The food is great, and the setting on the St. Marks River can't be beat. Friendly service. And although mask-wearing during the pandemic doesn't seem to be consistent, the whole place is pretty open air. read more

My wife and I wanted to try a restaurant that I haven't been to before and this was recommended to us. We were greeted by multiple employees when we entered the restaurant. We chose to eat in the outdoor area. The outdoor dining area had a tiki hut aesthetic and was a nice place to hang out. Our waiter, I think his name was Robert, was extremely welcoming and timely. I chose a sweet tea and my wife got the Mermaid Water from the bar. Both of which were great! Robert returned to get our orders. I ordered the blackened bay scallop dinner with cheese grits and my wife got the fried shrimp basket. We also ordered the fried pickle spears appetizer. Robert literally ran to the kitchen to give them our order. Anytime we asked Robert for something, he ran every single time. Great hustle, Robert! In less than 15 minutes, we had our appetizers and food. The food was very filling and delicious! Robert continues to check on us and refilled our drinks and brought extra condiments, running of course. It was an overall great experience with an awesome atmosphere and excellent service. Props to Robert! read more

Very nice place to have lunch right on the river. We had a fish basket, shrimp basket, and shrimp po'boy and everything was cooked perfectly. Would definitely go back In the future. read more

Decent selection of beers. Salads with blackened shrimp and grilled redfish were good. Large open-air facility which makes those of us concerned about COVID more comfortable. Few servers wear masks. read more

Riverside Cafe - View from the waterside - Seafood Near Me - Saint Marks, Florida

Right on the water. Good service. Yummy food. I especially liked my crab "fridders" that combine crab with hush puppies. Would eat here again definitely. read more

Riverside Cafe - Section of menu - Seafood Near Me - Saint Marks, Florida

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If I could this place would get a zero!!! AWFUL!!!! Service and food was the WORST!!!! Party of 12. Orders were completely screwed up...sent them back to the kitchen manager refused to accept the food back. Some people didn't even get to eat!!! Drinks never arrived. Seriously, will never return... Can't say enough bad things about this place. Bar table came over to the table an yelled at us because we questioned the alcohol in the drinks because the drinks were VERY weak. This place was just GOD AWFUL!!! read more

If you go to riverside cafe you better order two meals because everything they serve is in kids meal portions with skyrocketed prices on them. Service was horrible never got asked if the food was ok or if we wanted refills. Worst place to eat at in the area. read more

Sitting by the river is.... ok. Sometimes doesn't smell too nice. Food was not good. Got the crab hush puppies which sounded interesting, but were pretty bad. Fish sandwich was just ok and key lime pie was green and not flavorful. Wouldn't go back here. Didn't feel clean. read more

This is a great local spot to have close to home. It's right on the river, serves a variety of good food, has a great selection of drinks, and often has talented live music. Sometimes the staff get very busy, but I've never had to wait inordinately long. I live a few miles north of here and have been coming here for over two years. I've met the owner, and he was very nice to me as well. The service is good and atmosphere fun. It is all open air, so in the winter they have heaters. The only drawback for me so far as been the no-see-ums. When it's the season, you can't sit by the water without bug spray. Surprisingly they aren't usually bad inside. The bathroom is a little cramped and sometimes gets a bit neglected when they are really busy. Overall it's a terrific place! Very close to other sights. There's a museum, local park, and wildlife refuge all very close. It's also at the end of the St Marks-Tallahassee rail trail. I've ridden my bike there to have dinner a couple of times. read more

After a visit to Wakulla Spring, someone recommended we try the Riverside Cafe for our group of 7 hungry adults and 2 kids. Loved being on the water. Everyone was very happy with their meals. 3 weeks later we were traveling nearby and took a different route so my wife and I could eat there again! Great service, great food, especially their seafood, and love their Riverfront setting. Highly recommend this place! read more

