Average across the board. Food is decent but not great. Drink prices are higher than id like to pay and service is usually pretty slow. That said, I love sitting out on a picnic table by the water, and the wings and oysters are pretty decent. read more

Food is good but the staff is terrible. Used to be a favorite until we had numerous bad experiences with rude waitresses, wrong orders and long wait times. If you are going with a large group and want a scenic lunch give it a shot but don't be suprised if you smell cigarette smoke the whole time and wait awhile read more

Took over 35 min to get waited on and that happened after talking to a manager. Service did get better but still slow. Food was reasonable. Warm when reached table. Fries were a little soggy. Seem to be under staffed. Did not see managers expedite service. read more

Worst meal I've had in a long time! Service was terrible, it's located in a terrible part of Tampa. Don't go!

Didn't end up eating there so can't judge the food but if you are arriving by vehicle and not boat it is right in the middle of the ghetto/section 8 housing. Wish the location was better to be able to try the food. read more

I'll never go back. We had a couple drinks as a casual family reunion and we were "cut off" wtf we did nothing!!!! Never going back and I told the manager, not to be disrespectful but as a courtesy! ! read more

Called ahead to check market price on oysters. Arrived shortly after and the server sat us at a table on the patio. She brought us our drinks and took our order. We ordered oysters & salad. 25 minutes (!!!!) later, the server came to the table and informed us the restaurant ran out of oysters. 25 minutes later! We left. read more

Great atmosphere. Fair prices. Good music. Love the combo platter. Hats off to Rachael and Adam from Atlanta. What an awesome young couple to share a table with. Sat at a great table near the water. Nice view. read more

Went there tonight as a matter of fact with my wife and kids. They wouldn't give us the time of day and decided to make us wait for service, tea, food and a waitress/server/other names I can't use . After awhile she actually took the order and that was it. I dropped a twenty on the table for the "empty" drinks and left. The place was out of everything, where they and essentially the POS restaurant that everyone hear's so much about wouldn't give us the time of day. I post a one star review but I know lots of people that matter in Tampa and will tell them what happened. Bad news spreads fast. Most live on Davis Island, Avila and Bayshore Blvd. Rick's is spoiled, doesn't care anymore and has outgrown it's roots. The beginning of the end of this place I wouldn't hit a hog in the ass with. Hope it goes under. The place has turned into a proverbial s....hole. I would like to hear from the manager/owner or whatever but why, they are the problem not the solution. I will be making phone calls and will get some people fired for this BS. Screw me, okay, mess over my family and you pay. read more

Worst service ever...beer took 30 minutes to come. Missed half our food order. Manager apologized

Sigh. Was hoping for so much more. Ricks on the river has the perfect location however the food is horrible. Bad barfood. If you're looking for a place with a great location on the river, want to watch the game, grab a beer with friends when the weathers beautiful then this is your place. If you're looking for quality food and service go elsewhere then grab a beer here later on. read more

They Dont have real butter, just a oil based looking butter. The oyster didn't taste fresh,, I guess Im used to them getting them shucked in front of me. They tasted a lil hard, not sure if they were over steamed. I eat oyster on the regular, so I know how they should taste. It was a saturday so it was quite busy. The thing that really got me was that they had no butter...NO REAL BUTTER!!!! Not good read more

Wondering about the good reviews. The food was something you would find in the frozen section of the grocery store. My daughter liked her salad...when she got home had sudden diarrhea...so much for a good salad. read more

Went here on my 1st visit to Tampa w/ a group of my friends. Food was good-sat outside and watched the boats. Good food-good service

Pleasant place, but nothing extraordinary as far as atmosphere or food. But I can only judge from having gone twice on a weekday afternoon. Waitresses very sweet ..and cute! :) read more

I like being able to eat and drink by the river and arriving by boat to boot. This type of location really allows you to enjoy gorgeous Tampa weather with a nice view. That being said the view is free and the food is mediocre, BUT this is the soul of Tampa, and Rick's ain't going anywhere. read more

We went here on the day after Christmas with out of town guest. We were looking forward to this for 2 days and had been talking about their oysters and deviled crabs to our guest and how excited we were to go there. We get there, place our order and 10 minuets later our waitress tells us they're out of oysters. A few minutes later she comes back and says they're out of deviled crabs. We readjusted and ordered something else. It was happy hour and our waitress never came back to check on us or get our order before happy hour ended. We had to seek her out. Very disappointed in service and management not anticipating crowd after holidays. read more

Good location right on the Hillsborough river. Place to park your boat or jet ski along with a decent sized car parking lot as well. Food is good and reasonably priced. Beers cold. Good spot to hang with friends and catch a game or grab a cold one and some grub after a long day in the boat. read more

If you don't mind the river, some unique patrons, and a rustic ambiance, Rick's on the River is for you. Nice variety of menu and the food was really good! The mussels, oysters and other seafood we fresh and excellent. Stop in the ladies bathroom for a fun surprise. Would recommend to adults, but not kids so much. read more

Great river bar that serves food and drinks. The food is mediocre and drinks are basic. The location on the river makes a nice setting or you can dock your boat to hang for a meal. Live music and drink specials are also a added bonus. read more

We were staying in the Airbnb cabin near Rick's and decided to give it a try. We had the shrimp po boy, wings, and onion rings. Overall it was fine and the service was good. read more

Late night dinner after the concert landed us at Rick's. We ordered Little Neck clams, I breaded hot wings and a catfish basket. Got there just before closing time (they need to correct their hours posted here on yelp!) but received friendly, professional service nonetheless. Thanks! The food was good and the setting was great, on the river. We'll be back. read more

