Cabana On the River

I love their steak hoagies. I don’t ever order anything else. The food is slow sometimes but this is a huge place with a lot of out door seating. I have always had good service. I come back year after year while they are open.

The view is great, the atmosphere is nice. The food is alright (nothing special), but the service was terrible. The food is also way overpriced for the quality. Our server got our drinks then took the orders of 3 tables who got there after us instead of taking ours. When she finally did take our order she said «are you going to order food?» Just because we got waters to drink, she assumed we weren’t eating? Food came out quick but we hardly saw our server after that. She never once checked on us to see how our food was, we had to ask another staff member for extra tartar sauce, and it took forever for her to bring us the checks. I don’t think I will be back for the average food and good view just because the service was so unpleasant.

Good food and a great atmosphere. It can get crowded fast and the food is a little pricey.

Subpar service, fried/​starchy food and riverside restaurant describes this place. Does that sound harsh? Ok, it’s not THAT bad. But service was really slow and our waitress needs a lesson in hospitality. Twice she brought me Corona Extra instead of Corona Light, did not check on us until we had to ask for bill, not bringing my son a refill EVER etc. etc. but the servers would be standing around the hostess station just talking with miserable looks on their face. The menu was a typical fried fish and burger menu (couldn’t tell if frozen burger or not and idk if that’s good or bad lol) French fries were cold. Mahi mahi and rice was much appreciated from my son though. The fried haddock sandwich was open faced and served on 2 pieces of bread side by side, the southwest chicken salad had barely any beans corn or other toppings :(BUT the saving grace for this place is the bar and the riverside location. Despite it being full on a Saturday night or wait was only 10 minutes. Wouldn’t return.

First time here… but won’t be my last! The food was tasty and the drinks were great as well. I went on a Sunday around 8ish and there was no waiting and we were able to sit on patio on the river. It’s was beautiful. Watching the sunset was amazing!!! I would recommend for sure. Very casual laid back atmosphere. My waitress was friendly but a little off that day. She put in our drink order wrong and would forget when we asked for waters… but everyone has off days

Go there often. Great atmosphere Love their fish and chips. Their hamburgers are big. The meat is larger than the bun. Wonderful to sit and enjoy the river. Very people friendly.

Love love love this place. Great atmosphere for great weather! Food is delicious as well!

One of my absolute favorite places. Outdoor dining so it’s only open during the warm seasons. Look forward to it every year. One of the best kept secrets and one of the few great places to eat on the West Side. Be prepared for unhelpful hostess through. Wait times are often long and they will not quote you an approximate time. And the waiting area is unfortunately not in the shade.

Food is great. Mackenzie, not so much. Rude. We were here for a large party in her section and kept getting attitude. Needless to say her tip will be zero. If you have a large group, ask another server for help. Busy or not the attitude is uncalled for.

First timer. Food was good. Service and attitude was very bad. I was very disappointed in the wait staff. Manager was not helpful or friendly either.

Amazing ambiance and a great place for a family event or for a date. Got here around 7 on a Friday, the place was packed. There was live music which complemented the view of the river. The waitresses are very attentive and attractive (ahem). Ordered cajun shrimp appetizer and salmon burger. They bought it these colossal shrimp on a skewer than packed more flavor than a tropical fruit sundae on steroids…
The view was amazing. Prices reasonable for what you get. I would seriously recommend.

The view was nice. The service was OK. The food left a lot to be desired. Seemed like they just opened bags and boxes from Sysco or some other food company. Didn’t feel homemade at all. Might repeat for the view on a slower night.

We have been coming to the Cabana for years. we have seen it grow from a relatively small bar and eatery to the large and always packed river side outfoor
event. tonight we went there for a dinner and upon arriving, we saw that parking wss at a premium, thankfully. the owner bought the lot next door and we finally
got lucky and found a spot.
On to the immense waiting list… the ladies at the greeting desk told us to come back in 20 minutes. just to get our buzzer.!!
We waited… because, we learned, if you come here, you are going to wait.
only tonight was different, the Cabana was nuts. people everywhere…
when we finally got a table, my wife wss concerned that the kifchen eould be behind so much we would wait for a ling time and the food would nof be as good as it usually is.
get
we were wsited on pretty quickly (surprise.) and to expedite things we ordered… wife loves the grilled chicken sandwich… and I am a mahi mahi lover.
the food came as quickly as it always does and it was perfect…
it you havent been to the cabana, you wont believe tbe crowd, the food, the menu, or the view. until you get yo eag there.
but don’t be in a hurry on a nice weeknight or weekend… its a wsit, but worth it.

