"The Home Of The Tacky Ashtray" is the way this dive bar describes itself. I'm not a smoker and unfortunately with all the ashtray love this place can get smoky at night so that is a big minus for me. The barstools are an entertaining sight to see and I won't describe them so you will have to see them yourself. This place also makes some mighty tasty food and has some pretty great lunch specials that range from Southwestern influenced to NOLA classics like turtle soup. They have some good burgers and other typical bar grub but the lunch specials typically kick it up a notch or two (or sometimes more). They also frequently have live music and although the space is a bit tight for dancing they will move the tables out a bit more if there aren't too many people sitting in them. I've always had a good time at the Rivershack and make it a point to keep it in my occasional rotation as both a good lunch spot and a fun nightlife/music venue. read more

LOVE this place! Great drinks and the food is amazing! Had the crawfish boil - delisH.! Also the buffalo oysters - take a wonderful louisiana oyster, bread it and fry it, then put buffalo sauce on it and serve it with ranch dressing...OMG!!!! We ordered 4 more! Service was not great - only a handful of ladies for a very busy tavern - all working hard, but no time to answer a question without them looking at you like you ruined their night. Doesn't matter - Id go back ...actually come to think of it, I did - went twice in one week! read more

Rivershack is always a good bar and grill, but come crawfish season, it's hands down the best place to go. Fridays at 4pm and Sundays at 3pm they start boiling and sell out quick. Best boil in the city. read more

The Shack now has crabs on Sunday! So fat and full! Six for $20 right now.

Love the Rivershack! There is always great (or at least good) live music, and a bar menu with lots of great bar food if you end up getting a little bit too trucked. There is also usually a special that is some sort of haute cuisine, which seems odd being that there are fried pickles on the menu. The bartenders are great and fast, and my girlfriend is a huge fan of the margaritas. The crowd is a little bit older than one may expect, but honestly that makes for a great time. Lots of dancing, shouting, and stumbling around when folks get super drunk and don't have to worry anymore since their kids have gone off to college. I try to make it back once a week, even if I just stop in on Sunday afternoon for a quick beer. This place has great prices and great atmosphere, and I will often recommend to friends. read more

Great spot on river road for a quick bite or drink! They have some good crawfish when the season is in. If you are looking for a cool place with good food or drink this is your spot!! read more

Yummy!!!!!! I had the daily special - white beans And 1 of the following: fried pork chop, grilled pork chop or fried catfish And a side salad For $9.95 The portion of beans was huge! It is a deep oval plate, full of heavenly goodness! Enough for leftovers even if you're starving! I would definitely go back! Nobody seated us, we just sat down- but don't be off put by that because they are still friendly! It must just be so much of a neighborhood spot that everybody seats themselves! read more

Went on Monday night and listened to great music from Troy Turner. Good sound system. Nice atmosphere and service. The red beans and rice with sausage was great. Mellow place to eat and listen to music. The alligator sausage appetizer was excellent. They have a parking lot so its easy to park. read more

Rivershack Tavern - Troy Turner singing at Rivershack - Bars Near Me - Jefferson, Louisiana

Pretty darn good bar food, although I hear that the chef offers some special each day that are closer to a fine dining experience than you would ever expect to get in what's basically a dive bar. I wouldn't know, because my server never told me about any specials :( The tacky ashtrays are a relic of the past since the bar is now non-smoking. Sitting outside on a Friday evening, I was saddened that my waitress apparently forgot about me after picking up my plate and dropping a beer on the table. After almost an hour of visiting with friends (and having one of them grab me a beer from the bar) I moved inside, where the the waitress did apologize. When I switched from beer to soft drinks, the waitress offered to close out my tab since "soft drink refills are free". Well, that didn't prove to be the case because she pulled a Houdini again after I paid the check and I ended up at the bar paying $2.50 for a diet coke. The service was definitely subpar. I can overlook many things - mistakes happen in kitchens, servers get sidetracked, but to be completely ignored not once but TWICE in the same night? Blech. read more

The worst nachos I have ever eaten in my life. Not sure how you can even pass those off as nachos. Complete garbage. Server was very nice. Need to upgrade TV to be a considered a place to watch the game. read more

