My business team and I went here on a Thursday afternoon before catching our flight out of Chicago. Â Came in for dinner. Â Quick and dirty is after tasting the wine and appetizers we didn't bother ordering dinner and hurried to leave.
The food here was awful! Â The service was awful! Â The place looks great, but man they served some terrible stuff that night. Â Let's break it down:
Bread: Â Three types, all tasted awful. Â Either stale or bad flavor. Â Who gets bread wrong these days, especially in a restaurant in an office building?
Wine: Â Brought us a few glasses recommended by our waitress. Â All tasted watered down and bad. Â When we mentioned it to the waitress she flipped her script and agreed with us that they weren't good. Â We don't think she really knew what was good at all and was telling us what we wanted to hear.
The appetizers: Â Had Angus sliders. Â Tasted like white castle burgers but worse. Â Buffalo chicken bits, overcooked and tasted burnt. Â Some sort of mescalin strawberry salad but it was ruined by their use of a sesame dressing... balsamic is the obvious correct choice. Â Chicken sliders were so so, nothing terrible there. Â French fries were ok suprisingly.
After all this the waitress about disappeared and it took us 15 minutes to get our check. Â
Definitely don't waste your time at this place.
So not good. Meet a colleague for drinks. Location looks nice and that's why it gets two stars instead of one. Used a Groupon for two appetizers and two beer flights. Beer flight was basically a throw away. 2 oz of three beers - nothing special. Their crab cakes tasted like they were bought and reheated, cooled, then reheated again. The ones you can get at Costco or Sam's Club are better. Also ordered a simple tomato bruschetta. What did we actually get? Shrimp bruschetta. Was it good? Again, pass.
I would not come back for their food. Their view is nice in the summer and is also why it get's two stars instead of one. Overall, service is meh, food is thumbs down, but the view is good in the summer.
Two stars. That's it.
Oh yes, row, row, row your boat here for lunch!
First, a reservation for lunch is a must have at the Rivers. It fills up quickly with business folks trying to get in and out quickly. The atmosphere is wonderful with white linen  on each table.  Given the crowd, the server is very efficient.
I was with a table of 9 and absolutely loved my meal. I ordered their monkfish. It was so tasty. Others at the table order the charred beef salad. Everyone enjoyed the salad with comments on how fresh the salad greens were. There we other that ordered the salmon which also received comments.
Everyone walked away loving their food slection and enjoying the location! What more could you want for lunch!!
What is going on with this place?! Â After having disgusting crab cakes for an appetizer i decided not to pay $39 for a steak and instead opted for a salad. The salad was below average.
Our server was very friendly as were the busboys but it seemed like the servers were overwhelmed by the number if tables. Dinner was outside on the river, which is their main draw but they seemingly hadn't cleaned the rails in forever. So we dined next to a huge spider web.
This is a place to drink after work. That said, the drinks were not good. Management should get its house in order and not rely on unsuspecting tourists to pay inflated prices for subpar food just because its on the Chicago river.
I recently visited Rivers after buying a Groupon to go there when I took my boyfriend to Chicago for his birthday.
Groupon-This in and of itself was somewhat of a mess. Â After a bus ride and quite a walk we arrived at the Rivers only to be greeted as we walked into the door by "oh no" which I should have known was not a good sign. Â Despite it being 30 minutes before closing they had already closed the restaurant because they hadn't had any customers, " in some time." Â While I am giving them a pass I just thought it was important to still mention because if this had been our last day in Chicago I would NOT have been happy. Â We returned the next day for lunchtime (Friday) and it was fairly empty. Â No issues using the groupon.
Service: Our service left something to be desired. The server seemed preoccupied with the TV, his phone and generally just overall annoyance that he was at work. Â As a server for 6+ years I think I'm a pretty good judge of hospitality and the fact that I couldn't make eye contact or draw his attention in the 3-4 passes that he made literally inches from our table resulted in my annoyance with him.
Food-My boyfriend had the fish and chips and I had the blackened chicken. Â Here was where The Rivers earned itself some points back. Â The food was very good and I do have to say that everything came out fairly quickly after ordering. Â I don't know if that is the normal waiting time OR if that was because there were very few tables there. Â I also saw a few other entrees from the table next to us and it looked equally as delicious.
