Went to location with family, I was in crutches due to major injury and told by the hostess that it was 15 to 30 min wait. We were allowed to proceed to bar area for a drink. Upon going to bar area it was obvious there were multiple open tables and booths. I spoke to bartender who advised that we were not being seated because of staffing. With a holiday weekend approaching that is not a acceptable excuse. Our waitress was nice however she only took order and collected payment. Not one time did she check on us throughout the meal. Food was delicious so I would give that a 4, however service was horrible which I would give a 2. read more

My sister and I went here for dinner and it was terrible The pecan crusted grouper is what we ordered It had no taste was gross The broccoli was all stems you eat with nothing on top And the rice was gross I would not recommend we spent 79 dollars We told the waitress she didn't care read more

Horrible. Chicken sandwich was raw. Scallops undercooked and the Lobster roll was basically an appetizer it was so small (for $31). They were out of 5 of the beers on tap. Will never go back. Wish this place would find some good ownership. It seems like such a perfect location. read more

Service sucks! Throughout, right from when you walk in and are standing at the "Wait Here to be seated" sign at the front desk and people walk by and ignore you. Then some young disinterested whippersnapper begrudgingly comes and asks "How many?" Then you wait for AGES for any server to show interest, while ones at tables around you walk by and ignore you! Even some bus-girls cleaning tables around you have no interest in helping or seeing if you have had a server come by. Ridiculous. I would NOT go there again and recommend you do not visit. read more

Riverwalk Grill - people sitting at tables - Seafood Near Me - Elk Rapids, Michigan

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Friendly, awesome location, and fantastic food! The fries are to die for! Shortcake dessert was awesome...not something I normally like but the people next to us told us we had to try it. read more

Great experience at the Riverwalk Grill yesterday. The expresso martinis are AMAZING and some of the best we've ever had. Overall the food was delicious and service was excellent. We tried the lobster roll, walleye and burgers. All were great. There are tons of new items on the menu under the new ownership. It will definitely become a regular stop for us. read more

Sympathetic to shortage of help but receiving a meal well after our party of 7 finished theirs just unacceptable. They boxed it up to go but would not comp the cost. When we stated would not pay for it waitress took the food back. Was a favorite restaurant of ours in the past. Won't be going back. Guessing she forgot to put the order in & mistakenly ordered a duplicate meal for one of our party as waiter brought out the duplicate meal & had to return that to kitchen. read more

I was a bit nervous to try this place, given the recent reviews. You can't beat the location. The hostess was very friendly, seated outside right away. Our waitress was attentive and thorough. The shrimp was really good, mixed drinks were average. All in all, food and drink average, staff great and location and atmosphere 5 star. read more

Great Michigan beer selection. (Not just Shorts' beer!) I went to just get a drink and meet a friend. I felt obligated to get something to eat cuz I am weird like that. I got the calamari. It said in the description that it was covered in cornmeal but I didnt listen. It was pretty nasty. We got a box to take it out and be polite but we threw it away and are telling them their calamari is no good on yelp which is sad in regards to my personal character. their menu looked good and I would definitely go back. The beer selection really was good in my option. the atmosphere was reallly cool too. fancy but casual with big open seating. you can sit outside too which is awesome cuz it is right on the water. waitress was new and really nice. no complaints overall but stay away from the calamari. read more

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Food was good. Disappointed in the wait staff. Mask wearing was not a priority. Our bartender/waitress wore her mask around her neck like a scarf. While sitting at the bar she walked up from my side of the bar to give me my food and stood within a foot of me without a mask. I'm sick of wearing a mask for the past 6 months. I have to wear a mask at work. This was my time to be in a restaurant without having to deal with a mask. No consideration by her. So aggravated. read more

