This does not seem like a place for locals. Most definitely a touristy restaurant. Food is okay, portions are quite small for the price. There are plenty of other choices in Tampa if you're looking for bar food. The mushy texture of the fish in the catfish basket and fried fish sandwich appears that it is frozen and possibly refrozen fish. Fried fish dinner/sandwich uses swai which is a very cheap fish for the price on the menu, there are much better options even if frozen. To note they do not serve grouper. Service was fine, waitress was nice. No complaints. read more

Food was fantastic! Service I can't complain about because the food was hit and fresh, but a little slow on drink refill and bill, but it's ok because that's one of the hardest jobs I've ever done in my life (seriously-lol). Ambiance was not great as I had a creepy dude cat call me as I walked past the bar area to go to the restroom. Foods great and it's a fav of my boyfriends to eat here so we will be back. Hopefully creepy dude will not be. It's not the establishments fault but it was uncomfortable, I just ignored and kept walking. read more

This place is the best! You really feel like you're on vacation. I went last night with my friends and they had a live band playing. I had the buffalo chicken wrap and it was amazing! The service can be a little bit confusing but you don't go there for a quick dining experience. The vibes were great on a Saturday. I highly recommend if you have not been to Rick's! read more

Food is good, service is good. Had the clams and was very impressed. Went on a weekday but was informed that Rick's is a place to be on the weekend. Nice drink selection, and a nice place to have a beer and good food. read more

This is a very fun restaurant on the river that serves seafood, seafood, and more seafood. They have an outdoor area which I love because the live bands play in the shaded area, they also have an indoor air-conditioned area. The staff is very hard-working, friendly and gets you drinks and food very fast. The manager Gary is always checking to make sure everybody is taken care of, and having a good time. This is also the location of the water, taxi, one of the mini drop off spots, which I will take someday soon! read more

Rick's On the River - Music by crossfire on a HOT summer day! Let's get the 4th of July weekend started! - New American Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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First time at this place. We were in the mood for oysters so we looked up places in Tampa Bay and came across Rick's on the River. It is right on the Hillsborough river with outdoor seating and live music. It gets hot sitting outside so we opted to sit by the bar. There were flies inside. It isn't a fancy place but decent place for food and drinks. A dozen raw or fresh oysters is marketprice which happened to be $14.99. It was good but not blown away. The saltine crackers were a bit stale. Surprisingly the regular fries were the highlight of the meal. It was crispy, not oily or salty. Worth checking out once but probably won't return since there are other places worth checking out in the Tampa Bay area. read more

Rick's On the River - A dozen oysters for $14.99 - New American Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Where do I begin? The server seemed as if taking our order was a nuisance. Upon ordering our meal, appetizers came last.... Not sure how that goes but I digress. Things that were ordered (fish sandwich, po boy, wings, oysters). The fish sandwich was unseasoned. The po boy was poor in taste and frost bitten. The wings were nasty. The fries... the fries were old! Let me say that again the fries were old and seemed as if they were dipped in the oil again. Here's the best part. After returning our meal, the table behind us seemed perturbed and found a looooooong piece of hair in their oyster. Safe to say we will not be returning. Oh and the manager had the biggest attitude when we complained about our food. That's all folks enter at your own risk. No stars! read more

We went by boat for a lovely ride. Floating docks for 30+ boats. Standard bar food, draft beer cold, but no coors light. Nice enough View thru parked cars. Smoking allowed on dining patio was a let down. Our server was extremely friendly and quick with our order. read more

Was out and about exploring the area and wanted a place to eat near the water. Found this place and was glad we did. Honestly, at first, we were a little hesitant because it appeared to be in a not so good area, but decided to stop and see what it was like. The server was excellent, and the caribbean salad with coconut shrimp was awesome! read more

Great service at the bar! Bartender very personable and funny! Great casual atmosphere on the water. Good barfood and a great bloody Mary!

When the weather is nice, and I want to eat lunch outside right next to the Hillsborough River, that's when I head to Rick's. The food is always just okay and the service is intermittently good, but the drinks are usually strong and the casual atmosphere can't be beat. This last visit was no exception - my friend and I sat ourselves, notched up the "need service" flag, then waited and waited and waited. When the waitress finally swung by, she was friendly and efficient, and had our order in no time. Our food actually came out before our drinks were dropped off, so that should give you some idea of how slow service can be. The food was fine, if not memorable. The turkey reuben with dripping with a too soupy slaw on it and was just okay, but the fries were good. The half daiquiri half piña colada frozen cocktail was delicious, though, and it was very comfortable sitting on their deck with the fans lazily spinning overhead. I'm sure I'll be back next time a frozen northern friend visits and needs quality outside time. read more

