captains quarters riverside grille

great view. we got to sit outside along the ohio river on a nice day. saved some money with a groupon i purchased a few months earlier. started out with the captain's banana peppers. the were served whole instead of sliced. nice taste with the bistro or marinera sauce. had their fish sandwich, served on a thick slice of rye bread. they're just a little smaller than the ones served at mike linnigs, which are huge. the cold slaw wasn't the best but i liked the derby pie for dessert. they could use a more expanded seafood menu since it is a waterfront restaurant. they did a great job remodeling theplaceafter the 2011 flood.

wow! what a gem!. so my family just moved here from the east coast and some locals recommended that we try captains quarters. we tried to get in last weekend, but theplacewas packed and on a 2 hour wait! so we decided to come on an "off" night, and simply put, we were very impressed. the food was good, the service was great and the ambiance was spectacular. (keeping in mind that theplacehad just experienced a significant flood just 1 month ago, amazing!) it's not a chain, not too flashy, just down right good!

it’s a beautiful funplaceto go on the river. don’t go for the food unless it’s the indoor fine dining room. the casual areas food is not the attraction.

i think thisplaceis one of the best in town. the service that they offer to the boats is awsome. the mahi mahi taco is really good. every time i order the same because it's a really good size, taste and presentation fish taco.

been to captains many times and have to say they gave us a reason to be disappointed every time.used to love thisplacebefore the menu changed.clearly no vegetarian options on the menu now as i went with a veg friend.
anyway i go there for the ambience,riverside view,calm environment and not to leave their cheap lit regular shelf lol.
can't complain.
cheers.

i have been to captains quarter’s a few times in the past to visit its bar area and thought it was a niceplaceas far as that. my family decided to go there to eat as a treat on my birthday so i wanting to see the food options, price etc… before going and in doing so read a few of the negative reviews.

my brother and i decided to go ahead early to check it out, my birthday my choice.

as we were getting out of the car three gigantic tour buses arrived, and it was a friday, hmm.

as it was pretty warm out i wanted to eat in the dining area but we were told it was reservations only, so i questioned them as to why i wasn’t able to make a reservation on the internet sight and was a bit put off until the young lady explained the actual dining room has been completely booked for a few months, which i am glad she did that makes sense, i hadn’t called.

as i was lagging behind my brother was able to land a booth in the bar area with a nice view as two ladies were leaving and it would fit our party, i was pleased.

the young server who came to us did so promptly, was pleasant to the eyes and had a very congenial attitude as she quickly brought us the drinks, and menus we asked for assuring us it would be no problem to wait about a half an hour for the rest.

when they arrived she returned promptly taking our orders; i had a hot brown, the rest had various fish entries. all of our food arrived timely, my hot brown was very good and hot as were the others fish, the server made sure we had plenty of drinks, and this was in a very busy but pleasant bar food area. i was very pleased with the time we spent eating as well as checking out the boats in the river area, and the shapely well dressed women my age in the band area.

so… i would never order a $30.00 sea bass diner in a bar food area to start with even on my birthday when someone else was paying, and if you do…find another shoulder to cry on.

 my only regret is that two months of other fine dinners had the sixth sense to make a reservation two months ahead of me… as i was ready for some pan-seared jumbo scallops, sautéed spinach with bacon over smoked gouda grits, with bell pepper and broccoli all accompanied by a few bottles of santa margherita pinot grigio (my brother was paying).

oh how life can be so hard, on the river, with beautiful women, good food, and boats, did i mention boats……………..

never even approached by wait staff. we attended with an out of town couple last night. sat in the bar, went to the bar for menus, left after 20 minutes after receiving no service at all. and they weren't busy. cq is convenient for those of us living in prospect, but unfortunately this has happened to us before. niceplacefor drinks......

not what it used to be.. used to be the top of the top in louisville, but doesn't quite "rate" these days, at least it doesn't for me any longer.

the location? amazing. lovely. if going for drinks out on the patio overlooking the river, don't read further - perfectplacefor it!
wait staff - pleasant and relatively quick.
drinks? as i said, go there for them - excellent - their bourbon/amaretto martini was very tasty.

the food? run-of-the-mill, at best. it was "okay."
adding insult to blandness, apparently if one orders a dish that comes with a side (in my case, it was french fries, listed in "side dishes" on the back of the menu for $3), but really prefers some other side dish - say, onion rings (likewise, listed in the menu as being $3), the official reply is, "i'm sorry, we can't do that." i asked about the reason for this (don't decide i'm "that" customer! i have worked in food and retail customer service, and i assure you i was polite! it's a tough job, no matter how you slice it, and people doing it deserve the utmost respect), the server has apparently not been supplied with a reasonable explanation by the powers-that-be - no tactful indication that the kitchen has some kind of silly rule, whatever...not even upselling by mentioning that the alternate side dish can be ordered as an extra item if one really has one's heart set on something different. i was tired, and not up for making decisions, so i let it go at that and thanked the server.

i expected a little...well, actually a lot more from aplaceof this size, location, reputation, and history (they used to have honest-to-god lobster, once upon a time), especially considering that louisville is now positively teeming with competitors that are very, very good alternatives for dining. if not stellar in quality of the food (it happens - off nights, slow nights with less experienced chefs/cooks, whatever), then i at least expected willingness to accommodate the customer on such a minor request - i can get a substitute side dish at any trashy sit-down chain restaurant in the country, but not captain's quarters.
it's too bad - i was really looking forward to a really good and enjoyable meal, and likely would have resumed going there regularly if it had been better.

not great by any measure--bland by most. may be a tradition but it says something when the attraction to the tiered deck far out ways the quality of food. went there recently and had pretty bland fish tacos. my friend had pulled pork nachos, which weren't bad. seems to me thisplacecould provide a fantastic, topnotch seafood experience, even at much higher prices. but they want to cater to the same ole blue-haired crowd. too bad.

mediocre food & service, great outdoor space. probably the bestplacein louisville for outdoor dining...really fun patio/bar area...inconsistent food...i have had really bad food and i have had pretty good food, so it is hit or miss...poor/mediocre service (servers are clueless)...brunch on sunday is enjoyable...not a must try, but outdoor area alone is relaxing and worth a visit..

the view was amazing, especially at dusk/sunset. atmosphere & decor are great. food was good...had the fish sandwich, could tell it was very fresh. would prefer to have the option of a side other than kettle chips at dinner. the biggest problem i have with thisplaceis that there is a horrible smell as you walk across the parking lot. smells like sewage or septic, which is quite displeasing if you are on your way to eat. it is very strong odor over the entire parking lot. we sat inside, so not sure if the smell affects the outdoor seating area, but that would be impossible to eat out there if it does.

great patio, marginal food. i love the patio. it is a greatplaceto gather for cocktails on a nice day... perfect view of the ohio river. their indoor bar area is nice, too. the food is marginal. it is typical masterson's food, and i don't care for it. i will go to cq for the patio and drinks, but never for the food. so for me it is a spoon down.

food solid but greatplaceto go. thisplaceis fun to go to and sit by the river. the food is always satisfying, nothing speacial but i go back.

drinks only. i find this is a greatplaceto have drinks & sit on the patio & watch the boats on the river but the food...not so much.