You don’t have to live in Florence very long to become aware of all the great restaurants the city has to offer.

Fortunately for UNA students, most of the best places to eat are located only a few blocks from the main campus. It’s also true that as the school year carries on, many students will yearn for a change of scenery and begin to look for new places to hang out and study away from campus as the day winds down.

The result is a night that I have personally gone through several times: Get dinner somewhere local (and relatively inexpensive), then head somewhere else to get coffee or read. Until recently, there has not been a place where you can get dinner and then linger for hours (other than McDonald’s at Seven Points, but no one should naturally want to do that).

All of this changed about one month ago, when Rivertown Coffee Co. made a few changes to its evening business model by adding a dinner menu and alcoholic beverage selection.

In my time at UNA, Rivertown has been a popular student hangout location with some impressive breakfast and lunch dining options. This has made the coffee shop a place where campus life and the community of Florence are intertwined, and I’d been anxious while away for the summer to get back and see how these recent menu changes would affect that vibe, particularly the evening atmosphere.

Would the dinner measure up to breakfast and lunch? What if I’m run out of one of my favorite places to study by crowds?

Weighing these questions and others, I returned to Florence one night during Handy Week to investigate. As I arrived at the restaurant, I noted some unfamiliar faces sitting at the high counter by the window, talking quietly amongst themselves–an immediate indication that the relaxed evening atmosphere I’ve grown to love had not changed.

I was then greeted by several friends from school who were, like me, stopping in for dinner. We ordered our food and drinks and sat down at a table (note that no two tables in Rivertown are the same, as each one is individually painted and a different size from the rest).

Waiting for my caramelized onion and bacon pizza (I’ll get there in a minute), I began to look around the restaurant to see what had changed. Approachable employees: check. Diverse group of customers: check. Posh lighting: check. Random art for sale on the walls: check. Music that most people have never heard before playing at a comfortable volume: check.

The environment was as comfortable as ever, and I was home. Then the pizza arrived.

It was basically a flatbread divided into four slices. The combination of bacon and sauce and caramelized onions…it was just really good. I’m not a food critic; I’m just telling you the pizza was good.

Since trying the rest of the menu (an incredible “hotdog” called the chicken chipotle dog and chips with house salsa), I’ve decided it’s safe to say that the dinner tune of the Rivertown repertoire is on par with the rest of their offerings.

For those of you who have been to Rivertown, you’ll know what to expect. If you haven’t, just know that the food is typically lighter, but made with artisan quality and a lot of care.

If I had to give the place any criticism, it would be that I wished the dinner menu had more options that were a little heavier, similar to the lunch specials during the day. I loved my meal, but found myself hungry for chips and salsa a few hours later while watching The Pyles perform (also at Rivertown).

Overall, I was really satisfied with my first experience with Rivertown’s new dinner menu. I see the changes as pleasantly welcome additions to an already-great restaurant in Florence. If you’re around Florence for any amount of time this fall, I highly recommend checking it out.

Rivertown Coffee Co. is located on Seminary Street in the same building as the Shoals Theatre, across from First Presbyterian Church.