Good beer, views, and location for anyone who might have missed the boat. Salmon sandwich is my favorite thing on the menu. However, the service leaves much to be desired. The usual bartender I see on staff is very inattentive and when you finally can get her attention, is very rude. The staff could use a reboot, and it definitely wouldn't hurt them to stay open past midnight on the weekends. read more

I was looking for a place to sit down, relax and enjoy a light bite. This Bar/Restaurant has a nice atmosphere and a view of the bay and lower Manhattan that are spectacular. However, the food prices are very overpriced for the portions you receive. I only had the New England Clam Chowder and a soda. The clam chowder cost me ten dollars and wasn't even that big a bowl, let alone it had such small tiny portions of clams in it, you could barely taste it. For a soup and soda, this was the most I've ever spent in my life for this kind of light bite. The service was good, but certainly not worth the price. read more

I live in the area and have been curious about this place for a while. So I came there for lunch yesterday. The outdoor seating was lovely with beautiful waterfront views of Manhattan. And the food was pretty good but overpriced. Our waiter was ok, but after we placed the order we never saw him again until he brought us the check!The food was delivered by another much older waiter, but he was very attentive, friendly and accommodating and did a very good job picking up the slack especially considering he wasn't our waiter and we could see he was actually quite busy. Our waiter, well not so much. So 3 stars because the overall experience was pretty good. read more

This restaurant has a view of the harbor, and the boats passing by. I liked sitting by the window, and having a hamburger. It's worth a ferryboat ride. read more

The atmosphere is great. Friendly service. We are outside. I thought the food was just ok but my friend liked it. I might go back not sure yet. I liked the calamari. We were told that the domestic beers and house wines were half off during happy hour but when the bill came it was only $1 discount. That part sucked. They should honor what they tell their customers. Otherwise I would have ordered something else. read more

We enjoyed eating at this place after taking the Staten Island ferry! Will be coming here again to maybe try the seafood!

My kids and I were at the southern end of SI to see a play at a community theatre. I wanted to head back towards Bayonne and find a place along the water. Perhaps I didn't read very well but for one, I wasn't aware this was located inside the Ferry Terminal. That doesn't make it bad, per se, and when we walked in and found lobster tanks and what seemed to be a welcoming atmosphere, we went ahead with our plans to eat dinner here. The drinks were fine and our waiter was attentive, but the food was just ok. The lobster bisque was very 'globby' with whatever starch was used to thicken it and there was a scant two or three slivers of meat in it. Mozzarella sticks were luke warm and the coating tasted somewhat freezer-burned. The menu has a fry basket that appears to indicate sizing by the menu...but in fact it was pricing to include one or all three choices of shrimp, fish or oysters. I opted for the shrimp which I can admit was not a bad deal for the value (about 8 decent sized shrimp with fries) ... my daughter got a cobb salad and my son in law got a burger. Both were fine but for the price we could have gotten a more plentiful order at a favored tavern in Jersey. Ultimately for a shared drink (in a fishbowl--so $25) an order of mozzarella sticks, a bowl of soup, a cobb salad, a shrimp fry basket and a hamburger, the bill was $167.00 There was one other table with us and a couple of what we assumed to be some 'regulars at the bar' (we were seated directly across from the bar and it was not hard at all to notice what was going on with ALL the patrons). A rather inebriated man approached our table, seeking to buy us drinks. We politely declined and attempted to be nice, but he was insistent. He eventually walked away, but came back to the table two more times, getting a little more forceful each time. Finally, one of the barmaids came over to us and told him to leave us alone. He again told her that he wanted to buy drinks for us or pay for our meal. She got him to leave and made a brief apology to us. I think a more gracious member of staff, would have offered some recompense to us, on behalf of the establishment. This is off our list, for sure. read more

Taste wise the lobster is good. The sangria was ok. The service was a little bit slow. Atmosphere is not as fancy as I imagined but nice. Would I go back? No. They did not have some items on the menu but if you want something ask them they can accommodate. read more

Service is slow, food is mediocre at best and no AC on the hottest day of the year. I would write more but I think you've gotten the point.

