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River's Inn Restaurant Reviews List
River's Inn Restaurant
Casual waterfront dining awaits you at the River's Inn Restaurant and Crab Deck in Gloucester Point. Executive Chef Robert Iaccarino brings you local culinary delight with cajun flare in a cozy atmosphere. We feature daily lunch and dinner specials from Chef Iaccarino, a recent transplant from New Orleans, he serves up local favorites as well as some creole staples. Now Including gluten free options and Vegetarian selections!
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40 Current Reviews
Summary of Diner Ratings & Reviews
Overall
(Very Good)
3.5
/
5
Rating Breakdown 40 reviews
5 stars
(14)
4 stars
(7)
3 stars
(7)
2 stars
(8)
1 star
(4)
Food
(Very Good)
3.7
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
3.2
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
4.1
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
Filter Reviews By:
Diners classify this restaurant as:
- scenic view(28)
- special occasion(19)
- great for outdoor dining(16)
- neighborhood gem(12)
- romantic(12)
- good for groups(10)
River's Inn Restaurant Reviews List
Review 1 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Fair)
2
/
5
Disappointing
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Even though the dining room was not very busy the service was slow & disjointed with no one taking responsibility until we spoke to the "busy polite guy in charge" who took over. We appreciated his attention & apologies for the confusion & delays but were surprised by the lack of organization among the servers; perhaps it was just an under-staffed night or more attention was being given to the crowd in the outside dining area celebrating Father's Day. The service did not meet up to the prices."
Dined on 6/16/2013
2013
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, romantic, scenic view, neighborhood gem
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Review 2 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
waterfront dinning
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Great place service lacking only one lady trying to do it all.she was nice and polite just needed help.great view from deck of marina
If in area a must stop"
If in area a must stop"
Dined on 6/16/2013
2012
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, vibrant bar scene, neighborhood gem
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Review 3 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Not what I was hoping for
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Took my wife here for our Anniversary. The service was blah (server was nice and somewhat attentive) but she got both of our orders wrong. My wife never got her salad and her salmon was just OK. I ordered the petite filet (medium rare) with lump crab meat. My filet arrived without the crab meat- I asked and they brought it in a ramkin that was scorching hot- fresh from the microwave. Next, the steak was well overcooked. I did not send it back because it was still quite juicy and pretty good. On a positive note, the appetizer was good- lemon grass chicken potstickers. Also, the green beans and mashed potatoes were both quite good, better than expected. Overall, just OK. Not what I was expecting and the food was not as good as I had heard."
Dined on 6/08/2013
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, scenic view
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Review 4 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Great food a great view
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Had some very good seafood early sat. Had reservations and table was ready on time. 2nd time eating there in a month and both times food was excellent. And both times waiter was new but did a decent job. Will go back again. I would judge as one of the best off the beaten path restaurants in the area."
Dined on 6/08/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, vibrant bar scene, great for outdoor dining, great for brunch, romantic, scenic view, neighborhood gem, hot spot, great for lunch, special occasion, kid-friendly
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Review 5 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Great food and service
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"The food was wonderful and our host Jason was outstanding."
Dined on 6/07/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, scenic view, special occasion
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Review 6 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Fair)
2
/
5
A Llittle Disappointing
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"The server was very good, but the service was slow, apparently due to issues at the bar and in the kitchen.
We noticed a pervasive odor in the restaurant that may be from the carpeting. We have noticed this on a previous visit.
The food (chicken marsala & crab cakes) was good but not outstanding. One of the specials, soft-shell crabs, was no longer available by 7:15.
We feel this restaurant has declined since we first dined here six years ago, but we keep giving it another chance because of the location and ambience."
Dined on 5/25/2013
Special Features: good for groups, great for outdoor dining, kid-friendly, scenic view, neighborhood gem
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Review 7 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Anniversary Dinner
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"My wife and I have been to your establishment many times, always reserving it for a special occasion. Last night was our fith wedding anniversary and so we chose to dine at sunset and enjoy the ambiance and fine menu. Our waiter was cheerful, friendly and helpful with the items on the menu. The Crab cakes we ordered were spectacular and we enjoyed our entrees and dessert to the max.
Suffice to say, we will be back on other special occasions and thank you for being there."
