Cool River Cafe

There’s seats, there’s a tv and they serve alcohol in an airport when you have nothing to do anyway. So right there, it’s A-​OK. But never did I ever expect an amazingly prompt and friendly bartender named Tom. I mean this guy showed some hustle while his coworkers milled about. There was maybe 15 folks for just him in this small corner and he was cashing them out and pouring left and right.
In an environment where the weird kids from school get to be adult bullies (looking at you, TSA), I’m rushed here and there and made to pay out the nose for a Chardonnay, I like to feel like my time and tastebuds are important. Tom makes each of his customers feel like that. So if you’ve got time for a glass and he’s there, stop by and wait for your flight under his care. You won’t be disappointed.

Poorly seasoned ribeye with a bland side of broccoli. No char on the steak. Service was nice but food was not.

45 minutes to spare before I had to board my next flight and this place was slow with service. I had to track someone down to take my order. All I really came for was a Bloody Mary that looked so delicious on the menu but once I received it … NOT as expected. Those bloody Mary’s are not as advertised in their menu!!! When I asked where the toppings were for my Bloody Mary the waitress just told me «sorry it was just forgotten». Haha… to make matters worse it was in a small glass so I asked how come it wasn’t in tall as described in the menu and she proceeded to tell me that there was no more tall glasses. Apparently everyone decided to order a Bloody Mary on a Tuesday morning I guess. I don’t recommend coming here if you are waiting for you next flight and want to relax with a drink as you wait. With that said… I’m far from being a picky eater but my breakfast was not very good either. Very unfortunate, I don’t recommend this spot :(

This is my go-​to pace when in the Dallas airport terminal D. Sometimes I take the sky shuttle from other terminals. Price is commensurate at the airport but not overly terrible. Steak was nicely seasoned and good.
The nit — wasn’t as uniformly cooked as a high-​end steak place. All in all, still my go-​to place when in the Dallas airport.
My experience is that most airports have McDonalds and a spattering of better places like Wolfgang Puck’s restaurant in Chicago. Even the good chefs prepare a lot ahead of time since this is an airport and very few can take two hours for dinner.
Note — if you have never had Texas barbecue then you may want to try one of the barbecue places but they aren’t as good as outside — just saying:-)
I recommend Cool River.

Fernando and Brenda Robles, Juliet, Brenda Samuels turned our frowns upside down! Run if you have Lisa, the waitress!!! Fernando, the manager turned a negative experience into a VERY pleasant one! Thanks Fernando and Brenda Robles, our server for your great customer service! Visit Cool River Café if your in the Love Field Dallas Airport!

Never know what you are going to get when you buy food from the airport but this place does it right. The waitress was really nice, it wasn’t too busy, and the food was hot and delicious! I had the breakfast panini and it was the bomb. I never really review but I was so pleased I had to say something. Great job cool river café

