Service was excellent and fast. All social distancing and PPE requirements met expectations. Out door seating clean and sufficient. read more

River Dock Cafe - Jack Daniels Knockout...worth the $30. - Seafood Near Me - Staten Island, New York

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This place is not too well-known but it is absolutely amazing with good seafood, nice view and a relaxing setting. It's conveniently located right in the Staten Island ferry terminal featured both indoor and outdoor dining. My friend and I have stopped by here around Sept. for a quick lunch after the ferry ride. We both love it and we're so glad that there's such a hidden nice restaurant located in a ferry terminal. After we finished our food, we just felt like staying there a bit longer and get more drinks haha The server seated us outdoor and our table was facing the river. We ordered some sangria for drinks, calamari for appetizers, lobster raviloi and vodka penne with shrimp for entrees. Everything was delicious and appetizing. The calamari came with a little salad and a side of marinara sauce. I really like that pairing instead of overly crumby calamari with only sauce on the dish. For the lobster ravioli, I couldn't resist the honey chipotle cream sauce..so tasty and flavorful. I believe this dish came with 6 pieces of ravioli so it was a bit small. Even though the portion wasn't as filling as I thought but the taste was excellent. The penne with shrimp was a bit more filling but not as intriguing as the lobster ravioli. In terms of the cost, it wasn't as pricey as other seafood places in Manhattan. read more

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The grey basket wasn't what I expected fro. A seafood restaurant. It seemed to be frozen fish and shrimp. My friend got the lobster rolls and she was happy. I would give it another try but not the fry basket. Maybe the steamed seafood or the lobster. read more

River Dock Cafe - Lobster bisque with toasted cheesy bread - Seafood Near Me - Staten Island, New York

Kind and prompt service. Fresh food. Lovely outdoor area. I recommend stopping here for a bite. The cheesecake is amazing!

Hair on pickles, misnamed sandwiches, swarms of bees, never brought requested appetizer plates and the side eyes received from the food runner all push me towards never coming back here read more

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

Tried ... attempted to give this place another try to see if service has improved with management down to their staff since I came here a bit over a year ago, but NOPE!!! Was the place understandably busy? Yes, would the right management be able to handle this situation and pass along a structured, well organized service with its employees to avoid having a customer sit there with their menu for more than 14 minutes without offering even water? Of course! I've worked in a restaurant myself long long ago and I must say, management is what drives success of a business, My former manager would flip if a table would be waiting there for even 3 minutes after they looked at their menu and set it down ready to order. There is this mental queue a server/waiter must comply with in order to serve customers in a well structured manner and see who is finished, ready to order, or needs checking up on, but here it seems they forget you are even sitting there or don't realize you are ready to order, let alone, I saw a few people ready to pay without anyone even passing by to pick up the check. (one can simply walk out in this case) I was disappointed and realistically, as an ex-service worker, It infuriated me to have to walk out and tell the lady that no one even attended to me for water. Would I give it a chance in the future? Sure, but as someone who worked in the food industry in my late teens, I know successful management from bad management that does not stress its employees to be on the lookout for new customers and put them first while also keeping the existing customers in check. Overall, Terrible service if you are looking to have lunch and catch a boat on a timely manner, if you have time all day here, go for it, and expect heavy wait times for even a refill of water. (As seen on other customers) read more

This is my second time eating here and it's absolutely amazing. The owner is brilliant to build such a lovely restaurant by the ferry. This space was empty for years and I'm in awwe of the owner seeing this space and knowing it has something. The food was sooo good. I had the salmon salad and omg omg! The drinks are good, the food, and the vibe. What I love it's right by the water and you get the I'm out the state and voucher beach vibes. The fact that it's in the ferry terminal is so so genius. Why wouldn't people want excellent food while waiting for the ferry. Staten island doesn't haven't anything like this close to ferry. II love beautiful ambiance and bomb food and this has it all! The price was reasonable. I am all for the fake boujee lifestyle on the budget lol honestly this place is amazing. First, second, third, etc date! The owner has an eye because no one travels to Staten island, but this will be the single most reason people come to Staten Island. My waiter is Steve he was amazing. Ask for him! Absolutely attentive! read more

