I will never step foot in this place or property and judging by all the reviews for Riversbend and Essex Marina, Curt and Lindsay appear very green oriented and somewhat discriminatory. I was walking through the marina because I used to go Essex Marina with my family and friends when it was owned by George Lufkin and his family to launch our boat. I accidentally stumbled upon a wedding admiring the beautiful restaurant and as I was walking by to leave the owner Curt said to me can I help you I replied no, he replied there is a wedding keep it moving and then when I replied you could have been nice about it he replied I am a nice guy, I don't have to be your on my property. I just moved to Essex and so far all the restaurants, businesses, and people have been so nice and welcoming. The Lufkin family were so warm and welcoming and these two were not welcoming to the locals. Sorry to the wedding party honest mistake and hope you have many years of happiness. I am sorry to all the staff that work there but the owners attitude needs to change. Every interaction is a learning experience and let this be a clear lesson in hospitality. I am not saying don't go here but want to leave you all with the information to make an informative decision before stepping foot on the property. Don't want anyone to go through the same ordeal as me. read more

Love Riversbend!!! Perfect location, good drinks and really, really great pizza! A true hidden gem :)

Perfect after a day of boating! Great vibe and wonderful views. Best flatbread pizza in the area!! read more

While we are not new to the area, we are new to Essex and waited all winter for Riversbend to open for the season. It was not worth the wait! The restaurant has wonderful views, sitting outside is optional due to the mosquitos dining on you. The service was acceptable and the waitress friendly - spending more time training that staff on service would benefit management. Twice we were offered food that we had not ordered. We did learn never order the same food at a new restaurant, because if the dish is way below acceptable (we both ordered the Quinoa Grain Bowl) you are left with nothing to eat! And it didn't come in a bowl!! I asked if there was a Manager on-site and was directed to someone by the kitchen, when I realized it was the same person who had been sitting at the bar earlier in the night talking to patrons - it sort of explained why we had a more than disappointing experience. The bread was delish and the drinks really good! Drive down the street further and stop in at Shea's. read more

Granted it's Mother's Day and restaurants are busy but.... sat at the bar for 1 hour after ordering quiche and bacon and eggs. Still no order. People next to us ordered a hamburger and 1 hour later were told they ran out of hamburgers. Happy Mother's Day!!! Can't comment on the food because the restaurant is not prepared to serve any food. Told the bartender we are leaving in 5 minutes. The people next to us just left. Horrible read more

Great Service! We had reservations but got there early so we had a drink out on the deck. Beautiful spot! They have a couple lawn games set up. For our dinner inside, Aimee was an exceptional server! I had the special which was Lemon Haddock (yummy!!) and my other half had the Roast Beef 3way. The truffle fries were also Delish! I really liked this place and will definitely be back next time we are down in the area. read more

Riversbend - Pizza Near Me - Essex, Massachusetts

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I rarely give a bad review. I wish I had read the previous reviews as it looks like things have not changed. The service was horrendous. The drinks were horrendous. The pizza was cold and lacking any taste. The minute our server came over I knew we were in for a bad night. It took at least 15-20 minutes for the drinks to arrive. They had little to no alcohol in them. We complained and nothing was done to correct it. We put in our order and asked for our appetizer to come first and entree later. Everything arrived at one and the wait staff yelled at me and ask where do want this food to go. There was no room on the table. I told her she could figure that out not me. If they had brought the appetizer first this would not have been an issue. The server at one point asked if she could remove our drinks. I asked her why would we want them removed when we were not done with them. She then asked if we wanted more of them and I told her no they are horrible. The best was when she wanted to square up the tab. We told her we were paying cash and to bring the tab. She said I don't know how to do that let me get the manager. Then said why can't you just use your credit cards. We reiterated again we were paying cash. Perhaps another 15 minutes later she comes back with the tab. Couldn't get out quick enough and I will never go back. 4 slices of cold pizza, a handful of fries, and one drink cost me $35. Went to James Pub and got a real drink. read more

Riversbend recently hit it out of the park for a private event I hosted. The food, staff and location were outstanding. Lindsay and her team were exceptional from planning through execution. I cannot thank them enough. read more

