RiverGrille on the Tomoka - Ormond Beach — Restaurant in Ormond Beach

Not the greatest experience. I so wanted to like this place because of the wonderful reviews and atmosphere. I brought my boyfriend here as a surprise because he got a promotion at his job. Great atmosphere but the first negative was that we had to wait several minutes to get seated on the outside deck. We asked for a table in the shade and we were told the tables in the shade had to be cleaned. Upon looking at the deck, I noticed there were several tables in the shade that were vacant and cleaned. After about 15 minutes of waiting to be seated, we were still seated in the sun. I didn’t make it a big deal because the sun was going down at around 7:30 PM. Our waiter was very nice and welcoming. He was full of smiles and had a very lovely demeanor. Once our food arrived, I had a long piece of blonde hair that was in my mouth and attached to my bottom lip while chewing. I immediately pulled the food out of my mouth. My boyfriend was disgusted and alerted a waitress to get a manager. When the female manager approached our table, she asked what the issue was. I explained and her response was that none of the cook’s in the kitchen had long blond hair. This was not professional at all. Hair can be picked up and transferred in many ways. It should not have been a negative answer or a finger pointing response. The problem should have been resolved with an apology and a question to me as the customer as to how to resolve the situation. I asked for a different entree instead of asking for money back. When I got my bill, there was an order swap. The chicken wrap that had hair in it that I originally ordered was removed from the bill and replaced with the wings that I ordered. In actuality, I should not have had to pay for this meal as a courtesy by management. I asked our server to correct the bill. After several minutes, there was an adjustment made. I still tipped my server the max amount of gratuity and thanked him for his service. Not the best experience but I’ll try to maybe return for happy hour at some point. I’m an investor in several alcoholic beverage company’s and visit different restaurants for networking purposes. I always do reviews for the public. I’d like to give every business a positive review but unfortunately, I was unable to do so for this...

River Grille I am a customer of River Grille Restaurant located on the Tomoka River in Ormond Beach . My experience was racially disturbing. Rude male white customer complained about me talking to my husband . The male was very rude, and said I was loud and could not hear his wife. They were both eating and his wife was not talking to him at all. The male customer was upset because my husband and I were conversing in Spanish and a little in English. I offered different options to ease his annoyance… and he refused and was very rude, belligerent and insulting. The bartender “Janea O” was very quick to defend the white male and accuse me of being profane because I was speaking in Spanish. The bar was outdoors and there was only three customers including myself who was visiting alone. I felt accused, singled out, shamed, and discriminated for communicating in a culturally diverse language which the bartender found offensive and the client found loud to his liking . I spoke with the manager “Noah” whom did not offer any resolution , or apologies and just listened . I felt displaced and singled out for communicating in my cultural distinct language. The white male and his wife continued comfortably while smirking at me while the manager and I spoke. I am appalled, dissatisfied, disappointed, disgusted and humiliated that this type of treatment was allowed by the manager Noah and bartender Janea O simply because a male white customer complained . The bartender Janea was quick to take their side without just cause simply because she found my culturally diverse language offensive to their atmospheric environment. I plan to file for a formal complaint, email the owners, and consult an attorney in regards . I formally request that a superior, owner above manager “Noah” contacts me in regards the matter . I plan to voice my experience with this discriminatory treatment via a formal complaint, via every type of reviews, and social platforms available so that no one else experiences it and is publicly shamed like I was tonight for speaking in their native language. Sincerely , Very Unhappy ,...

The River Grille on the Tomoka is a sprawling restaurant with a big riverfront deck and plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. It specializes in Florida seafood with a Cajun twist and has a fun, lively ambiance. The outdoor deck is dog-friendly, and even on a rainy day we stayed dry thanks to the powered shades they lowered to block the rain. The only downside is the noise from the nearby bridge, when motorcycles go by, it really carries across the deck.

The inside has a rustic, sawmill feel with driftwood chandeliers, life preservers on the wall, and a small gift shop near the entrance with T-shirts and other items. There’s also a large bar area and multiple dining rooms, plus a big parking lot, so space isn’t an issue. The restaurant was clean, well-kept, and had good energy.

We started with the Onion Strings, marked as a “Tomoka Favorite.” They were tasty, with a light batter, but a little greasy—best eaten with a fork unless you don’t mind messy fingers. For drinks, I asked about the rotating beer selection and they had a Marzen on tap, which was served nice and cold at the right temperature. The wine list is short, but they do have a set of cocktails.

For mains, I had the fish sandwich with the catch of the day which was trout, cooked Cajun-style. The whole filet, skin-on, came on the bun with lettuce, tomato, and raw onion. It was a lot of food, though I personally wasn’t a fan of the skin being left on for a sandwich. My wife ordered the Smokehouse Sampler with ribs, wings, and pulled pork. She chose the Carolina Gold sauce, which leaned very sweet, more so than vinegary. The ribs were a little tough, but the portions were generous and the flavors solid.

Service was good, our waitress was friendly and attentive. I think they usually have live music on weekends, though the rain canceled that during our visit.

Overall, the River Grille offers a fun setting, solid food, and good service. It’s especially worth it when the weather is nice and you can take advantage of the river views. For me, it’s a 4/5 stars: recommended, with just a few small complaints holding it back...