I planned a small dinner at Ria Mar for my wife's 40th birthday and would recommend it for anyone. We had 20+ people so were able to have a small room in the banquet hall with a preset menu. From calling around, I felt Ria Mar was giving the most selection and value for the per person $$. The amount of food we got reassured me we got our moneys worth. So many delicious appetizers, and the meals were also very good. My only complaint, though a very small one, was the overall "pace" of the evening. Our server was working hard to keep things moving but ultimately the rooms location and I assume the need for additional help kind of slowed things down a bit. It wasn't anything that would keep me from hosting another event there. I'd still highly recommend it. read more

I went to Avo Ria Mar for a birthday dinner. The waiters were super patient and nice, which I really appreciated. However, my utensils were dirty when I sat down. the waiter apologized right away, but it made me wonder about the rest.The bread and salad were complimentary and both were really good. We started with a pitcher of red sangria, which everyone enjoyed. For entrées, we ordered the bacon-wrapped chicken (the sauce was tasty, but the chicken itself was dry), the braised short ribs (very good), and the seafood rice, which was delicious. The shrimp avo was just okay. Overall, I'd recommend the place for the friendly service and good food; just make sure your utensils are clean before you start eating. read more

Avo's Ria Mar - Chandelier - Bars Near Me - South River, New Jersey

5/5 Avo's Ria Mar - South River, NJ Everything about this visit was amazing -- from the calm, elegant atmosphere to the beautifully plated food. The restaurant feels bright, modern, and spotless, with white tablecloths and that perfect balance between fine dining and comfort. We ordered the Picadinho and the Seafood Mix, and both were incredible. The Picadinho had tender meat, shrimp, chouriço, and peppers -- perfectly seasoned and full of flavor. The Seafood Mix came loaded with clams, mussels, shrimp, and lobster in a rich, savory sauce that paired perfectly with their fluffy rice and homemade chips. The lobster was a bit on the firm side, but still flavorful and not bad at all overall. I also had a Caipirinha, and even though our server mentioned not being completely sure how to make it, it came out amazing -- refreshing, balanced, and surprisingly perfect. For dessert, the chocolate mousse had a nice flavor, though it was slightly grainy in texture, like powdered chocolate. Service was excellent -- friendly, attentive, and quick without feeling rushed. You can tell the staff and kitchen take real pride in what they do. Note: Dinner service starts at 3:00 PM, and prices increase slightly after that, so if you're looking for a lighter check, plan for lunch. Overall, Avo's Ria Mar is a beautiful spot with authentic Portuguese dishes, generous portions, and a refined yet welcoming atmosphere. Highly recommend read more

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We had Saturday night reservations when we arrived we were promptly seated. The decor is stunning. The service was excellent. The white sangria was delicious. The complimentary bread was good but the salad was bland It didn't taste like it had any dressing on it and definitely no seasoning. The garlic shrimp appetizer was also bland. There was plenty of nice sized shrimp in a broth with garlic but it was tasteless. My husband had the fried fish platter which was very good. Shrimp, scallops, filet, rice, potatoes and vegetables. Nicely done. I had the Mariscada. Mussels, shrimp, clams, scallops and lobster with a side of rice. The lobster was so overcooked and rubbery. It was difficult to remove it from its shell. Overall I was disappointed. I expected more taste. They packed up the leftovers and even the sangria which we didn't finish. Our server was top notch. Not sure I will return. read more

We just had a wonderful meal here today. The place was bursting at the seams with people, looked like several big parties going on at once but we were still seated right away and the food did not take long to come out (like you would expect with them being so busy). Several servers were keeping in touch with us all throughout the meal and never left us hanging for long. They were always right there asking us how we were doing and if we needed anything. The only problem was the noise, just as a consequence of it being a busy and successful restaurant it was LOUD. We had to basically shout at eachother to be heard. Didn't ruin the experience and Im not sure how they could even fix that but it was annoying at times. The food was all pretty good, the shrimp shishkabob being our overall favorite with its nice charcoal grilled flavor and big juicy shrimp. I had the Seafood Ria Mar which was all kinds of shellfish in a bouliabase. It was a little peppery and overall I'd give it a 7/10. Not amazing but pretty good. The house salad is always very nice and also free, 8/10. We also got the stuffed mushrooms which I would give a 7.5/10. Great temperature and texture with good taste but it was a little small, being 6 smallish mushrooms. I guess it was supposed to be for one person but splitting it between the two of us it was a little small. The sangria was great as always and they made a decent pitcher of mocktail for just $8 which was a good price in my opinion. The lemon sorbet at the end was OK, 6.5/10. I would definitely recommend that you try this place. Even if you don't like seafood they have a lot of good options for you with all the land animals. Give this place a try! We come here all the time for special occasions. Its my mom's favorite restaurant. read more

