Riverside Cafe and Diner: A Cozy Spot for Breakfast and Lunch in Newburyport

You ever walk into a place and instantly doubt if you are in the right? That’s how ordering takeout from the Riverside Cafe felt. Ordering and waiting for our food felt awkward and almost inconvenient to the workers around us. Specifically came here after seeing another review about their fruity tea. On quest for those, I made sure to point to their signage advertising them. The server taking our order copied verbatim what the sign read & got to making them… ice, black tea, and Torani flavored fruit syrup. Not what I assumed they were supposed to be, so a bit disappointed on that forefront. The food looked good, tasted good, no complaints there. Might return to try a ‘dine in’ experience, but never again for takeout.

This is a great spot for breakfast or lunch. However, it is not visible from the road. You have to pull in the driveway & go around the back of the office bldg. I loved the atmosphere! The staff were very nice as well. The food was excellent. The only drawback was that the GF pancake was dry. Other than that, I'd definitely go back!

Look at that plate. Perfectly poached eggs over literally my new favorite homemade corned beef hash with a side of baked beans. So yeah, the food is amazing, the staff is very friendly and quick to serve. Very cozy atmosphere with views of the Merrimack River. So, yeah, this spot is the place to go. I'll be coming back for lunch/dinner.

Great spot for a decent breakfast! It's been quite a while since I've been here and it's exactly how I remembered. The interior is quaint, and I really liked the pictures of what the building used to be. It's cool when a place keeps the building's history in some way! Service was great and very sociable with their regulars. I had the egg and cheese on multi grain and it was VERY DELICIOUS. I'm not a huge breakfast sandwich person but I WILL be getting this again!

Any time I’m visiting my allergy doctor I stop in here for a quick bite. My food is always really satisfying and very good. The service is also always great, I enjoy their waitstaff! I like sitting up at the breakfast bar alone ,with my husband or friend. The restaurant is busy and has a fair amount of seating indoors and out with nice big windows. They typically have a specials board as well. I highly recommend my absolute ONLY issue with this place is that no one wears gloves preparing food. I’m sure hands are washed and clean but it’s a turn off and it’s why the 4 star. Other than that …. A great spot!

Food - 5 Atmosphere - 5 Wait staff/Service - 2 The restaurant decor and atmosphere was so nice. The food was so flavorful and did not disappoint! Coming from southern Louisiana, it is hard to find well flavored food like Biscuits and gravy. This would have been 5 stars total but our server was not the most professional. As someone who has spent 15+ years in customer service, I can empathize with someone not have a good day and the person not being perfectly bubbly but A ( our server) was overwhelmed and did not hide it. A also said the business was unorganized and was upset with the kitchen staff. A did not hold back on her frustration with the business and fellow coworkers. We were not upset and relaxed with waiting and enjoying the company at the table - the vibe that she brought to the table was not pleasant and we had to remind A for several things like water, coffee, toast that we previous requested. We will definitely return if in the area again but food and decor only get you so far. Thank you for a wonderful breakfast!

Riverside Cafe is a cute little cafe that looks to be recently remodeled and has many pictures showcasing what I assume is the history of the building with manufacturing work and construction materials. The ceilings are tall, the tables are positioned a little too close together. Our server, Debbie, was attentive and friendly. Standard diner fare plus some more modern breakfast bowls. The greek I Leyte was good and so were the homefries. All in all a good experience.

They had an extensive breakfast menu and the food was excellent! It is a little hard to find so be sure to drive around back to find it and there’s plenty of parking.