*Pro Tip: DON'T BRING UP RYAN GOSLING IN THIS PLACE. I read someone's Facebook post about the time Ryan Gosling was filming his cameo in Fuller House next season (spoiler) and I guess the scene takes place on the ferry? Anyway, the production company called this restaurant to prepare for Ryan Gosling's arrival with like another 15 hungry production people. The staff and kitchen started cleaning up and organizing everything and got ready for him and after being like 2 hours late he finally shows up and is carrying a life-sized cardboard cut out of "Macho Man" Randy Savage. The restaurant offers to keep it for him behind the bar or like off to the side so it's not in the way of staff and other patrons. He flat out REFUSES and makes a huge deal about he starts yelling and shakes one waitress and yells out "I was in "The Notebook!". He said he wouldn't order or spend any money at the place unless he can keep it at his side erect. They literally told him he couldn't do it because of the obvious fire hazard it was. So after like 10 minutes of this, since it's Ryan Gosling I mean, the fricken star of La La Land they let him have it there by his side. The creepy part was that he ordered food for the cut out too. Ryan got a Caesar salad and "Macho Man" Randy Savage got spaghetti with meatballs. Also, the production crew got salads too. No one was allowed to take pictures of him or "Macho Man" Randy Savage together only like, apart apparently? Idk I wasn't there this is part of what I read. Good happy hours here too notch staff read more

We had the lobster roll, salmon sandwich and calamari plate to share. Everything was delicious. If you go you should definitely try the Staten Island IPA bear, that is brewed here in Staten Island. The service was kinda slow but very good. Friendly staff and clean place. Overall we gave 4 stars. read more

I really, REALLY wanted to like this place. But the food is just awful. Fish and chips tasted like it came out of the frozen food section of the supermarket. Same with the buffalo wings. I asked for my burger cooked medium and got a hockey puck instead. Lots of kinks to work out with the service. And they use the most horrible smelling cleaning supplies - it makes the food even more unpalatable than it already is. Other than the location and some well-placed flat screen TVs, the River Dock is a total dud. read more

The food was delicious. The fries were crispy, the vegetables were so fresh. The salmon was mouth-watering and definitely compared with salmon we grill at home. (I am very picky about salmon ). The prices were even fairly reasonable for NYC, the convenient location and the quality of the food. My only complaint was the service. Our waiter seemed less than interested in taking our order, AND we had to go inside to get our own water. Keep in mind that we did not skimp on drinks. We had a beer, a glass of wine and a lemonade. I would also add that we are not people who come in with attitude or who treat servers like lesser people. We are always polite and friendly guests. It was disappointing. I would eat here again and hope for a better server. read more

Went to this place after work for happy hour and had an amazing experience! Great food, great service, and amazing views of NYC! Best Happy hour in Staten Island! read more

Should have read the reviews first. Came on a Saturday the place was not busy at all, I ordered a burger. My friend had a steamer bucket. Why did his food come out 20 min before my burger even came. The burger tasted frozen and gross I ordered the hangover burger which should have had a runny egg instead it was cold and my egg was harder then a boiled egg. We get dessert cream brûlée which was disgusting runny and looked like snot. The bathrooms are filthy and there is toilet water all over the floor. Never coming here again read more

Ordered A Simple Hamburger Combo And Stated , Hold The Tomatoes And Cheese. Shame on me for not checking the order before I left because sure enough the burger had cheese on it... I arrived ten minutes later to return my order and the young lady behind the counter is arguing with me stating that I did not tell her to hold the cheese but Meanwhile my receipt says no cheese no tomatoes... I asked to speak to the manager and upon his way out I see him speaking to the cashier.... the manager then comes to me and asked how could he help me I told him that my order was wrong.... without him even opening up my bag and looking at my order he tells me there is no tomatoes on the burger.... well now I'm furious because the cashier just prepped the manager as to what was wrong with my food.... he got the story wrong..... my burger was wrong, clearly nobody pays attention.... he told me he was going to make me another one which was sort of useless because I was already 35 minutes into my lunch break but I said I'll wait..... the second Burger was kind of quick it only took about six to eight minutes but they didn't give me any new fries.... he just took the old fries and put them in the bag with the new burger.... I bring that to his attention and he said sorry and tries to patronize me with a soda..... I said don't worry about the soda I have a soda with my combo already I don't need to say this but I know that I will never patronize that restaurant again read more