Rick's On the River - Turkey Reuben with a delicious frozen cocktail. - New American Near Me - Tampa, Florida

my favorite local place for seafood. you seat yourself the drinks, food and location is amazing and cheap. it's right on the water and a very relaxed vibe. wear what you want because you can sit inside or outside. the spicy chicken sandwich is also very good read more

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

Always a nice relaxing place to stop by nice view plenty of parking lot. A large cocktail selection. Live music. I'm not crazy about their food but I don't hate it either. read more

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I had heard about this place from so many people. Granted, it wasn't always regarding the food. Sometimes, it was just the ambiance. It being cool and fun place to be able to get some drinks and the occasional quick bite. Finally made it here, and I wasn't blown away. The service was good. The waitresses were attentive and very nice. They had answers and suggestions, which is nice. It's a cool place to be to hang out and I can see how it would be a great spot for the games too. On this visit we ordered blackened dry rub wings, jalapeño cheddar poppers, and blacked fish sandwich, and blackened fish wrap. Overall total was about $70 including a couple beers. Not horrible, but considering most of the food was bland, it wasn't worth it. The poppers were pickled jalapeños stuffed with some cheddar cheese, the fish tasted like it was frozen and just seasoned with salt and pepper. Bread seemed like it was straight out of store bought version and not the good kind. The wings were decent. Maybe a tad bit overcooked and definitely on the smaller end of wings considering 10 were $17. Everything just kind of lacked some seasoning. Nothing to write home about. Again, the place itself, seems like a cool and fun place to spend an afternoon or a late evening, catch a game, or have a few beers/drinks with friends. Food wise, I would probably respectfully decline another shot. read more

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This is the place to go for people boating on the Hillsborough River. They have their own boat ramp, and there's free boat parking for visitors. It's standard bar food with live music. Definitely pick when you go, because it can be very hot and muggy outdoors in Tampa most of the year, despite some outdoor fans and outdoor mist machines. The food is okay. You probably want to stick with the fried stuff, as everyone who got fried food was pretty happy. I made the mistake of ordering a Reuben. It came with processed lunch meat, and it was one of the worst Reubens I've had in my life. Certainly the worst I've had in the last decade. Cleanliness is also rather suspect here. I didn't see a lot of wiping down of tables in between guests, and the bathroom was sketchy at best. The waitresses wore masks, but as this was an outdoor venue, most customers did not, and tables were NOT six feet apart. I'd probably stay far from the live music, since the musicians were also maskless, and viruses travel farther with shouting or singing. read more

I like this neighborhood staple bar and restaurant. Theyre known for oysters and they come all ways and are good. I also like that they have live music and a good covered stage for musicians. The views of the river are pleasant. There is ample outdoor seating and a big interior. Restrooms are clean and parking is more than adequate. You should come here often. read more

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After reading such negative reviews I came I with a preemptive intention of this place. Some people have experienced less than great service but for our group of three we had an amazing experience Selina was our server and she was amazing and attentive the food was pretty decent for a river side restaurant. Overall it was better than I expected it to be based on other reviews read more

Great spot for food and drinks. Being on the river the view and ambiance are awesome. Service is great all things considered, will definitely be back. read more

Bigots or cowards? I reached out to Ricks on the River three times before posting this message in hopes they would apologize but no reply was given so I've decided to post my experience. To Whom it may concern; My family and I visited your establishment July 11, 2022, around 7 pm. We were so mistreated by your staff that we left your establishment without even having a cup of water after waiting for about 40 minutest without service, while other patrons were being served before us. We sat down and waited about 15 minutes, we witnessed everyone else that sat after us get served before us. When I asked for service from the staff, they sent someone over with menus; after being ignored for an additional 15 minutes we decided to move to the section with fans since it was so hot; immediately after we moved; two white females sat down at the same table and were immediately waited on by not one but three servers. I asked to speak to a supervisor. Anthony the supervisor came to speak to me and the waiters in our section immediately jumped in the conversation and was speaking over me I looked at her and said, "excuse me" she immediately yelled out in-front of everyone including Anthony "I'm not taking care of them" and stormed away. I asked Anthony if this was acceptable behavior if he were the customer. His answer was very un-apologetic about the whole situation. We decided it was not in our best interest to eat anything at your establishment for fear something would be done to our food by one of your staff. I was embarrassed and felt mistreated in-front of my family and customers by your staff simply because I asked why we are being mistreated. I'm a disabled Veteran and my brother-in-Law who was visiting your establishment for the first time is a retired 911 Survivor Lieutenant New York City Police Department. read more