First time here and not disappointed! It's very good! We had the shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad with grilled salmon and the pulled pork BBQ sandwich with fires. Great local spot with a great view! 8/29/17 - now have been 3 times and really like this place! Had the Bend Burger today. It was delicious! 2 beef patties, caramelized onions, bacon and cheddar cheese. How could you go wrong! Yum read more

Riversbend - The Bend Burger - Pizza Near Me - Essex, Massachusetts

I want to come back to try more dishes and because their meatballs were very good( although some bread to sop up the delicious sauce would have made the meatball experience gratifying instead of incomplete.) They had focaccia but you had to buy it and we thought they should have provided some with that dish. If I return I won't be ordering pizza. We tried the clam and lardon combo and the Provencal. The thin crust was pretty good, but there were not enough ingredients on top to savor. Please a few more delicious clams and bacon!! More goat cheese! Why so skimpy? The service was very nice although we had to wait a few minutes at the door before someone appeared and greeted us. I I think it would be nice to come during the day as the views of the marsh are very pretty. The dining room has a large beautiful bar and is designed to look like a camp mess hall. It is very open and airy. The sound level was very high despite it not being too busy. Luckily we sat in a corner and could talk. Perhaps if we had not ignored the waiters recommended dishes (polenta and chowder) we would have been happier. Also a personal quirk is I really like drinking wine from a proper stemmed glass, so I substituted a martini glass for a stemless glass. read more

I saw Riversbend reopened for the season so decided to go back, check out the updates to the restaurant and the menu, and see if the service had gotten any better and somehow everything is worse. The new interior is really disappointing. The bar is absolutely tiny and I would not recommend going to watch a game because you'll be craning your neck to see a tv. Drink serving sizes are still way too small for the price and I'm not convinced the bartenders know how to mix drinks. The new menu is so limited and the food was awful. My shrimp cocktail was very obviously frozen even though the claim to be "fresh, farm to table". Wonder how much of their food is frozen. In my last review I said this place clearly had an amazing kitchen crew and major potential. That is no longer the case. Their Facebook reviews are not honest at all too. I made a comment about their beer selection and how they delete comments and they blocked me on there. It was not a negative, just that I personally don't like two of their beers. Clearly they only allow good reviews on Facebook. read more

I'm glad we decided to give them another try...much improved! The pizza is better than ever and they make a Caesar salad you'll dream about.

Was able to reserve a table for brunch on their website and it was even confirmed via text although they were not open until 11:30 and the res was 10:30....(50 minutes to drive there) saw recent reviews looks like we dodged a bullet. Won't be going back. read more

After a long day at the beach, my family and I were looking for a place to eat dinner and we decided to check out here! What a gorgeous and hidden spot with a beautiful view, absolutely love it! The food and service was great. The only reason I give this restaurant a 4/5 stars is because that if you sit outside, there are soooo many wasps and we actually moved inside because the wasps got to much to handle. Overall, I would highly recommend coming here and we'll be back... but will be sitting inside. read more

Riversbend - Pizza Near Me - Essex, Massachusetts

My husband and I went for Sunday brunch. What a wonderful experience. The restaurant has beautiful views of the Essex river and surrounding marsh. My husband got a spicy Bloody Mary which was very spicy and delicious. I got a " strawberry blonde" cocktail. Also delicious. I had a lobster roll which was piled high with tender lobster ( very little mayo) in a toasted roll, exactly as it should be. My husband got the double patty burger with a fried egg in it on a toasted brioche roll. It was the best burger he ever ate. Our server, Shane, explained that they get their all organic beef from Maine. It is never frozen. Nothing they serve is frozen. Everything is fresh and you can taste the difference. Both of our sandwiches were served with hand cut French fries which were crispy and delicious. You had the option of having a small green salad instead. We will definitely be back to Riversbend. read more

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Two stars: service & food left a lot to be desired. Decided to stop in for a late lunch, early dinner. It was not busy at all, inside was completely empty, deck was 80% full. Our drinks alone took 20 minutes to arrive. They were bottled drinks. We ordered a few appetizers and a pizza. We were told the pizza would take a while, which was perfect since we ordered apps. We ordered the bread, calamari and street corn. The bread was good, calamari was decent and the street corn was terrible. It tasted as though it had been sitting out for a while. These items took forever to come out. We were told the kitchen was slammed, however the place was not busy. Of course, the pizza arrived about 8 minutes after we received our apps. Unfortunately the pizza arrived without an ingredient we requested to be added. The pizza was ok. We won't be going back anytime soon. read more

