Rick's was really hit or miss. We were in town for a weekend and went to Rick's on the River. We ate in the bar and our server (who was also the bartender) was GREAT - really attentive, friendly, good menu recommendations. It was at least 90 degrees outside and the inside bar had just the right amount of A/C to cool down. The food was pretty good! The fries were a little cold but other than that it was good. Dislikes - the bathrooms were some of the worst I've ever seen. I brought it to someone's attention and she could've cared less - and I didn't see her take any action. It was so bad I couldn't even go in there... all toilets were clogged with paper towels, all out of TP, dirty sinks, filthy floors... ewww! It was surprising because I didn't see one male server - were all the female staff OK with this?? The live music was fun and the outdoor area was huge and cool. The neighborhood was scary (we walked a mile to get there) but it would definitely be fun to come by boat! A few small improvements and this place could be awesome. read more

Let me start by saying, this place has so much potential. The views are amazing, the music is great, the atmosphere is fantastic. The one downfall of this place is the food. Our food tasted like it was frozen. If Ricks purchased higher quality ingredients and put some more effort into the food they could charge a lot more and I guarantee they would be packed every night. Would definitely go again for a drink but wouldn't recommend dining. read more

We were introduced to Ricks on the river almost 10 year's ago by cousin Gary, a local. I remember liking it very much, but we just stopped for a drink and I was thinking there is no way I'll ever fiend this place again. 10 years later we now have GPS and Cousin Gary invited us to meet him for lunch. We ate out side because inside was too noisy for me (I where hearing aide's). Our service was just right and our food was very good The view on the river is great, we didn't see it the first time. For a laid back lunch or dinner that won't break the bank; Ricks is a great place to check out. Their floating docks look new and are in very good shape. Drive or come by boat. read more

Only gave it a one star bc I had too. Worst experience ever! Went in for my husbands bday, table of 10 including 4 small kids. Spent $200 on mediocre food only to have the mgr Mark come back and NOT thank us for coming in but instead went right to our kids (not to the adults standing next to them) and told them to shhhhush, not once but twice! Btw, it's 1:30 on a Saturday afternoon and they were not even that loud! Professionalism is not embodied here! First, don't advertise you're a kid friendly establishment when the mgr really just wants to sit down with his senior friends that are drinking and hang out. Hire a manager who helps the servers, checks on the clients for their satisfaction, and for heaven sakes CLEAN the BATHROOM, it's disgusting and would probably fail code. Never.again. read more

It's a good spot right in the river. You'll drive through the hood on your way, but don't stop (you might get shot) it's worth the drive (and hopefully now drive-by). Fish sandwich was acceptable, but the view trumps the food anyway. Also, live music. They also have an awesome bar and cool waitresses. Get here. read more

Rick's On the River - Hillsborough River - New American Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Patio is open! Beer is cold, oysters were great and do we're the clams! The music was good too. Only draw back the girls trying to communicate with masks on. You can't hear them ask you questions. Poor things but they are really trying! read more

Great food and fun atmosphere. If you want cheap eats, great margaritas, and a place to pull up to in the boat, this is the place! read more

Rick's On the River - New American Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Awesome waterfront bar with plenty of dock space for a daily trip up the river for some food and drink. Docks are easy to get into and in good condition (no bumpers needed) since the rubber edging on the docks was in really good shape. Jump on a table and turn the table number red...service was prompt even on a busy Sunday and live band was kickin'. Good atmosphere and solid mix of family, bikers, boaters, landlubbers, country folk and college kiddies. Food was decent bar food. Oysters on the half-shell were good, hot wings weren't very hot but lots of meat on the bone, wife didn't care for the club sandwich-mediocre, in-laws had fish sandwich and wrap-mediocre, atmosphere was the big winner! And of course the ice cold brewskies...we'll be back. read more