I really love a waterfront restaurant and bar. This one happens to be a prime example. They have a great bar selection, very reasonably priced drinks and a great atmosphere. They have a couple boat slips if you decide to come by water, a stage for live music and a great view! The oysters are fresh and delicious. Can't go wrong with the garlic butter or the Cajun. They don't have much in the way of gluten free options but are as helpful as they can be for a restaurant that predominately serves fried foods. They have ATMs in there but they do take cards for payment. It's well worth the 30 minute drive from Tallahassee. I definitely recommend it. read more

We really enjoyed our time at Riverside Cafe. We came on a Tuesday evening at it was empty. The only complaint I have is that they don't have fountain beverages. The food was great. My favorite was the shrimp basket not pictured. The food came out fast and our server was very attentive. read more

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Great sea food in a unique atmosphere that is casual and family friendly with a view of the water.. what more could you ask for? Live music on a Saturday night! We loved it. read more

This restaurant is a hidden gem and well worth the drive. The raw oysters were fresh! The beer was cold! The grits were phenomenal and the smoked mullet was out of this world. Everything we ate was fresh and delicious. read more

Riverside Cafe - Raw oysters and landshark beer - Seafood Near Me - Saint Marks, Florida

The venue here is really the best part. When the weather is nice you won't mind sitting and wasting an afternoon on the river. They take their time and their food is good, not great but it will fill you up after being on the water. Neat spot and I always enjoy going. They're also pet friendly if your fur babies are joining you for dinner. read more

Service was good but the food wasn't. Greasy onion rings, bland coke slaw and high prices. Combine that with the birds all over the place. One of them literally pooped on our table missing our food by an inch. Hasn't management heard of those spikes you can put on the rafters to deter this? Wish I had gone across the street to eat read more

Someone please call Restaurant Rescue or Kitchen Nightmares! Worst experience ever!! We arrived and were seated by 7:30. order was placed around 7:45. At 9:10 (which is after they closed) ther was us and 2 other tables still waiting for food. The table near received their check....but had not been served. They were at the restaurant before us. Their food was eventually brought out in styrofoam boxes so they could leave. as the waitress walked away, we heard her say say she was about to kick that woman's ass. the other table near us just got up and left. finally after over 2 hours, our food came out. The burgers looked like they had been warmed up once in the microwave and left out. They came to us cold. The chicken Philly barely had chicken on it it and it was also cold. The shrimp basket came out hot, but had the horrible burnt smell. It had been cooked in burnt oil. We could not eat this garbage. We never did get forks. The wait staff were not receptive And said they could not do anything. And the waitress again started cursing and threatening to fight someone. This place looked cool....the building was nice...the live music was spot on. The staff were horrible. Don't go there if you expect to eat. read more

This restaurant has amazing potential.. our waiter, Zach was absolutely fantastic and polite; however the whole time we waited for our food we could barely have a conversation over the other waitstaff swearing and bickering with the kitchen staff. The vibe was waayyyyy beyond welcoming. Quite frankly it was very uncomfortable to sit there while staff cussed about customers right behind us. The food wasn't bad.. but I would never ever wait TWO AND A HALF HOURS for any food - Especially a mediocre-at-best chicken sandwich. The restaurant was full, but not completely, plus the fact that they were turning every group of customers away.. I'd say there were at least 10 empty tables that they refused to seat literally just because the kitchen couldn't do their jobs. I've never waited 2 and a half hours for food anywhere. read more

It wasn't busy when we went on Friday for lunch and we enjoyed our crispy perfectly battered fried shrimp and well-seasoned blackened fish sandwich but we were concerned because their wait staff and cooks DID NOT wear masks! While it's well ventilated and mostly outdoors, it's still not a good idea to be so complacent and not impose staff to wear masks! We won't come back anytime soon, not until they change their staff masking policy. It also looked like they didn't sanitize right away after each table use because they only cleaned our table after we sat down. Disappointed with their lack of safety measures with both masking & social distancing. read more

Stopped in for lunch a couple of times since my review a few years back. What an improvement! The fried shrimp were perfect, the grouper sandwich very well executed and the service was much better. I enjoyed everything about this visit and it has greatly improved over the years! read more

