Rooftop at Riverside opened across from Riverside Park in Bonita Springs last January and quickly gained popularity. From retirees to toddlers, visitors to long-time Bonititians to pups big and small, Rooftop at Riverside is loved by all. The beautiful two-story bar offers an escape from the rain or SWFL heat while the huge outdoor area provides a perfect spot to enjoy some great weather and a variety of live music.
Rooftop a Riverside planned to open with six food trucks, but misfortune struck one of the food truck owners. Chef Julian hired a company from Orlando to build out his food truck. After he gave them his life savings, the company took his money and filed for bankruptcy. Julian was devastated. At a time when most people would give up, Julian decided he was going to do everything he could to pursue his dream. Rooftop owner Chris Magnus saved his spot for almost an entire year while Julian worked tirelessly saving his money to build out his food truck. The name of his truck is El Chilango MX and he opened for business at Rooftopat Riverside last month.
The team at Rooftop has used the last year to listen to the public’s feedback and make changes to improve the experience. They replaced a less popular truck with a brand new Carribean truck that recently opened. Reggae Kitchen serves up Jamaican food with a little flare. They offer classics like oxtail and jerk chicken along with some fun fusion dishes like jerk chicken pasta and jerk chicken pasta. Chef Marlon also has ideas for a jerk chicken mac-n-cheese that we hope comes to fruition!
Rooftop at Riverside has also reinvented their cocktail menu with brand-new, scratch-made drinks. All mixes are made in-house from natural ingredients, and you can taste the difference! They even infuse their liquors, like their pineapple rum, in-house!
We had the pleasure of sampling their new food and drinks at a tasting event this week and we were blown away. The drinks were perfectly made and the food could not have been better. Some of our personal favorite cocktails were the Grandma Mollie Olf Fashion, made with orange marmalade and black walnut bitters, and the Belle Myers, a refreshing gin cocktail with cucumber, mint, and ginger. It was hard to pick favorites from the food because it was all delicious, but the jerk chicken pasta and chilquiles topped with carnitas just barely topped the rest. We also loved the jerk chicken ceasar wrap, oxtails, birria tacos, and quesadilla.
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