River's End

We have been to the River’s End on 3 prior occasions. Previously we had great service and gave the food 5 stars ( although we thought it was a bit pricey - but worth it for the view). We went this week for the crab dinner pris fix menu. All the Courses were exception and the ravioli with butte blanc sauce everyone’s favorite. Until we got to the entree. The entire table ordered the filet. What we got was a 1/3 of a filet at best. It looked like they sliced a single filet into three wafer thin pieces. Probably were each 1-1.5 ounces. Then it was topped with a huckleberry sauce that tastes like preserves on the meat :(.
The meat itself had no flavor and was over taken by the jelly stuff on top. We were disappointed that for $85/ person ( plus an extra $50 if you got the wine pairing ) we should of gotten and actual filet for the entree. Not a one ounce sample piece with jelly preserves on it ! The meal was great till this point. It also took the waiter 15 min to come to our table. Other guests who came in after us had their drinks and appetizer before we saw the waiter. Our waiter seemed rather inexperienced for the level of the restaurant.

I discovered River's End four years ago on a bicycle ride--we had lunch and I have been a fan ever since. This particular instance was augmented by perfect weather and great company. Most places with a tremendous water-front view on the North Pacific coast have expensive and remarkably bad food since the view draws the crowd. This place is a notable exception with a great chef, good local changes based on season, and outstanding service. Lunch and dinner are both excellent choices. You cannot go wrong.

We brought out-of-state family for lunch. The Dungeness crab prix fixe meal was too much food so we were disappointed there were no other crab options except the seafood salad. Two of us enjoyed the salad and the 2 tablespoons of crab were yummy. The cream of mushroom soup was superb! Probably the best I’ve ever had. We shared a couple of desserts; both were fabulous. The raspberry/lemon sorbet and the chocolate/cardamon ice cream. It’s a lovely place and our view of the Pacific was priceless.

We have been to River's End two to three times previously & loved it. This time the service was slow, the menu seemed less varied and the attention less. Were somewhat disappointed. The food was still great.

Worth the drive for the Elk. We had really great service!

We have been coming here for years.Great food ,service and what a view!

great seasonal menu mushroom soup to die for and view you will not forget

Excellent food great service nice place we stop here on our way to sea ranch every time.

River’s End has always delivered-good food, good service, good value and great scenery.

It was a “Smokey” day at your restaurant thus, no sunset view. The food was good, but, not great. We all enjoyed our meal—-however, would we return, probably not. Nothing to brag about.

River’s End was an amazing dining experience! Drinks and food were so gorgeous and tasty!

Arguably the best restaurant on the North Coast. Simply superb — for food, service and ambiance. Spectacular views.

Beautiful sunset viewing, delicious food, great service

Wonderful food, drinks views and creative culinary delights .A unique California cuisine style restaurant overlooking the beautiful Russian River estuary and pacific Ocean , We enjoyed fantastic clear views . Mr Young was a knowledgable helpful waiter .

As always, great food and service. Incredible view. Petrale sole, fish and chips, tuna credo, wild mushroom soup..all wonderful. Great creative fresh cocktails.

Loved this place! We did the tasting menu and it was delicious. It's hard to find great food in the area and this place (while pricey) exceeded expectations. Great wine list and cocktail drinks too.

Outstanding view from our window. The oysters were very fresh and local, also excellent tasting.

The location is stunning! Our Fish and Chips and clams were perfect!

What was most memorable were the staff. Server and host were super nice and friendly. Food was very good and fairly priced. Tasting menu w wine pairing is the way to go here.

Being from NH, we decided to spend an afternoon of our vacation at the coast..hoping to see a good Pacific sunset. Jenner and River’s End Restaurant had been recommended. We were not disappointed. To see where the Russian River meets the sea was amazing...the less than hour drive gave us so much perspective as to how the river runs from wine country. Then to have an amazing meal and sunset at River’s End Restaurant was perfect! Service from the hostess, bartender and our waiter(s) was exceptional. So totally worth our effort. We’ll go back with each visit from now on!!

Our group of 4 ordered 4 separate items off the menu, fish,steak, and pasta. All were excellent. Service was very attentive, the view of the Pacific spectacular.

