Riverview Roadhouse Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Le Claire Township

Saturday, August 14, 2021 at 8:12 PM Overlooking the Mississippi River Riverview Roadhouse LeClaire, Iowa

Finding parking in the main blocks of LeClaire proved frustrating. So I found this bar with a parking lot all its own north of the hubbub. Families turned out in droves for TugFest, a celebration of Mississippi River tugboats. The lot for the Buffalo Bill Museum now hosts the carnival rides, Ferris wheels and tilt-a-whirls. At Port Byron across the river, a carnival entertains families with pretty much the same kind of rides. TugFest includes the west and east sides of the river.

I've noticed a constant traffic of tugs pushing barges all day, up the river and down the river. I found a place on a high hill this afternoon to work on a report. I could see the river when I looked up from writing. The tugs worked the river. I worked the keyboard. It took me two hours to complete the report. The words were flowing. One day my words will flow as effortlessly as the river flows.

So what am I doing in LeClaire? I took the car into a dealership for an oil change and a tire rotation. The tank stood at three quarters. I had tired out every place in Princeton and Peru, I swear. TugFest made for a good excuse to head an hour west. It just feels different to cross that broad river that separates the country into East and West. It's entirely philosophical, but it's a shift that helps me to unwind and relax. I still can use a physical cue when trying to relax.

I hadn't planned to stay the night. I could go see if there's a new art show at the Figge Art Museum in downtown Davenport tomorrow. Finding a pillow for my head this late into the evening makes for an annoying task. Better to hit the road, drinking a coffee and playing old eighties music on the hour ride home. Wish an Uber existed to take me all the way. I really need to...

This is an unpretensious neighborhood bar and grill with a good reputation. It has a daily lunch special Monday- Fridays and some evenings . I've been going there for lunch, as well as the occasional pizza dinner, for years.

The lunch crowd ( which I'm more familiar with) is mainly older regulars 50-70 years old, or blue collar workers on their lunch breaks, with a scattering of tourists who have been checking out LeClaire's specialty shops.

It's located along the Mississippi river, and you can enjoy the view from big windows inside the bar, or from a large deck. Seating is available inside at the long wooden bar and at many tables. There are also tables on the river-facing deck.

The ( older) building is clean and well maintained, but not trendy or fancy. It is large, with an open, well lit feel. The owner and staff are friendly, as are the customers. There is a pool table and a few video gaming machines.

The prices are reasonable, with typical bar sandwiches ( like burgers and tenderloins) and the lunch specials in the $5-$6 range. Drink prices are also reasonable.

Wise Guys pizza, a local favorite, is located in the lower level of the building. It opens in the late afternoon, and the pizza can be eaten upstairs in...

Party of 4 - arrived and there were 2 tables open - 1 clean, 1 dirty. Arrived about 1335 1350 Got menus / drink order taken - waitress did say to us that food had been taking awhile, that they had a lot of tickets but she would get to us. 1410 - drinks arrived 1 beer 3 sodas Tried to order Appetizers / waitress stated she would be right back. 1420 came back took our entire order, 2 Appetizers - 3 tenderloin meals - one cheeseburger meal all with fries. 1500 Appetizers arrived 1530 food arrived. We had to go up to the bar to get refill on drink orders each time ourselves. While we were there we saw 2 tables get up and leave / tired of waiting for service. One was an older couple, the other a table of 4 ladies that had only gotten drinks and we could hear their conversation if wanting to order food but tired of waiting. The food was excellent once it arrived. The waitress was nice and the cook ended up bringing our Appetizers out to us. He was very apologetic about the wait. Our bill was over $100 and we left a great tip but they really need faster...