Atmosphere/View-This was simply ok. Â As I said it was pretty dead and the fact that it closed early on a Thursday night was truly shocking but the restaurant's location is a little weird given that it's actually in the back of a large building. Â I would also say that, through no fault of its' own, our "view" of the "The Rivers" was completely blocked by construction going on outside.
Overall if you are just looking for great food not necessarily great SERVICE you will be fine. Â If you're looking for an overall atmosphere you may want to wait until a busier shift and see if they keep their better servers for the evening shift. :)
I Â LOVE THE EVERLIVINGSHIT out of fish, and Rivers. I used to work in the same building as Rivers and I ate there ALL THE TIME (breakfast and lunch, almost daily) those were the daaaaaaysssss! I work a few blocks away now but still whenever someone lets me pick the lunch spot - I pick Rivers. The service is awesome, the food is ALL flavorful and delicious and they have THE best corn soup in the state of Illinois. It's nice and open (the tables aren't all crammed together like a lot of other comparable places in the area) and the location is prime! I like that the staff doesn't seem to turn over very much (happy staff, happy Brookie) and the food is always consistent. This is a great place for a business meeting (nice big booths) or lunch with a friend.
Suggestions:
ANYTHING on their breakfast menu
Seared Ahi tuna Salad
Corn Soup
Salmon
Grouper
Crabcakes  (or Crab Cake Sandwich)
Scallops
Shrimp Bucatini
Blackened Tuna
Yes yes yes I will be going back - maybe today!
Oh, and in the summer, AWESOME riverfront seating!
What can I say about Rivers? Â First, it's completely off the beaten path so I'm going to go ahead & rank it in the "Chicago's Hidden Treasures" category. Â Located in the back of the CME building, it overlooks the Chicago River and has a pretty unique view of Business District. Â It was date night for my wife & I and this place really fit the bill for such a meal. Â Lots of Sinatra & Rat-pack played softly so we didn't have to talk over the music.
We were immediately seated & shown a fantastic wine list as well as our specials menu. Â Our waiter was very attentive and was not shy about informing us about the standout menu items and the ones that he would avoid. Â It was very interesting to have a server who would venture out on a limb like that, but it was most appreciated. Â Our shrimp bruschetta was amazing, as our server recommended. Â There was a smokiness to it that really made it a unique take on a classic appetizer. Â Our bottle of Merlot was reasonably priced and a perfect complement to our entrees. Â
My wife had the asiago-encrusted sea scallops. Â They smelled so good when they arrived that I had to get a taste of my wife's dish and they were unbelievable. Â Knowing how easy it is to muck up scallops, I really appreciated how the asiago was crusted, but the scallops themselves were soft, chewy, and still retained their own flavor.
I had the seafood stew, which I would request as my last meal on earth, if I had to choose. Â Mussels, white fish, shrimp. Â The recipe called for some couscous to be in there to really cement the stew. Â I got it on the side (at the recommendation of our waiter). Â However, I ended up putting all of the couscous into the bowl anyway, it was such an integral part of the meal.
Of course, with such a fantastic meal, we had to follow up with dessert: Â two cappuccinos with a HUGE portion of tiramisu. Â What a wonderful way to finish our experience with Rivers.
I rarely give 5 stars as my rating of a restaurant, but Rivers truly earned it. Â From start to finish, our experience was 5 stars so I have no issue with rating as such her in Yelp. Â Truly a must-try!!!
I was here with a group of 4 this past Saturday evening (11/24). We decided to go to Rivers for dinner since we were seeing Les Mis at 8pm just a few blocks away. The restaurant was pretty dead, BUT that is probably due to the fact that its in a corporate building in the Loop and it was the weekend after Thanksgiving. Our waitress was very friendly and the service was quick. The food was very good! All together we had the Lobster Bisque and Spicy Latin Tomato soups; Center Cut Pork; Maryland Crab cake; Asiago Crusted Sea Scallops; Grilled Atlantic Salmon; Mango Brulee; and Trio of Fresh Fruit Sorbet. No complaints at all. One of our party members frequents Rivers for lunch and recommended it. I would certainly go back if I was looking for a place in the Loop.