I've been a resident of the area my entire life, and used to love coming here, especially in the summer when the deck is open and you can sit by Elk Lake. However, new ownership in 2023 has really taken its toll on the service and overall experience. I can never give it just 1 star because of the views, but everything else about it is a 1 star experience. I had hoped the new owners would have worked out the kinks for their second summer of operating, but sadly that has not happened. First, the menu is limited, and local fare is lacking. I mean, who gets a lobster roll when you are this far from the ocean? The biggest complaint is the prices. Locals know we're going to get gouged during the summer tourist season, but this is crazy! An order of 6 wings is $21, that's $3.50 a wing! The golf course restaurant in Kalkaska has the same for $9, which is $1.50 a wing. Sure, it's not on the water, but its not worth $2/wing compared to looking at a golf course. Service is erratic. Previously, they had a few seasoned bartenders/waitstaff, and they'd supplement with college kids during the summer. Now it seems to be a lot of people with very little serving experience and they struggle. They revamped the Tiki Bar so it carries fewer things which means you've got to wait to get many drink orders brought down from the restaurant. Huge time waste. Clearly others agree; in the dozen times I've been in the past year I've only seen former regulars twice...that's gotta mean something! Parking lot is never full either, which NEVER happened in the summer! Downstate owners need to put their pride aside and figure out how to return this place to its former glory. I used to go about 3-4 times every week in the summer, now I only stop by every few weeks when I want to sit by the lake. Having a few drinks and an appetizer and spending $40 before tip is just hard to swallow given the drop in quality of food and service...many better options exist these days. read more

Not sure why the rating is low? Honestly the best Nachos I've had. They were tasty, perfect amount of cheese with chicken. It was like a white cheddar melted cheese sauce. With tomatoes and this shredded artisan lettuce. I don't even know how to describe it, it was just amazing. My friends and I still talk about those nachos. I can't wait to try them again next time in Elk Rapids! We sat on the back patio, great views of Elk Lake. read more

This place needs a new owner or staff. Customer service is not their specialty and food portions small for what you pay. Food tasted good and waitress was kind just manager was rude . Turned a 9 person party away when they didn't close for another 30 min . I think that was a bad business move. Went to another restaurant and they took us and have us as permanent customers read more

For some reason we gave this place the benefit of the doubt after reading the countless reviews of bad service and being generally lackluster all around. After all, any restaurant staff can have a few off days of bad service here and there. To be honest, part of me actually wants to commend the staff of Riverwalk - it's not easy to be so consistently awful. Truthfully the previous reviews don't do it justice. The restaurant was MAYBE 1/5th full. When we got to the restaurant we stood at the lobby for ten minutes before the hostess finally came over and led us over to our table. From there on, we literally sat for TWENTY MINUTES and not a single server came over to offer us waters or take an order. In fact, it almost seemed like the two servers who were working in our section purposefully ignored us as to try and not take on the responsibility of another table. We tried to flag them down multiple times and, I kid you not,they chose to bus tables instead of greet us (keep in mind, there is literally no one else in the section at this point, so there's not even a point to bussing a table when no one new is coming in). After waiting nearly 25 minutes and having zero service, we decided to say screw it and walked up to the bar. The reason this review has a single star, is because the bartender was HUSTLING to get to everyone sitting at the bar (which again, there weren't that many people, but she was still working hard). She was as kind and attentive as she could be as someone who had zero help. We even saw her reprimanding some of the other servers for getting orders completely wrong and keeping people waiting without food or drinks. She promptly got us drinks and our food thankfully came shortly after. It was decent. Through no fault of hers, we won't be returning to this restaurant. And I highly suggest that no one else does either. The place sucks and the staff doesn't give a shit. I'm guessing the only reason people go here is because there's barely anywhere else in the area to go to. Frankly, you're better off going to the grocery store down the street and making your own food. You'll get it faster. read more

The food is pricey, the service really good, but dont get the surf and turf. Hubby was supposed to get 1/2 lb crab legs. His portion was no where near 1/2 lb and what he did get had very little meat in them. The steak was ok but very grainey. The waitress did reduce bill by the cost of the crab legs. Probably would not go here again read more

Save your time and $. Horrible service (from the hostess to the manager). $12 for a kids meal?! Not worth the view.

