Riverview Restaurant & Tavern — Restaurant in Algonquin

Oh boy, where to start! First, I was horrified when i sat down and look up at the tv and it was on a medical channel. I was seeing disgusting things and really made me question if i was even hungry anymore. Thankfully the host acted quickly to fix that problem and she is honestly one of the few good things in that restaurant. Looking at the menu, It was so long that there was no way for me to look at the options and make a decision. On the other hand I found not only that's day's specials menu (Saturday) but I found the Sunday - Thursday specials menu. The only special on either of those was the buffet on Saturday since that was the only real difference between the two. Now i didn't see what the specials menu is like on Friday and as a wager I am willing to go back to riverview if I'm wrong but I'm sure Friday's specials are all the same minus the buffet and with the fish fry. I figured i'd go with the buffet and on a positive note, the pizza was pretty good especially when it was fresh, however, the red heat lamps over them really mess with your eyes as you try to serve a few pieces to yourself that i suggest waiting a second after looking away before walking so your eyes can adjust to the lighting in the rest of the room plus the placement right next to the kitchen door really isn't ideal. Nothing at the buffet was labeled so it was a fun game at times to try to figure out what exactly you were eating. There was pasta with chicken that I had and thank god i asked for water because the chicken was so dry it took me about a minute and a half to get it to the point that i could actually swallow the meat. The past that was with it was also so overcooked that you don't need teeth because it is pure mush. The only pasta that was close to properly cooked was the pasta on the very edge of the pan that had dried out. The ribs weren't too bad but they were nothing special. I was surprised that the staff was actually attentive this time, so that was nice. God willing I won't be back but i am true to my word and if they Friday specials are different I'll go back once.

Edit: In response to the Riverview's claim that the program came on after a march madness game and they changed it quickly. We were there during the first games that night and our visit wasn't preceded by the completion of a game. Along with that, the staff did not even realize the tv was on in the dinning room, as admitted by the host that night and it was infact only after my table alerted the host to the program (about 5 to 10 minutes into our visit) did the channel get changed. I would suggest that it is generally a bad idea to tell a story of what happened when you were...

Ok.. I would have given 3.5 starts but that's not an option lol! My hubby has lived in the area all his life..me for 38 yrs. This is the second time we've been here. Years ago they used to have a small place across from Port Edwards.. now they have a bigger place on Main st./ route 31. The atmosphere wasn't bad.. I don't mind hearing people talking, laughing and having a good time. Its laid back..I enjoyed seeing all the old photographs on the walls. The decor definitely needs updated. At first we almost left, we walked in..went into the restaurant area.. sign said talk to the bartender for service. then the bar.. no one anywhere. But a young lady came out and said to sit anywhere we wanted. She is very friendly and a hard worker!! Just her tending the bar and waitressing!! She did a fabulous job. Now onto the food. I ordered all you can eat fish..it was 14.95.. came with coleslaw.. tarter sauce and your choice of potatoe. I chose baked..my fish was good..a little greasy but still good.. I wish the coleslaw was in a bigger container. The biggest thing was my potatoe..its supposed to be hot..it was lukewarm..barley melted my butter! Hubby ordered the bbq ribs.. let's start with the good..very tender, fall of the bone..moist.. a very good bbq sauce..tasty. Now..the not so good.. these were warm..not hot. Had they been hot with a little more char on them..they would have been extremely good. He did get the cream of chicken rice soup..he said it was good.The meal it's self was warm..his baked potatoe didn't even melt the butter. He was a bit bummed about it being just warmed. Would we go back again..sure. I'll try something else. All in all..it...

I’ve lived in the area for over four years now. I’ve ordered from Riverview multiple times before. Unfortunately, I am disappointed every time. The food just isn’t that great.

I’ve ordered the corned beef sandwich and it was so dry and cooked to a crisp, into the trash. I’ve also ordered the pizza a few times. It’s certainly edible, but it’s not worth the price. The sauce is way too sweet and they do not run cheese to the edge of the crust. There’s this big ring of tomato sauce on the edge of the pizza. Their sausage is the one redeeming quality.

This evening, I figured I would give them another try. I wish I could say it went well. I ordered a Small, Thin Crust Pizza with Sausage, Onion, Black Olive, and Green Pepper. I also did an order of their broasted Buffalo chicken wings.

The pizza was cooked thru and piping hot. However, that super-sweet sauce ring around the pizza is too much. However, the wings are a total different story.

The flavor of the sauce was fine. However, the wings were either way over cooked or still pink in the middle. Tonight, I had to toss away a $16 order of wings. Wings should NEVER be pink in the center. Hoping I don’t get sick.

I will likely hold off on ordering here going forward. The cost of food is way too high to toss it. It’s also incredibly wasteful. I’d highly suggest the owner re-trains the staff on food safety.

I’m hoping they’ll take this review seriously...