Amazing food and employees! First time customers here. We went for the pork tenderloin as it is one of my husband's favorites. It didn't disappoint! I got the grilled walleye and bumbleberry pie. Hubs topped it off with dutch apple pie with ice cream. We do not have one negative thing to report. Employees couldn't be nicer! read more

Illinois Riverdock Restaurant - Pork tenderloin with fries - New American Near Me - Hardin, Illinois

Great food, massive portions, and a beautiful riverfront setting! Illinois Riverdock is a local gem in Hardin. Our waitress Jeane provided top-notch service--she was cheerful and kept our drinks full the whole time. Highly recommend the catfish and a slice of Bumble Berry pie. We love stopping here to watch the river traffic. Five stars all around! read more

Illinois Riverdock Restaurant - Illinois Riverdock Restaurant Hardin, IL - New American Near Me - Hardin, Illinois

The food was ok but a limited menu offering. The wine and beers were very good but some had run out. It was super busy when we went and the only way to order is at the bar. I stood in line for over an hour! We had two kids with us and they were loosing it by the time I ordered. Then when we ordered we were told it would be another hour wait for our food! Luckily the weather was beautiful so we grabbed some snacks from the downstairs gift shop to satisfy the kids while we waited. The live music was amazing and we enjoyed listening. Overall it was nice but definitely not a place to go if it's busy and you have kids or are extremely hungry. read more

Not much for ambiance but the Pie says it all! Friendly staff and patrons, great stop for a road trip

This place is small-town America with pride, charm, friendly, and helpful. Great food, huge portions. Yesterday, we had the Philly Brisket. It was delicious. Last night, we had pizza. Very good. This morning, we got a sausage egg and cheese sandwich, western omelet, hashbrowns, and toast. Amazing service, great prices, awesome food! River Dock 11' draft with overnight stays. The owner drove his truck and purchased fuel for our boat using his cans. We were still 20+ miles from a fuel point, and we were out. He saved us! Thank you. read more

Illinois Riverdock Restaurant - Western Omelet, hashbrowns, toast - New American Near Me - Hardin, Illinois

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They offer lunch specials during the week. Their breakfast menu is really good. You can view the Illinois river and sometimes see barges going up and down the Illinois river. The staff are friendly and provide good service. read more

As always it was good food. Will have to say did not like the walleye. Over cooked and grayish flesh. Everything else was fantastic. My wife's Buffalo fritters were perfect. She said her fries were excellent and she liked her coke slaw. My dinner salad and my cucumber salad both were fantastic. Bread pudding is SO GOOD. We were stuffed but took the bread pudding home. Service was, as always, perfect. Even with not liking the walleye I have to give them 5 stars. read more

11-7-21 3:00PM dinner for 3 adults. Excellent Hometown no frills restaurant on the IL River....view of River traffic!!! Large parking lot behind restaurant. Outdoor dining on River side. Service very polite and efficient. Food: Appetizers ...hand battered deep fried onion rings - Very good. Also hand battered deep fried mushrooms - very good. 1.) Catfish fritters sandwich - Absolutely EXCELLENT and Large serving. I loved it 100%. I highly recommend!!! 2.) Tenderloin pork sandwich - Huge and delicious. Needed two buns for all the meat. My wife loved every bite 100%. 3.) Beef brisket sandwich - Super Huge and delicious. Enough for at least two meals. Largest brisket sandwich I've ever seen. We did not have any pies (To full). read more

Setting, service and food were all great. Enjoyed every aspect of our dining experience.

