We've walked by this restaurant a few times and admired the outdoor patio, so we decided to give it a try for lunch. Our hostess/server was so sweet and welcoming, and we were seated at a table of our choice on the patio with a gorgeous view of the water. The white sangria was delicious and my husband enjoyed his beer. He had the chicken pannini and fries and was pleased with it, though not overly ecstatic. On the other hand, I had the fried oyster burger and a cup of seafood chowder, and I was over-the-moon happy. Best oyster burger ever! The oysters were meaty and not overly battered - absolute perfection! The chowder was really good, too, but the oyster burger and the service were the stars of the show. read more

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Traveling with family and this was very close to our hotel. However, we can't recommend. The fish and chips had small portions for the price. My father had the habachi shrimp which came with 6 of them, and a mountains of rice and lots of onions. Everything was quite expensive for how "okay" it tasted. Service was decent, was served fast and politely. The fries and the view were great however. Won't be going back. read more

We were looking for pasta in Sydney and found Riva. Really nice ambiance with live piano music and cool decor. Food was excellent, well presented and tasty - my husband got the surf and turf, I got the white peach with prawns salad and our son got spaghetti marinara. Spendier than our usual but we enjoyed our meals. read more

Large spacious patio gets sun during the day, cooler in the evening, but always a stunning view of the water. The inside dining areas look great too. Service was very good. Cocktails are good. The steak, chicken, lamb, fish all looked amazing. We had the steak and lamb sirloin, both nicely presented on a bed of veggies and roasted potatoes. My only qualm is the steak was cut too thin for a NY striploin so it was difficult to cook medium (came out well done but very tender and juicy). Overall plenty of choices for everyone, not cheap but priced typically for the area. read more

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Review Template === 1. VERDICT/VALUE View of the water during lunch or dinner (in the late Spring through early Fall)? Check. Good food? Sometimes. Live piano player Thursday through Saturday nights? Check. Good service? Check. Good value? Sadly, no. If you're coming here, you're likely coming for the ambiance. === 2. FOOD I came as part of a large group dinner and so can comment about: The appetizers: they were alright but far too small for their price: - Brussel Sprouts ($20) - Baked Brie ($22) - Limoncello Prawns ($26) - Calamari ($22) Chicken Piccata ($33): Breaded chicken breast on pappardelle pasta; I changed the cream-based sauce to a tomato-based one and it was alright but I am so grateful for the apples and dessert because it was very small - especially for the price. Tiramisu ($14): It was good, but also overpriced / too small for the price. Note: coffee is $4.50; pop/soda is $4 - but refills are not included. === 3. SERVICE Nicole was super-friendly and really cared about our experience; her teammates helped deliver the many dishes. She was prompt in helping when it was later realized we were missing two of the group's dishes. If I were to go back, I would ask to be served by Nicole if possible. === 4. ENVIRONMENT It's like a steakhouse on the water: dark wood, dim lighting; it could be like that to have diners focus on the many windows facing the water. There appears to be outdoor seating available also. You can bring groups of all sizes here; wheelchairs and baby strollers should fit also in some areas. Parking is based on luck - what you can get on the streets nearby (and you may be looking around for a bit)! read more

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We put in a reservation 2 weeks ago for window seat for a special Birthday. Was put a table that didn't have view. Changed to a better table but not the one we reserved. Waited for 20 minutes till some one came over with water Another 10 minutes when she came back and asked if we were ready to order. Said we would like to order drinks and then she pushed for us to order. We were 40 minutes before we had drinks. Our appetizer was left on the table when the meals came. Nothing was cleared and we were never asked if we wanted coffee,more drinks etc. So disappointed! So expensive for such a bad experience. Save your money. read more

We had a chance to check out Riva in Sidney by the marina. The food was wonderful with excellent service and great outdoor seating. We'll be back next time we're in the area. I'm downloading the 4 dishes our table ordered. read more

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We have been to this restaurant a few times previously and have enjoyed our experience. Unfortunately this was not the same last week. Although the place was not by any means full (there at 1:00 on a week day) the server staff appeared to be rushing (almost running) to service tables. We ordered fish & chips for a change. What can we say. GROSS!. Batter was overcooked and extremely oily, wife's fish was undercooked inside. We should have sent it back. Tried to get hold of our server for some more condiments. She was no where to be found (even made a trip inside to find her (never did... spoke to the hostess). Overall, our worst experience ever at that was our "go to" place in Sidney. Too bad as they have a have a nice view of the waterfront from their patio. read more

It is always a pleasure to draw attention to a restaurant that is 'punching above its weight'. Sadly, some are punching under theirs. In my opinion, this can be said of Riva, on the Sydney waterfront. THE ROSES: Great location, ample parking nearby. Dining room ambiance is nice: cool, dark, heavy woods - this has all the marks for a great intimate 'date' restaurant. Competent staff and reasonable prices. THE THORNS: The food. It isn't horrible, but to be brutally honest, at this venue and this price point, I expect a LOT more. The cannelloni was way too sweet, and the risotto was criminally under seasoned. WHY ONLY TWO STARS? At the end of the day, it has to be about the food, Sparky. I've had better Italian cuisine at The Olde Spaghetti Factory. If you're playing the fine dining game and at this price point, you honestly have to bring a better game than Riva does. THE VERDICT: Sadly, like Sally's on Alki back in my neighborhood, I fear this establishment is coasting on its location and a steady stream of 'One-and-Done' tourist clientele. Two stars on Yelp means 'I've had better', and that is the case here. Do not recommend. read more