Dined on 5/22/2013
Special Features: romantic, scenic view, special occasion
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Review 8 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Poor)
1
/
5
This place is in trouble
Food
(Poor)
1
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"My wife and I ate here for our anniversary 5/10/13 although we were concerned about the negative feedback (mostly regarding Valentines Day), hoping that they just had a bad day. Unfortunately this was not the case. We walked in to an empty Hostess stand and waited for 4 minutes until a woman came in (turned out to be our server) and seated us. We had our choice of many open tables 8:00pm-Fri. night, 4 other tables in the restaurant. We ordered the crab dip appetizer (no crab, no flavor). We both ordered the Rockfish special (topped w/crab meat and a lemon sauce). The "rockfish" was actually tilapia, and the crab meat topping was probably "krab", not lump. The lemon sauce was too tart. Used to love this place, doubt we'll go back."
Dined on 5/10/2013
Special Features: scenic view
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Review 9 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Mother's Day
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Good)
3
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Reservations @5:45. One of the 3 entrees was unavailable because they ran out of it before 6pm. They are open until 9 or 10. The staff was courteous and helpful, but understaffed. We found out later our waiter was also the bartender. The food was excellent. When we ordered dessert, the creme brulee was unavailable because they ran out at 3:30. I ordered pie and he came back and said they just ran out of that too. They had had 300 reservations so far that day. Well, plan for it! I would hate to show up at 8pm. If you dine here, dine early. We waited for our check. Finally got up and that generated the check as it usually does. It was busy at the bar. Excellent floor staff, but bad planning."
Dined on 5/12/2013
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, scenic view, special occasion
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Review 10 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Poor)
1
/
5
Mother's Day at River's Inn
Food
(Poor)
1
/
5
Service
(Poor)
1
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Long wait after being seated. Very poor service. Mediocre food served cold. I would not recommend this restaurant."
Dined on 5/12/2013
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Review 11 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Fair)
2
/
5
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Poor)
1
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Food was okay, service was slow. Prices for the mothers day menu were outrageous!!"
Dined on 5/12/2013
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, romantic, scenic view, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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Review 12 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Wonderful Mother's Day
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Lovely view, comfortable seating, delicious food - nice size portions, the limoncello cake was incredible, very nice experience. I will definitely return."
Dined on 5/12/2013
Special Features: good for groups, great for outdoor dining, great for brunch, romantic, scenic view, neighborhood gem, great for lunch, special occasion
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Review 13 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Great For Graduation
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"We enjoyed our lunch on the outdoor patio at River's Inn. The food was very good and we felt comfortable and relaxed there. We had just had our son's college graduation from CNU and it was good to get out of Newport News where it would've been mobbed with other graduates and their families."
Dined on 5/11/2013
Special Features: good for groups, great for outdoor dining, scenic view, neighborhood gem, great for lunch, special occasion
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Review 14 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Fair)
2
/
5
Nice ambience, mediocre food
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"Restaurant is in nice setting, a little out of the way. Our appetizers were nicely prepared oysters, but entrees were not up to par. I ordered the special which was flounder Diane. The fish was extremely dry, tasteless and with no seasoning. The fish of another member from our party was obviously pre-frozen. Not worth the drive to received this quality of food."
Dined on 5/11/2013
Special Features: good for groups, great for outdoor dining, romantic, scenic view, special occasion
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Review 15 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Fair)
2
/
5
Not What It Used to Be
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Fair)
2
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic
"We went for a birthday celebration this weekend based on the memory of a fantastic meal about 5 years ago. No offered refills on unsweetened tea, repeated requests for water, repeated requests for lemon with the fish, a very dried out fish special with bits of very cooked dried out crab meat and sauteed mushrooms, VERY fried seafood and hush puppies (all cooked in the same oil it seemed?). There is no basis for comparison with the prior outstanding experience and honestly can not recommend the drive from Williamsburg for either the food or service."
Dined on 5/11/2013
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Review 16 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Nice Water View
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"We started off with the hot Crab Dip it was served hot and it was very creamy with a lot of crab meat. There were a few specials my husband had the Rockfish with lump crabmeat which was served broiled with broccoli and it was supposed to come with homemade mashed potatoes. We were informed when the meals were brought that they were out of mashed potatoes. The chef had come up with a new potato side, which to me was left over from the brunch earlier in the day. We were there around 4:30 on a Sunday. I ordered blackened Tuna, it was cooked med-well which was perfect. It could have been a little more seasoned. It too came with the potatoes. Dessert was their homemade key lime pie and cheesecake. Both were Great! The server was wonderful."
Dined on 5/05/2013
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, romantic, scenic view
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Review 17 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Good)
3
/
5
Service was outstanding!!!She-crab
Food
(Good)
3
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Service was outstanding!!!She-crab soup was delicious. BLT was mediocre: did not have "local Beefsteak tomatoes", as stated on the menu. A nice spot to have lunch (would've been nicer if we had been outside.) Walk around the docks and check out the beautiful boats before or after you dine."
