Riverfront does not mean 'on the river' as we assumed from the name. Food was meh. Ambience was meh. We had way too much time in Augusta/Hallowell so this place landed on our radar only after searching a bit and it was forgettable. read more

I'll start with the positives. Service was great. She was by herself and did a great job. It was a quiet night with only a handful of customers, but she was on it. The place was clean and nice. And the foods flavor was good. Now, the bad. While the flavor of the food was good, the food itself wasn't. Everything was extremely dry. We got the hush puppies to start and the sampler to try a little of everything. It was like a desert it was so dry. The hush puppies, chicken, ribs, brisket (which was more like pulled pork because they shred it for some reason) corn bread, and somehow both the coleslaw and baked beans, too. The only way this happens is if they make things earlier in the day and then everything just sits. Meaning it's not freshly made. As I mentioned, it was not very busy, so I'm assuming they make their food in advance and let it sit in pans over heat all day. Which is not what you do with BBQ. It's quite disappointing because the flavor is there. The spices they use were a southern flavor, which is good; but it's so dry, you'll be reenacting the scene from Christmas Vacation just to eat your food. They should consider either limiting their hours they are open to help not have food sitting around to dry out or reconsidering how the make their food. Dry BBQ is the worst, hopefully they'll make the appropriate changes. read more

We had a great meal at Riverfront. I grew up near Memphis and thought these ribs were on par with Rendezvous. The coleslaw was on point as were the beans and cornbread. We also had a chat with the owner who came by to see how meal was. What a great guy! Give these folks a try. read more

Well this is mine 5th time eating there and although the other times I've been here it was really good but last night not so much. Had my family with me and we all ordered something different, and something was off. Unfortunately I didnt find how off it was until I got home and ran for the bathroom, and the rest of the family followed suit. Needless to say we won't be going back there. read more

Ordered pulled pork, brisket, Mac and cheese, cornbread, and coleslaw for a birthday party. Food was absolutely delicious. The manager was amazing. Helping with calls on his day off and suggestions of what pairs best. Highly recommend! read more

Food was not that great. The jerk chicken not as hot as adverised. Chicken tasted microwaved. The garlic penne was under salted and had crunchy garlic chunks and was really over priced read more

I eat here a lot! Working in close vicinity to Riverfront BBQ, I have had just about everything on their menu. From the jerk chicken sandwich to the veggie risotto, and buffalo wings. Riverfront delivers tasty, fresh, consistent BBQ which is a refreshing change of pace considering this is New England and it's downtown in Maine's Capitol City. Food quality and consistency is top-notch. Portions are generous and their house-made BBQ sauce is not to be missed. Tangy, sweet, spicy it's the perfect addition to literally anything on their menu, and I'm even counting the key lime pie! On my latest visit I had a familiar fave of mine the veggie risotto (of course you can add meat too) but I went straight up veg. It did not disappoint. Brimming with pepper, zucchini, summer squash, mushroom the veggie risotto was a creamy, perfectly spiced blend of rice, cheese, veggi-love and magic. It paired perfectly with the house chardonnay. (I had leftovers for 3 days it was that good). For the meat-lovers they have EVERYTHING you expect a BBQ joint to offer. Sausage, pulled-pork, smoked chicken, shrimp, ribs, burnt ends the list goes on. Riverfront also offers a fun variety of daily specials, check out the Special board on your way in because you never know what you'll find. From tacos, to chili, the daily specials are always a fun way to add variety to a menu that has stood the test of time. For the spicy lovers, I recommend the jerk chicken sandwich! Comes on a bun or jalapeno cornbread...OMG... Don't be surprised if you see meeting/working lunches happening during the noontime hours. Located in Maine's Capitol, Riverfront is often host to Government Officials looking for a place to sit down to a good meal and also get business done! With the quiet atmosphere, intimate setting, and the blues softly playing in the background, one is transported back to New Orleans. I should also mention the nice selection of beer, wine, and just about any other spirit you need to wash down some good home cooking. The restaurant itself is located in an old block of downtown buildings that was once the bus station for the old Greyhound line. Though you'd never know it; given the high painted tin ceilings, cool art, swarthy music, and the smell of BBQ washes over you like a dream the minute you enter. Downtown Augusta has become a meca for foodies. There's plenty of free parking on the street and the adjacent parking lot. There's beautiful views of the Kennebec River (I encourage you to venture down the stairs across the street from the restaurant and enjoy the waterfront park with walking trail access and gorgeous views of "the big green bridge" and you might see a Sturgeon or two leaping from the water!!) In the summer the streets are a bloom with flowers and trees, the City takes great care of it's gem of a downtown. So, if you're ever in the Capitol and in the mood for brisket with jalapeno cornbread, slaw and beans Riverfront will not disappoint! read more

