The Bistro at South River

Nice. I’m here for a private party. The ppl or old men seem only interested in each other & golf but I could be assuming.
The bartenders Megan & Luis are very nice.
The food at the party was good. I had the chicken stuff w/​I’m not sure cream spinach. The salmon looked good and others said it tasted good.
The service at the party was nice but slow. Almost an hour to dinner service. Not cool.
Lovely place for my Aunt B’s Birthday party.
The drinks at the bar are too expensive for the place but at least service was nice.
Will I come back w/​my BF. Not on purpose but if we are in the area, yes.
I think the food is good but nothing to write home about.

Pros: Drinks were excellent. Food was above average, though lamb chops were too done and the fish was OK nothing special. The sauce and vegetables were very good. Setting is beautiful. Nice deck and view, inside appointed nicely.
Cons: Waitress was average, but nervous. Restaurant was not busy, but did have a special party going on in an adjacent room. The prices were very high — entrée’s were $ 30 + and had the manager been more attuned to the needs of the guest and not just one couple with too many kids running around the restaurant like they owned it — we may have enjoyed the evening more.
Review: We chose to go there on a Friday evening, knowing that in general they are not a very crowded venue and we wanted a quieter atmosphere than you get at most casual dining venues. On arrival we were asked if we would like to sit outside on the deck and we agreed. Though we had see the 5 – 6 kids ranging in age from 5 — 10 running and playing hide and seek outside the restaurant we never guessed they would continue their game on the deck with their parents watching them.
After a few minutes of dealing with that noise we asked to be moved inside. Within 10 minutes of moving the kids were inside running around and then chose to sit in the booth behind us by themselves — getting up and down, arguing and generally playing with the utensils at the table. We noted this to the wait staff with no response beyond — I’m sorry.
We put up with it more and finally as dinner was ending the manager arrived at the table and cheerfully asked how everything was. I told him of our disappointment with the disrespect of the children in the facility and he simply said– Sorry, we can’t really do the parenting. No offer of any kind to make up for the discomfort of ourselves — with a bit of attitude. And you wonder why the place is empty on a Friday night.
Way overpriced for the food, service and without any attempt to put the consumer first. Have used this place for special group events — but maybe not again.

Fantastic lunch! My Maryland crab soup was delicious, big chunks of jumbo lump crab. Really flavorful… Seared Tuna with seaweed salad was also wonderful. My husband had a burger… Not sure what it was about that burger but he didn’t say a word until he was finished eating… Cooked perfectly with a side of fries… he was really happy with his meal! Nothing left on either of our plates. Service was perfect… Very friendly too! The view overlooking the 18^th hole was a bonus… For all you golfers out there!

Cream of crab soup was the best I have ever tasted! The bowl is massive, so if you are getting an entrée too, go for the cup, but definitely order it, SO GOOD! Also had the Sea Bass, flakey, delicate and delicious — perfectly seared. My boyfriend had the Ribeye topped with avocado, crab, and bearnaise sauce — awesome as well. Highly recommend this restaurant! When we were there, they were prepping for Easter Brunch the next day, menu looked spectacular — we’ll have to try that next year.

Pros: Food was an «A», bartender was great, heavy pours, atmosphere and setting are very nice, deck off the bar has a nice view.
Cons: Waitress was nice but slow/​untrained, alarmingly few customers on a Saturday night, the prices are just too high for what you get.
The short version:
I really enjoyed my time and food here. I will probably go back when the weather gets a little nicer and enjoy the deck area off the bar for happy hour, but I cannot see myself going back for dinner at the current prices and level of table service.
The long version:
We went with friends on a Saturaday evening at 5pm and left close to 9pm. We had a great time overall. We hung out in the bar for about an hour and a half drinking and eating starters, then headed in to get some dinner. The bartender was great. Nice pours, very friendly, conversational, and helpful. The 6 of us had the bar to ourselves the entire time and it was great.
Next we headed into one of the dining rooms, it was empty other than one table and that table soon left so we had the whole dining room to ourselves, which was nice because we could enjoy ourselves without reserve but also worrisome regarding patronage and food supply. The worry was well founded when multiple dinner menu items and dessert menu items were out of stock and the specials for the evening were already on a count.
The food was really good, not the best ever but a solid «A», I would be happy to eat here again, I believe that everyone in our group really enjoyed their meals. Now on to the not so great…
The waitress was very kind but when you only have 6 – 12 people in an entire restaurant and there is a bartender helping you, a drink shouldn’t run empty, which they did a few times. Then she seemed undertrained regarding the dessert menu, she mentioned items that were out fo stock including things that weren’t even on the menu, and when my friend asked if they had a certain type of dessert she needed to check with with the kitchen twice. I don’t want to give the wrong impression, for the most part she was a decent server but when you pay the prices they charge at the bistro you expect better. Which is a great segway to the prices…
I feel like the prices a little beyond reasonable. I have no problem paying for a great meal, but I could name the following places in the area that provide as good or better a meal for less money, Chart House, Lewnes, Jalapenos, Level, Vin 909, Galway Bay, and others. The setting and the quality of the food should make it a pricey place but I would say it is all overpriced by about 20% versus the market.
All that being said I really enjoyed my time and food here. I will probably go back when the weather gets a little nicer and enjoy the deck area off the bar. But I cannot see myself going back for dinner at the current prices and level of table service.

Main dining from very nice manor style space — bar/​pub area loud!
We both had fish & chips — over cooked both fries and Chips making it more tasteless and bland, service slow and inattentive. Don’t recommend — prices are in the very high end. Good selection of beer and wine so if you are finishing golf and not much else nearby except fast food — then why not.

I was sitting in my hotel and looking to grab a simple burger and fries for dinner. There are plenty of fast food places around but I wanted something a little better. A quick check on OpenTable and I saw the Bistro at South River was only a few miles down Rt 2 from my hotel. A quick review of their menu and figured I’d give it a try.
The Bistro at South River is located inside a golf community. I was expecting it to be at the clubhouse, but instead it was a stand alone restaurant just inside the gate. I went in and sat down at the bar.
I ordered the wedge salad and a burger. The wedge was very large and smothered in bleu cheese and bacon. The burger was a good size and tasted good. It came with Old Bay fries that were OK, although I didn’t much Old Bay flavor. The price was on the higher side, but not too bad.
All together it was an good meal, but nothing special.