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River House

4.1 (848 reviews)
Closed • 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
Updated 2 months ago

River House Photos

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RIVER HOUSE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Trendy
Intimate
Romantic

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Recommended Reviews - River House

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Menu
Maria E.

Loved the staff! Super kind and attentive. The octopus was tender. I also ordered the carpaccio but returned it because it was extremely tough, I was unable to cut it but the staff was very helpful in taking it off the bill. My friend loved his filet mignon. The view was amazing. A great meal in Louisville!

Slow-Braised Beef Short Rib
Kenneth L.

Our waitress was knowledgeable about the menu and suggested the Beef Short Rib. It was tender,flavorful and delicious.The restaurant with great views of the river made for a wonderful calming atmosphere.

Inside seating near front of restaurant
Summer F.

Great experience and delicious oysters with a cucumber minion nut sauce that really made the experience different than other moisture experiences. I love that we were able to sit out on the patio near the river and get to see the sunset. Our server Tyler was fantastic and knew the menu like the back of his hand! I would highly recommend going here what regardless if you live here or are just visiting for the day this was a great meal! Would recommend getting the spinach and artichoke with lump crab dip, the special of the surf and turf pasta, the Panko salmon, but swap out the fingerling potatoes for the butternut squash au gratin with goat cheese. I really enjoyed the mango margarita but it was quite sweet so just a fair warning I wasn't a super big fan of the raspberry Moscow mule, but my friend who tried it really enjoyed it. I don't think you can have anything on this menu that wouldn't be outstanding. they usually give complementary cornbread, but we did ask for it and it was promptly given to us, so don't be afraid to ask because the cornbread is a great addition to any meal. We got a decent amount of food, so I'm happy to report that the salmon still tasted good heating it up the next day. (Don't worry I heated it up at home, not at a workplace. lol)

Keri C.

Anytime there is a floor to ceiling windows with a view of water, an instantly enjoyable ambiance is introduced. From the bar to the restaurant area, things feel open, spacious, and calming. I went seafood nosh with my order. The lobster bisque was good, but the fresh lobster meat was what made it worth the while. My huge platter of shrimp cocktails was the star -- fresh shrimp, and a good cocktail sauce with a small kick from horseradish. The fried green tomatoes salad was nice and crisp and slightly indulgent from the dressing, bacon, and cheese. The breading itself could use a bit more flavor or seasoning. My bartender was friendly and definitely had a lot of regulars. It wasn't a homerun for me, though it was really nice post-work vibe and eats.

House cornbread
Denneane C.

Reservations are recommended! Great location on the river with outstanding views. Clean comfortable dining room. Servers were very attentive, efficient and professional. All our appetizers and entrees were excellent, as was the dessert.

Blackened seafood platter: shrimp, scallops, grouper cheek
Erika B.

I can't believe this place isn't talked about more, or maybe I'm just living under a rock. There seemed to be no bad seat in this restaurant, but the back (heated) patio with the view of the river can't be beat in my opinion. Perfect for special occasion or nice date night. Our server was lovely - she was attentive, friendly, super knowledgeable about the menu, and seemed able to read our minds whenever we needed something. The Kentucky Sunset cocktail is a must if you enjoy an amaretto sour. The complimentary cornbread was delicious and a nice surprise that we ended up taking home with us for a late night treat. But the absolute star of the show was the seafood platter - BLACKENED. We came in having been recommended this by multiple people and I'm so glad we listened. The grouper cheeks, scallops, and shrimp were all heavenly. The blackened seasoning blend is the perfect combination of smoke and heat. I wish we were served a bucket of the remoulade sauce. The coleslaw is genuinely some of the best I've ever had. We got the sweet potato peach cobbler for dessert and didn't care for it. It remained uneaten, but everything else was just SO good that I didn't even care. The River House is easily now one of the top places I've eaten in Louisville. Would definitely recommend a reservation. Very fairly priced for the quality served. Parking fills quickly, but there's an overflow lot a short distance away.

Shrimp poboy sandwich
Deb M.

Delicious food, great service, amazing views! I had the fish and chips. The slaw was fresh, creamy and tangy full of flavor. The fish and chips were fried to perfection and not greasy. We thoroughly enjoyed our experience here.

Seafood platter
Jess L.

We got the octopus appetizer, ahi tuna, and the seafood platter. All were good. The octopus was awesome. Would recommend

Steak
Tamara M.

Food and service was great! Father's Day dinner with family. Cornbread was fantastic and the fried green tomatoes.

Exterior seating and view
Alexandra S.

