Outstanding food, service and ambiance. Honestly, best place to have breakfast in the area. Food is fresh, portions are perfect and the price is right! Service is outstanding from the moment you walk in and the wait staff treat you like family. Compliments to the owner, chef, kitchen staff, and everybody really! You all run a fantastic business. read more

Really good breakfast place we have the breakfast tacos and the vegetarian skillet both were really good and the mocha was done correctly read more

Riverside Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

See all

Great people (owner, staff & customers must all be on happy pills) & atmosphere make you feel tight at home. Kid friendly. Wheelchair accessable. Great coffee & great food. read more

Riverside Cafe - Awesome Honey Oatmilk Latte! Definately coming back for more. Super warm & welcoming staff & adorable decor as well. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

Second time and here and love it! The drinks are flavorful and priced just right (I still don't understand how some complain about prices with little to no consideration about inflation and will still pay steep prices with long waits for drinks at Starbux... but I digress)! We got the salted caramel latté and peach iced tea. Soo good! We had the avocado toast with chorizo & chihuahua cheese. Very good portion size and hash browns were cooked well. The Carnitas Tacos came out perfectly warm and tasty. The green salsa was really good too, not too spicy and you can tell it was fresh. The service was fast & friendly and the ambience is very welcoming and mellow. Definitely great café vibes to get away from day to day stress. Kudos to our server, Lydia, was very attentive and helpful. Shout out the people running this place - you're doing a GREAT job! Side note, loving the small business boom coming to Gurnee ... while the corporate retail era is sunsetting, we must be grateful for the small business owners that are thriving. read more

See all

What a disappointment. The Riverside Cafe is cute and clean, when I walked in I was excited and full of hope for a good breakfast. There were at least a dozen employees moving around so I thought service would be fast. Wrong... We waited about ten minutes before our server arrived, and this was when the restaurant was only about halfway full. Things just went downhill from there. The food wasn't very good, service was definitely lacking. I have no plans to return and wouldn't recommend. read more

Excellent service. Excellent food. The coffee is the best in lake county in my opinion! Weekends are busy so make a reservation if you have a large party. read more

Riverside Cafe - 16oz Vanilla Latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

We had lunch on a Monday. The service was good. The chicken tortilla soup contained a small amount of chicken, but lots of vegetables. The meat of the carnitas tacos was very flavorful, but the green sauce was not. In the breakfast combo, the pancakes were light and fluffy; the eggs over medium were cooked perfectly. $3 for a soft drink or iced tea seems a little high. The meals were $14 and $13. read more

Chill breakfast/lunch spot, with good options. Great to stop in if you're tired of chain restaurants. Serves good espresso drinks. read more

Riverside Cafe - Chicken and waffles - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

Every month my wife and I decide to go to a new restaurant and we frequently find ourselves loving a new brunch location! This one was delicious, a variety of options and amazing coffee selections! Since being back there I have stopped in to get a coffee to-go and have also gotten a pumpkin cranberry muffin! read more

See all

Before I wrote this review I looked at what others said, specifically the lower ratings to judge for myself. I want to be fair and take everything into consideration. I agree with other comments that the cafe is clean, spacious and friendly. The staff was younger but I loved to see high school and college students working to support themselves. Applaud the owner for giving them a chance. This was our first time eating at this breakfast cafe. The portion size was plentiful. I ordered breakfast combo eggs, bacon, hash brown and pancake. See pic below. The breakfast selection had good variety, American style breakfast option, chicken and waffles and southwest inspired selections. Something for everyone. Hubby liked that coffee came with your personal carafe for refills. Food took a little longer to receive because it was a busy Sunday but nothing unusual. Food was good and cafe latte was delish. Our server Emanuel was very pleasant, checked on us often. He did a great job. Overall I would recommend and be back again. read more

Riverside Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

This is a very clean and cute place for breakfast. I came with 2 friends to try it out. We came early so there was no wait but by the time we left they started to get busy. The menu is very limited but we were all able to decide what to get. I tried their special Benedict shredded beef on an English muffin with beans corn and pico. It was very tasty with a side of hash browns. My other friends ordered the basic eggs with bacon and French toast combo. They said it was pretty good. I wasn't impressed with the portions though. I added coffee and side of pancakes to my meal so I could try their pancakes. It was okay. The food and service was just okay. I don't mind paying for good food but I thought this place was overpriced. Three of us, one coffee, 2 combos and eggs Benny came out to $57. The stars are mostly for this place and the nice decor. Gurnee needs a nice place like this but more attentive service and better entrees needs to be addressed. read more

