This low key, family restaurant fit the bill as we traveled through the area. Country music plays softly in the background and a couple of TV's had the news on. Comfortable sized booths along the walls with family sized tables scattered throughout the rest of the space. A window wall lets in daylight. We parked in their lot and entered by that entrance on a rainy day. Down a few steps to the cashier, seat yourself. A member of staff showed up quickly with menus and we asked for water as we had been on the road and never seem to drink enough water when we travel. The menu had a selection of entree salads and we both chose one. The produce was fresh, plenty of protien on there and tasty. I chose the house made ranch dressing and it's a tasty buttermilk recipe I definitely recommend. We asked for the check and went to the cashier to pay. No one rushed us out the door. Definitely the type of place you can stay awhile. Restrooms are clean, the staff are all very nice. Food quality is good and our meal tasty. Would return if we find ourselves in the area again. read more

Riverfront Restaurant - Buffalo chicken salad - American Near Me - Chilhowie, Virginia

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Great food! Great owner! Would recommend this one for sure. This restaurant is a great asset to this community and a wonderful place for a working lunch or dinner! read more

excellent service great food Go 2 to 4 times a week Wonderful servers Fantastic fabulous read more

Service was good, hamburger was excellent As where the homemade chips. For lunch, it was really quiet. No Riverfront! So disappointed. Nothing anywhere. No water! read more

I would never eat at riverfront they didn't wear gloves while they're cooking and touching raw meat they do not wear gloves it is crazy with the waitresses because they get confused on what food they're supposed to take out so if I was you I wouldn't need there I couldn't eat food that somebody touched with their bare hands and no beard covers or hair covers it is an awful restaurant read more

Surprising stop on our way to Nashville in a small town that has only one traffic light! Staff was so friendly and forthcoming, giving heartwarming charm you'd only see on TV. Variety of selections on the menu. Burgers with sides or their skirt steak platters. We each did skirt steak. The cowboy and the Cajun. The cowboy came with mushroom and gravy the two sides I chose were steamed green beans and mashed potato (with more gravy on top) The Cajun had shrimps and a spicy gravy (not too spicy) with loaded mash and Mac and cheese. They had a selection of cakes in the fridge near the register, but we were too full but also debating the cheesecake which looked delicious! Next time. Pleasantly surprised by our stop, we didn't want to do the typical road trip fast food drive through, and always try to support local. This place definitely has won our thumbs up! read more

All of the food was bland. You could tell it was microwaved. GROSS!! someone needs to do better.

Has a terrific breakfast today. The cool thing is we were greeted by pet goats at the table. Spectacular server who had a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face! read more

Such a nice atmosphere. We Did buffet Green peppers in target. Service was superior, on our way home from Nashville Tennessee to Maryland. Saw sign on side of road while traveling. Decided to stop. $15 for buffet. A win for us. Thanks for having us. read more

The place as a whole deserves 4 stars But if we're talking about the cooks, Mike Landis doesn't deserve any in my opinion. He's very hateful ,very rude always screaming at his servers,NEVER greets anyone while walking in if he's in the front. Bad customer service all the way around.. Now the owners themselves are wonderful people,whom run an amazing restaurant.I hate to see how this place will be ran after their gone.. if it's left to Mr. Mike it won't last long. It's a shame he's not more like his folks. read more

Our party of 20 decided to eat here after the basketball game around 4:00. Might have been 7 or 8 other customers in the restaurant. Couple of our us decided to move a table to join together so we could all enjoy our time together. Unbeknownst to us, the table was not supposed to be moved as the waitresses said nothing otherwise. The table would not have been moved had we known. Not sure if it was the owner or manager came and asked us to move the table back. We apologied several times and moved the table back. No big deal until the manager or owner made the comment to one of our group that McDonalds was around the corner and that our group would kill the cooks. We were also handed a limited menu (piece of paper) to order from because of our group size (makes no sense) per the waitress. We as a group talked among ourselves and decided that obviously we were not welcome. No one in or group argued, raised their voice or anything rude of the sort. On the way out, we did ask the owner why she made those comments. She said she was kidding!! Really?? If she was kidding, why didn't she say so when said it? Imo, that is not something that should be said in any way to or around customers. Yes, she did apologize on our way out but with that attitude, who would dare risk eating the food? Why are they in the food business if they don't want to sell food? Maybe the business doesn't need the money but as an out-of-town group that has frequented Chilhowe for several years for basketball games, we also do not need their food nor tolerate the disrespect. Yes, we shared our experience with others so as to avoid their own rude experience. 100% guarantee that at least these 20 people will never be be back nor recommend to this place to anyone. Just a guess but I would say a total food bill would have been in the $350 range. I hate it for the waitresses as they seemed friendly and were just doing what they were told. That was money they missed out on because of the owner or manager. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you! I would say there will be a response to this review but that's fine. I do ask if they do, tell me what you said and done is not accurate as I have said. We travelled on to Abingdon and ate a great meal together. We were greeted with a smile and a courteous thank you from Puerto Nuevo! read more

