Pon Di River Caribbean Bar and Bistro

Great food, friendly atmosphere and clean. Go check this restaurant out.

This was our second visit to this location. The first time, we waited for service that never came, so we left. We had to seat ourselves and wait for close to an hour before anyone brought us a menu. By the time we were able to order and had gotten our food, our wait time was well over an hour. We would have left this time, but it was already late and all the other restaurants were closed or closing. The food was good but not worth the wait.

Been coming to this place for a couple years went there tonight cashier/bartender charge me $73 for three drinks and an order of shrimp explain it to her I come here often and I get the same thing bill has never been this high she also charged me gratuity 18% for sitting there eating and drinking liquor tax 13%. I did love this place but I would never go back again cashier Neesy will never get my hard earned money again I don't know about anyone else but I just thought it was ridiculous what made it so bad I've been going there for years, for some reason she seem to think it was funny

Good vibes and food. Music is the environment. The staff is exceptional! The j*** wings are OUT OF THIS WORLD! This is definitely the spot to kick start your night and pregame. Order the Jamaican Me Crazy, but I will warn you to relax, chill and sip. Location location location!It will officially become the party starter for date night, girls night or group night. I hope to run into you.

I typically don’t write reviews, but for the terrible service I received at this restaurant,,, they deserve to be known about the awful service they are providing. This was my first and last time I would spend money at this restaurant. The service is the worst and they don’t have a variety selections of drinks at the bar. The waitress had a attitude and the food presentation looked better than it taste. Overall, this place is geto. I’m all for supporting folk business, but you got train these folk your hiring! I hate folk with customer service jobs that come to work with an attitude!!! Stay home or get a job that don’t require you having to deal with people! PERIOD!!!!Zero stars ??????

Decided to give this place a try for my birthday(11/8) and was disappointed. The food wasn't as fresh as I would expect it to be with the amount they're charging. We had more sides on our plate than meat. We ordered curry goat and got a lot of bones. Our drinks never made it to the table. The temperature was kind of stuffy so we didn't stay too long. We definitely won't be returning.

I ordered the oxtails, cabbage, and rice and peas. Everything was delicious. I would recommend oxtails from here.

Parking: Plenty of parking

Long post : I called to order a pick up. I ordered two coco burgers one I wanted to substitute the fries for plantains and the other with fries and the man said okay. I also ordered a sweet tea. I was told it will be ready in 10 minutes. I gave them 20 minutes before I arrived. When I got there I waited. The girl behind the bar gave me my receipt and I saw they charged me for a extra side of plantains for $3.15, I explained that i didn’t want extra plantains I wanted to substitute it for the fries. she had an attitude and stated we don’t do substitutes so I said okay fine. I waited another 10 minutes still no food. Clariesa comes out and I asked her to please give me accurate wait time next time because I’m on my lunch break. She looks at me with an attitude and says you ordered two burgers it takes time do you want un-cooked burgers we only have one cook. She walked and the back and started talking about me very loud I can hear her over the music they were playing. I started to just walk out because now I don’t trust her with my food. A tall man came out of the kitchen and asked if I wanted something to drink while I waited and I said sure. He never did come out with the drink. (Strike 1) When I finally received my food the burger and coco bread were burnt (Strike 2) and I had two orders of plantains (Strike 3). I tried to call the restaurant to talk to a manager but they blocked me or forwarded all calls. I am very disappointed. I will not be back. The food is expensive and small portions. I usually don’t do this but I was not treated right.

I am sorry to say I no longer consider this restaurant Caribbean and further more I will not return or ever recommend it again. I’ve given it numerous try’s. I’m sad to say but the food is no longer good. I ordered the king fish because I was tempted by description and the picture on menu and was excited to try it. But when it arrived at my home it looked completely different. The beautiful vibrant red sauce with peppers in the picture was completely MIA. It had a very strong fishy smelly (I know it’s fish and it’s supposed to smell like fish but what I mean is that it didn’t smell fresh or at least recently frozen fresh) plusIt was very-very over cooked in a very dark brown almost black sauce With a couple of mushy potatoes and carrots that had no peppers no spice. The collard greens and cabbage were, a good portion but blah, flat. Which is a double disappointment because when this restaurant initially opened their color greens and cabbage were awesome! They had different delicious flavor (different from the usual southern flavor) they had a perfect mix of acidity and spice. They used to be so good that I used to call to order pick up double order of each and just eat that but that’s all over now. It’s a real shame because real Caribbean(non Americanized) food is absolutely delicious so flavorful and colorful. So long, and peace to you Pon di River.

I really had a wonderful dining experience today here. I ordered the oxtails, macaroni and cheese and cabbage with lemon pepper wings and ranch. Everything was delicious except the cabbage. It wasnt as neatly as good as it normally is and was really bland. However, my server Kenya was amazing and she replaced it with the collard greens which were delicious. The service was overall fantastic and I definitely will be back again.

We stopped by during a family visit and usually I’m a harsh food critic, but this place was amazing!! Every single thing we ordered was delicious and fresh. It is truly a hidden gem. Trust me you will not be disappointed. Too bad they are not located in Atlanta.

Wow, bloody wow, what an experience.Just found this incredible place in Columbia, SC. The wife and I love Caribbean food so we thought we’d give it a go. We ordered the j*** chicken platter with all the trimmings. So authentic it’s like mama’s own kitchen. Talk about a circus in your mouth when you leave the place. Very inexpensive also. Our tab was just $25 for all that we ordered.Just a cool , casual place with great reggae music, lovely atmosphere and the service was top notch as well. Highly recommend if you are in Columbia.3 Thumbs Up ???And 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️from us.We will be back. Still plenty to try out on their awesome menu ?

Rather different atmosphere. Ordered at the bar and was no distancing. I kept my mask on. The waitress/barmaid was friendly but busy. I had no idea what to order, but she directed me to a curry chicken special. It was wonderful. Well spiced and cooked. Red beans and rice, and Mac n cheese. The Mac n cheese wasn't the best, but edible. The red beans and rice were just right.

Much better experience this time, than my last time when I ordered something from there. It was super super super salty. But this order was perfect! The waitress was super helpful and generous. Gave a good discount due to being 1st responder.I appreciated that?

Nice, the atmosphere, the music, the drinks are small. My food was Luke warm not hot. Had to send it back to be heated. The sign said buffet which they do certain days of the week.I told them, they need to update it. So I ordered off the lunch menu. The price was reasonable. The oxtails were slamming, had enough to take to lunch the next day. Like it enough to go back. Hope it was on my side of town.