The River Restaurant & Lounge

Stopped by for breakfast and had a chill experience at The River Restaurant & Lounge. We were seated immediately, which is always a plus, and enjoyed a few breakfast staples. The service was great--our coffee cups were never empty, thanks to the attentive staff.The eggs, bacon, and ham were cooked perfectly, but the only downside was that the hash browns were a bit cold. Not a dealbreaker, but a little more heat would've made the meal even better. That said, the pricing was very reasonable--exactly what breakfast should cost.We'll definitely return the next time we stay at the hotel. We've also heard good things about their pizza, so we might have to check that out on our next visit!

I was on the fence of giving this place 2 stars because they have a decent hamburger and fries... but that alone couldn't save this place. Unfortunately this is a place I'd avoid if I'm ever back in El Portal.The wait time is very long, which would be OK if the food were palatable, however it unfortunately is not worth the wait. The ribs were overcooked (severely overcooked, almost inedible), the sweet and sour shrimp was low on shrimp (we counted 3 tiny shrimp) and swimming in a sauce that tasted homemade (like a ketchup and apple-cider vinegar based sauce), the vegetables were soggy and limp, and the rice was chewy. My wife got stir fried vegetables and couldn't even get past one bite. The waiter did remove it from the bill and comped us a dessert, so that was very nice, but it doesn't undo the entire experience... mediocre food that we had to wait a long time to receive, which is really unfortunate because I bet 99% of the folks dining here either just came off a long road trip or a day of hiking in the park, and it shouldn't be hard to please starving customers!The dining room was dingy, the chairs were wobbly, it just felt run down and not kept up... there are nice views outside... so I may not have spent so much time looking around if the food had been out faster. The staff was very nice and friendly and kept the drinks full, I actually feel bad about giving a one star review because the bones are all here to have a great spot if the food were not holding it back. We were in the hotel for a full week but did not return to The River after our first visit.

Nice spot along the river. Staff was very friendly. Limited amount of menu items. I had the grilled chicken breast, my wife had the fettuccine. The rice and the veggie sides were fine, but the chicken breast was bone-dry, severely overcooked, worst condition I have ever experienced from a grilled chix breast (inedible). My wife said that her fettaciune was ok. We got a slice of carrot cake to-go and it was actually quite good. In addition to the food being overall marginal, the menu is grossly overpriced. Go for some drinks, get some dessert, but it would be more satisfying to get a refrigerated pre-packaged sandwich from the convenience stor on-site.

Another disappointing restaurant on the way to Yosemite. What an embarrassment to even call this food. Literally frozen and triple the cost it should actually be. $170 for a family of 4.

My husband and I ate both nights during our stay at Yoseminite View Lodge. We sat at the bar which fit perfect for a Lodge Feeling. Both meals were excellent. HIghlights were: My husband had the flat iron steak with a compond butter sauce and I had the seared tuna over seaweed salad. SCARY GOOD. Highly recommend

We ordered a Chef Italian Salad and a side of fried. REALLY great fries and good salad. A bit on the expensive side $28 for a salad and side of fries. Given the options in the areas though, it was a good choice and the food was good.The next morning we had a great breakfast. I had the farmers choice breakfast with a side of fresh salad and my husband had the half dome omelette - both were great. Highly recommend for breakfast in the areaWe stayed at the Yosemite View Lodge for two nights and ate here on evening and one breakfast. With this restaurant being on the hotel property, I would have figured that you could call in food. I called the front desk to get the phone number and they said "I don't have those phone number". Which seemed strange to me but I did call the restaurant many times (based on the yelp phone number) and they did not answer. I think that would be a nice change based on them being an on-site restaurant to the hotel. Other than that, the staff were very friendly and accommodating

You go for the Ambiance. Order hamburger or something simple. It's quiet slow if you go for dinner although remember you are there to sit on river and most likely you are staying in El Portal on way to and from Yosemite or you would never be there lol. I enjoyed the breakfast buffet it was excellent the dinner was so so. The view was rated a 100! The people and wait staff were so kind and sweet. These people work so hard and are so nice. Price was what you expected to be put in the middle of no wear expensive for ok food. We were happy to find food.

Terrible food. Slow service. Everything tastes like a microwave dinner. Worse actually. Go to Yosemite Valley Restaurants instead. There's also a Starbucks next door to treat yourself after a good meal. Worth the 20 min drive.

We ordered the steak with mushrooms and the raviolis which tasted like a pre-made meal that was heated up from a container sold by Costco. Service was horrible and they brought our food to an adjacent table, set it down and walked away. The other patrons flagged down the server and told them it wasn't our food, when he brought it to our table (off their table) it was a steak and chicken Alfredo (not the ravioli). We then had to wait another 25 minutes for the food, causing the steak to harden up so much that the steak knife couldn't cut through. DO NOT EAT HERE. ORDER A PIZZA NEXT DOOR

Don't think there's real cook in the kitchen, overpriced and very slow service.The staff was really friendly though.