Only one star because I had to in order to rate it. Just ate here and waited 30 minutes it's for two bottles of beer, and we got them two min after I asked if they were out in (she blamed the bartender) and 45 minutes for One virgin strawberry daiquiri (after asking about it when our beers came)! Every table around us were complaining as well. The waitress never came to check on us, to ask if we wanted another beer or to refill waters. We had to go get our own plates for the one appetizer plate we got - and she screwed That up too - avoid at all costs. Don't let the temptation of water front dining lure you in. Stay away! Worst service ever read more

Came in ordered oysters on half shell only six at 2 dollars a piece. While waiting had two tequila shots one beer that got warm while waiting. 30 minutes has gone by . Inquired to the bartender Annie she look into it several times. The Kitchen is intolerant. SAW DISHES GO BUY BUT WHERE R MY OYSYERS.!!!!!.. Annie mades things right for the wait she is a superb bartender. Thank you. But the Kitchen leaves alot to be desired. read more

the best part about this place is this one Turkish waiter. get a drink and just talk to him if you must go. food is bizarre and the lie. i ordered the Maine "lobster roll" and it was fake crabmeat. my friend got a cobb salad and it came with walnuts and raisins??? guess karen was in thr kitchen. read more

If your looking for great place to unwind from the hustle, get off the boat and relax at the River Dock Cafe. A great place to de-stress. Theirs always a great breeze through the bar area to cool off. The food and service are excellent. The best thing about the River Dock Cafe are the bartenders. When I'm there its Cassandra or Melissa. Super friendly, great service and boy ohhhhh!! boy can they mix a cocktail. I highly recommend. read more

Went here for dinner two nights ago. Never had worse service. The waitress actually described one of the appetizers as chips " with a lot of crap on top." I commented to her on her unprofessional description. The lobster roll actually tasted like garbage. Terrible food, worse service. Avoid. read more

After reading most of the reviews I was skeptical of going, but I had already made plans and had no other choice. The drinks were amazing, and the food was even better! We had reservations and they called to confirm a few hours before our reservation time. My boyfriend had the salmon sandwich and I had the pappardelle Alfredo with chicken. Everything was amazing. I would definitely recommend this place and come back! Great view as well! read more

Tiffany/Bartender was excellent! Do not and I repeat Do not read those "other" reviews. We went and had delish hot apps and dinner and cocktails. I highly recommend and will be returning, shortly. Service was 2-1 table. We wanted to enjoy our time in the sun and the waiters/waitresses honor and respected our time. Go, enjoy and celebrate at River Dock Cafe! read more

Our burger was messed up but they were happy to fix it with out a problem and the food was amazing and very filling and the fries have to be the best fries on earth even when they are reheated just amazing read more

We ordered the lobster roll and the fish and chips. The service was lovely the view was nice. We had a great peaceful time. Was the food great? Yes it was! We were pleasantly surprised. The lobster roll was soft and creamy, the pickle and slaw were yum! The lobster had some great seasoning, paprika maybe? My companion really liked his fish and the fries were super crispy, even cooled by the sea air since we were seating outside. Fries tend to go soggy once cold but these were still crunchy! read more

I live on the nearby on the Island so its a convenient spot to go to on a nice day and enjoy some moderate drinks outdoors. I am a sucker for bars with nice views and I've never had an issue with the service, always very attentive and friendly. I don't like that it doesn't stay open past midnight on the weekends. I wish it stayed open later. The food is meh. Its not terrible but its not great either. The only thing I remember being above average was the Lobster ravioli. read more

The service is very good. The food is mediocre and overpriced for what you get. Two of my guests ordered lobster rolls which were dreadful, canned lobster shredded beyond recognition and in a tasteless dressing. I had an over cooked burger with rubbery cheese and my order of sauted onions came with two tiny slivers of onions, two! There is something really down at the heels about this place. Very disappointing and NOT worth a trip from Manhattan to eat here. Needs new management. Again, I do want to say our waiter was terrific. Holderer party on Sun. 2:15 PM. read more