Came here late in the afternoon over the labor day weekend; can't say this place is the best, but the atmosphere was good. They had live music that was decent and the overall ambiance was what I expected a little dive-y. The food was just okay. We ordered the oysters Rick-a-feller they were good but really small, no meat in the oysters. Also ordered the beer battered onion rings, they were a nice thick cut and not too much batter. For our meals we orders the coconut shrimp basket and swai fish sandwich (FYI swai is a southeast Asian freshwater fish similar to catfish). Unfortunately the coconut shrimp were over fried and had no coconut...oh well maybe next . Overall the place was good and the atmosphere was good and would go back on a lazy Sunday afternoon. read more

Awesome place to come kick back at. You can come by land or water. Bloody marys and fresh oysters... What more could you want?! The food is bar food and is decent and service is always good even when they are busy. read more

Ok jerk fish but fries taste like old grease. Server was good but others were complaining about other customers publicly. View ok read more

Rick's On the River - New American Near Me - Tampa, Florida

See all

Do not allow dogs, even tough there is a large outdoor patio. Ended up driving there just to leave.

Arrive by car or boat. Nice place to hang outside near the water or inside for sporting events. Nice view of the "sprawling" Tampa skyline. Pretty busy on the weekends. The fish sandwich (note "fish" and not "grouper" anymore) is pretty tasty fried. It's so large you could get by with the half sandwich order. Beer was good. Friend commented that her drink had next to no booze in it read more

Seriously came here for fried clams... They are out of fried clam strips, shrimp and oysters... Incredible AND it is only 2:45pm on Saturday! Whoever does the ordering needs to be fired or put on probation...All the waitress could say was she was sorry, felt bad for her but sounds like someone is got issues with their vendors and payment??? Or they need a new management. read more

This is my Tampa eat out headquarters. Ricks is a little neighborhood seafood restaurant that you can walk to, drive to, or boat to. Very nice view of the hillsborough river, plenty of outdoor seating. I get the same thing when I come here, mussels & a grouper sandwich and Corona (or three). Actually the last time I had the oyster Po'Boy instead of the grouper and it was all good. I usually get a second order of mussels, the food to me is very good and fresh. Live music in the evenings, this is a perfect HQ for me :) read more

My favorite "dive"-y place to go. The oysters are always on point! My favorite are the Rockefellers -highly recommend. I also love the coconut shrimp meal. The drinks are reasonably priced, as is the food. It's a great place to sit outdoors and people watch. If you have a boat, you can pull it up right to the restaurant and grab some food and drinks. Staff is always friendly, especially the awesome bartenders. I've never walked out of here disappointed. read more

An above average dive bar & restaurant that has a great water view. A decent place to bring guests to see Tampa from the river. A good selection of typical bar food & drinks-appetizers, sandwiches, local & traditional beers. Sit outside to watch the boats dock or admire the houses and Tampa skyline. read more

Fun and relaxed place. On the water near Westshore and downtown. Right next to cool stand up paddle boarding place, too -- Urban Kai. Locally owned. Good music, nearly every night of the week. Great service. Cold beer. Good comfort bar food. Great wings and amazing Cajun fries. Oysters are great. Terrific smoked fish spread. Friendly customers and mellow scene. read more

1.5 stars for this so so local seafood restaurant on the Hillsboro River. The only thing giving at .5 is the location. What makes ricks on the river is definitely the location. Other than that, the service is horrible. I'm pretty sure our waitress was new because she had no idea about the local craft beers, even ones that say Tampa in the name. She also recommended the appetizer sampler which is pretty much all fried food as opposed to the fish dip which everyone likes. The grouper sandwich was OK, But cold. My salad was also wilted. They have signs that you can use to signal for service, they don't work. Great in concept though. We had to wait so long for drinks, food, refills, checks. Come to find out the kitchen needed help shucking oysters so all hands on deck, literally. What about the people already eating? If you're looking for a place to stop for a quick drink drop your boat off, you may enjoy here. Otherwise just pass go. read more