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Didn't like the food at all. The service was great. I had this rice dish with seafood and a tomato sauce. Can't think of the name of it. I also had the shrimp bisque, I wasn't a fan of that either. read more

I had attended two private parties here before, but never dined at the restaurant. Today I had lunch and was pleasantly surprised. Currently the restaurant is undergoing renovations in the bar and part of the restaurant, so the dining area is in the rear upstairs. We had a party of 12, but were served all our food in a timely manner because there were various servers and busboys tending all the tables. Each table is served bowls of garden salad and amazing fresh bread. We ordered: Apps: garlic shrimp, calamari, garlic Clams Mains: Chanfana - stewed goat, bacalhau à Brás - baked cod, fried seafood platter, garlic chicken, paella, stuffed flounder, leitao - roasted suckling pig Dessert: flan, espresso, cappuccino The vibe in the restaurant was so relaxed and everyone seemed to really be enjoying their meals. We will definitely return to try some more delicious dishes. read more

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This place never disappoints - always hit my Portuguese craving. This time around we ordered out and everything was still warm when we got home. The seafood rice was delicious! I kept going back for more and more. The garlic shrimp was good per usual and so was the calamari. The Picadinho was chefs kiss - the meat was sooo flavorful! The skirt steak and chicken were meals and boy do they come with a lot of food. read more

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I have been coming here for over 10 years and always enjoy the food. The staff is very friendly and are like a family which creates a great environment. They recently renovated and now it is even more amazing. It feels like you are down at the Jersey shore or on vacation when you sit in the dining room. I highly recommend eating in and trying the sangria which is excellent. The only critique I have is of their takeout packing. I have done takeout a number of times and always have to bring something to line my car seats because their packaging has a tendency to leak quite a bit. The eat in experience is a 5/5 though! read more

Food was good as always. Service was very good and all staff are very friendly. Place is very clean and not loud, I had paella, daughter had mariscada and BF had the broiled captains platter. My daughter and I had leftovers. The biggest issue is the parking, it's hit or miss, but very difficult to find parking read more

Great food, and service. Always feel welcome by the friendly staff. Lovely interior since the renovation. Great place for a group or date night. read more

The service is good. My food however I was very disappointed. I ordered Bife á Ria Mar - Steak Ria Mar with mushroom and pepper sauce. For a restaurant like this why on earth using a canned mushroom?! I expected a fresh mushroom. Then for dessert, I had the pastries. The pastel de nata I had in Lisbon is no way closer to what I was served last night. There were 4 different pastries on the plate and I just had one bite of each and all sucks!! Will never go back. read more

Food: Paella with sausage was excellent. Shared with my wife. Enough to take home and have another dinner tomorrow night! Service was also very good. Waiters were attentive, but not disturbing. Ambiance was also very good. First time in new dining room area. Quiet around are table while other diners were enjoying their meals and conversation. Only issue, why charge for a soda refill?? Feels a little cheap. read more

I must have ordered the wrong dishes because the food we ordered isn't consistent with everything I'm seeing. The dining room is spectacular. It's newly renovated and it's beautiful. We sat at a table by the window that looks like it can open into one of those open air rooms. The food presentation is also very nice. The flavors and the sauce in the dishes are good. The problem I have is the food itself. I ordered the clam and pork dish. The pork was a little dry and very hard. The sauce helped make it palatable. My husband didn't like his food at all. He ordered the veal. It came out lukewarm (he hates when food is not piping hot). He thought the dish would be spicy but he said there was no heat at all. He didn't like the vegetables because it was too garlicky for him so he did not eat them. The homemade chips that his dish came with was not crispy so he did not eat that either. He thought the price for 2 thin veal pieces was very high ($24 for lunch portion). Maybe I ought to come again and try other dishes. read more

Awesome ambiance food was excellent service was on point. Drinks was excellent. A lot Renovation going on in front for a bigger dining area, but the place was awesome read more

