one of my faves since the 80's...can drink here all day for under 20 bucks! i love this place!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Teri-Lee Wilson
Great small.town bar in historic building. Wonderful staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
nmkow
Wandered in with a friend. We were looking for a quiet place to have a drink. Sat at the bar. The pinot noir was yummy so we stayed for another. Atmosphere warm and cozy. Service excellent. Stayed for dinner. Had the tagliarini with seared scallops. Amazingly good. I'm trying to figure out when I can go back. Glad to hear they are extending their hours to 7 days a week
Robert Arsenault
Great place to stop and grab a beer. Russ is very knowledgeable about local history and he is fun to chat with.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
AndrewBeach
Just a brief stroll from the Norma Terrace Theatre in Chester is River Tavern. We chose this as our pre-show dinner, and it was very...okay. Its a small dining room/bar situation, neat and clean, with a smallish menu (I actually prefer a small menu so thats a good thing). The service was very good, the drinks delicious. The food was, again, okay: nothing wrong with it, but nothing outstanding either. I think the outstanding moment in the meal would be a date bread pudding in a delicious caramel sauce. Would I go again? Maybe?
Wander33981367308
The food here is unique and excellent. We come back because the menu is not the same that we are encounter in so many restaurants
Jake B.
I went to this place 25 yrs ago. had a blast. The people were so down to earth, it was a great time . glad to see it's still there.
Mloitz
This is not my first experience here and while the service and atmosphere did not disappoint, the food did. I went for the burger which sounded interesting but unremarkable and fries were limp. My wife’s salad lacked in presentation and was only fine. Not nearly as good as prior visits and while it was only lunch, it was a 30 minute drive and will think twice before I return.
eileent697
Our party of five enjoyed a wonderful evening at the River Tavern tonight. The restaurant is charming with a cozy atmosphere. The food and drinks were exceptional; varied and creative. Every meal was delicious; perfectly prepared with fresh ingredients. The staff was welcoming, friendly, attentive, and courteous. We can’t wait to return and highly recommend this gem!
Russel P
I'll just say it like it was. Drinks and oysters very good. Service good, servers efficient and nice. I ordered the NY strip - my go to cut. What came out was a chunk of unrecognizable beef. It was square shaped, not a strip. I cut into it and tasted it. Flavor of the beef was good - but...I had ordered medium and it came out blood red, okay I can handle this...but..as I cut into it further it was a mass of tough gristle. I called over the server and showed her the evidence. She agreed that it was not right and would replace it. I was literally insulted and upset that they had sent out such a horrendous piece of meat to begin with. Twenty minutes later, after my wife and friend had finished their meal they arrive with the second piece. Looked much better..but..I cut into it and blood rare - again! At this point I had lost my appetite and did not want to wait longer for my meal - I had totally lost my appetite at this point and could not think about eating. Everyone involved agreed that things did not go well. Dessert came and went, my friends liked it - I couldn't eat it. Then the check arrived. Fortunately I have had only a few such experiences with an inedible meal, usually resolved by them removing the item from the bill. This was a $40 steak, the most expensive entree. They did not remove the offending item. Instead they gave me a $50 gift card for my next visit. Two problems: 1. I live in Florida 2 I had not intention in spending more money that their place. Tempers got hot, we all were upset and felt things had gone wrong. I tore up the "gift" card and we were asked to leave. We left not to return....end of a dining nightmare. And don't even get me started on the pathetic salad....way too expensive and tasteless.
I have been coming here for years and my husband and I enjoy taking family & friends here for dinner. Menu is seasonal and I appreciate that they try to use local ingredients. Tonight I had my biggest disappointment. Limited menu, portion size extremely small for the increased prices and food arrived lukewarm.
CTTraveler17
Food was incredible as were the cocktails. Our only challenge was chasing down the server. Every aspect of ordering included finding the server to get our order in. Disappointing as the restaurant was not overly busy. Please focus on your customers. Great food is not good if you can’t get it.
James Barabe
I’m a big fan.
david s
We shared their appetizers for lunch, a grilled Thai shrimp salad [delicious], their wings which were perfectly spiced and grilled sardines which is very rare in the US - the sardines were as good as I have had in France.... A modest place in a small but beautiful upscale town, and some incredible dishes. It ain't cheap, but you get what you pay for.
