The Riverside Brasserie

A group of friends met here for a long lunch and a good chat. The food was so good quite often the conversation included comments and sharing / tasting the food – a very good sign. The dishes of particular note were: Pork belly, Beetroot, Rib-eye steak and the Pasta with artichoke. In addition, the chips were as Michael Winner says, fantastic. The wine was delicious, nicely cold and regualrly flowing. We appreciated the discreet and attentive service very much. We met at 12:30 and stayed till nearly 18:00! Most had wine some had a few beers, except for the designated drivers. Everyone agreed we should make it a regular venue as we could not fault the day; excellent lunch and sincere thanks to all the staff.

Bar the location – which is admittedly delightful – there was nothing good to report about my lunch at the Brasserie. I booked in advance (though there was no need – except for the lack and inexperience of the waiting staff perhaps), and can only then describe one disappointment after the other, culminating with a HUGE bill for a limp attempt at a lunch. Food – Bland; service – slow and uninspired; cost – severely overpriced even if the food had been tasty. one starter, two beers, two mains = £85 – ouch! Not surprisingly there's no email address for the Brasserie to enble me to share my feedback with the management (i wonder why!!) and no feedback was requested on our departure, hence i've decided to use this route instead.
My advice: AVOID unless you've got a hole in your pocket (or someone else is paying who you don't like very much!).

I agree with Jayne S’s succinct appraisal of Riverside Brasserie (we also like the same Bray restaurants including Hind’s Head). Most of the time Riverside deliver consistently good quality no-nonsense brasserie style food. We sometimes choose to eat here even on cloudy days when some people cancel, so it’s worth trying for a last minute booking. Inside the décor is a bit stark, but the large windows afford a view from just about every table. If you go with good company and love good grub served in a friendly and relaxed way, then the enjoyment factor outweighs that of lots of other eateries within a 10 mile radius, in particular Caldesi in Campagna.
We ate here tonight for the first time this season and Phil Boardman is on pretty good form again. We have been coming here for years and Heston Blumenthal's departure has made no difference…there are a few new additions to the menu plus the great stalwarts such as the Crisp Belly pork starter with fennel salad & caper berries and Rib-eye with roast bone marrow.

We love the Fat Duck and the Waterside Inn in Bray…this is a totally different experience but an equally special experience in its own way. If you can manage to go on a summers day it really is one of the most special places to be, sat on their terrace watching people messing about in boats. It is good, honest food seved in a functional building (the loos have showers for the people living on their boats and you have to drive through the marina to get there) in one of the best setting there is.