Riverside Chinese Restaurant in County Durham

Visited the restaurant again for the first time in years and was not disappointed. Ordered the set banquet (but tweaked a couple of choices). The food was absolutely amazing. Beautifully presented, freshly made to order, great portion sizes and honestly, absolutely delicious. Service was excellent too. Highly recommend a visit. We will definitely be back!

Really enjoyed our takeaway tonight. Decent portions and tasty food.

Best Chinese in Chester. Been using riverside for ages. There chicken chow mein is to die for. Absolutely stunning ps the riverside prawn crackers are 👌

We have used Riverside as our go to Chinese restaurant for takeaway for a number of years now and always been happy with the food and the service.

Lovely food, great service, very friendly

Good food which they continually deliver later and later each time. At the time of typing this order is 45 minutes late and they haven’t started cooking it. Very little help each time we call. That’s our final order from Riverside

This Chinese used to be lovey I've used them for over 5 years and never had a complaint however the last order I made was piss poor and I thought ok once in a very blue moo n does happen but tonight I gave them another chance and by god u wished I had not it was disgusting cold food and no where near the standard there guys used to give absolutely gutted ate less than 1 3rd and binned the rest would never use them again and if I have food poisoning tomorrow I assure you they will not be opening again for quite some time and that's a promise highly recommend DO NOT USE THIS SHOP has to be under new management 🤬

Out for my Birthday was nothing special.

Great food and super service, takeaway tasted great and good value.

Marvellous food and hostility cannot fault the restaurant, hence the 5 stars

Bbq spare ribs I ordered were not in bbq sauce, rang up and got shouted at been called a liar, my children wouldn't eat them as they were in sweet and sour sauce instead, I asked them to sort it or would lose customer and woman hung phone up on me, terrible customer service.wont be back

Friendly staff and excellent food at a fair price. On holiday in the area and fancied a Chinese meal. Read the online reviews and although some were negative we thought we would give them a try. We weren't disappointed!

Quick and friendly service - we were shown to our table , menu and drinks were soon on the table along with the prawn crackers - good portions of good food - worth a detour

Good food friendly staff, I would recommend sitting in to eat if possible. Thanks for the tasty meal

A hybrid mix of takeaway and sit down - we arrived and were immediately and politely shown to our table - the free prawn crackers came out with the menus, and we quickly were served with our choice of drinks . It has an extensive menu, so ordering takes a bit of time , but we were given good advice about the dishes . When the food arrived, the chicken was tender , the prawns were huge and very tasty and the sauces were good We will be going back

Food very nice and staff are very polite

Had garlic king prawns- hardly garlic tasting coated in yuk batter. Husbands beef was tough and both of them barely warm. Rice was OK. Riverside has been better in the past.

Value for money really isn't great. If you want to spend a lot and still be hungry then this is the place for you. Food was tasty enough but portion sizes are abysmal I'm afraid. Felt uncomfortable whilst trying to work out their menu and whilst eating. Almost felt like we were being watched, more so than a waiter looking to clear plates. I won't be visiting again.

Not the best chinese restaurant, and very expensive

Fantastic food full of flavour and great value for money

Really good food, varied menu with dishes I'd not seen at other restaurants. Free parking and friendly staff made it an enjoyable dining experience. Would happily go back again.

Was very nice was little but great food and amazing staff. Free parking at the back as well which is perfect

Very disappointed food was horrible Barely warm sauce was freezing an tasted off fried rice was all clumped together will defo not be going again

Absolutely lush enjoyed by husband and myself

We had a takeaway from here lovelyx

A restaurant that is really a takeaway with tables for eating in guests, so don’t go for the “ ambiance “ or decor, but if you want a pleasant “ Chinese “ meal with lovely family service? Then you won’t get much better than this!