We arrived at 4:45pm and were told that a "shift change" was happening, so we could wait in the lobby until they were ready. Ten minutes later, I asked how much longer it would be, and they said that the servers do a daily meeting for 20-30 minutes and they've "been in the meeting for 15 minutes, so they should be out soon". I go out to eat a lot and have never had this happen. The restaurant was nearly empty, with a couple tables seated and a line queueing after us. The host stand didn't ask us if we wanted to be seated inside or outside and, once ready, proceeded to walk us to the farthest end of the outdoor patio next to a large loud party. It was quite hot outside, and we passed plenty of unoccupied indoor tables on the way. We sat outside for ten minutes, and no one served us, so we walked back inside and asked for an indoor table. The booth they seated us at was dirty. They don't offer happy hour, which I think is odd. Our waiter, Cedric, turned things around for us. He was very detailed, so friendly, and super attentive. We ordered the V tower, which had a current market price of $235 plus tax, a side of fries, a strawberry whiskey sour, and the finished with figs old fashioned. The whiskey sour tasted like thick strawberry syrup with not a hint of liquor, so I got a glass of Napa Chardonnay instead. The wine came in a thick glass, which wasn't ideal. No mingonette sauce came with the oysters. While the king crab was tender and sweet and the jumbo shrimp were cooked and chilled to perfection, everything else on the platter was lacking. The lobster was overcooked and tough, the lump crab was flavorless, the mussels were bland, and the oysters only came with two types when we would have liked a little more variety with twelve oysters. The fries were a little cold but tasty.

Special birthday dessert
Kyle E.

Pricy but great food and service! We dined at River House with friends to celebrate a birthday. Service is always excellent and you can't beat the views of the river. Our server was extremely attentive for our table of 8 and made sure drinks were replenished frequently. We had lot of questions on the menu and he provided great recommendations. We ended up with the tuna tartare and surf and turf linguine. The presentation was excellent and the food was rich and delicious. Would recommend for a celebratory occasion.

Inside rehearsal dinner venue at River house
Hannah M.

Lovely place for dinner! I actually was there for a rehearsal dinner and it was fantastic! Love that it's right on the water and the patio to hang out on is awesome! Food was delicious , drinks were great!! Staff is friendly! We definitely need to go back and have a date night and dinner!

Jane R.

I've been wanting to go here for a while and finally made it on Valentine's Day with my boyfriend! We both got the steak and potatoes. And had the chocolate lava cake for dessert. Everything was really good and I didn't feel overstuffed!

Outdoor view

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2 months ago

Was really excited to try this place but it was very disappointing. Slow service and average food.

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4 months ago

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2 months ago

A Louisville classic!! The views are fantastic, and the menu offers so many options that anyone can find something they can enjoy!

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River House Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - River House

Is there all you can eat crab legs on Monday's?

The AYCE Snow crabs on Mondays for dinner started this week. It’s $54.99++

Any gluten free options?

Absolutely, order the fish with no breading. Just request it to be grilled. We also enjoyed a charcuterie appetizer that you could ask to have them either remove the crackers or just not eat as well.

How dressy should we be?

You can go business casual there. I was there in a button up and slacks and didn't feel out of place. My wife was in a nicer dress, but we saw others dressed more casual than us.

Is this the restaurant that is mainly a seafood buffet? The one I am trying to find also brought…

No it is not. It is pretty high-end. No buffet.

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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Doc Crow's Southern Smokehouse and Raw Bar

3.9(2.5k reviews)
3.4 mi•Downtown, East Main
•$$

Absolutely phenomenal meal. The drinks were amazing, our server Alex, was also very amazing. He was…read moreso helpful and he gave us so many good suggestions. You definitely get your moneys worth of food. We will definitely be coming back every time we visit Louisville now. Everything was just so wonderful. The prickly pear lemon drop drink was heavenly. The atmosphere as a whole was so peaceful and refreshing. 10/10 would recommend to EVERYONE. Definitely filled my needs for my southern food cravings. And if you go ASK FOR ALEX!!! Wonderful young man and a great server.

Quick stop to collect a pickup order to finally use a gift certificate. Very easy ordering at…read morereception and waited in the comfortable seating area for 15-20 minutes. Really lucked out that I was able to snag one of the few curbside spots out front, but this was a 7 PM weeknight. There are pay parking lots nearby. Decided on the Smokehouse Sampler $36 to make everyone happy. This is easily enough food for several meals unless you're starving and/or a committed carnivore. The sampler included 4 ribs, pulled pork, tender sliced brisket, a quarter of dark roasted chicken, and andouille sausage links. This menu item does not include any specific choice of sides, but does have 2 sauce dips, fried onion, pickles, onions, and bread tucked into the order. Chose 2 separate orders for sides $6 each of succotash (smoky goodness with bits of roasted corn, Lima beans, tomato, green beans, onion) and fried okra (spicy crunchy coating and some whole okra in the mix), which thrilled my veggie-leaning appetite. Based on quality and quantity of food, would deem this a great value and as expected comparatively to other venues. Employees were welcoming and friendly with the ordering and pickup process. Restaurant seemed well staffed and bustling with more of a downtown touristy clientele, but worth a local visit if timed correctly. Would return in the future.

