Riverside Chinese Restaurant in Sedgemoor

Having used Riverside regularly for over 40 years under different ownerships I was left disgusted this evening when I went to collect our pre-ordered takeaway, I waited at the hatch with my bank card in full view, the young lady behind the counter served everyone around me then totally ignored my self before walking back into the kitchen. I held my card up to her to indicate that I was waiting to be served but was still ignored. The final straw was when another customer came in and she immediately went to serve them and carried on ignoring me. I told her quite clearly to forget our order, she tried to apologise and make out that she hadn't realised that I was waiting but that was a feeble excuse having stood at the hatch for 10 minutes with my bank card in full view of her. The sad thing is that the food from Riverside is usually of an excellent quality and there is plenty of it - but if they wish to retain custom then their standard of customer service needs to greatly improve, locals talk to locals and Riverside would do well to remember that.

Ordered food over phone then picked it up, free carpark behind. Our food was lovely, would recommend this chinese takeaway if nearby.

Great food & huge portions - mushrooom chow mein, chicken strips with mango sauce, sweet & sour chicken balls & egg fried rice. Tasty and enough to do us that evening and the next one as well so really good value for money. We also got a portion of chips (as my daughter got into this bad habit from having Chinese takeaways when staying with her grandad). Usually chips from the Chinese aren't that great but these were really tasty.

Was staying in cheddar for the weekend and fancied a takeaway, riverside was recommended by many of the locals we spoke to but we were made nervous by the reviews. We are so happy we tried it anyway as it was very very tasty and had very fast service with friendly staff who were helpful when it came to my many questions 🤣. Would definitely recommend to anyone in cheddar or near by, fairly priced and a lovely takeaway

Stayed here on holiday at cheddar woods Decided on this Chinese as it’s 5 mins away We ordered a selection of dishes All came out pipping hot The Singapore vermicelli noodles was spicy noodle dish which was lovely Chicken and sweet corn soup was delicious Bbq spare ribs , egg fried rice, chilli chicken . Chicken balls and sweet and sour and prawn crackers. Satay chicken Total 50.30 Beautiful little Chinese worth a visit

I ordered online, pre-paid and was given a specific collection time. I turned up to find the little waiting area rammed - at least eight people, no provision for social distancing and no control / direction given by the staff behind their tall protection screen. The windows were closed and the door remained shut. I expected to get my food immediately having been given a collection time but I was told it would be five minutes. I was in there for 23 minutes - so clearly they didn't even start cooking my order until I arrived - and at one point there were ten people in the waiting area. The restaurant staff should be actively controlling who goes in not making it a free-for-all. Other businesses in the Gorge seem to have a proper idea of COVID-19 safety and make sure to take bookings and dispense food according to a strict schedule. This restaurant was a joke. Worse, it was downright dangerous.

I have never had such a tasteless and bland Chinese ever . Stay away if you love Chinese food because this is terrible.

This restaurant only has 1 star at present beware. Check out on the mendip food rating site for latest information

I went to Riverside in January/February 2019 and it was truly awful. Decided to give it another whirl last night and it was back up the usual good standard. Nice food and didn't take long to be served.

Used to go regularly for a takeaway, so this was the first time in two years and it was great. thoroughly enjoyed it

So bad i was worried i was going to be ill after it. That did not happen, but was the blandest meal I've ever had. Absolutely awful.

Restaurant smelled damp. Plastic tablecloth sticky & dirty. Service slow. Ordered a variety of dishes, most of which tasted the same even though they should have been markedly different. Just orange coloured gloop. Would have walked out had I not promised the kids a Chinese. After trying a couple of very average takeaways in the last few months, including 2 cases of clearly using smelly old oil which tainted the dishes, won’t be returning despite it being local. Really disappointing.

We ate in the restaurant. The service was quick and the waiter was friendly. The food was good and the portions were large. The place was nice, very quiet but did smell a little like the caves

During our visit to Cheddar we wanted to grab lunch but away from the crowds. Riverside Chinese is perfectly located on the Main Street through Cheddar. We were unsure if the restaurant was open or just the takeaway counter, after some quick conversing the man gesticulated to grab a seat. There was quite a language barrier which meant our drinks were wrong and we had to explain which dishes we wanted for starters and which for mains. Lots of food for the money, quality was fairly good, my battered chicken was rather dry though. Riverside almost got a 4 from me, but part of the dining room was storing Christmas decorations, the dining room as a whole felt a bit tired and the dry chicken caused me to just give 3 stars. If you really want Chinese and don’t care about atmosphere then eat here.