Room was cold and the phone never stopped ringing for take aways. Staff were too busy sorting takeaways to look after the people eatening in ....they brought main course and left us with no cutlery to eat with ..forgot the wine . People were coming and going and sitting on next table waiting for takeaways. Not a good atmosphere for a relaxing Saturday evening meal. .dont think we will be rushing back

One hour and 45 mins for delivery. When the food eventually arrived it was lukewarm. Not nice at all if I am honest

The Riverside is situated in the north side of Chester-Le-Street and is just under half a mile away from the railway station on foot. We decided to dine here after enduring a couple of mediocre meals at the Black Knight restaurant in nearby Lumley Castle. I booked for eight of us and we were the only diners that evening. The restaurant is quite small and more geared up for take away. It was nevertheless quite homely and the service was good. We ordered a set menu which included hot & sour soup, Peking duck and we all chose a specific main course to share. The wine ordered was good. A pleasant Chilean Sauvignon Blanc. Irish coffee was not available so I had black coffee with a shot of rum. Everyone enjoyed the food and ambience and the cost including service was around £35 per head.

We have always had really good food from riverside but the last few meals have been dreadful one order our fried rice wasnt there the next the curry sauce was like water very disappointing

Food was delicious! The host was attentive, knowledgeable about the different food available and charming

*in response to the reply, i suggested the whole order was collected for a full refund, which was refused. You were only willing to refund £13.80 if we returnee the full order. So you definitely didn’t think i had ‘ate the food’* Avoid this place like the plague. Missed part of our order, which is fine. Then realised the chicken was FREEZING cold inside and pink all the way through. Obviously after seeing this, not willing to eat the rest of the order. Offered me a £10 refund against an order of £40, but would give me £13.80 back ONLY if i put the prawns from another dish back in the box (obviously wanting to reheat and send to someone else). Beef is also White for some reason. 1 star is a compliment.

Absolutely abysmal service, phoned an order in tonight, plain chow mein with thin noodles AND beansprouts yet again this came just as plain noodles, this has happened on previous occasions, how can an order go wrong when the person taking the order reads it back to you, this has happened on to many occasions now, by the time a new chow mein was delivered the rest of the food was cold, and wasted, I have gave one star to enable a review to be put on, I actually give NO stars and definitely won't be using this take away again, note to anyone ordering from here check your order before the delivery driver leaves your property otherwise your money could be wasted ******In reply to the owners comments I asked for thin noodles with bean sprouts like we always ask for., the person taking the order actually read it back to me so how we are in the wrong I do not know, if the computer picks up on something different then maybe it's time for a new computer because IT'S giving you wrong information not your customers ****

Staff friendly, food was ok. Had 3 dishes all were a fair portion my king prawn fried rice a little overcooked my prawns were cooked lovely.

Let down by Lumley Castle policy change, so went here for dinner, WOW we were the winners. What lovely staff and the food was top dollar. Highly recommend Restaurant, forget the takeaway.

Best place for a dine in meal . So friendly and wow food is amazing. Highly recommend

After a recommendation from a friend, for the first time tonight my family and I tried a delivery from the Riverside, using Just Eat to order and pay online. Having placed the order at 5:30pm, we were given an estimated delivery time of 6:25pm, but to our surprise (and delight, as we were hungry), it arrived twenty minutes early! The food was hot, excellent quality and utterly delicious. I'm *very* picky about quality, especially where meat and seafood are concerned. All our dishes were superb... the king prawns in my Singapore Vermicelli were the nicest I've had in a long, long time - plump, fresh, firm, slightly-translucent and they tasted just right. Depending on what you order from the menu, it's not the cheapest option for a local Chinese meal; but given the quality I think it's good value for money. We'll be ordering again from here very soon.

Absolutely beautiful. First time I've been and used as a takeaway (restaurant obviously closed due to lockdown). The lady who served us was so lovely! Food was absolutely delicious and very very quick as well! We got 4 meals with sides, 2 extra sides and 2 starters and it was only £35 which I think is exceptional. Will definitely use again.

One of the nicest Chinese takeaway,s in Chester I'd say it's reasonable on price aswell not so keen on their prawn crackers though

Would definitely recommend this place to anyone the food is very nice and good customer service just pop out and the food was delivered to my house but unfortunately was not in so they delivered the food to my neighbour then the driver came back just to make sure I got my order very good customers service and will be using this restaurant all the time very pleased.

Lovely food but could be bigger portions. Very nice people

Excellent quality food with fresh ingredients. Delicious best Chinese IMHO in the area. Always a good experience, thanks Riverside!!