Casual, local comfortable shack atmosphere, perfect for an on-the-fly dinner or lunch after visiting the plantation area. The inside is cute, casual tavern/dive-style burger joint. I think we were there on a Sunday Afternoon and there was no live music, but that would have added nicely to the atmosphere. We really enjoyed the uniqueness of the place and appreciated it for the local establishment it was intended to be. We stopped here because we saw that it had been highlighted on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and figured it must be pretty good. The po-boy was good, we ordered the River-Road Roast Beef with some fried and they have Abita on tap. The best thing was the hot wings, very spicy and tender. Not gigantic portions, but the food was prepared well and served hot. The place was not terribly busy when we were there but we did have to wait a while for service, new waitress or something. Prices pretty good too. read more

The family and I stopped for lunch on a Saturday. There was a small crowd but the atmosphere is fun and the food was pretty good. I had the Buffalo chicken salad and enjoyed it. The ceasar po boy and bacon cheeseburger were a hit as well. read more

Rivershack Tavern - Bars Near Me - Jefferson, Louisiana

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Found this spot right near Ochsner Main and so glad we did! We took a walk on the levee earlier and got it as our view while we ate. We kept it simple, beers and burgers, and they were great! We drank our cold beer while we waited, but not very long! Our burgers were a perfect medium, great flavor. We'll be back to sample the rest of the menu! read more

Was here about 3 months ago, and again last week for business. Stopped at lunch for a quick bite. The special that day was meat loaf (I think) and gumbo. My Dad is a gumbo fanatic, and being in LA - I figured I'd give it a try. They brought it to me, and it was chicken and andouille sausage. I was immediately disappointed because there was no crawfish, shrimp, crab etc. Then I tasted it. Hands down, the best gumbo I've ever had. Period. Seasoned really well, and enough rice to help fill you up, but wasn't the star of the dish. The roux, a LOT of sausage, and just the right amount of chicken, and the flavors you'd expect from a southern Louisiana establishment. Also served with a good amount of bread for "sopping" up the juice. I may never order anything else here, so I can't speak to the rest of the food, but the gumbo is fantastic. Give it shot, you shouldn't be disappointed. read more

Man, this place was just awful. Burger was bad, chicken tenders were bad, the worst was the reuben, the meat was so tough, it was inedible. Unless you're hammered, avoid the food at the Rivershack. read more

I want to give them a good review, I want to, but the only thing we liked that night was the music. Our food was either wayyyy undercooked, or seriously overcooked and our waitress had a serious attitude problem (and I'm in the service industry, too). We ordered the veggie platter, which is a combo of all their fried veggies on one plate. I've had it at their other location and loved it, but this was just miserable. All of the veggie batters were pale because they hadn't been fried enough, and the French fries weren't French fries at all... They were basically raw potatoes. The other location brings you sauce with it.... We tried to ask her, but she would walk away while We were still mid sentence so we gave up. When the rest of our party arrived and they ordered a second one, they asked while they were ordering for some ranch and she forgot. When she brought it, we asked again, but she started walking away from us before we could finish. When she finally came back to get more drinks, we tried again and she didn't listen, but 3rd time is the charm. I understand being busy, I know how it is, but when there aren't a lot of tables and every time you come over to us you huff and act like we are inconveniencing you, EVERY SINGLE TIME, that's just rude. We weren't needy, we didn't harass you, but as someone who works in the service industry I thought it was miserable. She would also ignore the girls at the table when we requested stuff, and would instead to over to the males every single time... Which also pissed them off too because it was disrespectful when we'd go to ask you for a drink and you'd turn to the guy to have him repeat the order. We then ordered burgers. I ordered the mini version while a member of our party ordered the larger size. When they came out they were identical in size and amount of meat even though she paid more for the larger. Then, even though we asked for medium, they came out blackened and over well done. Still tasted good, but don't ask if we want them cooked a certain style if the only style the cook can make is burnt. The drinks were also overpriced $5 or over. And they also don't tell you when you order that there is a 1.50 surcharge for other types of fries beyond the basic. I didn't see it on the menu anywhere (even went back to check) and when the waitress took our order she told us We had a choice of regular fries, sweet potatoes, or tots, which makes it seem as though they aren't additional. Either add that side note on the menu or let your waitress acknowledge it. The band was great and the bar is really cool, but they have so much potential and they are seriously lacking. Especially compared to their other location on the West bank. read more