I've been here a couple times. This time, before a day on the boat. Loved being able to dock the boat right at the restaurant. And love the views and, if you're into dive bars, you'll like the vibes. Also love that they're dog friendly! We found a picnic table outside and were immediately attended to. My pooch even got a water bowl! The service was pretty good except for that my dad got pooped on my birds (even though we were under cover) twice! Once on his arm and once on his head!! He was a great sport about it, but I think we should've gotten his beer comped at least! The server did apologize and I know it's not his fault, but when you have poop on you while you're eating, it doesn't make for the best dining experience. The food is your typical dive seafood restaurant food. Good fried shrimp, burgers and wings. Nothing special. The bathroom kind of grossed me out. It was pretty dirty and right across from the kitchen. I take this place for what it is, and just go for the fried seafood and views. read more

Riverside Cafe - Fried shrimp, fries, wings. - Seafood Near Me - Saint Marks, Florida

This place looks like a super hole in the wall when you drive-by. Do not let it's unassuming front fool you. We have lived down here for two years and never tried it until today. This place had large portions I thought $21 for a shrimp platter might be a lot but it was so worth it. I had 12 or 14 super large shrimp that were seasoned very well in their breading, in fact, I didn't even need any dipping sauce. The kids had huge portions as well for the kids meals. The servers were super friendly, and it was filled with locals. If you're looking for a non-touristy place to go, this is it. They have live music Friday, and Saturday nights from seven until late and Sunday afternoons. I think, starting at four. I can't believe it took us so long to try this place. We will definitely be going back. read more

Excellent food, and friendly service. My girlfriend and I were in St. Mark's during our socially distancing RV vacation. We made it a point to only visit establishments with outdoor seating, and with a server mask policy. Unfortunately their mask policy was safety theater at best. Most waitstaff, including who we assumed to be the owner, were "wearing" their masks around their necks, or under their noses. The tiki bar-tender was very friendly. But other than her service to us, was un-masked. This at the new height of Florida's Covid peak. Then there was her friend, and possibly a co-owner(?). Again super friendly. But un-masked. That's shame enough. We have the choice to not eat there, and if enough people choose safety and respect of other diners, without new business maybe they will continue to thrive in their tiny market. They really are the only game in town. Sad. What is NOT acceptable is that same asshat's going on to wonder - out loud - if anyone actually knew anyone with the virus, and if maybe the deaths of 200K+ Americans, and millions of fellow earthlings was maybe "fake news". I'm lucky, I know no-one who has died of Covid, but I have four friends who have survived it. Just as I won't leave a positive review for a restaurant that willingly spreads Hep-A, while laughing off the suffering of my loved ones suffering from it, I cannot in good conscience recommend anyone who isn't from tiny St. Mark eat or drink at this little slice of sloppy health code adherence. read more

Riverside Cafe - Seafood Near Me - Saint Marks, Florida

has an authentic Bubba Gump Shrimp feel or a Corona Commercial. Don't expect a beach or a break.. They had a bunch of deep fried random fish and corn that I couldn't identify but it was pretty good. read more

Riverside Cafe - Seafood Near Me - Saint Marks, Florida

Do not recommend this restaurant at all. My family arrived and seated ourselves since there was no hostess. There were four waitresses around and only a few customers. They all made eye contact with us but never came to greet us or explain why it may take a minute. I approached the bar tender to ask politely if we could have drinks and was rudely told that they saw us and would be there in a minute. Needless to say, they didn't approach us for another ten minutes, so we left. We would not have minded the wait as we were not in a hurry. They simply could have explained they were short staffed or would be with us shortly. We were very disappointed as this also happened to my husband a few months ago. read more

