River and Rail Cantina

This was my second visit, and unfortunately, both experiences were underwhelming. The menu presentation really needs improvement—it looks unappealing, which takes away from the appetite. When the jalapeño poppers arrived, they didn’t look appetizing, though the taste was fine. The tacos were disappointing: large chunks of green peppers and onions completely covered them, and although there was plenty of steak, the dish felt more like small fajitas than actual tacos. On a positive note, the fried ice cream was prepared well. Portions here are huge, but bigger isn’t always better—sometimes the oversized plating makes the food look less appealing. Service was kind, and the place is easily accessible, but overall the dining experience just isn’t good enough for me to return again.

Service was fine, but the cleanliness was awful. We were given three dirty cups with grime or things floating in them, which made us not even want to drink. (we even asked for a new drink and cup and that one ALSO had stuff in it) From there it just went downhill, sticky tables, black gunk on the bathroom faucets, what looked like mold on the hand blow dryers, and to top it off we saw a cockroach on the floor as we were leaving. The food was just okay, but once you notice all that, you can’t enjoy the meal which isn't that great to begin with. I would never come back here or recommend this place.

If you find yourself at River Road in Cranford during a historical blizzard, pray that Shawn and Cynthia are behind the bar because they are absolute legends. Cynthia is the definition of cool—super accommodating, totally go-with-the-flow, and she was even customizing the drinks exactly how we wanted them. Shawn might be young and a bit naive, but he was a total vibe and made sure everyone in the place felt good despite the chaos outside. There was some guy next to us lying about not having his credit card which was a joke, but that shouldn't take any points away from the staff because they handled the night perfectly. Five stars all the way.

Came here on a Sunday with friends after church it was great! We were so hungry and figured why not try this place! I can honestly say it was amazing and the food defeated us! We ate so much and it was all great! From the happy hour sangria and margaritas we had more than enough to eat and drink! Definitely a place I’ll come back to! The staff was great and very helpful! We had enough food to take home for the next day at least !

We had an awesome time at River and Rail! Believe it or not, they served up some seriously good Mexican food, totally unexpected, and totally delicious. Tacos were flavorful, everything tasted fresh, and the vibe was great. The only hiccup? We got caught in what can only be described as a ranch vs. blue cheese standoff. We asked for ranch… and somehow kept getting blue cheese. Like, every time. At some point, we started wondering if this was a hidden camera show or if someone in the kitchen was really passionate about their blue cheese. 😂 In the end, it just became part of the story — we’re definitely not mad about it. Great food, great laughs, and hey, maybe next time we’ll just embrace the blue cheese life. Highly recommend! 🌮✨