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    The Riverside

    3.8 (62 reviews)
    ModerateDiners, New American
    Closed 4:00 pm - 9:00 PM
    Updated a few days ago

    The Riverside Photos

    THE RIVERSIDE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - The Riverside

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    Sunshine F.

    Went for Valentine's specials, everything was great. Food was absolutely delicious. Service was above expected... kitchen even made a specialized hot chocolate drink (not pictured) that was not currently on the menu, but had been in the past. It was nicely decorated & band was great to listen to. This place has 5 stars. Only thing that is questionable is something my husband said about the men's bathroom decor... something about male genitalia (not sure if he meant decor or graffiti). ‍

    Kat B.

    We love the Riverside. Beautiful location. Strong drinks. Great food. One of the hugest breaded tenderloins around. Often a musician on the deck outside on summer weekend nights which can get quite loud.

    French Onion Soup.
    Bill L.

    While I was expecting an expanded bar and grill-style menu, I was pleasantly surprised to find a lot more. There's a lot of great choices in addition to the usual bar staples. A Cajun chicken with peppers and onions was a cheese lover's delight as it was covered in it. A clam strip special was a great appetizer for something different. Oysters (Friday and Saturdays only, I think) were big and tasty, and are served with some great cocktail sauce and horseradish. French Onion Soup (Fridays and Saturdays only) was very good. Filet with lobster tail (Friday and Saturdays only) was a great value, especially with two sides included. The filet was perfect and the lobster pretty good. The catfish was also pretty good. This is an out-of-the-way place in a semi-residential area, on a scenic piece of property on the river, not far from Lake Shafer. The inside has a bar and dining room with a comfortable rustic feel. Outside, there's a large covered porch, and a few steps down is an open-air area with lounge-type seating. We were visitors to the area and had such a good experience the first night, that we came back the next night with a larger group. We ate outside the first night and inside the second, and after dinner the second night, we had drinks in the backyard area, while enjoying the view of the river and an acoustic performer on the covered porch. On both nights, service was friendly, efficient and not rushed. Separate checks weren't a problem. They offer a number of beers including some local options.

    Fried smelt.  Very good
    Loren P.

    I can't believe nobody has talked about their smoked pork chop. Talk about good food. We tried some fried smelt as an appetizer. Small fish butterflied breaded and deep fried. Served with cocktail sauce and tarter sauce. They were really good and you get a large basked for a good price. The absolute highlight was the smoked pork chop. It came out heavily grilled and packed with flavor!! It reminded me of a thick juicy cut of smoked ham. The fries were crispy and delicious. The included side salad was good but just a plain side salad. This place was recommended by a coworker. He was right, good food and friendly atmosphere.

    Dan H.

    Another good experience today. We were seated promptly and the staff was very friendly. I ordered the tenderloin, as I usually do. In the past, there has been a distinct seasoning on the breading. This time, I did not notice the breading. The size of the sandwich was good and the fries were hot. It was still good. It is the breading that used to make the sandwich great!

    Dottie K.

    So we were visiting friends on Shaffer Lake bear Indiana Beach. We decided to grab an bite to eat. The scenery from the large windows overlooking the river was beautiful. They had several daily specials including Filet Tips, bacon wrapped Shrimp and asparagus soup and everything was very good. My husband ordered the fried shrimp and it was very good as well. Service was great and prices were reasonable. It is worth a visit

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    11 months ago

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    2 years ago

    Love the place. Favorite spot in Monticello. Not had anything on the menu or specials that I didn't like.

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    4 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great food and even better service! The atmosphere of the restaurant is amazing and very inviting as well!

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    7 years ago

    Business owner information

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    Autumn L.

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Great food great service. Very rustic and has a Nice view of the river. Daily Specials are the way to go

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    3 years ago

    Food was bland and basic. Sat inside and tables were not super clean. Staff was nice and friendly.

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Of the four meals, three were over cooked and should have been sent back. After the little too long wait, we just were ready to leave.

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    8 years ago

    Great food and friendly servers. Makes for an overall nice experience. One of the hidden gems Lake Shafer offers!

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    Farmhouse Restaurant - Brisket Chilli

    Farmhouse Restaurant

    (446 reviews)

    $$

    My friends and I had such a good, leisurely dinner here. At first, our server seemed a bit…read moredisgruntled with us. Some friends ordered drinks while we waited for the last member of our group for a while, but once we all had sat down and ordered entrees, she treated us better. Staff was knowledgeable about gluten allergy and dairy needs, which helped me a lot! There were several options I could have on the dinner menu and I ended up having a burger (no fries--no dedicated fryer) and a salad with chickpeas. Both were excellent! The atmosphere is interesting. It gets busy in there and it's a pretty open space, so can be kind of loud. But you can watch the kitchen a bit from certain tables and there's a large fireplace on one wall. If I'm in the area again, I'd definitely enjoy another dinner here!

    Stopped here for a break and lunch while passing through Indiana. The Farmhouse Restaurant menu…read moresaid they offer a "quick & casual lunch" and well, they weren't lying about the casual part... We ordered two lunches, both the 1/2 grilled cheese and soup. One with tomato soup and the other with chili. We also ordered the *special* $5 egg salad sandwich. The grilled cheese came out as some cheese microwaved between a soft burger bun. Really disappointing and crappy. The chili and soup were okay. The egg salad sandwich was very basic and lacking flavor, served on classic white bread. It was also a weird dining setup, it felt like we were eating in a giant and deserted beer hall. Total transparency: we both expected more from one of the nation's largest dairy farms. We also thought the food would be a little cleaner, like a farm-to-table experience and less processed, but it tasted like food we could get at a gas station. My husband was disappointed with the ice cream selection at the milk bar, he was hoping for more of a variety other than the basic strawberry, chocolate, vanilla, etc. We also needed to get DEF for our truck from the Fair Oaks BP and my husband called it "highway robbery" for the cost we paid. He said it was 2 or 3 times what he normally pays. In summary, a total tourist trap with crappy lunch food. I also didn't know about their animal abuse case from 2019 until after we left. And the allegations about neglect and improper slaughter in 2023. Gross and sad.

    The Riverside - diners - Updated May 2026

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