River Front Cafe is an absolute gem! From the moment you walk in, you're welcomed with a cozy atmosphere and stunning riverside views that make the whole experience feel special. The food is consistently fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented -- you can truly taste the quality in every bite. The staff is friendly, attentive, and always goes the extra mile to make sure you're comfortable. Whether you're stopping by for a relaxing coffee, a casual lunch, or a special dinner, River Front Cafe never disappoints. Highly recommend to anyone looking for great food, great service, and a peaceful spot to unwind. Can't wait to come back! read more

Very nice cafe along the water. I always like a place along the water. Not a huge haul to Point Reyes but it's the journey as well as the destination so we tend to break up trips with a stop. Andrea hates a long car ride like giving a cat a bath. Back in the day I used to travel to Petaluma by boat from Vallejo for the weekend with my parents so they could pound back gin fizzes all day with their other drinking boat buddies. Now days we drop in here on our way to Pt. Reyes. The downtown area has a lot going on (maybe not as much as Stacy's mom) and is definitely something to look into during the spring and summer. Inside seating and outside along the river. Looks like you can rent kayaks or canoes to paddle around. So coffee... check, breakfast goodies... check, champs and Momo's... check. So quick stop and on our way to Hog Island. If we lived here we would be here a lot I think. Will stop in again on future travels. read more

This is a relaxing, casual atmospheric Cafe restaurant that is moderately priced with indoor seating and an outdoor riverfront view. The menu is large and varied. It offers vegetarian options as well. It seems popular because it was full while we were there after 1pm. We tried the tuna melt and the Nutella crepe. It was good but not that great. We appreciated the effort the chef put into our meal. However, the crepe was much sweeter than I expected. All in all, this restaurant has a beautiful riverside outdoor view with a comfortable and laid-back interior. The serving team is kind and patient. It's appealing to families and small groups for everyday dining. The pasty corner inside the restaurant also looked delicious. read more

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This spot not only has a great view and great food, the staff were so accommodating for my dairy allergy. They were able to make a French toast with almond milk in a separate batter to make sure that I could have it. Such nice staff and a great place for Brunch in Petaluma! read more

River Front Cafe - The view from their patio - Cafes Near Me - Petaluma, California

Unfortunately, our experience was disappointing. We waited over 35 minutes for two omelets while the rest of our group received their food, finished eating, and were ready to leave before ours arrived. Given that we'd only ordered two omelets, the wait felt longer than we expected. When the food eventually arrived, it was ok, but the delay had taken away from the experience. read more

Breakfast was delicious although a bit pricey. Service was helpful. I love that the inside has works from local artists displayed. Appears to be a local favorite. The view is beautiful . The service was Prompt. Definitely worth a visit, especially if you're in town visiting! read more

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First of all the service was excellent. The owner, Elias, is personable and warm. My companion and I had a lovely chat with him as he took our order. The wait staff is sweet and attentive. The ambiance is lovely. It's a wide-open main room with plenty of outdoor seating. The lettering on the overhead menu is lovely to even just admire the artistry. See photos I included. Plenty of room at 1pm; they close at 3pm. My companion enjoyed the Shish Kebab Plate. She made a sandwich from the pita, hummus (very mild flavor), warmed tomato wedge, and long sausage-length beef pieces. The menu says beef cubes, but I thought the texture was ground beef. I felt the kebab had delicious spices, but was dry; I might have enjoyed a tzatziki-like sauce over it except I felt it was a bit tough. I wonder if the mixture was mixed for too long? I also felt the hummus was bland. My companion enjoyed a glass of the Lake Sonoma Cabernet. I chose a breakfast item of the Great Mill Benediction (it's a Benedict). He gladly substituted the English Muffin for a gluten-free bread, which had a wonderful texture like non-GF bread. The eggs were absolutely perfect. I pierced the top of both eggs, and a slight trickle of bright egg yolk streamed out. The bottom of each egg was more like a soft- to hard-boiled yoke--I appreciated the mastery involved to create this great texture contrast! Also included were grilled onions, avocado slices, tomatoes, and a delicious medium-spiced, scrambled chorizo sausage. The hollandaise was very mild; even after using 2 lemon slices, I still didn't get the tang my palette generally enjoys. He mentioned that his patrons usually don't like strong lemony hollandaise. I enjoyed the ginger lemon Heath-ade bottled kombucha. We both enjoyed our salads. I believe they were a spring mix with tomatoes and cucumbers. The balsamic vinaigrette was outstanding. read more

