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    The River's Edge Bar and Grill

    3.8 (154 reviews)
    ModerateBars, Seafood, American
    Open • 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

    The River's Edge Bar and Grill Photos

    Business Info

    THE RIVER'S EDGE BAR AND GRILL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Live music
    Loud
    Divey
    Casual

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    Recommended Reviews - The River's Edge Bar and Grill

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    Reviews With Photos

    Alex F.

    Came here on a whim with a buddy who visited before. He shared that it was a pretty chill spot with some friendly locals. We ordered the sampler platter to share. Most of the items on the menu are fried and what you'd expect from a beach style bar. Didn't try any of their cocktails but I'll definitely be back soon as this location wasn't too far from my house and was easy to find.

    Sampler Platter
    Jennifer H.

    We're new locals and checking out our local haunts. This place feels like a best kept secret among those that know. I can't speak to the food, we have fried food only, but the drinks were poured well, the service was on point, the view stellar, and live music. Most definitely will be back.

    Marie Z.

    This is, hands down, the best kept secret of the area, in my opinion. This restaurant is definitely a locals delight. Rivers Edge Bar and Grill is on the Alafia River, not far from 75, tucked away in a neighborhood of...what I'd call a small river home community, and to the left of the marina (I believe it's a Freedom boat club location but don't quote me on that). Going there for the 1st time, you'll probably wonder if you're lost, or perhaps, took a wrong turn, but you'll see the small venue once you near the River. Most likely, you'll spot the boat ramp first. River's Edge is small, with indoor and outdoor seating. There's docks directly behind which accommodate to those who are out boating and want to stop for a quick bite to eat and have a drink or 2. If you're seeking live entertainment, you may be happy to know they usually feature live music on the weekends (I've never been during the week so I can't speak to that). The ambiance is a relaxed environment with a sea theme and windows that look like may have come from an actual Boat/ship. The place is in kept pretty clean and well maintained. The staff is small but the couple of lady's that ha served me are awesome, super friendly, attentive and have been there for quite some time. But I saved the best part for last and that's mentioning the food that's served. The menu is small, however, if scrutinized by Chef Ramsey Gordon himself, would get his approval lol you'll find typical bar food such as wings or burgers listed but then.......there's the grouper sandwich. I'm going to suggest you give that a try and have it cooked blackened and I'm pretty sure you won't regret it. The sandwich even got both of my daughter's stamps of approval and 1 of them don't even like fish at all lol but hands down, probably the best blackened grouper sandwich I've had in this area. Well worth checking it out, especially if you like to drink and enjoy live music....

    View From Parking Lot 3
    Heino P.

    Waterfront, Relaxing, Great Shrimp On our way down to the Fort Myers area we wanted some light lunch at some waterfront place. We found this place on the internet and gave it a try. It sits right on the Alafia River and according to our server, has had its share of damage from recent storms. More from storm surges than wind, but they are up and running. The neighborhood near the restaurant is in pretty bad shape for the storms. Clearly a favorite stop for motorcyclists based on how many were there on a Wednesday afternoon. Lots of waterfront seating at tables with umbrellas and boaters have plenty of piers to tie up to. For our light lunch we had a Full Order of Peel and Eat Shrimp ($20.30) and the Fried Pickle Chips ($8.35). We estimate this was a full pound of 16-20 size shrimp. They are tossed with Old Bay seasoning and we had an option to get them either cold or warm - we picked warm, with butter for dipping. They also came with a nice zippy cocktail sauce. Great flavor and as we saw, most people coming in to eat ordered shrimp. A few onion rings slipped into our tasty pickle chips basket. A very comfortable place to dine and look out on the water and watch the boaters.

    Todd B.