River Dock Cafe - Salmon salad, so tasty - Seafood Near Me - Staten Island, New York

Lobster roll bad. And server told me that they use real lobster. Kinda watery lobster roll. read more

River Dock Cafe - I don't know if this even from real lobster. - Seafood Near Me - Staten Island, New York

Really like the food and the view! I'm not giving it 5 stars because the service was really slow. Other than that everything was deli! read more

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

Went there one night last week can't remember what night but the service was pretty incredible Donna our server couldn't do enough or be more pleasant !! The food was great We had the Southwest pot that was amazing and Thai mussels !! Both were exceptional We'll be back Thanks Donna ! read more

I'm one of those people who likes to ride the SI Ferry with friends just for fun on a nice day, so we were all thrilled when this place opened up and gave us something to do once we got to the other side. As most people have mentioned, the view of the harbor, the beautiful green lady who lives in the harbor, and the skyline are excellent (especially if you sit outside). There's often live music and, in my experience, the cocktails and food have been perfectly fine. Service can be a little spotty but not a huge deal if you're not in a rush. I've also been here with friends with allergies, dietary restrictions, etc. and we've had no trouble when asking for substitutions. Overall, great for what it is -- just a casual eatery in a transit terminal. read more

Food is good but the service is terrible. Don't come here unless you want to wait a long time for your food. It's good but not worth the wait. read more

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

Great place! They have a great happy hour and now with the outlets there this is our go to spot. Great view of the city perfect place to bring people who are visiting read more

River Dock Cafe - Best lobster Mac and cheese - Seafood Near Me - Staten Island, New York

This review is actually ranked a 2.5; let me explain. I was already somewhat weary of this place due to previous reviews. I was very concerned about the food; however, I had to try it out for myself since it is conveniently located at the Staten Island, St. George Terminal. Also there is no doubt that this place has an awesome view of the lower Manhattan skyline. So my boyfriend and I decided to grab dinner here on a Friday evening. We arrived at approximately 4:30. We opted to sit outside. We waited about 15 minutes and no one even glanced at our table. It wasn't even that busy so in my opinion that is completely unacceptable. We were finally able to flag down a bus boy and informed him that no one even took our drink orders or brought us water yet. After that the hostess promptly came over and took our drink and food orders. She was friendly and apologetic; however, it was apparent to me that she lacked a confident knowledge of the menu. We ordered the crab cakes and calamari for appetizers. I ordered the fish and chips and my boyfriend ordered the lobster ravioli for his entree. The crab cakes were terrific! They definitely did a great job with those. Unfortunately, the calamari was a little too crispy for my taste. My boyfriend really enjoyed his ravioli. As far as the fish and chips, I would not recommend that dish to my worst enemy. It lacked the flavor I was hoping for and unpleasantly reminded me of dishwater. One HUGE saving grace for this place is the bar area. Once it started to get cold outside we moved inside to the bar. The bartender was pleasant, the drinks were reasonable, and they have Flagship beer on tap which I learned is a locally brewed beer. All in all, I'd definitely return for a few drinks at that bar but I'm not sure if I'd recommend the food overall. This place has to get a low rating simply due to the unacceptable service and inconsistent food. Also with the changes coming to St. George with the shops and Ferris wheel this place may quickly turn into a tourist trap; therefore, BEWARE! read more

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I should just give this place 2 stars but because they have happy hour i give them 3 stars. Any who, i ordered 2 appetizer assortments that included chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, calamari, waffle fries, spring rolls, and shrimp. For 1 they 4got the wings and everything was overly fried. The shrimp and mozzarella sticks were pure batter. I order 2 margarita drinks and they taste like juice. When we told the hostess she said "i'll bring you back 2 new drinks". A man that was probably the manager came and took the 2 glasses. You wont believe what he did, he brought back the 2 half cups back and just added liquor. How distasteful was that? The waitress left (Stephanie) and never came back to even asked how we were doing? I had to ask another waitress for Stephanie. I wont be coming back here ever...the food was nasty and the service match the food. read more

