The River's Edge Bar and Grill

An acquaintance took me here on a day of driving and seeing new spots. It was great I love the hidden gem. Definitely a biker bar vibe when you pull up but they were nice. Service was good and drinks were straight. Right on the water which is my fave environment.

Probably will return. Average. Casual. Relaxing. Pool tables. Bikers. I don't think they've deck guys to help boaters. We've BLT and stuffed crab: all good. Bikers vests are beautiful. Live music is about to start as we're leaving at 1:30.Their bathrooms are between permanent and port-a-potty: they're outside but they have regular toilets and sinks. Not sure they've a/c too, during the hot days.

Waterfront, Relaxing, Great ShrimpOn our way down to the Fort Myers area we wanted some light lunch at some waterfront place. We found this place on the internet and gave it a try. It sits right on the Alafia River and according to our server, has had its share of damage from recent storms. More from storm surges than wind, but they are up and running. The neighborhood near the restaurant is in pretty bad shape for the storms. Clearly a favorite stop for motorcyclists based on how many were there on a Wednesday afternoon. Lots of waterfront seating at tables with umbrellas and boaters have plenty of piers to tie up to. For our light lunch we had a Full Order of Peel and Eat Shrimp ($20.30) and the Fried Pickle Chips ($8.35). We estimate this was a full pound of 16-20 size shrimp. They are tossed with Old Bay seasoning and we had an option to get them either cold or warm - we picked warm, with butter for dipping. They also came with a nice zippy cocktail sauce. Great flavor and as we saw, most people coming in to eat ordered shrimp. A few onion rings slipped into our tasty pickle chips basket. A very comfortable place to dine and look out on the water and watch the boaters.

Great for drinks but the food quality has gone down the river. We have been coming here for years and the grouper tenders use to be great and so was the shrimp but the last 3 times we have been they haven't deveined the shrimp and the grouper nuggets I tried this weekend were actually catfish. I asked the server to take them back since they weren't grouper and showed her how we knew it was catfish. (Thin, small compartmentalized sections with tan on both sides. The she said nothing but the look on her face said it all. The manager never even bothered to come speak to us so clearly they were hiding in shame.

There's just too much to say. This place can't possibly have a chef. They are just microwaving and deep frying everything. The goal here is to serve the bare minimum, using the least amount of energy, charging the most you possibly can. We asked for a JD on the rocks and my dad got one shot in a plastic cup, no rock glass, just a disposable plastic cup. Where's the love? That was $9. We asked the waitress if she could hook him up with a double and the next one was poured the same way. Plastic cup with just two ounces. $18. The appetizers were a joke. I asked her what she liked and she recommended the mac and cheese balls, claiming they were her favorite. They were barely edible! Everything on the menu except for the burgers just needed to be fried or nuked. There is absolutely zero passion coming out of that kitchen. The shrimp burger was barely edible and the hamburgers were ok. The utensils were all plastic if you were lucky to get them. The worse part was the port-o-potties for a bathroom. They were completely trashed. This made me think about the wait staff and "cooks" and how clean they could possibly be. Luckily we didn't get sick from our meal. All I can think of is that restaurant show where the kitchens are filled with rotten food. I hope to god this place isn't like one of those places.

It's a nice location right at the river. Weekends there is live music. The food was ok. Had the Appetizer Platter and then the Swiss Burger. Service was good.

3.3* (out of 5)Food: n/a Atmosphere: 3* Value: 4* Service: 3*09/30/2023This was the closest place to our son's home and was along the drive home from dinner, so thought we would stop and check it out and have 1 drink. It was admittedly a letdown stopping here relative to several other places in the area, although it was later at night and we didn't order food. While it looks like a fun place with a great view during the day, our stop for a nightcap was disappointing. The mixed drinks weren't very good and I'm big on local tap beers - but there aren't any tap beers here.There was plenty of space to move around and a number of outdoor games set up that would be fun during a warm afternoon - but on this evening just after a rain shower had passed through and the grill was about to shut down, it was a disappointment.We waited several minutes for someone to serve us at a table adjacent to the outside bar, then I walked up to the bar to see what beers they had on tap. To my surprise, I learned that they didn't have any beers on tap! In addition, I was told that she couldn't serve me...that someone was on the way out to our table. It took more than a couple of minutes for a server to get to our table - possibly because they assumed we were going to order food, so had someone from inside bring out food menus and apologize for the fact that the grill was shutting down in a few minutes.This place has some good reviews for their food, is set up for outdoor activities and the view looks great during the day. We had already eaten and there wasn't much liveliness left when we arrived around 8:45 on a Saturday night, so I can only speak to our experience. Honestly, my biggest letdown was that the there was no beer on tap...I really like trying different local beers on tap wherever I go and that isn't possible here. Maybe we'll stop by during the day for lunch on our next trip to sample the food and experience a different aspect.If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow.Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

First time coming here , the food was amazing . Also , the views are amazing . Outside eating area on the deck and very spacious. There is also indoor dining. Wendy our waitress was kind and amazing . Good prices on the food and drinks. Drinks were good

Well that was fun and delicious! We came at 4:00pm, sat outside on the water. Not crowded yet, although the outdoor bar was bustling. The beer was cold, the burgers were juicy and tasty - freshly made at Apollo Meats nearby. They offer a full and half pound patties. Friendly and attentive service, obviously a fantastic location on the water. Noticed a previous review complained of no real bathrooms. There are a couple of port-a-potties but they also have a women's bathroom with 2 stalls. We'll be back- casual, relaxing, solid food.

We were in the area and got hungry so we decided to stop by and check it out. Our server was immensely helpful and patient with our large group. She always had a smile on her face and for that I must praise her. The food was very tasty and the drinks were even better. I must also praise the bartender because every drink that we ordered, from Bloody Mary's to Moscow Mules, were spot on. Overall it was a great experience