"Orange Tree Tables and Taps" had its grand opening on Main Street on July 7, so I knew I wanted to try it since I learned this location was most recently home to Retro on Main and, before that, Retro Taco.
Being from a city that is an entertainment desert, I enjoy coming to Downtown Riverside in search of fun. I enjoy visiting family-owned businesses, restaurants and coffee shops that made Riverside their home, so when new businesses choose Downtown, I'm eager to try them out.
Councilmember Philip Falcone highlighted the opening, along with a variety of other new Downtown food spots, most still pending, in his latest Ward 1 quarterly update.
As I entered the restaurant, I enjoyed the ambiance. The decorations were distinctive and coexisted nicely with the orange chairs. I sat myself down since upon entering I was prompted to choose my own seating.
After the server greeted me, I was given two menus. One menu was letter-size, for the lunch specials; the other was tabloid-size, with the full menu. The larger menu had a variety of foods and sections like hamburgers, salads and entrees.
I settled on trying the lunch special which was half a sandwich, a side and a drink. I was intrigued by the club sandwich or the avocado turkey. I ordered the club sandwich since the server said that was their favorite.
The club sandwich was made from turkey, bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomato and the Orange Tree signature sauce. For my side I picked a house side salad that was made from chopped egg, tomato, bacon and house-made croutons. My go-to beverage of choice is always lemonade, so when the server told me their machine was broken, I was a little sad but resorted to choosing Starry soda.
I waited for my lunch for roughly 15 to 20 minutes. Once I received my food, I was a bit surprised with the plating.
I took a bite of the salad and it was pretty good. The vegetables were fresh; the croutons ran on the crunchy side.
The sandwich itself was decent. It was a triple level sandwich with veggies on top and the protein on the bottom separated by a piece of sourdough white bread. The veggies and turkey were fresh, and the bacon leaned crispy.
Overall for $15 the meal did its job for a quick bite. However, I wouldn't mind returning to try their breakfast menu.
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar and The Daily Café are both still to come to the block.
More information: Orange Tree Tables and Taps is located at 3744 Main St. Hours are 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays. For more information, call (951) 990-9843 or visit @theorangetree.dtr on Instagram.
By Marissa Perez
