River Watch Restaurant & Marina

I appreciate that I got an outdoor view of the bay and that the restaurant offers events from time to time. Food was good so I don’t know what’s the low stars. This is one of off beaten path again. Thanks again to Baltimore Sun.

We go to Riverwatch on a regular basis. Wednesday ½ price burgers are awesome. The chef is Mo and she makes a terrific meatloaf special. The sciracca chicken bites are awesome. Happy hour is great! Waitstaff is friendly. I highly recommend it

(9÷18÷2015) We were taking a maiden voyage on the Middle River, cruised by River Watch, were not brave enough to try to dock without knowing where parking is (at the T-​slips if you would like to know). Ended up driving over so we could do some recon. I love the idea of a boat up restaurant. It seems like pretty much most people who were dining there had pulled up in a boat. That’s really the best part about the place that I can tell. The sandy «beach» looks like a fun place to hang on a summer day. There is a rather large bar, live music is advertised and plenty of Corona sponsored items. I get the feeling the Nite Club is the bigger draw.
We were there for lunch. Started with the Maryland Style Crab Dip, it was piping hot, sufficient lumpy, well-​seasoned, very thick and creamy (cream cheese based dip) with a layer of medium cheddar garnished with fresh scallions; very good specimen. Unfortunately came with an overabundance of microwaved frozen soft pretzels chopped into bite-​size lengths, probably would’ve preferred just some bread or even a decent cracker. The Eastern Shore app was very nicely done, fried green tomatoes were panko-​crusted, crisp and tangy, went well with the mustard cream sauce (tart and creamy), there were some visible lumps.
Entrees were less appealing. A River Watch Burger was ordered medium, but came rare. The Crab Cake Sandwich was large enough, but pasteurized «special» meat, no lumps or backfin even (looked shredded), and likely not from Maryland (had that salty, fishy odor and flavor). The brioche buns were nice, soft and fluffy. The Seafood Club Wrap had the aforementioned crab cake and shrimp salad. Should’ve just gotten the Shrimp Salad by itself, it was nicely done, medium sized shrimp, around U40, seasoned with Old Bay and mayo and nice crunch from diced celery. The whole wrap was lightly griddled for no apparent reason and was kind of half-​assed about it, came to the table wan and with a sheen of oil that made it kind of tacky to the touch.
Overall, prices were OK, probably you’re paying for real estate and the privilege of tying up at the marina. Looking forward to the next boating trip for sure.

Food is not good. Party of 8. Those who got burgers thought they were decent. Seafood awful. Soup tastes from a can. Anything supposed to have crab and its is almost undetectable.
Nice place to get drinks on the water but plan to eat somewhere else

Nope. Sorry. Call Gordon Ramsey ASAP! The only reason I’m giving this place 2 stars is because the service is very friendly and attentive. The food is not very good. Here with a group and NOBODY liked their food. The seafood is a joke. Crab fajitas were gross. Soggy. The crab dip app was gross. The chicken wings were just slaughtered with old bay. I was recommended the blackened chicken over pasta. Why was this dish oily? There’s no sausage in it. Swimming in some greasy sauce. Way Overcooked pasta; overcooked chicken. Awful. I only ordered it because when I asked if the oyster dinner was made fresh. The answer was, «there’s no oysters on the half shell» and a smile. I appreciate the honesty. Hate being this close to the water without good fish on the menu. My house salad had very old looking carrots & mushrooms. My side of beans were cooked more than what you would do for a 2 year old. No draft beer.
What a shame.

Not a great experience. I had a Groupon for this place. The food was mediocre. Not horrible or anything, just not memorable at all. The weird part of the experience is that my boyfriend and I were stared at by staff and other patrons. Seems like a joint for «regulars». We didn’t feel welcomed at all. Why use Groupon to advertise if you aren’t attempting to attract and RETAIN new customers.

visited a couple weeks ago (sorry for not posting sooner). Food super! Service outstanding! Affordability yes! waitress was very knowledgeable, owner stopped at our table to ask how everything was going. Mussels appetizer, oysters and stuffed shrimp for entrees. fresh bread. only reson I do not give it a 5 star is because we were seated next to the sliding doors leading to the deck and it was a little chilly. if we asked I am sure they would have given us a different table. We will be back.