    3.3* (out of 5) Food: n/a Atmosphere: 3* Value: 4* Service: 3* 09/30/2023 This was the closest place to our son's home and was along the drive home from dinner, so thought we would stop and check it out and have 1 drink. It was admittedly a letdown stopping here relative to several other places in the area, although it was later at night and we didn't order food. While it looks like a fun place with a great view during the day, our stop for a nightcap was disappointing. The mixed drinks weren't very good and I'm big on local tap beers - but there aren't any tap beers here. There was plenty of space to move around and a number of outdoor games set up that would be fun during a warm afternoon - but on this evening just after a rain shower had passed through and the grill was about to shut down, it was a disappointment. We waited several minutes for someone to serve us at a table adjacent to the outside bar, then I walked up to the bar to see what beers they had on tap. To my surprise, I learned that they didn't have any beers on tap! In addition, I was told that she couldn't serve me...that someone was on the way out to our table. It took more than a couple of minutes for a server to get to our table - possibly because they assumed we were going to order food, so had someone from inside bring out food menus and apologize for the fact that the grill was shutting down in a few minutes. This place has some good reviews for their food, is set up for outdoor activities and the view looks great during the day. We had already eaten and there wasn't much liveliness left when we arrived around 8:45 on a Saturday night, so I can only speak to our experience. Honestly, my biggest letdown was that the there was no beer on tap...I really like trying different local beers on tap wherever I go and that isn't possible here. Maybe we'll stop by during the day for lunch on our next trip to sample the food and experience a different aspect. If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com

    Two of by sea. This place is packed in the parking lot but not at the docks.
    Andy W.

    Great for drinks but the food quality has gone down the river. We have been coming here for years and the grouper tenders use to be great and so was the shrimp but the last 3 times we have been they haven't deveined the shrimp and the grouper nuggets I tried this weekend were actually catfish. I asked the server to take them back since they weren't grouper and showed her how we knew it was catfish. (Thin, small compartmentalized sections with tan on both sides. The she said nothing but the look on her face said it all. The manager never even bothered to come speak to us so clearly they were hiding in shame.

    The bathroom
    Bill S.

    There's just too much to say. This place can't possibly have a chef. They are just microwaving and deep frying everything. The goal here is to serve the bare minimum, using the least amount of energy, charging the most you possibly can. We asked for a JD on the rocks and my dad got one shot in a plastic cup, no rock glass, just a disposable plastic cup. Where's the love? That was $9. We asked the waitress if she could hook him up with a double and the next one was poured the same way. Plastic cup with just two ounces. $18. The appetizers were a joke. I asked her what she liked and she recommended the mac and cheese balls, claiming they were her favorite. They were barely edible! Everything on the menu except for the burgers just needed to be fried or nuked. There is absolutely zero passion coming out of that kitchen. The shrimp burger was barely edible and the hamburgers were ok. The utensils were all plastic if you were lucky to get them. The worse part was the port-o-potties for a bathroom. They were completely trashed. This made me think about the wait staff and "cooks" and how clean they could possibly be. Luckily we didn't get sick from our meal. All I can think of is that restaurant show where the kitchens are filled with rotten food. I hope to god this place isn't like one of those places.

    Tequila and soda water with lime
    Michael Q.

    First time coming here , the food was amazing . Also , the views are amazing . Outside eating area on the deck and very spacious. There is also indoor dining. Wendy our waitress was kind and amazing . Good prices on the food and drinks. Drinks were good

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    3 months ago

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    6 days ago

    We always have an amazing time at Rivers Edge Thanks to Chelsa our wonderful server who's always super attentive and friendly.

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    7 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Absolutely amazing food and staff. We ordered there 12 times out of the 3 weeks we were here n the area. The Rubin sandwich is awesome

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    3 years ago

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    7 months ago

    All employees are great. Scenery is calm and relaxed. Food is good bar food. Nice get away close to home.

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    1 year ago

    Food is great good to go out for a couple of drinks. Also, they're very peaceful. Quiet waitresses are on point.

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - The River's Edge Bar and Grill

    Do they have oysters? Served how?

    Yes: Raw or Rockefeller. Both were Great!!!

    View All 2 Questions

    Review Highlights - The River's Edge Bar and Grill

    “The menu is small, yet everything we ordered, fried mushrooms, egg rolls, BLT and peel and eat shrimp was fresh and good.”

