River Deck — Restaurant in Hayward

The people at this restaurant know EXACTLY what they are doing, and what they are doing is creating an experience like no other that I've had. It was nothing short of spectacular. Everything about it was top notch. When walking up to the restaurant, we were greeted with a smile immediately. The outside dining creates an atmosphere of relaxation. Overlooking the lake/log competition arena was super nice. There was no competition happening, so we got to see the serene view of the still water, an occasional kayaker paddling by. I commented several times that it felt as if you were sitting in a southern outdoor restaurant, enjoying a fine dining experience, while sitting in an up-north cabin. It was a surreal and awesome combination. Our server, Emile, was quick, knowledgeable and friendly. She added a comfortability to our experience that you don't often find. The food....the food that Chef Troy planned and Sous Chef Angela executed for us was truly spectacular. The new tastes and knowledge that Chef Troy have brought to the restaurant is phenomenal. It was beautifully served, perfectly seasoned, the taste was indescribable in the best way. We had crab cake as the appetizer, which was the only crab cake I've ever enjoyed. Fresh crab, not fishy at all. Just delectable seafood. My husband had the salmon sandwich as an entrée. He said he's never had anything so delicious. The salmon was perfectly cooked, and the aioli went perfectly with the dish. He even commented on the how wonderful the bun was, which we found out later was brought in directly from the Big Easy. I had the filet mignon. This steak was so flavorful, and so tender I literally cut it with my fork. I tested it just to be sure. Finished off with a very rich chocolate cake that could have easily fed 4 at that table, with the right amount of semi-sweet cream that was the perfect compliment to cut the richness and bring out the chocolate. I mean, I literally cannot say enough good things about this restaurant. I would return again and again, and drive from Minnesota over to Hayward JUST to eat there. I would recommend this place to anyone who is looking for dining in Hayward, and be confident that it would hold up against any place out there as...

The one star is not for the food. I'm sure the food is delightful. We were visiting from out of town and were looking forward to dining here. We walked up shortly after opening. We were told the wait would be 20 minutes "or maybe 40". Okay. The young woman then mumbled about sitting at the bar. No one was at the bar. The bartender, a fairly young guy, was making drinks. He walked past us maybe 12 times, not once even saying "I will be right with you" or even smiling at us. He seemed to be on first name terms with some people who came up to the bar, laughing and smiling. Finally, he said "I'll be right with you". Went back to the previous woman named Christy or something similar, forgetting to give her her credit card back. Again, we were the only ones seated at the bar. We thought he would at least take our order but he decided this was the time to change the register tape! Not a word out of him.

We got up and left. So the one star is for making us feel extremely unwelcomed. Maybe we aren't regulars thus we don't deserve a decent level of customer service. We were in the area for 5 days and everywhere we went we had...

07/30/22 The experience was off the mark. We called ahead to see if there was availability. We were told that they couldn't add us to the list but there was only a few people on it so we should expect about a 30 minute wait. We showed up 15 minutes later and the hostess told us they were no longer seating. We told them we called and we asked that they speak with the kitchen again. They did eventually offer to seat us in 15 minutes. But the interaction left a bad taste in our mouths so we decided to go somewhere more welcoming.

Its too bad because their food is fantastic and it's our go to celebration spot! It was a lumberjack night, so we understand that it was busy, but the customer service needs improvement.

06/11/2022 Sat at the bar and enjoyed the view, drinks, and some great food!

06/11/2021 Everything that we had was fantastic! I definitely recommend the crabcake, house salad, and mojito. Will...