Always reluctant to try a new Chinese. This was beautiful, I'd highly recommend! Ordered during Covid19 with the option to preorder on JustEat, arrived on time. Gorgeous food, thank you.

Thankyou so much Riverside the food was fab. I made a mistake when ordering and clicked collection instead of delivery. Quick call to the restaurant and they sorted it all out for me and the food arrived soon after. Fab food and fantastic customer service 😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃😃

Hi, we’ve been ordering takeaways from Riverside chester-Le-street for quite sometime, however last night you they let us down by cancelling our order last minute. Its a difficult time for everyone currently especially those who are self isolating. We absolutely love the food from Riverside and recommend them to many of our friends and colleagues. However we feel extremely let down given the last minute cancellation (which has never happened before) with no reason why you did it. I did try to call however it rang out. I don’t share anything on social media as I feel that certain posts are unfair. We are keen to continue ordering from you however we need to be sure that the delivery will be made. Can you share your thought please.

I have ordered takeaways from Riverside for a number of years and always had great food and fantastic quick service. This is the best Chinese restaurant/takeaway in Chester le Street.

Very unhappy, ordered food via just eat. 2 hours went by with no food delivered. We call the business to be told the food wasn't even cooked yet, then we later get a notification from just eat saying our order was cancelled. Now when I ring the number is engaged constantly.

We ordered delivery and were told it would take about an hour. An hour came and went with no food. We called to follow up on our order and were told it would be any minute now. Any minute now turned into another half hour. We waited 2 hours total for our food and we got it cold. My mother-in-law and I got the crispy noodles that we could not eat as the sauce, vegetables, and meat had gone cold. They delivered it and I literally threw the food away. It was a waste of £40. No I would not recommend this garbage place.

My god! The chunks of meat you now put in the dishes is very clever and totally amazing, absolutely the best Chinese around love it!!

Very friendly staff, service always very good and food is always good when we have take away!! Highly recommended, based on several visits.

Disgusting. Food was rank and old. Crackers were soft and chewy. Even dog turned her nose up. 30 down the drain and we were both sick after eating it.

New to the area, read the reviews decided to give a takeaway ago, couldn’t fault it, very nice, great quality good price, I will be going again !

We enjoyed a set special with the chicken and corn and the chicken with ginger, the food was great and the delivery was fast.

I use this place for takeaway as the quality of food is outstanding, visited for the buffet that is cooked fresh for you and again the food quality is outstanding. The restaurant does look a little tired but I can over look this because the food is so good.

Been using this Restaurant/Take Away for over 30 years. Always very good food.

Went tonight for my partner's birthday. Was very quiet, we were the only ones in but we went for it opening and it is a weekday so would expect it. Because of this though the owner was very attentive, chatting to us at the end of the meal. Lovely man. The food was so nice. We had 3 courses for 12.90... or theres the banquet where you can eat as much as you want and it's made fresh, cooked when ordered! Cant wait to go back and try this. Definitely one to visit if you get a chance

Family night out few drinks then meal at Riverside Chinese service from Mandy was pleasant the other member of staff was sour. Food prices are expensive drinks are expensive waited too long for food won't be back

My husband and I popped into this Chinese restaurant for a quick bite, but when we looked at the menu we changed our minds and went for the banquet. It was delicious, the chicken and sweet corn soup was devine, there was only me and my husband in so we had full attention. It’s off the beaten track so it is a hidden gem, but must visit if passing. Definitely would go again

Sometimes it’s hard to find a decent takeaway that caters for both vegetarians and meat eaters. The Riverside caters really well for both with exceptional choice for my vegetarian brother and sister in law.

Love the place take away is top class haven't been to the restaurant for some time now but never had a problem always friendly and even my other half has no complaints and that is a 1st.

Lovely food, lovely staff, surroundings could & toilets could do with cleaning/sprucing up though.

Went for dinner and had the all you can eat option. The manager said the portions would be smaller than usual so we ordered more starters than we normally would. Big mistake, The soup arrived in a standard bowl, delicious and piping hot, Starters were normal size too, ribs, salt and pepper squid, prawn toast, spring rolls and seaweed. After all that we could only manage a main course each with rice and noodles, Everything was delicious and service excellent. Only negative was no draught lager so went for a bottle of wine which was really good and reasonably priced. Would definitely recommend,

Love the sweet chilli chicken dish from here, always nice and hot. Would say that it is a bit expensive though but the quality of the food is great.