Like every true Jeffersonian, I've been to the Rivershack many times. But this last time I was not impressed at all. Our server was friendly enough and prompt, but the food was not at all what I have had in the past. We ordered fried pickles because I've been craving them - and... I just don't know what to say. Well maybe I do - the pickles were to way too tart, I guess they hadn't soaked long enough in buttermilk, and they were a hot greasy mess. And none of the shack special sauce - what a disappointment. We also got the chicken wings which I thought were fried way too long. And my rum punch didn't taste like there was any alcohol in it at all. It's still fun to look at the stools and hear the band, but if the drinks and the food are subpar - well you get the point. read more

This place was cool, but the drinks were kind of pricey. I recently went here with some family and friends to celebrate a birthday for a friend who was visiting the area. We decided to go here and we were quite pleased. We called a few days before to see if we could reserve a table for our group and the very friendly person told us that would no problem. I arrived a bit early with a cake and the table was already set up. They gave us a great location and there was a live band playing. There was no cover, so that was definitely bonus points. We all ordered a few different dishes and they were good. The buffalo oysters (fried oysters tossed in mild buffalo sauce) were perfectly fried and pretty darn tasty. My only qualms was the seafood platter and drinks. They sell it as a huge pile of seafood, but it was mostly fries and bread placed under those fries. The oysters were over cooked and the fish was so-so. The shrimp were good, but I would have just ordered shrimp and saved some money had I known the rest of the food quality. The other is the prices on liquor. A whiskey and coke (well-drink at that) ended up running me close to $10! Kind of high for a place on the river road in Jefferson.... It does tend to get pretty loud here when there is a live band, so if you're looking for a more intimate/romantic place or just a place to talk, come before the band. read more

Great service and cool atmosphere. For a bar it's nice but the food was sub par. Poboys were pretty bad. We had shrimp, oyster and roast beef. Everyone agreed that they weren't very good compared to others we have had in the past. We are garlic fans but the Cesar salad was overloaded with garlic. Sorry to be critical but is what it is. Again, service and atmosphere was great. read more

If you're looking for a casual environment and good fried food check this place out. We ordered several appetizers and a round of drinks. Our server was very friendly and considering how very busy they were the service was excellent. Our only criticism would be to cut the fried green tomatoes a little thinner. Pricing is median. We went because we saw it on Diner, Drive Ins & Dives and it was a good pick for us!! read more

OMG. !! Killer homemade onion rings /old school hamburger and a cold Dixie beer Can't get ant better than that read more

Website claimed 12oz ribeye. Bullshit. It's half that at best and for $18.75 they couldn't even cook it like I asked.

If your looking for a great local place to get all things local, you've found it. The Rivershack Tavern has put together a all in one LOCAL night. Every Monday night you can get: Chef Mike's Red Beans and Rice: As seen on Diners Drive-ins and Dives Great Draught beer selection from Abita, Live Music from DAVE Jordan (selected as one of the top 20 cd's in 2010 by the Times Picayune). Starting at 7pm you can get your local fix and still get a good nights rest... read more

Very good hamburgers and the Buffalo Oysters was a pleasant and not too spicy of a surprise. The atmosphere is just divish enough, but I recommend going. read more

Rivershack Tavern - Bars Near Me - Jefferson, Louisiana

Delightful experience. Came here for their monthly vintage bike night. I had a roast beef po boy and a Bloody Mary. My friends had sweet potato fries and some beers. The drink was good, but if you keep up with my reviews, I know bloody Mary's and theirs is average. But that's ok! If you've never been here before, it kind of reminds me of The Rusty Nail but a little nicer and moire spacious. There is definitely more accommodation for eating. Plenty of tables inside as well as outside so it's good for groups. read more