If I could, I would give a NO STAR rating to this restaurant. I went to the restaurant for lunch and there were only 6 other diners (I should have left when I saw this). They have a limited menu. I asked the server what she thought about the BBQ sandwich and she said it was good so I ordered it. What came to the table was a big bun with less than 1/4" of BBQ meet, a limp pickle and a bag of chips for $16. The sandwich had less meat than a $3 gas station sandwich. I complained to the server about the lack of meat and the ridiculous price and she responded that she doesn't set the price nor does she make the food and she walked away from the table. She never came back to the table, not even to get paid for the meal. I went to the bar to pay my check and asked for the manager. I told her the same as above and she said she didn't see the sandwich herself and wouldn't adjust the check. Both the server and the manager should be immediately fired. This might be the only restaurant reviewed on Yelp with twice the number of 1 and 2 star ratings than 4 and 5 star ratings. The owner better listen to customers and fix this mess. STAY AWAY. TERRIBLE!!!! read more

We have really enjoyed the Riverwalk in the past but our most recent visit was one of the worst meals we have had out in years. The portions were extremely small and the quality was w worse. The vegetable of the day was peas and I got 7 brown canned peas on my plate. Everyone was very disappointed by the entire experience. The additional fee for using a credit card was the icing on the cake. read more

We have always supported this restaurant and brought our clients here, but after tonight this will be the last time. The staff and management weren't friendly at all, then my steak came out with a giant hair in it and they messed up our order. We had to ask them to take it off our bill after waiting 25 minutes for the steak to come out, we then asked for a to go box, because our party was done eating. The manager came to our table, grabbed the to go box rudely and trashed the steak. She said it's her steak if it got taken off the bill. This poor behavior and uncleanliness is unacceptable. We will be sure to share with every one. read more

The third time by boat from Wisconsin to Elk Rapids and first time here....last time too. We sat at the inside bar where there were 2 other customers and the bartender was behind the bar, didn't check to see if we were there, walked off and chatted with the other servers for 5 minutes before I got up and asked politely if we could have something to drink and a menu. Not impressed demeanor either but blew it off. The drink I got was a Tito's and club soda the lime was brown and slimy. I would've been more understanding it if it was busy but come on. A little effort goes a long way. read more

Riverwalk is a great place for beers and snacks especially if you can sit on the patio. There is a great deck that over looks the river to sit outside on. The beer list if full of local brews and other Michigan brews too. There should be something on the list for everyone. The loaded fries were a good option for snacking on. The fries had this really good crisp to them and then the sauce and cheese was a great addition to the fries. The staff was friendly and had some good thoughts on the menu options. read more

Over priced and under delivered on the food. Location is outstanding, but kitchen continues to fail to deliver. Come have a cold drink and relax, then move on. read more

Overpriced food, long waiting time, slow staff. If you're just getting done boating I wouldn't recommend this place as it is a mess. If you want to pay 37$ for a plate of food you can make at home for less than a dollar and thirty cents be my guest and come here then. TL;DR overpriced for small amounts of good read more

Small portions, high prices and the food isn't that great. I live in Elk Rapids, I wouldn't go back. Only good thing about it is the view.

Two of four orders wrong, food cold, waitress rude. All you could eat fish was advertised as cod or perch, but perch was extra we found out later, plus refused refill on fish because (as she pointed finger at my freind), i caught you eating some. He tried a pinch of the perch. This after he ordered $22 cold meal. No wonder place was empty on valentines day and Friday night. read more

Went to Elk Rapids to get dinner. Based on reviews looked at Pearl's and the Foundry both had 60 min waits so went to Riverside a few miles away (Monday night). The place was at best half full we immediately got seated on the really nice outdoor deck on the Elk River. Server was nice. Asked how many wings were in the order for $18 server says doesn't matter we're out of them. Backup was the mushroom truffle burger with kettle chips for $21. Server says well you can have the truffle burger but we're out of mushrooms. 3rd choice I just settled for basic cheese burger and chips for $19. It was okay nothing special at all. Son got the fried whitefish sandwich with fries $23 again decent but not worthy of the price. We ordered the seafood chowder for $12 and had to remind the server so we'd get it before the entrees. It was good but again not worth the price. Sitting on their deck in the summer is great but be prepared to pay top $ for what we thought was mediocre food. Hopefully they figure it out. read more

