05/16/09

Incredible Pleasant Surprise

by jwrites4u

I am a very young 83 years old who has spent most of my life in a sophisticated industry (Entertainment). I say this only for the purpose of letting you know that I have been everywhere and have done everything.

This afterrnoon, my granddaughter (very sophisticated 26 year old who has a Masters Degree in Public Administration and whom most guys would consider to be "hot") and I went to lunch. When I asked her where she wanted to go, she told me about a small place (Riverside Cafe in Burbank) she had heard about but had not yet been to. I immediateky checked it out on the Internet, and read all the reviews. I couldn't believe how they could fluctuate from "excellent" to "horrible". That was all I needed. That made it a challenge. I had to go to this place and find out for myself. So we went.

Admittedly the Riverside Cafe doesn't look like much from the outside. It's a ramshackle tiny shack on a tiny lot with a tiny yard for parking. I can see why most people would be immediately turned off. But once we stepped in and selected a small table on the patio, the entire world changed. It became CHARMING!

I couldn't help but be surprised at the diversity and quantity of the menu offerings. One thing I noticed in almost every review. Whether you loved the restaurant for whatever reason, or hated it for whatever reason, everybody raved about the French Onion Soup. So that was a must. We both ended up by mimicking each other's order. (French onion soup and a half sandwich of your choice of meat.)

What can I say about the French Onion Soup that will persuade you to accept my word that, by far, it's the finest French Onion Soup I have ever tasted. And throughout my life I have had literally hundreds if not thousands of French Onion Soups made by hundreds of different chefs. This was glorious! A full bowl, piping hot, thick, loaded with both onions and cheeze, and the flavor was superlative!. I can't see how anybody could possibly improve on it. Usually, when I order soup to start a meal, I end up having half of it, then push my plate away. I couldn't do it with this. I had to have all of it ....to the very last drop. And I had all of it....to the very last drop. I can understand why almost every review raves about the French Onion Soup, because it's well worth raving about.

We both ordered a half sandwich of roast turkey. It was so high that I wasn't certain I could open my mouth wide enough to take a bite out of it. It was all white meat and perfectly done with lettuce and all the other fillers that go into first class sandwiches. And the wheat bread couldn't have been more fresh.

Sitting on that patio was so charming that neither of us wanted to leave. We just went from discussion to enjoying the ambience. Despite the fact that both my granddaughter and I are on diets, we decided to share a dessert. Our choice was the Boston Cream pie. What does one say after "Perfect?"

Some reviewers have said that the food here isn't worth the price. I'm hardly wealthy but I couldn't disagree more. Everything we ate was delicious and in my opinion, well worth the price.

Our waitress couldn't have been more pleasant. Her attitude of warmth coupled with her smile made us feel as if we had been there many times before, and were being welcomed back.

If ambience and luxurious backgrounds are your thing, This restaurant won't win any blue ribbons. But if you want magnificent food, wondefrfully served and the feeling that you're among family, ther'e's no way you can go wrong by trying the Riverside Cafe. I know that I will be back, and I'm certain that my granddaughter will also.

• Pros: Food and Service
• Cons: No Inside Ambience

05/02/09

Too much hype -- NO substance!!!

by vickycristina

This place is supposed to be a gem in the neighborhood. Ouch!! What a total bad experience. The food was totally forgettable -- those roast lambs were cut terribly (can I say butchered) and more importantly had no flavor at all -- and at $17.99!!!! They can not even give you a small plate for the stale bread, my party of four ended up eating on the napkin. Guys, save your money and go somewhere else!! Full of hype and smoke -- and no substance.

• Pros: Nothing
• Cons: Expensive for such a lousy food

02/04/09

Perfection!

by Kaitlyn21

This place is amazing! Everything that i have ordered is so good so it makes it hard to order something different because what i had the time before was so good! There's a parking lot or street parking so very convenient! The service there is absolutely astounding, the busboy has my drink for me before i have even sat down (call me predictable i guess) and the waitresses there are very friendly, one of them is the owner and the other one is her daughter! its very sweet! It's really nice to sit outside and watch the horses go by, my favorite thing to do though is sit in the cozy inside on a rainy day with all the other seems to be regulars and have a nice bowl of french onion soup! mmm that's what i call perfection:)

• Pros: EVERYTHING
• Cons: so many choices!

07/18/08

Favorite place for Sunday Lunch

by zelle853

Riverside Cafe is a tiny place in Burbank with great food! I have been visiting it for almost every Sunday for the past 3 years. The food is great. I recomend the egg salad sandwich or the eggs benedict. I have become a regular and have made friends with most of the other patrons. Its a great place to bring your dog read the paper and have a great relaxing lunch or breakfast. I've been there for dinner and the food is just as good.