Dined on 04/26/2013
2008
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Review 18 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Great place for lunch on the water!
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
"We recently had an excellent lunch at River's Inn. Oysters were fresh and local and the grilled swordfish was outstanding."
Dined on 04/07/2013
2007
Special Features: great for brunch
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Review 19 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Quiet with Great Food and Service
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"We are a group of retirees who get together for lunch a couple of times a year to catch up. River's Inn always gives us a nice quiet place where conversation is easy. On this occasion we also got great food and great service from Jason, the manager, who took care of us himself."
Dined on 03/29/2013
2010
Special Features: good for groups, special occasion, scenic view, great for lunch
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Review 20 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Oh yeah
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Very very satisfied, the rivers inn was absolutely perfect for making up for the awful anniversary i tried to make special last year, but this year she couldn't have been more impressed. Food was great and i think for the first time ever ii didn't finish all my dinner cause there was so much! Very nice people on top of it all made it that much better."
Dined on 03/16/2013
2013
Special Features: romantic, special occasion, scenic view
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Review 21 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Have eaten there many times,
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Have eaten there many times, has great food & service. View is limited due to being located in the middle of a marina, unless you like looking at large cabin cruisers."
Dined on 03/09/2013
2012
Special Features: great for outdoor dining, kid-friendly, special occasion
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Review 22 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Fair)
2
/
5
Waited 15 minutes before the
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Poor)
1
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Waited 15 minutes before the server arrived to take my drink order. When she did arrive she looked and acted as if she had been working all night long (it was 6pm). When I casually enquired if she was okay, the reply was negative. This was how the rest of the night went. After I finished eating I waited another twenty minutes before my check was brought. I expected more from Rivers Inn, especially on Valentin's Day. All of that and the preplanned holiday menu dinner was average at best."
Dined on 02/14/2013
2012
Special Features: special occasion, scenic view
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Review 23 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Poor)
1
/
5
I think the restaurant had
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Poor)
1
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"I think the restaurant had an off night we were there. We have had great experiences there over the years but not on 14 Feb 2013. Our waitress did not take our order until 15 minutes into the evening, and that was for drinks. We had to ask for the wine we ordered 3 times. My wife's soup was warmish but not hot, but she wasn't about to chance the delay waiting for it to be warmed up. My wife's meal was cold when she finally got it, 45 minutes after the wine had made its way to our table. Desert never made it and neither did the bill. We calculated what we owed and I left a tip; I did lose some serious points with my wife on that issue. Two tables left while we were there, never made it past drinks. However, Sweet Frog was great!"
Dined on 02/14/2013
2013
Special Features: scenic view
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Review 24 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Went there for Valentine's
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Fair)
2
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"Went there for Valentine's Day dinner. It took a while for them to talk to us and get our drink order though. Place wasn't very busy, at least didn't seem like it at the time, yet that's what the waitress said when we were served. Food was great, other than the service, not much to complain about. I'd give the place another shot though"
Dined on 02/14/2013
2012
Special Features: romantic, special occasion, scenic view
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Review 25 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
What a Gem!
Food
(Outstanding)
5
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Ambiance
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Noise Level
Quiet
"We just moved to the area and feel quite blessed to have found River's Inn Restaurant just around the corner! I had the prime rib, orderd well done and found it was perfect. (A difficult piece to get well done and not burned). I will definitely make it a regular!"
Dined on 02/14/2013
2013
Special Features: late-night find, romantic, special occasion, scenic view
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Review 26 for River's Inn Restaurant
Overall rating
(Poor)
1
/
5
I am very sad to say that
Food
(Fair)
2
/
5
Service
(Poor)
1
/
5
Ambiance
(Good)
3
/
5
Noise Level
Moderate
"I am very sad to say that this restaurant is in great decline. A beautiful location that was damaged by storm seems to have not recovered well.Valentine's night was not crowded compared to restaurant seating, but the restaurant was woefully understaffed. The staff that was there was really not motivated to cover well and we saw numerous extremely disappointed couples, some that just left.The food was average, at best.I wish them well and hope that they can make much needed changes."
Dined on 02/14/2013
2010
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Ratings-Only Reviews for River's Inn Restaurant
Based on the average of (14) ratings-only reviews
Overall
(Very Good)
3.8
/
5
3 out of 5 recommend this product
Food
(Very Good)
4
/
5
Service
(Very Good)
3.6
/
5
Ambiance
(Outstanding)
4.1
/
5
Noise Level
Energetic