Riverfront Barbeque & Grille - Veggie risotto - Barbeque Near Me - Augusta, Maine

The atmosphere, food, and cleanliness was spot on. This place was a great place to have dinner and definitely return. Not sure of our waitresses name, saw Savannah on our receipt but she was very helpful with my choice of what to try. After she recommended the Maine crab cake I told her I was from Maryland and she said that she still recommended it and I was satisfied with the flavors. read more

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The restaurant is quaint and the service was great. The food was excellent!! I got the two meat combo, pulled pork and brisket, coleslaw and upgraded to Mac and cheese and I am glad I did. They had a wall full of hot sauce but the server recommended their hot sauce. This made the meal for me!!! Everything tasted so good but then add the hot sauce and it put into food heaven. I highly recommend this BBQ restaurant!! read more

Service is excellent. Food is over the top. Got the pulled pork served ON corn bread. Beans have jalapeños. So does the corn bread. But it's slight. Just enough for a kick. So good. Sweet potato fries have Cajun seasoning- and the cinnamon does the trick. The beer choices are excellent (had the Boothby Thirsty Botanist) and the music is growling blues. Just the way a BbQ joint should be. Come. Nestle in and enjoy southern BbQ right here in Maine. Outstanding. read more

Good little spot! We had good service, they have a good kids menu, and the food was great!

Stopped in for lunch while passing through ME. Great menu. I had the buffalo cauliflower, and the pulled pork sandwich with sweet potato fries. The Cole slaw was very good, great balance of veg to mayo. Our server , John, was very attentive. I wish we could have tried several of the beers on tap. read more

Riverfront Barbeque & Grille - Buffalo cauliflower - Barbeque Near Me - Augusta, Maine

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First, we ordered hush puppies, which were disturbingly dark in color and came on a bed of limp, anemic lettuce. We ordered ribs, brisket, and the sausage mac and cheese. The meat was okay, but nothing special. It seemed as if the ribs had not been seasoned or dry rubbed before they were smoked. The brisket was good, but needed a lot of sauce. The sausage was clearly store bought. The worst offender was the mac and cheese. Three of us at our table ordered mac and cheese, and each was awful in its own unique way. They all were, without a doubt, some form of watered down boxed mac and cheese. One had a disturbing mustard flavor, the second tasted like nothing at all, and the third had the signature plasticky nothingness of kraft. In short, our food was under-seasoned and the quality was lower than what you could expect from even a half competent home cook. Save the money, eat at home instead. read more

The napkins smelled great and the chocolate milk was good.i liked the cups very impressed. read more

Riverfront Barbeque & Grille - Barbeque Near Me - Augusta, Maine

BBQ in downtown Augusta. Couple that owns are very nice. Pulled pork and brisket were good.

Service was great and attentive. Quiet after lunch got busy as usual after we arrived. Asked about the pickled onion rings: marinated in pickle juice then deep fried. Light and tasteful much better than standard fried pickles! Then we went on to sandwiches. I had Thursday special BBQ chicken on jalapeño corn bread. Again great! Other half had teriyaki steak sub -review same. Finished both then on to dessert... I had key lime pie. Missing it since we've come back from Florida. Was spot on. Other half had peanut butter and jelly cheesecake. Finished but wouldn't order again. PB was ok but the jelly (we) could taste wasn't a winner. We will be back!! read more

Us Augusta natives know where to go when we want jambalaya, ribs, seafood . They got it all here. It is made from quality ingredients so yeah maybe it's pricey but I have never had bad service or food. Run don't walk... read more

Coming from the south to eat clams and lobster for a few weeks. Found this place and stopped in. Great smells. Wicked great brisket. Try the onion rings. read more

