Got there about 5pm on a Tuesday; dining room was 50-60% filled already. We grabbed a booth. Waitress came within a few minutes and dropped off menus and took our drink orders. I ordered an appetizer, as I had not had Fried Green Tomatoes in a long time -- they never came, and i was glad because you get an enormous amount of food. We both ordered the Grouper broiled/Blackened. there were 4 good sized fillets on each plate, PLUS two sides and 2 hushpuppies. If you are looking for a menu on line - all the ones we saw, double the prices. Our meals were about $15-16. Food was decent, but nothing to write home about. DH said he would go again. It seems to be good, Southern Fried type foods; though any of the items can be grilled or blackened.
(3)
Pat J.
Gumbo very tasty and not spicy. Chowder very good All entrees were coked as ordered and very tasty. Our waitress was very attentive to us even with the restaurant being very full. A waiting line at the door to be seated and yet we were not rushed to leave.
(4)
Linda P.
My husband and I just moved here from the Midwest and went here upon the recommendation of a local. We had high hopes but were sorely disappointed. In a nut shell there was just no flavor. We arrived when they open so the expectation would be that the food would be fresh and hot. IT WAS NOT. We ordered the calamari, it came out luke warm at best and soggy. We moved on to the catfish fillet dinner. Fillet was appeared to be battered, not dredged in cornmeal and had no taste whatsoever. It to was just luke warm and soggy not crispy. My husband had cole slaw and baked potato. I had green bean and baked potatoes. Slaw was watery, beans were greasy and potato, will its hard to go wrong with a baked potato. We sure do miss some crispy fried catfish fillets.
(1)
Sandy M.
I have been coming here for decades! I now live in Huntington Beach, CA, and this is a must go to for lunch with my sister every year I visit, and more if i visit several times in a year. I love the fried catfish, cheese grits, hush puppies and green beans! Top it off with ice tea! I have never had bad service and the food has always been delicious! 4 generations in my family have enjoyed Cedar River over the years....Maybe a name change every so often, but always delicious!
(5)
Steven I.
Well it appears my words were not wasted. I went there today and wow, what a difference. My question is why did they have to wait before someone posted a nasty review before they were motivated to clean house and repaint. Place looks wonderful now except for a persistent leak in the roof that they apparently cant find. Food was always okay, but who wanted to sit in a filthy restaurant even if the food was okay.
(3)
Sue M.
Most recent health inspection shows 2 critical violations for back flow & extinguishers. I've been to several Cedar Rivers but not in over 20 years as most of thge franchises have gone out of business. I was pleasently surprised to run across this one while out of town. The menu is huge and the only seafood item I can think that wasn't on the menu was lobster & conch. (which technically neither is seafood). They had many specials. Of interested were the AUCE $10.99 specials of catfish, pollack, tilapia and flounder. I opted for the flounder and you always have the choice of ordering your selection fried, blackened or broiled. It came w/hush puppies and the 2 sides I ordered were cheese grits and fried okra. There must of been a doz. broiled flounder filets on my plate. Seasoned a bit too much with paprika. Hush Puppies good, okra what you would expect for that price and the cheese grits were a bit thin. All in all it was a great meal for what I paid. Didn't notice any cleanliness problems as I was sitting at a 2 top next to the wall. Service from Janelle was a B+ mainly because I had no silverware as my food was cooling off. And my beverage was refilled w/the wrong beverage. Otherwise, very polite and familiar w/the other daily specials. Also of note, they were out of take out menus which is always a no no. But my stomach was saying yes, yes all the way home.
(4)
Mary A.
My broiled grouper was excellent! Servings are generous and prices are super. We had a quaint booth, very nice for our little group. Waitress was very nice, but was overworked. We had to wait for a table, and the waiting area was primarily standing-room-only, and it became overly crowded (we arrived at 2:30, but in FL that's when a lot of seniors venture out for their main meal).
(4)
TimoT X.
okay so this whole fried seafood thing is getting to me (maybe it is a southern thing) not that I am complaining, we had the all you can eat fish special (flounder and pollack) with sides of mac and cheese, collards, stewed tomatoes/okra, and hushpuppies. The fish was great, crispy not fishy at all and at least three full fish fillets, the mac and cheese - omg sooooo good. The collards were good, though could use a bit more ham hock or other meaty flavoring. The tomatoes/okra were also good, not slimy as they can get. The hushpuppies were a bit sweet but very light the place looks like it could get crowded (we arrived at about 1130 and by 1145 it was almost full but I think it would be worth the wait. as others have said it can get a bit loud will have to wait at least two weeks after eating this food before having lipid panels done - lol
(4)
Leslie W.
