I enjoyed a lovely dinner this past Saturday night at River Bend Bistro. All dishes we ordered were excellent (I tasted them all!) and served with warmth. I will definitely be back. read more

So I stumbled across the River Bend Bistro & Wine Bar by complete chance. I was out for a walk, and there it was. I decided to give it a go, and I was not disappointed. Wonderful food. Good wine selection and truly amenable staff. The quality of all the food I ordered was fantastic. I had a bowl of gazpacho, and it tasted like summer. Fresh, snappy and tangy. I had an order of the Italian sausage flat bread, and the flavors were sublime. I also ordered the garlic mozarella flat bread: awesome! I will be coming back soon to show this place off to my wife. Highly recommend this establishment! read more

It was our first time here and we found our new favorite spot! The food is absolutely delicious. We had the daily risotto and the spinach and ricotta agnolotti. Service was great, and the wine choices are nice as well! Will definitely be back soon! read more

Took my wife and kids for a spontaneous dinner. Called ahead to reserve a table for four and probably didn't need to do that. Kids loved their Mac and cheese and the waiter was great interacting with them. My wife and I enjoyed a bottle of wine based on the recommendation of our waiter. We both liked our meals. My wife was a little disappointed with her order, after she tried my steak which was prepared and cooked very well. read more

The food was bellow average, not filling at all and the lemonade was terrible and weird. The staff was nice but that was the only redeeming quality. ... will NOT be going back. read more

Great! The crab cakes were delish, as was the relish-like sauce that came with. Mushroom soup perfect.

I've been to this restaurant at least a couple of dozen times over the last year. It's sometimes good, sometimes meh All in all OK. I've tried some small plates at lunch, the duck, a ravioli dish, the scallops, the lamb shank, and the flat bread appetizer. I'll go from the best to the worst. The small plates I tried were terrific a rockfish gravlax and two of the flat breads. The flatbreads are sometimes burned on the edges making them a little hard to cut, but the flavor is very good The two I've had are the eggplant and the sausage. The rockfish gravlax is the best thing I've ever had there, but it was TINY. You would need 2 or 3 of them to even make an appetizer. The duck is the best main dish I've had there. I always order it medium rare. About a quarter of the time it comes over done, not even pink in the middle. Once it came RAW. I've had to send it back more often than I'd like, but when they get it right (about 75 percent of the time), the flavor is good. I preferred it when it came with wild rice rather than the current potatoes though. I didn't like the lamb shank. It was tasteless and came with too much sauce, which wasn't terribly good either. I ordered it because the friend I usually come with loves this dish. So there you have it, a 50/50 rating between the two of us, but I'm the more picky when it comes to quality and taste. I've only ordered the ravioli and the scallops once. The menu said the ravioli came with a walnut pesto sauce and the scallops were supposed to be over white beans. Both were DROWNING in cream, but cream wasn't mentioned on the menu ANYWHERE for these items. It's gotten to the point that I'm afraid to order anything on the menu without asking if it's going to be in a creme sauce. I'm beginning to wonder if the chef has a relationship with the dairy lobby. Now I will say that the ravioli and the scallops were really good, but I had to avoid the tons of cream to keep from getting sick. I've also had one special, the soft shell crabs in a butter wine sauce with asparagus. This dish was prepared well, but the soft shells were too hard, to the point that the claws were starting to turn pink. That severely limited my enjoyment of the meal. I'm not a big drinker, but I'd probably order wine more often if I liked what they have. The only wine I think is drinkable is a BR Cohn cabernet. They charge $13 for a 6 ounce glass, $39 for a bottle. You can buy a bottle of this wine at Total Wine for $16. That's a pretty hefty mark up, but I care more about the fact that they don't have very many good wines. As far as the ambiance goes, I'd say they are going for "hip". The place is a little barren with concrete floors, but I don't mind it. The restaurant is not kid friendly, which is a plus to me. There is no kid's menu, I've never seen a high chair, and the bathroom doesn't have a changing station. Nonetheless, people do sometimes bring their kids. I've had a couple of miserable dinners listening to screaming babies, but for the most part it's not that bad there. Often there are no children, and if there are kids it's usually only one table. I first came to this restaurant because a waiter who I knew from another restaurant started working at River Bend. She and her husband are great servers, as are most of the staff. However, on one occasion I had a new server who kept us waiting over 30 minutes for our check, and when I got home I discovered I'd been charged 3 times for my meal. I called the restaurant and complained. Was told that they were only authorizations and they would fall off my statement. One of them did, but the other went through. I had to call the restaurant again to speak with the owner, and it was eventually resolved, but the she wasn't even the tiniest bit apologetic. I probably wouldn't have ever gone there again except for my affection for my two server friends. The other reason I continue to go to this restaurant is convenience and easy parking. We live right outside of Old Town and enjoy the fact that we can always get a table and a parking spot, something that's hard to do in Old Town at dinner time. This place has a lot of bumps to work out, but hopefully that will happen in the future. Meanwhile this restaurant is the best one outside of Old Town and still within a couple of miles from our house. read more

