The establishment offers a delightful selection of foods. My personal favorite is their fish, which is exceptionally delicious, and we also received excellent service. read more

Two cod filets, covered my plate. Service was very good. New owner is doing a good job. Very big menu. Frog legs still on menu. read more

One of the best places to eat in central MI. It's burgers are great, especially the olive burger. All the fried stuff is very, very good, especially the pickles and mushrooms. The cole slaw is also very good. Everybody raves about the fish, but I think their burgers are better. Decor is nice, with the bar being stunning!--carved oak. Service is good. They're also much more reasonably priced than any fast food chain! read more

You're driving along in the middle of nowhere (which happens a lot in Michigan) and hunger strikes. That sucks. But wait... up in the distance what's that? A local watering hole - standing alone but it's obviously open. Hitch up your bootstraps and head on inside 'cause the options are scarce 'round these parts. Riverdale Tavern makes me think of this exact scenario. Luckily, it's actually not that bad once you settle down and have some grub. There's plenty of local history here to keep you interested and even weird stuff to occupy your feeble mind hanging on the walls. Kind of like Applebee's, but this stuff is different somehow. Like... it's authentic. Which is a good start. Can you say alligator rug? Because they have one hanging on the wall. Awesome. Service is very attentive. Maybe that's because this place never seems to be packed even though they have tons of space. It's also the exact down home type service you'd expect from someplace like this. Warm, friendly, and not afraid to kid around with you a little bit. If you put your acerbic wit to use, the waitress will strike back and that's a good thing. Coming from spending some time in the southwest I'm on a healthier eating kick. My options were fairly limited in this place because, like most places with "tavern" in their name, the majority of the menu is either a burger or deep-fried. The fish is their specialty here - it's flown in everyday(?), and it is certainly deep fried. That doesn't mean that it's not absolutely delicious. Seriously some of the best fish I may have ever had. The onion rings are pretty stellar too. I can't particularly attribute it to the batters they use, or the quality of their ingredients, but only speculate on the process they use in frying that makes it stand out. The small nibbles i had were good though. Very good. My salad - was a bit lacking. I give them credit for trying. It also seemed to be rather dismal in size for the $7.50 it costs. Seriously? It barely filled up my paper plate that its served on. Lest you think they're cheap here it was a Dixie paper plate... the nice thick kind that don't fold under pressure. Would I stop here again? Yeah, the fish and onion rings were awesome. The service was stellar as well. The ambiance of the place gives it a reason just to stop in and look around too. I knock a few points off for the ridiculously priced sub-par salad. Other than that... it's worth a visit. read more

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Super friendly employees. Difficult to get service because employees were sitting and conversing with customers. The cod was dry, too long in the fryer and the French fries could have fried a couple minutes longer. $17.75 was way too much to pay for a sub standard meal served on a paper plate! All the mirrors and glass cabinets really need a good cleaning. read more

Great service, fantastic food,,,,,,friendly atmosphere,,,highly recommend ,,,,fish friday ,the best around

Stopped in with a group of people on Saturday. I've been a few times previously for dinner and their fish is top notch, but was disappointed that the lunch menu is more limited and doesnt have the fish. However, my mom said her taco salad was the best she ever had, so that counts for something. read more

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I can only speak to this places Fish Fry, but it is very good. If you are in the mood for a good fish fry in central Michigan this is the place. I live in Mt. Pleasant, but the drive is not prohibitive to get here. The service was attentive and the portion sizes are almost too much. Bring two or three people with you and order a couple of family orders of the fish and you won't be disappointed. read more

Best fish in the area. Well worth the money and the wait! You will not be sorry! Yum.

I live on Half Moon Lake, 3 miles north of the tavern. I love the people and food and try to stop in often. My favorite bartender, Stephanie, is always ready with a smile. She really pours a cold beer. It's been owned by the same family for years and they are all truly nice people. Thanks Stephanie for all the good times. Fred read more

Not sure what was going on at this place after reading the reviews saying how great it was. We felt that it was a little pricy for just some battered fish. It used to be the spot but for what you get, I thought it was a little much. read more