Chicken chow mein dry over cooked Chicken satay strewers over cooked hard and chewy. Won’t be coming back now after trying again , always over cooked!!!

Despite placing an order and being told that it would be ready at 1830, which was later than I had requested, I was still waiting at 1900. The apology came in the form of free prawn crackers, which we didn’t want.I would have preferred my food at the time promised without waiting in a queue of similarly disgruntled customers who had been made similar undelivered promises.

Ordered on 30th January crispy over £30 worth of food and the whole lot was swimming in Oil and fat. The crispy beef was disgusting which we ordered 2 of the egg fried rice was dry and over cooked the chicken balls we over done and like bullets. I did however ring when I felt well enough the next evening and after a very heated conversation was refund half of my money. I was told I did not get a full refund because I did not bring the food back But I did explain I was poorly and I do buy my food from there quite often. The guy I was speaking to was more interested in arguing and I did even offer to get my food out of my bin and bring it in to show them!!! So I offered to bring the food back as you could still clearly see how covered in grease and over cooked it was. I will not be using the riverside again and would not recommend the food and disgusting service.

Have been eating here several times a year for about 15 years and would regularly tell people it was the best Chinese food I have ever had. However, tonight was awful - the egg fried rice was so soggy I think it had been boiled and then left for a few days. The sweet and sour sauce was runny and tasted of vinegar and the chicken was tough as old boots.

Food was not good. Ordered chicken dish that had hardly no chicken just full of veg and watery juice, chicken tasted like fatty meat, been here a couple of times and disqppointed each time,

Gross ... BBQ sauce had nothing BBQ about it it was see through thick oil based goop , rice was cold , chicken was rubbery not nice at all and over £8 for privilege of putting it in the bin. Will never go here again

Really tasty, good food. After reading all the reviews I was a bit sceptical, but food was seriously good. Surroundings quite basic and staff very casually dressed; a bit like being in someone's sitting room (not a bad thing). Would have liked dishes to have been on warmers to keep food hot, but not a great deal. Very reasonably priced and I would be more than happy to return and would recommend to all.

Fantastic service, attentive and polite, the food was excellent, large portions. Would definitely recommend to others.

Fancied a Chinese and had walked past this place the night before. Prawn crackers bought to the table when you arrive ( free of charge ). The alcohol is a bit expensive but what do

This was the worst take away I have had since we have ben having take away from them the last 12 years.

If getting starters dont over order on the mains as they are generous portions, nice little restaurant!

Had both a takeaway and a sit down meal in the Riverside, both meals were very good. The staff are very nice, the restaurant could do with tidying up a bit. Would recommend.

A starving group of 8 holidaymakers, including 3 children,fancied a Chinese evening meal. Took a chance on this modest looking restaurant, and came up trumps. Fantastic staff, very attentive service, and delicious food in generous portions. Hunger satisfied, taste buds overjoyed. Oh, and the crispy beef was the best I ever tasted.

We were on holiday in the area. Ordered a takeaway for collection. The food was obviously fresh cooked, hot and delicious. The menu was varied. Hubby described it as the best takeaway he has ever had. Thank you.

Just had takeaway from here i got chicken fried rice,the chicken was dry & overcooked & the rice had no flavour. My hysband wanted prawn curry with extra portion of cashew nuts which i asked for 4 times to make sure they had put them in. I was told by the young lady that they had been added to the curry....they hadn't neither had many prawns!!! He said it had about 6 in not overly impressed & probably won't visit again

On holiday in the area and had a takeaway from here to celebrate my husbands birthday. We ordered by phone and it was waiting for us when we arrived. It was piping hot and the set meal for 2 was beautiful. Would definitely recommend it and already considering using it again.

Had a take away from here while camping, phoned to order ahead to collect, everything was ready and correct. Portions were generous and the food delicious, I will certainly return if we are in the area again

We ignored some of the bad reviews and thought we would give them a try. Looks so tasty, but for some reason there wasn't much taste to it and unsure why or what is missing. Only thing up to scratch was the crispy chicken in salt and chilli.

