We had a large party (13) come in for a birthday party. Rather than being exasperated by our request, Jodi, the hostess, welcomed us with "the more the merrier". We did have about an hour wait but the outdoor patio was pleasant with several fires going to keep warm by and visit. Spencer took care of our drink orders while we waited and it was almost disappointing when our table was ready. Once seated our server, Nikki, took great care of us. She got everything perfect and wasn't flustered with many questions and credit cards. We were made to feel right at home from the moment we walked in until we left. Thank you River Inn. My daughter's birthday will be a memorable one. read more

River Inn - Birthday celebration in three-season porch - American Near Me - Hanover, Minnesota

See all

Honestly I've never had anything here that was less than 5 stars. I've had many hamburgers, their creamy wild rice soup is the best I've ever had, sometimes we go their just for that. French dip sandwich is excellent. Great salads too. We live in Maple Grove and will hands down drive their for a hamburger. read more

This is a hidden gem, hard to find but very much worth the hunt. We came here for a Friday night which is there rib night, while they last which is always a great way to have a rib night. I will say I am a bit of a rib snob and don't always order them when out knowing in most cases I will be disappointed. This did not disappoint, they are great. Nice and tender, sweet homemade sauce and a little spice. Since then we have been back and tried the pizza which is the bomb! They have a Ruben pizza which was fantastic, taco pizza is very good and then the meat pizza rocks as well. Great service, great location, great little treat and a nice drive to get there! KT read more

River Inn - Prime sandwich, not a sandwich but damn good prime rib! - American Near Me - Hanover, Minnesota

Best place in the Burbs....maybe the whole state! Rick and Jody are the best ever and so is the staff!

The food was great, the outside seating is great, and the waiters were nice. It was a great experience, and I recommend the cheeseburgers.

The River Inn is one of those places that you tell everyone about. We go for the food of course because it's so good. From the pizza to the prime rib! The atmosphere though is what great. Jody, the owner does such an incredible job with keeping that place humming. All the wait staff is on top of it. My favorite person other than Jody is our server Barb! read more

Amazing food, always busy and I don't blame them tho the staff is so nice and the food is always so good! Highly recommend!

Great place to eat. Love the fire pits. Their salads are great. Fun atmosphere! Home and cozy feel. Always jammed packed for a reason.

This place.... when I was scrolling through the Yelp photos, all I saw was prime rib and the cucumber press, and I kept saying.. is that all they have there?! Well, I went to find out myself.. and then came back 5 more times since! They DO have an awesome drink list, BUT the cucumber press trumps them all! It's made with in house vodka that's soaking in cucumbers, it's the most refreshing drink you'll ever have. They also do have food other than the prime rib, and the other food is very good! If you ask any of the severs what's good, they'll probably say "everything" or "anything here". I've tried almost all the appetizers and haven't been disappointed in one. As for the main meals, I'm usually so full from the apps that I barely eat my meals, but everything I've had is great! There's usually a little bit of a wait, but it's SO worth it. I can't wait to try their winter meals! read more

See all

Consistently great service and food. Owners are very visible and friendly. Very accommodating.

Doesn't matter what you order it is always good. Prime rib is excellent and the ribeye is superb.

You can't go wrong at the RI with anything on the menu! If you love Reubens, the Reuben pizza is the best! You'll feel extra healthy (and it's very good!!) getting it on a cauliflower crust!! Salads are fantastic!! Service great! Be prepared to wait for a table if you come at "normal " dining times. read more

Great staff, delicious food and cozy atmosphere. Nice place to enjoy a good meal with friends or family.

Discovered the River Inn when we moved to St. Michael. Really glad we did. We love this place. It is nothing fancy but in so many ways, it is quaint and homey. The food is always amazing and my particular favorite is the Grandma Ruth's Prime Rib. Simply amazing. I was so pleased to see they were able to stay open during the pandemic and they even created an amazing patio to continue offer service during a time when so many restaurants went dark. Keep up the great job you guys. River Inn is special. read more

Great atmosphere and even better food and service. Have heard lots about it but first time there. The reviews lived up to the hype.

