Pretty sure this place is rated NJ's best bar and I can see why! It has a the super divey bar atmosphere, and still has great food selection. Theres even an outside tent set up if you want to hang out there. It gets super crowded, but again, I can see why! It reminds me of your classic dive bar atmosphere, super nice bartenders, and just the place to be! If you're looking for a low key night with some brews, this is your go to! Parking is limited when the tents are set up in the back, but you can find street parking on the side streets. read more

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Very rude customer service. I called to ask if they serve food and what time last call would be. The woman who answered was extremely rude and hung up on me mid-conversation. When I called back to clarify that I was simply asking about last call for food and mentioned that hanging up on customers is inappropriate, she told me not to call back. For a place that presents itself as trendy and inviting, this kind of behavior is completely unacceptable. I live nearby and would have been a regular customer, but after this experience, I have no interest in returning. Very disappointing and disrespectful. read more

Bond street shirt girl was terrible. Twrrible attitude. Terrible service. Everyone else is fantastic. Im not sure why someone is able to wear a shirt from another bar and also ne absolutely negative and rude....won't ever come.back if shes there..... also bond street is a great time. Not sure how shes able to represent both businesses in such s negative way read more

It is time to review my favorite dive bar in the area! -Music? ON POINT- Always!!!! -Drinks? CHEAP AND GREAT -Food? So good! The bbq chicken wings are really tasty! And any burger on the menu is a good choice. -Ambience? Mostly locals but everyone is friendly. It gets absolutely busy past 10 pm and the summer time is very busy. Def recommend my local dive bar! Check it out! read more

Riverside Inn - Dive Bars Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

Very welcoming chill place to go for a few drinks after work or meet up with friends. Good prices on drinks friendly service. Tv always has on latest events whether it's sports or news. Have darts juke box with a good selection of music to play. Nice selection of appetizers & bar food. Also has an outdoor seating with tarps. Parking lot in back read more

Oh heck ya- riverside inn aka "the dive" is your dive bars favorite dive bar. This place gets packed to the brim with locals teeming with thirst. Imagine a pack of jersians all in heat coming to this place to get wasted. And the vibes are 10/10. Mostly an experience I'd recommend for locals but can't seam to beat this experience on a packed night. Everyone knows each other. The bouncers and bar tenders are quite a bit old fashioned to say the least. The food is less than thrilling. It's wonderful. read more

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Everything was delicious can't wait to go back! Bartender was friendly... perfect dive bar! People were very nice read more

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Don't come here. Me and my friends were refused service because the staff "couldn't read" my valid, government-issued ID. One of them was literally a real ID. Instead of simply asking clarifying questions or using a scanner, like most places do, they acted like mean girls laughing and making fun of a group of us because they thought they were cool for refusing service. I get that checking IDs is important, but dismissing a perfectly legitimate ID without even trying to verify it is just unprofessional. If your staff can't tell the difference between a real ID and a fake one, maybe the training, not the customers, is the problem. read more

came here with a work place associate for lunch. nice relaxed vibe. for lunch we could sit anywhere but order at the bar. for some reason the front door was locked so I had to opened the door a couple times let people in. I parked and entered through the back. there's parking passed the round about and drive thru the back side of the buildings. When the weather nicer. I'm gonna 'walk my dog' at night here with the outside dinning tent area. read more

Riverside Inn - menu - Dive Bars Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

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Great chill atmosphere. Good service. Excellent cocktails and the best wings. Highly recommend this establishment. Will certainly return here. read more

I returned here and had a few items I tried before and something that was new to me. I once again had the Buffalo wings and fried pickles (see previous review for similar thoughts on each item). I also had an order of the pierogies this time. They were served with onions and sour cream. The filing appeared to be some type of potato and cheddar. They were okay. The outer edge was a little too hard. There was plenty of filing present which was tasty. The addition of the onions and sour cream did help with the outer edge of the pierogies being tough to eat. read more

We love dive bars and this one hits. We were driving home and in the area and decided to stop in. We weren't very hungry but decided to order wings. They came with no sauce. I should have specified buffalo wings. In any event. They were excellent. Like not sure I would order with sauce next time. Got some beers on tap. Love the vibe. Bartenders were nice. If I'm in the area again would def go. read more

Still the best Kitchen closes at 9 PM - order before 9 pm Open 365 days per year Great food and best bartenders read more

