas and just eaten it here. It would have been cheaper (even at alfalfas which is $$) and 1000x better. I got a veggie sandwich and it was nine dollars for a few pieces of lettuce, two pieces of incredibly basic thin sourdough, some little slices of tomato and cucumber… What? Bail bail bail.

So, this has to be one of the best locations in Boulder. It’s right on the creek
and in the center of town. Thy have awesome bloody Mary’s and margaritas and the food was pretty good too. In addition, the presentation of food was very cool
On their unique white plates. Overall it is a fun food experience that is worth stopping in for.
The manager/​bartender Tim is epitomizes the food service industry. He works his tail
off, genuinely cares about if people are enjoying their time and makes a point to ensure that your service was up
To par. All in all the restaurant owner is lucky to have him.
You guys are off to a great start and I will 100% be back again and recommend you to
Friends!
Small suggestion: more staff! A designated hostess would
make your lives so
much easier.

You have to go here! The space is beautiful, and the food is amazing… best patio and best cheeseburger in town.

I’ve eaten here 3 times and every meal has exceeded my expectations. They’re still working out the kinks with service, but they’re better every time I go. I recommend the polenta and the veggie sandwich. Also the eggs Benedict is delicious.

Let me start of by stating that this review has nothing to do with the actual «food» at the riverside, as this establishment is so shockingly disorganized and lacking in basic common sense and customer service skills that even with a reservation in the middle of Boulder’s restaurant week, we were refused a table upon our arrival and asked to wait at the bar and have a cocktail because «no food would be ready for about an hour». I will unfortunately never be back.
I had been wanting to support the new restaurant and figured First Bite would be a great time to try the new spot out and strike a killer deal on a three course meal. We wanted a reservation or 7pm on Wed but the man on the phone, Seth couldn’t guarantee us a table until 8 so we agreed and made the res.
Upon our arrival, the unnamed man at the front counter proceeded to tell us that he would «seat us at the bar for a cocktail and would be happy to seat us in about an hour for dinner» we said excuse me but we have reservation for now why can you not seat/​serve us???
The man had absolutely NO explanation or any ounce of sympathy in his tone. I asked why on earth I was not called to inform us that they could no longer honor our reservation and the man said «if I had a minute I would have» and that if «he had a better explanation he would have given one».
Basically the man was rude, refused us a table and the worst part, refused us an explanation or any compensation for our trouble. I was so shocked I had very little to say and we proceeded to leave.
I myself am the head pastry chef of a very established restaurant on pearl and I can not on earth understand why their kitchen could not prepare us a meal when their were numerous chefs in the kitchen and they were advertising a three course meal as part of First Bite. Shame on them! No excuses.
Even so, had the man offered some sympathy and explanation we would have been happy to return some other time. However, since he did not I will not be giving this place another shot.

Beautiful location and the food is excellent. Had brunch with eggs Benedict, quiche, waffles and traditional breakfast items. All extremely good! We will be back over and over again.
Warm weather patio is incredible!

Eek! Total ripoff. Food portions are good for Barbie Dolls only.
Location is great, but that’s about it. Plus, location has to do with nature! We went with some business colleagues who were here from Europe. The food took 35 — 40 minutes to arrive at the table and we were starving waiting for the order! When the food arrived, some of us were shocked at how embarrassingly tiny the portions were. We had some of their breakfast items they serve also at lunch. All of us in that group are healthy and fit, and don’t believe in massive sized american meals, but these were just ridiculously tiny. We were hungry again at 4pm. Unfortunately, not going back unless we really only wanted a snack.

Traveled to boulder this last weekend to join some friends at this place for brunch. Let me start by saying that this. is. hands down. the best location that I could even imagine eating brunch at. Their patio is literally ON the river and the sound of the water along with the aroma of nature is absolutely perfect to start your day! I ordered the green chili omelet with potatoes. My girlfriend ordered the lobster benedict. Our friends, each ordered the quiche with a side waffle. Between the table, we ordered the house wine that is ON TAP (how cool is that?!), bloody marys (delicious taste topped with pickled okra that is great as well!), and beer. I would agree that the portion sizes aren’t as large as what we are used to at a «Le Peep» or «Ihop», but here are a couple of brutally honest points. 1. The Food At The Riverside’s pricing is less than those places. My omelet was $ 9! The pricing is very reasonable and I was full when I was done. Stop thinking so fat! No offense meant. 2. If you truly appreciate food, service, and ambiance, you can’t overlook this place. Don’t come here expecting to get portions as big as your head when this place IS NOT a chain and they are UPSCALE! When dining at a more upscale place, everything is traditionally A La Carte AND you enjoy «smaller than normal portions». Now that my partial rant is over, the ingredients are from local farmers as they believe in sourcing locally when possible. This makes their food taste better. The lettuce is green and crisp, the eggs are filling and fresh, and the green chili is perfect!
We could always ask for our drinks or food faster. That being said, this staff was not snail-​like in any way. They were busy and attentive. This isn’t applebees. They don’t have everything pre-​made in the back on hot plates staying warm. They get your order THEN they make your food. Now that your expectations are properly prepared. Take some time, pick someone important to you, and then enjoy one of the best brunches you will experience in Boulder! You, my friend, are welcome!

Wow. The only good thing about this restaurant is the outdoor patio that sits right on the creek. Everything else is a joke. First off, I went to this place for my birthday with some coworkers for lunch. I ordered the lobster roll and the Greek «salad» on the side. The lobster roll, while beautiful, was the size of a taco. It was on french bread, with, alleged, lobster, chopped up tomatoes, and some kind of aoli. It was served on a large dinner plate, which made it look even smaller. The taste was bland, the cook there apparently didn’t get the memo about salt and seasoning, I did not taste ANY lobster. All that it tasted like was a tomato and mayonnaise sandwich for $ 11. Next, the greek «salad», while tasty was NOT a SALAD. It was in a tiny little boat, about ¼ cup consisting of cucumbers, kalamata olives, and feta, and NO lettuce. Okay, yes some salads don’t have lettuce, but a greek salad is well known term for a salad with some greens. If you’re not going to serve a salad with lettuce, call it a medley or a mix, or something else. I only ate it all because I was starving. One of my coworkers gave me half of her BLT. The bacon was under-​cooked, which, come ON! How do you mess up bacon? Another coworker got the burger, which she said was good, but the potato salad was under seasoned and the «macaroni salad» was more like a pasta salad. The only person who was happy with their meal ordered the lobster bisque and the beet salad.
Shortly after we were done eating, the «manager» came over to us and asked us how everything was. We told him exactly what I just wrote and rather than at least comping my meal, he invited me back for a free meal. However he didn’t give me a business card, a gift certificate or any other way to redeem said meal. And further, WHY would I ever go back there. Stay away, unless you just want a cocktail and to sit by the creek, but I’m sure you can do that anywhere.