Ordered a take away for delivery tonight to a hotel at a service station. Not a problem with this at all which was great. Food arrived within the time frame given and all food was hot which is awesome as we often order food to hotels and very rarely get it hot! However it wasn’t just that it was hot it was actually really really good. Food was tasty, full of flavour and plenty of spice to the king po. All in I would really recommend for delivery... thank you for a great meal.

Wow I have been going past this restaurant for months but tonight decided that we would give it a try and we weren’t disappointed we decided on the all you can eat challenge for £13.90 or you could have the crispy duck etc for extra £15.90 the array of appetisers was massive six or seven different soups we had hot and sour and it was delicious , then we ordered chilli garlic ribs , prawn toast they were good then mains of king prawn Kung po , black pepper sauce with mixed meat and prawns , chow mien noodles , mixed curry , crispy peking chicken all were amazing with lots of prawn crackers amazing value for money and the choices you have of dishes is amazing best around by far . Staff really helpful and friendly will definitely be back tiger beer £3.80 a bottle and large Diet Cokes £3.20 each our bill came to £41.20 for two people we had ice cream for afters there was other choices of dessert but we were full . Dishes are small but you can literally order every dish on the menu if you wanted as long as it’s eaten there is a waste charge extra £ 5.00 per 150 g wasted but as long as you order sensibly and only order another dish after you have eaten the others there’s not a problem amazing friendly restaurant well worth going and there is a car park just behind the restaurant with plenty spaces food does take slightly longer as they cook it fresh and to order but honestly worth the wait .

Not really a restaurant, more a takeaway with tables; customers popping in and out all the time (no separate entrance for collection). Portions were miniscule. Ordered chicken wing starter and was served three pieces, but only got the smallest section of the wing rather than 3 whole wings

Small restaurant but with a wide variety of dishes. Excellent service and reasonably priced. Booked for a table for 7. On arrival the table was set up and drinks offered whilst we choose our meals. Cosy atmosphere. Food was well presented and of a high quality. Will definitely be returning.

Fab food and service and always friendly staff x

This restaurant is nicer inside than out. Very nice welcome, friendly staff and such quick service! Good food and desserts.

We stopped here after looking for somewhere to eat. what a nice surprise, £14 for all you can eat. each course brought out after you finish the last. The food was hot and very nice, the staff were friendly nice little spot.

Great food and exceptional value

Possibly the worst food I've had. Got a take away and threw it in the bin.

Recommended by a mate. This small chinese restaurant was very good. Nice menu. Loads of choice. We went for all you can eat. £13.95. You get a diffrent menu, again loads of choice. Family of 4. 2 adults 2 kids. My mrs was very dubious of this place coz its small probz too small. Service was bit difficult and slow. Only 2 members of staff in seating area who take orders and serve drinks AND TAKEAWAY orders. About the food now..... actually cudnt believe it..... i had in my head it was too good to be true..... ordered

Food was great but the staff were a bit grumpy and could have been friendlier

The worst food I've I've ever had! I wanted to treat my family out for a nice meal; especially, after a long week for all of us. Firstly, after walking in the restaurant, I asked the attendant about our table reservation and was greeted with a simple 'sit over there'! As she continued to talk on the phone. After, we ordered starters of soup. Although my wife and son enjoyed their chicken and sweetcorn soup, I was dished out an unpleasant and quite frankly inedible bowl of hot, sweet and sour soup which consisted of vinegar and nothing more! The waiter at this point came over to ask why I hadn't eaten my soup, to which I explained, and the luck of disgusted on her face made me seem very unsettled as to wonder is she going to hit me or laugh at me before blatantly and obnoxiously saying: 'it's supposed to taste like that'. Now I've tasted this soup before and know there shouldn't be a majority percentage of vinegar as the main ingredient. Now for the main course, I ordered the beef curry with chips; my wife the Chicken Szechuan and my Son the chicken chow mein. Now we all complained about the unnatural levels of salt in our meals which put us off straight away. Not to mention the fact my son wanted no vegetables in his chow main.... Guess what he got? And my chips were as good as the frozen ones from Iceland, if not worse! But my wife's meal, my God, the level of salt in one mouthful was enough for the water in my body to transport, through osmosis, to this lower water potential. At this stage I was furious! I told the manager about the abomination of tonight's food to which she said: 'you should have told me earlier'. But we did and she didn't listen! In fact at one point she even told me to stop whilst she answered the phone. I immediately told her that her customer service was dreadful and, this part really infuriated me, she rose up above me and asked everyone in the restaurant about her customer service and how good it was. Honestly, I had never felt so humiliated in my entire life and I think everyone else felt the same. A good night was ruined tonight and I would certainly never recommend this restaurant to anyone. My advice, I go across the streets to Lee's and get a take away!