Ugh, don't waste your time - seriously! First of all, while some dives turn out to be great, this one turned out to be a straight up dive. Not worth your time. For starters, we waited over 45 minutes just to get our food. Apparently someone called in sick so they were short staffed but failed to let us know or offer us any type of appetizer or starter so we weren't sitting there for 45 minutes with growling tummies. The waitress was nice but certainly not exceptional. My friend's scallops came out cold and had to be sent back to get reheated and weren't really any good. I ordered a chicken sandwich with fries - pretty hard to get wrong. It was ok. I've probably had better from a fast food restaurant. Between the mediocre service, mediocre food and long wait time I honestly won't recommend this place to anyone.
(1)
Billy B.
Well, I went there yesterday afternoon suggested by yelpers 4 star average. I was very disappointed. First it took 5 min to get seated and the place only had 10 diners in it. The servers were all busy complaining to one another about a no show server. They were yakking it up behind a partition at the entry. After we were seated it took a few minutes for our server to arrive and greet us. She took our drink order and returned minutes later. ( the service is very slooow) I let her know we were virgin to CRS and what was the best. She welcomed us without any suggestions whatsoever. I then asked which fish was better, the flounder or the grouper? she replied with, some like one and some like the other. We ordered Grouper, fries and salad. It was edible at best. The breading was dark and greasy. The fish had a taste that was indescribable and the (frozen) fries were too greasy to eat. The hush puppies were deplorable, sweet hush puppies, yuk! I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 only because we did eat some of it, and the portion size, HUGE! Sorry, I won't be returning.
(2)
N B.
Went with my uncles and aunt and the family. Good food but the noise level was very very loud!!! I had a headache after leaving this place it was so loud. Service was good , I wouldn't say I would go out of my way for the food but it was good.
(3)
Cassandra W.
I had a friend introduce this place to us about a year ago. When I first walked in, I felt unsure because it wasn't a whole lot to look at. However, once the food was served, I realized that this place was a diamond in the rough! The hordes of people who wait in the lobby area for a table during busy times is a good indication of the goodness to come for people willing to be patient! They are very generous with the fish-I usually can't eat everything on the $7.99 platter, so there's no point in my getting the all you can eat $9.99 special. I've tried the tilapia and flounder, both fried and blackened. Both are great, but the flounder is my personal favorite. The sides I have tried-baked potatoes, fried okra, and cole slaw are all good. The iced tea is weak, and I do wish they'd improve on that, but it's still 5-stars in my book. I also understand that most people like their iced tea weaker than I like it. We live a half an hour away, but every time we go to Leesburg, we make it a point to stop here. I also like how it's right across from the airport, so we can just run across 441 if we fly our little Piper in! I highly recommend this place to everybody. It even beats Al's Landing in Tavares, just minus the water view. Update: the food and cleanliness have both gone a little downhill in the two years since I did this review, so I am taking it down from five stars to four.
(4)
Jim C.
We have been going to Cedar River for several years. Most of time the food is great, not greasy. Price is good. It is an old building, but appears to be clean. I am sure if it were remodeled, the prices would go up and the food would still be good. We make this trip about twice a year, its a 60 mile drive, but usually add shopping to the list of things to do in the area. We usually get the 2 for 20 special and it is more than enough, but they do have an AUCE for a little more.
(4)
Don O.
First time today, it was excellent, wife had the flounder and said it was the best she has ever had, I had the fried shrimp, it was great, maybe not the very best I ever had but it was really good. prices are fair, portions are huge and service was good, very fast. We will go back and will take our guests there too.
(5)
Tony S.
The food was great friendly hostess and waitress but the only thing wrong the restaurant was too small.
(3)
Lindsay R.