Review Source:This place is great for office happy hours. Â I've enjoyed having gatherings with my co-workers. Â This is not where you go with a group of friends for a lively good time. Â An older and sophisticated crowd has a strong presence. Â The service has always been good and the food is standard. Â There are rarely any specials and I think everything is a bit overpriced. The Buffalo Chicken Tidbits are the same you would get at any bar yet they are $10 and only feed two. Â This place never gets packed and it is pretty nice to sit outside during the summers.
Review Source:Grabbed lunch here on a weekday with a Co-worker. It was a beautiful day out so we sat out on the balcony that over looks the Chicago River. I had the shrimp alfredo pasta and was very pleasantly surprised at how tasty it was! It wasn't very busy so we got our food fairly quickly. I absolutely plan on coming back but probably during warmer weather to take advantage of the view.
Review Source:Came here for lunch with my bf while at work. Â They are a well-oiled machine, I'll give them that. Â I had made a reservation and we were seated immediately, provided with water, and then the waiter came by for our orders. Â We were in and out in 45 min, which is great for a lunch. Â However, the food is overpriced and nothing special. Â I got a crab cake sandwich where the crab cake didn't really fill out the standard white bread that it came on. Â It was alright, but not too crispy which was sort of sad. Â The fries it came with was also sort of dried out. Â The side salad was tasty thought. Â All in all it was just a little expensive for what it was and I felt like a cog in their restaurant wheel.
Review Source:Although, this restaurant is difficult to find... it is worth the hunt!
I went on a Monday night, and the restaurant was empty. However, there was great service and the food was amazing. My boyfriend and I weren't very hungry and the waiter was very honest about portion size and we ended up sharing a meal and an appetizer (that we got for free from a promotion from our hotel). This was the best meal I've had while on vacation in Chicago.
We got the pan-seared scallops and the teriyaki beef tenderloin (as the appetizer).
I would highly recommend this restaurant.
A great place for post-work cocktails. Â The bar area is spacious and they have a big patio and outdoor bar on the river. Â The staff is friendly, the beer selection is big, and the bar foo is actually pretty good. Â The crab cakes are good, but very small. Â High marks for the quesadillas though-- a substantial portion and they have quality filling: black beans, corn, and gouda. Yum.
I have never been here at a time other than happy hour. Â I have to imagine it's a good business lunch locale too, but would be skeptical about coming here on a Saturday night. Â I imagine its pretty quiet or maybe has a few tourists or theatre goers and that's about it.
Fancy Schmancy, I must say! Or at least that's how it felt on a random evening out with a cute boy. We had a groupon for two appetizers and two beer flights. Service was great. The waiter was very knowledgeable about the beer he was about to serve us. The flight included Alagash White, an IPA and......yup drawing a blank. They were decent. Wasn't a fan of the IPA as it was super strong to me...
We ordered the calamari and grilled tiger shrimp bruschetta. Definitely loved both entrees. The boy and I agreed we couldn't afford to eat here regularly but if looking for another nice night out it would be worth a try.
Also ordered the flourless cake and fresh berry bread pudding. Both desserts were amazing!
Lovely patio area however we dined indoors due to the heat.
Food was decent - good burger, great beef teriyaki appetizer, good salmon.
Server was very nice.
Service was extremely slow, even though the restaurant was mostly empty (Saturday night).
Website says that 2-hours of parking is validated. What they do not tell you is that if you park for two hours and one minute, you get zero validation. It took 2 hours and 30 minutes to have our simple meal and drinks. When we left the garage, the machine spit our my "validated" parking pass, and the attendant told me that since I parked more than two hours, there was no validation at all. I think the restaurant should be more explicit about the parking policy. And it sure seemed like they were stalling to keep us there for more than 120 minutes.
My husband and I bought a Groupon for 2 appetizers and 2 beer samplers and took a trip into Chicago specifically to eat at Rivers. We ordered the steak and crabcake appetizers and thought they were both delicious. We also ordered the flourless chocolate cake for dessert and it was also great.
