River Forest

There is no prettier place to have a hearty and healthy lunch or dinner at great value where Butler, Armstrong, Westmoreland and Allegheny Counties converge. I recommend the open faced steak sandwich or seafood salad. Generous portions, fun and friendly staff, great bar!

My husband and I chose River Forest for our rehearsal dinner the night before our wedding in June 2013. I have always liked the food here, and we were not disappointed that evening. Our guests chose between the chicken cordon bleu, N.Y. strip steak, or a seafood dish, with a side of rice pilaf, vegetable medley and a salad. Ice cream for dessert. Our guests were happy.
But if the food had not been so good, I would have given this place one star instead of two. While planning the event went smoothly with the management, even despite a change in staff, the service that evening was horrendous. I had to go back into the kitchen to ask them to serve our salads, and then our entrees. As the hostess of a special event, I don’t think I should have to tell them when to do their jobs while I am trying to greet my guests, listen to toasts, etc. The waitresses never asked our 50 guests if they wanted another drink throughout the evening after the first one, which is just rude and bad business practice. When I requested that my table’s waitress ask my bridal party if they would like another drink, she rolled her eyes! One of my bridesmaids commented later that she heard two waitresses hanging by the kitchen (where they were all night) that they just couldn’t wait to get us out of there so they could leave. By the way, we didn’t stay past 9 p.m. — a total of 2 hours.
Bottom line: This is a yummy place for dinner, but look elsewhere to host an event.