I REALLY try hard NOT to EVA have to eat ANYTHING at the airport. Why? I think you can guess. The price point at any airport is much the same as if you were at a sporting event. Your a captive audient and they know good a dog-​gone well you can’t just leave and come back so they charge whatever they want and you pay it because you REALLY don’t have any other choice.
Enter in Cool River Café. Yes I was here and on my way out but needed to get some grub because aside from all the changes in security at the airport the airlines nickel and dime you to damn death and charge for everything including food.
So I stopped here to try and at least get a HOT meal in me BEFORE I boarded the plane. The pickings were slim since it was morning and my choices were McD’s…pass, Jumba Juice… again pass, and some sports bar monkey place that wasn’t blowing up my skirt with the options they had so I came here.
They had two of their bfast dished on display and they actually looked rather tasty. Plus the place wasn’t packed with peeps so I figured I would get my food in a timely manner and NOT have to rush to the gate to catch my flight.
They have seating both inside and out. Its a bit of a western theme they have going on but I was in Texas so there are many places they feel the need to remind you that your in cowboy, cow territory and the décor is as such. A bit over kill but whateves.
They place was clean and all the staff were SUPER DUPER NICE and FRIENDLY! GREAT way to start the morning off as some of the TSA peeps can be a bit on the rude side at times. Not to mention being violated trying to get through TSA screening process you need a drink because they don’t even try to liquor you up or offer to buy you a snack before they feel you up and wave that wand of theirs all over your private body parts. There is NOTHING PRIVATE about going through TSA security lines. I think I need a shower just remember the body cavity search. Thanks SO MUCH to all the PSYCHO’s out there who have made going through security a humiliating process.
TSA Note: If you want to get to second base with out having to spend money on dinner and drinks then get a job with TSA.
Anyway I digress. The menu is SUPER duper simple. it’s breakfast. They have sands, ritos, and regular plated bfast like pancakes and French toast. I went with the French toast which came with my choice of bacon of sausage. I went with bacon because everything taste better with swine and less grease. It also came with orange slices. I though it came with eggs because outside of the airport most restaurants I go to INCLUDE EGGS as part of bfast but NOT here. My scrabbled eggs cost me an additional $ 2.00. I guess its a dollar an egg. GOOD GRACIOUS! You would think you were having bfast at some 5 start restaurant overlooking a MAGNIFICIENT VIEW, but NOOOOO your at the EXPENSIVE AZZ AIRPORT! Where gauging customers is their FAVORITE pastime. I also got a coffee and some water.
I sat and people watched and that alone was GREAT! The things people wear to fly in is amazing and at the same time shocking. My breakfast came out in no time and I dove in teeth first.
First bite of the French toast and it was meh at best! I think they forgot to season the batter. Yes you should season your pancake and waffle batter. It makes the food taste better. There was NO WOW, NO feelings of my childhood as I ate. Just bland! I think I enjoyed the Smuckers syrup better. But I was happy that they were not over cooked. The bacon was cooked just the way I like it. NOT TOO HARD which makes it fall apart when you bite into it. REALLY YUMMY! I tried the eggs and again no flavor. They were cracked and cooked without any salt or pepper. Maybe this is an airport thing as they are trying to cater to several different taste buds and dietary needs. There was just nothing special about them.
The service was GREAT! They checked on me but didn’t hound me to death. I was able to just hear myself think and day dream if even for a moment. WONDERFUL! The check came and I thought I would need to sale a kidney to pay for bfast. I paid for one meal that was the cost of two anywhere else outside the airport. But the portion sizes were good.
I would not want to come back if I would if I found myself needed some food before a flight! It was decent and didn’t give my a tummy ache.

I stopped coming to the Cool River location in the airport about two years ago. The staff is rude and very slow. Today o decide to grab breakfast and figure it’s breakfast… hard to get it wrong. They got it wrong. Toast was cold, asked for bacon got sausage links that looked like they’ve been understand heat lamp too long. The ought out bacon but guess what… yes, it too was sitting under a heat lamp and stuck together. You know what I mean when they make it in bulk and shove it in a pan.
Total disappointment again… surprised this place it still open-​especially with all the options around terminal D

I was stuck in Dallas waiting for a connecting flight, went in early for breakfast! The service was decent the food was ok. I had the Big river breakfast, it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t over the top either. The food was a bit cold and they did get me outta there pretty fast. I might would try this place again… but, I hope I never get stuck in Dallas again!

Good and quick service of you are waiting for your flight.
Located in terminal D close to gate 30.
Food and alcohol beverages available.

Definitely a decent stop at while you’re at DFW. It’s a great find if you’re stuck in transit waiting for a flight. This is one of the only places I’ve found where they never rush you out so you can grab a meal at a leisurely pace. The servers were extremely polite, attentive, and didn’t seem to rush us out the door as soon as we finished our lunch. It gave us plenty of time to get a few quick errands and last minute work issues taken care of before we left on our vacation. Food choices were decent, but nothing spectacular. Of course, if I weren’t stuck in this terminal, I probably choose other places. But, for the convenience, this place is a solid 3 stars.

I should have sat at the bar! No one ever gave me water. I had to make a server take my order and the food was gross! A $ 13 cheese burger and the cheese wasn’t even melted. Cool River is a nice place but never again at this location.

I was looking for a quick breakfast and decided on this place. The Big River Breakfast was delicious! The country potatoes had a great flavor, and the eggs just like I wanted them. The server Claudia was so, so. Good place!