Unfortunately...we had a waitress that seemed to disappear for long periods of time and when she was at our table (rare), she seemed completely uninterested in us and mentally/emotionally distracted. At one point, we were looking all around the room for her because we could see our dessert was sitting out, waiting to be brought to our table. She was standing by the computer station doing absolutely nothing! She stared vacantly around the room and then went into the back of the restaurant where we couldn't see her. We had been sitting there for so long waiting for her and it was like she just forgot about us! Finally, other waiters came to help us...and she just showed up at the end of our meal to give us our check.
So to sum it all up.....
The food was great and the waitress sucked. There was a man filling up our water and getting different things for us throughout the night who was absolutely great and on top of things. I wish we could have tipped him as our waiter since he actually worked for it.
We went in through the inside entrance and were greeted by a very friendly hostess.
We did the beer flights with two appetizers (it was a groupon). Like Kristin M said the beer flights are fixed which I guess I understand, but would have like to try some of the other beers on their list. Oh well.
Allagash White, Half Acre Gossamer, and Stone IPA....not a bad trio.
Our server seemed rushed busy, but the patio was quite full. No problem, we were not in a hurry.
Were our choices explained, no.
Were any suggestions offered, no.
Was it difficult to understand our server, yes.
Was my foot stepped on, yes.
Were our plates cleared even before we put the last bite in our mouth, yes.
The crab cakes dinky, yes, but tasty with some sort of salad and wasabi mayonaise looking concoction.
The chicken tenders were chicken tenders...if you mess those up then you should not be in a restaurant business. The honey mustard sauce with the chicken tenders was spot-on. yum.
Anyhow, I doubt I will go back.
There are too many other places in this awesome city to go back for mediocre service that includes physical harm accompanied by so-so food.
Bike parking is available just south on the patio entrance on the river...nice.
Pretty good place which is very conveniently located in the loop near both Union Station and Ogilvy Station. Nice outdoor bar area.
Went with the Groupon for two beer flights and two appetizers. The beer was good and the teriyaki tenderloin appetizer we got was awesome. We also got both soups (spicy latin tomato and roasted corn) and both were pretty good.
Our experience here was kind of so-so, but I'm bumping it up to 3 because of the beautiful patio right on the river (duh). Â I love a good patio, and the boat watching was fun.
We came with the Groupon, 2 beer flights and 2 apps for $18. Â Not too shabby. Â The beer flight is fixed, you can't request anything different. Â Turned out ok because I enjoyed 2/3 beers. Â The last (Stone IPA?) was too hoppy, I'm just not a fan of IPAs. Â
The food was lackluster. Â The three tiny crab cakes were not the best, but not the worst I've had. Â I enjoyed the little "salad" better. Â We had requested the pulled pork sliders and ended up with the chicken ones. Â They were flavorful, so it turned out ok.
There are lots of complaints about service on here. Â The spot is PACKED, so service is slow. Â Our waiter was very friendly though, and explained our choices to us. Â Since we weren't in a hurry, we had no problem with the service. Â
Would I come back? Â Probably not. Â If I want to drink after work, I'd rather stay near the office on Michigan and not deal with all the douche-y traders. Â Plus it's a tad pricey for what you get, but with the Groupon, it was a good deal.
Rivers. Â My office's go to for business lunches. Â Granted we work above the restaurant, but we haven't received a complaint yet. Â
One of my favorite lunch items is the Charred Beef Salad. Â
Recently, I have been able to enjoy dining outside on the patio. Â I enjoy having the option to dine at the Bistro or the Restaurant. Â Of course, the Bistro is meant to be "less expensive," but rarely is that the case. Â
I do have to say, they were able to accommodate my 5 year old nephew extremely well. Â On rare occasions can you find a restaurant in the loop, filled with many business professionals on lunch, that will welcome a small child. Â He loved sitting right on the river watching all the boats go by. Â Honestly, there is no beating the location. Â We got lucky and sat at one of the tables directly on the railing - a big win with the 5 year old. Â They were even able to get him "choco-milk" and "lots" of ketchup with his chicken fingers, which were actually good. Â I enjoyed the fish and chips. Â the fish was cooked perfectly and the fries were crisp and soft all at the same time. Â Everything was perfectly seasoned. Â My mom ordered a half salad/sandwich combo with Tuna salad and the house salad and really enjoyed it.