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Doc Crow's Southern Smokehouse and Raw Bar - Beautiful Bar area

Beautiful Bar area

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Shirley Mae's Café - Fried chicken

Shirley Mae's Café

4.3(208 reviews)
3.6 mi•Smoketown
•$

I was disappointed that it is carry out only, the food was amazing. One of the few places where…read morethe food was seasoned just right. In fact when I put hot sauce on the greens, I thought it tasted better without it. Looking forward to my next trip to Louisville.

I am so torn here. The food was like food my grandmother would make, which I really appreciate…read morebeing able to eat since she's passed on. It was not the best food in the world but the food here tastes like home to me. Just really well seasoned and old school. Now here's my issue. This establishment had me wait almost 90 minutes on a 92 degree day (WITH MY FIVE YEAR OLD) for two meals. They had already taken my money, otherwise I would have booked it. Here's what I ate: 1. Fried Pork Chop with mashed potaotes (they were out of potato salad) and greens, gravy on the side 2. Ribs with macaroni and cheese and Pinto Beans I also got a blackberry cobbler. I checked in after 30 minutes and they weren't sympathetic. I looked at these reviews later and saw that someone said the customer service at this establishment was hilarious and they were not kidding. Here's how everything tasted: Pork Chop: very flavorful, glad I got fried and not smothered for texture reasons Mashed potatoes: good and real, but nothing to write home about Ribs: They were okay. tender. tasted like they were boiled and that's not my preference...they were also swimming in sauce. I feel like ribs should be able to stand up without the sauce and I was not sure this could happen here. The bbq sauce is part of the dish for them. Greens: overly salted, underseasoned...they needed to be eaten by the pinto beans Pinto beans: absolutely no salt--would not order again Macaroni and cheese: this is the creamy kind, not the baked kind (not my preference. Gravy: excellent Blackberry Cobbler: FIVE STARS. Delicious, buttery, so tasty. I went home and tried to make one. Seriously: no notes here. It is a must try. Charging 2 dollars for a cup of kool-aid is insane. with this kind of customer services, it would be nice if they threw that sugar water in for free. I skipped it, but just thought I would mention if you plan on trying to have some for nostalgic reasons. I haven't had any in about 30 years and I was planning on it but not when I saw the price tag. I live in Illinois, but if I ever do visit again I will call my order in, go sight seeing and then pick up my food. Don't bring your kids to this establishment unless they have confirmed your order is ready!

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Shirley Mae's Café - Sign

Sign

Shirley Mae's Café
Shirley Mae's Café - Seating outside

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Seating outside

Hammerheads - Fried Mushrooms

Hammerheads

4.5(1.5k reviews)
3.6 mi•Germantown
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Looked up the best places to eat in Louisville, and Hammerheads came up in the top 10. The menu…read morelooked great and it seemed like a fun place to go. When we arrived, it was kind of busy but the one of tables outside was available, so we took it. I ordered the brisket taco and the pork belly taco my husband had a burger. We shared fries and fried mushrooms. The mushrooms were beyond amazing, and plentiful! I had a blonde beer, which was delicious. My husband's drink was a gin & tonic which he thoroughly enjoyed. I was so happy to finally experience true Kentucky smoked pork belly & brisket. The cool vibe at Hammerheads is also worth mentioning. Everyone was friendly, the service was excellent, and the food was amazing. I give them 5 STARS. I can't wait to do it again when I am back in town!

Have heard about this gem for 20 years but never tried it until last night. Wife and I sat at the…read morebar - love the atmosphere: spacious dive bar with low ceilings and wood paneling. There are also picnic tables out front. You get a faint whiff of the grill/smoker upon entering. Kylie was our bartender and she was fabulous - knowledgeable, friendly, and answered all of our questions with patience. Wife ordered a mango margarita and doesn't like a lot of tequila, so Kylie went half and gave her a shot on the side in case she wanted to add more. It was wonderful. I had a couple of beers. We started with the fried mushrooms, which aren't what you would expect. It's two large portobellos cut into chunks, battered, fried, and served with sun-dried tomato mayo. They were great. I then ordered a duck taco, brisket taco, and a side of Grippo Fries with smoked mayo. I'd never tried duck but that taco was smack-a-lackin'. The brisket taco was also good, and the fries were fantastic - sweet and spicy, fresh cut, and crispy. Wife ordered a pork belly slider and truffle fries. She enjoyed the slider but didn't care for the fries - just not her thing. The portions here are large. A side of fries will feed three people. We took a hefty portion of them home, as well as some of the mushrooms. We could've sat there at the bar and spent 3 hours socializing and enjoying a smattering of cocktails - love the setting. Look forward to going back and trying one of the burgers at some point.

