Whatever service/friendliness issues there were from previous reviews appear to have been ironed out, as every staff member was energetic and engaging. We were immediately greeted & seated with a lake view. Offered water while we selected drinks & given the details on the specials, which rotate. We've driven by so many times without realizing what we were missing, thinking it was just a lakeside bar. I'm so glad we decided to swing in once hearing about the "not bar fare food" being served. Seafood in North Dakota, ehhhh, how brave do you feel? We started with shrimp stuffed shrooms. It only comes with 3, but they are piled high. It turns out we really didn't need an app, as I'm currently eating my boxed up food while I'm writing this review. I honestly haven't been in such a personable place in a long time &, no, we aren't regulars or locals. We were given a tip to come back for seafood Sunday- maybe... The beef was all tender & juicy - cooked to a perfect med-rare. The hubs had the hanger steak & I opted for the lavash special- which was a BOGO - buy the Philly & get a seafood version free. Veggies were all fresh, no canned/frozen soggy stuff here, nice & crisp. When we were checked in on, my response to "is everything tasting ok?" was simply "wow" with an "I know, right?" bounced back. read more

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Amazing hidden treasure in these ND parts with incredible views. The food was amazing especially the prime rib, and the staff is second to none in service. We will definitely be back again soon! read more

The Iron Oar Pub & Grill - Views!! - Pubs Near Me - Riverdale, North Dakota

Tried this place twice on recommendation from locals. Both times, same story. Overpriced, bland food bought from Sam Club. $22 for Chicken Mac that was made up of pressed Tyson chicken fingers on top of undercooked noodles mixed with some type of bland Sams Club cheese sauce from a can. Even the silverware has "Members Mark" stamped on it. I kinda think the locals love it so much because they dont know any better. On a good note the service was excellent! Friendly and attentive server. read more

This place is a little pricey but its totally worth it. Very clean and very good food. The burgers are fantastic. Will be getting them again. read more

Pretty good burger but the egg was slightly over cooked. The waitress was phenomenal and the views were fabulous. read more

The Iron Oar Pub & Grill - How can you go wrong with a shrimp, egg, jalapeño, and chicken wing on your burger!!!! - Pubs Near Me - Riverdale, North Dakota

Ok wow, probably best burger ever! Did we wait a minute? Sure, but who cares? It was amazing! Swung by on the way to see customers from BEULAH to Underwood and this is a gem. The mighty Missouri burger will not disappoint. I got It without a bun to reduce carbs and added a salad which was good too. C'mon people show these folks some love. Great views from the deck overlooking the lake too! read more

The Iron Oar Pub & Grill - Mighty Missouri burger! - Pubs Near Me - Riverdale, North Dakota

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We were on a road trip and stopped here to eat through the guidance of locals. Unfortunately, the co-owner was impolite and seemed fairly disinterested in acknowledging our presence. She seemed more concerned with serving her locals than those from out of town. Luckily for us, there was a very nice man who doesn't work there that helped us out and was eventually able to seat us. Our waiter was really nice and the food was delicious, but the service up to getting seated was terrible as we were there for about two and half to three hours rather than a planned hour or less so it was very disappointing to say the least. Disappointing as the food was pretty good and those who worked there aside from the co-owner were very pleasant. read more

My husband had the surf and turf with Wagyu sirloin and I had the grilled shrimp it was delicious. The steak was done just right. I loved the seasoning on the shrimp and the soup and sides were mouth watering good. Service was great our server checked on us regularly, This was what may be our last long motorcycle ride for the year from Mandan, but we will be back. read more

Wow, what a gem of a place near the Garrison damn. Riverdale's awesome bar and grill. Fried pickles were great with 4 dipping sauces. Kneophla soup is outstanding. Blackened chicken and shrimp fettuccine delicious. Jumbo deep fried shrimp awesome. Our waiter worked his tail off! Thank you Mike Roberts! read more

I had what is probably the best hamburger I have ever had, at Iron Oar. This is a nice place with friendly service, and from my experience, excellent hamburgers. They seem to have a great selection of beer and wine. When I am in the area again, I will definitely be back. read more

Very poor service. Rude waitresses. The waitress with dreads should be talked to about customer service. They get one star for the excellent food. read more

I'm so sorry that this place has some bad reviews because we almost didn't stop because of it. I've been fishing down here for 10 years and never knew of this little gem. We came in to a gorgeous rustic industrial pub that held a beautiful view. Our service was very good and Emmy was an awesome host! We got the chatter platter as a starter and I think we did less chattering because of the tasty starters. We were pleasantly surprised at how crunchy yet tasty their fries were and the fish and steak tacos were light yet filling! If you're into the Bloody Marys, the bartender made a nice spicy one for me! read more

