Riviera

Reviews 15

SA

Samantha Berg

Cute little Italian place off the beaten path of Santa Rosa. The decor is slightly "cycling themed" with framed cycling jerseys on the walls but otherwise this feels like small town Italian spot. The ambiance is casual and friendly with efficient service. We were started with a bread basket that had two types of bread, some kind of focaccia and then a regular roll type. The bread was fresh and nicely complimented with herbs on top, but I wish it had been served warm, and with fresh butter instead of the foil-wrapped packages. We had a bottle of wine, a chianti which was pleasant and cozy. We ordered the fried calamari, which was fine, nothing special. I had a special for my main, a stuffed quail with sausage and veggies over mushroom ravioli with mushroom sauce. The dish was extravagant and delicious. Absolutely perfect. The quail was tender and juicy, served atop two large, freshly made ravioli. Super rich, buttery, and earthy. I could have eaten the raviolis and mushroom sauce for days. Mom had the scallop and shrimp, and said the scallops were perfectly cooked. Dad had a special of pasta with lobster, in which the lobster itself was perfect, though he didnt have much to say about the rest of the dish. The food was served very fast, though not at the detriment of the quality. Definitely worth stopping in if youre going by, though maybe not a place to go out of your way for. Friendly and delicious!

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MA

Marshall Ward

I normally love dinner at Riviera. Love the food. Love the atmosphere. Love the people. I was there a couple of weeks ago and the food was outstanding as usual. However, as we were waiting for our bottle of wine after ordering I noticed that my wine glass looked a bit grubby. I held it up and it had smears all over it. It was not dirty in the sense that it hadnt been washed but it had been "washed" so poorly, it was smeary and kind of gross. My wifes glass was the same. I looked around at other tables and noted that the wine glasses appeared to be less than crystal clear on other tables as well but nobody seemed to notice. I pointed it out to the waitress and while she did replace the glasses, she didnt seem too put out about it which surprised me. The two glasses she replaced ours with were also questionably clean but better than the first two. I dont understand this at all. We are in Sonoma County for crying out loud! One of the great foodie capitals of the world as well as a world class wine center. You CANNOT have grubby wine glasses in a nice restaurant! I LOVE Riviera but this experience was definitely less than stellar. Note to Riviera, the person washing your wine glasses needs to step it up a bit! Otherwise, keep up the good work.

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BR

Brie R

Food was okay. Service was slow. Took forever until someone took our order. My mothers lasagna was cold. My boyfriends lasagna wasnt cold, but it wasnt crispy on the edges like it should have been. Another in my party ordered the pork loin and the sauce was delicious. My Gnocchi was good, but mono texture, soft, almost the same consistency as the tomato sauce. The restaurant itself is very cute, romantic, but tiny. The stools to wait on are in front of the door, right in the middle of the restaurant, so you will be blocking all of the staff coming and going while you wait.

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CR

Cris Elsmore

Excellent Restaurant, Great Food amazing service. We walked in without a reservation and not exactly dressed as they might have expected but they treated us wonderfully. The food was moderately high priced but worth every penny. My wife and I shared the ravioli and a salad. It became a lighter meal that way, but was very satisfying for both of us. They served a very nice Italian Red blend wine. We finished with a Creme Bruele that was topped with fresh strawberries. The whole meal was truly an amazing experience.

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SA

Sandra Beebe

Just walked in from visiting wineries all day and we were turned away from an almost empty restaurant. I am wearing a skirt but look casual, maybe they dont want tourists. Looks like they want local older clients only. Waiter was rude and said youre in my way when we walked in then said we have no room for you tonight. There were only two tables in the whole place with people seated, the rest of the place was empty. We said ok and walked out. Dont go here if you arent a local. Your not welcome.

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BR

Breck Beatie

I love this restaurant. Ive only visited once, but it was wonderful. The wait staff is friendly. The food is absolutely delicious. The Gnocchi I had was out of this world. I love the decor with framed cycling jerseys from famous professional cyclists. I assume the owner is either a cyclist, or a fan of the sport. I went for lunch on a weekday and had no wait for a table. I dont know what the wait might be like in the evening, or on weekends.

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KE

Kenneth Jenkins

What a great experience. Great wines and great food. One of my favorite things to do when visiting wine country. Have been here twice and loved it both times. Make sure to have reservations it seems to fill up quickly. Also bring some extra money, youll want to purchase a few bottles of wine. Everyone I recommend this to always...

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KE

Kelley Sierra

Found this restaurant while on my honeymoon with my husband. We decided to try it because of the good reviews. We were nothing short of impressed with the small but warm atmosphere, family-like service and delicious entrées. I would eat at Riviera Ristorante over the typical mainstream restaurant any day. A+++++

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KI

Kimberly Walton

I love this ristorante!!! Their food and service is exceptional! Puna and Javier always greet me with great big smiles and they know that I love the Capellini. My sister Jill and I ate there yesterday for lunch and we shared the Tropical Salad - BOMB!! If you havent been here it is a MUST!

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CA

Carol Kinyon

Everything was wonderful !!! Joes birthday dinner... we had just registered at our hotel. Looked up restaurants and found this one...called and asked if we needed a reservation and he asked how many...I said 2 and we can be there in 10 minutes. We walked in and sat right away.

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VA

valerie hansel

This is the most consistently good restaurant in town. Not the best for "ambiance " but the food is always absolutely delicious. They know how to portion appropriately, not too much, not too little, just right. I love this restaurant!

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CA

Catlynn Shee

We were passing through town and decided to trust the reviews. They did not steer us wrong. The food was delicious, service excellent, and our meal came in less than fifteen minutes from the time we ordered. We had a wonderful time.

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PA

pamela heriford

I this is my favorite Italian restaurant ever! Reminds me of my late Auntie Roses authentic, made from scratch, with lots of love, receipies. Also you feel like family with all the "glad to see you again". Buena sera!

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YO

yololife2016 you only live once

We had another fabulous meal at Riviera! Everything was delicious and the service was excellent. They handled my sons allergies with class and made accommodations so that he could enjoy an amazingly delicious, safe meal.

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DA

Darrell B

Great surprise! Passed by many times and never noticed it. Once discovered, a definite "must return" and return we have. Food imaginatively prepared and served HOT! Service attentive but not obtrusive. Highly recommended.

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