Ria Mar Restaurant & Bar
| Address: | 25 Whitehead Ave A, South River, NJ 08882, USA |
| Phone: | +1 732-257-1100 |
| Site: | ria-mar.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM 11AM–11PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 14
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Cheryl S.
This was literally, the worst restaurant Ive ever eaten in!!!! The food was bland, over cooked and the manager..... condescending and nasty. I asked our waiter to bring over the manager so I could tell him how overly salty the broth in my Mariscada Espanhola was and, how COMPLETELY OVERCOOKED the shellfish was. He totally dismissed it saying, how everybody else that orders this dish loves it. When I told him how over cooked my dining companions fish was and bland, bland, bland, for lack of.....GUESS WHAT....SALT! He said, "ITS FISH...ITS SUPPOSED TO BE BLAND!" Huh???? When I said that the boiled carrots were barely boiled, thus, rock hard and, you guessed it, bland from lack of salt....and, the green beans, overcooked and lacking any salt or seasoning, he said that, "they "NEVER" salt their vegetables! Say what???? The other companion had steak with, guess what! NO salt! Hmmm....WHAT a surprise! Basically, the manager listened, condescendingly to what I had to say then, with this supercilious, patronizing Joker like grin plastered on his face, he proceeded to defend the quality and taste of the food. HELLO.....CHEF SCHOOL 101....TASTE YOUR FOOD FOR SALT AND SEASONING BEFORE SENDING IT OUT!!!!! Our check came close to $100.... and, that was with no alcohol! What a stinking waste of money! And, the cherry on top, a manager that insultingly dismisses what the restaurant patron says without so much as an apology! So arrogant! It doesnt matter how nice the restaurant decor might be, if the food sucks, the food sucks, period! So, keep your decor, give me great food....especially for the high $$$ theyre demanding here..... This "restaurant" is a culinary joke!
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Jessica Medina
I am Portuguese and grew up in Newark with the finest Portuguese food available to me. My parents moved from Newark, have lived nearby and have been patrons to Ria Mar for over 20 years. I moved away and will travel upwards of over an hour travel time just pick up their takeout for my family. We have tasted everything on their menu and have never been disappointed. Ria Mar is absolutely delicious! Our favorites are Shrimp in Garlic Sauce, Mixed Picadinho, Paelha Ria Mar and All of the Seafood is phenomenal! Look out for the daily specials - There are always many enjoyable choices available. Definitely check this place out- It will not disappoint!
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A Private User
This is one of the worst foods we ever ate. We came with friends (4) of us. Men ordered filet mignon and steak, me and the other girl shared fish dish (I think it was called "stuffed flounder") and garlic shrimp to share as appitizer. Two of us couldnt finish that one fish dish, thats how bad it was. Shrimp appitizer was so salty and rubbery that no one wanted to eat it. Filet Mignon was awfull and steak was not good either. We are not picky eaters, but that was just a bad, bad food expirience. Will never go there again.
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A Private User
I hired the Ria Mar to cater my wedding at an outside venue and could not be happier! The spreads for the cocktail and the viennese hours were so incredible that my family still talks about it. The dinner was absolutely delicious and the service was unmatched. My venue had a slight crisis the night of my wedding and the Ria Mar staff (lead by Rui Baptista) handled it with such professionalism and grace. I very highly reccommend the Ria Mar for any occasion, be it just lunch, a shower, or a wedding!
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C Riley
Delicious! doesnt matter what you are ordering its delicious. I have never had a bad thing from this restaurant in the past 20 years Ive lived in the area. & I couldnt even venture to guess how many times Ive eaten from here (just about 80% of local events are catered from here & almost every awards ceremony is held here ) Also this place is just as good for a 1st date as it is for grabbing a bite before going out on a Friday night with the boys.. Be careful the sangria is sneaky.. hahaha
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murray israel
They steak, ordered medium rare came out beyond well done- shoe leather tough. Had to send it back. Ordered a shrimp dish which was bland. Daughter ordered a veal dish which camber out wrong. The waiter must have known by the puzzled look on his face. Back it went. The correct dish was brought out and was pretty good. I had a baccala dish which was mostly salty and not well seasoned. With lots of good Portuguese places around, Id pick one of those.
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FANNY ROSALES-SOSA
Had our reception and ceremony here on 8-12-17. staff here is amazing and have helped us during the whole planning process.. rui and Natalia gave us confidence that everything would turn out amazing. our guest still comment on how perfect everything was... Eso the Sangria!!!!!. thank you guys soooooo much for amazing service. and for making our special day even more amazing ..wish i could give more then 5 stars :)))) .... #sosalovesotry81217 #riamar
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Rosemary Hartman
This restaurant is a local gem. Ive been coming here almost since it opened and I have never been disappointed. The food is delicious. Many choices. Many specials. Full service bar with the best sangria in Middlesex County! They have a dining room but for a more casual experience, the bar has several tables as well and serves the full menu. The staff is very accommodating and friendly and the prices are reasonable. Love it!
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Greg Merideth
First time visit, good atmosphere, excellent Sangria. Appetizers were delicious (grouper bites and garlic shrimp) but the Portuguese steak entree was like shoe leather. Charred on the outside and stone cold in the center. Wives stuffed shrimp was average. Other than the Sangria there was nothing that would make me want to go back anytime soon. Staff was very friendly and saved them from a two star review.
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Vincent Gentile
Ive been eating at Ria Mar for over 25 years - Always great...! Last night we had our Bacchanalia Mens Dinner at Ria Mar, and all I can say is that everything exceeded our expectations. Wonderful back room setting, set price dinner with lots of apps, soup, salad, entree options, dessert, beer/sangria and Rui threw in two after dinner bottles (port) for the table. Out standing night - Great food and service!
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Nick Teñgri
My go-to Portuguese since I was young visiting family where my father first immigrated to America... Still my favourite San gria... huge portions and tasty traditional Portuguese cuisine... can be salty for those not used to this sort of food... friendly service and delicious everytime... I have been going for last 20 years and never have been disappointed...
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JVC
Recently had a mens dinner group at Ria Mar and the food was excellent! Rui the owner shared about the history of this local restaurant and how he carries on his fathers legacy each day. If you want a local Portuguese meal that feels home cooked you cant go wrong with Ria Mar. Take it from me my wife is born in Portugual and grew up in the Ironbound...
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Wendy Yau
You definitely dont expect such a beautiful and atmospheric restaurant from the neighborhood and its outside appearance. Our extremely attentive waiter recommended the mixed Picadinho, which was HUGE and could be an entree itself. We also got the Baked Grouper and Seafood Spanish style. Would highly recommend the baked grouper.
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Virginia Diggs
I dined here when attending a beautiful sweet 16 celebration! The restaurant did an amazing job with the decor, service and presentation of the foods! The service was also top notch despite having so many people to wait on for such a large celebration. Wonderful place if you need to do an event that you want to be memorable!
