River Cafe & Bistro — Restaurant in Adur

Firstly, River Cafe & Bistro only opened this month - so any reviews before 8th May (500+) are from the previous coffee shop Tom Foolery.

I’m sat in the new place right now. My first - and probably last visit. I ordered a flat white which they charge £3.30 for. For that money you expect a well made flat white with quality coffee. I sat down at a table and waited for my coffee. I had to move as the table top was dangerously wobbly. The slightest touch and a drink would slide. It wasn’t just a question of altering the position of the table legs - it was where the pole goes into the legs. After I moved a member of staff put a reserved sign on it to stop anyone else sitting there.

My flat white then turned up - with loads of froth on top looking more like a cappuccino. I asked if it was supposed to be a flat white. Member of staff offered to get it remade - but not very enthusiastically. The replacement had less froth but it was really just a milky coffee. And the coffee was just standard coffee beans from tasting it. They should perhaps go and check ‘Drift’ around the corner to see what a flat white should look and taste like.

Places should not offer specific drinks like flat white if they don’t have well trained baristas to make them - especially when they charge top prices. It’s not just a milky coffee. Very...

Went here for dinner last night - a group of 6 plus 1 well-behaved dog! It was AMAZING! A very friendly welcome from Laura our host and the restaurant looked extremely inviting with candles on the tables and great background music playing. Laura was attentive but didn’t hurry us. The starters were lovely, well presented and tasty. I had calamari which I had to say was the best I’ve ever tasted - not the usual rings but chunks, breaded and cooked to golden brown. Others had prawns, humus and the baked Camembert, all really nice! Mains - 4 of us had the steak frites, 1 the fish of the day (sea bass) and 1 the cod and salmon fishcakes with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce. We weren’t disappointed! The chef Sian did a fantastic job! Although the puddings looked inviting, none of us could manage one. A special deal atm is with each 4 people dining, you are given a bottle of house wine - nice touch. Would highly recommend this place and would encourage you to give it a try in...

Went for breakfast here with my husband and we were disappointed with the entire experience. The coffee was weak, not very flavourful, and only warm, not hot. We both ordered the American pancakes with crème fraiche and berry compote. When the pancakes arrived they were tiny and flat, with far too much cream and compote slathered all over them to the point I had to scrape a significant amount off. When we asked for the maple syrup it was meant to come with, we were given a tiny cup that contained barely a tablespoon of syrup so had to go up and ask for more. The service was okay but not friendly, no smiles or checking how we found the food. The pancakes were also cold by the time we sorted the syrup so were not enjoyable at all. I had to get a snack from elsewhere afterwards. At £29 for two lots of pancakes and two coffees, I would expect far more and better than what we got. A shame because the atmosphere is great, with nice tables outside...