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They say location is everything, right? Well, one has to offer good tasting food at fair pricing. RFC delivers this and more. The staff there is friendly and helpful. The portions are more than fair. They offer both indoor and outdoor dining. read more

River Front Cafe - River Front Skillet - Cafes Near Me - Petaluma, California

First of all the view was great. The hot chocolate tasted like they used real cacao beans but if they didn't it was really yum

My boyfriend and I had a really great breakfast here this morning. We walked by two other breakfast places closer to the house, but they both had long waits. We were very excited to walk right up and order here. I ordered gluten-free pancakes and gluten-free toast. It was very nice that the chef, owner,came out to confirm my order since he wanted to make sure he got it correct for my dietary needs. The meal came out on two plates and had a terrific presentation. My boyfriend really enjoyed his French toast also. It's a great family restaurant with a lot of personal touches. read more

River Front Cafe - I ordered a Greek omelette with one gluten-free pancake instead of potatoes and gluten-free toast. $17.95. - Cafes Near Me - Petaluma, California

Incompetent wait staff. A serious lack of training was disappointing. We got the Gen Z stare in response to every question we had. We had a a group of people with some allergens. When we asked how the food was prepared our server said "I don't know......" and stopped there. No offer to find out, clarify with kitchen, or find a way to help us. I've never ever had an experience like that. We were the only table in the morning so there was no "rush" that would have help this person up. The food ended up being contaminated. It would not have been a problem if we were advised to leave. read more

I can't believe I had never been here before! Stopped in for a quick lunch, and I was pleasantly surprised by this spot. It was such a beautiful day, we decided to sit outside in their great river side patio seating area. Can't beat a great view of the Petaluma River! I ordered the cesar salad and added grilled chicken, and it was delicious. The chicken was flavorful and wasn't bland at all. The freshly grated parmesan cheese was also a lovely touch! The dressing came on the side, which is nice because I like controlling how much I put on my salad, because I feel like most places salads are way overdressed. I will definitely have to come back and try their Greek food! read more

River Front Cafe - cesar salad - Cafes Near Me - Petaluma, California

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I've been wanting to go here for a long time. We went here for breakfast on a Saturday morning. Food: I ordered the SF Benedict. Decent, not great. 4 stars. Location: next to the Petaluma River - 5 stars Service: Some dishes had a bit of a delay. Wrong type of sausage was given to us twice. 2 stars read more

Would love to support this business, but think they should close for a few days and do a few cleaning. The patio is gross dirty tables, bugs cobwebs everywhere and dead plants and gross tents. Tip don't look up while eating. read more

This place is one of my favorite spots on the Petaluma river, for food and ambiance. There is not allot of service, as you go to order, take a number and they bring to you. It gets busy but this family run joint makes it happen. Hubby and I had and shared delicious crab Benedict and the Northbay Benedict (all kinds of delicious veggies), both with real deal addictive hollandaise sauce. Normally they come with hash browns or home fries, but it was a breeze to simply sub for organic greens salad. My son got the Petaluma skillet, an array of sautéed onion, bell pepper, fried breaded chicken, potatoes, 3 scrambled eggs, a biscuit cut in half with sausage herb gravy smothered all over it. It's lovely to sit outside on a nice day enjoying river views and people walking by the river board walk. Breakfast served all day and they also serve dinner / lunch food like salads, burgers, etc, along with beer, wine, and all kinds of coffee drinks. Oh, they also have a pastry cabinet full of high quality stuff. Coffee is good. Btw, they say starting in May they'll have live music fri and sat starting 5:30 in eve. read more

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I really had high hopes for this place. The location was great. Lots of outdoor seating. The menu was immaculate. We ordered a beef shawarma wrap and a Reuben sandwich. The shawarma was dry and lacked flavor. The meat in the Reuben was dry and was like leather. Service was also slow even with just a couple of customers. They should just stick to a few menu items and make it good. My two cents. read more

After a fun girls weekend in Wine Country, we had our last hooray was at the River Front Cafe. It's street parking but lots of spots as long as you're willing to walk. It's in a little downtown areas so it was fun to window shop to and from the restaurant. You order at the register then are giving a number for your table. I got the River Front Skillet. It was good. Fresh veggies and potatoes with two eggs on top served with a sourdough muffin. Came out hot which a big plus. Everyone was happy with their orders: tuna melt (good but cheese wasn't melted all the way), cheeseburger and the two in the photos. The salad in photo was the kale, apple quinoa saladand the other photo is the Chicken Shawarma Wrap. Service was good but nothing special. Decor was good and location was lovely. Thumbs up. Verdict: I would return and recommend to people for a fastish, good, relaxing meal. read more