An enjoyable evening all round. Service was friendly and attentive. We ordered from the all you can eat menu; we were spoilt for choice, but most of all the food was great. I can honestly say that every dish we ordered was delicious. The extra plus was the price!

Great service, delivered very quickly and the food was so tasty, as always. We order from Riverside quite often and have never been disappointed.

We ventured to The Riverside for the first time in 14 years on 04/01/18 (kids growing up tend to stop nights out). We were greeted by a lovely asian lady who seated us next to a radiator with being cold when we came in.

Think they need to up there game. The food is very bland and the restaurant could do with a makeover.

Greasy food and the place was colder than our fridge......never again!!!!!! We will not advise people to go there. The tender ever questioned why so much was left, basically because it was rubbish.

Waiting time is abit more than expected but very good food

Good, although Hot & Sour soup was far too much white pepper tonight

we got estimated time of 7pm. I phoned the restaurant at approximately 7.15 to be told the delivery was on its way. at 7.30 I am still waiting!!! arrived at 7.35

Meat was not cooked and the quantity is terrible! - you pay £7+ for dishes and expect them to be high quality. I ordered a chow mien tonight and it didn't even fill a little plate never mind feed three people like ordered from else where. I'd avoid this place at all costs! food has gone in the bin. waste of £30!!

food was not very nice chips tasted like they had been reheated and food was warm and prawn crackers were very soggy

Beautiful food, you could definitely tell it had come from a restaurant. We will order again and probably book a table

food was not very nice chips tasted like they had been reheated and food was warm and prawn crackers were very soggy

Beautiful food, you could definitely tell it had come from a restaurant. We will order again and probably book a table

over all the food was great and filling but we ordered sweet and sour king prawns but got chicken instead

over all the food was great and filling but we ordered sweet and sour king prawns but got chicken instead

Food was very dry, ribs had no sauce and were very salty, sweet and Spurr chicken was also quite dry, noodles again dry. food was on time and delivery service was good.

Food was very dry, ribs had no sauce and were very salty, sweet and Spurr chicken was also quite dry, noodles again dry. food was on time and delivery service was good.

Was not impressed on the time it took the delivery fee the lemon chicken looked like chicken burgers that had been cut up and the sweet and sour chicken the veg was far to chunky and not enough sauce to cover the meal so I was eating dried rice it was more expensive than I normally pay for less food and slow service won't be using again

Was not impressed on the time it took the delivery fee the lemon chicken looked like chicken burgers that had been cut up and the sweet and sour chicken the veg was far to chunky and not enough sauce to cover the meal so I was eating dried rice it was more expensive than I normally pay for less food and slow service won't be using again

Ordered from here because our usual chinese takeaway was closed. Unfortunately the food wasn't as good. The sweet and sour chicken was bland. Probably wont order again.

Ordered from here because our usual chinese takeaway was closed. Unfortunately the food wasn't as good. The sweet and sour chicken was bland. Probably wont order again.

Food was lovely, delivered on time and was hot. However, they didn't deliver the chips we ordered which was a huge disappointment. Need to check the order before they deliver.

Food was lovely, delivered on time and was hot. However, they didn't deliver the chips we ordered which was a huge disappointment. Need to check the order before they deliver.

The food was freezing cold portions very small spent 23.50 no free prawn crackers very poor left a message to change sauce and still sent wrong one total waste of money

The food was freezing cold portions very small spent 23.50 no free prawn crackers very poor left a message to change sauce and still sent wrong one total waste of money