To be honest, I think that the majority of people who come here come for the view and booze more than the food. There is a LOVELY view of the river. My boyfriend and I stopped in on our way back from our anniversary vacation in Ohio, and we got to watch the sunset.
Their drinks are pretty good. My boyfriend LOVED the strawberry piña colada. I was a huge fan of their Long Island Iced Tea, which is not on the menu but I read about online and asked for.
Moving into the food–
We shared some shrimp and crab balls. They were pretty good actually. It’s not something I would normally order but my boyfriend picked them out and considering it isn’t something I usually enjoy, they were pretty good.
I wanted mozzarella sticks so we ordered those too. It was completely passable. Nothing exceptional, but not bad either.
Boyfriend ordered the fried fish basket. It was ok. Mostly just bland. The fish itself was pretty well cooked, very flaky, but we weren’t a fan of the coating. I ordered the grilled mahi mahi. Again, it was well cooked but very bland. The «fresh citrus salad» was the best part of the meal. The seasoned rice and veggies tasted frozen/​canned and definitely not seasoned.
Service was ok. They were super packed so I’m sure that’s why it was hard to flag our waitress. It’s very loud even for a big open place.

We frequently eat at the cabana as it is convenient. The view is fantastic of the KY hillsides and the Ohio River. The menu comes packed with great pub grub and everything we tried is delicious. Great cocktails and frozen drinks too. The prices are good and the wait staff very friendly and efficient.
My husband loves the black and blue salad with grilled beef tenderloin chunks galore. I love the huge spinach salad with egg, red onion, mushrooms and a great hot slaw dressing. I either have the Mahdi Mahdi or salmon, both of which are always grilled to perfection. We also love the creamy guacamole and chips. The CAB burger is huge enough to take home half and the fries are some of the best I have had anywhere, crispy well seasoned and good potato flavor. If you want a meal the feels like a vacation I recommend this place highly.

The grilled salmon is delicious! Great bands on the weekends. Lovely view of river and sunsets.

The cabana is great. Many nights on the deck with good company, conversation and the cabana red. Food is great and the kids even love to eat here before a Reds game. If the sun is shining, a great place to eat and enjoy the weather.

I’m guessing this place makes its money on location alone… Service and management might be the worst I have ever dealt with, absolutely Terrible!
Just left here with a party of 20+ because we waited an hour for a table spoke with a manager and she said there was nothing she could do. Looking around there was plenty of tables to push together to accommodate my party of 20+ and plenty of staff to assist with our orders. If I was an owner/​manager of any kind of restaurant I would be highly upset that 20 people got turned away… That is a lot of money lost. I will NEVER! return and I will pass this experience on to everyone I know.

I love the Cabana. My in-​laws live on the west side of town, and so we go here semi-​often. The food is great; my personal favorites include (but are not limited to): the pulled pork, the chicken-​chili (which you must try), the burger, the fish, and the fried chicken. The drinks are great: if you like red ales try the Cabana red… solid beer. The view is great (sit outside if you can).
The hostesses suck (be assertive… they usually don’t know what’s going on). The service can be really good or not depending on the luck of the draw. I’ve had great service here, and I’ve had pretty horrible service here. I think there are some solid waitresses who really know their stuff, and then there are new ones who know nothing and don’t last long. Hopefully you get the former, but if you end up with the later order a beer and enjoy the view. :)

What’s to love?
1. Great patio
2. Great river view
3. Yummy drinks
4. Relaxed atmosphere
What’s not to love?
1. In the middle of nowhere — it’s like a 35 minute drive from anything
2. Parking lot is a disaster
3. Food is only alright — I suggest the pretzels though.
4. Servers always seem… new