Riverside Family Restaurant — Restaurant in Ottumwa

Edit: Came back after multiple visits all with great service, food and atmosphere. Today I can't even describe the atmosphere. We were ignored for the first 10 minutes of our visit, while multiple other groups got their food, drinks and checks before we even got a drink. Our host was so scattered then joked about being hung over. It really was not a family friendly atmosphere today. The food was decent but something I could have made better at home. Especially as it took them another 30+ minutes to get our food after the order was put in. The steaks were undercooked, the toast was just buttered bread, the host "accidentally" added an extra steak to our order then joked that she got a free steak then gave it to another customer. My kids order was all messed up and we kept getting extra food we didn't order. Everytime we tried to flag down a host we were ignored. We couldn't get any feedback to anyone as we were ignored. Worst experience at Riverside since we moved here 8 years ago. I don't know if they got new management or what but all the hosts were gathered around the counter talking and only a few were actually working. It will definitely be a long time before I come back to this restaurant after our experience today. I honestly don't know what else to say as it was a very negative experience.

------------‐---------------------------------- Great food..excellent service and wonderful family orientated atmosphere...this is my go to spot in town when I want comfort food and a soothing atmosphere after a long hard day at work or before I...

I ordered salmon and brocolli with mashed potatoes. The potatoes were clearly a reheat, or had been in a hot well too long, and the salmon was NOT fresh at all. I could tell when they put it on the table that it wasn't good, because I could smell it. Fish shouldn't ever smell so strong. That means that it's gone bad. We were in a huge group of people, so I didnt say anything or send it back, but the server never thought to ask if I'd like a replacement or anything either. Clearly I didnt like the meal, and they didnt bother trying to fix it at all. Only way I would go back is if I was dragged there in a group again. But I would order breakfast, because it looked like that was better than what I got. However, I heard that these are the same people who own the Sunrise Café in LeGrand. Which would explain why their "omelets" are done so weirdly. They're not supposed to be brown, there should be a choice of what kind of cheese you want, not just American, and it would be nice to choose from more fillings, which could maybe be inside the eggs instead of scrambled into them. It was also freezing in there. It was warm that day, but I dont think it's necessary to have it THAT cold inside. A/C is nice, but that was a little overboard. It must've been 58 degrees in the...

Went there tonight (8/15/25) with my family and we had a redheaded waitress and she said she was new and first she was very rude towards another table when they asked a question she said "I don't know I just got here!" Then she got to us and she was not very attentive to what she was doing and me and two of my family members ordered salads which we did not get until our food came and then she gave my stepmom french fries which she did not order and my cousin ordered a grilled chicken sandwich and she only got the breast and fries and when we asked the waitress about it she blamed it on a coworker and I have worked with her coworker in the past and know that she would not do such a thing and then she was very rude when she realized she did not get tipped. However this is not my family's only issue with this same waitress as my dad and stepmom came here on Tuesday morning and my dad asked for American fries which are fried potatoes she gave him french fries and then when my dad explained to her what American fries were she very rudely said "well do you want mashed potatoes instead?" We will be back but if she is our waitress we will be requesting another waitress because her behavior and attitude was...