River Lounge Restaurant & Banquet Centre

Won’t recommend- horrible communication - paid for food never put out during
reception including wedding cake! And there was an extra charge for that service. Food was late being put out. Besides it being a beautiful location which was the only good thing.

I recently attended the Free Thursday Nights event and found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The atmosphere was conducive to mingling and engaging in social interactions. One plate, the bar caterer, and their bartender Emilio, deserve special mention for their expertly crafted and diverse selection of both fruity mocktails and cocktails. The bar was well-stocked with a variety of wines and spirits, and I particularly enjoyed my Gin and Tonic. I highly recommend attending this event if you're seeking a fun and engaging evening.

We hired 2 events here recently and it was a great experience. Team was professional and accommodating.

I can’t think of two people more deserving of the absolute best than Rana and Feras. On a day that they will cherish for the rest of their lives, River Lounge’s service fell disappointingly short. What should have been a beautiful, seamless experience instead left them feeling let down, and I couldn’t be more upset for them. Please keep this in mind if you’re considering booking this catering service.

It was truly sad to see my friends face such poor treatment from their caterer on what should have been the happiest day of their lives. They invested so much trust and money, only to be let down in a way no couple should ever have to endure.

Excellent restaurant – very clean with friendly staff. The food is consistently amazing, and I highly recommend it to everyone. I’ve been here many times, and each visit has been a great experience

Service is incredible. Food is so tasty, such a cozy nice restaurant for any occasion.

Our experience with One Plate formerly River Lounge is always of culinary perfection and generosity. Great food, great presentation and great service!

Food was overcooked. Service was slow. Left the venue hungry

Wonderful food and service... we really enjoyed our menu tasting for our wedding and we're looking forward to our special day at this beautiful venue!

Very disappointing experience with this restaurant as a caterer
Presented high quality food as samples but ended up bringing very low quality to the event!
Misleading!

We hired The River Lounge for our wedding, and it was the single biggest disappointment of the day. Marlon made many promises about food quality, presentation, and service that were not delivered. The portions were far smaller than what was promised (many guests left hungry), the steak was overcooked, and the service was disorganized—wine bottles we purchased were never opened or served, meals were cleared before guests finished eating, and even our wedding favors were taken away by staff.

On top of that, contractual items like a water station and full coffee/tea service were not provided, and the plates we lent them were returned dirty, mishandled, and broken. We paid over $36,000 for catering alone, and what we got was dishonest, unprofessional, and unacceptable.

Do not trust this caterer with your event—they misled us at every step and ruined what should have been one of the best parts of our wedding.

The purpose of this review is to express our deep disappointment with the catering service provided by The River Lounge. We were shocked by the poor quality of service, food, and dishonesty from The River Lounge.
We booked The River Lounge (Marlon) over a year in advance, meeting with him on multiple occasions to carefully plan the food and service. Unfortunately, Marlon misled us in several key areas: (1) the quality of presentation, (2) the quantity of food, and (3) the level of service we were promised.
Specifically, we met with Marlon twice for tastings—on June 5th in the Gallery cafeteria and on June 21st at The River Lounge. These tastings gave us confidence in the quality, presentation, and quantity of food that had been promised. Unfortunately, the reality on our wedding day was dramatically different. The presentation fell well below the standard we had been shown, the portions were inadequate—so much so that many guests remarked they left the wedding hungry—and the overall service was disorganized and unprofessional.
To illustrate these concerns, we have attached images comparing the presentation at the tastings with what was actually served at the wedding. Marlon had committed to serving a traditional Lebanese Mezze—consisting of multiple shareable plates followed by a main course—but what was delivered fell significantly short of that promise in terms of the presentation. The difference speaks for itself.

The quantity of food per person was significantly less, rather than the 1.5 times more that had been promised. Marlon assured us there would be more food per person at the wedding, not less. He also promised an additional 20% of food would be available to replenish plates that were finished quickly. However, no extra food was provided. When we raised our concerns with Marlon during the event, as guests were still hungry, he attempted to shift the blame onto our wedding planner, claiming the plates used were too small. This excuse is unacceptable—if plates are small, they should be filled to the top, additional plates should be used, or food should be replenished as promised. Leaving guests hungry after we paid The River Lounge $36,313 for food and drinks alone (excluding rentals of plates and cutlery) is simply indefensible.

Next, we would like to address the service. We had purchased two bottles of wine per table from Marlon/The River Lounge, but bottles provided were cork-sealed and required an opener. Despite this, the staff made no effort to open the bottles, pour the wine, or serve it to guests. As a result, only a small number of guests drank the wine, and at the end of the evening the staff collected all of the bottles, even though they had already been paid for.

In addition, the main courses were cleared away prematurely. Guests who left their tables briefly to dance returned to find that their meals had been removed before they had finished eating..

Another issue was with the wedding favors. We had purchased favors for all of our guests and placed them on each plate at the start of the evening. However, by the end of the night, the staff not only collected the wine bottles we had already paid for, but also removed most of the favors we had personally purchased from Etsy for guests to take home.

Lastly, The River Lounge used the plates we provided for the event but returned them in poor condition—covered in food, mishandled, and not properly cleaned. Several plates were damaged, and many wine glasses were broken. We believe it is only fair that Marlon and The River Lounge take responsibility for these damages and cover the associated costs. The following images speak for themselves.

We would highly recommend against contracting with the River Lounge for catering your next event as we are highly disappointed by the serviced they provided on our once in a life time event.

We had the most wonderful experience hosting our wedding at the River Lounge this past July. We had about 65 people, including children. The venue is intimate and breathtaking, with a stunning patio close to the water that set a perfect, natural backdrop. We needed minimal décor, as the space’s beauty truly speaks for itself, especially with the twinkle lights and overhead chandeliers that gave the space a really warm feeling!

The food was exceptional—from the delicious hors d’oeuvres to the beautifully presented dinner. The service was impeccable, with the wait staff, bartenders, and setup team all delivering top-notch professionalism and care. Everything flowed seamlessly, with perfect timing throughout the event.

Our coordinator, Clem, was an absolute gem. She was organized, attentive, and flexible, meeting with us multiple times before the wedding to ensure every detail was perfect. She handled our questions, last-minute changes, and venue visits with ease and worked well with our other vendors. The whole evening ran like clockwork.

The value for the cost was great and we also used the venue’s recommended florist, who is related to the owners, and they exceeded our expectations. The table arrangements and bouquets were gorgeous, perfectly complementing the space.
We couldn’t have asked for a better venue or team to make our day so special. Highly recommend the River Lounge for any event you have in mind!

My fiance and I recently held our engagement at this venue. The place was beautiful and clean, and the staff were incredibly organized. For anyone thinking of hosting a big event, this is a spot I 100% recommend.