Dapper Dine & Lounge — Restaurant in Riverside

We visited Dapper last week without a reservation and were quoted a 60 to 90 minute wait. To our surprise (and delight), we were seated in just under 30 minutes. We were given an outdoor table, and the ambiance was lovely - perfect for a relaxed date night.

We started off with drinks: the spicy margarita was fantastic, well balanced with just the right kick. The espresso martini was also solid.

For appetizers, we ordered the poke nachos and crab cakes. The poke nachos came out fast and were massive. Easily the best we've had so far (disclaimer: we haven’t been to Hawaii yet). We cleaned the plate - not a single crumb left.

The crab cakes were even more impressive. Probably the best we've ever had, yes, even better than the ones at Five Crowns (which had been our top pick until now). The crab meat was delicate and flavorful, and the green aioli sauce was out of this world. We even devoured the arugula that came with it, and we’re not usually arugula people.

We had originally planned to order entrees (the filet and the salmon), but we were honestly too full from the appetizers. Instead, we opted for the loaded potato soup and the beef tacos, with the intention of saving room for dessert. We barely made a dent in either (they were tasty), but we boxed them up to enjoy at home and they held up great the next day.

Dessert was a highlight. We debated between the butter cake and the chocolate cake and ultimately chose the chocolate cake - no regrets. It was incredibly moist, the ice cream was rich and creamy, and the raspberry drizzle (which we usually don’t care for) actually pulled the whole dish together. It totally changed our minds about that flavor combo.

The decor and bar area were stylish and vibrant. The staff (from our waitress, server to the busboys) were warm, attentive, and made the whole night feel special. It was a truly memorable evening filled with delicious food, good drinks, and lots of laughs.

We’ll absolutely be back, next time with room for...

So We took out my aunt from Florida to this restaurant. When you walked in it’s not bad nice atmosphere. They made it look sort of expensive restaurant so you would have this expectation service and food will be good . So we ordered first of mom and aunt ordered strawberry lemonade but it was too sour and ice we’re all the way on top of the glass so in short you’re lemonade is probably only half a glass or less if you remove the ice( not good either). Then the manager greeted us and asked how’s everything so I told him their strawberry lemonade was too sour and it has too much ice and he just said ok. He didn’t even apologize about it. If that’s the other manager they would replace the drink and make it less sour. But he didn’t do anything. Why bother asking us if you’re just goin to do nothing. So we ordered our food my son and I had their prime rib and mom and aunt got their seafood pasta. We got our prime rib and we were very disappointed. Prime rib should have been tender and have flavor but this one was chewy no flavor at all. For a fine dining restaurant this does not give me any good impression at all. My prime rib and the meat that I used when making prime rib is 100 % better flavorful and tender. Also BJ’s restaurant Primerib is way better than this one. It’s really embarrassing when you try to impress your aunt and it turned out to be really horrible experience. Their pasta just taste like heavy cream and no flavor as well. If there’s a negative 10 that’s what I would give them. The worst of all I will not attempt to go back to this restaurant because of their food and the way the manager handle the situation. I told our waitress our prime rib is tough and tasteless but of course she can’t do anything about it. I didn’t bother for her to call the manager because I know he will not do anything about it and it’s just waste of time. .They should improve the quality of food and the service. For me this...

First impression; wow what a great place. We ordered the blackened tuna appetizer, which was great, a Diet Pepsi and a manhattan. Our mains were the linguine pescatore and the pork chop with baked potato. The linguine dish had great flavor and if we were to dine there again I would reorder it. The pork chop was horrible. Over cooked. Extremely dry. Our server who was also the bartender, offered to take it back but said that it would be prepared in the same fashion, well done, because it’s pork. She offered to remove the food and have my wife order a new dish, which she did. It was great to eat alone as my wife watched. Her new dish was chicken piccata. It was nothing to write home about. If you’re looking for a bland dish, this is for you. I waited for a refill on my Diet Pepsi with lemon. It finally arrived, without lemon. After that, I checked out. Well, not really because it took forever to get boxes for the food my wife didn’t eat as it arrived so late into my meal. Unsolicited, the manager came to our table and I confirmed he was indeed the manager and he asked about our experience and we were honest, just as in this review. He said sorry and hoped that they could improve on our next visit. He then took my card to pay my bill. Yes, we did pay full price. As a side note, our server/bartender filled several positions and I told him needed to get her some help. It’s a beautiful spot with a great menu on paper however, if the owners don’t know there is a problem they can’t fix it. I’d rather see this place succeed than fail. This is a...