River 128 Restaurant — Restaurant in Wilmington

Don’t go here for brunch. I need to let people know not to waste their time and money on this one. We had a horrible experience from start to finish. We first waited 45 minutes to get our breakfast- not steak or seafood dinners but breakfast! When we arrived at 10:45 a.m there were only 4 tables seated outside and two inside. We placed our order and our waitress told us on three occasions our food was “almost ready.” The third time she said “it should only be about 3 minutes.” More than 15 minutes later, the plates finally arrived. We may* have forgotten about the ridiculously long wait had our food been worth it but the food was disgraceful. My French toast tasted processed and from a freezer, nothing about it tasted like it was made fresh. My bacon looked and tasted exactly like Oscar Meyer precooked microwaveable bacon. My sisters food was worse. Her “potato hash” was supposed to have peppers and onions according to the waitress (because we did inquire about what was in the ‘hash’ prior to ordering) and they definitely came out as plain cubed potatoes that were deep fried, not even pan cooked. There was no seasoning, no peppers and no onions. Her chicken tenders over the waffles were nothing but skinny pieces of breading- there was literally no chicken to them. The waffles were equally embarrassing- they also tasted deep fried and processed- not made fresh in a waffle maker. Not to mention they were tiny kid sized waffles. We complained to the waitress (Jensen) who apologized and said she’d “let the kitchen know.” No explanation was offered as to why the food took so long. We continued to try and eat this processed disgusting food while our waitress disappeared and never stopped at our table again. So, we decided to ask to speak to a manager. The assistant manager (Christina) came over to hear our concerns. Her only response was “I am so sorry. I do apologize. I will let the kitchen know.” She offered to replace the potatoes since they were not made with the correct ingredients but we declined this offer since we had already been waiting so long and thought the quality of food was horrible all around. The assistant manager came back around another time and again said she was so sorry and would like to offer us a free appetizer the NEXT time we visit. We made it clear we would not be visiting this restaurant again so a free item for a future visit was a very poor service recovery attempt.

We have had better breakfast at Denny’s. I would never recommend The George to anyone and would go as far to say this establishment should be embarrassed by their poor customer service and terrible training in...

Amazingly enough...I have eaten food from The George on the Riverwalk a couple of times before but I had, yet, to conduct a full review...until today!

FOOD: Shrimp & Grits. Wow, wow and ...Wow! I have tasted many variations of Shrimp & Grits in the Wilmington area and there are some excellent creations around town. But...The George's take on Shrimp & Grits is King when it comes to this specific entree. The cheese blend, white wine sauce and large, plump and succulent shrimp simply harmonize like no others. The grits have this wonderful texture that's creamy, but also firm enough that you can choose to eat it with a spoon or a fork...your choice. Whatever white wine choice The George uses in this dish is nothing short of phenomenal. I find myself craving this dish very often but have to use restraint so that I don't pack on the pounds quickly. Each time I have eaten shrimp & grits from The George, their execution is consistent and I want to eat another full dish, although I'm stuffed. Yeah...it's THAT good. Can't wait to have another and congrats on getting my vote for the Best Shrimp and Grits I've ever had in my life. SCORE: 5 STARS!!

SERVICE: I called in for a takeout order and was greeted by a young lady over the phone. When I stated I wanted to place a to-go order, I was placed on hold. During the hold period (approx. 1 minute in), I heard someone pick up, the signal "clicked" and my call was disconnected. :( I, then, called back and was able to complete my order. 25 minutes later, I arrived at the restaurant, put my mask on and entered. All staff members were masked, wearing gloves and appeared to adhere to COVID safety measures. I was greeted by Jessica at the bar when I walked up to retrieve my order. Jessica was very pleasant, friendly, full of positive energy and had my to-go order ready on the counter...right on time! Had it not been for the 1 minute hold, resulting in a potentially accidental hangup on my first call in...this would have been a full 5-Star experience for service and safety. But having to call in again was not that much of a hassle. SCORE: 4.6 STARS!!

OVERALL SCORE: I love everything about The George. The location along the Cape Fear Riverwalk, the food and service make this restaurant one of my favorites! Thank you again for filling my stomach with that smooth, seafood and corn goodness and I look forward to dining inside again soon. SCORE: 4.8 STARS!!

IG & FB:...

April 8th 4ish My wife and I were super excited to eat here. Got a sitter and took off for a quiet dinner and a walk. Nothing could of been worse. Stood at the reception desk for almost 5 mins while 3 employees argued over why one of them was asked to come in but not have a large area of tables. When we were acknowledged and sat. We were smashed in between two tables one hevey drinking and loud and one with a crying infant, while the rest of the area was unoccupied and open. Desperate to make this work. I walked up to the host and quietly asked if we could sit at one of the empty tables. With a snear and some eye cutting she pointed to the table right beside the host station and said if that's not good enough you can sit here. I walked to my wife asked her to stand up and told her we were leaving. The two employees said "your leaving to arnt you?" I'm guessing there arguing and the host attitude was driving away other guests also.

We had a great steak and a quiet perfect dinner at the Pilot House. So it all worked out in the end.

I'm so insanely disappointed how one evening and 3 employees in less than 10 mins destroyed my favorite place to eat.

Update. A year ago we had a horrible horrible experience here. So when my uncle was in town and he said he wanted to go here I was reluctant. Tho he claimed last time he went he had a really great experience.

Initially we were greeted by a pleasant women but seated in a conjested area. Next to a completely open area. Why do they do this. Why are we craming everyone together? Drinks were okay. Food was okay. Nothing about this visit changed my mind about this place. No one cares. The food is dated. This is a bunch of people just working. The lack of respect and love is missing in a huge way. Going out to eat is expensive especially today. To just not...