River Valley Cafe and Grill

This place is a welcome gem in an otherwise not so happening town. I used to regularly eat here with my friends when I was in San Angelo for training. The food is pretty awesome and so is the service. They always had special menus that kept things interesting. I especially loved the spinach salad they serve. Good to se hat they’re still going strong.

I really think this is a good restaurant that gets overlooked a lot in San Angelo. Every meal I’ve had there (usually a sandwich, but they did stop offering croissants) was tasty and the staff always friendly. Don’t come here expecting to have the best meal of your life, but it’s a solid choice if you are looking for somewhere to eat on one of the few nights that they aren’t closed (they have weird hours, check their website).
Also, I was looking to do a group function here for about 80 people and they were more than willing to shut down the restaurant on a Friday night with no minimum purchase, etc. I ended up not using them, but I have no doubt that they wouldn’t have been an excellent choice.

This is an unpretentious local restaurant in a lovely old downtown building, across the street from a public library with unusual windows. The interior has a carved concrete floor, high ceilings with those old-​fashioned tin panels, and local art on the walls.
We had a late lunch on a Monday, and they were not busy. They serve simple dishes for lunch: sandwiches, burgers, salads. I had a BLT and my wife had fish tacos. She said the fish was a little salty but the rest of the ingredients were just right. My daughter had chicken strips and my son had a grilled cheese sandwich.
Our waitress made us feel welcome and our dishes arrived quickly. I would eat here again.

Yummy menu prepared well with a variety of selections. Food prepared well, noisy at lunch (cause there are so many people!) and a bit pricey Crab cakes out of sight on taste, but also in price. I will go there again.

Unilocal (especially the iPhone app) has become so helpful for us on our road trips and reading the reviews to help us decide to stop here, at the River Valley Café and Grill, was right on point.
We almost drove PAST the place because the exterior features of the restaurant blend too well with the surrounding buildings. But, it’s the interior that sets this place apart from others in San Angelo — at least, from others we’ve stopped at before.
The service, as you’ll read in other reviews is a bit «hit-​and-​miss.» We never really knew who are waiter (ress) was because different folks were taking care of us. At times it was slow but we were still able to get in and out in about 30 minutes.
But, the food is definitely a stand out hit. I had the Cajun Fish tacos that were exceptionally good, albeit a little stingy on the portions of fish. The spicy slaw, soft corn tortillas, and avocado all made for great tacos.
Now, it shows up on the menu under «Appetizers,» but I IMPLORE you to get the Spinach and Mushroom Quesadillas — and most definitely get it with the grilled chicken. WOW! I’m kicking myself for not seeing it first. Fortunately, it was too much for my wife to finish (darn the luck!) and I was able to have some. The flour tortilla is crisp, and the chicken, mushroom, spinach and mozzarella make for a WONDERFULLY tasty quesadilla. I’d drive 7 hours to go BACK there for more.
So, it’s safe to say, I’m putting this place in my little travel log book to remind me about it next time.
NOTE: If ordering iced tea, keep in mind, it’s FLAVORED. Bugs me that a restaurant doesn’t warn you first — they just ASSUME you’ll want raspberry tea.

The weekend dinners they do are absolutely amazing. Really great atmosphere and the food was by far the best I’ve had in San Angelo. I haven’t been there for lunch yet, but my wife seemed to like it. Especially the sweet potato fries. Definitely a place to check out.

The food is amazing. Best in San angelo!

I’ve been to this place several times and it remains a favorite. The restaurant is very nicely decorated and service is always great. Lunch is ok, but I don’t recommend it if you are in a hurry. However, this place is awesome during dinner. The menu is always exceptional and the prices are pretty decent. If you are ever in San Angelo you must visit.

The restaurant has a bohemian artsy atmosphere! There were only two courses, both costing 23 each. The food were not too impressive. But the quiet atmosphere is conducive for conversation and quite romantic. The crème brûlée was delicious

I have enjoyed the food and quiet atmosphere with each visit. I have tried several items off the lunch menu. Salads, hamburger, fries, chicken sandwich all have been yummy. Service is slow so don’t go when your in a hurry. But I enjoy the slow calm pace.

This place is 5 star plus! The chef has an outstanding background cooking for celebrities. Open for lunch and weekend dinner. Great food and service.

One of my friends recommended that I go here as her art work was on the walls, but the menu also looked appealing.
I had a drive back to Abilene so I opted to get my food to go. During the drive I munched on the portobello fries. If you order these at the restaurant make sure that you have people to share them with. Large cuts of mushroom batter dipped and fried with ranch dressing that were very good. I also ordered the mushroom/​spinach quesadilla with chicken that I was just too full to eat then and it got heated up for dinner. While it wasn’t as good as I imagine it would have been fresh, it was still very tasty and had a little bit of kick to it.
Comments have been made about the service — while I can’t comment on the table service they had 3 waiters working and I was asked a couple of times if I was taken care of while I was waiting at the counter. The prices (for lunch at least) were good and if I was down that way I would go back.

I’ ve been to River Valley Café several times, and I can agree with the prior reviewer that the service at lunchtime is atrocious. I usually only get an hour for lunch with my job, and we’re really trying to hustle to get back after lunch there. The food at lunch is great though; their salads are fantastic, the sweet potato fries very welcome. The first time I went, however, there was a lemon chicken BBQ sandwich that is no longer on the menu that I greatly enjoyed.
However, River Valley Café truly shines at dinner. Every weekend the resident chef makes a new menu, offering the choice of two appetizers, a new soup or salad (you can choose one with your meal) and several different entrée choices, and a couple of options for dessert. I took my boyfriend there for his birthday last night; we enjoyed the fried artichoke hearts in what I believe was a cilantro cream sauce. This really helped balance the streak of habanero sauce on each heart. I then opted for the shrimp and jalepeno bisque, while my boyfriend got the salad with the balsamic and goat cheese vinegarette. I greatly enjoyed the spicy flavor to my soup; however, he was only moderately impressed with the salad. For entrée I got the swordfish on skewers with pineapple, dressed in a habanero sauce. It was on a bad of blackbean and fresh corn salsa, and on the side were broccoli and cheese puffs. Great fresh flavors, and I loved the effect of the broccoli and cheese puffs as a fresh twist on a comfort food standard. The swordfish was moist and perfectly cooked (I tend to cook fish at home because most restaurants like to overcook it). My boyfriend got the beef tenderloin with creamy macaroni and cheese, and it also came with the broccoli and cheese puffs. According to him everything was cooked to perfection.
Inbetween the soup/​salad course and the entrée we were given what I remember to be honey and cantaloupe sorbets as a palate cleanser. Delicately flavored, these were wonderful! I wish more restaurants had these, or even just offered fresh sorbet on the menu. For dessert, we split the lemon and blueberry mascarpone tart. The lemon didn’t quite shine through as I’d hoped, but it was dense while not being overly sweet… the way I usually like my dessert.
The service at night is extremely better than the daytime, which is strange because dinner was about as busy as I’ve seen it during the lunchtime rush. Must be the B team at lunch, with the A team at dinner. I would recommend that you make reservations though; even though when we arrived at 6:30 for ours and the restaurant was empty save for one couple, it quickly filled up after we were seated.
My one caveat for dinner though is the wine list. We both ordered a glass of riesling and I thought it tasted more like a pinot grigio, i.e. cheap and lacking the flavor of a real riesling. If you’re going to do a slightly upscale (for San Angelo) restaurant, you need a better wine list. While I adore Yellow Tail, charging $ 5.50 for a glass is truly highway robbery when you can get the whole bottle at HEB for $ 10 or less.