River View Dining — Restaurant in South Bend

Bit of an odd dining experience. Stopped for lunch with the family. Asked to sit outside since it was about 68 degrees and sunny. I was told that was fine, but I had to order inside, the menus couldn’t go outside, I had to bring all the food from inside to our table, and (unknowingly) had to bus my own table afterwards as well. Needless to say there was not a tip; figure I deserved the tip. It was a very unwelcoming experience, as if I was inconveniencing them by dining at their establishment. The food was hit and miss. Many items on the menu were not available. I tried to order to salmon chowder, but there was no salmon. Then tried to order the halibut fish and chips - no halibut. Fish tacos - nope. Finally just got the clam chowder and a dozen oysters. I have a lot of experience eating oysters all over the US and abroad as well. I have never been served raw oysters with wedges of lime. Perhaps they were out of lemon. I didn’t want to push my luck at this point. Additionally, prior to ordering I asked what the difference was between the plain Jane oysters and the raw oysters. In my mind they seemed like the exact same thing. The man (possibly the owner) started saying how some people could be allergic to cocktail sauce and other things. However, he never answered my question and then left to tend to something else. I still had no idea what was (or wasn’t) on either type of oyster. Based on numerous previous seafood restaurant experiences in CA, FL, TX, GA and other states I knew raw oysters were just served on the half shell with lemon wedges and cocktail sauce on the side, often with a bottle of tabasco near by. So I ordered a dozen raw oysters. When I got them there was a drop of cocktail sauce on each oyster and we got numerous wedges of limes (no lemon). The oysters tasted pretty fresh, but since I routinely eat them with lemon juice and tabasco, this never-before-seen concoction just didn’t taste right. It significantly reduced the culinary experience for us. After being asked to bus my own table I paid (cash only). $63.13 so I gave him $100 bill. He didn’t have appropriate coin change (87 cents) to give me and asked if I would get 13 cents from my vehicle. The clam chowder was good, but I will most certainly be bypassing this restaurant on our next trip...

Do not, I repeat, DO NOT go to this restaurant in South Bend WA. It is called River view Dining. I went there yesterday after taking my daughter to the hospital, and the man was so rude, I almost walked out with my family, but unfortunately I did not and didn't want to hurt his feelings by leaving, so I stayed. He was very rude taking our order and because the door says cash only and all I had on me was 80 dollars, I wanted to make sure that we had enough to eat, so I asked the man, explaining the situation of we could have the bill before we were done eating that way o knew of we had enough. That's when it went all down hill. He sighed and rolled his eyes, muttered something what sounded like good grief, then when taking our menus, he slammed them down on our table, then picked them up, went to the next table to slam them down, brought our waters, which were then slammed on the table and never gave us the bill like we asked. When it came time to getting our food, which was very expensive, I ordered a BLT, with only one slice of bread, but when I turned it over, turns out it was on a freaking hot dog bun. 13.99 for a bit with 2 pieces of bacon cut in half and THEN on shot dog bin, where was the rest of my sandwhich, plus I got like 10 French fries and no condiments on my hotdog bun. Never once did he ask how everything was, nor did he care. AS A BUSINESS OWNER, I WOULD NEVER EVER TREAT MY CUSTOMERS LIKE THIS. He should be ashamed of...

My wife and I were driving through South Bend on our way to the Oregon coast on a Friday afternoon and, seeing the smoke coming from their outdoor grill, decided to stop here for lunch. Glad we did! It's a family-operated place - not fancy but clean - and it's obvious that the owner knows his way around the grill. His grilled oysters, in particular, were delectable! It took 25 minutes or so from grill to plate, but was well worth the wait. I learned that he adds several ingredients at stages in the cooking process, including a special sauce that takes two days to make. The oysters were perfectly cooked, enrobed in a caramelized glaze that was full of complex flavors - garlic, lime, chili, something sweet like tamarind, maybe...just absolutely wonderful! I had a sandwich, too, which was good - but if I'd known how good the oysters were going to be, I'd have doubled our order and forsaken the sandwich. Anyhow, if you're in the area, don't pass by the opportunity to try this...