Was a little unsure if to try or not as was a little more expensive then I’m used to but glad we did now, service was really good, food was prompt for collection and it was tastey, good quality and portion size was good and as a bonus it wasn’t very greasy like some Chinese take aways

I have just had the worst meal I have ever had. The crispy duck was like sawdust, the only crispy bit was the paper it was in. The sweet and sour prawns might had been better if I had been given some sauce. The chips were vile, the dog has more taste than me, he declined.. I will never eat there again. Was this meal the end for Cheddar Man? I will never eat there again; if I survive?

We wanted to eat out with sister and left it a bit late to book as originally we fancied Indian but booked here and were not disappointed. We ordered set meal for 4 but be warned... way too much food!! The staff were great and food came out very quickly. Food was tasty and portions huge but we were able to take doggy bags home for the next day. Would recommend but choose wisely!!

We are regulars at the Riverside. Fancying a change from festive food, we had our usual order. We had to wait a little longer as everybody else had the same idea but the food was excellent as usual. I thoroughly recommend the Riverside, the menu is extensive and reasonable and the food is always very hot and fresh.....looking forward to our next isit already!

We decided to have a take away on our last evening. The choice is extensive and the food was quick even when there was an quee. I have to say the food was great and would highly recommend this establishment.

The food here was fantastic, potentially one of the best Chinese takeaway's I've ever had. Great portion sizes and really good value along with a 5 star food hygiene rating. The only think I'd say is that it would be useful for there to be a menu in the window or menus to takeaway outside of the restaurant. We found the restaurant in the day so it was closed, we found a menu on their Facebook page but the management has changed since the menu was posted so we were unsure if they had the same menu in place! However there were no issues and we were able to order everything we wanted. Will definitely drop by again.

Food disgusting no taste at all. Waste of money as all food went in the bin where it belonged . So we went hungry that night

Best Chinese we know we travelled from Weston super Mare to get a take-a-away from here. Been many times before always great food.

Food as good as always - very high quality and our family favourites all provided as good as ever. We...

Lacked atmosphere although appeared lean and tidy. On entry, waited a while at the counter to be seated to see many in the kitchen running around looking but not acknowledging us.

Been about 5 years since my last visit here and was so looking forward to it but it has obviously changed owners. The food was greasy, tasteless and poor.

Jantamos no Riverside com toda nossa família. Foi ótimo! Comida saborosa por um preço bom! O atendimento também é excelente! Todos muito simpáticos! Adoramos e vamos voltar!

Visited this evening - 31st July 2017 for a meal for two and was very disappointed with the service. Not only us but several families with small children had the same problem.Won't be visiting again!!

Wont be calling in here again. Slow service and tasteless, overpriced food. Even had to ask what had happened to the drinks we ordered !!

Limited choice in area ended up here. The worst Chinese I've ever had we couldn't eat it. The rice smelt stale as did the prawn crackers. Chow mein was bland and watery. Gutted I wasted my money here.

wanted a takeaway as camping locally in the area, food was prepared quickly and we enjoyed everything ordered. especially the pineapple fritters!

Ordered a small takeaway for myself having not eaten here for 5 years or so. Food was cooked quickly and fresh to order. Tasted great and the portions were big, three dishes have lasted me three meals over the weekend!

We visit Cheddar on holiday, we eat chinese as a lot of it is suitable for veggies/vegans. If you care to change anything on the menu, this is frowned upon. We do use this as a matter of urgency, as with other restaurants in the area, you can mix and match. There is no bean curd in this restaurant, only vegetables served in different ways. It's a port in a storm.... it's ok.

Got a takeaway from here .very quick service. The meals were fantastic best Chinese had in a long time .would definitely go back if I'm in the area again .

Had a lovely meal here. Walked in and ordered. Waiting less that 10 mins for it all to be cooked up. There are two Chinese in cheddar but the other is closed. So we gave this one a go. Was lovely meal. Friendly staff. A little waiting area inside to sit and read newspaper while waiting. Thank you riverside for a pleasant meal

Nice meal - but a bit expensive for the food that we hadCharging £2.50 for a bowl of boiled rice is quite steep when the mains are £8 anyway.OK Food - Good servive

We visited for a takeaway for 6 of us. Though the meal wasn't ready at the quoted time, all the dishes were hot, tasty and enjoyed by all of us. My Char Sui noodles was lovely.