We drove to St. Marks after spending a glorious morning at the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. We wanted fresh seafood and figured the nearest coastal town would be a great choice. Wrong. St. Marks had three places and we chose the Tiki hut looking place. That should've been the first clue. We were told there'd be a short wait and a few minutes later were ushered to our table hidden from the bar and the river/estuary view. We ordered unsweet tea, crab fritters for an appetizer and the "World Famous" blackened fish sandwich. Well the servers were confused and could never figure out who had what meals. One poor kid walked from table to table asking guests is this yours. (Smh.) Our crab fritters were okay but the worst was the "world famous" (in their on mind) blackened fish. The fish wasn't fresh, it was cold and the blackened seasoning tasted as though it was added after it was microwaved. The confused kid who brought out the fritters wandered up and down the dock asking who had the fish sandwich. "'tis I," I responded. I removed the top bun so my wife and I could split it. The fish was paperthin and cold. If I could give a half star I would. If you want beer and to watch seagulls strafe the dock, it isn't bad. But at $24 it wasn't worth the price for what we paid. We ordered the one sandwich, blue crab fritters and two unsweet iced teas. I won't return! read more

Riverside Cafe - Hmm. - Seafood Near Me - Saint Marks, Florida

We had company in town who were interested in visiting Cooter Stews. We drove out to find Cooter's closed, so went to Riverside. We had never been and now live in Wakulla, so along with wanting our company to have a great experience, we were hoping to find a great restaurant to frequent (safe to say that will NOT be the case). There are signs everywhere saying when the restaurant is packed full, it can be an hour to an hour half wait. There was only 2 other tables seated when we sat, far from being packed, much less even busy. We were a table of 6. 2 of us ordered blackened grouper sandwiches, 2 ordered fried grouper baskets, 1 ordered a chicken sandwich, and 1 ordered the black and bleu burger. We also ordered fried pickles for an appetizer. The only redeeming quality of this entire experience was our waitress. She knew our order was taking far too long and kept apologizing and promising she was trying to get it done as quick as she could. She gave us the analogy of "our restaurant is the size of horse fly but our kitchen is the size of a gnat". However, she also conceded that they weren't even busy so there really no reason for the wait. I asked if we could at least get the appetizer. She said it had been started and should be right up. Our food finally came. Every single item on our table was so cold, it was hardly edible. Nobody had even Lukewarm food. Such a shame to wait for so long, only to be served cold food. The fried grouper was very chewy, to the point that neither could eat those dishes at all. I asked her if it was cooked frozen and she said it was supposed to be thawed first, but to be honest the Kitchen "has been really sucking lately" and she wouldn't be surprised if they didn't thaw it first. Our appetizer was not delivered before or even with the food, although we had asked about it. I asked the food runner, and she simply replied 'I don't know, do you want it?" Our server apologized again when she brought the check, and said "I'm sure we'll never see you again, and I don't blame you, but if you do come back I hope I get to serve you". She was right, I won't be back and I hope she is able to find another job because she deserves better. read more

World famous fish sandwich? Hardly. Even the waitress was embarrassed by the portion size and brought "extra" fish for the sandwich. Salads looked decent, if somewhat unremarkable. (lettuce,banana papers, black olives). Skimpy on the side of soggy fries. Beer was cool not cold. They post a sign saying to expect up to an hour wait for your food. Just a means to justify poor service. Fried mushrooms were very good as was salmon spread. Bottom line? Get bottled beer and appetizers. Just don't buy the hype. read more

Having been here several times before I always have libations only, no food LOL So while I cannot account for the food menu, the location is what does it for me. A full inside bar and one floating on the water. All around excellent views of the waterway and live music too. The atmosphere is definitely foodie-chill, the vibe is definitely laid back. Me likey LOL. I simply love the ginormous tiki-hut roof made using super long phone poles. Wow. So come by boat, motorcycle or car.... Riverside Cafe will do "it" for you too! Parking is at an adjacent lot :-( read more

5 Stars for the Fried Pickles!!! 5 Stars for the fried Crab claws!! I love coming here and wish I could give it a better rating but: The beer is WAY over priced and the service is hit or miss. $3.50 for a miller lite bottle? come on... I've tried some of the other items on the menu and they have just been 'ok', mostly bland, boring and WAY over priced. read more