First off we were rushed into ordering drinks before we even had a chance to open the menu. After asking for a chance to see what they have, we both ordered sweet tea. Which came unannounced with a lemon in it. If you don't like lemons in your sweet tea. Be sure to specify that you don't want lemons. We got the gator tail appetizer, which was awful. The gator tail was overcooked, and they served it with what tasted like watered down ranch dressing. Not long after that, we ordered food. I ordered the captain trio platter and my boyfriend didn't like any of their seafood choices, so he ordered a hamburger. He was then asked what he wanted on it and he pointed to the picture which clearly depicted their burger with lettuce, onions, tomatoes and a dressing on it and said he just wanted the lettuce. Our waiter then said "that's just a picture, but you can order it on the side" so he ordered lettuce, and asked them to put it on the burger. Then our waiter started arguing with my boyfriend that she would not put the lettuce on the burger and she would only put it on the side where he could put it on the burger himself. Tired of arguing he said okay. Then he asked what sauces/dressings they had fit it, and was told it didn't come with anything. Then he asked what sauces/dressings they had several times and she kept asking what he wanted instead of telling him what they even had. He then gave up on communicating with the waitress and told her it was fine. When we finally got our food his burger buns was charred, he ordered his burger medium-well done. When the waitress came over and he mentioned the charred bun, the waitress started another argument claiming it was my boyfriend's fault for ordering his burger medium-well. Getting really tired of dealing with our waitress he asked her to just leave us alone. After all that his burger meat was overcooked as well and the taste doesn't meet the standards of better alternatives such as burger king. Having gotten a burger with nothing on it, he went to put some ketchup on for at least sone taste. The ketchup came out as a watery substance that he had to clean off with a tissue. Clearly not been replaced in a while. He ordered fries and hush puppies for sides. The fries where clearly fresh out from the freezer. Cold 1-day old fries from McDonald's are better. His hushpuppies were baked alright, but with a weird aftertaste. I ordered fries okra for my side and it was undercooked, hard and not chewy at all like it's supposed to be. The fish from my entree was blant and mushy. If I couldn't feel it in my mouth I wouldn't have been able to taste anything at all. The broiled scallops were okay, nothing special. And the clam strips were okay too, but I still prefer the sea-pack clam strips from Wal-Mart. On the bright side this place is a perfect candidate for kitchen nightmares. But unless Gordon Ramsey is coming to fix this place, I will not be coming back.
(1)
Rebecca R.
First time eating today, & all I have to say is great service, great food. Everyone was very respectful and the food is even great prices.
(5)
Shawn J.
Being close to my work I have eaten here a few times for lunch. I have only had the shrimp basket each time because it is quick and cheap (My lunch time is always a rush). The shrimp and the sides have always tasted great. The servers are all very nice and friendly. The place seems fairly clean although I only stand inside the entrance to pick up my order.
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
TC S.
Got there about 5pm on a Tuesday; dining room was 50-60% filled already. We grabbed a booth. Waitress came within a few minutes and dropped off menus and took our drink orders. I ordered an appetizer, as I had not had Fried Green Tomatoes in a long time -- they never came, and i was glad because you get an enormous amount of food. We both ordered the Grouper broiled/Blackened. there were 4 good sized fillets on each plate, PLUS two sides and 2 hushpuppies. If you are looking for a menu on line - all the ones we saw, double the prices. Our meals were about $15-16. Food was decent, but nothing to write home about. DH said he would go again. It seems to be good, Southern Fried type foods; though any of the items can be grilled or blackened.
(3)Pat J.
Gumbo very tasty and not spicy. Chowder very good All entrees were coked as ordered and very tasty. Our waitress was very attentive to us even with the restaurant being very full. A waiting line at the door to be seated and yet we were not rushed to leave.
(4)Linda P.
My husband and I just moved here from the Midwest and went here upon the recommendation of a local. We had high hopes but were sorely disappointed. In a nut shell there was just no flavor. We arrived when they open so the expectation would be that the food would be fresh and hot. IT WAS NOT. We ordered the calamari, it came out luke warm at best and soggy. We moved on to the catfish fillet dinner. Fillet was appeared to be battered, not dredged in cornmeal and had no taste whatsoever. It to was just luke warm and soggy not crispy. My husband had cole slaw and baked potato. I had green bean and baked potatoes. Slaw was watery, beans were greasy and potato, will its hard to go wrong with a baked potato. We sure do miss some crispy fried catfish fillets.
(1)Sandy M.
I have been coming here for decades! I now live in Huntington Beach, CA, and this is a must go to for lunch with my sister every year I visit, and more if i visit several times in a year. I love the fried catfish, cheese grits, hush puppies and green beans! Top it off with ice tea! I have never had bad service and the food has always been delicious! 4 generations in my family have enjoyed Cedar River over the years....Maybe a name change every so often, but always delicious!
(5)Steven I.
Well it appears my words were not wasted. I went there today and wow, what a difference. My question is why did they have to wait before someone posted a nasty review before they were motivated to clean house and repaint. Place looks wonderful now except for a persistent leak in the roof that they apparently cant find. Food was always okay, but who wanted to sit in a filthy restaurant even if the food was okay.