Avo's Ria Mar - Bars Near Me - South River, New Jersey

Went to a repass dinner at Ria Mar. We were looking forward to some delicious food. It was served family style. Cold and over cooked salmon, tough steak, the chicken Francoise was good but luke warm. There was supposed to be pitchers of sangria and soda on the table. Soda was there no sangria. We had the soup, very good, the salad came when we were in the middle of dinner. Not sure we would go there again. read more

The food here was alright. It was hit or miss on what was good and what was not. The bread was delicious and soft. The crust was crusty. The salad was bland and flavorless. There was oil on it but you could not taste any vinaigrette. I ordered the shrimp and scallops in green sauce. The dish was delicious and the shrimp and scallops were cooked well. The homemade potato chips were pretty good. Some were not completely cooked and were soft/chewy. The rice was pretty terrible. It was super oily and very bland. It tasted like white rice compared to the seafood. It was yellow so there should have been seasoning but it was just very oily and had no flavor. The chocolate cake for dessert was very delicious. Overall, for the price of the food I expected more flavor from certain foods. Half was bland and half was delicious. I will probably not be back because I can make this food at home. read more

Avo's Ria Mar - Shrimp and scallops in green sauce - Bars Near Me - South River, New Jersey

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Went to this place for lunch with the misses. Definitely will try this place again! The food was delicious and the service was great. Appetizers Mussels- the sauce was okay, I prefer black mussels rather than the green shelled mussels Shrimp in garlic- fantastic , shrimp was juicy and the sauce was on point Main Course Branzino- We had this fish grilled with the green sauce poured on top after it came off the grill Fish was cooked to perfection ‼ Drinks Sangria‼‼‼‼ read more

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Haven't been here in over a year and it was again a very nice time. Mom always enjoys it. We had a few things to try from each others plates which always makes it nice. Service was very good and attentive. It was packed as usual and a bit stuffy, and warm in there so I'd say putting on some air would help. For apps we had the salad and bread which is complimentary and very good and fresh. We then had the garlic shrimp to share, it was good. We also shared the stuffed mushrooms which was very good. For my dish I was just craving a good chicken Francese and I was not disappointed. It was perfect! Just the right amount of lemon and batter. Came with side of veggies, potato chips & rice. Everyone loved mine. We also shared a lobster paella which was very good and fresh. My husband got the flank steak to share with my nephew which they loved and it was prepared perfect. My mother got the stuffed flounder which was a very generous portion. It was good but I felt the sauce wAs lacking something. She enjoyed it. My brothers plate was actually the least liked. It was a basic steak and lobster. The steak was prepared more to medium then how he asked medium rare. It was very flavorless and alittle chewy. He was alittle disappointed. The lobster was good. We then shared dessert. The dulce de leche was very good, extra caramelly to me but all in all great & pretty. We also got the almond cake and it was excellent. We had a good time like usual. No sangria this time but maybe next (the sangria is delicious here). read more

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Excellent service, recently renovated dining room. Fresh bread & salad. Delicious sangria, we got the red. We came to celebrate our wedding anniversary and were not disappointed. Both had mariscada. Very fresh seafood. Dessert was delicious. A little pricy but great for special occasions. read more

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Pretty good crowd for a Saturday... I had to pivot this month. Our group of 11 wanted Portuguese food this month for our get together. Our first choice in South River wasn't available. Ria Mar popped up and they were able to accommodate us. They do have two rooms off of the main dining area for small parties. For drinks, a few pitchers of red sangria at our table. Plus a few dark beers for the guys. We shared just a couple of appetizers. Two of those mussels in a red sauce. Plus one that I really enjoyed. That being Picadinhos mixed. This had several different pork, chicken, beef and chorizo. Yum.:) Popular entrees were pork chops and chicken franchise. The Mrs. and I shared the Paella Ria Mar. And yes we had leftovers on this one. Service was excellent by our waiter named Flavio. Just an observation, seems like this area of town is popular with Portuguese food. For a Saturday, try and make reservations one week in advance if you can. Cost per person about $50 each with gratuities. USC #4 read more

Avo's Ria Mar - Banana Bash - Bars Near Me - South River, New Jersey

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I'm honestly a tad surprised about the low reviews. So, I had my wedding here about 10 years ago, the food was amazing and they were such a pleasure to deal with. People are still talking about the wedding. Dining here, the food is good. Service is good. The servers give your space which is nice. The construction on the banquet side is done and it looks so nice! It was under construction when we had our wedding. read more