It gets 3 stars for the view. The food is standard fair with the burger having a pre made patty like McDonald's not that I have had a burger there in 30 years! I think it will be best for a drink in the summer out doors. read more

Don't go to this place if you are: 1. Not with a big group of people; 2. Non-white. My boyfriend and I happened to be in the area and wanted to try this place out, so we put our name on the list and was told we would have to wait for 30mins or so but the kitchen would close in an hour and a half. We waited, had some drinks and I checked the list after 20mins, we were the runner up on the list. I thought we would get seated very soon. 5 mins later they seated a big party that came after us. I started to think they wouldn't seat us because we were only 2 people so I had my boyfriend ask them what's our situation to be seated and whether they did take-out. They said they couldn't seat us anymore and due to limited capacity they could only do takeout for one slice of pizza. We were astonished, angry and hungry so we left. In terms of why you shouldn't go to this place if you are not white? Because all seated customers we saw were suburban white families. They seemed to get the best treatments. At least we left them some French fries since we left before they came out, consider that our goodbye gift read more

Stopped in on a Saturday for lunch on the patio with my wife, great day. Though I wonder if in the middle of summer you'd be attacked by greenheads. Porch had a nice view. Reasonable drink menu Caesar salad: medium sized, typical, drenched in dressing (despite our asking for it on the side) Pulled pork sandwich: good size, good amount of BBQ sauce, not super fatty, liked the bun, pretty good Fries: solid Overall fine. read more

BLUF: The food is really good and would warrant a 4.5 or 5. The bad, service. The timing of the meal is important (like our appetizers and salad came out after our meals were brought to the table, no follow up after food was brought, drinks ran dry without server asking if we wanted refills). A little server training and this would be an absolute gem. The lunch menu was limited so don't expect too many options would be my only other comment. Give the place a try and expect some of the server issues and you'll be pleasantly surprised as the food is delicious. read more

WELL, WELL, WELL. What a gorgeous setting. Used to take the boat out at this marina so the view is familiar and I was hopeful. It began with a walk up the ramp. They must be expecting the masses or wanted to give you the illusion of boarding a ship. I assumed they hadn't finished decorating but I asked when they'd opened and was surprised when I was told July. Maybe they think all they need is the view but they are very very wrong. It has an industrial feel with the choice of chairs and stools. Although that is all the rage, the cold feel of that style needs more accents to work. Not a warm fuzzy place to curl up and enjoy the view. The designer must be an extreme minimalist. We sat at the bar, ordered a beer and wine. We wanted lunch but when we looked at the menu there was nothing there worth trying. As many reviews said, very limited not to mention pretty pretentious to charge 14.00 for clam chowder in the land of the Ipswich Clam. What the heck's with that. Oh, and a 12.00 hot dog. hmmmm. I have no problem paying for good food, but I draw the line at a 12.00 wiener. (husband says it was 14.00) Maybe we'll try it again. Would be nice to have a place with that view but if they don't fix the menu, tone it down as far as the noise and perk it up where the décor is concerned I won't go back. After reading these reviews on the food I'm glad we decided to continue down the road to the old standard where the best chowder in town is half the price and shrimp for lunch is the price of a hot dog at Riversbend. I give it 2 stars, for the view of course, and, everyone working there was very nice. There are so many other places to get great food in Essex. It doesn't seem the owners checked out the competition before opening. Waste of a great location. read more

The food was ok but very expensive. You need to pay for bread and a soda water cost almost as much as a cocktail.

the food itself is made from good ingredients. there are a few problems tho. the view is lovely. they only have one pizza oven so it's pretty much impossible to meet demands of every table wanting to eat pizza in a given night. Lindsay is cute & nice, but there could definitely be improvements to the business throughout. read more