One star is for location. One star is for the on site manager's attempt to right the kitchen. Zero stars for food. This review is painful for me as I have been eating here for over 20 years. We used to party at Posey's and walk over here for good, reliable food. Their Cheeseburger in Paradise was worth driving in from Tally. Their shrimp basket was reliably good. No more. Even their drinks have gone downhill; and I asked for a JB neat.... The venue is perfectly located and great for boaters. We loved pulling up to the docks in our boat to grab a bite. We gladly overlooked the often flooded restroom for the chance to use it and wash up. Try as I might, I cannot wrap my head around why an owner would allow poor quality, inedible food to leave their kitchen. There are better sources for ingredients, even among the frozen. Oh, and I do get why the bar does a short pour. Stretching the bottle for the dollar. Hey, maybe this is Providence giving me the incentive to invest in a grill for my boat. read more

Food is good. Waiters and waitresses are great. Management always seems absent.  Once again we waited over an hour for our meals with approx. 10 people in both buildings? Another Wakulla establishment that prominently displays a sign that brags about their poor and slow service by letting you know you'll wait a long, long time for your food and customers are told to accept it or go somewhere else.  Amazing! So we will and do from now on.  This is now the 4th restaurant I've noticed in our area that displays this sign. Maybe they should make their kitchen larger or find cooks older than 17 yrs old, or even find a "Manager" that knows the food business and customer service and take down the idiotic awful sign!!! Yes it's a longer drive but this type of service pushes us to visit and spend our money in Tallahassee. read more

Food is purchased mostly from Sams. It's not good & the prices are quite high. If you are drinking, bring your paycheck & if service is your thing you will be sorely disappointed. read more

Server was spread too thin, and had too many customers to take care of. Resulting in long wait times between drinks/ refills. We were informed of long wait times up front, but we spent 2 hrs there before getting MOST of our food. I say most because my blackened fish and shrimp came with only the fish & my side salad never arrived, even after talking to the server who brought the food out about it. she said she would be right back with it and I didn't see her again. My blackened fish was really just burnt fish, There was no seasoning on it at all. A friend we were there with had a half of a handful of fries with his burger, and another didn't get hush puppies with their shrimp basket. If the food came out in a decent timely fashion and these things were missing, no big deal. But waiting for 2 hrs and them still messing it up is unacceptable. read more

LOVE this spot! We even drove all the way out here (40 min) on a week night just to celebrate a bday here. The staff is friendly, margaritas are always extra good and the oysters are our favorite! This place is TOO much fun on fridays and Saturday's read more

Cool place! Live music! Great location I. Picturesque St. Marks. Delish oysters, stone crab! and Don is the bomb!

Great location, service is okay, timing is all wrong. Waited over an hour for food and had to cancel the order. Went across the street to Cooter Stew cafe. Close Riverside... but no dice. read more

Food is ok. Service sucks. Yes, there is a sign that says when packed, it could take 1.5 hours to get your food. It's not packed. It's been over an hour and no appetizer. This is after multiple trips here. It's ok, but go someplace else. It's just not worth the aggravation. It could be a great place, but they won't make the changes to make it even a good place. read more

This place was out of all sorts of food, so instead of figuring out what they DID have, we chose not to order anything. Let's just say that we'll never come back here again, because we'd starve. read more

Riverside Café, St Marks, Florida At the entrance to this restaurant is a sign that if I remember it right, "that it may take an hour and half for your food to be served". I cannot recall ever anywhere walking into a restaurant that tells its patrons that its service is deplorable. This sign also implies that the management is incompetent since most managers have the goal to "turn over" the tables with satisfied customers. Do not patronize this restaurant!!!! Our experience was that of service by a "flighty" server who eventually appeared but who could not seem to focus. My order, shrimp basket was served after thirty minutes of waiting according to the time on our cell phone. The shrimp and fries were warm - not hot. My side order was not what I ordered. My wife's order was still somewhere else. We cancelled my wife's order, ate the shrimp and then went to pay our bill. The cashier after hearing our complaints of quality of service, the less than hot food and the absence of the second meal did not charge us. St Marks is a small town with only one restaurant who has no real competition. The result is indifference to providing prompt service or hot food. Plan on going elsewhere than the Riverside Café in St Marks................... read more