We've eaten here three times since it opened. Food is not your standard restaurant fare for DC/VA area (yea!) and it was all excellent. Service was fast enough and the waiter was helpful. Some of the reviews here mentioned a lot of noise. We dined early in the evening and we did not have any noise problem. read more

I've been to the River Bend Bistro in Hollin Hall four times in the past two weeks. I am so happy to have such a nice restaurant in our locality. The food has always been excellent and the only hiccup was in the service with a new waiter who worked extremely hard to please us....it will just take time. Among my favorites is the Potato & Leek soup, Pate, Duck Confit, Rockfish and the creamy Cotswald Mac & Cheese ! I think we are so fortunate to finally have a quality establishment that can deliver the goods....THANKS FOR COMING TO HOLLIN HALL RIVER BEND BISTRO !!! read more

I live just down the road from River Bend (about 3 miles), so it is really easy to stop in. The food is good, but it is the location and atmosphere that keeps me coming back. But don't get me wrong, the food is great. The ham biscuits, not so much, those are really not worth it, but everything else on the menu is. Really, outside of the biscuits, everything I have had is super. I do a lot of lunch meeting there and since the menu doesn't change, I usually get the omelet, but it is a solid dish. They have a good wine selection for dinner and the wine prices are good too. I enjoy my time when I get to River Bistro. read more

OK, while the bistro is somewhat better than the wharf, it still has a way to go to meet its $$$ price range. It definitely has a nice atmosphere, but it falls short on fine dining. I believe that with some tweaking it would rise to the level of one those places off the beaten path that is worth the trip. For example, the duck breast while tasty lacked the tenderness of the $$$ range. Some may like the atmosphere, but most foodies will find it lacking. read more

River Bend Bistro is fantastic! The food is great, and the burgers are amazing! 7 of us had lunch together and the service was wonderful. This is a great place for lunch, and I hear it is great for dinner too. read more

Having lived in DC, Arlington and Alexandria over the past decade I've visited my fair share of local restaurants and River Bend has been some of my favorite food lately. Delicious, classic cuisine with an excellent wine list as well. My favorites are the spinach salad and short rib entree, but everything is great. The crowd is definitely on the older side, but as a couple in our 30s, we really enjoy the atmosphere thanks to the wonderful rotation of bartenders, especially Antonio. read more

I am a former Fort Hunt resident, and I recently dined here with a friend on a Tuesday night when I traveled to DC for work. Fort Hunt was badly in need of a restaurant like this, which had a very limited selection of nice, sole proprietor restaurants like this. So this place is a welcome counterpoint to the chain restaurants on Route 1. If you want a burger or someplace to take picky kiddos, go to Chili"s. This bistro is for mom and dad to have a low key date night with good food and wine, without a drive into Old Town and hunting for parking, etc. We got there around 6:30 pm on a Tuesday night with torrential rain, and it was still about 2/3 full, so obviously they have a good folllowing. My friend and I shared a cheese plate, which had a several pieces each of about 4-5 varieties, along with some bread. Caroline, the chef, used to be the food manager at Rick's Wine and Gourmet (now closed), so I knew that she'd have a selection of unusual but tasty cheeses, and I was not disappointed. The server offered to bring more bread for the cheese, which we accepted. My friend ordered the mozzarella appetizer, as well, and I had the spinach salad, which was quite nice. I had the duck as my main course, which was delicious. I ordered the cava with my salad and had the Bourgogne with my main course. All in all, a lovely meal, without annoying, poorly timed interruptions from the wait staff. The wine list offers an option for several varietals. If you're looking for an extensive list of several selections for each varietal, this is not your place. But for a casual neighborhood restaurant, this list covers a variety of tastes with a quality choice in each category and does not include mass-produced supermarket wine. No Yellow Tail here! Despite the concrete floor, the place was not noisy, and my friend and I enjoyed a 2/12 hour meal without having to raise our voices or feeling hurried. The servers with friendly without being intrusive. Overall, it was a very pleasant dining experience, and I highly recommend it. read more