I went here for the first time, despite passing it by hundreds of times, this weekend. Caveat: I'm not much of a seafood person, so I only had a lime margarita. That said, the margarita was delicious, especially on a hot spring day. The waiter was attentive, despite being a new hire, and extremely accommodating. I enjoy the atmosphere, but they could lose the DJ. I understand they're trying to attract tourists, but I'm not sure spinning '90s R&B and pop songs we've heard a million times is that much of an allure. That said, I came away from the experience pleasantly surprised. Another caveat: I didn't eat anything at this restaurant, so you'll have to consult someone else for their verdict, re: food, but if you just want to have a few drinks, it's not too shabby. read more

Love this place!!! We had lunch here after riding the Staten Island ferry. There were seats both inside and outside, the inside had more of a bar feeling (I would have liked to try a lot of their drinks, they looked really good). We got a table outside, where we could enjoy the sun and the view. Our server came very quickly with cold water, and menus. That was perfect, it was really hot outside! I had the lobster roll, my mom the crab cake burger and my dad a regular burger. Of course had to try at least one drink, so I went for the Moscow mule - a personal favourite. The food was really well prepared and served quickly, the drinks was also very good and I liked the fact that it was served in a cup. Overall it was a good place for lunch, I would definitely come back another time mostly to try out the drinks and shots :-D read more

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First visit. Seated right away. Ordered 2 beers and still waiting. Service is slow and the place is not crowded at all. Probably THE WORST caprese salad appetizer I've had. Tomatoes have no flavor, mozzarella is bland and the olive oil lacks flavor. We added S&P to punch it up some. Sad. Got mozzarella sticks. My compliments to the person who ran the microwave. Managed to get the inside melty but still not hot enough. Don't come here expecting good food or fast service. Servers are slow. Food is not worthy of this beautiful location. 2 apps , 2 beers, 2 drinks = $55 read more

River Dock Cafe - Not recommended. End. - Seafood Near Me - Staten Island, New York

This place was definitely one where I was kicking myself for not checking the Yelp reviews first. The River Dock is located inside the ferry terminal on Staten Island and has a ton of potential as being one of the only waterfront bars in all of SI. We walked around the downtown area a bit and decided to go to River Dock since it was nice weather. The menu is pretty decent and includes lots of seafood along with a variety of drinks. The outdoor deck has a lot of seating, but the tables are awkwardly arranged and there was an absurd amount of trash on the deck when we were there. The real problem here was the service. It was so so bad. I can't remember the last time it was this bad. First of all, the hostess told us that if we just want drinks, to order them at the bar and then sit anywhere, but if we want food, to sit anywhere and we'll get waited on. How do the waiters know the difference between drinkers and eaters?? It took at least 15 minutes for the bartender to even acknowledge us. First she told us she'd be right back (she wasn't) and then she took our drink orders (which I thought was a good sign). Then she proceeded to make 3 other rounds of drinks before ours. I was so confused because she kept going back to the blender and we didn't order any frozen drinks... When the drinks did come out, one of them was made wrong. We asked for some extra ice to make it a little more drinkable, which took another 10 minutes. Seriously, it was like pulling teeth to get a drink. This place would be PACKED with people if they put even the smallest amount of effort into being a functional bar/restaurant. read more

Conveniently located steps away from the Staten Island ferry, River Dock Cafe delivers a reasonably priced meal with a relaxing ambiance. Our party of five was quickly seated, and the staff was very attentive. One of the best parts of this restaurant is the beautiful view of the New York skyline. The menu had a lot of variety, and even catered to seafood allergic individuals such as myself. While I did hear rave reviews of the crab cakes, calamari, fried shirmp, and lobster ravioli from the rest of my party, my hunger was satiated with the steak sandwich. It was well seasoned and complimented with a chipotle mayo sauce. The portions were big and the food was delicious. We ended the meal with a variety of desserts. Love the apple cobbler and the brownie- very decadent! We will definitely return! read more

River Dock Cafe - Steak sandwich with a side of mashed potatoes= comfort food - Seafood Near Me - Staten Island, New York

