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    River Rat Restaurant

    3.8 (133 reviews)
    Closed 3:00 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated over 3 months ago

    River Rat Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    RIVER RAT RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - River Rat Restaurant

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    If you like creamy coleslaw, this is right up your alley.
    Rob P.

    River Rat Has been an institution in Harrison Township for decades, with good reason. Do you know what you're going to get when you come here. The drinks are large, reasonably priced, and strong. The food portions are substantial, and there are a number of solid offerings. The coleslaw is good if you like the creamy type. But, after my wife said she wanted fries with her meal, the waitress assumed I wanted the same thing. It's a $6 up charge for coleslaw and fries. It would've been nice if she would've asked, and told us how much it cost. Having said that, the fries are crispy and tasty. And, there are plenty of them to share. If you have two people getting sandwiches, you really only need one up charge. We decide to get a lemon rice soup, which was good. May 24 ounce beer was only $8, and it was a high quality beer (from Bell's). The Moscow Mule was good, too. The chicken sandwich was nicely grilled, but it was on just a plain bun. One stand out was the River Rat Dipper, a perfectly executed French dip. There's a massive amount of meat. The French roll with a hard crust is just right for taste and sturdiness: it stands up to all warm, the salty jus you want to dunk it in. Soak it up! Not surprisingly, prices are a bit higher than they were 2 years ago. The food I described cost us $80 before tip. It's a solid dining experience, and there's nothing wrong with that. But, at that price, I have to think about going to eat here again.

    Fettuccine Alfredo
    Rachel E.

    The name of the restaurant is very deceiving and uninviting to me, however, this is such an amazing restaurant and is ALWAYS busy. It's also very clean and the staff is exceptional anytime I've ever been here. This past visit I got the fettuccine Alfredo and we split the appetizer calamari. The fettuccine Alfredo was seriously so creamy and the portion was huge - I had left overs for days. The calamari *chefs kiss* is literally amazing, it's in this cream sauce that is literally to die for. Other people in our group got: crab cakes, pizza, ribeye and ribs and everyone was so satisfied and impressed with the food! Way to go, River Rat!

    Chicken parm
    Stephen I.

    Overall the presentation was good. I felt that the chicken parm should've had panko bread crumbs. The spaghetti needs work. The sauce over all tasty it needs a tad bit of spice not for flavor maybe some heat to make people wanna have a better over all experience instead of the same old version of chicken parm. Overall if an alphabetical grade I'd give it a b-.

    Pub Meatloaf with mushroom gravy and crispy onions. So good!!
    Mark H.

    What's not to like about the River Rat? Great location, outdoor seating, large bar, nice atmosphere and great food! Seafood is a mainstay here but they also have a large selection of other options. The portions are large for the cost and the quality is on point. Staff is friendly and helpful and very welcoming. We enjoyed the French onion soup (which is one of the best in the area), Fish and Chips, and the Pub Meatloaf.l and everything was awesome. Can't wait to return!

    Burger
    Ashley S.

    Food was excellent. First time visiting this restaurant, been living near here over 4 years . My boyfriend got the fish n chips and I got the burger. Reason I gave it a 4 is, service we waited a awhile to take our order . I wound definitely return. Place was packed when we went .

    Fish and Chips. Look at the size of the fish!

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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Food and service were excellent. They were able to accommodate our large group with no issues

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    3 years ago

    Great Maurice salad! Casual, family friendly. Not the friendliest staff but they do their job.

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    3 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Drinks are reasonably priced and the Chicken Cesar salad was wonderful. Good job triple R.

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    3 years ago

    Good service. Good food. Fair prices. We live in the area and their Monday night pizza deal is a great deal. Also great fish.

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    10 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Wonderful food and service, we had not had a bad meal here! Highly recommended! Hidden gem for sure! They know what they are doing!

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    4 years ago

    Very good place to eat. We have been there 5 times now .. We will be back soon... Food is very good Service is great One of my new favs

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    9 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Absolutely best bacon cheeseburger I have had anywhere in my life! Ordered shrimp scampi for my kids to split and it was also amazing!

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    6 years ago

    Great fried chicken and sides. The cheese bread will have you coming back!! Overall outstanding great restaurant

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    Page 2 of 4

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    Terry's Terrace - Terry's Terrace Voted Best Seafood 2015 and 2016

    Terry's Terrace

    3.1(560 reviews)
    2.2 mi
    $$

    This seems like exactly my kind of place. It has that neighborhood dive-bar feel, but it's a little…read morenicer and has a cool, welcoming atmosphere. It feels like the kind of place that has something for everybody--drinks, food, darts, a little arcade area, and that friendly local-bar vibe where you could easily hang out for a few hours. I only stopped in on a Tuesday to use the ATM, so I haven't had a chance to try the food or drinks yet, but just based on the atmosphere, I'm actually excited to come back and give the place a proper visit. My only complaint was the smell. There was definitely an odd sewage/urine-type smell in parts of the place, and after seeing other reviews mention it, I understand what people are talking about. It wasn't enough to make me dislike the place, but it was noticeable. Without that issue, just based on my first impression, I probably would have given it five stars instead of four. Overall, really cool neighborhood-bar atmosphere and definitely a place I want to come back to. I'll update my review once I've actually had the food and drinks.