River Front Cafe - Kale apple salad - Cafes Near Me - Petaluma, California

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Food is delicious but the kids working there are more interested in their phones than service. They brought out husbands burger and after 15 min, we asked where mine was. Looks like they didn't see there was two meals! They are too busy on their phones read more

Everything about this place is amazing from the owners to the kitchen staff. The environment is amazing, the food is amazing, the home feeling you get is amazing and just wow !! read more

Great food. Generous portions. Friendly staff. Tons of menu options. Great outside views of the river.

Best breakfast burritos in all of Petaluma. I would give more than 5 stars if I could, these burritos are so big, packed evenly with ingredients, amazing house made salsa on the side, priced amazingly, creamy and perfectly sized potato chunks, every protein option is incredible- chorizo is so tasty but my go-to is a bacon with avocado! These puppies are pretty big so it's a shareable size for me, just ask for an extra salsa!! Owner and staff are so wonderful, always a pleasant experience here, I recommend this pla regularly! Photo depicted is just HALF of the burrito! read more

River Front Cafe - Bacon and avocado breakfast burrito (just half of this burrito is the size of my hand!) - Cafes Near Me - Petaluma, California

Love this place! Great location, great food, great entertainment, dog-friendly. Service is very casual but good and responsive. Will continue to frequent this restaurant! read more

Flys everywhere eating makes you feel like livestock as they pester your ears, dirty sticky tables, flavorless blueberry pancakes save your money and your time don't be fooled by the river view. Horrific Arnold Palmer how do you get mixing lemonade and ice tea wrong? read more

Food ok, service much the same - great location. We were the last ones showing up before closing, but they accommodated us any way

The cafe is well-situated in downtown, with public parking a short walk away. (Lots of space for bikes, certainly.) The outdoor seating is right off the river, which was perfect for a warm spring day. Service was friendly, albeit a tad slow that day. We had two different salads and a falafel wrap, all very good. Would definitely come back. read more

When I visit my sister and her husband in Petaluma, the River Front Café is our go to place for breakfast. Sis and I seem to be in a rut as the North Bay Eggs Benedict is the only thing we want! It is so fresh and tasty leaving us wanting more. I often avoid fresh fruit sides because they're usually not fresh but this one was amazingly so. It's almost as if they had just chopped the fruit up as the strawberries, pineapple and melons were exceptional. And then there's the Benedict! I haven't had a better one. Also, we like the way the restaurant is laid out. There's lots of space between the tables both inside and out. Upon entering, walk up to the cash register to place your order and pay then head to the self serve water and coffee. We will be back, when I visit again and wouldn't be surprised if we order the same thing... so delicious! read more

River Front Cafe - North Bay Eggs Benedict with spinach, mushrooms, tomato, avocado and onions with fresh fruit side - Cafes Near Me - Petaluma, California

Great lunch or breakfast place overlooking Petaluma River.lots of selections, fresh tasty food and ample portions.

As part of supporting local businesses, a group of us went here to have lunch. The outside seating was nice, but with 90 degrees+, we decided to sit inside. The dining area is rustic and spacious. The serving team was friendly and helpful. One orders at the counter and the food are delivered to the table; no printed menu - have to go through the extensive menu board. For my lunch, I got a Shish Kebab Plate. It came with a fresh side salad, which was larger than a regular side. The platter itself had a couple of small kebabs, basmati rice, humus, grilled tomato, and slices of flat bread. The platter was good; especially love the hummus. Will definitely go back trying other things on the menu. read more

River Front Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Petaluma, California

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Third time I've been here, and still had a negative experience! The location is absolutely fabulous right on the water with plenty of outdoor seating. Prices are high for mediocre food. The owner displays sexist tendencies, and will rush or pressure a woman if she is not smiling at him. I observed this several times, and when it happened to me, I was floored. Despite an entire cabinet of beverages behind him, he told they don't carry any green tea. He tried to sell me a couple of other products, and when I said no thank you, he literally waved me off dismissively and moved onto the next client. I was not asked if there was anything else I wanted to order or to have a nice day, or even an apology. There are probably people who may not have had this experience and like the location so much, they chalk up his style to "that's just the way he is." read more