We stopped by this restaurant on the way home from Acadia. Very nice atmosphere. The food was delicious. Service was great and attentive. Would definitely return if we visit Maine again. I left my purse with my car key in the restaurant. The owner Patrick mailed it back to me on time for free after thoroughly checking and verifying that was indeed my purpose. Very responsible and considerate. read more

The poutine app was delicious. My husband is not crazy about bar b q, but loved the pulled chicken meal. The coleslaw was excellent and made all the difference for the ribs - which were too salty (though cooked perfectly) until eaten with the coleslaw. The mac n cheese was too al dente for me and had soaked up the cream sauce. I would go back just for the coleslaw! read more

Riverfront Barbeque & Grille - Poutine was delicious! - Barbeque Near Me - Augusta, Maine

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Nice atmosphere. Food quality and taste are a different story. 1/2 BBQ chicken smoked was very dry and overcooked. Smoked chicken is expected to be a little pink as long as it is cooked to the correct internal temperature. This chicken was dry and white. Was told by waiter that they were hand cut fries. Just because the fries have potato skins on the edge doesn't make it hand cut. These had the texture of frozen fries. Pulled pork had a strong "porky" flavor. On the plus side the chopped brisket was moist and had a decent flavor. Wouldn't recommend unless there were no other options. read more

Very nice little Memphis style bbq place. Not like your local everyday same bbq joint that moat places do. It was a fun date night with the hubby. Omg the cornbread was amazing. Woukd go back again anytime. read more

Riverfront Barbeque & Grille - Hush puppy's - Barbeque Near Me - Augusta, Maine

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Great place for a meal and a beer! Kathryn and I had a late lunch. It was hard to pass up the Memphis BarBQ, but we both decided to have the pan fried haddock. We were happy we did! Kathryn had the regular and I had it blackened. Both pieces of fish were moist and delicious. The blackened had heat but spices did not take away from the flavor of the fish it enhanced it. The cole slaw was fresh and delicious. Fries were satisfactory but the next time I'll upgrade to sweet potato fries. The beer selection was good too. I went for an Allagash. Our server Bridget was friendly and efficient. read more

Hubby & I went 7/15/22 as a belated birthday dinner. He ordered a keto friendly smoked chicken Caesar salad, which he said was very yummy. No keto for me, altho I did end up skipping the bun on my Jamaican Jerk sandwich, because I had a mountain of Pickled Onion Rings to consume! Let's talk pickled onion rings. They are AH-MAY-ZING. I would come here JUST for those! The tarter sauce is the perfect dip! They are thin, lightly battered & crispy- and the pickle flavor on them is delightful!! (I love dill pickles, and often order fried pickles as an app elsewhere) Pickled Onion Rings are BRILLIANT & deliciously executed!! You get a generous mountain of them too!! I *almost* finished them on my own... only a handful came home in a container. The Jamaican Jerk sandwich is advertised as "HOT" even for people who like HOT. Yea... no. I mean if you are a spice wussy who thinks traditional Buffalo wings are hot, then yes... this will be too hot for you. But I am no chili-head, and this barely made my nose run after eating the entire jerk meat straight w/no bun (bread is a major spice relief/pretty much eliminates the burn on non-insanely hot things like this sandwich, so if you find Buffalo wings spicy, you could probably still enjoy this sandwich if you ate it with the bun as intended. I skipped the bun as I was eating copious amounts of pickled onion rings - all in balance haha!) So while some would find it too hot... if you remotely enjoy the average spicy "hot" foods, this is most certainly not that hot. On a scale of 1-10, from someone who enjoys normal people spicy foods, non-chili-head... I would give it a solid 2 if eaten w/out the bun. I chose the pulled pork vs pulled chicken, in their Jamaican Jerk sauce. It was very tasty! I had the mixed veggies on the side which were great w/some of their sweet BBQ sauce from the squeeze bottle on the table. Waitress was wonderful, the place was nearly full at 5:15pm on a Friday & the service was very timely, received food quickly. A+ Will be coming back! read more

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Great barbecue. Love the risotto. Friendly service. We return often. Definitely recommend trying if you are in the area.

