It's HOT, it's HUMID, and you want to eat outdoors. Â But you don't want to bake in the sun or be enclosed in a close area where the air is heavy.
Solution? Â The Riverfront Bar & Grill!
Cool breezes come off the Hudson River while you sit on the upper deck protected from the sun. Â Watch the ducks and geese being fed by patrons, the boats passing by, maybe an Amtrak train or two, the final cruises of the Aqua Ducks, and if you're really lucky maybe you'll even see the railroad bridge open to let a tall ship pass through. Â All of that is certainly worth a star on it's own.
The food and drink is pretty basic. Â A recent lunch on a day that met the requirements above, was met with mixed reaction. Â Unsweetened Ice Tea is good for cooling off on a day like this. Â The New England Seafood Chowder ($4.99/cup; $5.99/bowl) had a proper amount of creaminess, not too heavy, but was too salty. It was served hot and some pepper helped to improve it.
The hand-battered Fried Calamari ($8.99) was by default served with a marinara sauce. Â We were never asked to choose between the marinara and cocktail sauce as offered on the menu. Â Had I noticed that option I would have requested the cocktail sauce. Â The main downfall of the calamari was that it was barely warm when it arrived at the table. Â It had potential if it had arrived hot.
The highlight was the Pulled Pork Sandwich ($8.99) - topped with smoked bacon and melted smoked Mozzarella cheese, served on a toasted kaiser roll. Â The BBQ sauce was not overly sweet, the bacon was cooked lean enough to add a bit of nice chewy texture. Â The portion was large enough that it would have been very difficult to hold in your hands without making a total mess, so fork and knife were put to good use.
The fries that came with the sandwich were very ordinary. Â That might explain why so many fries were disappearing overboard to the delight of the ducks and geese swimming about alongside the barge.
Service was prompt, efficient and friendly.
I went here with a group of 6 after taking a sightseeing tour on the Dutch Apple. We'd spotted the restaurant from the boat and decided to check it out. The food was ok. We ordered waffle fries as an app, and they were pretty good. My burger was good. But the fountain drink? Tasted weird and watery. Also, they charge for refills, which is just absurd.
The service was not great. 2-3 people in my group did not receive their food the way they asked for it (that's on the kitchen too), our server did not check in with us much, even though there was only about 2 other tables in the place, and the food took a while, even considering that there were 6 people.
As other reviewers noted, the location is really what makes this place. In which case, you're probably better off bringing a picnic lunch to eat at the adjacent Corning Preserve and maybe grabbing a drink from the bar. I probably won't ever return myself.
It's difficult for me to assign The Riverfront a rating because it has some good things going for it, yet some bad things working against it. Â So I'm sticking with a mediocre three stars. Â
The good: Â Location, location, location. Â A beautiful spot to relax on a hot summer day. Â Who needs AC when you can sit right on the water and let the breeze cool you down? Â This can have it's disadvantages, though, like when the wind tries to take your napkins off the table or suddenly throws your half-full plastic cup at the person sitting across from you. Â
The so-so: Â Food. Â Nothing special, nothing fantastic, but decent. Â My impression at the Riverfront Bar & Grill is that the focus is more on the *bar* as opposed to the *grill*. Â (As evidenced by their large whiteboard at the entryway showing a schedule full of evening events, including everything from karaoke to trivia to DJ appearances.) Â Of course, they do have a more extensive menu than most bars, but the food is basically one step above your average bar food in terms of quality. Â
And the 'meh': Â Service. Â I've had some good service and some horrible service. Â On my most recent visit, I came on a weekday with a small group at sort of an odd time - around 3pm. Â There were a few people seated at the bar, but no one at any tables. Â We were taken to the absolute furthest table at the edge of the restaurant, which initially seemed nice in terms of privacy. Â However, the waiter was absent during much of our meal and we really needed him. Â Particularly after the aforementioned cup was blown over and subsequently flooded our table. Â He was visible the entire time at the bar, though; hanging out with his cronies instead of paying us any mind. Â We practically had to send out distress flares to get his attention. Â
So, what I'm trying to say is, I really only consider coming to the Riverfront on a sunny August day when the temperature is 80+. Â I have no issue ignoring the crappy service and uninspired food if I'm sitting in the sunshine, sipping a cocktail with good company and the wind blowing in my hair.
