River Tavern

  4.4 – 350 reviews   • Brunch restaurant

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Nestled in the heart of Chester, River Tavern has been pioneering farm-to-table dining since 2001. We proudly serve fresh, locally sourced brunch and dinner 7 days a week starting at 11am. Unwind with one of our signature cocktails at River Tavern, where every dish tells the story of Connecticut’s farms, fields, and flavors.

Featuring Jonathan Rapp’s menus of New American dishes made with mostly local ingredients.

✔️Breakfast ✔️Brunch ✔️Lunch ✔️Dinner ✔️Dine in ✔️Take out River Tavern 06412

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Order and Reservations

Reservations: resy.com

rivertavernrestaurant.com

Related Web Results

River Tavern | Brunch 7 Days a Week Farm to Table

Located in the charming village of Chester, Connecticut River Tavern has been a proud pioneer of locally sourced cooking in Connecticut since 2001.

River Tavern | Chester CT – Facebook

Farm to table is the inspiration for our menu as delicious entrees are made with fresh, local produce.

River Tavern (@rivertavern) • Instagram photos and videos

A neighborhood restaurant serving farm fresh cuisine seven days a week. Also visit: @ottopizzachester + @dinnersatthefarm …

Reviews

Andrew Huynh
I was expecting more for the price of the dishes. The bill was $120 for 2 apps and 2 entrees, with no alcoholic drinks. Overall, there was a lack of flavor. The portion sizes were on the smaller side.

The appetizer was the best out of the three dishes we had. The pears were a nice touch and brought the most flavor out of all the dishes we ordered. The cuttlefish ink pasta was lacking the brininess and the texture that I expect from squid ink pasta. The shrimp and calamari were bland. The swordfish was clearly frozen from the pack and flavorless as well. The beans were a weird choice to pair with fish.

I didn’t want to be rude and give them 1 star, but I was expecting a lot more for the amount we spent. There was a reason why the other businesses were busy while this one was empty when we had dinner.
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Jennifer Eiseman
I was very excited to go to the River Tavern for my birthday. The restaurant is cute inside and the back room has a lovely large window to see the outside garden. Unfortunately the evening did not meet my expectations. We sat down at a corner table which alternated between being warm enough and freezing. It took at least 15 minutes for a server to stop by to take our order even though the restaurant wasn’t that busy. We placed our order of an appetizer and two burgers as well as two drinks. It took another 15 minutes for our appetizer to be served, I was surprised it took so long because everything in the appetizer was cold. It was tasty, just took a long time. It was another half an hour before our burgers were served. We ordered medium rare and both burgers were well done. That’s not even close to the same temperature. The server agreed that it was not the temperature we ordered. Did we want to have new burgers cooked? I said no because I really didn’t want to wait another half hour for dinner. Both of the servers were very nice but for the cost of the meal it was such a let down. They did take off half the cost of each burger which I guess is an ok compensation. I’m curious why there’s no restaurant manager anywhere to be found; I guess Monday nights are not a busy night so the customers matter less that night? It seems like it’s very hit or miss at the River Tavern.
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neilp235
A little disappointing for the price in all honesty. The food was okay, but that was about it. We had mussels to start, which came without any bread, which was a miss for the price. The mains were average. Cocktails were really nice.

The service left a little bit to be desired. Waitress and servers felt a little awkward, and nothing really made me want to return.

Overall, the pricing for this place reflects fine dining, but the food was a little average honestly. Nothing terrible, just a little disappointing. I’ve had better food on the shoreline at a much better price point, so I won’t be returning unfortunately
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Emily S
We went at a quiet time, Tuesday at noon. The carrot curry soup was excellent, but the scallions took away from the flavor complexity. The prosciutto mozzarella pistachio dish was very good, especially the freeze dried sage pieces. Lastly, the burger was excellent, juicy, and greasy with crisp vegetables in the best way, served with homemade ketchup. My companion and I were going to share everything, and the kitchen plated all our dishes separately without us even having to request that. It was very considerate. The interior is clean, and I liked that customers have to walk past the entire kitchen to get to the bathroom. They have nothing to hide, and the focus really seems to be on the flavors here. My one complaint would be that my limeade had zero sweetener in it, so it was just lime water, which isn’t really what I was expecting to consume. Anyway thanks !
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Carl Friedrich
A lovely restaurant with great food and friendly staff! We enjoyed eating lunch and hope to be back soon for dinner! If you are hungry I recommend the burgers. While the other dishes are delicious the portions are rather small.
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Sharon Poarch
Delicious food and artisanal drinks. Great staff. Gluten free options. Our favorite restaurant in this area and We are from over an hour away. Staff (Noah) was our waitress both times we visited and she was great at helping us make our food and drink selections! We had the swordfish and cod with lobster sauce over mashed potatoes…both were amazing!
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Grace Encarnacion
Service and place is great. But food could be better. Ordered a burger with fries on the side and ramen. Fries is so salty. Burger is fine. Ramen’s broth is salty, noodles is undercooked and chashu/pork is overcooked or burnt. Not sure how I feel about what I ate
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S Taylor
Went to dinner last night at this incredible restaurant. I had the Roasted Shad and others had the Rib Eye and the Tofu Bowl. All of them absolutely perfection. The Caesar Salad met my approval and I consider myself to be one of the best AUTHENTIC Caesar Salad experts. Their Caesar is authentic. Now for the dessert . . . Baked Date Pudding with Caramel-Rum Sauce — there are no words. One has to try it to experience it. If you go just for that, it’s worth the trip.
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Nic G
Everyone raves about it. We walked by at night and it was packed, but we had other dinner plans. Tried to go Saturday for brunch and at 11am it was closed, so I believe their hours are seasonal here on Google. Please update.
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Marla Darius
A great find that is highly recommended by locals.
Daily updated menu. Attentive staff and wonderful food. Our party of 4 each enjoyed their meal, drinks and desserts.
The restaurant is small. Make a reservation! It fills quickly.
And get there early enough to browse in the shops in downtown Chester. Wonderful unique privately owned shops up and down the street.
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