The service was wonderful and on point! Alex is fast. She is friendly and pleasant All her recommendations has been awesome! The food is good. I like the view. The drinks could have less ice. Not fancy just enough for you to relax and enjoy. read more

Rick's On the River - Lovely salad and oysters - New American Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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The ambiance was very nice. The waitress was very sweet and helpful. The food and drinks were less than wonderful. The blackened fish had zero taste. It literally tasted like nothing and the spice had no flavor! It's blackened so I expected some heat...None. The drinks were so watered down, it was a waste. Sadly we won't be back. read more

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Good outdoor spot on the river. Cheap drinks, good bar food. Can watch the boats come in and out of the docks. Parking can be tricky especially with the dock, but overall a great "hole in the wall" waterside spot. read more

8.8/10. This is solely a review on the loaded oysters. VERY VERY VERY GOOD!!! I'm not sure if they capture a fishermen and now force him to make oysters because they were so good. One slurp and I was in food heaven. Definitely recommend to get these if your with a hot date or your family. Will be getting again!!! Thanks ricks!! read more

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

Good food, view of the river, live music and a marina all makes this place amazing! You can show up from land or water and it's a find your own seat type of place but we got served very quickly and our waitress was very attentive. Will definitely go back! read more

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

the only thing this place has going for it is the riverside seating, and even then you'll have to deal with some nightly acoustic crooner doing shitty covers of popular songs. Food is incredibly mediocre across the board. The jalepeno poppers are frozen, they don't even bother hiding the fact that they use disposable Ken's dressing packets for the salads, and the coconut shrimp is slimy and gross. If you're just looking for some quick shitty-applebees-tier food with a view, though, go for it. read more

This is a fun,local spot with great views of the water and some pretty good food. Our server was attentive and efficient. I enjoyed the shrimp Po boy. Wife liked her meal. We were there during the calm afternoon, but I've heard the place really rocks at night. Not sure if Covid 19 is effecting that. Rick's is added to my suggested places for good food, a cold beer (Mich Ultra $3.50) Give it a try. read more

Had a bad experience here the one time. But this time new service, great service, and food came out correct and in a timely manner. We sat out by the water! read more

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We used to go here all the time but it's been slowly getting worse and now it's just hit rock bottom. Went on a Sunday evening for some oysters and deviled crab. After waiting a bit for a server she showed up and said that they were out of all oysters and they don't serve deviled crab anymore (even thought it's on the menu). We left and won't be going back. read more

Nice staff, once they realized I was seated, the waitress was very attentive. For me, the staff was better than the food. The oysters were average at best. I've definitely had better. I ordered the deviled crab also they were nice enough to take that off of my bill. I ordered the naked chicken wings to go. . Won't be eating these :(. I can't see myself eating here again read more

Rick's On the River - 10 Wings naked medium. I think these could have used just a minute or two more in the fryer. - New American Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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Wow, just fucking wow. Today is Christmas day. I am alone in Tampa, with no family, no one to spend the holiday with, nowhere to go, nothing to do, and no one to exchange gifts with. This restaurant was one of few in the city open today, so I took my certified therapy dog with me and was turned away--on Christmas day!!! WTF? First of all, my dog has a legal certification and paperwork which I showed to the hostess. I have taken my dog to restaurants, stores, bars, movie theaters, etc. for all 9 years of her life without ever running into an issue until today, alone on Christmas. What in the holy hell is wrong with you people? The hostess was a nasty, rude bitch and moreover, was wrong. Legally, with the paperwork I had with me, you cannot be turned away from any restaurant. After being treated so poorly, why the hell would I even want to argue, stay, or pay this place any money? There was no one there, and the restaurant was practically empty. They clearly don't want anyone's business. I will be taking this all the way to the top of corporate. Shame on YOU! read more

I've heard of this place for years coming to Tampa, have yet to try it, then stumbled a found it! This is actually my third time coming this year since moving here, I like to make sure the experience is genuine special with some of these reviews. So I'm my three times here I've witness it's very busy! If it's a nice day and you think man I'd live to listen to live music eat oysters by the river and watch the boats, just know you are not the only one! I came here on a Saturday and those servers were putting in steps, so be patient. The food is good. Oyster 'Rickafeller' were my favorite, garlic butter and fresh parm cheese who wouldn't love them. Throughout the week they do specials during the day, today was mahi-mahi blackened sandwich it was delicious! Perfect with the Cajun fries,which I love as well. I'm not sure about these others experience but 3/3 I give them a 10/10! Great spot on the water! read more

Rick's On the River - Mahi-mahi special with Cajun fries - New American Near Me - Tampa, Florida