Our family goes out on Friday night's with grandma. Sometimes we like to get out of town and try something new. We drove from Minneapolis to Hanover to try the River Inn. When we got there we were shocked by the number of people and were presented with a long wait. GMA is 92 and doesn't wait well. They have a great patio area where guests can wait but it was too cold for GMA to wait outside. We were delighted when the hostess offered to put us in a covered tent area and turned an electric fireplace on just for us. We were able to order drinks and appetizers while we waited and were treated royally. I wish I could tell you that we enjoyed a fantastic meal but we never got to eat because after being seated and ordering GMA got sick and we had to suddenly leave. I have never been so pleasantly accommodated. Every one was so very nice about our situation. They canceled our order without problem or charge. I hope to go back. All the food looked fabulous and the wings that we did get to eat were great. I have very seldom written a review but even weeks later I'm marveling at how very kind everyone was. They made what could have been a terrible experience into a truly blessed experience. I just wanted to say thank you. read more

Seriously this place is my new favorite spot! Food was delicious! Service was spectacular! Atmosphere is welcoming and fun. This place was very busy (for good reason) yet we were able to get our food in a very reasonable amount of time. I will be back many more times to try all their foods! read more

River Inn - Chicken sandwich with sweet potato fries - American Near Me - Hanover, Minnesota

Holy cow! I had read reviews, but monkey see, Mikey doesn't believe. My husband and I, plus a friend of mine went on a Thursday evening. We arrived early, after reading the reviews. We were lucky enough to be seated right away, table for 3. At 445pm, we did not have to wait for an outside table. We all decided on the Reuben Pizza....OMG, after 1st bite I told my huz that I had found my new go to pizza! It was enjoyed by all 3 of us. Wait staff extremely friendly. I will go back, but I want to try other entrees read more

I absolutely adore this place. Although they don't take reservations and you may have a wait- they even provide excellent service while you wait!!! A cozy fire and outside bar- amazing. I'f you haven't been there- go! The food was excellent, as always! read more

Lots of hype but I wasn't to impressed. I had meatloaf sandwich with BBQ sauce on the side. I was glad because it was extremely spicy hottt! The salad bar is in the corner behind a table and only one person can get in at a time. Very bad arrangement, take a table out, geez. read more

See all

Great food and friendly service. Only drawback is the limited seating, this place gets pretty busy and our larger party had to wait. But, it was well worth the wait. Awesome selection of unique pizzas, fantastic burgers, and the Cobb salad is killer. Reasonable pricing. Highly recommended, and I will be returning! read more

River Inn - Reuben Pizza - American Near Me - Hanover, Minnesota

See all

Great food Great atmosphere You will wait...but it's okay, grab a drink and enjoy the people watching! read more

Always a great experience here. Food is very good for what you get! As with every place, the prices have gone up for the same amount of food, but that's the world we live in now. read more

I have been all over the country and this is now my new favorite stop the food the service the atmosphere all stellar second trip in I'll be back! read more

Outstanding every time. This place and the people that make it remarkable, somehow repeat this experience so much that it's been standing room only for years. Honestly, that is the only downside. They have too many repeat customers. read more

Everything about the River Inn is amazing! The food is exceptional and we have tried pretty much everything on the menu! Service is excellent and they remember you! Our favorite dining place read more

Great food and fun local restaurant. Staff of locals and great pizza, burgers and prime rib.

Awareness. I would love to give a higher review but we had company over and went to put a takeout order in on Friday June 3rd at 5:45 pm and were told there were no takeout orders today and the wait in the restaurant was in excess of an hour and we were disconnected. I think the River Inn should post on their website they do not complete takeout orders on Fridays or Saturdays so customers can make other arrangements. People were very disappointed with the experience as they had previously reviewed the order and made plans based on having their food. We will not make the mistake again of relying on takeout service from the restaurant. read more

Food was delicious, staff was very friendly, and it's a super cute restaurant! can't wait to go back!

Loved the food. Yummy. It was in the loud side inside. I couldn't hear my kids ! Other than that great service and food

The bast food and service. A must visit!!! Huge portions. The wait is worth it. Heated tents outside for social distancing and service outside as well. You won't be disappointed. Thor read more

Stopped in on our way from up north back to the city. The place was full on a sunny Sunday afternoon. That Is a great indication of a great local place to go! We sat at the bar. Excellent, friendly bartender. Could not believe how many staff this place had, no shortage of friendly workers. While having a beer at the bar, I saw an old familiar face. It turns out a high school friend (and his wife) owns River Inn Bar & Grill. How cool is that?!" I ordered a Patty Melt with French Fries. The beef patty on the sandwich was one of the best I have had in a long time. It was fresh and juicy, perfectly cooked. My wife's cheeseburger was equally delicious. Looks like we have discovered our next frequent grill enroute to and from the lake place up north. Definitely will be back again and again! read more