To get right to the point the best thing about this place is that they serve Staten Island Flagship beer and the view. The service is very slow, even behind be the bar. The food is OK. Not great. It's a good place to have a beer while you wait for someone at the ferry or to pregame for the SI Yankees. That's about it. EDIT #1 So I've visited river dock quite a few times after my last review. I often stop in to wait for my GF to exit the ferry. It seems the service is slowly improving. So kudos to the manager, he seems to be making an effort to improve his business. I've sat outside since they opened the patio. In fact I'm outside as I type this, pregaming for the SI Yankees season opener. The staff working the patio seems to be on point taking care of the tables around me. If I order food (doubt I will) I'll update this review again. EDIT #2. Got the fish & chips. They use North Atlantic cod (thank god for the cod)!!!. Serve it with cornmeal textured fries. All good. The only problem is when I asked for malt vinegar they looked at me like I was an alien. They didn't even know what it was. On the menu is says "traditional fish n chips" shouldn't that come with malt vinegar?? The waitress asked anther worker for it and her delivered without hesitation. All though it was an unopened bottled ( which is normally good but for this place I assume it was unopened because they're clueless). Anyway. I digress. Riverdock is slowly improving. The service is getting better and they mean well from the kitchen. But just a little work to be done...riverdock is coming along....I'll check back in soon... EDIT #3 stopped in after work for a quick beer. Waited 20 minutes for it. Never coming back. read more

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

Amazing SERVICE!!!! The food was incredible. My friends were greeted immediately and we were seated with an amazing view! The food was great. The servers were very attentive. The music was great. I had such an amazing time & I look forward to coming back very soon! read more

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Only 2 star: one for a well mannered waiter and the other for a good view. Otherwise where to start: - started off with lack luster cocktails - out of clams and other items that we wanted to order for appetizers -incorrect order brought to the table (salmon instead of steak) which was supposed to be a prime steak sandwich but looked and more had the consistency of cube steak - orders brought were lacking proper condiments and sides - no refills for tea only water Over the course of our meal the table behind us was missing the lobster in the lobster Mac n cheese and their lobster was cooked improperly Another table had the incorrect order brought to them all together. Only "sorry about that" was ever given to any patron, no offer of substitution or discount. Again the waiter was kind and a great view of Manhattan but otherwise save your money and go someplace else. read more

I had high hopes for this spot. The very first visit I had the mussels in Thai sauce and it was delicious along side the fried calamari. The view is great. So I decided to book a bday dinner for a large group. I was unable to attend but the remarks I got back along with the oh so bland left over food I was so so disappointed!! The prices were too high for such tasteless food! read more

Everything was incredible, from the food to the service to the view (especially at sunset...it was gorgeous!). Our waitress was wonderful and so attentive, and they were brilliant about socially distanced seating and safety. Definitely coming back for the calamari, the lobster ravioli, the chocolate brownie, and the cheesecake! read more

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

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I am a business improvement consultant and this place is totally the best restaurant in New York City if you want the following * Best view of Manhattan Skyline in NYC from Restaurant * Best price for a pitcher of beer * Outside seating Super Convenient as it is right off free ferry 24/7 in Staten Island to Lower Manhattan every half hour Great music and big screen TV's and awesome staff read more

My first time there and looking forward in going again. The place closed to being full during the late afternoon lunch. Lucky to find a parking space very close to the restaurant and will staff when I was there with the family. I had Mom's Sloppy Joe and great dish. read more

Great atmosphere. Good service. You would never think that a good restaurant would be by the Staten Island Ferry terminal. read more

River Dock Cafe - a group of people enjoying a meal - Seafood Near Me - Staten Island, New York

After taking the Staten Island Ferry, you see all these quick food places to eat such as Au Bon Pain, Subway - then you see the River Dock Cafe. They have outside tables, umbrellas and water views - ya, we'll eat here. Ordered a Brooklyn lager asked waitress for entree recommendation and she said they are famous for their stock pots. We ordered the Thai mussel stockpot and it did NOT disappoint. We were sopping up the juice with the bread they give you. A perfect beer, a perfect entree, a perfect weather day, that is why I am calling this place a 5 star. Next time we come back to NY, we are taking that ferry over again and eating lunch......or maybe dinner there as the ferry runs 24 hours a day. read more