Some of the most beautiful sunsets over the Pacific Ocean

My girlfriend and I had dinner here and really enjoyed it. The service, food, wine were all excellent. Unfortunately, we were there after dark so we missed the amazing view right at the cliff's edge, but walking along the back porch edge along the cliff was still nice while we waited a few minutes for our table. We both had the Autumn 2018 tasting menu, which was good, but next time would order a la carte most likely. Tasting menu $74 ($44 extra for what looked like an excellent wine pairing).
Amuse Bouche had granita, Radish, blood orange and grapefruit. It definitely stimulated all aspects of the palette but not something we really enjoyed tasting! Browned butter butternut squash was unusual, although soaked in way too much butter for my taste (although that was the idea). See photos round slices of butternut squash around a large single ravioli that was delicious. Fresh pasta and tasty filling.
Pear gorgonzola salad had very tasty fresh figs, greens were nice, but wine reduction dressing but was a bit heavy and the melted Gorgonzola cheese drizzled on top was far to rich and didn't fit well with the delicate greens.
Choice of black cod or liberty farms duck breast for entrees. Cod was a bit fishy tasting, lacked typical expected silky texture and sauce didn’t bring out flavors ideally, overpowering the fish. The bok choy was chopped partially up rather than served whole. Duck was excellent with wonderfully flavorful pumpkin seed mole sauce but only had three small pieces. The Apple galette (apple Crostata Spice baked apples and golden raisins folded into cheddar pastry served with house made caramel salted ice cream) dessert was delicious and my highlight. Felt portions were small for the price that was $100 apiece with tax and tip and without liquor. Very friendly and attentive service and wait staff. Considering remoteness of restaurant food is excellent, but food is much better at Terrapin Creek Inn, 25’ south in Bodega Bay (if you can get in).

Come for the view, but enjoy the food and beverage while you're there. The food was fine, though not outstanding, but the service was terrific. And the view is to die for!

Although our neighbors exclaimed over the heirloom tomato salad, we thought it was just "fine". The whole thing was served warm, which was a surprise, but the tomatoes had very little flavor. The tuna poke was also not what we were expecting - citrus mixed in, a huge amount of fragrant ginger on the side which overwhelmed the scent of the other food and had to be removed, and very little flavor, again. The lamb burger was terrific with its chimmichuri and goat cheese and the duck confit sandwich was equally yummy. Both came with fries and a housemade tomato ketchup, which was sweet enough to be compared to apple sauce. Unusual and very interesting, though we don't tend to like ketchup. We chose not to do dessert.

We had flutes of the two sparkling wines, both of which suited our different palates. One from Breathless was sweeter with hints of strawberry, as the server referenced, and the other a dry classic from Iron Horse. We enjoyed both and felt they complimented the food very well.

The service was fantastic and up to the highest standards. The servers were all classical fine-dining attendants: warm, pleasant, very professional, and attentive without being smarmy.

The other patrons were on the older side and quite happy to talk to us after the food was removed. It was a nice surprise from other colder establishments and reminiscent of the way San Francisco (100 miles to the south) used to be.

I would recommend this if you're in the mood for a drive from SF and want a beautiful spot to eat a nice meal.

We love to come to River’s End for special celebrations. Incredible food and service. Can’t beat the beautiful sunset!

Celebrating our 41 Anniversary. We were very pleased. The service was spectacular, food was excellent. However the pristine view of the sunset from our window seat was absolutely phenomenal!!! Enjoyable evening spent. Thanks!

A must stop for a trip to wine country visitors! Beautiful views on the deck and delicious food and wine!!
The staff is also very friendly and knowledgeable.

Such a lovely, delicious special place! The abundant pelicans and whales provided delightful entertainment to boot.

This was the second time we have been and loved the food just as much this time around. The wait staff are very professional yet friendly. We all three had something different - from fish to meat and it was all done just as we had hoped for. A lovely place with lovely scenery. The one issue I have is not enough parking to accommodate everyone who eats there.

Another superb experience at one of our favorite restuarants. We compete with each other to see who can most eloquently praise the food. This time I tried the Vegetarian Napoleon and was amazed at the variety of flavors and textures. It was delicious! My companions raved about their dishes and the desserts. The energetic, cheerful, well informed, gracious Kerri enhanced the meal.

We’ve been to Rivers End 5 times in the past 2 years. Have been disappointed with the food 4 of the last five. Have paid $40+ for a filet that was tasteless, $54 for Elk that was over cooked and flavorless, just had salmon that was watery and possibly frozen, etc. The place is perfect for picking up a glass of wine or cocktail and then hanging out on the nice deck to watch the sunset but don’t spend your money on a meal there.

The view is spectacular
the place is table clothed quiet not too big
and it is in a wonderful spot just driving out of Jenner on Highway 1

Amazing meal with beautiful sunset! We enjoyed dinner as part of our week long celebration of our tenth anniversary. Our meal was exquisite - we shared a couple of dishes so that we could enjoy a number of tastes. The salmon crisp appetizer was fresh and flavorful and plenty for two. The stacked beet salad - pictured on a number of reviews - did not disappoint this beet fan! And the elk entree... recommended by our server and many online, and it was amazing! So delicious and I would definitely order each of our choices again. Time your dinner for sunset - the view is front row to the Pacific.

Outstanding service, amazing view, and wonderful food options. We're regulars and will continue going forever....

We have never been disappointed with our visits to River’s End

Exquisite views, amazing service and spectacular food. My third time there this place is consistent and definitely a keeper.

Another excellent meal for us both--with superb service.

If you have any doubts as to what you should order, ask your server. You might find out he’s also a line cook! In that case-go for it!

Salads overdressed. Chowder remarkably good. Seasonal salmon salad very good. Very accommodating about dietary restrictions. Great views.

Had a great honeymoon dinner celebration. Server recommended the in season Salmon that was delicious.