    8 of us had dinner for my brother birthday. (He's potato picture)…read moreMention it to the waitress that it was He's birthday. My nephew and his wife and their to kids. Never been here. We were saying how good the fish & chips were last month. So he wanted to try them. We order: 4-Fish and chips dinners, 2- Lake perch dinners 1- Lobster and shrimp pasta penne 1 -3 Cheese penne. Half and hour to forty-five minutes later. Ask the waitress about our food. She came back with the food. (I think she forgot about us) 3 fish and chips were Cold. And the sick looking potato, that looks like someone ate it and spit it out. My nephew said first time,and last. And we all agree!!!

    Photos
    Terry's Terrace - Award Winning Fish & Chips

    Award Winning Fish & Chips

    Terry's Terrace - Chef TJ with Jay Towers

    Chef TJ with Jay Towers

    Terry's Terrace - Award Winning Poutine

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    Award Winning Poutine

    Bumpers Landing - Salmon dinner

    Bumpers Landing

    2.6(167 reviews)
    1.3 mi
    $$

    Great location and vibe on the Clinton River in a boater's party paradise. Well designed interior,…read moreexterior, and outdoor patio. Good live music too. Decent bar with mediocre service. Don't get excited over the food, it's just okay. The round pizza was no big deal, chicken fingers straight from the food service freezer truck, the ground beef nachos sucked. Diverse crowd, full of rich boaters, poor boaters, the hip, the nerdy, blue-collar conservatives, and liberal women sporting bad tattoos and inflated sense of self-importance.

    UPDATE after multiple visits:…read more Now that I live nearby and have been to Bumpers Landing multiple times, my original impression has definitely changed. At best, this place is mediocre--and that's frustrating because the property itself has unlimited potential. The waterfront atmosphere during the summer is easily the best thing Bumpers has going for it. When the outdoor areas are open, it's a great setting. Take that away during the colder months, though, and it starts feeling like just another neighborhood hole-in-the-wall bar. The food is decent but nothing memorable, and the service has consistently been mediocre. A lot of the staff seem like they've been there forever and are simply going through the motions. There's very little energy or hospitality that makes you excited to come back. The culture also seems to revolve heavily around the owner, Paul. There are references to him throughout the bar, including a custom neon sign joking that knowing Paul won't get you a discount. I've also personally watched him enter the restaurant with what felt to me like a "local celebrity" presence. Maybe some regulars enjoy that, but to me it comes across as more ego-driven than guest-driven. I've also noticed political messaging displayed within the business. Regardless of whether I personally agree or disagree with those views, I don't understand the business decision. A restaurant should be somewhere everyone feels welcome. Why potentially alienate paying customers over politics? From an operational standpoint, the biggest issue I see is culture. During my most recent visit, one of the apparent leaders was running around helping serve food and handling whatever needed to be done, which I respect, but the overall staff still had very little energy. It feels like a bar that happens to serve food rather than a restaurant/bar actively trying to create a memorable experience. That's the disappointing part: the location itself could be incredible. Bring in fresh leadership, reinvigorate the staff, improve the food and service, create some actual culture and energy, and take full advantage of that waterfront property. This could easily be one of the best neighborhood bars in the area. Right now, though, I wouldn't recommend it. There are other waterfront options competing for the same customers, and a great location alone isn't enough. Bumpers has all the ingredients to be something special--it just needs an operation that lives up to the property.

    Photos
    Bumpers Landing - This is how busy it was!

    This is how busy it was!

    Bumpers Landing - Rib

    Rib

    Bumpers Landing

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    Gino's Surf - Caesar Salad

    Gino's Surf

    2.9(136 reviews)
    1.7 mi
    $$

    I often eat out on the weekends and seek out new eating adventures…read more I saw a new restaurant opening not far from my house The views were nice and the drinks and service that opening night was great but the restaurant food service was lacking waited what was 90 minutes for food i swore i would never be back Well as the weather warmed up i thought i would give it another try So happy i did !!! As soon as i was seatedthe band started (forgot their name) But they were good My server was quick with the drinks and shortly my meal arrived the salmon was absolutely delicious The server made evening perfect she new the menu and drink Send her my thanks, it was either a Cyndy or a Sidney Bottom line its a great place for dining snd dancing

    The Food and Service are Always good at Ginos Surf. My 1…read morebeef is with the Patrons. STOP COMPLAINING ABOUT THE BEES! Bees Live outside, if You are outside there Will probably be bees. Don't like it, Stay Indoors. It takes All I have Not to Laugh at you idiots changing tables, running around waving napkins. Stay Home !!!! Also, If the hostess leads you to a table, sit down. They seat in an order to get you waited on by the Next server due for a table, otherwise 1 server would be seated with multiple tables at once and the patron would have to Wait to get attention, and we Know how that will turn out..."can I get a server!!" I Was a server until I couldn't Take Anymore of peoples complaining. Restaurant Staff are there, Working, to make Your outing enjoyable. They are Not there for your amusement or sounding boards. Leave the Attitudes At Home or in the office !

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    Gino's Surf
    Gino's Surf
    Gino's Surf - Patio view

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    Patio view

    River Rat Restaurant - tradamerican - Updated September 2026

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