I would say this place gets 3-3.5stars - food=4 stars, service=4.5stars, ambiance=3.5stars and location of our table=0stars,noise level=0stars. Made a reservation to find the parking lot full with no spots left. That is a sign of a good restaurant, isn't it? Hmm, let's find out for ourselves. The restaurant was packed and I think we got the last table. The table was set at the entrance of the dining area and right between two I95 type aisles that all food and waiters and patrons pass through. There was ample bumping into my back. You would think you got a break on the check because of the inconvenience. Wrong! It is full price with not even a drink or dessert comp'ed. We complained to the manager, who apologized and said he had no other tables available. I can see that, but why cram all those tables? And the place was LOUD. My Apple Watch notified me of several loud environment warnings. Food portions have considerably gone down though prices have gone up. Pretty standard for the industry I guess (let's go Brandon). Food tasted okay, nothing very impressive. Service was great. Ambiance was renovated, but needs a few changes, so that the noises are absorbed a bit to give a quieter feeling. Every single chair needs a felt tip on the legs as they make as loud noise every time someone moves them. Overall good place with lots of room for improvement. read more

Happy Sunday Adventurers! Stopped in here for dinner with a friend and the food was d​elicious. I've been here before for a company party, but there's nothing better than being able to grab a simple, quiet dinner with sangria. My friend ordered the pork chops with a side of veggies and chips. I ordered the fried pork chunks. They are one of my favorite dishes across the board. It was very similar to the fried pork chunks I've ordered from a Cuban place in Miami but garnished differently. The sangria was yummy and strong enough to be pleasant. The staff was accommodating​ and very attentive to our needs.​ This is a nice spot to be casual or dressy and pricing was affordable. read more

Avo's Ria Mar - Picadinhos porcos | #intenselypassionatephotography - Bars Near Me - South River, New Jersey

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We are long time patrons of the restaurant and many of our family parties were thrown at riamar. The food is great and we never have anything to complain. However we were disappointed with the service. Our waiter kept forgetting about us but returning to the table next to us multiple times. We had to hunt him down for dessert. Amongst the desserts, 2 red velvets were ordered being one to go and he just brought the one to go. The fact that he again didn't come back to check on us, we couldn't even tell him his error until he brought us the check and by then the person who ordered it just wanted to leave. read more

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I came here for a party and the place was extravagant. There were large columns and lots of appealing decor. We were in one of the banquet rooms. The service was great all afternoon and night. We were served soup at the table and there was a buffet that was present. I will give my thoughts on what I had below. I am not sure the exact names of all dishes. Vegetable Soup - This was a good start to the meal. There were various vegetables with little pasta pieces. Penne Vodka - This was flavorful, but just not spicy like I prefer. Salad - This was a simple salad with lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. Rice - The Spanish rice was cooked to perfection with plenty of flavor. It went well with the rest of the food on my dish too! Vegetables - The broccoli and carrots were simply seasoned and very appetizing. Shrimp in Garlic Sauce - The baby shrimp was cooked appropriately and the sauce was great. Roast Beef - The pieces I had were cooked to a medium rare. However, some of them was inconsistent in taste. Beef and Chorizo with Potatoes - There were more pieces of well-done beef than the chorizo. The chorizo was my favorite item tasted of the day. The beef was cooked too long. Salmon - This was probably my least favorite dish tried. It was very bland. There was not much to this. Potatoes - The roasted potatoes were alright, no complaints regarding them. Meatballs - There was something about these meatballs, maybe the type of meat that was used. It might have been a combination of beef and pork, but they were decent. Littleneck Clams - I believe the clams were cooked to a white wine sauce, but the sauce lacked much flavor. Chicken Francaise - I am not much of a fan of this dish and it held true here. I did think the type of chicken was not of good quality for some reason. Chocolate Mousse - The mousse was delicate and very refreshing. It was light too. Will I go back? Yes. read more

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Went here for date night. Our server was great! I can't recall his name but he was a handsome bearded gent w/a man bun. His meal, drink and dessert suggestions were spot on. I don't normally like Sangria but tried it on his suggestion and wasn't disappointed. My date and I had their paella dishes. I had the yellow one and he had one with more of a red sauce. Both DELISH! Serving of both was giant and enough left over for lunch the next day. We were supreme gluttons that night and topped our meal off with not one, not two but FOUR desserts! Talk about stuffed! read more

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Huge portions - great food - friendly staff- took home leftovers that lasted for days read more