Rick's On the River - Cool way to signal service is needed, if only it worked... - New American Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Meh meh meh! Food was meh, atmosphere meh, price meh. Location is and will only be the going for this place. View of the water is peaceful but the crowd is well uh different and unique. Wait staff is uhh unique at best. Dont "hate" but definitely not going back. Better places to spend my money at. read more

Seems this "things will look up" girl is on a downward spiral. Brief: I walked into Rick's (having eaten their basic food found anywhere) before. I headed straight for the restroom and upon entering revealed a young lady standing in front of the mirror downing a shot of liquor. I left and said to my companion; "ewe...who does a shot in the bathroom?"...."unless of course she works here and is hiding..." Sure enough we stepped outside to be seated for some food and THAT SAME GIRL (obviously a server) said: "You didn't see that!" OMG. I am definitely not in Kansas anymore! :( All I wanted was a cold Corona..but they had NO limes - 4pm on a Sunday :( read more

Cool concept, terrible service. The server, McKenzie forgot my order and blamed the kitchen, then the manager came by and said the server forgot to put the order in. The server avoided me every time she walked by for a solid 40 minutes. When she finally brought my meal I had already nibbled off everyone else's plates and we were ready to leave. I asked if she could take the meal off the check because I didn't eat a bite and we were all ready to leave she said she could maybe give me a discount. Terrible first and definitely my last experience at Ricks. read more

Great service and very nice atmosphere right on the river Friendly staff .Clean and comfortable read more

While at Rick's On the River tonight it was very slow but had a few customers sitting outside. The food overall was three stars but the service was horrible. The young waitress was very quiet and didn't really want to help. I personally had to walk up and ask for a to go box and the check. When she brought out the food it came with little ketchup and mustard packets instead of a bottle. We were never given a refill on drinks either. Overall, I wish the service was better! read more

Not bad for bar food. Great service. Owner's kid (I am pretty sure he isn't even old enough to order a drink) came by and when I told him Tito's doubles at $14 each were a bit on the high side he compared RIcks to Ulele (an amazing restaurant down the river). Trust me little Rick, the only thing you have in common with Ulele is that river. Didn't need the little smart ass to end my lunch. read more

The food was good and live music is always a plus but something just felt off. It was one of those places that been there done that but there are so many more choices. again if you are in the area the food was good. and it is laid back and the service was good. and yet it just was not memorable. read more

very disappointed. my husband is a disabled marine, he has served our country only to be denied service from the management Rick's on the river. he is DISABLED. our dog(who is more as our child) and a REGISTERED EMOTIONAL SUPPORT animal. we were denied service this evening. the man said, I am sorry we do not recognize this service animal?????? WHAT??? we were not going inside, we were on the outside patio goin to sit in a table away from all others. we will no longer be going here and that is a shame as we try to support local and non-chain business in the town we were born and raised. shame on you Rick's on the river, shame on YOUUU. While now some are saying emotional support dog is not a service animal.... while is true and it is entirely up to the establishments discretion to allow or deny such animals into their establishment. Think about the xx marines whom killed themselves this year alone due to PTSD where maybe, just maybe an emotional support animal may have been able to provide the companionship that may have prevented them from committing suicide... now, explain to me how they arent service animals when in hands of a disabled war veteran?!?!?! read more

Cold beer good atmosphere. Fish sandwich was a little mushy. Cajun fries good. Bathroom needs cleaning. Come on guys I know you have been here forever. Just correct a couple of things. Wait staff was good. Would come back and give it another try. read more

We have been here multiple times and service has always been great. We came to eat here for lunch today all the way from Brooksville(an hour drive) for my birthday. It took 25 minutes to get my drink (a different waitress had to bring our drinks).... and when we ordered oysters our waitress told us they were out... the very next table ordered oysters and their waitress brought them out in no time. Terrible terrible service today and we won't be back. read more

