Riverhouse Waterfront Restaurant adds breakfast to menu after neighboring eaterie closes
The Riverhouse Waterfront Restaurant, 995 Riverside Drive, has added breakfast to its menu, starting Saturday. Breakfast will be available Saturdays and Sundays.
“With the recent closure of Riverside Cafe, we saw a need for breakfast, at least on the weekends, for marina residents and other locals,” said Douglas VanDerNoord, owner of the Riverhouse.
Riverside Cafe, which is located on the land side of the Palmetto pier, closed March 20 when Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered all restaurant dining rooms closed to help check the spread of COVID-19 and has not reopened since.
Safe Harbor, owner of the Regatta Pointe Marina, as well as the Riverside Cafe, declined comment on its idled restaurant property, but is apparently seeking a new tenant.
Riverhouse Waterfront Restaurant, located at the end of the Palmetto pier, sits over the Manatee River. Breakfast will overlap lunch, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. with lunch starting at 11 a.m.
“At the same time, in light of current circumstances, it’s very important to us that we follow all of the guidelines set forth by the CDC and our local government. With a limited capacity, adding breakfast hours gives us an additional time slot for service which also helps us give our employees more available hours to work,” VanDerNoord said.
All staff members have mandatory health check-ins prior to their shifts and are required to wear a mask.
This is the first time in its history that the Riverhouse will open as early as 8 a.m. on the weekends to serve breakfast. In the past, the restaurant was known for its Sunday brunch buffet. In 2019, in an effort to better serve their guests and provide more seating capacity in the restaurant, the team transitioned to offering a Sunday brunch menu.
Riverhouse’s the breakfast line up features both classic dishes like pancakes, eggs, french toast, and pastries, as well as more trendy dishes such as avocado toast, breakfast tacos, and salmon eggs benedict. Brunch, featuring both the breakfast and the lunch menu, will be offered 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Menus are available at riverhousefl.com/menu.
The Riverhouse Waterfront Restaurant is one location with three distinct dining experiences: the Reef & Grill, Second Floor, and Snook Deck.
Take out is available by calling 941-729-0616.
The pandemic has been a challenging time for restaurants. Among well-known restaurants that have closed in the recent past are Sweet Tomatoes, which closed 97 of its restaurants nationwide, including the one on University Parkway due to COVID-19. Jason’s Deli, another national chain, also closed its University Parkway location after the arrival of the pandemic.
Peach’s Restaurants, a daytime restaurant chain in the Bradenton and Sarasota area, reopened, but announced that two of its locations were permanently closed.
Know of a new restaurant in town, or one that has closed? Contact jajones1@bradenton.com.
