The River & Sandbar — Restaurant in Batesville

The views and the venue were fantastic. Unfortunately, our server (Rachel) was not. It took forever to get our order taken by her. Then, another server brought the food to us. Finally, we had to flag another server down to get our check. We NEVER saw Rachel again after placing our order.

The food was what you'd expect from most chain type steak houses (except there was no bread offered, which I found odd). I had the crab cakes as an appetizer and they were very good (probably my favorite part of the meal) with plenty of crab. The only thing that surprised me was that the chili beurre sauce had no "kick". I expected a little touch of heat from the spice, but I guess that was foreshadowing what was to come.

I had the 9 ounce filet with asparagus and loaded baked potato for my entree. Although everything was cooked to perfection, the steak had little flavor. I would have asked for some butter to put on it, if Rachel would've checked on us. Instead, I just had to put a lot of salt and pepper. The asparagus was a perfect doneness, but again there was no seasoning of any kind. A loaded baked potato is pretty standard, so not much to say on that.

Overall, the food was okay. Unfortunately, our particular server was not (although, the other staff was friendly and accommodating when we needed. The venue was very nice and it was relaxing to enjoy our meal with the view...

Great place on the White River. My sister and I were out for a Saturday afternoon ride on the Slingshot (yes, two old ladies and a Slingshot...hey, is there really an age limit on "cool", just sayin) and stumbled across this neat restaurant in Batesville, AR, nestled in the riverfront park, RIGHT ON THE WHITE RIVER. We were there during the day, so we did not get to experience the night ambiance, however I am sure it would lend a completely different feel. We started out with 2 AMAZING Pina Colada's (the best one I have had in years..big shout out to the bartender). We then shared 2 appetizers, Chips and Spinach Artichoke dip, and the Shrimp Stuffed Portobello Mushroom, we also ordered 2 house salads (which we did not eat as we were stuffed from the appetizers). The tab was $71.00 (not including tip)...a little pricy for 2 appetizers, 2 plain house salads and a couple of drinks...but everything was tasty, the scenery was fun and our waitress was terrific!!!! Just be prepared to drop well over $100 if you do bar drinks, appetizer, entrees and a worthy tip, for 2. But I will have to say Sis and I will definitely go back, next time we will just know to order two appetizers and the MUST HAVE PINA COLADA!!! Overall, our stop at "The River & Sandbar Restaurant" topped off another FABULOUS adventure in the saga of "Two Old Ladies and...

Edit august 2021: stopped in today and Raul did an excellent job of taking careful note on our order and making substitutes on my allergens. It was busy and short staffed, Raul was running all over the place nonstop, but between himself and a fellow from the kitchen they were handling it all amazingly. High energy excellent vibe despite the high pressure on them trying to get the tables served. We’ve been in a few times since my last edit review, but this time was above and beyond; and deserves a new review. Great job guys, and thanks Raul for trying so hard and getting everyone taken care of!! ❤️👏

Edit December 2020: we visited here in the first time for months. Kalie waited on us and is an amazing server. Our drinks came out so quick. She was super busy but didn’t miss a beat getting to us for everything we need. I’m so happy we came to the steakhouse tonight, service and food both amazing. Edited: under new management as of January 2019! The ugly torn up nasty plastic table cloths are GONE and the menu has been redone. We’ve been in once since the new owners, my grandmas French dip sandwich was dry and came cold, but the rest of our party’s food was good. They’re still transitioning and I’m sure it will be fantastic soon (same owners as 109 main!) We will be back and update again! Hopefully all the broken and chipped dishes...