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I went to eat to this restaurant today with my family. As we got there we could see that the hostess didn't have that willingness to help. We had to wait quite a while before we could get a table, and not because the place was full, but simply because she nor did anyone else seemed interested in accommodating us(mind you it was only three and the place was not even a bit full) first we order the drinks, I ordered a daiquiri which was ok(it was basically more of an icy than a cocktail) and my husband and dad ordered beer that were served with whiskey glasses instead of beer glasses. Also we asked for water and they brought the water in plastic cups. We ordered an appetizer, the assorted platter(?),that was good, and 3 entrées. The Arctic salmon was over cooked, the Classic Southwest pot was over seasoned and the fried shrimp basket was good but was mostly made up of French fries. The place is clean and the atmosphere is nice but to me it's pricey for such bad service and just ok food. The place would benefit from a better trained staff (mainly the hostesses). read more

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We are visiting with our kids, decided to take the S.I. Ferry and eat on the St. George side. We decided to hit this restaurant due to the closeness and timing of the trip back across. We were seated quickly, on the deck with a WONDERFUL view of the NYC skyline. Our waiter (Alex) was very nice, got us our drinks and took our order after about 10mins waiting. We only saw our waiter a few times, returning about 40 mins later, where I asked about our meal. He commented there was a problem with the kitchen and there were 2 more orders ahead of ours. After 45mins (now just after 3p), we asked for our check to pay for drinks. The Manager was kind enough to comp the whole ticket. I think I would try it again, maybe with a reservation or another day (not a Monday lunchtime). read more

Gorgeous Manhattan skyline views, yummy seafood and great service. What more could you ask for?

I gave this place another chance. Guess I didn't learn my lesson from the first go around. Bad mistake. The service was horrible and the floors were sticky. The food took a very long time to arrive and again it was luke warm at best. I didn't bother sending it back because they would just microwave it like they did the first time I visited this establishment. Save your money and eat somewhere else! I should have listened to my own advice! read more

Absolutely terrible experience. Our waiter was not attentive at all, they were out of nearly all beers listed on their menu, and the food was overpriced and awful. They also ran out of strawberries but neglected to tell us that before we ordered two drinks with strawberries blended in them. They brought us mango instead (without asking beforehand) and then made it seem like they were doing us a favor after removing the drinks from the bill/making new ones. Never received silverware or water/drink refills. Appetizer and drinks did not come until we specifically asked (which was a WAY long wait). I wouldn't suggest anyone go here unless you are in starvation mode, and even then, I would suggest walking elsewhere. We spent $125 here and literally everything on our bill was terrible. read more

Good for a quick drink when you miss the ferry! Just be sure to close your tab with enough time to catch the boat! read more

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

I love this place, it's located off the Ferry terminal and offers great views and decent food, albeit, a bit pricey for the portions that they give you. It's not a place that would make me forget all those great lobster houses in Maine but the food isn't too bad. Had lots of drinks here with friends over the years and will forever house good memories. read more

There is a reason why this place have 2.5 Service is not the best, I also been told by the waiter "we don't get enough money so we decided to add 18% tip to any table that looks tourist" I mentioned I'm not a tourist and I believe you should say somewhere that your going to add that % to the bill, especially that we are only 2 people at that table. Not going back and will share that experience with anyone I can, to make sure everyone know that River dock cafe - rip off his costumers. read more

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

They delivered the wrong food first. Bad food, dirt from the ice machine in the drink, and deceptive billing; they had recommended percentages for tipping, but I saw later that they had already added the tip to the bill, so their recommended tipping was for the total, including tax and tip; we double-tipped. I did not catch that until later. We all got diarrhea later. read more

Stopped in Saturday afternoon for a quick bite and drink. Worst service I've ever had. Unhappy staff. They make you feel uncomfortable.

Cannot wait to come back and I haven't even left yet. Sweet, serene, and everything in between . PERFECTION read more

River Dock Cafe - MANGO Miami Vice!? Hooking me BEAUTIFUL service, with an ever better view of our gorgeous NYC skyline - Seafood Near Me - Staten Island, New York