Service was somewhat slow but wow, my food was awesome. I had the pepper jack bacon avocado burger and it was surprisingly very very good. I would not recommend cool river café if you are in a rush, but if you’ve got the time it’s actually a very good restaurant. Staff was helpful, but slow, and the food was good. I will eat here again next time I fly through DFW.

Original Date: June 29, 2015
Me and my friend had an early flight to DFW and was incredibly starving. I was craving more towards ribs but I hate those buffet style food and prefer more waiter service. They were still serving breakfast.
Food:
Steak & Egg Sandwich (my friend)…everything felt apart and difficult to eat
Tenderloin Breakfast Burrito with toast (my order)…yummmyyyyyy
Service and food was very good!

Personally I had a good experience at this place.
The food was really good, and especially the cream brûlée.

I’m on a really long layover but arrived here early in the a.m. figuring I’ll skip the Starbucks breakfast sandwich and actually sit down. My server was sweet and doing his best. I appreciate that.
However I don’t appreciate getting a plate of food that seems as though it spent the night under a heat lamp (scrambled eggs, potatoes and bacon). The eggs must have come from a pre-​made bag and I’m not sure what happened to the potatoes… or if they really are potatoes for that matter. The bacon, though it tasted the best of everything on my plate, arrived in a burnt crumbled pile.
This restaurant appears to be the nicer spot in this terminal. But don’t let the modern décor fool you. You are better off saving your money and you time.
To the Cool River Café, please look into fresh ingredients sometime soon. With the amount of layovers I’ve had in the last 5 days — in Dallas for that matter — you might want to ensure some returning customers.

I guess you can’t expect much from an airport restaurant. I frequently fly out of this terminal and am craving a sit-​down breakfast. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of McD’s breakfast food, but sometimes a girl’s just gotta get some wait service. There’s no frills to this place, but the food isn’t inedible. Service is usually pretty good, and they understand you’re probably in a rush. FYI, the lunch menu looks better than the breakfast menu (which I’ve only tried).

What a joke! Came here after my 4 hour flight to Dallas and I was starving. It looked quite inviting from the outside so I gave it a try. I was quickly seated and handed the menu and the girl told me the waitress would be with me shortly.
My waitress was not overly friendly from the beginning but that would have been okay, everybody has a bad day from time to time.
The food came out pretty quickly. Presentation wise it was way below average even for airport standards. The taste was below average as well. The burger was soggy and the meat (I ordered medium/​rare) was more than well done), the fries at McDonalds are better compared to the ones here.
What really shocked me was the following: I wasn’t even half way through my meal and the waitress put the bill on my table saying «whenever you’re ready». There were only a couple of tables occupied so no need to rush anyone. Within the next minute she came again pointing out the bill was waiting? Seriously? In the meantime there were 3 – 4 waitresses standing next to me bitching about customers, pulling faces and being completely consumed with themselves.
Needless to say I won’t be returning.

Honestly folks why do I even do this to myself? As I’ve mentioned countless times in the past, DFW simply does not have their act together when it comes to dining, which is unfortunate considering I’m here roughly two to three times a week.
Star 1: How was the service and atmosphere?
While they’ve clearly tried, Cool River Café’s atmosphere simply can’t be achieved when you’re sort of sitting out in the middle of the terminal as opposed to tucked away across from a gate like nearby Pappadeux’s. Having said that, service is fast and friendly, which is important if you’re having to endure an airport. Star Granted.
Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost?
For whatever reason, I opted to go with the Ahi Tuna, I suppose assuming that tuna at it’s port of entry would be fresher than even a fine Dallas establishment:
Not bad looking, and honestly I was surprised the bill came to only $ 15.34, which is roughly what I would pay elsewhere. Sure, they skimped on the side, but fair is fair. Star Granted.
Stars 3 and 4: How was the food?
Not unlike the cost, this was decent, although nothing to write home about. My Tuna steak was cooked well, had good taste, and all in all had me feeling alright at the end of the meal. Of note however, was the very lackluster side of slaw. Single Star Granted.
Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could?
It’s not the best in DFW, but it’s not the worst. No Star Granted.