Stopped here to eat with a friend. I ordered a cup of their Tomato Bisque soup and a salad. The soup was seasoned well and was a puree consistency. It was delicious. My friend ordered the same thing, she also liked her soup. The salad was generous and was plentiful with toppings. They had quite a few pies to choose from, and I took a piece of Lemon Meringue home. She brought it with the lid to the container open - between the filling and the meringue, I had to mush the meringue to close it! It was good when I ate it later that evening. Service was great. read more

In spite of my many trips to Hardin I had never eaten here until recently. My husband and I went up on a Monday for lunch. He had the Buffalo fritters, baked potato, and salad. I had the catfish fritters, fries, and salad. Everything was delicious. Our waitress was friendly and efficient. The restaurant itself has casual decor and was very clean. I'm looking forward to returning and definitely recommend it to others! read more

Wonderful small town restaurant on the Illinois River. We were just passing through on our way to Missouri and stopped for breakfast. It was excellen t. Great service and view of the river. Not fancy, just good. My biscuits and gravy was the real deal. My side of ham was like a ham steak. My wife had Belgian waffle that was great. This is a must if passing through. read more

Great Sunday breakfast. It was busy but that did not affect the service. Very efficient. Staff is nice. The hash browns are excellent!

We drive about an hour and 25 minutes from St. Louis, MO which generally includes a ferry ride to or from or both! Mel's Riverdock is worth the drive! Breakfast is only served until 11am so we have to leave early to make it in time! Their American fries are so yummy on The Ramp Special for breakfast with scrambled eggs and bacon with rye toast! Yum!! Then we share two pancakes because they are huge! Top those pancakes with blueberry compote & whipped cream!! Ask for hot sauce if you need an extra kick! Wash it all down with good coffee!! The service is great too!! Ask for Jeane! Oh did you save room for pie? Unfortunately we never do but you should see these choices! Maybe we should take some to go!?! read more

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The food here is really good - they know how to fry some delicious catfish nuggets and mushrooms. The inferno wings are also diabolically good and not so hot that you'll break a sweat, if you like spicy foods. I ordered the honey mustard chicken, which I didn't realize was a sandwich, but it was very flavorful (although the bun got soggy, which I didn't mind). Also had a slice of cherry pie - highly recommended. read more

"Forgottonia" is an old name for western Illinois (you can google that), and Hardin is near the southern edge of it. After nearly seventeen years in Illinois, I made my first trip there this past Sunday. From Hardin, Jerseyville is the "big town" to the east, the approach from which involves a drawbridge over the Illinois River. If you're familiar with Pere Marquette State Park, from there to Hardin you go about 20 miles north and a little west. After time in Hardin for an anniversary celebration, we traveled a few blocks to Mel's, which has the reputation as the best restaurant in town. By the time we arrived at the dock, AT&T Wireless was in the "no service" mode. But, amazingly, there was free "Riverdock" wireless. After we seated ourselves at a table in the 3/4-filled front room, it took a waitress a few minutes to notice us, but when she did, it was like we were old friends. We'd been told the smoked chicken was very good, so that's what Therese H. ordered as her "Sunday Special" (meat with three sides). I ordered the grilled walleye. Despite the standard gluten-free speech to the server, both entrees came out on a slice of white bread (the only mistake, but potentially a serious one). My walleye also rested on a large slice of lightly grilled onion, and came with a tossed salad, cucumber salad, and baked potato as my sides. The Gluten-Free One had tossed salad (no croutons!) beet salad, and corn. A glass of chardonnay for her, and a bottle of Bud Light for me (small glass) completed our table. Everything was very good! Mel's is one of those completely unpretentious places where you can mingle with people you're not going to see in most urban areas. Right next to us was a table of eight hunters in full gear, returning from a weekend in the great outdoors and regaling one another (and us) with tales of their adventure. Even one of the waitresses was wearing an item of camo clothing, and there were lots of ball caps on heads all around. I was wearing a sportcoat, but no one seemed to mind. Afterwards, we spent a few minutes out back watching the moon rise over the Illinois River. Lovely journey for a sunlight-over-snowy-river-bluffs winter afternoon and moonlit evening. Even Onyx the Dog seemed to be in a mellow mood from her perch in the backseat of the SUV. In an urban context, I'd give Mel's a solid three stars. Given the challenge of its rather isolated location and limited exposure, I'll bump it up to four. read more

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Best and friendliest place in town! We came on a Saturday for lunch and were very impressed with how friendly the entire staff was. It felt like they were welcoming family, as they chatted it up with our kids and made us feel right at home. The food was excellent too-- had the River Rat and the Buoy. And you must leave room for dessert; the pies were better than advertised. You get a lot of pie for 4 bucks, and it is fantastic!! (see picture below). We'll be back!! read more