OMG this Place is ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE !!! Had the Popcorn Shrimp, that tasted. Like Octopus knee caps. ZERO Flavor at all and SUPER fishy, along side a OLD SOUR Cocktail sauce.. We all laughed about it, and made sure our Waitress knew, we knew it was her fault. Nor at anytime did we even ask for it to be taken off our bill, was just a quick bathroom stop/break while out boat. So hey it is what it's is, but how it was handled was even better. She came back with the bill, an told us she tried to get GARY the Mgr to take it off. But apparently he popped a piece in his mouth, and told her it's the best he's ever had, and wasnt taking it off. Which I guess frozen rancid popcorn shrimp is his style. Now mind you, we never asked, but his attitude about kinda rubbed me the wrong way. So I had Nicely explain to him his food was horrible, while he laughed and said " THEIR POPCORN SHRIMP WAS THE BEST AROUND" !! Well GARY WE definitely will not back, and it's not really about the but YOUR PISS POOR MGR , GARY !!!! read more

It's right on the Hillsborough River & considered an iconic place with impressive and beautiful murals on the side of the building. The best part is the views and Happy Hour drinks, such as $3 Bud Light. I tried my coworker's Smoked Fish Dip - surprised at how little of a container she got for $7.29. You eat it with red onions & squeeze lemon juice on it with a cracker - liked a new & different way of eating fish dip! I got a Jai-Alai for $5, not bad! We sat outside at a long table underneath a tent with heat lamps for when it's colder. Service was just alright. read more

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

This was my first time here, and my husband's 2nd time. We were out on the water, and we decided to go here for lunch since they have free dock parking. We ordered hot wings & jalapeño poppers first. The hot wings were SO GOOD! So we decided to order blackened chicken wings also. They ended up not being as good. They weren't your typical "blackened" seasoning flavor. Most of the wings also didn't have enough seasoning on it. We also shared a corned beef Reuben with seasoned fries. The meat was ok, but they need to double up on the meat. The bread was really tasty. My hubby's fave were the jalapeño poppers. My fave were the hot wings, and I don't generally like hot wings! He said it was pure Frank's Red Hot sauce (which I don't really care for), which makes me think there's more to it. Anyways, the service was good. There was a band playing outside, which was also good. It's a cool place to hang out. I would come back to try other entrees... and order more hot wings! This place deserves more of a 3.5 star, and potential for a 4-star rating if I have better-tasting food on my next visit. read more

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Nice place with a good atmosphere. Service was great, food was good and they gave you plenty of it!

The oysters were great, the waitress was also nice but Dear Rick, you have to realize this isn't a fast food. This a restaurant!!! So when I order a po-boy please don't serve me shrimps the size of my little nail extra covered in beer batter. This is the type of sandwich somebody gets at Busch gardens/ fast food. Also they don't have any coffee read more

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

Live music, beautiful boat and water view, good food...what more can you ask for!? Drink wise, I usually get a sangria or strongbow cider. Staff is also friendly! read more

Rick's On the River - Fish sandwich, oysters rick-efeller, clams, sangria - New American Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Ricks on the River is a Tampa institution, a great dive bar, on the water. Plenty of parking, no snooty people, pretty much down to earth, working class clientele. Its a great spot for meeting friends after work for basic drinks (rum & cokes, draft beers). Don't order fancy cocktails here, if you're looking for that, go to Armature Works or Downtown. They have cheap booze, solid entertainment on the weekend, typical rock and roll cover bands, and good enough bar food (stick with wings burgers & fries). I've been coming here for 20+ years and its basically the same as it was when I first discovered this place, and I'm not mad at it! Consistent bar service, a decent outside bar, lots of outside seating, and did I mention the cheap booze? This is not a 5 star dining establishment, nor is it a meat market if you're looking to hook up. Don't come for the food, come for what they are good at, cheap beer, strong drinks in plastic cups, live bands and plenty of parking! read more

We stopped here to grab lunch to go while on our boat ride. There's free docking for boats and you may even spot some celebrity homes on the boat ride over. This cafe offered a large outdoor patio and deck with a live band, as well as a spacious inside that resembled a sports bar. There's a small, private owned bait shop nearby where you can pick up anything from gatorades to sunscreen for your ride back. We ordered the wings because the waitress said they were popular. They put the sauce on the side so they would still be crunchy. The wings were large and crispy. The sauce was great and the heat was perfect. I'd come back for these! I also tried the chicken philly and it was pretty good. It lacked seasoning, so I added mayo and mustard but what it really needed was some salt! It did come with peppers and mushrooms on a soft hoagie and a side of fries. Portion sizes were shareable! read more

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Amazing beside the waiter aren't friendly. Love the scenery and vibe. Food amazing,affordable