River House Reviews Summary

Atmosphere & Decor

Pros:

• "It feels like your welcomed into someone's lovely and carefully decorated dining room."
• "The venue also has so much personality."
• "The restaurant is very intimate and well laid out."
• "The atmosphere was warm and casual. We loved it."
• "The restaurant has a comfortable warmth and soft lighting."
• "The atmosphere that is unique, special, vibrant, compelling."
• "The interior is really cozy as well."

Cons:

• "Super tight space (I think we counted accommodations for 22 max)."
• "However, we passed the restaurant 3 more times that evening and still there were some tables empty inside and all tables outside were empty. Very disappointing."
• "The oysters were ridiculous, full of milk or too small or too meaty."
• "Small plates portions are not described and there is far too much confusion between sharable plates and individual mains."
• "The steak my husband ordered medium rare came well done and had the taste and texture of leather. Even the french fries came over-salted."
• "Wine list was poor."
• "Very nice service, super cozy restaurant. But the food is a total shame!!!"

Service

Pros:

• "The staff were very friendly, attentive and knowledgeable about the menu."
• "The chef stopped by my table to recommend an entree."
• "The staff is so friendly and fun."
• "The staff were friendly, attentive and the owner/manager/chef personally visited each table to ensure his customers were happy with everything."
• "The careful serving of the oysters, great attitude of all the staff."
• "The staff were unbelievably friendly, professional and tuned in to everyone's needs."
• "The staff was super friendly and very attentive."

Cons:

• "Even if I was told by the most experienced waiter that tipping was up to me, the dirty look the younger one gave me when I handed the money made me leave a small bank note quickly before exiting."
• "Travelers beware, you are not welcome here..."
• "We had every intention of ordering more food but the attitude from the staff completely turned us off."
• "One thing to regret is the service from the female waitress which was somehow not showing respect to us."
• "Having been in one or two pretentious restaurants in my time I’ve never come across such unalloyed arrogance..."
• "So, how would you feel if a restaurant deliberately decided not to serve you something you had asked for?"
• "The food is awful. They tried to pass off haddock as halibut. It was old tasting."

Food Quality

Pros:

• "A cosy, friendly restaurant serving a delicious range of mostly seafood dishes."
• "Absolutely the best seafood restaurant you can find in Inverness. The food is out of this world."
• "Best seafood in Inverness by a mile A MUST!"
• "The food here is amazing, freshest seafood and shell fish."
• "The fish is freshly caught each day and is cooked to perfection."
• "Without the fear of exaggeration I would say the food is divine, especially recommend the oysters."
• "The halibut melted in my mouth!"

Cons:

• "The oysters tasted like they had gone bad and were served dry and piled on a plate; all the juices had spilled out."
• "It legit felt like all the left over and probably was since my girlfriend was sick for one day after."
• "Would expect better for the price. Not sure if the chef(s) have changed since lockdown but overall the freshness of the fish could be better, and the recipes could be more refined."
• "The John Dory entree fish was extremely overcooked and had the texture of rubber with absolutely no flavor."
• "...there were no vegetarian mains on offer whatsoever, which is a shocking oversight..."
• "The menu is overly repetitive – almost every dish comprised of white fish in one form or another – and not especially inventive..."
• "The food and drinks were exceptional (the skink especially is to die for!)"

Booking & Accessibility

Pros:

• "You need to make a reservation several days in advance. It’s worth it."
• "Be sure to book in advance as it fills up quick."
• "It's a small restaurant so book in advance to get a table."
• "Definitely worth a visit if in Inverness, but I think best to book a table in advance as I think it is quite popular!"
• "Best advice is to book ahead for a table."
• "I would highly recommend booking beforehand to avoid disappointment as worth every penny."
• "Make sure you make a reservation in advance!!"

Cons:

• "Parking can be an issue. We parked at a nearby Tescos (free parking for 2 hours)."
• "We were travelling to Inverness for a few days so I tried to book a table in advance for 2 for their oyster hour and I was told that they were booked out but to show up on the day and try for a walk in table. We arrived and the restaurant was empty."
• "The restaurant books out well in advance and we saw many people being sent away."
• "Cosy venue, very popular."
• "Highly recommend to visit if you are in the area."
• "P.s. book advance!!!! You do not want to miss out on this experience."
• "To avoid disappointment book in advance."