Food was great had the dine out menu & Service was amazing server was ontop of everything

we love riva. my husband and I come in every weekend to see our server as she is just so lovley. When you come to visit Sidney you should get the clam chowder, fudge cake and ask for Cierra to wait on you. read more

Wonderful service and live Jazz on Thursday evenings, you will need reservations for dinner and live Jazz preferably. Pasta was spot on and worth the evening dinner with music read more

Riva - Red Sangria and Manhattan - Italian Near Me - Sidney, British Columbia

We were driving around on Saturday and decided to pop into Rivas as we hadn't been here since they rebranded a while ago. We waited at the 'please wait to be seated' sign for what seemed to be a long time. The hostess walked past us and the couple ahead of us 6x before seating them and then us. We ended up asking for a better table since the folks behind us moved and that offered a beach view. Our server was lovely and didn't mind at all. I had the Saltspring Island mussels which were really good and NOT over cooked - and my hubby got the clam chowder. They had one of my favourite beers on tap - fat tug in a Category 12 glass (both faves). We enjoyed the food and our server was great. The restaurant is quite pricey to be honest. A Cobb salad goes for $26 and my mussels were $28 (sorry I forgot to take the picture before I ate them, lol). The entrees hit $38-50 which seems a little much as this is not exactly fine dining and needs an over haul on the chairs, tables and decor. A nice, if pricey, pit stop on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Sidney, BC. read more

Riva - a glass of beer sitting on a table - Italian Near Me - Sidney, British Columbia

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Beautiful setting on the water and nicely finished inside. Food and service are top notch. Entertainment (piano jazz) Thursday-Saturday evenings. read more

Started with a martini,extra dry, straight up with olives... tasted watered down... with a long history of ordering martinis, never tasted anything so bad! Crab cakes were good plus piccata also but very expensive for what you got! Nice atmosphere and our server, Nicole, was very good and charming In no rush to return... read more

Absolutely delicious food. Warm inviting acoustically superior if you were hearing aids to any other restaurants in town.

Our party of four was on a road-trip for work, Our Air BnB was located in East Saanich - we planned on an evening out together and Riva's came highly recommended by the owner of our Air BnB With just a short drive, you arrive at the end of a culdesac right on the waters edge of Glass Beach. With an upscale and very homey interior it felt as if you walked right into mom's Italian kitchen. The first of your instincts is blasted by the delicious aroma of fresh Italian delicacy's. We were sat on a very busy Friday evening quite quickly. Our waiter was unpretentious even given the high class of the establishment. We ordered drinks the negroni sbagliato is full bodied and strong without the over bearing taste of alcohol, and came recommended by our waiter as it's his favourite after work drink. My partner ordered the Bellini with fresh peach purée, and then a second. We were served fresh bread with balsamic vinaigrette prior to ordering our mains. Mains came quickly, even with one of our party ordering the Lasange al Bisonte - made to order baked bison pasta. Words simply cannot capture the flavours, taste and texture that whisk around your mouth delicately. The mascarpone crema over my risotto blended smoothly with the rosé sauce elevating it even further. With a fair priced menu, especially given the area and city Riva's is located it makes for a perfect evening out. Thank-you again for the absolutely wonderful dining experience I look forward to coming through those doors again soon. read more

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The food and the price do not correspond to each other. The food was just so so. The fresh muscles smell fishy and taste like frozen muscles. The only things we enjoyed from our meals were the mocktail and the French Fries. Food from a 3 star Italian restaurant in Nola can probably taste better than the food here. The ambiance is nice, though. read more

Dog friendly area! With dog beds and even a dog menu. I order Chicken Marsala and it is to die for good! The wait staff are friendly and the food is piping hot when it arrives. Good service, takes a while to get food so settle in with a drink and an appetizer, it's worth the wait! Owner even came out and chatted with us a bit. read more

Great food! And we had a very lovely server. The restaurant is very formal design (lots of dark wood). Excellent location. One of my favourite restaurants in Sidney read more

I give it three stars only because I came home with 3 pieces of cheese cake priced at $14 a piece. like that's as much as my kids meal. read more