Always a great place for lunch or dinner, especially on a sunny day on the deck. Great view. love when they have live music

This bar/restaurant located right on the river and Elk Rapids has a location that is incredible. Watching the boats come and go and entertainment on the deck is usually great. Tthis restaurant has great potential but just does not perform the way it should. Food is inconsistent at best and service is slow. read more

Wanted a fish dinner. Ordered walleye. When the waiter left, decided to get a side salad, too, He never returned, only to bring a check. Very small portion, came with clumpy rice and hard peas. No options. Needless to say, very disappointed in the food. Dropped $75 for mediocre fish , clumps of rice, and hard , cold, peas. If it weren't for the location, this place would be closed by now. read more

Great location so wasn't really expecting to be impressed by the food, but it more than exceeded our expectations both times we have been. Can't wait to check this place out when the outdoor seating is open and we can enjoy the weather with some drinks on the patio. read more

Stopped in 2 pm for lunch on the patio OMG was not expecting to be blown away by the food Will b back read more

We had an awesome waitress named Angela and her friendly manner and great service would definitely bring us back!

BEST PLACE EVER! This is the best place to go after a hot summer day. They have live music, good fresh food and overall a super cool place. It has outdoor seating too! A upper and lower deck, and even a beanbag/corn hole toss, and a beach. I would Definitely recommend this place to a friend read more

Excellent food, service and ambiance! We enjoyed the outdoor dining in the sand. Frequent here often.

I have been living on elk lake for 25 years, never any negative reviews, despite the traffic on Saturday nights. After waiting to be seated, Angela made our Saturday night a thousand times better. Her hospitality and friendliness during these times made us completely forget about the negativity we are dealing in the world today. Anyone coming to Northern Michigan I highly recommend swinging by Riverwalk for a nice evening on one of the nicest lakes in the US read more

I ordered the Avocado salad, and what they served was insulting. A plate full of iceberg lettuce with very few bits of corn and red pepper, and 3 hard slices of avocado on the side. It was a joke for $12.00. We also watched them try to deliver an appetizer to 2 different tables who said they hadn't ordered it, and then were told to take it in the back because they could probably sell it to someone. With covid still around, I found it unsanitary that they would place food on tables and then take it back for somebody else. I give them 1 star because the server was nice and polite. read more

We've tried Riverwalk for many years, but always leave disappointed. Our last visit we were told 38 minute wait. We were finally seated after 1 1/2 hours. We then ordered at table drinks & food at same time. Took 45 mins for drinks to arrive. Table next to us seated after us but got drinks & food before us. Small, overpriced portions. Sadly, we've scratched Riverwalk off our list. You should instead visit Pearls (and Pearls takes reservations and seats you when they promise). read more

I ate here twice while visiting the area for work and enjoyed both the outdoor seating and the fare. I sampled the local beers and the local fish both were good. The service was good and the weather could have not have been better. We ate there once for lunch and once for supper and I would recommend either. read more

Riverwalk Grill - Seafood Near Me - Elk Rapids, Michigan

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I give this place bonus points for excellent service and of course riverside dining to watch the boats come in and out while you dine outdoors (suggested) just steps from the water. The food was OK with a couple of stand out menu items. Their smoked fish dip is a good option, but the fried pita chips make it exceptional. Their version of bang bang shrimp is also very good. I like the slightly larger than average shrimp that they use. The real star and the reason to come back is there lobster roll. Not your traditional lobster roll, served on Shibata with melted cheese. I would get this again and again. Also shared a couple pizzas they were... meh. Great service and overall a lovely evening. read more

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Great Smoked whitefish dip and a good tequila sunrise! very nice ambience on the water. Will be back with the boat!!! read more

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