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Hammerheads - More of the bar

More of the bar

Hammerheads - PBLT Sandwich - Definitely overall Pretty good! Needed another slice or two of pork belly but otherwise super tender. Would get again!

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Momma's Mustard, Pickles & BBQ - Beef rib

Momma's Mustard, Pickles & BBQ

4.2(1k reviews)
2.8 mi
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Over the past weekend, I was able to give Momma's Mustard, Pickles & BBQ! What I will say is this…read moreis one of the best BBQ spots I have tried in Kentucky in some time! When you walk in, it really brings you back to the olden days when BBQ shops used to be retro! I was a big fan of this! The food was superb! I will say I highly recommend the pork slider and the dry rub chicken wings! Also, the sliders really were a good option that Angelica recommended! Hands down the best waitress and very informative of the menu! The service, like I said earlier, was great! Angelica was easy to talk to and gave great recommendations! The ambiance was retro, and I loved that it reminded me of the past of the BBQ spots I have been in long ago! Overall, I will say give MMP&BBQ! And give the wings and pork BBQ a try, my personal favorites!

Pull up to Momma's and it's a house. How appropriate for the name of the establishment. It was a…read moreSaturday night and seated quickly around 6:30pm. Our waitress was new but EXTREMELY nice! Loved that she sat down at our booth as one of us to take our order. The atmosphere is very basic. Old school feel but minimal wall decorations but we did love the authentic Bob Ross painting with authenticity! The food: 1. Wings: good. Blue cheese could be better but wasn't the worst. 2. Meatball slider- I NEVER order meatloaf at restaurants because i enjoy my own meatloaf. The waitress suggested it and I disliked it. I saw some bell pepper in there and it was dry. Not for me. 3. Mac and cheese- pretty good. Very cheesy 4. Cornbread- my son ate more than half of my first piece so i ordered a second. The second was smooth as butter and DELICIOUS! Cornbread was the big win for me here. True score: 3.5 (They are known as the best wings in town but they were not the best we have ever had. That goes to Rodney Scott.)

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The Silver Dollar

The Silver Dollar

4.1(897 reviews)
1.9 mi•Clifton, The Avenue
•$$

It's been a while since we visited Silver Dollar, I'm talking old ownership, pre-Covid long time…read moreago. And let me tell you, it's obvious there's new ownership, new style, new menu and all for the better. The decor was giving a Bakersfield California vibe right in Louisville Kentucky. Visually appealing, honky Tonk with a small splash of humor. The day we went, was a sunny spring, I preferred indoor - we were sat at a super spacious booth. Menu is one page but they absolutely nailed it. He ordered a Hemingway. It came in a beautiful copper coupe with a dehydrated orange slice. Classy, cool with a kick. We started with the Mexican Hot Cheese dip. It's not your typical queso -- this had chilis, onions, garlic, jalapeños as toppings and it was delicious. It was accompanied by house made chips. The cheese though... Hubs had fried catfish with the Nashville Hot option and I had a Caesar salad with fried chicken. Fried Nashville hot catfish verdict - Very good, very spicy, very crispy. Caesar with chicken...I stole a crouton off the top, "that garlic crouton was amazing, I could eat those like a snack." The salad itself was divine. The dressing is light, you can taste the green chilis without the spicy kick. I could eat this salad every day! Of course we had to try the Mexican crème brûlée. Super creamy, chocolatey with spice custard with a delicate brûlée sugar on top, garnished with fresh strawberries. Same restaurant, new flavors better service, awesome experience.

Recently had a mediocre visit to Silver Dollar that left me smelling like grease and unhappy with…read morethe vibe and food. First off - I love this local gem, and I think it was just an odd/off night. It started with a scary trip to the ladies room, and it was just a mess. The first part of our evening (meeting friends) was great. Cocktails were tasty and the music was vibing. Fried pickles were AWESOME. At one point, the bartender changed the record and it became crazy loud - we literally couldn't hear the person 2 feet away speaking. A member of our party got up and asked the bartender if he could turn it down (asked politely), and was ignored. Literally ignored - bartender looked at my friend and the just walked away (and not to turn down the music). Next cocktail was AWFUL... food came out, and it was hot but nothing great; fries were oily. Churros were tough and overcooked as well. Our server (a younger woman) was attentive and friendly, and that was the highlight of our visit. She did turn down the music when we asked (and after another table I believe also asked). It wasn't a busy night, and I love the vinyl vibe and cool venue - we will come back and try again, but when 3 cocktails, an appetizer, and entree cost close to $100 before tip (for 2 - our friends were the same, so $200 for a table), you really need to be on point and provide solid service.

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The Silver Dollar
The Silver Dollar - Black bean chili & veggie burger, etc, etc.

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River House - newamerican - Updated October 2026

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