I tried this place last year when it opened, but then did not order take out because they were rude on the phone. I have a partner who is not ambulatory, so we decided to try a year later to see if things were better. We like to support local business. I called and ordered and went down to pick up the order. We decided on a mix of appetizers and starters. I picked up the food, paid for it, and left and drove home. I thought to myself that perhaps I should have checked the bag, but I kept going. When I got home and starting putting the food on the table, everything was labelled nicely, but unfortunately my main course was missing and one appetizer was missing. I called and they said, " Oh it is sitting on the counter, please come back and get it." No way. i asked them to please refund my money on my credit card and call me back and let me know how much the refund was. They did. The food was lousy. A warm spinach salad with crunchy onions and prosciutto was drowned in goat cheese dressing, two orders of tater tots which were more like tiny potato pancakes were mushy even after I put them in the oven to crisp them up, A Cotswald Macaroni and Cheese that had no cheese on it, and a plate of charcuterie which consisted of a paddle looking piece of pate that tasted more like canned deviled ham with bunch of rubbery cornichons. I definitely will not be supporting my local restaurant. There were only two tables being served out of 16 possibles, and they read my order back to me. The food that we did get was overpriced and underwhelming. That is a shame. Won't be going back. read more

The food is filling but lacks that extra something that would justify its prices. The same could be said for the wine. I can only conclude the proprietors are trying to attract the hipster crowd - a noble aspiration this far out in the burbs. I miss the roadhouse that previously occupied this location; cheap burgers and beer, and never tried to be something it wasn't. read more

Definitely the mac & cheese is to die for it was creamy cheesy it was fantastic. I had the cheesecake homemade in the store I'm from New York cheesecake in my life this cheesecake ranks with the best of them read more

Reading the other comments made me feel like I don't even need to post because they are all pretty on-point. What I liked: Convenient if you live in the 22308/ft hunt area. Great wine selection Food good Hooks under the bar for ladies purses What needs work: Seat larger parties/take reservations for large parties, at least a few We were warned about the long wait instead of being welcomed. We get it your popular. Put hooks in the ladies rooms for their purses My suggestion if you have a party larger than four, come after 9 when the place clears out. There was plenty of room then on a Saturday night and even seats at the bar were available. Don't come at 7:30pm or you will wait a long time. I would also enhance the flavor of the polenta. It was bland. Also, the portions of the Flatbread could be four pieces of grilled toast instead of two. And by toast, I mean, toast with vegetables on it. Not Flatbread. Definitely not Flatbread. It's worth a try and I will definitely be back for another visit. read more

Originally my girlfriend and I were going to Mount Vernon for dinner when we discovered the wait was too long. We popped onto Yelp to see what was interesting nearby and found River Bend Bistro. It wasn't bad at all. For the local neighborhood in the area its a great local place but neither my girlfriend nor I thought the place was compelling enough to make our way back to. Mainly for me, since the menu is primarily seafood heavy, it just didn't have enough for me since I'm crazy about seafood. read more

First of all, I know you should never eat at a new restaurant for at least 30 days after it opens. But I really wanted this place to be really good. It was half the size of the former restaurant and the bar was in the way of the dining room. Since it was a Saturday night it was a bit of a wait which was good for a new place. Then bar is a bit small and it does not have running water or beer on tap. The bartender was working like a madman trying to keep up with the bar and the dining room, and doing a pretty good job. Drink prices are expensive so be prepared. I had the spinach salad which was just ok and for my entree the butternut squash risotto. It was ok but not my idea of an entree. The people I was with had the ribeye and the crab cakes; the crab cakes were good, but the steaks were delivered to the table cold. They were a bit fatty, and yes I know that they are supposed to, just not that much. The steaks came with what looked like potato toe sticks that I used to eat as a kid. With a dinner they don't really work, as you cannot eat them with a fork and when you eat them with your hands they go every where. For dessert we had the fruit cobbler, which must have been a big seller for the night cause we wanted two and they only and one. When we got it it was cold and had a lot of the oatmeal crumble topping on it. So they have some bugs to work out, and I am hoping they do well. I will try back over the holidays. read more

