The State

Came here during friends and family. The location is great, very open and spacious dining room right on the corner of University and Main. The food and drinks were amazing! We got the short rib tacos and barbecue burger for entrees, and enjoyed them very much. Great job to all the staff here :)

I usually give a place a couple tries before I write them a review but I want The State to get a boost. I see that they are having some trouble with service starting out. That is to be expected. We went last night and they were fully booked. We were able to find 2 seats at the bar. We were so excited to see that our favotite bartender from a previous restaurant was there. Ofcourse she would give us great service but she went above that by making sure we knew we were important to her but also made sure none of her other customers were left out. Kat is our favorite because she is so professional. The food was also great. We each had a burger with the salad it comes with. I love that the default side is the healthier option. Usually I have to pay extra for a salad instead of french fries. The salad was delicious. Our only complaint wouldn't be a complaint to most people. The onion rings were like 2 huge donuts on my husband's burger. There was a thick slice of onion but so much batter it was like his burger had 2 buns. I was excited to be able to order a burbon flight. I have been a burbon drinker for quite a while but having the opportunity to taste different ones next to each other was super fun. It was a splurge for me but totally worth it.

We waited about 25 mins after being seated to finally have a waiter acknowledge we were there. The service was horrible. We ordered 4 items and only two were served. I really had better expectations since the rancho location had always met expectations! I live in riverside and was excited to have a closer location. Thank you to the hostess. She was the only one with any empathy for poor service !

TLDR; food was good minus a couple cold items, longer than usual wait time for drinks due to staffing and pacing of food delivery, friendly staff and a nice beautiful environment/atmosphere. They just opened and hoping for a turn around when I revisit.We were sat promptly and greeted by our waitress. She was very kind as she took our beverage order. Drinks came out and she came to get starters going. We ordered cheese board, dates, and Brussels sprouts. The board was good and had a nice variety of cheese, the dates were my favorite, and the Brussels sprouts were what you would expect. Noting they all came out at different times and not all at once. As the first came out the waitress took our main dish order and we ordered a second round of drinks. It was only a minute or two after the cheese board came out that the main dishes came out. We got steak, chicken, and the blackberry burger. All of the times were flavorful and good! The sides were what let the dishes down. The mash potatoes with the chicken and steak were cold, almost ice cold- whereas the fries were medium temperature. The veggies were warmer but not quite hot which was disappointing. We did have to ask about our drinks a couple times as we had almost finished our main dish before they came out. Fortunately the manager came and apologized for the longer wait. For desserts the creme brûlée steals the show here as the bread pudding was average and leaned heavier into cinnamon than most places allocate. Overall I think there's some things for them to work out especially for being new- gonna give them another try in a couple months in hope for a complete 180 in everything negative above.

I was excited to know this place had opened here in Riverside. I've been to their other two locations and have always had great experiences every time.This one is as beautiful inside as the others, with its dark, moody, and rich tones, and warm and inviting feel. The server helping us was very friendly and attentive, and the food was delicious as always, but it took a lot longer than expected to get a couple of apps and a plate of tacos served. Hopefully they're just still working out the kinks of being newly opened, and will soon be up to par with the other locations. We're looking forward to revisiting.

It's okay for a drink or two...I had the spicy chicken sandwich and my husband had the Drunken Pig burger, tasted next to no bacon jam on it, there were a few tiny pieces of bacon. but no jam and it was just average. Ben the bar tender made the night worth it. Great people person. Give that guy a raise or promotion.

WELCOME TO RIVERSIDE!Had the pleasure of going to "The State"day 2 of their soft opening. Thank you Clayton & Hillary for a great experience! We had the Poutine as an appetizer & The State cheeseburger cooked medium perfectly & cocktails. GREAT customer service and quality food. Thank you Billy for bringing a great addition to downtown Riverside.

I'm always excited to try out new places so when I heard The State was opening in my hometown, I had to check it out for myself! I made reservations for Sunday and were seated immediately. Our server Thomas was really nice and accommodating. He greeted us within 5 minutes of sitting down. Our drinks and food came out in a timely manner, and everything was delicious! Definitely coming back again soon.

Nice place. Very spacious. The chilaquiles were some of the best flavored I've ever had. The Belgian waffle was REALLY good, as were the steak & egg tacos. The bacon wrapped dates were decadent and the drinks were decent. Nice early 2000s playlist was playing and it wasn't too loud that we couldn't have a conversation. Staff was attentive and pleasant. We will be back.

How lucky is Downtown Riverside to get this restaurant?! We loved the different whiskey cocktails, ambiance and overall experience. The prices are very reasonable with quality to match. We will definitely be back over and over again. Delicious food, excellent happy hour, kind staff and top notch drinks! One of my favorite part was that they have ample healthy options and it's not an up charge.