Nice view but that's the only thing nice about this place. First thing first, there's no sign directing you where the restaurant is located. We got there about 4:30pm not busy. Sat outside and the menus are disgusting. It had food stains on one side & someone's shoe imprint on the other. It should've been thrown in the garbage. Print new menus & lamenate it. Disgusting dirty menus.We ordered drinks. It took awhile for the drinks to come& it wasn't even crowded. It was ok. As we were deciding on the menu & looking at the disgusting stain. A girl coming by with drinks in her hand comes over to us asking if we ordered a Sprite & coke we told her no . Besides, why ask us don't you see we already have drinks. It belonged to 2 tables over. we decided not to dine here since the service is so bad & we would just take in the view and the nice weather & enjoy our drinks. As, time elapsed, a few tables starting to fill up. That same girl who had the drinks earlier, now had 2 plates of food asking us & the table next to us if these were our food we all said no. So she ended up bringing it back to the kitchen. About 10-15 later those two plates of food belong again to two tables over to us. Doesn't she know the table numbers or something to get the orders right? Horrible customer service. I would imagine the food is cold by now. When we decided we had enough of this place our waiter was no where in sight for about 30 minutes. When we did flagged him down& asked for the check. For once, i wished i had cash on me bc it took another 15-20 minutes for him to come back & take my card. It's ashamed bc this place could be really nice bc of the view. As we were leaving we noticed all the workers all standing by the hostess desk just talking & horsing around. The man who looks like he could be the mgr was showing a janitor or dishwasher who was dressed in all white how to mop the floor. Really?!. Just ashamed. Never coming back here again. read more

My husband and I took in the view of the New York Skyline after a ride on the Stanton Island Ferry. I had one of the very best Mojitos i have had in ages..fresh mint and lime...the bartender mastered this one! The music was wonderful....i would recommend a pit stop here! read more

Terrible service they treat you like they are doing a favor to you, the bar tender is really rude. Definitely a big NO.

I heard there was a new seafood restaurant in the ferry terminal. So I decided to try it for the first time. The prices were way too high and to top it off they took a 15% gratuity and it was just me and my wife. I do understand larger parties gratuity is included but that was ridiculous in my opinion. It should be my option if I want to tip and how much I thought the service was worth. That will be my first and last time patronizing that establishment. read more

The place really seemed nice and i traveled out of my way to go have dinner there. On the website it said that it closes at 3am. Once i got there they said we are closing at 10pm and it was a quarter to 10. I was really disappointed because i went there for no reason only for them to refuse us because it was almost closing time read more

This place is a super special new addition to St. George. Andrea is a wonderful bartender who knows how to treat people right. Don't wait! Go now! read more

Food takes a long time to arrive. I saw the waitstaff yelling at each other. Not a good sign. Food is also blah

i've been here enough times (6 or 7 visits) and here is my review. Unfortunately despite giving them enough chances, this last time did me in. The hostess is so rude and unprofessional. I walk by often and this particular girl is always eating something, chewing gum or is checking out her cell phone- so I didn't expect much actually approaching her to dine in. THE ONLY real reason to go here is to have a beer while sitting on the terrace - however It was a pretty hot day and they didn't have any tables in the shade. We were hot, and didn't feel like walking back up to bay st so we stayed. The problem was, it was HOT inside the restaurant.. like no air conditioner on hot. I asked the hostess if the ac was on before she walked us over to our table and she assured me 'it's not the best, but it's definitely on- i swear'... as sweat dripped off my forehead we followed her to our table. We had 2 kids with us, one of which was a baby in a stroller - she didn't inquire if I needed a high chair. When i kindly asked if one was available, she rolled her eyes... hesitated... and agreed to bring one over (hate kids much?) Our server was new, and was actually a very nice guy. I asked HIM what was up with the ac and he explained that they 'share' the ac with the ferry terminal and it is what it is. So lesson 1... don't go here in the summer if you can't sit in a shady spot outside! It was so hot ... i was looking forward to a cold beer asap - but every draught i asked for off the menu was not available. Ok, it happens... but i'm talking 4 beers that are listed on the menu were not available.... on a saturday afternoon... They also have frozen drinks - I know because they put a few these frozen drink 'models' on the bar.. they are bulldogs and they look so tacky sitting up on the bar, I just don't get it, and I wasn't feeling it. The food. It was embarrassing. We were with friends from out of town, they ordered salads with 'grilled' chicken. Ugh... it was chunks of what appeard to be frozen chicken - NOT GRILLED. Applebees makes a better salad. awful. I didn't eat this time, but other visits I have tried the crab cakes, not terrible... my husband likes the oysters however various experiences and observations during our previous visits have turned us off from venturing deeper into the food selection. It's just disappointing. I am from SI and I hate that this is the impression of the food that people get when they come off the ferry for a meal here. I guess I had high hopes and it just failed to deliver... I still hope they up their game and turn things around, and with everything else that is coming to the area, they might not have a choice. read more