Illinois Riverdock Restaurant - New American Near Me - Hardin, Illinois

Started coming here years ago coming up the Illinois River on our boat. Now, I even make the drive from Godfrey because of the good food and friendly service. The Brisket and Buffalo fritters are my favorites. read more

I really loved to stop at River Dock. Love the catfish. Friendly people. But today I was there with several family. I really like the Philly sandwich it is wonderful and I wanted onion rings with it. I already am paying 8.99 for the sandwich I wasn't told that onion rings with a sandwich cost 5.99. I paid a dollar for each onion ring. 5.99 is the cost of a appetizer. I explained I didn't get an appetizer I had onion rings with my sandwich was informed by the owner that was the cost. Onion rings don't come with the sandwich. it will be a while before I stop there again. This is ridiculous. I will never order onion rings again. Really Very Disappointed. read more

Ate at this restaurant last night, it was a disaster. We were told to just find a seat, no problem plenty of room for social distancing. After some time waitress came and took our drink order. She came back into the room ten minutes later to wait on another table but no drinks for us. About ten minutes later she finally brought our drinks and took our food order, ordered an appetizer three dinners and a sandwich. Wanted to order a steak and was told they did not have any meat, only fish or some pork. Wait about twenty minutes and she brought coleslaw for two fish dinners, one salad and one cottage cheese. I ask about the appetizer and she said she only did salads. About 15 minutes later we got the appetizer was not worth the eleven dollars. About 15 minutes later we got our order. All the food and drinks are served in styrofoam containers. The ice tea was terrible, the fish was not battered well and not fully cooked. One party member has had intestinal issue since a couple hours later. Apparently the family that owns and runs the place and employees sit around a table near the entrance and do little to help the couple of people that are working at a very slow pace. The quality and service don't even rate as bad bar food. I would recommend eating somewhere else. read more

Amazing scene on a Sunday morning. Packed with locals. EVERYone knows each other. Lovely community. Very much enjoyed eves-dropping. (Sorry. Couldn't be avoided). Food was solid . Unremarkable eggs, unobjectionable hash browns. Sausages out of a box. Catchup as the only table condiment. Coffee was ok. Friendly service. read more

This is easily my favorite restaurant in the Grafton area. The smoked brisket is one of the best meats I have ever had. My friend always gets the combo fish dinner, buffalo and catfish. It is now his favorite fish restaurant. Potions are generous, quality is superb, flavor is unbeatable and prices are reasonable. I'd give it 10 stars if I could. read more

Catfish fritters are good, waitresses are always nice, and cold beer with ice cold mugs.

This is good, homemade, reasonably priced food in a nice little river town. The brisket and pork chops are beyond compare and the pie is not to be missed. read more

Illinois Riverdock Restaurant - Apple Crumb and good damn coffee - New American Near Me - Hardin, Illinois

They have excellent food and great,friendly service!! Their brisket is smoked there and very good!! The desserts are amazing,too!

My wife, and I, have been visiting Mel's for over 10 years when we visited an old friend twice a year. Nothing fancy, just good food at a good price. Sadly we won't be making the trip twice a year from New Jersey because our friend passed away right after our visit. Mel's catfish fritters were one of her favorites. read more

I have been eating at Mel's Illinois River Dock restaurant for 17 years. Well worth the trip to Hardin to enjoy perfectly prepared food ranging from brisket (my favorite), catfish, pizza, pies, etc. Great service combined with a great atmosphere. read more

Stunningly delicious pecan pie. And yeah...smoked brisket...2 large slabs on the plate done right.