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I had to drop my rating for Riverside Inn after my friend and I immediately got stomach aches from our meal. The ribeye sandwich was just mediocre, the latkes were completely overcooked and burnt. I don't know what made us sick but as we left the Dive, we both had really strong stomach aches 15 minutes after. The ribeye sandwich was a thin ribeye steak (cooked decently though) in a lackluster baguette, topped with onions and cheese. Hmm. Seems like someone didn't think this one through. The Latkes were well thought out. Smoked salmon with a(n overly generous and overwhelming) dollop of sour cream over a Latke is a great idea, and I certainly will be stealing it for my own cooking. However, execution was poor with the Latke burnt almost to a crisp. read more

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Amazing hidden local bar - unbeatable prices to go along with above average food. During the week there's a lively lunch crowd too.

The Dive! The best bar and the best staff. Maybe the most amazing thing is the quality of food produced out of that tiny kitchen!

Better food than you'd expect. Really busy but there's a reason. Just very cool laid back hole in the ball type of part

Bartender bent my valid ID in half making it unusable. I go to school here and don't have my documents needed to replace my id so him destroying it for no reason was extremely inconvenient for me read more

A solid 'meh'. Ordered the French dip roast beef - one of their signature dishes. Dry, not enough au jus, sliced too thick. Hubby ordered the ribeye...not blown away. Steamed clams were way too salty. Value not in line with what had been touted on yelp. 3.4 stars read more

A very cool dive bar. Small place, seats about 16 at the bar and another 25 or so at 5 or 6 tables. Some TVs to watch the games. Bartender was friendly and attentive. There was a dozen beers on tap. The yuengling was ice cold and fresh. I had a Cuban sandwich which was pretty good and wifey had a prime rib sandwich which was outstanding. The place was nice and warm on a frigid night! Another dive bar to add to my go to places. read more

Riverside Inn - The bar - Dive Bars Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

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Great service, great food super friendly staff reasonable prices and huge portions - will be back !!!

I've announced on some of my other reviews that I'm more of a dive bar girl than anything else. It should come as no surprise then that I have the utmost appreciation for Riverside, which is at the high-end of bars that are more on the divey side. Right now, in the time of COVID, they have outdoor tables set up in the front and back, with much of the crowd seeming to prefer the front even though the back has a little more room to be social. The bartenders come to the table to take your order and are perfectly amiable. They don't give you any rush or nudges to hurry it along, and you can really enjoy your time here. I'll warn you in advance that their drinks tend to be on the stronger side! Me and my friend greatly enjoyed our rum and cokes, our green tea shots, and our dirty martinis (yes, we did have quite the night). Oh and they allow dogs outside! Bonus! read more

Riverside Inn - Rum n Coke outdoor dining! - Dive Bars Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

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This place is a total gem and so are its bartenders. I've had the pleasure of frequenting mostly when they have been working and they could not be any more welcoming and attentive every time. Nice alcohol selection. One of the better no-frills bars in the area. read more

Great menu got a hole is the wall bar. The var tenders and servers treat you like your there friend from school.

Love this place, the bartenders are amazing, "the pour" is everything; the prices are good; the food is great. I'd say my friendly neighborhood bar and then some. read more

Great Neighborhood bar vibe with very friendly staff and tasty food choices. The perfect place to stop at, first, for a visit to Cranford.

Awesome atmosphere and even better bartenders. You feel like you've stepped back in time a bit, a better time!

This cranford gem is a classic dive bar - voted the best dive bar in NJ multiple times! Reasonably priced drinks and good, classic bar food make this place with the trip. They've expanded outdoor seating in the back since Covid. read more

No matter if it's your first time or if you are a regular the best part about the dive is the atmosphere. It's small humble and down-to-earth! The food is absolutely amazing! The taps rotate every now and then. The staff is small but the most attentive and kind group you'll ever meet! Fresh food comes in regularly and I highly recommend anything off of the paper plates that hang behind the bar! Instead of creating a specials list the staff rights on paper plates and colors and detailed drawings! These are the specials!!!! I highly recommend the bacon wrapped scallops, the lamb sliders, grilled chicken sandwich, and The buffalo wings! Off the regular menu I also recommend the Italian style cheesesteak! On this visit I had the Mahi-Mahi tacos with mango salsa! I hope they continue to rotate that in their specials because it was absolutely amazing! In addition we snacked on fried pickles, bacon wrapped scallops, and buffalo wings. I completely forgot to take any pictures. Annually the bar also hosts it's very own chili cook off. If you're lucky enough to live in the area I highly recommend attending the event. You will have the pleasure of enjoying some of the most amazing chilis! On Mondays they do Mexican Monday with very simple beef tacos! They are delicious and they're absolutely worth getting as many as you want for $2.00 each! If you're in the mood for something a little larger get the burrito for $3.00! read more