We held a milestone birthday surprise dinner here for my wife and a large group of friends. Working with Caroline and Victoria to plan the menu and wine pairings was a pleasure. Each course seemed to appear at everyone's places almost simultaneously thanks to the well-trained staff. At our request, Victoria provided a brief and thoughtful description of the wine selected for each course. Five stars for River Bend Bistro for a custom dining event that you will long remember. See below for the menu we chose. Reception with Passed Hors d'Oeuvres - Wine Pairing - Picpoul de Pinet Sweet Potato Biscuits with Edward's Country Ham Mini Flatbreads - Fig, Goat Cheese and Prosciutto Mushroom, Sausage and Roasted Peppers Roasted Garlic, Tomato and Mozzarella First Course Farmer's Market Panzanella Salad with Applewood Smoked Bacon Wine - Cairnbrae Sauvignon Blanc Second Course Seared Sea Scallop and Foie Gras with Balsamic Glaze Wine - Dom. de la Mordorée Tavel Rosé Third Course Pan Roasted Duck Breast with an Apple Potato Cake and an Orange Vinegar Sauce Wine - Sean Minor Cabernet Sauvignon Fourth Course Chocolate Cake with Coffee Buttercream Coffee and Tea read more

I was brought here by a friend for a weeknight dinner. Don't be taken aback from the facade. Once you enter the owners have transformed the inside into something Im told is nothing like the former. I can remember a warm goat cheese salad standing out. A great place if you want something quiet and much more reasonably priced. read more

Tonight was our second visit to the restaurant to meet friends who had been there four times. Co Owner Bill Ross greets you at the door and he is a delight. Orchestrating a wonderful selection of offerings is Chef Proprietor Caroline Ross. Like any superior restaurant its menu is compact in terms of choices but broad in terms of creativity. Caroline comes to her own kitchen via Café Milano, Restaurant Eve, La Bergerie and a stint in Paris so it should not surprise knowledgable diners that everything that we've eaten thus far has been superb. Can't wait to go back and would especially recommend this fine restaurant to my friends. Oh! And by the way, they have a select list of VERY nice wines. read more

This is a wonderful hidden gem. We were planning a late Valentine's dinner and out plans fell through. We ended up at River Bend on a chance and it paid off. The service is wonderful. The food is perfect. I had the lobster bisque, warm spinach salad and beef tenderloin. We finished off with a salted caramel ice cream that was heavenly. When you go, make sure you get Antonio for your waiter. You won't be disappointed. read more

Went here for brunch and everything was simply amazing! We started with the spinach and goat cheese salad with a ham biscuit to share. Then we ordered the cheeseburger and eye round sandwich. Both are completely worth it and worth a try! read more

Absolute the worst customer service we've ever received. We walked in and were quickly judged by both the bartender and the owner. We were turned away for one drink (we were a diverse group of 4) while a group of 7 "preppy" people were accepted. We understood it was after 10 - but they accepted the other group but told us "we're closed". It's too bad that a neighborhood restaurant was willing to turn away money and treat people poorly who had plenty of money to pay. You should never judge a book by its cover because we would have likely spent more money than the van of 7... read more

My husband and I went there for dinner. We live right outside of Old Town near a lot of great establishments, but had heard about this place through some friends so we decided to make the drive out there. It was well worth it! Either a manager or owner greets you as you come in which is a very nice touch. It was very busy, but we didn't need to wait for a table. The service was fabulous and the food was delicious! It is very refreshing to go out for dinner and get quality food and not mammoth portions. The serving sizes were just right. We got the cheese plate to start, both the selection and presentation were wonderful. I got the tartare and scallops. Tartare is my favorite food and I get it whenever it is on the menu. The tartare here absolutely measured up and it was some of the best I have had in recent memory. The scallops were perfectly cooked as well. We will certainly be back! read more

We didn't know about this place until we won a gift certificate at a local fundraising event. The moment we walked in we were treated like royalty. We had oysters on the half shell and I would wager they were near the best we've ever had. The mushroom omelette melted in our mouths. The Ike sandwich was delicious! The waiter allowed us to try two types of wine before we settled on a bottle of Bordeaux. The duck confit was crispy and full of flavor. We had cappuccinos and apple cobbler for dessert. I honestly could not have asked for a better experience. Thank you! read more

High expectations based on other reviews that were not met. Flatbread appetizer is not flatbread, but was tasty. It was thick French bread toasted with items on top. Boston Bibb salad was delicious, but there were literally only 4 lettuce leaves on the plate! Salmon was well prepared but the dish lacked freshness that could have been added with some citrus. Apple cobbler dessert was extremely dry. The decor seemed unfinished but has potential. Service was attentive. I hope they improve as this area desperately needs good restaurants. read more