Food is substandard, tasteless and the place does not look clean. The owners must be greedy, as quality is poor and service dreadful.

We went to cheddar camping and decided to have a take away. As a family the only option we all agreed on was a Chinese. We though seeing as this one was central we would give it a go. As we walked in we were greeted by three teenage girls with false nails taking orders. We should have walked but decided we would give it a go. It was very disappointing when the girls argued about who was going to serve us because "it's gonna be a big order" very off putting. The kids were starving and we decided we would look elsewhere but the kids wanted to stay. It was so disappointing. As I've just seen in other comments it was tasteless. I'm not sure how a Chinese takeaway works but it was just like a microwave meal. To be honest it probably was. The meat wasn't completely covered in sauce and I didn't see anyone Asian working there. As I look into the kitchen all I could see was amateur cooking equipment like you would have at home.

Has a takeaway from here. Portions were plentiful but the food was tasteless and required additional seasoning to be palatable.

We dined here before the Summer season kicked off. We had sweet and sour chicken balls with rice and a few sides and a couple of soft drinks. We paid what we expected to pay but in all honesty there wasn't really a lot of flavour in anything we had. It was ok for a meal but I wouldn't say it was ok if you're taking someone out for a meal. Something lacking... it wasn't horrible, just hmmm average I suppose.

Spent 60 pounds. Most food was cold meat spring roll had zero meat in it and was tasteless. The satay chicken was probably the worst we have ever tasted.Rude child staff, not even any prawn crackers! We spent 60 pounds. Shouldn't have even bothered. Will not be returning!

Just a Chinese, nothing too special!! Ridiculous prices if you eat in, not as busy as used to be, okay.

Had friends over for a weekend and opted instead of cooking on the Friday, to order a take-away. With a choice of Indian, Thai and Chinese the unanimous decision was Chinese. Menus were scanned and sent so people could choose in advance which they did and the order for 12 people was submitted.The feast when it was unwrapped, was a banquet (probably enough to feed 15 to 18) but 12 hungry adults did easily devour every morsel.Great service, adequate parking - great taste.

Ordered two curries with fried rice one beef and one chicken. Staff was friendly and service was quick however when we came to eat them we were most disappointed could barely make out it was chicken and it certainly did not taste like a Chinese cooked curry sauce more like the packet ones you can buy for a pound and add water to. Will never visit again.

Ordered a takeaway from this restaurant, food took longer than expected even though they were quiet, egg fried rice was excellent as was the duck and pancakes, however the sweet and sour was all stuck together and seemed ready prepared. Definitely not bad food and will probably visit again.

Having had a takeaway from the Riverside when last in Cheddar and food was good. We decided this time to try the Restaurant. We were not disappointed. Friendly greeting, service good and food piping hot. We had King Prawn Curry and fried rice which was really tasty with plenty of prawns. Would recommend and return when next in Cheddar.

We are staying locally so after reading a few reviews on here we thought we'd give it a try! I had a chow mein which looked disgusting in the tub and tasted even worse, weird thin noodles with mank looking chicken that I thought beat not to eat, the rest of the food was average and the curry sauce tasted like a microwave packet mix. We put post of it in the bin, which is unusual more us as we normally eat everything and keep as leftovers!

The staff were very friendly and helpful. Sadly the food was at best average, the dishes described as hot were poorly described. Our quest to find a good Chinese restaurant in this area continues............

Cooked to perfection piping hot friendly service would go back again for sure well done guys doing a great job

Best Chinese we have had for a long time. Great large portions, piping hot and excellent food. Friendly staff. Good value for money. Would definitely return.

We live in Weston super Mare and travel out to Cheddar every time we feel like Chinese food because Riverside is the best Chinese food we have ever had. Staff are very friendly and welcoming. They have a carpark which is a bonus ad parking in Cheddar can be difficult.

Firstly well what can I say, from the moment I walked in I was welcomed by two very smiley young men who when we started talking are actually partners of the business. They advised me on best dishes to order and wow my family absolutely loved their dinner. Thank you so much we will be back again!!!