    Mentioned in 7 reviews

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    Finn’s Dockside Bar & Grill - Grilled romaine with breaded chicken

    Finn’s Dockside Bar & Grill

    3.6(349 reviews)
    5.8 mi
    •$$

    First time diner here but my friends have both lunched or had apps here once before...It was a bit…read moreof a drive from Ellenton for lunch but well worth the drive. The perfect early afternoon for lunch outdoors on the deck. (tempered heat, a slight breeze and big fans-perfecto!!!). Great menu...average prices per entre or sandwich= low $20's. I ordered the Grouper Po-boy, (delicious) the ladies had shrimp- the Cajun wrap and drunken shrimp (they raved about both)... I took half of my sandwich home...the grouper was tender, juicy and flaky...yummmm. The fries,( def order Xtra crispy - were perfect!! ) Coke products on tap which made us happy. Not to upstage the great food was the dual dolphin water show off our railing...so kool.) Lots of smiles everywhere in this place...but I would be remiss if I didn't compliment our server...she was awesome....exceptional Customer service and experience. Sorry I didn't get your name but you know who you are...9-16-2026 / between 12:30-2:00 / party of 3 ladies outside off the inside bar on the deck )- I had heart shaped sunglasses on - thank you for a lovely lunch experience!

    Food: 4/5 Service: 5/5…read moreAmbiance: 5/5 Went here for lunch and wow great food with great views for sure! (Also iykyk BTS members were here too :DD) We arrived around 3 PM, and the restaurant was super busy and packed. I was expecting a wait but we got seated right away. Initially, we asked to sit outside and it was really nice at first. The breeze and fresh air in the shade were definitely 10/10. But as the afternoon went on, the sun got much hotter and the seagulls became absolutely VICIOUS LOLL, so we ended up asking to move inside. The staff were so accommodating and let us pick whichever table we wanted, which I really appreciated. Now onto the food, WOW was the first word that came out of my mouth the portions are HUGE. There were a lot of great options to choose from, but I ended up getting the grilled lobster mac and cheese. The portion was HEFTY. I ate so much, yet it still looked like I barely made a dent in the bowl lol. The flavor was good, but it was saltier than I expected, and the more I ate, the more noticeable the saltiness became. I didn't catch the names of my friends' dishes, but they all really enjoyed their meals. Overall, it's a great spot with amazing views, generous portions, and great service. I'd love to come back again in the future!

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    Finn’s Dockside Bar & Grill - Inside bar

    Inside bar

    Finn’s Dockside Bar & Grill - So many good choices.

    So many good choices.

    Finn’s Dockside Bar & Grill - Beautiful scenery

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    Beautiful scenery

    CLAWS Eateries and Catering

    CLAWS Eateries and Catering

    2.8(12 reviews)
    1.5 mi
    •$

    We ordered from here on Doordash because we wanted some seafood. Doordash got the order wrong so we…read morecalled Claws and spoke to Keyon(not sure if spelled correctly ) he was so polite and made sure the order was placed again. I have to add that his customer service skills alone have a customer for life from us. You dont typically get this kind of service from businesses anymore. He really went above and beyond to make sure everything was right. This was the Brandon location off of Lithia Pinecrest not the Riverview but they are the same company so I left the review here. Ps the food we got that was incorrect was delicious. And the Calypso punch was awesome as well.

    Yelp says it's closed but it certainly is not. We had this food truck tonight for dinner as it came…read moreto our neighborhood's weekly "food truck Friday's" event. The only reason I'm awarding it 2 stars is because the customer interaction was pleasant. The customer service may have been good, but everything else was not impressive. The menu choices were decent, especially for a food truck. We ordered 3 menu items. Their "specialty" claws bucket ($28), fried lobster and fries ($12), and finally lobster gumbo ($10). I also ordered a calypso punch ($3). Our friend ordered a choose your meats and sides platter ($20). We were told we would be waiting 25 minutes. We waited an HOUR in the Florida heat. I'm 39 weeks pregnant and our young toddler was with us so we were incredibly unimpressed with this. Our food finally came and for the amount we spent, we were massively disappointed in the portion sizes. We took our food home and sat down. My husbands and daughters food (the lobster and gumbo) were under seasoned and the gumbo didn't even contain all the ingredients it said it would. My food (the claws platter thing) was decent, but really could have been better. We've had better Cajun seafood boil for way less price and way larger portion sizes.

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    CLAWS Eateries and Catering
    CLAWS Eateries and Catering - Mac and Lobster Balls!

    Mac and Lobster Balls!

    CLAWS Eateries and Catering - Menu board-2014

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    Menu board-2014

    The River's Edge Bar and Grill - bars - Updated September 2026

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