• Pros: Fun friendly staff, relaxing, great to watch local horses go by, great food, good place to meet locals
• Cons: closed mondays

07/18/08

Too Expensive!!

by MellyBell

The best thing I can say about this place is the Busboy & the French Onion Soup. He is always quick to refill your drink, although he is a bit hyper, running around franticly. The prices are way too high and they will not let you substitute anything on the menu. Once I wasn't sure if I would like the kind of soup they had, and I asked if I could have a tatse of it before I ordered it. Nope! They had some lame reason why. It was just a cream soup so there wasn't anything special they had to do!! The prices are too high for me to order a $6 cup of soup and find that I don't like it. Now, their French Onion Soup is out of this world! It is the best I have ever tasted. The place is small and seems on the dirty side. I would always sit outside because the inside is tiny and the kitchen is right there. The parking is really bad! The restaurant is in a residential area so you have to park on the street in front of someones house. All in all, this place is too pricey for what it is. As much as I like the soup, that is really expensive too!

• Pros: Busboy & Soup
• Cons: Prices and Attitude

02/14/08

HATED IT!!!!!!

by MatildaMillan

I wish I could give negative stars!!!! Don't let looks fool you. It may be cute on the outside, but the inside is horrible. Do NOT eat here, especially for lunch!!! The service was super slow. The two ladies stopped their conversation in the kitchen, looked at us and then continued on. We stared at them for at least 5 minutes before ordering. Let's just say this place is NOT cheap!!! It was $11.75 for a french onion soup and small Caesar salad. My boyfriend got the lentil soup and 1/2 a salami sandwich. We waited 20 MINUTES for our food, for 2 soups, a salad and 1/2 a sandwich!!!! Are you kidding me!?!?! While we were waiting, the waitress made herself a salad and a coffee and sat down at the table facing us and ate her lunch. When the food came, the waitress asked if we wanted bread with the soups which we said yes. My Caesar was made with chopped iceberg lettuce which was turning brown already and was quite mushy. The 1/2 salami sandwich had hard stale bread and 3 measly pieces of store bought meat. Finally, we had had enough and asked for the check. She brought the bread with the check. 2 soups, a small salad and 1/2 a sandwich with tip came to $23. Gordon Ramsey needs to clean this place out!!!!

• Pros: Nothing
• Cons: Everything!!!!!

08/01/07

Love this place!

by njrfilms

Great food, awesome service and you can bring your own wine (No corkage!) My girlfriend and I had an awesome meal there last night. Sat out on the deck and had a nice slow relaxing dinner. The server told us the cook was slow ahead of time so we just relaxed with a bottle of wine. It was perfect. Will be returning soon

• Pros: Great food, great price, great service, free corkage

Editorial Review

by Contributor

Neighborhood bistro also popular with weekday studio folk serves French and Californian fare, with an emphasis on lamb.

02/05/07

Great Simple Food, Fabulous Service

by bendejo

My friends and I eat at this charming (if somewhat dilapidated!) little gem of a restaurant at least once a month and we all agree the food rocks. And to respond to one of the other reviews I just read below, so does the service - even the newer young waitress who has joined the team within the past year is great although she's not as polished as co-owner Paula. Before we even sit down, they've bounded out the door to our table with the Diet Coke we always drink ready in hand and our glasses are NEVER empty for the duration of our stay. And we always have had great service like that from everyone at the place. The breakfast food is wonderful and some of their homemade sausages are really good. Lunch selections are good although I'd skip the salad nicoise. The only two drawbacks to this restaurant are the decor (think Home Depot craft tables and Von's plastic lawn chairs) and the fact that they will NOT substitute anything on their menu (although you can add things, inexplicably). Hate rye bread? You're out of luck on the patty melt, then. This is probably a rule designed to keep their small kitchen organized, but it is completely at odds with the otherwise totally personalized service you get from the staff. It's not a dealbreaker, though. We go back week after week and are never disappointed by the taste or the value. And you can watch horses walk by while you sit outside.

• Pros: Service, value, and great simple food.
• Cons: Dumpy decor.

11/17/06

darn good food

by bootsytown

My friend makes me come here all the time. I oblige... We always have to order the artichoke appetizer with the garlic mayo, and the goat cheese and tomato appetizer with vinaigrette, they are both terrific. Kind of wish you didn't have to eat on plastic tables and chairs, oh well.