Nice place to come by boat or car. They have a boat ramp and dockage were you can stay overnight if need be. The food is not bad and the fish spread is pretty good. Very casual place with two bars inside and one outside and a large outdoor patio seating area. They have live music at times and pool tables inside. Appears to be frequented with mostly locals and they have a friendly staff. The have a party pavilion that you can rent out for events. If you are going by car and not from the area it is sort of hard to find and is in a sort of sketchy residential neighborhood. read more

Rick's On the River - New American Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Was recommended by family Definitely local spot oysters Rick-a feller were great, however ordered piña coladas they seemed to lack alcohol Probably because we are not locals? read more

Rick's On the River - New American Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Ashley the bartender was awesome! Food was above average! Had a great time with my friends! Definitely recommend and will come back

Terrible place for food and the service is marginal. They don't care about the food they turn out and the service is hit or miss. They rely on their location on the river to draw in people and the rest is a huge disappointment. read more

I have lived in Tampa my entire life and have actually been coming to this place since I was a little girl with my family. I decided to stop last second to meet some friends, and realized I have been running errands all day and forgot my dog's service vest. Not really thinking anything of it because I always have his certification from a medical professional available, plus we were sitting outside away from everyone. Our server, I think her name was Marian, came to serve us and saw my service dog and tried to kick us out, while rudely making a huge scene. I then tried to show her his certifications (which she refused to look at) and she proceeded to make fun of my service dog saying that people who need service dogs have "made-up" disabilities. I was absolutely shocked with how unprofessional this server handled this situation and the discrimination towards service dog handlers and people with disabilities.... which actually violates the ADA and is a civil law... But yes, I still can't believe people like that exist... and how did they ever get a job in hospitality! read more

Nice place to sit outside and look at the river and see the boats float on by. Good bar food. Fast service, cold beer what else do you need. read more

Rick's On the River - Ok a lille dark but the tables have a sign that you can rotate... if it is on red the waitress comes if it is blue no emergency. - New American Near Me - Tampa, Florida

We had excellent & incredibly attentive, pleasant service from Tabitha. We ordered oysters & clam strip baskets with fries & slaw. A couple margaritas that were priced great (even with call liquor) all in all, a great afternoon, weather & good food with excellent service! Thank you Tabitha (& team) you made our lunch a great experience. read more

Rick's On the River - New American Near Me - Tampa, Florida

One of our go to places especially for out of town company. I'm a big fan of the fish and chips and my husband likes the wraps and salads. It's fun watching the marina activity and there's a bit of a view of downtown. Downside for me is they allow smoking on the patio. read more

Awesome. Had Rick's Famous fish sandwich. Delicious. Service was friendly , fast and correct! Great cheese fries too! Tried the burger. Very good! Over all a great place for lunch. read more

Rick's On the River - The inside bar - New American Near Me - Tampa, Florida

After having a terrible experience at Whiskey Joe's (made a reservation well in advance and spent 30 minutes trying to find parking before giving up) I did a quick search for waterfront restaurants and found Rick's. It's a towny joint with local characters and nautical charm. As an out-of-towner down from Jersey, I wouldn't have found Rick's if I wasn't looking for it, as it's off the beaten path. Nonetheless, the atmosphere is cozy and divey, plus I got to sit outside near the river. Food and beverage prices were great. Seafood was very fresh and flavorful. Nothing fancy, no frills, but great for a casual meal and a good time. read more

My friends and I have been going to Rick's on the weekends for years. I think it's a great place to hang with friends when you don't want to dress up. The place reminds me of the TV series "CHEERS". Where everbody knows your name if you are a regular.....Harmony is the best bartender in the world. We love her dearly!!!!!... Never a dull moment.. I'm love all types of music.. They have a juke music box inside and live band outside. You enjoy listening to songs of yesterday.. Hey, I'm 45 and loving it. You can dance the night away with great people outside and have great, yet funny conversations inside. It may not be for everyone, but I personally think if you give it a try when you decide to let your hair down..You will have a great time, especially when Harmony is there.... This is the place to be with great down to earth people.... read more