ParkerSturbridge
We were looking for a tavern-style lunch, not a midtown Manhattan type restaurant. The place was beautifully decorated and very upscale. Menu was eclectic and quite frankly overpriced for what you got. The burger sounded great on the menu....but it was just a burger, nothing special about it. Service was exceptionally slow, considering we were one of two occupied tables.
one of my faves since the 80's...can drink here all day for under 20 bucks! i love this place!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Great small.town bar in historic building. Wonderful staff.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Wandered in with a friend. We were looking for a quiet place to have a drink. Sat at the bar. The pinot noir was yummy so we stayed for another. Atmosphere warm and cozy. Service excellent. Stayed for dinner. Had the tagliarini with seared scallops. Amazingly good. I'm trying to figure out when I can go back. Glad to hear they are extending their hours to 7 days a week
Great place to stop and grab a beer. Russ is very knowledgeable about local history and he is fun to chat with.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Just a brief stroll from the Norma Terrace Theatre in Chester is River Tavern. We chose this as our pre-show dinner, and it was very...okay. Its a small dining room/bar situation, neat and clean, with a smallish menu (I actually prefer a small menu so thats a good thing). The service was very good, the drinks delicious. The food was, again, okay: nothing wrong with it, but nothing outstanding either. I think the outstanding moment in the meal would be a date bread pudding in a delicious caramel sauce. Would I go again? Maybe?
The food here is unique and excellent. We come back because the menu is not the same that we are encounter in so many restaurants
I went to this place 25 yrs ago. had a blast. The people were so down to earth, it was a great time . glad to see it's still there.
This is not my first experience here and while the service and atmosphere did not disappoint, the food did. I went for the burger which sounded interesting but unremarkable and fries were limp. My wife’s salad lacked in presentation and was only fine. Not nearly as good as prior visits and while it was only lunch, it was a 30 minute drive and will think twice before I return.
Our party of five enjoyed a wonderful evening at the River Tavern tonight. The restaurant is charming with a cozy atmosphere. The food and drinks were exceptional; varied and creative. Every meal was delicious; perfectly prepared with fresh ingredients. The staff was welcoming, friendly, attentive, and courteous. We can’t wait to return and highly recommend this gem!
I'll just say it like it was. Drinks and oysters very good. Service good, servers efficient and nice. I ordered the NY strip - my go to cut. What came out was a chunk of unrecognizable beef. It was square shaped, not a strip. I cut into it and tasted it. Flavor of the beef was good - but...I had ordered medium and it came out blood red, okay I can handle this...but..as I cut into it further it was a mass of tough gristle. I called over the server and showed her the evidence. She agreed that it was not right and would replace it. I was literally insulted and upset that they had sent out such a horrendous piece of meat to begin with. Twenty minutes later, after my wife and friend had finished their meal they arrive with the second piece. Looked much better..but..I cut into it and blood rare - again! At this point I had lost my appetite and did not want to wait longer for my meal - I had totally lost my appetite at this point and could not think about eating. Everyone involved agreed that things did not go well. Dessert came and went, my friends liked it - I couldn't eat it. Then the check arrived. Fortunately I have had only a few such experiences with an inedible meal, usually resolved by them removing the item from the bill. This was a $40 steak, the most expensive entree. They did not remove the offending item. Instead they gave me a $50 gift card for my next visit. Two problems: 1. I live in Florida 2 I had not intention in spending more money that their place. Tempers got hot, we all were upset and felt things had gone wrong. I tore up the "gift" card and we were asked to leave. We left not to return....end of a dining nightmare. And don't even get me started on the pathetic salad....way too expensive and tasteless.
Restaurantji Recommends
I have been coming here for years and my husband and I enjoy taking family & friends here for dinner. Menu is seasonal and I appreciate that they try to use local ingredients. Tonight I had my biggest disappointment. Limited menu, portion size extremely small for the increased prices and food arrived lukewarm.
Food was incredible as were the cocktails. Our only challenge was chasing down the server. Every aspect of ordering included finding the server to get our order in. Disappointing as the restaurant was not overly busy. Please focus on your customers. Great food is not good if you can’t get it.
I’m a big fan.
We shared their appetizers for lunch, a grilled Thai shrimp salad [delicious], their wings which were perfectly spiced and grilled sardines which is very rare in the US - the sardines were as good as I have had in France.... A modest place in a small but beautiful upscale town, and some incredible dishes. It ain't cheap, but you get what you pay for.
We were looking for a tavern-style lunch, not a midtown Manhattan type restaurant. The place was beautifully decorated and very upscale. Menu was eclectic and quite frankly overpriced for what you got. The burger sounded great on the menu....but it was just a burger, nothing special about it. Service was exceptionally slow, considering we were one of two occupied tables.