Cold food when it was finally served. They forgot to make our appetizers, no rolls and crackers were grudgingly provided. Vic the waiter was ok but all in all a disappointing meal out.
Plenty of parking at the door. Big bar area, located on the water in Essex? Middle River?

I’ve only been here twice but both times I really enjoyed myself. I believe one of the lady bartenders name was Nikki and she was super cool. The rest if the staff was awesome as well. Nice food, nice atmosphere and a wonderful sunset. I had my 1^st ever vodka bomb here lol I’ve had at least 30 since then. I will return to hear more live music and enjoy a juicy burger.

Very disappointed with the food, service and drinks! I don’t recommend coming here to eat. I heard the crazy tuna is very good. It’s right next door.

Excellent view, food is just ok, great bands, and the last three times I’ve eaten here, the service was awful.

River Watch is a pleasant place to sit by the water and have a drink. The wait staff was pleasant as well. The food, however was a big disappointment. I ordered the crabcake dinner, and the crabcake was mushy and bland. The sides included vegetable of the day, which were either overcooked or canned green beans and carrots. Really bad. It did come with red skin mashed potatoes, which were pretty good. My date ordered the fish tacos. While ok, she reported that they were nothing special, and didnt compare with the salmon tacos we had the night before from a different restaurant. It is too bad the food isn’t better. Guess I should have been suspect when on a Saturday night there were plenty of open tables.

River Watch has not only a beautiful view but also wonderful food! I had the crab cake and it was perfectly broiled and the veggies (squash and zucchini) were a delightful taste of summer!
The service was great and very friendly (we had Heather) and she educated us on a pink gun that included pink bullets! Which I honesty thoroughly enjoyed! :)
For great food and lovely, relaxing night by the water, I highly suggest River Watch.
PS they had live music at 9 but since we had to head out in the morning for a 10 your drive, we weren’t able to enjoy!

Nice place for a quick outdoor lunch with a River view. Definitely an Ocean City beach vibe to this place even though it’s tucked away in Essex, MD. Service is fast and friendly. I’ve been coming here for the Cream of Crab soup for years. It pairs nicely with the crab cake which is choc full of juicy delicious crab and not much filler. Wash it down with an ice tea or beer and you’ve got yourself an afternoon. Booyah!

Great location on the water, with a beautiful outdoor deck /​porch bar. That’s where it ends. No draft beer, only bottles. The food was mediocre at best.
I will say the crab tortilla was yummy… but the menu said it came with a spicey roumalade sauce, but in actuality it was an aolie that was more mayo than anything else.
Here I am in Maryland at a dockside restaurant and bar so I think crab cakes. So I ordered the crab cake, shrimp, and scallops platter. The crab cake was only okay and if this was Tennessee, I would have said good. But come on this is Maryland, the home of the crab cake. It was fishy. My scallops were not cooked in a hot enough pan as there was minimal carmelization. And while the shrimp were tastie, they were rubbery as well since they were overcooked.
One of our friends had a fried fish sandwich that she said was good. And our other friend a burger the looked like it was trying to escape from the bun. So the food is hit or miss. That just won’t do at a dockside restaurant and bar where the seafood should be impeccable.

Went to see a friend’s band. Had no idea what kind of place this was. The staff was nice and seated us in the dining room so we could still see the band. Our server was very attentive and pleasant. We ordered crab soup and two appetizers. The soup was really good. Fresh chopped veggies, no frozen mixed veggies in this soup! Very flavorful nice broth base and lots of crab. Jerk chicken was breast pieces. Nice flavor but not very spicy. Pineapple salsa was fresh tasting and dipping sauce added a nice flavor but it was a bit runny. Old Bay wings were really good but so salty! Prices were fair, only disappointment was no beer on tap. Everything is bottled.

