The Tavern at River Falls

River Falls Tavern is a recently acquired RW Group restaurant that serves an American fare. The GM greeted us as we entered and left the restaurant. I liked how the restaurant was decorated with framed photographs of Great Falls Park. The restaurant had a warm feel to it with the wood furniture (tables and chairs) and alternating cream and lime green walls.
I’m glad I got the chance to try River Falls Tavern during MoCo Restaurant Week. Two of us ordered the three course meal for $ 36 while one guest ordered an entrée off the menu. For starters, I ordered the Ale Steamed Blue Mussels which came with ½ lb of small to medium sized mussels cooked in a garlic, white wine, butter, pale beer, and herbs (e.g., parsley and basil). I liked how it was served with three pieces of thin and crispy toast, which was best enjoyed by dipping into the mussel broth. For the main course, I ordered the Grilled Bronzino, which was served with romesco sauce on the side, roasted squash and toasted hazelnuts and haricot vert. I liked the chargrilled flavor of the bronzino and sweet and savory vegetable pairings. The roasted winter squash and toasted hazelnuts was cooked with cinnamon and maple syrup while the haricot vert was sauteed with minced garlic. For dessert, I ordered a Grand Marnier Chocolate Mousse that was topped chantilly cream and chocolate pearls. It was probably the most sinful dessert I’ve ever had.
In addition to what I ordered, I had the chance to try the other guests entrees and dessert. I liked the flavor and texture of the Pan Seared Norwegian Salmon, which was served with Roasted Fall Onions in Cider Sage. However, we felt that the horseradish in the pearled barley and carrots had too much of a kick to it. I also enjoyed the Boneless Beef Short Rib, which was served with cheddar and garlic polenta, charter onions in citrus gremolata topped with crème fraîche. I liked the hickory bbq flavor /​sauce but it was too spicy for the guest. If you want a dessert with less chocolate, I’d recommend the Toffee Chocolate Chip Crunch, which had the texture of a chocolate chip scone and served with toffee ice cream and crème anglaise. However, we don’t recommend the coffee because of its strength. It reminded us of espresso.

I had never been here before some co-​workers took here, and probably would have never found it. Its very much tucked in back of the shopping center set back from the sidewalk. It was completely empty for lunch on a weekday, which didn’t look like a good sign, and during the course of lunch hardly anyone came in. Maybe its more crowded for dinner? Either way the servers were very friendly and attentive throughout. As for the food, I tried the turkey Reuben sandwich. I’ve had a lot of Reuben’s through the years, and this one was very much average– not enough seasoning on the meat, not enough kick to the dressing, not enough flavor in the bread. The fries were pretty average as well, with very little seasoning. It wasn’t a bad meal, but wasn’t anything special either– A-​OK is definetly the appriotae rating.

While it took the new ownership quite some time to change the menus all I can say is it was worth the wait! The new burgers are amazing (had the Elk Burger wrapped in collard greens) as well as the new crawfish and crab soup! Had the duck benedict dish for brunch and it was very tasty.

Well all things change and the new ownership of the River Falls Tavern has brought new menu and prices. Gone are the quirky entrees and perfect presentation replaced with the ordinary and down right unappetizing. Each starter (onion rings and dry rub wings) were over cooked and not worthy of the price or our time. The past dry rub wings were delicate, flavorful and satisfying. These were overlooked and over spiced with heavy, bitter dry rub as if poured right from the can. The crab cakes were tasty although have lost their prior place on the plate replaced by the Nexgen cakes, smaller although well prepared. Potomac has always suffered not having good fine dinning choices. The «new» RFT (River Falls Tavern) is a shadow of its prior management and menu. Finally I encourage all to come, try and encourage them to bring great food to Potomac. We want it and I am sure we will someday find it again.

Went for dinner, they said they just changed their menu. The food was decent but the menu did not correctly describe what the dishes were. We ordered «french onion cheese fondue», expecting melted cheese with skewers and grilled bread for dipping. What we got was a small cast iron dish of caramelized onions topped with a layer of melted cheese. Not quite fondue! The service was good, though we noticed the bus boy handling our forks by the tines instead of the handles. Overall a very average experience.
— Vbites

Visited about 6 times and consistently outstanding food, prepared with care, attention and dedication. Has become a favorite place.

Nathalie K must be friends or family. Period. End of story. If u want real review. Too much $. For what is offered. PTown Dads. Steer wives away.

$ 12 dollar salad plus $ 15 extra for it to be topped with tuna… Equals a $ 27 dollar salad… Not impressed.
The other meat toppings for salad were chicken for $ 8, steak for $ 10, etc. that is an insane up charge for meat on a salad. Three of us had an average lunch for $ 60+tip=$ 70.