I grew up about 3 miles away from here, and the place has always gotten raves about the fish fry. The last times I went there, the food was great and the service was OK, seated and served. But I went in for a pick-up order for my elderly parents, ordered from the kid playing bartender, and the circus began. Simple order: cheeseburger with everything but ketchup, fries included, and an order of "Just" fish (a peculiarity of the Riverdale Tavern: "just" is around 5 pieces of deep-fried fish, with fries and cole slaw enough for two people). First the guy had problems with the order on the computer. Then I waited for 20 minutes. The "just" fries were placed before me in a box on the bar...then the burger came. I looked inside the burger box--no fries. Asked for that to be corrected. Then the fish came...checked things again, no cole slaw. Had to ask, had to tell him, "Yes, I want it--it's part of the order!" He handed me one small container of slaw, wandered to the room next door, returned with another small container of slaw. I don't know if he didn't know the menu, if he didn't understand what was included, or if he was just incompetent...but from the time I ordered to the time I left with a complete order, it was 45 minutes, and people who came in to eat after I ordered were eating before I got my piece-mealed order. And the "just" fries were lukewarm and soggy by the time I got it all back to my parents. Good food, good ambiance, but I hope they iron out their service. read more

Well, the fish fry is very good!! Keep in mind: the servings are huge -- be smart and order less. Also, ask for the "dry batter" if you don't want the typical style. And keep in mind this is a bar in the middle of nowhere. Their bar serves beer. The fanciest drink is probably a rum and coke. We asked for a manhattan - and despite having all the ingredients displayed on the bar, they looked at us like we were aliens -- did not know what it was. And be prepared to wait for your order to reach the table .... it is worth it. read more

Expensive? Yes for tavern food. It's pretty greasy but when you live in Elm Hall, it's tavern food or pizza (not very good pizza). The cod fish and fried pickles are the best, in my opinion. It's pretty casual, and dim-lighted in there. I like that part of it a lot. Most of the servers are nice and friendly. Every once in awhile you might get the rude waitress, which is not pleasing at all. If they lowered their prices, we might come a more often. read more

We went yesterday for their 100th anniversary celebration and the food was really good. We had their Cod and we will go back.

Unique place with great food. Service can be slow (due to the amount of guests) but worth the wait. The gizzards are tender and delicious. The fish, frog legs and chicken are terrific. The coleslaw is good but a bigger serving would be nice. The staff is friendly and work hard to make your experience enjoyable. read more

My grandpa came here in 1939. Ever since, it's been a family tradition eat here. I live in FL, but when I come to visit my dad we always eat here every Sunday. It's the best day to eat here since the food is cooked to order. Almost everything is fried and delicious! (I don't eat fried food typically but I will here) My favorites are mushrooms (appetizer), Coleslaw, chicken, and cod. They always seem to be low on staff but when your with good company it doesn't matter. It's almost to be expected when you come here. read more

I lived in Mount Pleasant, MI from 1998 to 2002 and have been back quite a few times since. The Riverdale Tavern was the place to go for good fried home cooking when I lived there, and I am sure it still is. It is not for the health nut or vegetarian! It is mostly fried food with the house specialties being fried fish and fried frog legs. Before 1998, I had never thought of trying fried frog legs, but now I get them anytime I see them on a restaurant's menu because of the Tavern. The "Just Fish" order of fried cod, French fries, and coleslaw is very good and never disappoints. The place has a few dining areas and there is a nice, classic bar (on the left) when you walk in the main door. On Saturday nights, there was always a wait line, and when there was college football being played, the place was always packed. If your travels take you through central Michigan, this place is worth a stop! Plus Riverdale is home to one of the smallest US Post Offices! read more

I was excited to try this to place after reading rave reviews. My husband said he remembered their frog legs as delicious. He'd had them 20 years ago. So off we went with our son and his gf and my mil in tow. Got there to find out they were out of frog legs. 5 pm on Saturday night. So we ordered a variety of other stuff to share. Everything was heavily battered and greasy! Cod-fish inside was good. Gizzards- got these upon waitresses recommendation. Little to no flavor and so heavily battered and greasy it ruined everything. Clams- no flavor and terrible. I was expecting a fried clam to rival Boston area. Chicken-ok. But batter once again was terrible. Give me KFC any day (and that's not saying much). We also got fried mushrooms and cauliflower. These were typical fried bar food and nothing to right home about. I'm not trying to ruin this restaurants business but the heavy amount of bland batter and grease was terrible. I hope the riverdale tavern tastes their batter. Lightens and flavors it up with some spices and cleans up the grease to something lighter. All 5 of us rated it as one of the worst meals we ever had. But on the positive side my $4 glass of Cabernet was actually pretty good. read more