(3)Sue M.
Most recent health inspection shows 2 critical violations for back flow & extinguishers. I've been to several Cedar Rivers but not in over 20 years as most of thge franchises have gone out of business. I was pleasently surprised to run across this one while out of town. The menu is huge and the only seafood item I can think that wasn't on the menu was lobster & conch. (which technically neither is seafood). They had many specials. Of interested were the AUCE $10.99 specials of catfish, pollack, tilapia and flounder. I opted for the flounder and you always have the choice of ordering your selection fried, blackened or broiled. It came w/hush puppies and the 2 sides I ordered were cheese grits and fried okra. There must of been a doz. broiled flounder filets on my plate. Seasoned a bit too much with paprika. Hush Puppies good, okra what you would expect for that price and the cheese grits were a bit thin. All in all it was a great meal for what I paid. Didn't notice any cleanliness problems as I was sitting at a 2 top next to the wall. Service from Janelle was a B+ mainly because I had no silverware as my food was cooling off. And my beverage was refilled w/the wrong beverage. Otherwise, very polite and familiar w/the other daily specials. Also of note, they were out of take out menus which is always a no no. But my stomach was saying yes, yes all the way home.
(4)Mary A.
My broiled grouper was excellent! Servings are generous and prices are super. We had a quaint booth, very nice for our little group. Waitress was very nice, but was overworked. We had to wait for a table, and the waiting area was primarily standing-room-only, and it became overly crowded (we arrived at 2:30, but in FL that's when a lot of seniors venture out for their main meal).
(4)TimoT X.
okay so this whole fried seafood thing is getting to me (maybe it is a southern thing) not that I am complaining, we had the all you can eat fish special (flounder and pollack) with sides of mac and cheese, collards, stewed tomatoes/okra, and hushpuppies. The fish was great, crispy not fishy at all and at least three full fish fillets, the mac and cheese - omg sooooo good. The collards were good, though could use a bit more ham hock or other meaty flavoring. The tomatoes/okra were also good, not slimy as they can get. The hushpuppies were a bit sweet but very light the place looks like it could get crowded (we arrived at about 1130 and by 1145 it was almost full but I think it would be worth the wait. as others have said it can get a bit loud will have to wait at least two weeks after eating this food before having lipid panels done - lol
(4)Leslie W.
Ugh, don't waste your time - seriously! First of all, while some dives turn out to be great, this one turned out to be a straight up dive. Not worth your time. For starters, we waited over 45 minutes just to get our food. Apparently someone called in sick so they were short staffed but failed to let us know or offer us any type of appetizer or starter so we weren't sitting there for 45 minutes with growling tummies. The waitress was nice but certainly not exceptional. My friend's scallops came out cold and had to be sent back to get reheated and weren't really any good. I ordered a chicken sandwich with fries - pretty hard to get wrong. It was ok. I've probably had better from a fast food restaurant. Between the mediocre service, mediocre food and long wait time I honestly won't recommend this place to anyone.
(1)Billy B.
Well, I went there yesterday afternoon suggested by yelpers 4 star average. I was very disappointed. First it took 5 min to get seated and the place only had 10 diners in it. The servers were all busy complaining to one another about a no show server. They were yakking it up behind a partition at the entry. After we were seated it took a few minutes for our server to arrive and greet us. She took our drink order and returned minutes later. ( the service is very slooow) I let her know we were virgin to CRS and what was the best. She welcomed us without any suggestions whatsoever. I then asked which fish was better, the flounder or the grouper? she replied with, some like one and some like the other. We ordered Grouper, fries and salad. It was edible at best. The breading was dark and greasy. The fish had a taste that was indescribable and the (frozen) fries were too greasy to eat. The hush puppies were deplorable, sweet hush puppies, yuk! I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 only because we did eat some of it, and the portion size, HUGE! Sorry, I won't be returning.
(2)N B.
Went with my uncles and aunt and the family. Good food but the noise level was very very loud!!! I had a headache after leaving this place it was so loud. Service was good , I wouldn't say I would go out of my way for the food but it was good.
(3)Cassandra W.
