The food is consistently good and fulfilling. The host always has a smile on their face and the service is great as well. The ambiance can't be beat! It is a nice restaurant for the Kent area. read more

This is my second time at the River Merchant, and tonight was for my birthday. Jake made our evening both memorable and enjoyable. His recommendations were fabulous and the atmosphere is perfect. 10/10 recommend! You will not regret it! read more

This has become my favorite date night spot in Kent . The service is always great, the flat breads never disappoint, and the Moscow mules are always amazing. We recommend this place to everyone when they ask where to eat in Kent. read more

First time here! Great patio and the cocktails are delicious! I recommend the Honey Pot for gin drinkers Pro trip: You're going to want a reservation. read more

Where do I begin? The atmosphere draws you in. Whether you're inside or outside, any seat will do. They made the best of the space that they had to work with. It's inviting and beautiful, but not pretentious. We had a hard time deciding what to have for dinner. So many choices sounded appetizing. We had four people and everyone ordered something different. The food was excellent. The service was excellent. You should make reservations now, before the weather turns. You won't be disappointed. Can't wait to go back! read more

Absolutely loved everything about the place when I was there 2 weeks ago. Yesterday afternoon I was there again. Sat outside along the river with a lovely view but across the aisle from me were their trash cans. They not only smelled but every few minutes someone came out of the kitchen and threw trash in them. Annoying at the very least. No other tables outside to move to. Unfortunately that will probably be enough for me not to go back. read more

Great food and drinks. Service was excellent. The outdoor seating overlooking the river gorgeous.

I love this place! The food is absolutely delicious and the atmosphere is great!!! The service was good but not exceptional! But I definitely will be back!!! read more

Was totally impress with this spot. The wine selection was Amazing!! The food was great and service was excellent. They also have an awesome patio with Greta view of the river. I'll decently be back! read more

I don't eat gluten, but I saw the Big Kent on the menu with the perfect ingredients and threw caution to the wind! It's vacation after all! This guy knows the biz! Thanks Cam and your excellent server Carly! What a dynamo with personality plus!! We prob won't be back in this life time cuz we live in Santa Cruz, but if anyone is looking for a recommendation in Kent, Ohio, this place is great. Have the Pisco Rio cocktail! And give Carly a fat tip!! read more

The top of the casual-but-slightly-upscale restaurants in Kent. Energetic vibe, and twice we've had the table right in front of the kitchen window. Fun to watch the variety of great-looking dishes on their way out. Service was attentive. My kids loved the burgers and pizzas. My Asian salad had a great combination to two dressings! We'll be back and would be happy to bring first time friends with us. read more

I met a friend here for lunch. The interior is very nice. The view of the river is nice. We both ordered burgers, and they came out overcooked and VERY greasy with very little flavor. We were very disappointed with the flavor for the price. The fries were crisp with some spicy seasoning. I don't think we will be going back for food, but we may try the patio for a beer on the patio when the weather warms up, but that would be all. read more

I'll start with the negative. Hostess took a while to even acknowledge us, they were just talking to each other. A "we'll be with you in a moment" is all I would like. We ordered two drinks from the bar and it took about 15 minutes. This place was empty so it was just a little confusing. I did all around enjoy the food and the experience! Tacos were very good, and our waitress was nice. Very pretty inside. read more

Great atmosphere with a fantastic beer and bourbon selection. Food arrived piping hot and was prepared with quality fresh ingredients. We'll be back again!!! read more

They could be a lot more accommodating to groups. Also they could let people in about five minutes before opening. Our group and others had to stand outside until exactly 12:00. read more

My third visit to this restaurant - each time has been fantastic. Servers are attentive and knowledgeable- shout out to Devin for the great service tonight! Cheeseburger and the salmon dinner special. Finished it off with lilac cake. A few drinks. Great recommendations from our server. Food was cooked perfectly. Love the atmosphere. Looking forward to a time when it can fill up. Make reservations in advance if you want to sit outside. Plenty of space indoors. Everyone in masks. Spaced appropriately. Easy parking. Our new favorite place in Kent! read more

Nice spot on the River...outdoor tables under cover....interesting menu..not overwhelming with too many choices. Good salads! Priced right with nice service. Will go again. read more

My husband and I were driving through the area on the way to New England, and stopped in to eat here based on the yelp reviews. We were not disappointed! We made a reservation from the road, and were seated outside on the patio, as we had requested. The view of the river was beautiful (fall colors in all their glory). As this is also a wine shop, there was an extensive wine list, but, to our great surprise, a good beer menu, too. We shared the grilled shrimp, white beans & sausage appetizer - zowie, an unlikely combination, but we were blown away! My husband enjoyed his roasted vegetable bowl, and I loved the apple glazed pork chop with squash and brussels sprouts hash (and - under those apple chunks on the pork chop - bacon jam.) Quite yummy. They have outdoor heaters on the patio, and, should we be driving near here again during COVID times, will definitely come here again, even if we have to go out of our way. Highly recommended! read more

My husband and I stopped in for a late lunch and some wine today, and it was great! The feta dip was amazing, and so was the Cali burger. We will definitely be back. read more