I love this place. The owners are super friendly. The staff even when busy are kind. On one trip the sheriff and some deputies were dining and they took pictures with our kids. It is one of those places where all the customers seem at ease and you can actually enjoy the atmosphere there. The food is great. We've been a handful of times always trying something new and have yet to be disappointed. It is worth the stop. read more

We stopped here in our way north on 81. There's not much to the town of Chilhowie but this was easy to get to and find. The building has great character and loved the atmosphere. But the atmosphere was slightly misleading. While the food was fine for your average diner/family restaurant, the food did not meet the expectations of the decor. I had ribs which were only so-so. While I had no problem eating them, I wouldn't order again. Not much meat on them and a bit over cooked. However, the potato wedges they came with were outstanding. If I had to do over I would have stuck with the sandwiches. Also misleading is the name. This restaurant does not look over a river. You'll be disappointed if you were hoping for a view. The mac 'n' cheese we also found to be average. As was the Riverside chicken dish. The sweet tea was quite good and the salad was tasty as well. The servers were all very nice and welcoming and did a great job. Overall we enjoyed the stop but keep expectations in check. Don't be fooled by the leather bound menus. Think diner fare. read more

Riverfront Restaurant - Salad and tea. - American Near Me - Chilhowie, Virginia

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A great spot to meet up with friends. We enjoyed good food and great service. Our waiter was on point. He kept our glasses full. It wasn't crowded on a Thursday at lunch but I bet it's hoping in the evening. read more

Great place with variety of food choices and good pricing. Our server Miranda was fantastic.

Good owners and good food, i've been going there for years. They make a great riverfront burger.

Let me begin by stating, that the atmosphere is great and the restaurant itself has taste and charm. The service was satisfactory and the servers were friendly. The food, however, wasn't up to par, in my opinion. I ordered the ribeye. The filet was low grade dog food: a poor cut and something you get at a truck stop. As a "foodie" and food snob, I was expecting something of a higher quality food, prepared with care. But, instead, I received something Waffle House wouldn't serve. So, basically, great place with garbage food. read more

Mike landis was very rude. The food wasn't the best. You can definitely find better bang for your buck. At other restaurants. The atmosphere was just thick. Every worker had this vibe that they just wanted you in and out. I don't care if you're busy. You should be doing everything you can to make someone feel welcome in your establishment. read more

Cheap food: instant mashed potatoes, canned vegetables and frozen fish, fries, all appetizers and so on.... Sky rocket prices Untrained staff.....Rude Owner. read more

Great restaurant, great steak and service . The best steak I've had in along time. Very close to Vicksburg National Park. A must do while you are there read more

Pretty good! Prices are fair and the food isn't bad. Service is always great. Make sure to check out the dessert fridge! They are sooooo good! read more

We were just passing through and stopped for dinner. What a treat. Friendly employees and really delicious food. I had their Chicken Margherita. Tender chicken breast with tomatoes, provolone and pesto. I would have that one again. Anna had a ribeye, cooked to perfection and full of flavor. Don't miss this place if you're looking for a good meal. read more

- very friendly service...helpful waitstaff - older demographic in here on a sunday afternoon - decent buffet for 11.99. solid bang for your buck - fairly large menu to order off of, as well...you can order just about whatever you want here, as far as american food goes - i'm a fan of their peanut butter pie (included in buffet)...very light and airy, with s solid graham cracker crust...just like grandma used to make - good spot to stop and take a breather while driving from knoxville to morgantown read more

Riverfront Restaurant - one happy camper - American Near Me - Chilhowie, Virginia

Stopped in for dinner, place Is simple but clean and ha nice appearance. I have their Riverfront chicken which is a breast with bacon green peppers tomatoes and red onions on top served with ranch dressing and a choice of 2 sides. It was prepared perfectly and tasted real good. My dinner salad however was made a while back and was pretty limp. The server was a young very nice fella who did all you'd expect. read more

Very nice place. Good service and food was excellent. Got the burger and potato soup. Very tasty. Steak salad has great flavor. Very reasonably priced. Will definitely come back A great find in ChIlhowie!!! read more

Me and my family had dinner here stopping off the main highway looking for a local restaurant. We had a lovely dinner with great service.