Let me start by saying that my first experience here was quite good… crab cake sandwich was on par. Fries delicious, cake crispy and firm, light and fluffy, and mostly crab.
Now lets talk about my latest experience… HORRIBLE. DIGUSTING. APPALLING. JUST BAD.
We went expecting some pretty banging’ crab cakes after our first experience with them, only a matter of weeks apart. We cheerily entered the outdoor patio and knew exactly what we wanted: two cokes, a split caesar, and two crab cake sandwiches. The Caesar first of all was not split, as we had asked. Instead, they charged us 2 extra dollars to have two side caesars, instead of one split. We didn’t even se our waitress until after our appetizers arrived. We were forced to summon another employee. Next came the crab cakes. What to say, what to say? One word comes to mind: MUSH. COMPLETE MUSH. We bit in to our cakes, hungry and awaiting our first bite, only to bite into a soggy mess. They probably needed to cook it a bit longer so it could firm up and absorb the excess liquid that was spilling out of our buns. Even the lettuce was a little wilted. We didn’t finish it because it was so gross, just asked for the check.
The incompetence that followed was appalling. We let the waitress know that not only had we tasted a far more delicious crab cake there before, but that this particular serving was greatly lacking. A few minutes later, as we waited for the check, what must have been the manager came out and asked about our meal. We explained our disappointment and high expectations based on our first crab cake experience there, and were promptly told she would inform the chef. As she placed the bill on the table and left, we were horrified to find she hadn’t even comped one crab cake, or at the very least deducted a percentage off the bill. Not even an offer of free dessert! I’m not the type of person who won’t pay for a meal, but considering how lousy it was, that was they could have done. Its safe to say this experience left me largely annoyed, especially because we had had such a good experience prior. Crab cakes are ridiculously expensive as it is, so to pay for two bad ones is a slap in the face. Learn a lesson River Falls, if you want your customers to return, try making them satisfied! I will never go back to this restaurant again. Bad food, mediocre service, and overpriced menu. We barely saw our waitress, and for the meager amount of meat we got in our crab cake, not to mention the lack of flavor, the price was pushing it.
My advice is do not come here if you want good food and good service. Will not be wasting my time or my money again.

My friends and I were short on time so we asked the waiter what entrée is the fastest to make, so he suggested the burger. It was a great suggestion because I had one of the best burger and fries I’ve ever had. We also ordered the roasted Brussel sprouts as an appetizer which were a bit oily but still tasty. Their outdoor seating is perfect for a summer afternoon. Needless to say the waiter was so nice not only because of his great suggestion but also because he was extremely attentive. Great dining experience overall.

Went back again. Tried the crabcake sandwich again with fries and a Lagunitas. Top notch once again. Best crabcake around. No if ands or buts. Fries are light and crispy. Glad to see this back on track as a must have in the Village. Still miss their fried calamari but will give the grilled a try next time around.

The new menu changes are very good! New drafts at the bar, improved wine and spirits as well. Had the Crab Stuffed Baked Oysters app which was very good. I had the new Beef Short Ribs which were excellent and my wife had Soft Shell Crabs which she said were awesome. The manager told me there would be more changes coming so excited for that. Glad the new ownership has more attention to detail and will give Potomac the quality they want.

This is more of a tip but the duck confit fries were awesome. My wife and I had them a couple of weeks ago and loved them. Worth the calorie bomb.

This used to be one of our local «go to» places. However, our last experience, in terms of the food, was really bad. First of all, the bread was terrible. It was cold and a bit like thick sliced Wonder Bread. The dressing on my wife’s salad was so tart it was just about inedible. The quote «large mussels», were approximately the size of a small, shriveled, pea. The sliced duck salad wasn’t very good either. I ordered the duck medium rare. However, it was tough, chewy and had no discernable taste or flavor. I will say that the sliced tuna sashimi was excellent, but that was about the only positive note.

Enjoyed the calamari appetizer ($ 9). Lightly fried with a tasty, tangy dipping sauce. Good size for two to share. The Steak Frites ($ 25) was tender and cooked to order, although served a little cool. The sauce with the steak was so good I used it for the frites and skipped the ketchup. Good glass of Malbec ($ 9). Plenty of attention from the waitstaff. Relaxed dining. No one rushed us out even tho we chatted at the table long after we were done eating.

We stopped here after a hike on the C & O. Service was great and quick. Food was really good! I had the pesto chicken sandwich which was delicious and had a lot of great flavor. My husband had the Philly cheesesteak. I would come back again!

Love the food and drinks. The bartenders are friendly and always remember my order. The bar is small but seats 45 people, making 10 patrons feel like a party.
The tuna carpaccio is the best app on the menu. Ask for the soup of the day.

Five-​star crab cakes. A generous pile of fresh lump crab (i.e., not from a can or jar) and very little filler.
Friendly service.
Folks have commented on the cost. This place is pricey for casual dining. But, the value is there.

Just ok. Too expensive for quality. Service was not awesome.

The food was decent enough, but the prices were outrageously expensive. There were no Entrees for less than $ 25, and even the Tavern Burger (which you can apparently beg for) is not on the menu. Dinner for two adults and two kids ordering off the kids menu was $ 154!
My wife had the seared tuna, which had an interesting seaweed salad base. I had the shrimp and grits, but the shrimp were lost in the overwhelming smoky sauce. Daughters had the burger (compressed and tasteless) and the chicken fingers, reheated from the market next door. Add a glass of wine, crab dip and a very sweet toffee dessert to round out the meal.
Not worth the money, so we won’t be back. We’ll have to venture a mile or two to Bethesda to find 20 restaurants that are better for less than half the price of our meal.