Love to eat outdoors. We were seated promptly, order taken fairly quickly. They brought out our food, no utensils. 5 minutes later I flagged down a bus person who brought us silverware. Lobster roll had a small amount of what I am sure was fake krab salad with perhaps a touch of lobster. I think it was $22.00. Not creamy or delicious. Appetizer tray had good fried calamari (6 pieces) 4 fairly good commercial fried shrimp,4 undercooked mozzarella sticks, a few waffle fries, a couple of tiny egg rolls, and 3 dried out chicken wings of uncertain flavor. I think this was $26.00. Very poorly prepared simple items and grossly overpriced. Never saw our waiter after he took our order, until we asked for the check. This could be a great spot. It isn't. Poorly trained staff and management. While we were eating we were approached at our table by a drunk man, preaching about religion, asking to sit with us. Management let him wander table to table. We won't be back, ever. read more

This was the WORST restaurant experience I've had in a long time. The food was disgusting, it made me sick the rest of the evening. The waiters barely came over to our table, very rude. There's so much dust laying around. There was no air conditioning as well. The bathrooms were filthy. Very disappointed. read more

Took an hour to get a dozen oysters and a cup of shrimp. Ordered 3 dozen. Got the first 1 hr after we ordered they brought one dozen at a time. By the time we got the second we had already missed two ferries. Canceled the last one because it took so long. Manager was very unprofessional tried to give me excuses, but we watched the food come out. Only 4 orders came out the whole time we were there. Ended up paying for the whole bill they only took off the only the dozen we didn't get. Will never go back. Bartender was very apologetic and nice. The manager is the only reason I'll never go back. read more

Stopped here with my wife and kids after a round trip on the ferry. We were seated quickly, but things went downhill from there. The beer I ordered (16 oz per our server when we ordered it) was served warm in a 12 ounce water glass. A couple minutes later a DJ started blasting music out on the deck like we were in a club. Appetizer plates arrived dirty, and the women's restroom was a wreck. We asked the hostess if the music could be turned down, and the DJ did turn it down a lot, but proceeded to look angry the rest of the time we were there. I mentioned the beer to the manager, who explained the server was mistaken about the 16 oz size and that all their beers were 12 oz servings. After I mentioned the pint glasses on every other table around us, he offered to pour my beer into a pint glass for me. I explained I didn't care what kind of glass it was in, I ordered a 16 ounce beer. He gave me a patronizing look and assured me he would "take care of it". Well he did. Five minutes later I was drinking the same 12 ounces of warm beer out of a real pint glass! I wasn't pleased. Our dinners showed up shortly later, and I have to say my lobster ravioli was good. My wife liked her crab cake sandwich. My son's "medium well" burger was red enough inside that I didn't feel comfortable feeding him the whole thing. We'd been through enough and after the way my beer issue was "fixed", I just kept my mouth shut and fed him the edges that were cooked medium well. We left the bloody pink center on the plate, paid, and left. The pros: it was convenient, quick, and had great views of the city and Statue of Liberty. It would probably be a great place to do some heavy drinking, because you wouldn't mind any of the stuff I mentioned above and you could jump on the ferry without having to drive anywhere. read more

terrible. this is the 4th time i'm trying to go to this place. why does it say they close at 3am if i just called at 11:01pm and their telling that it's closed? i'm glad i didn't spend my money in this waste of space ass restaurant read more

River Dock Cafe - Seafood Near Me - Staten Island, New York