A Shining Light in a Changing World. I Called for "Take-Out" on a busy weekend and got disconnected, so I called back (it took a bit), when I got through a Gentleman answered and was quite sympathetic that I had the difficulty. Anyway, he took my order. When I showed up a few minutes later he was waiting for me. When he heard the name I gave, he insisted on buying me a cold beverage while I wait. He then began to apologize for the inconvenience again, even though I said "these things do happen". While there he introduced me to another patron and seemed to know quite a bit about him even though he was from Canada and they had only just met. We spoke for a bit, it wasn't rushed, the place was clean and comfortable and the food was AMAZING (when I got home of course). Take the time, bring your appetite and enjoy one of the few establishments that are genuinely making a difference in todays world. read more

This is a super nice clean and quaint restaurant in the old downtown section, With a really nice Cajun vibe atmosphere. We ordered the black bean and sausage chili and pig and pepper soup as starters and for an entrée we ordered the seafood jambalaya. The food was quickly delivered. The chili and the soup or very delicious, without being overly spicy. Very good for a nice cool evening that it was. The seafood jambalaya was very delicious and came with a side of coleslaw that was also very delicious. Both the soup and the entrée come with their jalapeño cornbread. The cornbread was more sweet than spicy almost to the point where you don't really taste the jalapeño. It also comes with your choice of butter or honey butter we chose the honey butter which complemented the bread very well. Overall this place was very good the other meals I saw being delivered also looked very delicious. Our waitress was very friendly and very knowledgeable about the food and helped us navigate through the menu. I know when you come to Maine, peoples first sight isn't about barbecue, but this place is well worth the stop if you happen to be getting tired of seafood everywhere else you go. as I do come to this area 2 to 3 times a year, I do plan to come back and try some of the other meals from their menu. read more

Was very impressed with the bbq and the fresh squeezed cocktails. Will 100% be back! Very pleased from all aspects glad I came! read more

Riverfront Barbeque & Grille - Very impressed with the bbq here and that's coming from someone who was in the south the last 9 years! - Barbeque Near Me - Augusta, Maine

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The only issue with this place was that the serving size wasn't bottomless...this place knocks it out of the park. The best jambalaya I've ever had. Perfect amount of spice/heat, great flavor. Never usually a fan of Cole slaw, this stuff I could eat by the gallon. The pickles on top of the Cole slaw, simple but a nice addition. Cornbread was out of this world. Highly recommend. Phenomenal. read more

Riverfront Barbeque & Grille - Jambalaya, cole slaw, cornbread Background is brisket on cornbread with sweet potato fries - Barbeque Near Me - Augusta, Maine

Definitely worth trying if around the area. Staff was very friendly and attentive. We ordered the Garlic Penne which was very good. Strong garlic flavor. Pasta was cooked well. Also ordered the pick 2 bbq platter. I chose the pulled pork which was tender and the beef brisket which was very good. Both had smokiness to their flavor as well. The sweeter of the two sauces was the winner for me. The meats were atop a slice of their cornbread. That cornbread was tasty. Didn't leave that grittiness on my teeth. The mac n cheese was just that. Smaller elbow with cheddar cheese sauce. My other side was the pickled string onion rings. These things were so good. Simple but flavorful with pickling process that was used. read more

Riverfront Barbeque & Grille - Pickled onion rings, Pulled pork, Beef brisket, Mac n cheese - Barbeque Near Me - Augusta, Maine

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I'm gonna start by saying, great service! I'm up in Maine every 3 months and I wanted to try something new and it was worth it! I got the seafood Jambalaya and it was really good, I'd definitely come back and try something else. Very nice atmosphere and very laid back. read more

Riverfront Barbeque & Grille - Seafood Jambalaya - Barbeque Near Me - Augusta, Maine

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Walked into this after a twenty four hours of sleep deprivation - red eye flight followed by a day long drive . The food completely cheered us up. The cornbread was perfectly warm and fluffy. The chicken jambalaya was the bomb ! And the short ribs were juicy and flavorful. Not one thing was mediocre ..am so glad we randomly decided to go here! read more

So fun and great food! We just happened by on our trek from Maine to Boston. What a gem!