Fantastic food and even better servers! Shout out to Sydney who is the best. She was our server to two large, private parties and was an absolute dream to work with! read more

Nice place. Very busy in a Sunday afternoon but we got there just after the crowd. I had the steak and cheese. Very good. Bread nice and soft and fries were good. Husband had gulf shrimp that were more like popcorn shrimp, so did son. They cleaned their plates. Enjoyable!! read more

We were evacuees from hurricane Florence & lucked in to Riverfront! Outstanding Sunday buffet including giant pieces of fried chicken, fried shrimp, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, Mac n cheese & cinnamon apples. Nice atmosphere & very friendly staff! read more

Sunday buffet. Open some cans of corn etc put on steam table and charge 50 bucks for three people. Instant potatoes, tea was good! Make hamburger into patties pour gravy from can over it. Never again. read more

We stopped for lunch on our way down to Tennessee. Better than anything we could have expected. We both had sandwiches and a drink for less than $20. Must get their house made chips, they are fantastic! read more

We had been driving for several hours, and still had more than 4 to go. We'd never been in this area, not anywhere remotely near. We were hesitant about stopping at a sit down restaurant. But from the moment we walked in the door we were greeted with a sweet southern welcome that basically said, come on in, we will take good care of you. And they did...From beginning to end. The manager even brought to the table a free appetizer that they were just featuring on their specials. The food was great. The service was great. The atmosphere was great. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone. read more

Mac & cheese was AMAZING! We stopped in on a Sunday afternoon during a road trip from DC to Mississippi and got the buffet for a very reasonable $11.99. Pretty good fried chicken, shrimp, & squash. But that Mac & cheese was a showstopper. SO cheesey. The restaurant was also very clean and the staff was super friendly. Strong recommend. read more

There were numerous issues with the service. The table wasn't prepared either flatware. Hot water for the was never served. However the food was delicious if you didn't mind waiting over and hour. read more

The food was ok, but not great. Prime rib was overcooked even after ordering it medium rare. Rib-eye was ordered medium and was raw. Salads were very good. Gulf shrimp were very small and appeared to be frozen and reheated. The experience would have been much better if it wasn't so NOISY inside the place. There are absolutely no soft surfaces to absorb the noise. And the restaurant was less than half full so I'd hate to go there when it's full! read more

A good place to get off I-81 to get a sandwich. I would question whether it is home cooked. It is the quality of a chain restaurant. It is clean, inexpensive, and our server was very friendly. read more

Was driving through the area on 81 and stopped here for dinner. Great service, super affordable and nice little town. Note: it's not on a river. But it was a nice break from chain restaurants. read more

This was the worst burger I've ever had. Riverfront burger....shit burger. Must be "hand making" off a ten pound garbage beef tube. My wife got the stir fried rice and shrimp and instantly knew nothing about the rice was fried or stirred but was able to see several microwaves from our seats. I'm sure that is where it's cooked. Service was great by trevor. read more

Been here numerous times. Not the best place. Only go because there aren't many other choices in our are. Service is never good. Extremely slow to server food. The food is ok if you get all of it. 2 times they neve brought my whole order. Every time I never got a refill on my drink. Crackerbarel is worth extra drive and wait. read more

A short drive off I-81 into downtown Chilhowie... more easily found using a GPS than by dead-reckoning headed into town. The outside (lot) entrance of the Riverfront is attractively arranged with live plants in huge urns. The interior is pretty well kept and clean. The Riverfront Restaurant appears to be a local favorite with a busy lunchtime for a Wednesday at noon. While we were there, four people were already seated when we arrived and about eight more came in shortly after we arrived. Specials of the day are posted on a chalkboard as you enter, and there is a large menu of selections pretty much like American diner fare. On the way in there is a dessert display case with several tempting pies and cakes. I do not know if ALL are home made, but hopefully so. We were offered menus shortly after being seated by a friendly hostess... our server had another young lady in training. Both were cheerful and attentive to our requests. I had a one of the daily specials: Mountain Meatloaf with two sides, and my wife had the Fried Whitefish with two sides. Our meals were served in about 10-15 minutes. I would not say either was fantastic, but both were good. I had expected Mountain Meatloaf to be more different than it was. I had expected better for some reason... including expecting the meatloaf topped by some sauce regionally inspired instead of "just" ketchup. My wife said that the fish was a little dry, but it was a good-sized (4x6x1/2 breaded fillet) portion (and she did eat most of it). If it had been unacceptable, she would have left most of it. I'm not sure that I would venture that far off I-81 that close to Abingdon again. We could have had lunch in Abingdon and departed later in the day... and if headed toward Abingdon, I'd definitely continue on in and dine there next time. Travelers on I-81 between Wytheville and Abingdon will encounter many fast food choices along the interstate & few family restaurants... several restaurants listed on travel information sites ARE NO LONGER OPEN even though sites do not reflect this reality. Obviously not everyone who has gone to a closed restaurant bothers to update travel information websites. I try to update information about closed locations when I personally attempt to patronize them and discover that they are closed. FWIW... a cell phone call to a restaurant is a quick way to check whether a restaurant is still in business. read more