Rivers Edge - Tampa (FL)

2 /5 Christian Sister: I make a reservation for dinner here every year to watch the holiday boat parade. Every year, I make the reservation as early as allowed—90 days in advanced (the date is on my calendar each year)—to ensure we have a table with a view of the boat parade. Since I make the reservation months in advanced, I expect to have a seat with a view. The restaurant is always crowded, expensive, and the crowds make it difficult to get good service despite the staff doing their best. But we risk all of this to have a great view of the boat parade. Tonight, we were told our table was set in the furthest corner away from the windows and people who showed up without reservations were given window seats because they set up two person tables at the window. No “let’s make an exception for the only party who made a reservation months ago.” No “let’s make an exception for Dr. Papadopoulos who makes a reservation for her family every year and has for years.” Unfortunately, after all these years, we will not be returning. I would rather sit outside with sandwiches in a bag than pay for overpriced mediocre food and suffer slow service (again, not the fault of the servers). I am disappointed that they do not honor their customers, especially those who are loyal and who go to the trouble to make reservations months ahead of time. They should have treated us better than people who just showed up. That’s not poor service, it’s poor planning on the part of management.

5 /5 Marcela Valenzuela: I was actually at the Riverwalk Hotel. The Rivers Edge is in. Have dinner and lunch. The salmon was perfectly cooked and served on top of mushrooms, spinach, and corn. Very nice combination. The wine was mild Merlot. For lunch, was a Ceasars salad and the house burger. Both were very yummy, and the burger was cooked well. Good service both time, very welcoming and friendly. You can not beat the view

5 /5 Alana Short: Great food! Bread with the oil/butter dipping sauce was very tasty and addictive. They accommodated my order and gave great portions. Great scenery. People watching was fun too. Attentive waitress.

4 /5 Joe P: The food and views were superb. The waiter was very nice but the reason why I didn’t give 5 stars is because it’s a pet peeve of mine for a restaurant to add the tip when only 2 people are eating. Compounding that was the waiter didn’t tell me the tip was included in the bill. This is not right. They need to change their policy or at least tell customers up front that tip is added to bill. Don’t say this is standard because we ho to restaurants 3-4 times a week and I have rarely seen tips added to a couples bill but if it is, it’s told upfront!

3 /5 Kelly StClair: The food was mediocre at best. The calamari was chewy. Both pastas were okay. I had the short rib and after I took off all the fat I was left with about 2 oz of meat. Not worth the price at all. The dessert had too much on it. Take the whole banana off and the butterscotch pudding texturally did not go. The service was okay. The ambiance was trying too hard to be fancy but the service and food didn’t back it up in my opinion. Maybe it was an off night though.