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We had my husband's retirement dinner last night. Was very disappointed. We had 4:30 reservations and arrived around 4:15. We sat down and the other individuals in our large party of 22 arrived. We started with the salad that had to been sitting out since the lettuce was all brown. As always the bread was delicious. After taking all of our orders they finally brought us fresh salad. After around 30 minutes our meals started to come out. None of the waiters knew who got what. One waiter came out with Veal Ria-Mar. Keep asking who ordered veal Ria-Mar. We told them no one, but 15 min later they came back asking again. Meanwhile everyone got their meal except for one individual. Also one of the meals had a hair in it, so we told the waiter and he said sorry and offended her another, but after that, she told them she didn't want another order to just take it off the bill. Also the individual who ordered the piela and not the veal at this time never received it. I decided to go talk to a manager. You would of thought the manager would of been very helpful. But no. All he said to me is they comped the meal and the individual had his meal. Which I told him he didn't. The final meal came after all of us were done with our dessert. And don't get me started on Chai tea, which they brought is a Lipton teabag and told us that was Portuguese tea. Out of all these mistakes in they gave us a 13.00 pitcher of sangria and took off the pilea and also screwed up the bill. Not one time did a manager come over and apologize. We used to love Ria-Mar,before they remodeled, but the service has gone down hill. I would never have a large party with them ever again. read more

Top of the line! Fine dining at it's finest!! Best rib eye in New Jersey !! Enjoy! Touch of Porto Portugal !!! read more

The food and beverages are great. I have been there for lunch, dinner and a 100+ birthday party. Everything I have eaten there was cooked perfectly. Every member of their staff was kind, knowledgeable, and helpful. I will keep going back. read more

Great restaurant. I have been here a few times and I've never been disappointed. The Sangria is delicious

2 hours wait time.. this is really below any reasonable standard. as for the food.. your millage would vary. read more

I'm going 5 star, (really 4.5) small things like mushy chips and slightly under cooked grouper, first soda was flat no bubbles at all, Shrimp and Garlic app was perfect and Filet Mignon good, Service exceeded 5 stars hence the 5 star review.... read more

Avo's Ria Mar - Bars Near Me - South River, New Jersey

I like the old-school sort of art deco diagram. The food was fantastic. Service was spot on, and I got to have a Caprinhia

I made a reservation for Saturday. its where mom wanted to go. we both missed their paella and their legendary sangria. we arrived and was seated quickly. we ordered appetizers and a small pitcher of red sangria. They brought out delicious bread and a big bowl of salad, not a fan of just lettuce. Also tomatoes were pink, serious pet peeve. if their not red then don't put them in a salad, hence the name red tomatoes. Our appetizers arrived, fried calamari which was absolutely delicious. Crunchy and not chewy, melt in your mouth. Also ordered mussels which were also buttery delicious. Our paella arrives, we both ordered same thing. It was a little sad, the Lobster was over cooked in both our dishes and their was no crab legs. Very few shrimp, basically it was like the seafood ran thru it. The rice was a touch salty and watery. So not up to expectations. we ended with cheesecake with a raspberry sauce which was so light and creamy. All in all it was hit or miss on our food. Sadly I loved this place. The obvious shining star will aways be their sangria. The service was top notch. read more

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An absolute hidden gem. I was worried since my usual spot was closed for Christmas but me and my parents can agree that this place was very good, and we had experimented with a few others. The cold octopus salad was perfect, they definitely know how to make their octopus. The veal was delicious and could say the same for the grilled octopus and definitely have the stuffed flounder immaturity alongside complementary house salad. Nothing we had today left the bad taste and the service was excellent. Happy I found you guys. Thank you for the amazing afternoon. read more

We have been fortunate to stumble upon Ria Mar on Valentine's day!! Great appetizers, great salads, great steaks,great drinks and professional service. It was our first time and now Ria Mar is our family favorite spot!! read more

It was pretty awful. We were squeezed into a tight space in the main windowless dining room. The good: The appetizers were pretty good (grouper bites are delicious). The bread amazing. The service is fantastic, the sangria was yummy. The bad: The dinner was awful. The stuffed flounder had zero taste, the skirt steak was tough, the Portuguese steak was shoe leather with a runny egg on top, the pork and clams were cooked to death. For dessert, the Tartufo was freezer brunt & the flan was a weird texture but the banana bash cake was good. Couldn't go back. read more

I keep on coming back for more. The food is amazing! Service is great. Always attentive. Give you lots of bread, family style salad we going there again and again and again read more