You don't come to Mels for the romantic atmosphere. It's all about the food. We make this a motorcycle ride several times a year. We've never had bad food here. Everything has been pretty good. Now the real reason we ride here so often. The PIE! So many great varieties. And the servings are huge. When coming to Mels eat your pie first. You may not have room for anything else and you dont want to have gone thru life missing the pie at Mels. We'll never get to try them all but we're going to try our best. Our favorite? Whatever we're eating at the time. If we were to rate this place just on their pies then they would get a well earned 10+ stars. When you prepare your bucket list be sure to include Mels pies at the top of your list. If you miss seeing the Geat Wall of China it's no big loss but you don't want to miss out on Mels pie. read more

For those of you that don't know, Mel's is now open. I think they've been open for around a month now. Great food,great atmosphere, great service. read more

First off, the map pointer is way off - the place is right on Park (aka Illinois River Rd), on the downstream end of town. Mel has his portable smokehouse parked right next to the restaurant -- on smoking days, you can just follow your nose. The menu covers fish (local & otherwise), pork (Calhoun County pork chop - at least 2" thick, delicious), beef (the brisket is GREAT), even alligator fritters. Sorry, ostrich & emu are no longer on the menu. Also made-to-order sweet potato chips w/ maple butter for dipping, soups, lots of sides. And the desserts are in a class of their own: carrot cake, pies for every taste, red velvet cheesecake. Great place to watch the river (occasional bald eagles in the winter), catch up on local gossip, check out the motorcycles & (occasionally) classic cars in the parking lot, and more occasionally, personal helicopters. That's how good the place is -- people even FLY to get there! read more

Took a Sunday drive with three cars up the Great River Road from West STL County, to the Brussels Ferry, and to Hardin and Mel's Riverdock. One of the drivers suggested the stop, and it proved to be superb! We had the grilled walleye with a cucumber salad, green beans, & bread pudding, two brisket plates with sweet potato, corn, & bread pudding. The portions were HUGE, the $13.95 price/plate very very reasonable, and the food was great! Fun fall drive and great food. Can't beat that! read more

Just got home from a trip to visit friends in Granite City. We have been stopping here on our trips to Granite City from New Jersey since 2002. That should tell how much we enjoy the food. Nothing fancy, just good home cooking. As usual the catfish was worth the trip. We will be back for Christmas. read more

When your from the area and eat there you know it's gotta be great. Catfish fritters are awesome. The brisket is better yet. And you can get It in bulk. read more

My dad has a river cabin in nearby Hamburg, IL and we NEVER miss an opportunity to eat at the Riverdock. Don't miss the brisket, texas chicken and homemade pies! read more

We went on a motorcycle ride on Saturday to try this place. I was extremely disappointed. Absolutely did not live up to my expectations.

Great food but recently burned down. Still undetermined if they will rebuild. Right on the river!

My husband and I had a Tuesday late lunch at Mel's Illinois Riverdock Restaurant in Hardin. The service was excellent, although it wasn't crowded at this time. We both got the brisket dinner and were pleased with our decision. It comes with two sides. My husband enjoyed the cucumber salad, which is homemade. The baked beans went well with his dish. I tried the homemade slaw and sweet potato. While our sides had a little more sugar than we are accustomed to, they were still very tasty. The sweet potato was the biggest sweet potato I ever had. The brisket also, was a generous serving. We ended up taking half of our meal to go. The brisket reminded me of my Mom's famous brisket and was tender like she used to make it. She spent half a day cooking it, so it's a treat not to have to prepare it at home. I really liked the seasoning, even though it was saltier (but tastier) than we prepare our food. The unique flavors made the meal special. I liked having a "down home" healthy meal that filled us up. I loved the ambience of being able to see the river as we ate our meal. Eating at Mel's was one of the high points of our road trip. I am rating this as a Midwestern diner that serves wholesome food. Don't expect to find a gourmet, fancy restaurant, but rather a charming restaurant off a picturesque river, and a place where you can get a hearty home-cooked meal. I really wish I could have reviewed the delicious looking pies, but we were just too full to have dessert. For sure, we'll have to return for pie. read more

Came here for the first time for Mother's Day and the place was predictably packed. I will excuse the long delay in getting our food on account of the occasion. My catfish fritters were excellent, as was my wife's brisket, and the french fries were fairly good. However, the green beans were about what you can get at a buffet like Golden Corral, and my wife said her mashed potatoes tasted like dressed up instant potatoes with canned gravy. Overall a mixed experience. read more

I eat at Mel's every time I visit family in Hardin. Food is great. I recommend the Brisket Philly and if available try the brisket soup! So good! read more