Rivershack is tacky ("Home of the Tacky Ashtray", way too much crap up on the walls, and those funky bar stools) but I like it. I have been here several times while out on River Rd. and I find it to be a great last minute hungry place. As in I never really set out to go here, but end up here because I'm hungry and I know I can get good food and cold beer at a decent price. I haven't been out for any live music yet, but I hear that it's a great place to hear some local tunes. Monday night Abita, Red Beans, and Blues sounds like my kind of night. Actually, I had red beans there on Lundi Gras. I went out for Cowbell but they were closed so we kept on to Rivershack. Their red beans with sausage special was pretty good. (needed a touch of hot sauce but that's standard for me). The beer was awesome (NOLA Hopitoulas) and I took a few sips of a Poncharita (fresh strawberry margarita) which was very tasty. Bottom line: Kitschy bar place with above average bar food, decent prices, and live music available most nights. Maybe not worth going out of your way for, but a definite stop if you're close by. read more

This place was terrible!!!! No hostess when we came in so no one knew where to sit. After we wandered around for 5 min we were basically told you're on your own sit where there's an opening. We were told food service was an hour which we were fine with at the time. Our server Crystal did not ask our party of 6 how to split the checks in the beginning, instead just brought one tab for the whole table. I asked her to split the check by order and instead she ran one persons card for the amount of his check that he had added up and figured on his own and brought the check back STILL IN ONE BIG TOTAL! To top it off the food was cold and a sausage pattie that was part of one of our parties' meal was like a piece of shoe leather. Overall terrible service and terrible food. Wouldn't recommend this place to anyone! read more

Great place to go watch football, which is what we did last night. The burger was delicious! And I love their onion rings, but they seemed a bit salty. Service was good too. Juke box was out of order. read more

The food here is a couple steps above most "bar fare". I had a hamburger that was done well, not to jicy, not too dry. River hack has a a wide selection of burgers, sandwiches, and even a few salads. There is a complete selection of beers that are good quality. This is not a beer specialty place with a wide selection of commercial and craft beers, just the best of the commercial beers. The atmosphere looks like a roadside tavern that may serve the occasional ship crew passing on the other side of the Mississippi River levee across the street. This is a popular spot for the middle-aged biker gang (a lot of studded leather and chrome helmets on accountants, realtors, and bankers). It looked like a mostly local crowd when I was there on a Wednesday afternoon. Service is attentive and prompt. This place is way off the tourist beaten trail, and a pretty real experience. It is a reasonable bicycle trip or substantial walk as part of a trip to the zoo. It is just at the bottom of a levee bicycle trail that connects the Audubon Park area to the historic Kenner area. It is easy to spot the Rivershack from the levee. First roadhouse past Ochsner hospital and the Clearview bridge over the Mississippi River. I heard on the radio they have live music at night, though I have never checked them out for that purpose. This looks like a fun place to watch a game: beer, food, large screen TVs, local, real crowd, and not all tarted up with corporate marketing vibe. The dive bar description of some reviews seems exaggerated to me. In my experience, a dive bar has a few people with glowing red hateful eyes that want to stab you and roast you on the BBQ. The Rivershack is pretty civilized in that way, and more of a place for slumming as a badass. You could take the family here, have a good time, and not fear for your life. read more

Place is terrible. Waitresses were unfriendly and inattentive. Flies were everywhere, some douche bag was continuously playing crap heavy metal music so loud on jukebox it was hard to have a conversation, this was 1pm on a Sunday. Had to get my own silverware for table, my own refills and my ticket when we were ready to leave, plus it took almost an hour to get our food. Won't be back. Sorry, place sucks. read more

Have been here several times for both lunch and dinner. There are plenty of other places in the area to have a decent dinner. Rivershack in the evening is basically just bar food that is average at best. Where they shine is at lunch when the chef works his magic. The three star rating is for dinner. For lunch I would give them five stars! read more

The Rivershack is a favorite landmark on river road. Great beer and drink selection. Diverse crowd, young, old, local and otherwise. I really appreciate that . I have heard it is a great music venue too. I dont smoke anymore so that ashtray thing is not for me. The food portions are appropriately huge and the chef has the golden touch with the fryer. My guest happened to be a vegetarian and there were slim (but tasty) pickins for her to choose from. read more