Riva - Italian Near Me - Sidney, British Columbia

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Restaurant used to serve pub food as Beacon Landing. Missed lunch and thought this was the perfect opportunity to try the restaurant as an Italian Restaurant now. The atmosphere and serving staff was pleasant. Some patrons were dining indoors but majority were dining outdoors enjoying the beautiful weather and ocean views. Ordered the Polpette (meatballs) and Fruitti di Mare (seafood fettucini) that arrived with focaccia bread. Presentation of dishes were awesome. The meatballs tasted good but were overcooked. The fettucini was cooked nicely and served with a great sauce but the seafood was overcooked though. The focaccia bread was tasty by itself or with the balsam. Butter was not available when requested. Walking off the meal in front of the restaurant afterwards I met a fellow patron who wanted butter as well but gave up on that notion when she overheard my exchange with the server. There was a nice selection of wine which I hope to experience in my next visit. My beverage needed to be non-alcoholic this day. Riva has not opened long as an Italian restaurant. There is a staff shortage in this industry. Perhaps this is why the dishes were not up to snuff??? There are other dishes I wish to to experience later. Pre-Covid I would not have tipped the staff much due to the sub-par cooking of the food and mentioned to the server about the quality of the cooked food but this is not the time to be skimpy nor complain to the server as the industry tries to recover. I hope my next visit will be 100% and improve my impressions about the restaurant. I would rather spend my dining dollars with a great meal with an added bonus of great views as well. read more

Calamari was really really good, however there was a piece of hair we noticed after finishing our food. :( chicken wasnt fresh and friends of the riva burger isnt cripy it was soggy. View was nice tho. read more

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Ten of us arrived for lunch on the patio.the reservation for this had been made by phone specifically for the patio. We were assured it would be so. Upon arrival we were advised that they would not honour the reservation. We are a group of friends,all over 75 and very anxious about dining inside.two of the group left for a restaurant patio across the street. The others remained but feeling bullied into eating inside. Most of us have underlying conditions which made us more anxious. not one of those ten ladies will ever set foot in this establishment Again.A shame as most of us eat out a lot and live in sidney. this was reprehensible behaviour for any restaurant...never mind one just starting out and hoping to grow their clientele. read more

We had a fabulous dinner and our entire experience could not have been better. The decor is elegant, clean, modern, and comfortable with a great view. There were six of us and we were treated like royalty. We ordered pasta vongole, chowder, beet salad, Hoyne beers, and more. We all raved about the food, drinks, and service. We loved the warm apple crisp and the Sticky Toffee Pudding was AMAZING!! I can't remember our server's name but she had long dark hair and was so friendly and helpful. We will definitely be back! read more

Stopped for lunch on a beautiful day. On patio overlooking the ocean with Mt Baker in the distance. Ordered the Salt Spring Mussels and Caprese Salad. Both were fabulous. Mussels were tender in a wonderful broth and served with a delicious focaccia bread which was great for broth dipping. The Caprese salad was very testy without being salty. Both dishes A+ and accompanied by a very approachable server. John and Kim Little Victoria read more

I can't put my finger on the flavour that was so off putting with my dinner, but strangely my husband had the same experience with a completely different dish. We both barely touched our food. The restaurant was quite full including at least a dozen staff, however all we could hear throughout the meal was one particular person in the kitchen. His continuous boasting and rambling was very loud and annoying. On a good note; our waitress was lovely! read more

We had been here several times When this place was a pub. They changed the name but not the decor. Tried to go here for dinner tonight. Arrived at 6:00. Sat for 20 minutes being totally ignored while people on the other side of the aisle were already getting food. Was just standing up to leave when our waiter showed up. We ordered a beverage. Took her five m8 it's to come back and tell us they were out of Coors Light. That was the final straw. We left and will not be back. read more

We had a great lunch here this weekend. The most perfect view sitting on the patio. I had linguine vongole, and hubby had the lamb burger. The fries were some of the best we have had in awhile. I would definitely return next time I am on the island! read more

we had reservations at riva thursday august 18th . the service was so bad, when a waitress finally came to our table we only had their limited dinner menu to order from and the food on that menu was not very good but the service was so bad that if i had been paying the bill i would not have left a tip. riva has very poor quality food and combined with very poor service i will never eat there again. read more

Went into this restaurant Thursday afternoon with 3 other people.My husband and I are from out of town and visiting family. We wanted to have a coffee and dessert and enjoy the views. It wasn't particularly busy but we were told that they are not a coffee shop, didn't have desserts and we should go across the street to a coffee shop or down the street to Starbucks. Will never go back! read more

We went to celebrate my husbands birthday and normally being of Italian heritage I don't go out to Italian restaurants, however we loved the location and thought we would give it a try. Upon entering I was immediately impressed with the decor. It was lovely and made me feel at home. Our server Merril was wonderful, even with a mask on I could she she had a beautiful smile! My husband had the gnocchi with bison bolognese sauce and it was fantastic. The sauce was homemade and the taste fantastic. I had the Caprese salad and even though having been to Capri it didn't look like the same it was non the less delicious. The buffalo mozzarella was super tasty and the cherry tomatoes were delicious. It was an interesting take on the "normal" caprese salad but like I said it was good. After we had finished our meal we were pleasantly surprised when sitting near us were the owners of the restaurant. They asked us how we liked our meal and what we thought of the new look to this restaurant. We ended up having a wonderful conversation and I was so impressed with their warmth and how lovely they were. We wished them great success with this new restaurant read more