We recently ate at The Iron Oar for our first time and it was a really cool place. This restaurant is less than a year old and let me tell you, it is a welcome sight to see an actual brick and mortar building to eat in around Riverdale, ND. The owner, Nate, built this place with his own two hands and we even saw him cooking in the kitchen to help with the demand. We had a chance to talk to him briefly when he walked around to see how everyone was doing and he was a really nice guy. All the people there were very nice. Like any new business, though, it is not free from it's startup difficulties. The Iron Oar has gained its reputation as THE place to go to so there were quite a few people waiting to be served and naturally people were getting inpatient. The employees of The Iron Oar were doing everything they could to keep up with the demand, but we did have to wait awhile to get our table and then our food. A word of advice to anyone trying to show up with a party of 8 people or more, CALL IN ADVANCE and they will make sure they have a table ready for you. Unfortunately we saw a large group of maybe 12 wait around and leave because there was just nowhere for them to sit. Nate was stressing to us the importance of people making reservations to improve their experience, which is completely understandable. Anyway, the food is cooked fresh and the people are very nice. It is a beautiful building with great views and it is definitely THE place to eat at in Riverdale. Just be patient, as the service can be slow, but you will enjoy your time. I look forward to going again soon. read more

Food took over 30 minutes to arrive when there was only ONE other table in the house. Shrimp was nightmarishly overdone to the color and hardness of boot leather. Burgers were equally charred. I hope it wasn't Dakota beef. It would be wasted on this place. This is a good venue for a large crowd needing drinks, as the beer selection is great. But the kitchen is abysmal. read more

Newly opened bar and restaurant. Excellent food with great prices. The Juicy Lucia is the best burger around! This is a must-stop place when we go through this area. Enjoy the view of the lake from the restaurant patio. Just opened in early July 2016. Great menu - Can't wait to go back! read more

Decided to make an hour trip to try something new. We were the only people in the restaurant besides the guy at the bar top. After sitting for 5 minutes out waitress decided to grace us with her presence. I ordered a wine and a glass of water and my date ordered a beer. After about 5 minutes we both received our drinks minus the water. WE both smelled alcohol on her breath everytime she spoke. We believe she was doing shots of fireball. Decided on the Missouri burger and the walleye and started with the jalapeno poppers. The look of everything was great. Until we started eating. Poppers were dry and over cooked. Walleye was great. Baked potato microwaved hot. Burger was burnt on one side and French fries were tasteless. We were never checked back on and never offered anything else. Just the receipt. Wished we could have had what she was drinking. Btw after asking 2 times for water I am still waiting. read more

On a road trip for the day and needing food. Stopped right after 1 pm. Limited lunch menu, but what was offered is just what we needed. I ordered the Murder Burger with garlic aioli. Best burger in the area of North Dakota I frequent. My fiancé ordered the Oar burger. They neglected to keep the thousand island off, but I sampled it, and done to perfection as well. I had the fried, she got the homemade chips. Both were excellent. It was not loud or anything, and kid friendly. They also offer local wines, and a food pour selection for beer. Recommend if craving a really good burger. We plan on being back when we get that urge. read more

This place was just terrible. The only girl who was good was this sweet little blonde girl who was running back and forth between this place and their motel they attempted to run while everyone else working there shat all over themselves the whole time. We felt so bad for this girl. Let's not forget we are in the middle of North Dakota... and not many people were even at the restaurant when we visited. Our waitress wasn't just "new" but incompetent. Everyone else was pretty rude or just dumb too. Didn't know prices of anything, forgot about us, didnt know specials that ended up being on the chalkboard... forgot to put our order in, etc. I have never left a yelp review before... but after being charged 60 bucks for two people and a series of bad events... I couldn't NOT leave a review. This poor high school girl was helping everyone, running the show. We finally decided to move into the bar after our waitress was having a conniption at 4 pm over 3 tables. our burger was alright, but the shrimp was tough and the bacon around it was slimy still. The cheese curds were all breading. And don't order mixed drinks. Just don't. The guys beside us had sour milk in their cocktail and our drinks were horribly mixed. read more

found the food to be over priced . not that good and the soup had way to much spice. the shrimp and chicken linguine was to rich and to oily to eat, the bread was excellent. read more

Summer 2016. This is a great place to eat and have a cocktail. Attractive and comfortable dining area / bar with a juke box. Have had multiple menu items and the food is exceptional. The draft beer choices are also very good. The owner has spared few details to attract customers. Looking forward to my next visit. If you are a local and haven't been here it is a must see. UPDATE 5/21/17 Unfortunately, after having dinner here I must update and downgrade my original 5 star review. In good conscience I cannot leave as it was. We were looking forward to our experience and found it to be rather disappointing so I am giving them the benefit of the doubt. First, we waited quite some time just for our drink order and then nearly 15 more minutes for our drinks. Our server was very pleasant, however very slow. Then, one of my favorite menu items, grilled jalapeño poppers, were not as I remembered them from last year. I do not plan to order them again. The prime rib was described as very tough and chewy. My wife's Cajun Po Boy sandwich was nothing more than three pieces of fried shrimp on a roll. The menu has changed dramatically since last year. It appears to have a more diverse choice while eliminating some choices I enjoyed last year. Fairly certain that the manager was in the kitchen cooking. Hopefully the hired chef is still around. The consensus was that we would try somewhere different next time we are in the area. read more

A very nice place to eat, with great views of the Dam and the lake. I had a very tasty burger with fresh cut fries. A good selection of beers at the taps in the bar. Friendly owner, great interior, this place is well worth a try. Great to see more options in the Riverdale/Pick City area. They are also doing breakfast apparently, and have a prime rib and shrimp special on the weekends. read more