Stopped here for a drink during the Jazz Festival.  It was full, but not crowded, so we decided to sit at the bar.  It took a long time for anybody to come over to us to ask what we'd like to drink, even though we were the only two people at the bar with no drinks in front of us.  I ordered a piña colada, and I swear there could not have been a drop of rum in it.  I tried to call the bartender over several times, and she kept ignoring me.  Finally, when I was able to get her attention, I asked if she had made it a virgin or with rum.  She claimed there was a double shot of rum in it.  I don't drink too often, so when there's alcohol in something, I taste it.  I was too irked at that point to continue making an issue out of it.  I shut my mouth and drank my virgin piña colada. Â
I don't see any reason to come back here again.
Decent bar/restaurant right by the river, really the only one on the Albany-side of the river. Typical bar fare: burgers and etc. It's not haute cuisine but it's decent enough.
This place is quite hard to find; if you follow your gps to the address you will end up in the wrong place. Use corning preserve park instead.
Here is my update: We love sitting by the water on a nice summer evening - hard to beat. we forgot to get the beer form the bar to have it in glass- but I liked my strawberry daqueri much better than the margerita, but it was SWeeeet. Though our expectations regarding the food were very low, it surprised us. Hub's shrimp Caprese Salad was beautiful and tasty. The large shrimp were undercooked, but the mozarella was really good and the tomatoes meaty  - lots of greens with delicious pesto and balsamic dressing, too. Go figure. I mean the presentation was what you would find in a "she-she" restaurant - not on the barge. On the other hand, cuz's chicken caesar looked sad. My spinach/mushroom quesadilla was good - only too bad that the bottom side became soggy from the juices of spinach and onion leeching out. I loved the crispy top at least, plus it was tasty. The appetizer portion was more than enough for dinner. We didn't try dessert, saving room for the SNOWMAN- YEAH!!  Still, I may become a lush just to hang out there, on the river!
Review Source:Walked the Hudson River Way and happened down to Riverfront unplanned. Â The location, a reconditioned barge on the Hudson, makes it a must even if the service is just kinda ok. Â
I had beer in plastic cups which I suppose makes sense as the wind or movement of the water could potentially throw glasses to the floor, but still was kinda unclassy.  Luckily the food, steamers and seafood chowder, got us past the plastic.  The steamers (plain) were fresh and perfectly prepared.  The chowder was full of assorted seafood and just delicious...if not a bit peppery. I would stop by again for the bands and dinner some night when I happen to be down that way, but  won't be making any special trips there.
i am torn. it deserves 5 stars because of the location. who even cares that the food isn't all that great? or that the service is iffy? it is on a barge/boat. no matter how hot it gets there is always a breeze and you can watch the ducks on the river. there really doesn't need to be much else said. but i will. (shock!!) they have bands on the weekends and karaoke during the week. it is an even better place to go at night then during the day for lunch.
the food - not that it really matters but their fare is typical bar food. they have wraps and burgers with waffle-cut fries (i do like those) and salads that aren't awful. the food most certainly isn't memorable but it suffices, once again the locale is worth it all. oh. and they have a drink called walk-the-plank. woooo-hooo! they are basically a long island iced tea with grenadine. and they truly knock you on your ass. stop at 2. trust me. or you will be pretty soon making a fool of yourself and needing to call a cab and come back and get your car tomorrow. if you can remember where you left it.
the sad thing is...they are only open for the season. so you will have to wait til next year. sorry. :)
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