Even though Rivers may sometimes be looked at as too pricey, I've found that with the location, service, and meal choices, it really is one of the gems of lunch in the loop!
Chosen purely for its proximity to my friend's office, and def priced to reflect its captive audience -- I think entree salads were all around  $19, and most of the actual entrees were between $20-30...for lunch.....woof.
My poor seared tuna looked like it had really seen better days (and tasted it too -- if I wake up vomming tonight, I will play the blame game, and tuna, you will lose) -- and my friend's chicken ceasar salad had a fdecent amnt of chicken, but was v. lackluster. Entrees looked fine, and there are certainly enough options that everyone can find something. Bread basket was bountiful but bland -- a cardinal sin in my book.
If you have no desire to eat and want only to pound cocktails s/p work, I can see how it's quite the place for cruising-- I haven't seen seen that many clean cut, nice looking men in one spot in a looooong time -- that said, I did go to all women's college and am in an MD/MBA program, so take that as you will....but regardless, lots of pretty men, not so many attractive ladies -- so girlfriends, go wild.
With teas, lunch for two was $47 + tip, and I would say that it was probably worth abt $20.
Unbeatable riverfront seating. Great staff. Food is ok.
Rivers Bistro - Patio seating and no wait has a way of making ok food taste better. Removing the positive effect of a summer breeze and sunshine, the food is just okay and the menu could be larger. Both my friend and I opted for the $13 Salad and Sandwich combo. I had the Cuban Pork Torta with House Salad, dressing on the side. The Sandwich was tasty, but the pulled pork was a little dry and didn't particularly blend well with the yellow mustard. The sandwich was warm and had quality ingredients, I just don't think that the flavors blended well. The side salad dressing was oily and flavorless. My friend enjoyed her Turkey Panini, specifically mentioning the good quality of the meat. I think the menu would benefit from a few more sandwich options and some healthy substitutions.
Our bill was $19 each with tax and tip for sub-Panera quality food. Perhaps I'll just go to Panera and swing my legs off the bridge.
Rivers Restaurant - The Restaurant menu is at least $5 per entree more expensive than the Bistro Menu. I don't see the premium. Perhaps its to cover the massive AC bill that keeps the restaurant at a bone-chilling 60 degrees? I had the Ahi Tuna Salad. The Tuna was a little too peppery, but I just love seared Tuna, so it was still tasty. Bring a sweater and be prepared to pay for more than you're getting.
Overall, I'm thinking that a patio happy hour is Rivers sweet spot.
Came here after work with coworkers. There were few to no seats outside. However, we did manage to find seats outside that overlooked the river, which was pretty awesome.
Unfortunately, that's about as awesome as it gets.
I ordered a drink and wanted to order food but chips/salsa cost nearly an arm and leg compared to Chipotle's. Two stars because I had a really bad experience with paying for my drink -- the waitress refused to separate tabs for the group until I had to practically beg her 29834 times.
Rivers is THE go to spot for happy hour in the Loop. Â Plenty of outdoor seating along the river, special HH prices on some shareable apps until 6, and decent sized (aka HUGE) wine pours.
Service was on par and I felt like we were checked on regularly even though the place was slammed.
RIPPED OFF!
Rivers has two separate seating areas/menus: the bar/bistro, and the dining room. The latter features a more expensive menu, entree salads between $14-$19. Yeah like wtf.
Anyway, we did not realize this as we requested an outside patio table for 4 for lunch. We looked at the menu and went like, where are the burgers? The waiter was like oh those are for the other bar/bistro area. Which is ridiculous because the entire outdoor patio was the same. So we asked for the bar/bistro menu, and they would not let us have that. What?!
Okay we were already sat down so we're going to make this work.
I ordered the crab cakes sandwich, which the menu describes:
"Pan Seared served on Toasted Brioche with Roasted Red Pepper Mayonnaise, Tomato and Bibb Lettuce."
What I got was an sad looking crab cake patty with a splat of orange mayo between toasted Wonderbread.
It was quite sad.
