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River House Restaurant & Raw Bar, Louisville, KY

River House Restaurant & Raw Bar

4.7
4.7
7356 Reviews
$30 and under
Seafood

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 33 times today
  • Great for scenic views
  • Great for outdoor dining
  • Good for special occasions
River House Restaurant and Raw Bar is Louisville’s premiere riverfront dining destination. It is the vision of award-winning chef and restaurateur John Varanese and seats 330 in its main dining room, raw bar, and patio. Guests experience a charming “home like” atmosphere as they enter the restaurant from the front porch garden area. Enter through a 20-foot tall by 40-foot wide water wall, and enjoy intimate decor, and a floor-to-ceiling glass wall overlooking the back courtyard and river, River House is open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner. The menu features regional cuisine with a Southern flair and an emphasis on fresh seafood including Grilled Oysters on the Half Shell, BBQ Braised Beef Short Rib, and the Maker’s Mark Bourbon Barrel Smoked Salmon. Our 15 foot raw bar features assorted raw oysters, king crab, and jumbo shrimp. Reservations are recommended. We look forward to serving you!

Order delivery or takeout

Additional information

  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, Contemporary American, Contemporary Southern
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 11:00 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:00 am–11:00 pm
  • Phone number
    (502) 897-5000
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown Louisville
  • Cross street
    River Rd.
  • Parking details
    Ample parking is available adjacent to the Restaurant. Valet parking also available.
  • Entertainment
    Located adjacent to the River House Restaurant and Raw Bar, Levee at the River House is the perfect spot to share a meal with family and friends and to enjoy some choice River night life. At Levee, the emphasis is on live entertainment with some of Louisville’s most exciting local musicians and singers on an intimate stage.
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Takeout, Wine

What 7,356 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.7
4.7 based on recent ratings
  • 4.7Food
  • 4.7Service
  • 4.7Ambience
  • 4.4Value

NoiseModerate

Loved For

  • Central Kentucky

    Great for outdoor dining

  • Central Kentucky

    Great for scenic views

  • Central Kentucky

    Most Booked

  • Louisville

    Great for outdoor dining

  • Louisville

    Great for scenic views

  • Louisville

    Most Booked

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews
River House Restaurant & Raw Bar offers an "exceptional" dining experience with "impeccable" service and a cozy ambiance. Guests rave about the "best seafood in Louisville" and "fantastic views" of the Ohio River. The restaurant is perfect for special occasions or a memorable meal with its delicious menu and attentive staff.

7,356 Reviews
  1. Colleen

    Louisville

    89 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    89 reviews

    Dined today

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Dinner for 4. Our wait staff were wonderful, especially our primary server, Tyler. If lobster thermidor is on the menu, we recommend it. The grilled romaine salad is delicious. The smoked bourbon cocktail is fun and tasty. The key lime pie was very good, as was the butterscotch budino. Overall a great dining experience and is highly recommended.

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  2. christine

    West Palm Beach

    9 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    9 reviews

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    We had a great server, Kylee, and the food was excellent. Our table was at a window with a picturesque view of the river. We arrived at 4:30 and the restaurant was a bit quiet but, when we left 2 hours later it was bustling inside.

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  3. Robin

    Atlanta Metro

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Loved this dining experience. Best seafood in Louisville. Staff is so friendly and work very well together. Great selection of wines and bourbons.

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  4. Cheryl

    Louisville

    2 reviews

    5.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    River House treats their customers with care and attention. Their food and drink are quality and tasteful. My friend left her phone in the restaurant and they were calling my cell (from the reservation) to let us know - and we had just got to the car in the parking lot. Great service!

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  5. Geeta

    Louisville

    3 reviews

    5.0

    3 reviews

    Dined 4 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 4
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    I had a wonderful time here. We were seated quickly with our reservation. Wait staff were very courteous and knew the menu well. Seafood was delicious. The dress code said smart casual, but seating staff seemed to have a range of clothes from very casual with a flannel unbuttoned untucked shirt to others wearing somewhat professional attire. Oh well, guess I'm old school on stuff like that. It was a great place overall and I will recommend to others.

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  6. Cindy

    Western KY

    2 reviews

    3.0

    2 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 3
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 3
    4. Ambience 5
    I made reservations to celebrate my husband's birthday. The waiter was ok. We were sat next to a table of 6 and it was very loud. I was very underwhelmed with the complimentary dessert that was given to my husband for his birthday. We were never told that he would receive a dessert, but when I asked our waiter, he said yes, it's already boxed up. He boxed it to go, no birthday presentation or anything. I was highly disappointed as we were paying customers and had a hefty bill for two people.

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  7. Cordell

    Louisville

    12 reviews

    vip
    5.0

    12 reviews

    Dined 7 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    Service was excellent, food was delicious and consistent every time I dine at River House.

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  8. Amanda

    Greensboro

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 18, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5
    This was TRULY the best experience at a restaurant that our group has ever had. Our waiter, Daniel, was an absolute star. He was fantastic- attentive but not pushy, kind, excellent at his job, and just all around the best. The food was unbelievable. We had a variety of seafood, steak, and drinks and it was ALL incredible. Kudos to the chef on all fronts. You also can’t beat the views of the Ohio River! Gorgeous ambiance- sit on the deck if you can! All around 5 stars!!

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  9. Jacob

    Louisville

    1 review

    vip
    2.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 18, 2024

    1. Overall 2
    2. Food 2
    3. Service 1
    4. Ambience 2
    We were told by the one server that him and the other server would be taking care of us. It ended up to just be him since they were overwhelmed by the sixteen top that they were trying to serve also. It was strange that she brought our bill when he did most of the work. It felt like they were both focused on the larger table instead of our four top. I come here often and this is worst experience I have never had. My food was cold and I hardly ate it. I felt like we were forgot about.

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  10. OpenTable Diner

    Indiana

    1 review

    5.0

    1 review

    Dined on November 16, 2024

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 4
    4. Ambience 5
    Really enjoyed it, my steak was absolutely perfect. I personally wouldn’t recommend getting the Crab Cakes as I felt $9 was a little extreme for the size and taste of it. Everything else was great. Only reason I gave 4 for service was that it did take longer than I expected but really didn’t take that long so it’s okay. My server was great and super kind.

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FAQs

River House Restaurant & Raw Bar offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (502) 897-5000.

River House Restaurant & Raw Bar is rated 4.7 stars by 7356 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people
7:00 PM
Booked 33 times today

Order delivery or takeout

Google Map for River House Restaurant & Raw Bar

3015 River Rd, Louisville, KY 40207

Additional information

  • Cross street
    River Rd.
  • Neighborhood
    Downtown Louisville
  • Hours of operation
    Mon–Thu, Sun 11:00 am–10:00 pm Fri, Sat 11:00 am–11:00 pm
  • Price
    $30 and under
  • Cuisines
    Seafood, Contemporary American, Contemporary Southern
  • Dining style
    Casual Elegant
  • Dress code
    Smart Casual
  • Parking details
    Ample parking is available adjacent to the Restaurant. Valet parking also available.
  • Payment options
    AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
  • Entertainment
    Located adjacent to the River House Restaurant and Raw Bar, Levee at the River House is the perfect spot to share a meal with family and friends and to enjoy some choice River night life. At Levee, the emphasis is on live entertainment with some of Louisville’s most exciting local musicians and singers on an intimate stage.
  • Additional
    Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Takeout, Wine
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