River Watch is kind of an odd man out when it comes to area dock bars. It’s a nice place, they do have an outdoor patio, it is on the water, they do have slips for people arriving by boats, and they do have live music on a regular basis. But…
They operate more like a club, (they even call themselves a «night club» on their website), more so than a dock bar because they keep most of their live music performances inside except their Sunday afternoon outdoor dock parties. Odds are this is because they’re VERY close to residential homes and this is the deal they’ve probably had to strike with the neighboring community to keep themselves from having to fight continual battles over noise ordinances.
But along with keeping their music inside 6 nights a week, River Watch also seems to be overly preoccupied with dress codes, which are unheard of at most dock bars. (Uniform of the day at any dock bar is usually shorts & tank tops for guys and shorts & bikini tops for women).
River Watch also describe themselves as a «Luxury Dining Experience…» Ummm, it’s still just a dock bar… And they have about the same middle of the road menu as most dock bars offer. But then again, I guess when you serve two of your entrees over «risotto», that qualifies as «fine dining» in the far reaches of Middle River.
All that said, River Watch is a nice dock bar with nice water views out on the deck. You can grab a bite to eat and a cold beer or two or three or four. But if you want the true Dock Bar party experience at River Watch, Sunday is the only day to go !

I don’t Unilocal much mostly because I am easy to please, but I do take the opportunity to review when I have a really great or really bad experience. This review is based on four visits, not just one «off night» experience; here is what I learned and feel the rare need to share.
The live entertainment inside is a decent enough venue and fun if you are looking for a «low rent» night club experience.
As a boater I go to a great many marina bar/​restaurants and while the outside deck atmosphere is nice the music was way too loud for conversation around the bar and overall enjoyment of the waterfront dining
The waitstaff is friendly to regulars but if you are an unfamiliar face you are basically a bump on a log.
Quite honestly I was okay with all of the above since I don’t have high expectations of marina bars but felt compelled to write because of my eating experience. After four visits and ordering four different entrees and appetizers I can tell you that they should basically scratch the RESTAURANT out of the description. The food here is just awful, and again, no high expectations from a marina but this is the worst I have had. If you happen to get their food on a happy hour (half off) special that will ease the pain that the taste leaves, but if you don’t you will feel like the brunt of somebodies bad joke; paying full price (which is higher than most marinas) for such poor quality.
To be as fair as possible, I would categorize this location as «serviceable» i.e. if there are no other closer waterfront options and you feel like you have to get out I would go here.
I also want to add that I have met the brother and sister owners and they are really great people, I just wish they would take a harder look at their product rather than their profits.

Despite feeling luke warm about River Watch due to iffy service being the norm, my family and I frequent it pretty regularly. It’s one of the best places in Baltimore to grab a drink, sit outside, and listen to decent live music on the weekends. The view is spectacular and they attract some of the best local bands.
The food here won’t blow your socks off but it’s decent. Favorite appetizers include the fried green tomato salad, jerk chicken with pineapple salsa, and the crab tortilla (tell them to go easy on the cheese, though). The shrimp salad portion is more than generous but could use more flavor. Good thing they have Old Bay right on the table. :)
I was here on Sunday for Father’s Day and had the best service I’ve ever had at that restaurant. It was so good that my waitress, Marissa, deserves a shoutout. Hire more people like her and I bet this place would jump to 4 stars in no time.

This is an easy 4-​star.
Great looking place
Delicious Food
Appropriate Prices
Entertainment on certain nights
Beautiful People working there
Right on the water
Nightly Food specials with aggressive pricing
I took a date there late on a weeknight. It was quiet and romantic and other people had the same idea. A solid recommend for dates.