The food is delicious and the patio by the river is delightful! Friendly service as well :)

Enjoyed a quick, casual late lunch here overlooking the River. It brought me back to the diners of my youth in NJ. Order inside at the counter - the menu board is above the counter and there are lots of options. Have questions? Need recommendations? Ask the friendly staff. Pay and take your number to any available table of your choosing, inside or outside, and your food will be brought to you. I chose breakfast for lunch Greek Omelette with spicy potatoes and an English Muffin. It was huge! I loved the spicy, salty potatoes. So much food...I couldn't finish it all. My friend went for the tuna melt with steak fries and he enjoyed both. They offer a variety of drink options including Revive Kombucha, Boocraft Hard Kombucha, beers, Mimosas and more! read more

River Front Cafe - Breakfast available all day! - Cafes Near Me - Petaluma, California

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The ambiance is gorgeous! Food is deliciously simple yet sophisticated. Baked oysters are divine! read more

Falafelicious! Delicious Greek food. Dishes are prepared with local farm to table ingredients. Nothing like fresh vegetables, locally raised beef and chicken, and -of course-fresh bread from a local bakeries.  What to order? We wanted it all but agreed to share the Falafel Greek salad and Burger and fries. I have to say-- the falafels here are very big and very green with tons of herbs like cilantro and parsley that brings a natural freshness to every bite! Delicious and certainly a fav!! Service: Fast friendly service. We felt like family. Perk: Dog friendly --and --you get a nice view of the river. read more

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Wow! This place is very friendly, clean and spacious. The food was delicious. Came out quickly. Owner came by to check on me and brought me a cup of ice which was awesome for my drink. Will be back, enjoyed my experience! read more

River Front Cafe - Cheeseburger and Fries - Cafes Near Me - Petaluma, California

Cranberry sandwhich and Riverside Salad.Husband says 5 stars all the way nice little place where you can sit outside by river. Owner stopped by to make sure we enjoyed our meals...first class service all way. read more

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Very busy Sunday late lunch (during the Antique Fair) so it was hopping but service was efficient and friendly and they were so kind about the wait but it seemed pretty fast to us. Plenty of seating, noise level acceptable, and the food was great! Both ordered the falafel salad (gluten-free) which was fresh and satisfying. Big menu from breakfast fare to Mediterranean dishes to American classics. Wonderful location, too, right on the river with lots of indoor and outdoor seating. read more

River Front Cafe - Falafel salad (gluten free) - Cafes Near Me - Petaluma, California

Lovely small adorable spot with outdoor seating right on the water. The service was great, but keep in mind they don't really do table service. You order at the register, and they bring your food out to you with minimal checks afterward. I also had a nice matcha oatmilk latte with my sandwich. I'll definitely be back because it's a great location and I love eating on the water. Next time, I'll check out one of their Mediterranean dishes. read more

Very nice owners, and cute place, had the Petaluma Breakfast and the potatoes were yummy but probably not made today. Looked all over for the chicken, didn't see very much of it anywhere, maybe a total of one ounce looked like an old chicken tender from someone's lunch? Was expecting a chicken sausage, or patty, but no chicken anywhere. Again, would probably not do breakfast. Perhaps lunch is made fresh. read more

If you struggle to find real breakfast joints on Yelp with real coffee and not that normal diner swill a lot of them serve, then I have the same problem. The food here is delicious, including real hashed browns and legit coffee. The view of the river is a nice touch too. read more

Super cute location on the water. I really wanted to love this place having it be the spot we discovered for brunch after a special weekend roadtrip headed home. We placed our orders at the register & found a cozy as could be corner with our number tag. Our drinks arrived soon after & my breakfast sandwich soon after that. I waited to eat until my boyfriend's came. And waited, and waited. He said at one point, "I wonder if they forgot?" After at least 15 minutes of us sitting there with my plate of untouched food, a young woman who had previously been behind the counter, (did not take our order though) came over & asked if we had everything so she could take the number. We told her that we were waiting for his breakfast burrito. Then she came back & asked what he had wanted in it. So the order was misplaced. I felt really bad for her. You could tell she was quite nervous & scared to approach us both times. It was not her fault. When the food did come out shortly thereafter, we finally ate. Mine of course was cold. They should have offered to remake or reheat it. read more