Fun spot. Great Philly steak sandwich. My boyfriend really liked his fish sandwich. Cool atmosphere being on the river. My aunt says they have fun love music but we will have to check that out next visit. read more

The location of is great and the water taxi comes up to the dock. This is a great place to grab a drink and if you are in the mood for fried seafood, the oysters and clam steps looked very good. We were there on a Friday night and the band was excellent. read more

Another amazing hidden local hangout. The food is not worth eating. Drink, listen to the live music, watch a football game and hangout with some friends. This is more abt location scenery and memories. read more

My husband loves their oysters. It's always a must for a group celebration. Very laid back atmosphere with a great view of Tampa and the Hillsborough river. read more

Go for the location. The menu is dated, the food mediocre. If you just want to hang out and have a mindless afternoon, Rick's would be a good choice. Rick's is a restaurant that seems to stay in business by the grace of its regular guests. As a newcomer to Tampa with no recollection of Rick's in bygone days, there are much better choices for a Sunday afternoon. Imagine what the place could be with a fresh menu, better food quality and attentive service. What a waste of a prime location. read more

The service was terrible and we had to leave. The waitresses have no idea what section they are working and left us sitting at a table for over an hour without service. When a waitress came to see us it was because I was waiving like a mad man. We ordered and she never came back. We waited for 2.5 hours without food and only for water because I begged. Never again. Sorry service is important. read more

Amazing food any time of the night. Amazing service. Great prices. Great people. A must if you live in Tampa and love seafood.

What a sad place. Went to watch the Florida/Kentucky game they didn't have it..also didn't have wifi food was very average. Waitstaff was not good. Would skip it. Very disappointing read more

This place is always fun. Great fish dip, good oysters. Great live band and superb people watching. The atmosphere and view are perfect, even if it's raining. Cold cold beer! read more

I went to dinner with 6 other friends hoping to enjoy the food and water view. After driving 50 minutes to get there I have to tell you it was more than disappointing. You think with all the business they make they surely could try to maintain the entire appearance, not so, the bathroom was disgusting and filthy , had me thinking what is the condition of the kitchen. The server was rude and arrogant, when my husband inquire something about the menu, she rudely responded "whatever is on the menu", when ask about the specials listed on the menu she said there's none and when ask about the Happy Hour she stated it was 10% off. I have never heard of 10% off for Happy Hour and as per the menu i would say it's falls advertisement, you should avoid at all cost. The Oysters are tiny and the food is over cooked and limited. In the past for many years I've eaten seafood in the busiest place in New York , City Island where the traffic is non stop it was always kept clean and sanitized, shame on Ricks, I wonder if the Health Dept has ever inspected this place. The first & last time for me to eat at this place. read more

While visiting family in Tampa, we decided to find an inexpensive seafood place to eat out at. One Google search later and we found Rick's on the River. It wasn't far and it looked good so we decided to check it out. The food was very good and afforable. My brother ordered a shrimp poboy, I ordered the green shell mussels, and we shared a dozen their "Jacked up" oysters. Everything was delicious. The atmosphere was comfortable - a typical waterside bar - and the service was good, although it seemed a little short-staffed. We didn't have to wait very long for our food to come out and the servers were friendly. We would definitely go here again! read more

Everyone working here shows the love. Joe made our night with Ashley. Couldn't have asked for a better time.

Rick's on the River has become a favorite hangout for Ralph and I. We live nearby and have a small boat so it is a nice jaunt up the Hillsborough or by land to this river side joint. I like the fact that there is lots of seating outside and music daily beginning at 3. The drinks are just so so, but the little neck clams are yummy and the catfish basket is very good. They are seemingly always busy and most of the time the servers are friendly and accommodating. I recommend arriving after three on a Saturday or Sunday to just feel the breeze, watch the boaters and relax with a cold beer. They have an extensive menu and it is family friendly and can be reached by the water taxi too. read more

I am sad to say, I expected it to be a great evening, but it didn't turn out as such. The service took forever to take our orders. I got the chef salad (shame on me - probably should have known it was a bad idea at a restaurant like this) and the lettuce was near rotten. Boyfriend got some hot wings and seemed to like them. I would say stick with fried food and you'll be alright. Pretty cool setup outside, it had a nice atmosphere - the food just wasn't all that great. read more

The bathrooms are super dirty, they are never cleaned. They have no locks it is totally gross. There is never any toliet paper and the toliets are clogged. They have changed there menu and the food is terrible. The fish fingers as they call them are like eating rubber. Really disappointing for a place on the water, they also do not offer a non frid option for their shrimp. read more

This is a nice very casual place to meet for drinks. The atmosphere is great, it's right by the water and has a large outside seating area... my favorite part is the live band... the place is also nestled in the back, right by the river... don't go for the food.. read more

It looks like some of these reviewers here are looking for a four star restaurant. Rick's is what I consider a dive bar with bar food. But it's sits beautifully on the Hillsborough River and has some great people watching. No the neighborhood is not good, but I've never had a problem there. The people are nice. The food is decent. And the setting is one of the best in Tampa. Jeeez people, what more do you want? read more

Delicious food and relatively cheap however there have been too many incidents/mistakes to ignore. Blackened fish fillet was undercooked and served semi raw and we could not be compensated for this. In addition, coleslaw was soured and animals have been known to contaminate food. Service was great though. read more