I loved everything about this place! The food was to die for and the drink menu was spectacular. We'll definitely be back in the summer so we can check out the back patio area! read more

Wonderful atmosphere - wonderful place and great food. Go and enjoy and if you sit outside along the river you can wave to the trains that roll by. read more

This place offers a wonderful experience. The ambiance, food, drink and hospitality is outstanding and every time I go I don't want to leave. read more

Had River Merchant for dinner last night (via carry out). FANTASTIC I placed my order ahead of time. The person who took my call was friendly and offered great advice for our meal selection. When I arrived I was welcomed by everyone I saw and our food was ready to go , except the drinks (a growler of Bourbon Barrel Stout and a Local Lemon signature cocktail) because they are poured/prepared when you arrive, which is fine by me! We had Merchant Burgers, prepared exactly as we asked (medium). Thanks The girls shared pepperoni flatbread (clearly "pizza" when addressing a 2 and 3 year old ). We all shared a Combination Board, which was fantastic. Their website is very informative, giving not only menu items but also retail items (bottles of wine, 6-packs of beer, etc.) We will definitely be going back! read more

My favorite place to eat! The atmosphere is amazing and food has been great every time! I love the grilled chicken sandwich and the fries are so yum with the seasoning they have! The feta dip appetizer is also to die for! Highly recommend read more

This restaurant is perfect!! Beautiful deck , great servers and excellent food!! I'm so happy that it's close to me!!

This place has my favorite drinks. I'm usually not a fan of whiskey, but their brown buttered old fashioned is an exception to that. Definitely try their honeypot drink too. The the taste of lavender and honey in it is the best. As for the restaurant itself, it has a cute patio and nice decorations! read more

First time there while visiting our daughter in college. Will definitely be back. Nice atmosphere, wanted to sit out on patio, though it was full, so hostess seated us as close to the patio as she could. Great beer & wine selection and food was really good. Had burgers and tacos plus sweet potato tots. Look forward to stopping back in the near future. read more

Best drinks in Kent! Employees are fantastic. Food is C- at best like everything on the food menu is underwhelming. But they do have a decent bar! read more

Fantastic and relaxing place to eat! Food was delicious and service excellent. Definitely coming back!!

Delicious food! Great scenic location on the river. The service was wonderful. We went for happy hour and enjoyed refreshing cocktails.

Wow! The beauty of outdoor dining at The River Merchant! Food was delicious and wine selection was stellar. Our server Liz was knowledgeable with a great personality/sense of humor. Can't wait to return for another enjoyable experience. read more

Wonderful food and wine on the patio! Service was excellent on a crowded Tuesday evening!

allllll- i can say.. it wow.. food was great.. server .. i believe her name was layla.. might be wrong.. but she was african american/ and had long braids.. i along w/ 2 of my co-workers were there on saturday about 3pm,, her disposition was simply amazing.. and i even told her at the end .. how very awesome of a server she was.. the topping on the cake was the fact that i somehow dropped my wallet / someone found it and turned it in w/ my credit cards/ andcash.. i called and the manager said., i have it and it's in a safe place... sure enough.. when i came back.. everything was in it.. .... thank..... you soooo much.. back to the place.. this place is beautiful/ clean, great and friendly staff... and i will definately go back there again... read more

Wow, is all I can say. Obviously the physical plant is beautiful and the changes dramatically improved what was a very nice place to begin with. Great work. But the most impressive things was the food. OMG the Tacos were the best I have ever had and the flat breads were excellent, the crust was perfect!Our friends loved it so much they went back that evening for dinner. Keep up the great work! Excellent place! read more

We have been disappointed all four times we ate here. People tell us it got better, but not really. Today we tried the brunch. The smoked salmon was too salty and tasted old. The hash browns were also old and burned. But worst were the poached eggs. They were COLD. Who serves cold poached eggs?? We won't go back. Extremely disappointed. read more

My boyfriend and I first time trying River merchant & we sat at the bar on Thursday night around 8:00 and it was not busy at all . There were 3 bartenders working and NO ONE ever checked on us when we had empty drinks and got our food delivered. They all seemed to walk past us as we weren't even there . Good food in general but from what I saw tonight I DO NOT recommended sitting at the bar if you want good service . read more

Really great food and our server was very kind and understanding. They had an amazing vegetarian option and the interior is very modern. A great place to grab dinner for a date night or just a fun night out. read more

My friends and I planned a week ahead and made reservations for this restaurant. We showed up 10 minutes early and waited. We waited for over an hour to get our "reserved" table which we saw the host give away 30 minutes in because he had our party confused with someone that didn't even make a reservation. They were very rude and inconsiderate, will never go there again. We were also nice about the whole situation and they made us feel this was common. read more

Bartenders are impersonal, menu is weird, expensive. Really unimpressed overall with the bar staff- they are not social whatsoever and come across and rude and cold. read more

My wife and I went with some friends to The River Merchant on June 18. Atmosphere, service, and the food were all great! Beautiful place to go and sit outside by the river for dinner. Unfortunately it rained when we were there. But no worries, we will be back! read more