We went with another couple who had been once before, 5:30 on a Sunday of a long weekend. The restaurant inside was about 1/2 full as well as the bar. The terrace had a few diners. Overall....food was great....service was not acceptable for such an establishment. We ordered drinks and about three minutes later another server came by to take our drink order. We ordered apps and they arrived timely...but the dishes for the course didn't. And they had to run back....which seemed a long way...to get them. Fried clams were great. Awesome breading. The pork belly with mint was great! We were finished with the app when the main course arrived....but we still had our app plates....and WORST OF ALL....they auctioned our meals! At a table of four they didn't know who had which entree? Local sandwich shops don't do that any more. So they are holding the plates above our heads while trying to clear the plates....uncomfortable. Two of us had the rib eye, which was cooked to perfect order on a reduction sauce with a warm potato salad. All yum....but could we have gotten a steak knife for the 2.5" steak? Then, after we had ordered dessert....someone else came by to take our order....guess we looked hungry? Great restaurant. Great location. Sunsetting over the marshes. Great food. Front of the house needs work. And some sound baffling for the excessive noise...but it's a new place and all made of wood. Will go back if they can fix the service. Would love to watch the marshes fill up with snow in winter. read more

So we went back after our first excellent trip last fall. The food was still great, and the service was wonderful. I downgraded the review though from 5 stars to 3 because we were so bummed that the menu has changed drastically from really creative and interesting dishes to more of the ordinary fare you find at the rest of the decent local casual places. We had been so thrilled with our first experience and were disappointed with the change. Wish the old chef (?) would open another restaurant on the North Shore so we could continue to be patrons. The view's still great - but now instead of going for a date night for dinner we'll head there with the kids for pizza or a drink on the deck. Not as special but still good. read more

We went for lunch on Sunday June 13, 2021. We sat outside on the deck. There was plenty of space between tables, the view of the Essex River was gorgeous. Our server was very friendly and helpful. We ordered muscles but were told they ran out. So we ordered the calamari for an appetizer instead. The menu said it came with arugula, tomato and banana peppers. It didn't. It had a small piece of lettuce and a wedge of lemon with. The calamari was flavorless. No tentacles either. I'm confident saying it was probably frozen. For the price, a limited menu, being in Essex where you expect fresh seafood, this was disappointing. The dip with it tasted like ranch salad dressing. The pulled pork pizza was delicious. Not sure if we'll return. read more

Too loud ! Clueless wait staff and nothing to choose from on the menu. Too bad. It has the potential for greatness with the location. A million dollar view. Note to owners, you don't know how to run a restaurant. read more

New and yet pricey lobster roll. You get quality ingredients and it's definitely made for the more sophisticated palate. I think that it's a good restaurant with a very open concept casual wood environment with an open patio. It has a big bar. I'm a giving it 4 stars because I don't think that the restaurant has their act together yet. The bathrooms were unclean and the staff seemed to be all over the place. I don't think that the table settings make sense because of the square tables and it only has a limited amount of people that can be served. If they had smaller round tables they can definitely have more business in the inside. The restaurant has a nice location which is quiet and remote from the busy main drag of Essex. read more

Great place!! By word of mouth, we decided to give it another try after a long great day on the boat. The menu has changed and they did some interior changes since the last time we went there. We weren't disappointed. Great view of the Essex River. Dining is available inside and outside on a large patio. We sat inside at the bar and had great service by the bartender. Sorry, don't remember her name but she was excellent. They don't offer the usual fried fish menu offered at multiple restaurants nearby. We decided to try the pizza, which was recommended by our source. They have a large wood burning pizza oven and the product was excellent and we're very particular about our pies. Looking forward to going back real soon to try other tasty looking items on the menu. read more

Who doesn't love this little gem. Curt & Lindsay Bergeron and their team work hard to provide a great dining experience. Mission accomplished! Their light, airy space has incredible views, cordial staff and terrific wood fired, pizza and other fare. Not to be missed? Their divine FROSE....frozen rose wine w/ a hint of vodka which tastes like the best frozen drink you've ever had....light and refreshing. A wonderful event venue, they also feature wonderful music. Check them out....a family run business that gets it right. Oh yes, and amazing views of the Essex River. If you want to come by boat, call ahead. They also own the Essex Marina! read more

