Riverwalk At Tin City — Restaurant in Naples

We came through the access door near the bar at the water side entrance. The female host was already asking the woman in front of us if she wanted a table and the woman just headed past the bar, seemingly not interested in finding a table for food.

The host, a middle aged woman with blonde hair then turned to us and and asked how many and we said 3, but could we sit at the Waterside. She proceeded to turn us left and head to hightop tables at the busy/noisy bar end of the restaurant where the views would have been obscured by 2 parked boats.

We asked, mainly due to one of the party's difficulty, due to height on getting up onto a hightop table, if we could sit along the right hand side of the restaurant where there were less people and noise, lower more accessible tables and clear views of the water. At that moment the host scowled, almost barking her words as a command, saying "find a table you like then" and when we reached it she just threw down the menus and walked off. This was a disgraceful way to treat customers, has she never heard about a customer centred approach and giving the customer what they want, provided it can be accommodated of course , but given the restaurant at the time was approx one third full, table availability was not an issue.

Things improved when we met Monica M our server and she was the reason we decided to stay and not just walk out, but a series of strange behaviours took place after we were seated. Several of the Staff at the front, bar end of the restaurant kept popping their heads around the host stand area looking/glaring down towards our table, there was a man, middle aged with light or fair hair and glasses, quite tall, who was standing there with his hand on his hip in a confrontational stance looking at us, not through us, as there was only one other group several tables behind us, so the direction of the stare was not misunderstood by us. Then one of the servers from that top end of the restaurant by the bar, a younger woman with brown hair tied in a ponytail, was stood with the host staring down, talking and heads were shaking from side to side almost giving an air of disapproval. We got the impression that the host was either trying to direct customers to an area of the restaurant where servers she favoured would get more customers and hence more tips, it was very strange behaviour and almost like being in the school playground/yard where kids tell tales and talk about other kids in a way such as they want to intimidate.

As we said Monica was the reason we stayed and we would probably have walked out had she not been so efficient in bringing our drinks.

All of the service she provided, and all the food, drink and kindness from Monica saved the day and I would have given 5* if it was for the terrible attitude displayed by the host because she didn't get her own way and place us where 'SHE' wanted us to be in the restaurant.

The food was amazing, would highly recommend the blue crab handheld with sweet potato fries and their raspberry cold tea was one of the best we've sampled.

Pricing was also good and very much on an equal footing compared to surrounding bars and restaurants. The restaurant has been emailed about staff attitude, so anyone using this review to choose this restaurant, hopefully if dealt with effectively by the manager, other customers will not have to experience...

Lets start with three good things about this place and those are that it's on the water, the MOD helps run foods and drinks to tables when servers seem busy, and they have a great guitarist. To quickly touch base on our mediocre food and drink experience, the mojitos we first got were so sweet that for our round 2 of drinks, we decided to just go ahead and do a couple of gin and clubs. Well, the club soda was out and so our drinks were pretty watered down. We're not one to complain so we got them down. Even when the ice was completely melted, it took for us to put in a food order for our bartender to ask us if we cared for more ice. Maybe she didn't think we were worth the effort until a higher check was met? Thats what it felt like.

For food we ordered the flatbread and cocktail shrimp. The shrimp cocktail would have been great if the shrimp weren't warm. They were fresh, and big... the cocktail was a good balance of tomato and horseradish, it had a nice kick. When it came to the flatbread, we ate the edges. The tomato slices were so thick and it had so much cheese on it that it was super soggy/squishy. Pretty disappointing because we hadnt had breakfast and were starving.

Anyhoo- the reason for my review is because while we were sitting at the bar trying to enjoy our time before our sunset cruise, I couldn't help but watch what was going on behind the bar.

I get that we're trying to be efficient here. I've worked over 2 decades in the restaurant industry, and so I do understand trying to condense steps, but when your bartender is consistently talking about how "it's off season and it's so slow" then the quality of your drinks should be top notch (not to mention we shouldnt be sitting in a pool of water because all of our ice melted- but whatever). The fact that I'm watching her pour "fresh made" margaritas from a gallon container that was previously a chemical bottle (or maybe an old white wine vinegar bottle? Salad dressing?!) is crazy to me. Even more crazy? Watching the servers having to garnish their own customer drinks. I literally watched one server squeeze the lime into a customer's margarita. Mind you, this is after said server has, bussed other tables, handled payments such as cash or credit cards (cards are just as germy), ran food, and who knows what else. It's nuts because she pour the margarita into an empty glass, and then walks away to talk to the one dude (Mr. Remote control), meanwhile the server is left to ice and garnish his drink. I hope the tip out is at least minimal, sheesh.

As a bartender, if you're so slow, to the point that you feel like you need to mention it every 15 mins, then put a little effort into producing top quality drinks. Be on your A game and guess what? During the off season, more locals will frequent your establishment. Take it from me who worked years on Sanibel as well as Fort Myers Beach, locals will support you, your tips will get better, if you put the love into what you're dishing out, ESPECIALLY DURING OFF SEASON! Cutting corners in quality of service and product is only a self fulfilling prophecy... and not a...

I visited Riverwalk earlier this evening around 8pm. Waited ~45 mins for a table which was no bother given a Friday night during spring break season.

We were seated promptly once we were buzzed. The table wasn’t in the greatest location on the patio (right under an air conditioner in a corner affixed with dirty walls), but still had a wonderful view of the water.

I don’t know who our server was, given that we received no introduction or welcome to the restaurant. On top of that, we never even got glasses of water until one guest at the table ordered it. It was clear we were automatically a “turn and burn.” This happens, and we weren’t upset. However, to me, waters at the table is a must, and shouldn’t need to be asked for, especially at a restaurant which proudly displays its 4.1 star ranking on its website.

I ordered the sangria, coconut grouper appetizer, and the bbq shrimp entree. The sangria was very marginal— nothing to write home about. The grouper was fair, but was slightly over cooked. I also didn’t enjoy the sauce selection with the coconut breading on the fish. For my entree, I was disappointed to taste a low quality bbq sauce on the small, overcooked shrimp. The mashed sweet potatoes and spinach were well cooked and seasoned, but were overpowered by too many fried onions.

We were never offered refills on our drinks or had the chance to order more. Every time we were checked up on, our server was simultaneously talking to the other table behind us or rushing by. I’m sure she had a large section and a difficult crowd, but it was a challenge to enjoy the service.

I will say, I did have a previous experience there that matched with their average ratings. 2 years ago prior to Covid, I enjoyed my time at Riverwalk thoroughly. I was seated at a round table on the patio and received stellar service. Plus, my seafood bag bake entree was great and seasoned effectively.

I was disappointed by this evening, but know that Riverwalk can be great. I’m happy to visit...