I had a friend introduce this place to us about a year ago. When I first walked in, I felt unsure because it wasn't a whole lot to look at. However, once the food was served, I realized that this place was a diamond in the rough! The hordes of people who wait in the lobby area for a table during busy times is a good indication of the goodness to come for people willing to be patient! They are very generous with the fish-I usually can't eat everything on the $7.99 platter, so there's no point in my getting the all you can eat $9.99 special. I've tried the tilapia and flounder, both fried and blackened. Both are great, but the flounder is my personal favorite. The sides I have tried-baked potatoes, fried okra, and cole slaw are all good. The iced tea is weak, and I do wish they'd improve on that, but it's still 5-stars in my book. I also understand that most people like their iced tea weaker than I like it. We live a half an hour away, but every time we go to Leesburg, we make it a point to stop here. I also like how it's right across from the airport, so we can just run across 441 if we fly our little Piper in! I highly recommend this place to everybody. It even beats Al's Landing in Tavares, just minus the water view. Update: the food and cleanliness have both gone a little downhill in the two years since I did this review, so I am taking it down from five stars to four.
(4)Jim C.
We have been going to Cedar River for several years. Most of time the food is great, not greasy. Price is good. It is an old building, but appears to be clean. I am sure if it were remodeled, the prices would go up and the food would still be good. We make this trip about twice a year, its a 60 mile drive, but usually add shopping to the list of things to do in the area. We usually get the 2 for 20 special and it is more than enough, but they do have an AUCE for a little more.
(4)Don O.
First time today, it was excellent, wife had the flounder and said it was the best she has ever had, I had the fried shrimp, it was great, maybe not the very best I ever had but it was really good. prices are fair, portions are huge and service was good, very fast. We will go back and will take our guests there too.
(5)Tony S.
The food was great friendly hostess and waitress but the only thing wrong the restaurant was too small.
(3)Lindsay R.
First off we were rushed into ordering drinks before we even had a chance to open the menu. After asking for a chance to see what they have, we both ordered sweet tea. Which came unannounced with a lemon in it. If you don't like lemons in your sweet tea. Be sure to specify that you don't want lemons. We got the gator tail appetizer, which was awful. The gator tail was overcooked, and they served it with what tasted like watered down ranch dressing. Not long after that, we ordered food. I ordered the captain trio platter and my boyfriend didn't like any of their seafood choices, so he ordered a hamburger. He was then asked what he wanted on it and he pointed to the picture which clearly depicted their burger with lettuce, onions, tomatoes and a dressing on it and said he just wanted the lettuce. Our waiter then said "that's just a picture, but you can order it on the side" so he ordered lettuce, and asked them to put it on the burger. Then our waiter started arguing with my boyfriend that she would not put the lettuce on the burger and she would only put it on the side where he could put it on the burger himself. Tired of arguing he said okay. Then he asked what sauces/dressings they had fit it, and was told it didn't come with anything. Then he asked what sauces/dressings they had several times and she kept asking what he wanted instead of telling him what they even had. He then gave up on communicating with the waitress and told her it was fine. When we finally got our food his burger buns was charred, he ordered his burger medium-well done. When the waitress came over and he mentioned the charred bun, the waitress started another argument claiming it was my boyfriend's fault for ordering his burger medium-well. Getting really tired of dealing with our waitress he asked her to just leave us alone. After all that his burger meat was overcooked as well and the taste doesn't meet the standards of better alternatives such as burger king. Having gotten a burger with nothing on it, he went to put some ketchup on for at least sone taste. The ketchup came out as a watery substance that he had to clean off with a tissue. Clearly not been replaced in a while. He ordered fries and hush puppies for sides. The fries where clearly fresh out from the freezer. Cold 1-day old fries from McDonald's are better. His hushpuppies were baked alright, but with a weird aftertaste. I ordered fries okra for my side and it was undercooked, hard and not chewy at all like it's supposed to be. The fish from my entree was blant and mushy. If I couldn't feel it in my mouth I wouldn't have been able to taste anything at all. The broiled scallops were okay, nothing special. And the clam strips were okay too, but I still prefer the sea-pack clam strips from Wal-Mart. On the bright side this place is a perfect candidate for kitchen nightmares. But unless Gordon Ramsey is coming to fix this place, I will not be coming back.
(1)Rebecca R.
First time eating today, & all I have to say is great service, great food. Everyone was very respectful and the food is even great prices.
(5)Shawn J.
Being close to my work I have eaten here a few times for lunch. I have only had the shrimp basket each time because it is quick and cheap (My lunch time is always a rush). The shrimp and the sides have always tasted great. The servers are all very nice and friendly. The place seems fairly clean although I only stand inside the entrance to pick up my order.
(3)