Okay, I live in this little town now and have been here at least 20 times. FOOD= always fantastic! Never have I had a complaint! Everything, including and especially pizza is fabulous! Prime rib, my favorite! SERVICE=never disappoints! Friendly and fast! Why not 5 stars?= ITS PACKED, all the time! The place has way outgrown their space and frankly, it makes eating there sometimes uncomfortable! We went there for Mother's Day brunch.... It was a nightmare! They didn't take reservations and tried to pack too many people in that space for a buffet! Literally ruined my day. Same goes for regular weekends, almost unbearably tight. Actually seems chaotic. Just a hard place to go for a quiet dinner and relax. It actually does make me avoid going there even though I love their food and its 2 mins from my house! They need to revamp their space, seating system, or relocate. read more

I cannot say enough good things about my experience at River Inn. The service was sublime, the food fantastic, and the confines quaint and comfortable. We stopped in early on a Tuesday night (on the advice of others) and were glad we did so, since this place gets packed in a hurry. I can definitely see and taste why! We started off with cheese curds for an app, with a Sam Adams Cold Snap for myself and a cucumber press for my prettier half. It was a large plate of deep fried gooey goodness served up with a side of marinara, though I prefer them with my personal favorite fruit dip--ye olde catsup. Pretty decent curds. For entrées, I had the Grandma Ruth's prime rib with tots and my wife went with the teriyaki chicken sandwich and fries. The menu says the prime rib is a 10-12 oz. cut served open-faced on sourdough so I guess I was picturing more of a sandwich, but was pleasantly surprised that it actually comes out like any other prime rib entree; on a plate with a side of buttered sourdough toast, a cup of au jus, horseradish dip, and the awesome thin tater tots that are like Taco John's potatoe oles. You are even given the choice of how you want your horseradish: creamy or coarse. It was probably one of the 5 best meals I've eaten in years, and at $16.99, certainly the least expensive. My other dining mates thoroughly enjoyed their teriyaki chicken and French dip sandwiches. I got to sample the French dip and onion rings and they too were dang delicious. The service was excellent as we were greeted by practically everyone working there when we walked in. Our waitress was on the ball and knew the beer, cocktail, and food menu front to back, making recommendations based on our uncertain partially expressed desires. She was attentive without hovering and didn't miss a thing. With a combo of service and food this good, we will definitely be making the trek back over and over again. Well done, River Inn! read more

See all

Another busy night at River Inn. Every night is a busy night here. Jodi continues to work miracles and get everyone seated and served in a very reasonable time. We ordered the Newlywed Turkey Burger Pizza. Ha, everyone was asking what we were eating. Nope, it's not on the menu. Yes it's named after the newlyweds who took over the restaurant after their wedding a couple years ago. It was fabulous. Our compliments to the staff in the kitchen. They continue to impress. We haven't finished a meal that quick since we were kids. Love, love, love the food, the restaurant, and especially the staff and the owners. I only wish I had taken the time to take a photo to share with the world. But, you can still see it for yourself. Just order one. Oh, and have a glass of Malbec with that pizza. Root Beer for the kids. read more

Always amazing, no matter what you order! Cobb salad, sweet potato fries and ribs are favorites.

This place was great! The atmosphere is an odd mix of dark, elegant, divey and boisterous. The menu offered at least 4 things I wanted to order simultaneously and the food passed around by the wait staff had me distracted from my company. I landed with grandma Ruth's prime rib: a lean 12 ounce cut that, by the menu, sounded like a sandwich but was delivered like any steak I've ever had. It was amazing! Super juicy with a nice crusty sear. Paired with a tall Lupine Brown I left a happy man. This place will be my vote whenever I am back in St Michael for a visit. read more

Great food, great wait staff, friendly atmosphere. The owners are beyond friendly and make the whole dining experience unforgettable!

Called for reservations. Reservations confirmed. Drove over. Ended up waiting for an hour and ten anyway. No updates from staff. If they had told us it would have been this long a wait standing in a parking lot we could have gone somewhere else. No offer of anything for the wait. read more

After moving to St Michael, this has become one of our favorite spots to stop in for dinner and drinks. The menu features great Prime Rib, burgers, sandwiches, and pizza. We also LOVE the wing sampler, they have so many great dry rubs and sauces. Drink menu is also great, along with some nice seasonal cocktails. I've brought a lot of different people here: my wife, my parents, my in-laws, my 2 year old son, and my buddies, everybody has enjoyed it. The only complaint: There is usually a long wait, and its always crowded. That also can be seen as a compliment.....people are here because they like it. read more