River View Grill & Bar — Restaurant in Exeter

We had dinner here on a Wednesday night in April 2025. This is a large restaurant and bar in a lovely setting right next to the Kaweah river with both indoor and outdoor seating.

We were seated quickly. As sometimes happens, the host tried to seat us at a rear table in a mostly empty section, we asked instead to be seated at an empty riverfront table and he agreed.

Our waiter Juan arrived quickly with menus.

They were out of the draft IPA beer on the menu so I asked for a sample of an alternative draft IPA Juan recommended. He said they charge $1 for draft samples, which I think is a silly policy for $8 draft beers, but I agreed. My daughter loved her watermelon margarita and I hated the hazy fruity IPA sample he brought and switched to a draft Stella which was much better. They still charged the $1 for the IPA sample.

My daughter ordered the chili burger and I ordered the pastrami burger. The food came out quickly but the waiter forgot to bring a fork to go with the chili burger. We waited about 5 minutes and he never checked in on us so I went up to the kitchen and asked him for a fork and then he took about another 5 minutes to bring it.

My daughter enjoyed the chili burger. I thought the pastrami burger was just barely okay. For both of us the burger patties were very overcooked and dry. The Pastrami was just two small slices and it was tough and chewy. The fries were good and hot.

After we finished dinner the waiter came back and I asked for a menu so we could look at desserts. Juan forgot to bring the menu and came back about 15 minutes later with the bill.

We ended up stopping at the local market inside the Shell station to get a pint of Ben & Jerry's fudge brownie ice cream and that was really good.

So in summary, I think this restaurant is all about the atmosphere. The river setting is beautiful and they often have live music. In the Spring there are definitely mosquitoes. The food is just average and at least for us the service was friendly but inattentive and forgetful.

The restaurant is very kid friendly and dog friendly, we should have brought our Labrador...

We had a great time at River View Grill & Bar. The riverside setting was beautiful and relaxingperfect for enjoying a solid meal after exploring the area.

I ordered the Mountain Man Burger and it was a monster in the best way. A thick, juicy Angus patty topped with bacon, cheddar cheese, crispy onions, and BBQ sauce. Every bite was packed with smoky, savory flavor. I paired it with their onion rings, which were crispy and golden easily some of the best I’ve had in a while.

My wife tried the Pastrami & Swiss Melt perfectly grilled with gooey cheese and tender pastrami on toasted sourdough. It was rich, satisfying, and clearly made with care. The fries were seasoned well and had that perfect balance of crunch on the outside and soft on the inside.

For the kids, we got the Mini Corn Dogs from the “Wee Ones” menu. They were a hit—crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and just the right portion. Plus, it came with more of those delicious fries and a dipping sauce.

The staff was welcoming and attentive, and the food came out hot and fresh. The casual, family-friendly atmosphere made the whole experience even better. Also worth noting they offer a 10% military discount, which is always appreciated.

Tip: Grab a table outside near the river for a peaceful view while you eat.

Highly recommend if you’re in the Three Rivers area and craving something hearty...

We were initially excited to eat here based on what we had seen online. We called ahead to see wait times and they said 15-20 minutes, which seemed ok from what we saw from the cars around when we drove by. But when we got there, they seated us right away, so that was a plus. We were greeted at our tables immediately and served the initial requested waters. We didn’t see anyone else for 10-15 minutes. We had made our decision on an app, drinks and entrees and made it all together. The app came out another 15 minutes later and the drinks 20 minutes. We decided we wanted to order a second round right away and were told that we could not initially due to CA laws on beverage service, even though we had waited so long. The cocktails were small so that didn’t make sense and quality was okish. The food, both the app and the burgers, were delicious, so that’s a plus. We finally got the second round of drinks. There was a private event wrapping up as we had arrived but our server wasn’t a part of that so not sure what any issue was; actually, we saw our server 2-3 times and everything else was done by others. All told, disappointing experience and overall overpriced. 3 burgers with 2 drinks each and two apps was over $50/person. Ultimately disappointing for what...