This review deals as much with the location as the food/drinks. I grew up a few blocks from here, as did my mom before me, so the Rivershack has always been part of my life's streetscape, so to speak. My uncle says that when he was a kid in the 50s or 60s and they drove past it, my grandma made him look the other way, it was that scandalous! The Rivershack is one of the last vestiges of when this area between River Road and Jefferson Highway was nothing but gambling dens and loose women. My mom can just remember when the nearby Catholic church held Mass in a former casino hall until building the big church on the highway. That's exactly the kind of weird crossroad that this intersection is. Those few blocks are a bit cleaner now, but the Rivershack gives us a glimpse in what the whole area once was, in perhaps a more family-friendly way (relatively speaking!) It really captures what was once the borderland between the City and the Country, the edge of town and the sugarcane fields, way back before this was just a late 1940s suburb. It is also part of what makes the neighborhood less suburban than the newer ones over in Metairie. If you're getting drinks when there is no drink special (which I suppose must be the case sometimes) they can run a bit steep. If specials are on, it can be a good deal. Never been disappointed in the food, though the alligator sausage is not my favorite. Others like it, just a matter of taste. I usually get an oyster po-boy or a burger. It might be the place that made me love a hamburger with sauted mushrooms. Or is that memory just my imagination? I do know it is the first place I had an Andygator, late in college, sitting with a friend at the bar a day after one of us--can't even remember which--had split with a girlfriend. Anyhow it has always been a fun place to hang out, at the bar or at a table, on your own or with friends. The bar itself is ancient and the stools, well, they're something. For true. The decor, if that is the right word, is certainly one of my favorites in the whole New Orleans area. My dad, who only came here occasionally and then only with company, used to talk about the tacky ashtray collection. The stuff of legend. It is as tacky as they say. But my favorite item is the cutout of Sheriff Harry Lee, may he rest in peace. Wish I could be a regular, but life happens. read more

The sweet potato fries are amazing and the decor quirky. Love this place

OMG!!! The best roast beef po-boy I've ever had. It was delicious. It was debris style. No brown gravy, which I was a little skeptical about...but once I bit in, I was in heaven!! It was really, really good!!! A friend had a club sandwich, she said it was good. She also got the sweet potato fries. She said they were delicious. Best she's ever had. My hubby got a catfish po-boy. He said it was very good. We really enjoyed the food. The service was very good. The atmosphere is great, too! Really fun bar with live music usually on the weekend! It's also now No-Smoking which is really nice. It's nice to be able to go out to a very decent bar and not have to leave smelling like an ashtray! read more

We tried to restart our weekly Sunday Brunch with the extended Family but after this last service we will not. We always expect a wait for a table on Sunday, especially when we have the dogs. Once at the table it took over 20 minutes to get our drinks and not all at the same time. Simple things like coke, sweet tea, a mimosa. Our server was just no where to be found. He was split between outside and inside but didn't manage his time to take care of our table outside. Half hour passed before he came to take our food order. All the while tables around us were getting full, timely service. We were there over 2 hours just because the service took so long. One order was brought back wrong twice. We ordered UNSEASONED (no added salt, no seasonings) grilled chicken to be brought extra seasoned fried chicken then extra seasoned grilled chicken to "correct" the mistake. Neither item was able to be eaten by the person. Our server was not rude, just completely negligent of our table. He would leave his inside tables about every 20 to 30 minutes to serve us. That's 20-30 minutes between ordering our drinks and getting them, 20-30 minutes between getting our drinks and taking the food order, 20-30 minutes between getting our food and asking if we need refills, and 20-30 minutes before delivering the refills WITH the check. Sadly this is not the first time this has happened and why we had stopped coming here previously. read more

Monday night's abitas, beans and blues is hard to beat. $2 ice-cold draft Abita, around $8.75 for a heaping platter of red beans and a baby's arm of grilled sausage, and free entertainment by a fairly talented female blues musician who gets progressively drunker as the night wears on. read more

Great live music, great service, the atmosphere is just awesome. It's a bar that doesn't smell like smoke. The kitchen is open tell 11 and it's also good. It's a place you have to visit atleast once. read more

Great place for great food and good drinks.I went for a friends birthday get together and the food was delicious can't wait to go back.the burgers or to die for.the alligator sausage was awesome. read more

I love this place! Excellent alligator sausage. It goes way back for me and my old production colleagues. We threw a memorial for our old friend Klutz at the rivershack, he loved this place too. Shot his ashes out of a mortar tube with a little fireworks show for family and friends. Miss you Klutz! read more