I rarely give 5 stars to a shopping center breakfast place, but I was really impressed with the excellent food and amazing service. Everything about this place says we want to please you. The avocado and tomato toast with feta was very tasty and the fruit side was definitely worth the up charge - fresh and ripe. My husband had crepes, eggs, sausage and hash browns - all cooked to perfection. Best of all was the freshly ground coffee and the extra mini pot for the table for refills. We were just passing through, but if I lived nearby, I would be a regular customer. read more

Sometimes the food service is slow, but they are usually busy. The food overall I would definitely recommended. And it has outdoor seating if you want some fresh air while you're eating. read more

Great food and service The restaurant is classy and cute very nice and ascetic yummy read more

Very small menu, can't even get an omelette. Coffee wasn't hot. Excellent bacon and great well done hash browns. No butter on the toast and it's served with jelly only. Cute place and friendly service. read more

Saw this place near where we live so we took our bikes there. Ambience was not busy at all and quiet. Someone came and gave us a table straight away. I asked for a booth and we were seated at a booth. I ordered a breakfast sandwich with has-browns and it filled me up. Had a nice time here and will come back again for sure read more

We just stopped by for a late brunch (at 12:15), however when we got there, we were told it was a 20 minute wait, although there were plenty of tables available. The hostess said she couldn't seat us yet because the waitstaff and kitchen had to catch up from their rush. Many tables hadn't been served yet, so we figured the kitchen was still backed up. We opted out and left. On a side note, we had a terrible Mother's Day experience. They ran out of menus and cups. It took an hour and 15 minutes after being seated to get our food. It's too bad because the food was still good, but the journey to get it was painful. Unsure if we will come back at this point. read more

Delicious and our waiter, Manny, made it happen, there were 7 of us, we were having our monthly luncheons for wives of Shriners/Masons, usually its just us ladies at our table. This time we just put our guys at one end of our table. It was perfect, Manny was the reason we all laughed, felt the love, and the 1st time it wasn't a chore.( Shhh ) Not only was he superb with his attention to everything and everyone, He made us feel like we made his day. Did I mention we're all seniors, He should open a training school. The Riverside Cafe, Gurnee, Illinois. Great food and great people. The chef covered how fantastic our food was. And Manny covered the front of house.Only thing i regret is we should have given him more of a tip.5 star read more

Outstanding food, good service. Happy to support a local restaurant like Riverside! Neat place! read more

What a grand entrance, spacious and breathable. Very nice clean restaurant. I stop for lunch and got an omelet, and a late. Very good and tasty. Filling as well. The hashbrowns where good too. Is worth it. Il stop by again if I'm in that area. read more

Riverside Cafe - Denver omelet - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

The food was good, we got seated within 5 mins and our waiter was very friendly. The atmosphere was pleasant. Over all it was a nice experience. read more

Staff is amazing & sweet, food taste AMAZING I had the Green chilaquiles with barbacoa 10/10 recommend . Especially If you are looking for authentic Mexican food !! Will definitely be returning read more

Stopped in for mid-morning breakfast today. Clean and cheery atmosphere. Friendly staff. Combo breakfast (scrambled eggs, maple sausage, hash browns, French toast) and meat lovers omelette were served piping hot and were very delicious. Will be back again to try out their lunch menu. read more

This is the second time in this place, but today was the worst. We got there nice lady sat us down. 10 minutes later I see her leaving, maybe her shift was over. She was very nice. But no one came to ask us what we wanted. So we decided to leave 10 mins later. While I am walking out, the nerve of one of the servers saying, thank you for coming in. Really!!! I was so mad. Never, ever I will go to this place. read more

Good is delicious and service is always friendly. But the hostess in the front desk is not friendly at all.