Right across the street, there is a basement cafeteria that serves sandwiches like these, for $4.
Utterly ridiculous. If you're thinking of coming here, don't. Go to South Branch instead, where at least they serve you good and edible food for the prices they charge.
Rivers is a great place to stop after work for drinks, and even for lunch time appetizers. The beef carpaccio is DELICIOUS, be prepared because it is raw meat, but it is prepared perfectly. Also, the buffalo chicken tidbits. I'm not one for spicy food usually, but these were so good I couldn't stop eating them. Prices aren't bad, especially for the great food.
On top of the great view of the river, awesome place to grab some food and drinks!
Oh Rivers, you are one of my fave Happy Hour places in the summer in Chicago. Â Best outdoor seats right on the river. Â Always a huge crowd. Â The wine is always flowing. Â Cheap happy hour eats before 6! Â Can't beat that!! Â I even love coming here in the winter. Â We get a big table front in center in the bar and drink till we drop. Â
I have been here for lunch and for dinner... Ill stick to my happy hours here at Rivers. Â Its quite an expensive lunch - like $20 for a salad? Â Silly. Â I had a similar experience when I came for dinner.
Pretty good. Went here yesterday. Since the place is in Chicago's financial district it's kind of dead. However, the food was very good. We had the beef capaccio, seafood ravioli, grouper and the flourless chocolate cake. These are my thoughts:
Price- Reasonable. About $30 per entree and $13 per appetizer.
Quality- Seafood ravioli was great. Mahi mahi was good too. Food is good. It is not anything to die for, but it is good for its area.
Quantity- Medium sized. What you'd expect from a higher end place.
Atmosphere- Lots of open space. Decor is okay- nothing stood out
Staff- Nice. Came by to check up on us twice.
Overall it was pretty good. I might go back if I were in the area, but I wouldn't go out of my way to get here.
Quite possibly the most overrated restaurant in the Chicago Loop. Â They have a wonderful location along the river, and on a nice today its a great place to sit and enjoy being outside, but at what cost? Â They have a horrible beer list, below average food and to make matters worse its completely overpriced. Â I guess they think all the d-bag traders have so much money to blow they can charge whatever thy want. Â Forget going if you aren't one of them though, because you will enjoy McDonald's more.
I had a cup of the Seafood & Sausage Gumbo and the Maryland Crab sandwich for lunch. Â The $5.95 tiny bowl of soup came had the consistency of slime and didn't taste much better. Â Only the heavy salt made it edible. Â The $13.95 Crab-cake sandwich was the WORST crab-cake sandwich I've ever had at a nice/non chain restaurant. Â If it came out of a box it wouldn't surprise me. Â They slapped one tiny crab cake on two pieces of white bread with a slice of tomato. Â WTF? Â Are you kidding me? I'm actually quite surprised it came with fries for as cheap as they were with everything else.
Place was very loud also. Â I didn't get a rude server like many people have indicated, but with that clientele it wouldn't surprise me at all.
DO NOT WASTE YOU MONEY!!! Â SERIOUSLY!!!! JUST DON"T GO THERE!!!
Once again, another place local to my office. Â Well frequented during lunch times, the food and service are both good as I have never been disappointed in the six or eight times I have visited
The menu offers a wide variety of soups, salads and plates - all of which I have enjoyed
Most recently, a co-worked introduced me to the "bar" area around the side - this is a bit more limited menu, but you do not need a reservation so you can walk right in
One of the main advantages to this restaurant is that it is on the river (clever name, huh?) and so during the summer you can hang out and eat and drink outside - that is really nice
Definitely a recommendation, but you will not be blown away by any of the food
Bought this as part of the Travelzoo deal with Sears Skydeck.
Our waitress greeted us after a couple of minutes without menus or wine lists and merely asked, "Something to drink?" I felt stupid asking for a menu, and she seemed irked that I would even need one. Â How the heck else am I supposed to order if I don't know what's available to me?
Not a good start. However, she ended up giving fantastic recommendations for appetizers (I LOVED the grilled shrimp bruchetta and the chicken quesadilla was unbelievably fresh...the cheese stayed gooey the whole time, though it didn't last long) and the salsa that came with the quesadillas was perfect.
