Riverview Hotel

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Drinks  7      Ambience  8      Service  5      Value  7     

Went on a Thursday for a mid week dinner. Warm greeting upon arrival: good sign. When I commented that to the waitress that her uniform was unique, she harrumphed. Not a good sign. Leaving used cutlery and not replacing them in time for mains: not a good sign. Leaving 2 empty wine glasses on the table for the duration of the meal. Really not a good sign. I found the food being let down by chaotic (and dumb) service.

I hate it when wait staff refuse to write down the order, tries to commit the order to memory and invariably gets it wrong. Why punish me when you have poor grey matter. Our waitress wanted to show off her mental prowess, and of course, one of the sides were forgotten.

Food wise: The portions are pretty robust and the dessert can give you a cardiac arrest due to its size. It is on the pricey side but nothing an entertainment card cannot fix. Will I come back? Yes, and I will ask for the waitress to removed and dessert serving to be halved.

May 11, 2012 

9.2 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Drinks  10      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  8     

We came for a relaxed Sunday lunch with friends, and all left feeling satisfied! I couldn't be more complimentary of the staff who were attentive, helpful and really knew their way around the menu, which was a refreshing change. Great selection of beers and wine.

Food was delicious, fresh and beautifully presented, though I have to admit, I expected this based on reviews I'd read before we arrived. Wonderful atmosphere. More expensive than your regular pub fare, but deservedly so. We loved our time here so much that we've booked the upstairs dining room for our wedding reception next year!

Nov 17, 2011 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Drinks  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Cannot fault this restaurant following a perfect Sunday lunch. Thoroughly recommended.

Aug 29, 2011 

6 Average

Food  6      Drinks  7      Ambience  5      Service  7      Value  5     

I've been a few times now and each time want to love it, a great space in a great pub. But I just can't tip over the edge.

It's nice. We had gnocchi, barramundi and the duck. My duck was a little dry, but my wife really enjoyed the gnocchi. The food is nice, the staff are efficient and the wine list is good too. The atmosphere is a little stand-off-ish but overall it is a good local. I do enjoy downstairs where the food is a bit more simple and the atmosphere is fun.

For 3 of us when we went last thursday, it was 270.

Aug 18, 2011 

9.2 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Drinks  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  8     

I would love to say this place is terrible, the food is disappointing and the service abysmal so I can keep this gem to myself, but I can't bring myself to doing it. This place epitomises the Balmain pub scene, great food, local atmosphere and bartenders who know you and remember your drink. The upstairs restaurant is fantastic and the bar food downstairs is also great. It's value for money and there's a really good suggestion.

May 27, 2011 

7 Recommended

Food  9      Drinks  4      Ambience  9      Service  7      Value  6     

This pub not that long ago was a dank, dingy rotting place that was the clubhouse for Balmain's alcoholics. Last year it was subject to a major makeover with comfy leather armchairs, polished floorboards and a restaurant upstairs. I occasionally have a beer there and have had the cheese board upstairs to accompany a cigar in the tasteful smoking area upstairs.

The cheeseboard was excellent and the service upstairs likewise. The range of wines on offer at the bar is fairly limited and indifferently chosen. Good for a beer mid week.

Mar 02, 2011 

7.6 Recommended

Food  8      Drinks  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  6     

Fantastic food and a good selection of wines on offer. Prices charged are a bit on high side, but 2 for 1 pizzas on a Tuesday are great. Noise volumes in the bar can be quiet loud if the bar is busy, probably due to large volumes of wooden fixtures and flooring.

Feb 24, 2011 

5.2 Average

Food  5      Drinks  6      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  2     

I recently went for dinner at the Riverview with my wife for her birthday. It was a Thursday night and our immediate impression of the restaurant was the age profile of the other guests. My wife and I are early/mid 30s and when we looked around we couldn't see anyone under 40, and most were over 50. I'm by no means ageist, and it's possible that on weekend nights the clientele would be different, but we did feel a little "young" which was a rather odd experience at our age.

Our waitress was very friendly and attentive and generally we were pleased with the service. It wasn't outstanding but it was friendly. In terms of drinks, we had a bottle of the Yarra Bank bubbly (on account of it being my wife's birthday) which was very enjoyable. The wine list is extensive but pricey. You won't find a bottle of wine for less than $40 here.

We skipped entrees, but had a tasty pizza bread topped with radiccios, serrano ham and cheese. This was reasonable ($10) and tasty. The entrees looked expensive for what they were (hence we are not going for them).

For mains we had beef rib and trout and separate sides of snow peas and fries. The food was good but not great. The trout was exceedingly small in portion whilst the beef did not appear (or taste) to be a prime cut.

Overall, we had a pleasant meal here but we found it too expensive for the location. For the same money you could eat in a top restaurant with a view. After all, the Riverview should remember that it's just a pub in a side street in Balmain. If staying in Balmain, we'd rather go to the Exchange Hotel where you get a wide selection of good food at a cheaper price.

Jan 16, 2011 

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  7     

Had lunch a couple of weekends ago. Food was very good. The gnocchi very rich and the lamb particularly tasty. The service was odd. Either very attentive or somewhat dismissive. There were a large number of waiting staff although some looked a bit lost. Definitely return, however, would try at night.

Nov 02, 2010 

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

Have been coming to the Riverview for a couple of years now, pre- and post-renovation.

The first occasions were sullied by the appalling attitude coming from one of the bar-men. The first time I had to do a double take to check that I was in a suburban pub and not on the stage at a U2 gig such was the "I am a rock god and you are so beneath me" attitude coming from him.

On our second visit he stood behind the bar looking at me with his mouth gaping open. It was then I realised he must have missed his Service Industry 101 class, the one where one is taught how to engage with customers. The open mouth was his way of saying “welcome, how are you? What would you like to drink?”. Still, I was glad for that gob open look at me, considering that the Grammy awards had been on the night before then it must have been a long slog for him to pick up his awards there and then get back to stand behind the bar in a Sydney suburb.
The choice of beers on tap was pretty limited as well.

We left it a while before coming back, which coincidentally tallied with the non-appearance of bad attitude dude. This time the service was excellent. We stayed for food, which was wonderful. I have been back on numerous occasions now, eating in the bar, and in the restaurant. The restaurant staff are particularly good, happy to suggest wines to match whatever you had ordered which proved to be spot on recommendations. I’ve not had a bad dish here ever.

Whilst it may be expensive as bar food, the food is a level up from the other typical Balmain hostelries. The menu changes to reflect the seasonality of produce available, so don’t expect to see asparagus on the menu in March.

On the 2 most recent visits I had the Berkshire pig and apple pie, which is the Riverview’s offering in the Coopers Pie and Schooner competition. $20 for a pie and a schooner of Coopers. The pie is excellent. For a start it is a proper pie, excellent pastry that fully encases the filling, that is pie, a bowl with a pastry lid on it does not make a proper pie.

The pork is melt in the mouth tender, the mash and peas are what should go with it, and the mustard that goes is of the correct strength. I’ve had the pie twice now. I had an idea it would be good, but not that good. The chap who I went with said of it, “I woke up the next morning and thought I had dreamt of the most amazing pie, and then realised I had actually eaten it”

I came back a second time having been crushed by the Welcome’s truly awful chicken and mozzarella pie (I was unaware it would contain cheese) earlier that day. The Riverview came up with the goods and restored my faith in quality pie making.

Lots of good beers on tap now, a good wine list (a bit light on the NSW wines though) and great food too. Somewhere I’m happy to keep coming back to.

Oct 25, 2010