Came in for lunch on a whim. The mushroom soup was full of flavor and the ham biscuits were a nice surprise. My husband liked the beef sandwich and fries. Good service and very nice updated interior. We will be back! read more

Service was very slow. We had 6 ppl so made the most of the extra time with chatting. But meal took 2.5 hours. With only 2 courses! Food was good, but a bit pricey for the quality. Really nice wine list. read more

I am new to the Alexandria area so I venture out each day to try new things and places. My visit to the River Bend Bistro & Wine Bar was bitter sweet. My server was extraordinary and the food was good. However, I was made to feel very unwelcomed by the male manager. There were seven diners in the entire place. He managed to greet and exchange pleasantries with everyone, including an 11-year old girl, but me. His chilly reception has forever tainted my experience. I will never come near this place again and I will recommend the same to anyone I know. read more

Without a doubt the best restaurant in the area. There were four of us and all the food from appetizers to desserts were made with very fresh ingredients. The menu is one page long, but provides a good cross-section of different dishes meat/ fowl/ and seafood. The oysters were delicious and tasted of the sea. The scallops were very tasty and seasoned just right. The duck breast was done medium rare as all duck should be and flavored with an excellent combination of savory and sweetness. The nut tart for dessert was warm and paired nicely with the caramel sauce and ice cream. The service was great. We were seated immediately and each part of the service was timed well. Why the missing star? The rice pilaf that accompanied the duck was a bit tasteless and I expected the after dinner decaffeinated coffee to be stronger, but I'm being picky. We will definitely be eating here again and often. A much needed addition to the neighborhood. read more

Good atmosphere. A little cramped. Serving sizes a bit small for the price. Excellent service.

I've been unable to get out to Holland Hall for awhile, but wanted a change of pace from Old Town places, so stopped by. Still delicious. Lot's of variety for a short menu, and what is there is beautifully executed. I felt casual, so sat at the bar, other folks there seemed very happy with their dinners. I had the steak, and since trying to cut calories, asked for a veggie side instead of fries. The steak was fabulous- tender and tasty. Nowadays, steaks are very expensive in even mid-range restaurants, so i'm not sure how the owner is serving this at such a good price. But i'm not complaining. Spinach on the side was also very good, and i appreciated the substitution. The cab i had with dinner was perfect. The bartender poured me two samples, which helped me make a choice. Again, i don't know how the chef serves such quality for such reasonable prices. I won't be away so long next time. I'm really looking forward to the lamb - which I saw two seats down from me. And maybe the clams appetizer, which smelled divine. Not so secret ingredient = BACON! read more

Ok, Yelp is driving me nuts. I posted a review in which I really liked this place overall but was frustrated by the unannounced and (in my opinion) undesirable sides that showed up on my plate. I suggested that they should tell you everything you get and spend more time creating sides. Now for my update: Went back this past weekend. Not only did the waiter tell us which sides were included, he volunteered that we could substitute green beans, fries, or any number of other things if we wished. Very good service and they seem to have fixed what I had a problem with before. We'll definitely be back. The cheese plate is always interesting and changes daily. Dessert was a chocolate almond torte with ice cream that was teeeriffic. Salmon and warm lentil salad was excellent. Give this place a try. read more

Menu promised much, but the Sweet Potato Biscuit apps were dry, the Tater Tots were gummy inside, the Mac and Cheese had unmelted chunks of cheese and very hard to chew, the fries with the steak were so thin that they were over cooked straws and didn't taste like potatoes, the Apple Cobbler dough needed a touch of salt and wasn't browned, as well as the apples were rolled in too much cinnamon and not cooked. A little sugar in the cobbler would make it taste like dessert. Atmosphere doesn't match the menu. Sorry, but we won't be coming back. read more

Very good service and we enjoyed our dinner, the seared scallops are excellent and the roasted chicken too. Our teenager wasn't impressed with his risotto and I found the cobbler less than spectacular. An enjoyable meal and recommended when in Alexandria! read more

They went out of their way to accommodate our kids with grilled cheese and French fries. We found the waitstaff very friendly.

We have eaten here twice now and the restaurant appears to be inconsistent. We ordered several diahes. The appetizers were good and the service was great; however the main dishes were so bland in flavor that it was a big disappointment. We won't recommend this place to others. Too bad since there aren't many good places in the area read more