I'm actually Mad that the owners of this restaurant are clueless. Love the pizza. Or we did last year. Walked in tonight and they removed the large bar and put a small bar in the corner. What??? Service has always been poor. Fix the problems not a problem that didn't exist. I'm told we don't do bar business yet the small bar was filled almost and no one at seats. Part 2: I'm a moron. I keep trying as I love that damn pizza. Tonight. Sumner night which is only really when this restaurant is open. Dining room not at capacity. Outside no one. The hostess kindly warned us that two larger parties just ordered and our meals could be delayed. She told us 45 minutes wait. What???? read more

Just went for lunch on a Saturday and waited 45 minutes for a sandwich and salad. Waitress vanished and never came back to explain delay. Food is pretty average, the patio is the one redeeming quality of this place. read more

Stopped in on a sunny Sunday,. We had a nice tavle on the deck. The Mussels were excellent and were perfectly complemented by the Bloody Mary's. The pizzas here are great and the view is spectacular.. read more

Riversbend - a group of people sitting at tables under umbrellas - Pizza Near Me - Essex, Massachusetts

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situational awareness, if you are a server or a bartender you just have to have situational awareness. If i have to ask for silverware, then have to ask for a napkin, then have to ask for another beer after waiting for a long empty glass time, then have to ask for salt and crushed red pepper, then have to ask to clean up the dirty plates you do not have situational awareness and need to find another job. The food is not bad, but is clearly in the mediocre bucket. We had wings and a pepperoni pizza. I want to like it here, but will likely not be back again. The outside deck looks great. read more

Really a nice treat Friendly bar tender Pizza and salad Bottle of wine. All good! Nice end to a weekend Try it- you'll like it!!! read more

This is our new favorite restaurant. The food is always amazing, the drinks are great (try the Essex Painfiller!), and the services is attentive. Tonight we had a fantastic BLT pizza - love their crust - and calamari that was light, crunchy and perfectly seasoned. Did I mention they also have the best view of any restaurant in Essex, and a large deck overlooking the river? Go eat here, you won't be disappointed! read more

Can't wait for them to reopen next Spring. We'll be back! Cody our server was great! Fresh, thoughtfully made food A plus on salads chowder with the crispy scone A plus plus on perfectly done coconut shrimp and pulled pork that wasn't overly sweet. Farm to table feel all around but with homey spin. Natural wood high ceiling beams with stunning view take this place over the top! read more

I wish I loved this place, but the food is pretty subpar...,went in for Mothers Day, which I knew I couldn't base my review on, so went back recently with a friend. The bartender was super nice, and made a yummy margarita....that being said, it was in one of those thin tall glasses, and took me all of about 4 sips before it was gone, lol....but what did me in was the shrimp cocktail....the cocktail sauce was good, seemed it was made on the premises, really good, but the shrimp? Sooo painfully obvious it was completely frozen, and thrown into some hot water....it was translucent and wet....I literally could have pulled the same stuff out of my freezer at home. I don't understand, the place is gorgeous, great staff, but the drinks are tiny and the frozen shrimp? Yea, all set read more

Excellent service and great views! Good beverages and food selection. Enjoys the pizza and specialty drinks!

I don't like posting negative reviews. Much rather steer you to a deserving place. If I have an issue I always contact the restaurant directly. I made 2 attempts to contact Riversbend and got nothing back. I even sent an email asking them to respond to my email. This brings me here. Essentially, I told Riversbend I wanted them to make it. Two of us went on a recent Saturday and the experience was lacking. Our apparent mistake was arriving at 3:30. We ordered a cocktail from the very nice bartender and it was very professionally made. The problem began when I asked for a menu. The very apologetic bartender said, "I'm sorry. We don't serve food from 3:30 to 5. The kitchen shuts down to prepare for dinner." The lunch menu serves appetizers, a cheeseburger and 3 pizzas. The dinner menu serves the same items but adds a number of additional choices. It seemed inhospitable to refuse food service when you are offering the exact same items in an hour and a half. The question that was never acknowledged asked them to consider keeping a limited menu from 3:30 to 5. There are literally 7 restaurants that you can coast to from here - all of them very nice. I'm left with the feeling that there is too much attitude and pretension here. At least answer a customer's question. Maybe they deserve a 5 star review. It's just too much work to find out. read more