River Front Cafe — Restaurant in Petaluma

THE BEST! GREAT FRESH FOOD, FAIR PRICES IN A LOVELY LOCATION. No chi-chi "wine country" airs or the prices and attitude that goes with it (though Petaluma is refreshingly free of that, thank God!) We live deep in the infamous "fog belt" of northwestern San Francisco. The Riverfront is our "go to" place when we need to get out and linger over lunch in the sunshine. Petaluma has many good restaurants for brunch/lunch, but we love this one because: IFood is VERY fresh -- homemade, good, honest ingredients HUGE variety of sandwiches, breakfast (served all day), interesting salads, sandwiches -- American, Greek, Middle Eastern FAIR prices for very good food and lovely location. T. "It all comes from the top" -- the owner ran a number of lunch places (at the same time) in San Francisco -- including at the Crocker Galleria, a primo, high-end spot in the financial district. He knows what he's doing -- and as difficult as the restaurant biz is, he's a kind, generous, GOOD, man. He's very present -- and a nice, calming, presence. EXTRA BONUS: He hires high schools kid to work there. And his instincts are excellent -- they are always really nice and being the age I am now, it always warms my heart to think that they were lucky enough to work at the Waterfront for their first weekend or summer job. LOCATION: right on the river, big, wide sunny wooden patio with LARGE shaded tables and smaller ones in the sunshine. (Some of the other restaurants that have al fresco dining are in the shade.) The Waterfront is just a really lovely, laid-back spot. It can get hot in Petaluma -- but the famous "Petaluma Gap" also draws in the fog and the cold breeze from the ocean as the afternoon wear on-- so best to always bring a jacket with you!

It's a real talent to create a comfortable spot with so many good, fresh, delicious options on the menu, excellent value, and just a lovely, relaxing spot to hang with friends and "watch the...

I came here with a friend I had not seen in a while for some Xmas brunch. We both drove about 45 mins to see each other. We had a decent brunch (about $45 + between the two of us) and as we are sipping coffee and catching up with our lives, the waitress rudely demands that we leave so they can give the table to other people waiting. As a paying customer, I kindly declined being pushed out at that precise moment as we were not done drinking our coffee and we were in the middle of our conversation. My friend also wanted to get some additional pastries and we were about to. But when the waitress responded by telling me that she didnt like me because we were unwilling to give up the table, we were done. Ah! Then another waitress comes over and demands that we leave at that moment so they sit other people. I find this incredibly rude. We did have to get up and leave and it ruined our holiday outing. We decided to not buy any pastries and never going back. I am not one to ever give a bad review but in this case I must. Food was ok, not great and the place is a bit tired. All of that would have been overlooked if good service. The 1 star review is pretty generous, they really...

This is the best restaurant in the world. No exaggeration. We have tried dozens of dishes on their menu, and every single one of them was amazing! Their French Toast is to die for. (I'm sorry to say that they have completely ruined our opinions of French Toast at every other restaurant on the planet. We can't get French Toast anywhere anymore without comparing it -- unfavorably -- to the River Front Cafe.) And their omelets are incredible! Such subtlety of flavors, such divine concoctions! Oh, and their sandwiches! So good! And their benedicts! I'm actively drooling, just thinking about them right now. You know what, just stop reading this and do yourself a favor and go to the River Front Cafe right now. We stumbled across it about a year or so ago, and it was instantly our favorite restaurant. I'm not kidding about being the best in the world, either. We were on vacation in Venice, Italy, and STILL talking about the food at the River Front Cafe. I know all this sounds like hyperbole, but it's not. The flavor profiles of all their many dishes is simply spot on. I'd give them more stars, if there were more to give. Sigh. ...