Girl bartender needs to chill. She's black curly haired. So rude. Was ready to have a good time but I guess that's not happening. Going to hit up Rocky's instead. read more

Cute bar w good cheap food and drinks w friendly service. Nice outdoor space out back along river. Perfect dinner between soccer games. Loved the sweet potato waffle fries! read more

Riverside Inn - Outside seating in back by river - Dive Bars Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

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I honestly don't even want to review this place to risk more people discovering it! This place is the perfect little dive bar. Great drinks for reasonable prices and cool atmosphere. The food is also surprisingly really good. Their roast beef sandwiches are up their on the list of some of the best I've ever had. Cool outdoor setup for Covid. I prefer sitting out front to do a little people watching but the setup out back is nice as well. read more

Riverside Inn - Outdoor drinks - Dive Bars Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

Great hangout spot. Staff is always wonderful. Solid beer selection. Food is good. Overall a really nice spot to take it easy have a few drinka read more

Best dive bar in the area. Indoor and outdoor seating. The menu is diverse, food is pretty cheap but really good. The drinks are made well and also not expensive. Great local place to hang out. read more

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Parking is weird, it's in the back but you enter by the tapas restaurant. However, once you get into the place, it's a pretty nice spot. Came here on a Friday night, it was pretty busy in here. I had the Alpine burger with the mushrooms and onions - definitely hit the spot where I wanted a greasy burger. I had it done medium rare, it was more on the medium side but still good. The onion rings were alright. The tater tots special was really awesome though. Brought me back to school cafeterias but better. My beer (UFO Raspberry) was alright. It definitely tasted like raspberries. Staff was friendly and on top of requests and needs. Sometimes can get a little loud in there. The music's pretty good and at a good volume. It's the other customers, which can sometimes be expected. I walked out of there with my burger food belly and went to pass out happily in a food coma. If you like dive bars, this will definitely hit the spot. read more

Riverside Inn - Tater tots and onion rings - Dive Bars Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

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First I should offer that I rarely meet a dive bar that I don't like. The decor, the vibe.... This place has excellent selection of drinks. Very good bar food, though I recommend avoiding their coleslaw, and I'd skip the fries, too. Friendly atmosphere, the bartender was both friendly and attentive. So let's see, good food, good drinks, and good service? Yeah, I can recommend it. Go and enjoy. read more

The staff busts their tail, treats first-timers like regulars, treats regulars like family, performs double duty serving food and beverages to the entire establishment, and creates an atmosphere that is conducive to having a quick one or killing a couple hours. I recommend you learn every bartenders name and treat them like gold. Do this, and you have found a new home away from home. Food menu is painfully underrated, probably because most assume that it's the typical barroom fare. It definitely does have all the staples PLUS a ton of specials that transcend the "bar food" tag. The owners have deceived us all into thinking that The Dive is just another dark room to drown your sorrows, when in reality is a thoughtfully curated business that does all the little things. As a service industry veteran I can tell you there's a reason why the bar regularly fills up with servers, cooks, and bartenders when their shifts end. Take it from us--we know what we're doing. read more

Sooooo happy! My first covid restaurant experience. Felt good. No one was around. Staff work masks. Had a lot of seating options to choose from. You don't have to wear a mask in the outdoor space which would be an issue for me on a more crowded night but I'd just opt for an off-peak visit like I did today. Onion rings were delicious! Will definitely be back! read more

Riverside Inn - Chardonnay and onion rings on the front outdoor space. - Dive Bars Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey

Bartender gave my wife a problem over her ID, she is 25 years old. Refused to accept that her ID was real and was hesitant giving back the ID, and would not serve us. I wouldn't recommend this place read more

Were you can be a zeek a freak and wade in the creek. Come on down to the riverside. People come and go the river row row row. Listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul. read more

Riverside Inn - Dive Bars Near Me - Cranford, New Jersey