The Bistro At The River — Restaurant in Ontario

Quick note before my review: There was a “Yelp Check-in Offer” here that I missed out on because I checked in after I ate and was already stuffed by then, it was for a free Bistro Bruschetta. So just check your Yelp Mobile for Check-in Offers before you order :)! Now for the review:

As a visitor to the Detroit/Windsor area I was happy to have lunch at The Bistro at the River. Located just steps from Riverfront Trail it’s the perfect place to take in the river and Detroit Skyline. They have a good sized patio as well that would be pretty ideal for a warm day, but unfortunately it was a rainy day so we headed inside. Inside is fairly small but feels open and quaint. The décor is pretty basic but still on the classier side. It was quiet on our visit, but on other occasions availability might be tougher. As this is located right on the Riverwalk you will have to pay for parking in the adjacent parking lot.

The menu is a decent size and has a good selection of items including sandwiches, wraps, burgers, pizza, pasta and entrees. The Pasta and Entrees are only served during evening hours (I believe it was past 5:00pm). Drink menu was a bit on the smaller end but still adequate. Prices are very affordable but can range a little higher on a couple entrees. I went with the Buffalo Caesar Wrap with Fries and my Fiancée had the Penne Ultimate Mac & Cheese with a side salad. Although her item was from the evening menu, our server checked with the kitchen who went ahead and made it anyways since they weren’t busy, a nice courtesy that I had to note! The wrap was very salty which made it a bit off-putting, fries were good. The side salad was a bit heavy on the Balsamic but the Penne Mac & Cheese was good and the winner at the table, very happy they made the exception. The garlic bread with it didn’t add much and was dry.

Food was average, prices were good, service was good and the view was great. Decent experience, I’d go again, preferably on a warm day. Something about being there on a dreary day made it...

My sister and I along with my niece and nephew had a late lunch after swimming at the water park near by on Wednesday, July 27th. Waitress is terrible.. She added 20% tip without my knowledge and charge $18.99 for only kid’s pizza. Waitress did not offer us what we would like to drink and I have to ask if they have drinks for kids. She returned with drinks and forgotten one, I thought she wrote them down too. I also ask for kid’s menu but she rather say them than bringing them to us so my niece and nephew has meal options. The restaurant is not busy, only two tables were occupied. I have to call the near by waitress that we are ready to order. Close to finishing our meal, the waitress asked if the bill is separate or together? I said, together. After two minutes she returned with the bill and asking me if I needed debit machine. I told her give us a few minutes. We were still eating not totally done with our meal yet. After, I reviewed our bill. Waitress added 20% tip without my knowledge and charged $18.99 for just a kid’s pizza with nothing on the side. I can’t justify how much was a kid’s pizza but I found it too overprice. We are finally done, still waiting for the waitress to return so I can pay the bill but she never returned to our table. I decided to go up to her counter and paid. I should of call for a supervisor or manager but we have to leave as the kids are...

Had dinner with 12 family members on Sunday June 9th, 2024. The service was less than stellar but the food was absolutely horrible. We had a reservation for outside, weather depending. When we arrived to sit inside, they had split us to 2 tables even though the restaurant was almost empty and there was plenty of room to accommodate. The waitress was rude and making faces and giving attitude when we asked why we couldn’t be at 1 table and not have 4 of our family members sit alone. The food….it was some of the worst we have ever encountered. I ordered the wild mushroom and prosciutto pasta. It was like drinking a cup of straight oil with a handful of salt thrown in. I took two bites and pushed my plate aside. Other family members ordered Cajun shrimp pasta, chicken parm, Reuben sandwich, Philly steak sandwich etc. all were horrible, dry, flavourless, looked old and stale, tasted so salty etc.

I will say, the waitress DID comp my pasta as well as another dish. I just wish we had known what was about to happen. 6 of our family members ended up with mild cases of food poisoning that night, including my 3yr old daughter. It was one of the worse dinning experiences I have...