Fantastic tasty food great staff and service I cant fault them we hace food from here at least twicw a week

Have been here a couple of times recently. Amazing selection of dishes all cooked to a high standard. Much better than a lot of Chinese restaurants out there.

Great food at fair prices. If you go for the meal deal for four make sure you have not eaten for a week!! Great selection of food and plenty of it. They have take away so a To Go box is available and welcome.

There was 6 adults. We ordered sharing starters and a main meal each. Portions are very large so shame we filled up on starters as struggled with mains. Food was good but very expensive. Staff were friendly and service was quick. The restaurant is quite dated and could do with a freshen up All in all an average meal!

We had a chinese takeaway from here whilst on holiday, it was ok, nothing special, had better but also had worse. Would go again if in the area

great tasty food, we collected our food to take back to our lodge we were staying at near by (2 mins away) and the food was still hot, prawn curry had lots of prawns in, chicken curry was made from fresh chicken, great price for the tasty food we recieved. great selection to choose from

Have had many good meals here and tonight 22nd of July was excellent , service was spot on as was the food , The young lady serving was very professional and attentive.The proprietors son was on hand and was a very helpful and friendly asset to the business . I look forward to coming back for another visit very soon , well done to all the staff at the Riverside .

Had best ever chicken fried rice ever from here, i have dietry requirements and the young girl on counter was brilliant, she had chicken fried rice cooked fresh to order for me with no egg and no oil , and it was packed with chicken breast strips, hot wholegrain rice, with cooked onions, peas and mushrooms, they threw in beansprouts for me aswell perfect just perfect £4.90 very well spent, i walked home eating it from the tub with a plastic spoon

After reading reviews and taking in local knowledge we tried riverside Chinese. We weren't disappointed. Friendly service, the food was stunning. I recommend the crispy chilli chicken and Singapore vermicelli. Top marks from us and we have had hundreds on Chinese takeaways. Definitely up there with the best!

After reading the reviews decided to give the takeaway section a try. The food was cooked fresh and very tasy.

Lovely food and plenty of it ,pleasant staff ,reasonable price for the amount and quality of food.Parking available .Décor not really Chinese in style but that didn't worry us.They also do takeaway.

After 10 years Riverside is still the best Chinese we have discovered. Sadly living nearly 200 miles away we have to go to some lengths to eat here, but we stop on our way back from West Country holidays and in the past have added an extra day of holiday in order to eat here. We recently met another family in the restaurant who do just the same. The food is abundant, beautifully flavoured and, unlike in many other Chinese restaurants, the main dishes are not padded out with copious amounts of onion or other "fillers". Their sweet and sour king prawns are deliciously sticky and sweet; the yellow bean chicken overflows with meat and cashew nuts; and the crispy duck melts in the mouth. The service is always professional, friendly and helpful. The only down side is that the restaurant building itself has maybe seen better days. But don't let the faded wallpaper and lack of glamour detract from the real reason to come here, the food is worthy of a detour.

Its a great restaurant, unassuming and not pretentious but the food and service is great. We love it.

we were staying locally on holiday and after a busy day didnt want to cook read the reviews but took a chance and was so glad. well cooked tasty food and plenty of it. would highly recommend it.

We have been having Chinese from here for 30 years plus and it always delivers! The food is extremely tasty, the portions are a decent standard and I think the staff are always good! Have searched for better chinese restaurants in Birmingham and Bristol, but can never find a better one! Would thoroughly recommend this for both takeaway and going to the restaurant.

We had a takeaway from here during a camping stay in Cheddar, the food was okay... but nothing exciting! The massive portions would have been more welcomed had the dishes been more flavoursome and interesting. A slight shame after craving Chinese all day! On a positive note, quick and friendly service and good value for money.

Delightful Chinese food with massive choice to choose from. Been a couple of times when passing through Cheddar on holiday trips from Leicestershire and never disappoints. One of the very best for Chinese food we have ever been to.

has takeaway from this restaurant. good prices, quality food, lots of it, friendly staff, quick service. will go again

Food was excellent. service very good. Booked before we went. Would definitely go again. There were three of us, but found the meal for two was more than enough.