The quality of the appetizers ALMOST made me forget the fact that it took our waitress a solid 15 - 20 minutes to come back and take our orders. Even then, we flagged down a bus boy to take our orders because we were so hungry. She only came back to let us know that she got our orders. (In her defense, she wasn't just standing around as waiters/waitresses often do - she at least was buzzing around and busying herself with something that looked work-related. I suspect that with our supposed young-age look, she probably put us on the back-burner, not expecting a huge tip from us.)
Aside from the off-putting first impression and long wait, the service was friendly and the food was delicious. Thankful that the deal brought us to a decent restaurant!
In the words of Stephanie Tanner from Full House, "HOW RUDE!" That pretty much sums up my experience at Rivers. If I could give it a half of a star I would.
We walked through the door and were not even greeted by a hostess just told go sit at the bar. My friend and I had purchased TravelZoo vouchers, which included two drinks and an appetizer. As soon as we presented the voucher to an older gentleman who was our bartender he immediately started giving us an attitude. I asked for a drink menu. His response, "We don't have one." I found that very hard to believe! So since he would not provide me with any sort of list of the drinks I asked, "What do you recommend?" He tells me, "I don't know" and walks away!!! Doesn't try to help or make a single suggestion!!! I've never felt like such a bother at a restaurant. It just wrecked our entire experience!
Finally I decided on a rum and coke. He sets it down on a soggy napkin. That just added to how great we've been treated already. Then we sat there for over 15 minutes waiting for him to give us a menu so we could order our appetizers. Finally I had to ask him for a menu! He then proceeded to fill drink orders for 5 more minutes and then goes and gets us a menu. You'll never guess what's on the back of the menu?! The drinks they offer, aka the drink menu, which I had asked for and he had denied they had one!!!
There are only 5 appetizers to choose from and if you don't like seafood this is not your place, because each included either crab, shrimp, or fish except for the beef carpaccio. My friend and I both decided on the crab and artichoke dip. The food was brought out and there's four small toasted buttered pieces of bread to put the dip on. In the words of my friend, "I could've made it better with my eyes closed!" Especially if we wouldn't have had the voucher that appetizer would have cost us $14.95. Not worth it at all!!!
Time for a refill and on to drink #2. I asked for the same. He grabs my glass, throws more ice into the same glass, so now it's overflowing with ice. Pours a little rum and a splash of coke. Then proceeds to not even ask my friend what she would like as her second drink. He just grabbed her glass and refilled the same glass with the exact same thing.
Incredibly disappointed with my experience and I certainly will never return!!!
Rivers tries really hard to be snobby bottom line is the folks that work there would do a much better job if they just be themselves without the snobbish look they have to maintain.
Living in the loop its hard to fine good places just to hang out after work for a drink and a bite without having to muscle your way for a  decent table , before south branch it was hard to get a seat here in summer. I welcome south branch no I can enjoy the patio in peace.
the menu isn't overwhelming and the chicken tit-bits is the best damn bar food for $6 at happy hour. I don't eat dinner here or rather never have, yes I cook my own dinners surprise!
If $20+ lunches is your thing then come here its great , you get a lot for your money.
I must admit unless i go there with my own group of friends the place is boring as hell and the service is snobbish.
BOTTOM LINE - File it under: One of those restaurants that tries so hard to be snobby--complete with an uppity wait staff--but there is absolutely no reason for it.
I have gone to Rivers about 10 times. And here are my thoughts.
FOOD: It's fine. The menu isn't overwhelming, there is really something for everyone. But there is only one vegetarian option on the dinner menu--the mushroom risotto. It's tasty, but a bit salty. Fish dishes, sandwiches and salads are well-prepared and portions are aplenty.
PRICE: It's downtown, so the $25-$40 dinner entree prices are expected, but you can definitely get better food elsewhere in the area for the same price.
ATMOSPHERE: Boring. Typical kind of upscale downtown business-dinner accommodating joint. The outside area is pretty decent on a nice summer day, but it gets packed right around workday quittin' time so get there early or late.
SERVICE: Snobby. And for no reason. It's weird.
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