The first place I found that know how to BBQ ribs outside of Kansas City. Not a fan of the beans though. I don't think it's because they'd bad, I have a particular way I like my BBQ beans. read more

Late review -- I was here on Friday night, June 17th w/ my Father-In-Law. It's been 3 years since the my last visit to the Riverfront BBQ & Grille. Since then, I had moved down to Tennessee and back up to Connecticut, and my experiences with BBQ have widen considerably (see my list, the Northern Alabama Bar-B-Q Trail). My Father-In-Law ordered a full slab of ribs (quite a bit of meat there), I went with 2 meat combo plate -- pulled pork and sausage (instead of chicken or brisket, our server said there would be an "up charge" for the sausage, but I didn't see one on the bill later). My Father-In-Law loved his ribs, thought they were better than his usual place he gets ribs at back down in Jersey. i had to help him out with his meal, I thought the ribs were decent, maybe a tad salty tasting (but I'm not sure if he had added some salt to them). My meal was alright, the pulled pork was moist, but I didn't really detect much flavor. Sausage was tasty, I liked it. Cornbread was not quite as good as I remembered it. Overall, it was still decent Q, but in comparison to places in the Deep South, Riverfront BBQ & Grille is not in their league (for the most part). It's still a good option if you're in Augusta, but if you have had BBQ experiences in the South, it will fall short, so temper your expectations appropriately. read more

Riverfront Barbeque & Grille - Full slab of ribs, at Riverfront BBQ & Grille in Augusta, ME. - Barbeque Near Me - Augusta, Maine

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Food was good. Drinks were good. I had veggie risotto, it was thick and cheesy. My husband had Ribs and chicken. The ribs were nice and tender, they had good flavor. The cornbread was tasty and moist. My sangria was delish! It tasted homemade. read more

Riverfront Barbeque & Grille - Vegetable risotto - Barbeque Near Me - Augusta, Maine

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I was passing through Augusta with friends and needed a place to grab a bite, as our top choice was closed in observance of Memorial Day. This place was near by and I do love BBQ - especially brisket. When we arrived, we were the only customers, but the place filled in fairly quickly as it was nearing noon. Our server was friendly and efficient. My friends and I were starving, so in addition to our meals, we split and appetizer. This was by far my favorite thing I had there! We had the onion rings. But, these weren't just any onion rings - they were pickled onion rings! Pickled! Perfect thin sliced onions, very lightly breaded and fried. But, with a distinct dill pickle flavor. I want these again! Now, right now, actually! For my meal, I ordered the brisket platter with corn bread, coleslaw and fries. And, while it was all good and tasty, the brisket was average for me. The portions were good sized and if definitely like to go back and try more. read more

Riverfront Barbeque & Grille - Pickled onion rings! OMG! - Barbeque Near Me - Augusta, Maine

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Great experience! From sitting down in one of their booths by the window to filling out this review while sipping on our drinks after an excellent meal, ever aspect was made better with just the right amount of attention from our waitress, Kylie! My husband had their steak special & I had the veggie risotto with pan fried haddock. read more

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Pretty good bbq joint in the middle of downtown - we came during the 'lunch rush' but due to COVID the place was dead so we got seated right away. The chili warmed us right up after a brisk morning walk and the bbq platter for two was the perfect amount of food for lunch but keeping us both full for hours. The best part of the meal was the jalapeno corn bread - do not leave without trying it! read more

Stopped in here one afternoon when we came into town to drop off a friend at the bus station while on vacation. It's got a great location, but sad to say this 'waterfront' is lacking a energetic scene. I was happy to see this place was trying to 'improve' the area. The building was clean and open. We sat at one of the booths by the street front window. Our waitress was very friendly and shared a few laughs with us as we people watched. They had a nice beer selection, so we had a few rounds. For lunch we had the Riverfront's Veggie Risotto, Burro Vegetale, and Crab & Slab. I food was pretty decent. The risotto was really creamy and rich, but a little too much cheese and needed more veggies. The burro was really nice. I think I liked it more than the risotto. I tried my friends crab cake and found it to be appetizing as well, but the corn bread alone sold me on this place. Just like my grandma used to make! I have to give it a 4 star, just because of where it is. I'm glad to see them working to maintain a level of class in what they are doing. But don't compare that 4 to a city full of amazing restaurants. Don't expect amazing things, but just good ole food & service. read more

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