Really very nice food at a good price - glad to say the poor reviews on this site were wrong. Chefs spicy fish our fave we went twice both good

A lovely takaway meal, would certainly go back again,enjoyed by the whole family. The meal was good quality with fresh vegetables and good quality meats.

Tough inedible beef in the beef in cantonese sauce, what seemed like frozen veg in the mixed veg in black bean sauce plus the sauce was sweet and nothing like black bean, expensive side portion of noodles which were rice noodles which tasted of nothing but ginger, the chicken chow mein was again rice noodles topped with inedible strange tasting chicken, the salt and chilli ribs were fine, nice meat but the crispy seaweed was again overwhelmingly sweet. £30 down the drain as everything other than the ribs was binned! Was originally going to use the Dragon House chinese round the corner but they were the most unfriendly people ever!

Food was brilliant as usual thanks! Good to see your star rating has gone up to four. I like the way you are flexible with the set meals. We really like the house garlic king prawns so we switch the beef for two garlic prawns.

All my family have gone to Riverside Chinese at Cheddar for over 25 years. My wife and I went there about a month ago and it was just as brilliant as ever. So as someone who writes reviews on Trip adviser I thought I would write one for Riverside. I was shocked to see bad reviews. I have investigated this by first talking to The Food Standards Agency and then Sedgemoor Council. The Food Standards Agency had not heard of Riverside Chinese at Cheddar but Sedgemoor Council were the ones who inspected the restaurant. They said in May 2013 the restaurant had a blip and went down to zero (their words). But action was taken almost immediately and when up to a 3 star rating. I say who is without sin cast the first stone! As I said my family have eaten there for over 25 years and we are not going to write off Riverside Chinese for one mistake. I am sure their star rating will continue to rise and I hope I will be able to continue to enjoy their food for years to come.

I use to eat here all the time , until last june 2013 when we had chicken balls and my husband ended up so ill and in hospital ,,,, since then I have never eaten there again , and thank god since reading the local cheddar valley gazette on how bad there food hygiene is ??? I have worked in chinease takeaways before first hand , so know how dirty these kitchens really are .... maybe the owner needs to stop gambling and think about there restaurant and getting the place upto standard ,,,I use winscombe chinese the BEST EVER

This is a great Chinese restaurant. For some reason someone is targeting it with bad reviews. The food here is great we have used this restaurant for years. We have never been ill after eating here. We have never been disappointed with the quality & standard of the food. The owners are very friendly. There are a lot of restaurants in Cheddar and its a small place, the competition is fears. I wonder who is writing these bad reviews?

Wouldn't come here again. Was not at all great. Done the job but won't be returning. Was cheap for what we had but food was tasteless. Don't no if they were having a bad day, but didn't enjoy it

Best Chinese restaurant for tasty fresh food ever. The Riverside has a 3 rating Food Hygiene cert. My family have been going to this restaurant for over 30 years and we have never had a bad meal. We have eaten in the restaurant and had the take-away. It has always been of the highest quality with fresh ingredients. We were shocked to read a review stating that the Riverside Chinese Restaurant had a zero rating. So we looked at the Food Standards Agency web site. It was hard to find but hear is the page, which gives the Riverside Chinese Restaurant a 3 level of hygiene. http://ratings.food.gov.uk/business/en-GB/141459/Riverside-Restaurant-Cheddar

Had a 'take out' from here the other night, rice, curry sauce, spring rolls and meat spring rolls (veggie alert). The food was ok, if you're on holiday and walking a lot, and fancy chinese, there's nothing wrong with it. IS it good value, for what you eat, yes. Is it good food? Don't expect 'a la carte'. They do NOT serve bean curd /Tofu whatsoever, so you have to eat vegetables cooked 40 different ways, but with no protein whatsoever, boring and bland. I think it's very old fashioned, and not really acceptable for 2013!!We asked if we could have (bearing in mind made from scratch) VEGGIE won ton, usually this is pastry with 'prawn mix' wrapped inside, VEGGIE Won Ton is EMPTY pastry, they said NO! Go figure!!! I was shocked to hear they did no bean curd, then to be told you cannot deviate from the menu in this way? I found the young servers very polite, but unable to be of any help, once they'd spoken to the owner. If you're hungry, and want chinese take out food, it's ok.

The food is absolutely brilliant and good size portions as well. Reasonably priced but good. Its a must try.