Nice little cafe with plenty of seating. They serve Colectivo coffee here and we had just the drip (Blue Heeler blend) and it was wonderful! My wife ordered the Farmstead skillet and I ordered the La Mexicana Skillet. We both thought the food was great and the pancakes were even quite good on their own. Our server was very nice and polite, but I think she was in training or new. She was not as attentive as we liked (checking to see if we were ready to order, refilling coffee, etc). Prices are pretty decent for the amount of food you recieve and the coffee is well worth it as well. read more

Riverside Cafe - La Mexicana Skillet and side of pancakes - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

My associates and I decided to stop in for brunch today. Oh ho! What a wonderful spot. We have been wanting to try new places to get coffee around town. We have been rather bored. We were so hungry. We were greeted right away when we came in. It took us a few moments to be ready to order as we were transfixed by the beautiful photographs on the walls. The people here were very friendly and patient and the service was rather quick--made to order & very fresh. The food was marvelous, exceeded expectations on every level, we ordered a southwest wrap and latte. We took it to go and ate outside and it got cold. it was still delightful. We shall return. read more

Delicious hidden gem tucked in a half empty strip mall. Friendly staff, spacious and modern interior. read more

Riverside Cafe - Honey Latte - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

The food and coffee are delicious! The only downside is just how busy they seem to get on the weekend so definitely plan ahead if you want to stop by on a weekend. read more

Food is always amazing and the staff are very welcoming and kind! Love their biscuits and gravy! read more

New cafe, opened in Sep 2019. Excellent service, food, & coffee bar. Reasonably priced, great atmosphere. Highly recommend this place. read more

I just wanted a hamburger. Not sure how big it was, no more than 1/3 #. It came with cheese and was quite greasy, bun and all. I asked for chips and got a very small pile of chips on the side of the burger that appeared to be from the bottom of a potato chips bag. Doesn't appear as tho they have soda fountain sodas. I asked for a Sprite and was served a can of the soda. The burger was also wayyy overpriced, $14.00 I believe. I won't be visiting Riverside Cafe again read more

Always super friendly with great breakfast and lunch choices. Highly recommend the breakfast burrito, breakfast tacos and pancakes. Lunches are great too, delicious soups read more

I'm speechless with how amazing this place is the vibes are amazing and everyone is super friendly me and my husband both got Nutella crepes and mocha latte white chocolate latte and a vanilla latte so delicious!! read more

Riverside Cafe - Vanilla white chocolate Mocha lattes - Coffee & Tea Near Me - Gurnee, Illinois

They are 0 for three in my experience. Today I ordered a Mexican Benedict. The description said it included Avocado spread which was my main reason for wanting it. It came without it. The waitress said it doesn't include it. I asked to see a menu but she never brought it. Went and got it myself and sure enough it is on the menu. But they explained it no longer includes it and they haven't updated the menu. Well, wouldn't you tell someone when they ordered it and not when they get it? Then there was no trying to make it right (other than bringing me a child side of it). The kicker is this happened with another menu item months ago also. And my first visit the vegetables in the omelet were raw. No sincere effort to make it right. read more

Quaint. Relaxing. Cozy. Homey. Perfect place to go for good food, good drinks and to bring everyone to. Sweet potato fries are the best everrrrr. Must order them! Yum read more

Although this place has great coffee . The food is a different story . Don't get me wrong , it was delicious. However , being the only place I ate at today . I currently have FOOD POISONING. When I was getting my coffee to go I did have to point out to one of the employees 2 of the croissants they have on the shelf were molding. I guess that was my sign UPDATE: I suspect my food poisoning came from my sit-down dining experience to be more CLEAR ! The cookie I purchased earlier hasn't been touched. I haven't been able to eat since my last meal here. read more

Cute place with great views of Six Flags. Service was attentive, although food delivery was a bit slow for the number of people.

me and my wife had a quick stop in this cafe. It had a very cool ambiance and relaxing vibe. the coffee and staffs are great too. My personal favorite is their hashbrown and will definitely come back. read more

I can't believe I just discovered this place! I just stopped in for a coffee but the environment was cozy, the food looked amazingggg, and I loved the coffee. Super friendly staff too. I'm kind of upset because I was doing so well not spending money on coffee and then I found this place...it might just ruin me. Can't wait to go back! read more