Riva - Longboat Key, Florida

Rhonda D.

We had high hopes for this restaurant and were extremely disappointed.
The decor was beautiful, but the ambiance was a little loud.

The appetizers were very good but the menu was very limited.

Our entrees were average to not good. Pasta is their main feature, and what seems like a sure win due to the simplicity of the preparation, the pasta was inedible.

It was either overcooked or under cured/dried. There's a pasta display when you walk in so I assume it's made fresh in house but it just wasn't good.

I had the Veal chop and it was decent, but over flavored. The combination of tomatoes and olives overpowered the meat. The veal chop should have been the focus of the dish, and not the toppings.

Lastly, the service was average. There didn't seem to be enough servers for all of the tables.

The bill was $350 for 4 people with 1 bar drink, and honestly Olive Garden is equal or better.

After this experience, I highly doubt I will risk trying the steakhouse in fear of overspending on a meal for them under delivering a dining experience.

Lk J.

We really enjoyed the whole experience. We were seated in the room where the pasta is made, and it was great to see that happen and talk to the amazing pasta maker. Our food was wonderful, probably one of the best meals we've had in this area. It was also fun to walk around St Regis before dinner. The views in the back are wonderful just do not go through the gate to the pool area or you could get locked in if you don't have a key card. We ordered 3 starters, two main dishes, two glasses of wine and two desserts and our bill was around $250.

Matthew Z.

Overall, the restaurant was very empty. There was only one other seated table. The food was very good presentation wise and the flavor was pretty spot on. The service was amazing. They checked up on our table every five minutes

aVideoShmideo

I recently visited Riva at the new St. Regis Resort, and I was really looking forward to a wonderful dining experience. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite live up to the hype.

First, the outdoor ambiance is absolutely stunning, with beautiful views of the pool area. However, due to some windy conditions, we opted to sit inside. Unfortunately, we were placed near a door that led to the outdoor tables, which turned out to be quite distracting. It felt like we were in a busy hallway, with servers darting in and out constantly. It was quite annoying and made it hard to truly relax and enjoy the atmosphere.

Now, about the food. After a long wait for our appetizers and main courses, we were disappointed to find that the dishes were served at room temperature. I had high hopes for the flavors and presentation, but the lack of warmth really detracted from the overall experience. It felt like the food had been sitting out for too long before it reached our table.

Service was another letdown. Our server seemed absent, and when they noticed we hadn’t touched much of our food, they didn’t check in to see if everything was okay. A little attentiveness would have made a big difference, especially considering the restaurant’s prices.

Overall, while I truly wanted to enjoy my meal at Riva, but wont be back.

Scott S.

Riva Italian Restaurant: A Perfect Evening

It seems early reviews of Riva reflected start-up hiccups because our dinner last night was flawless. The staff was attentive and accommodating, even bringing my wife freshly baked gluten-free buns when they learned of her dietary needs. She loved her gluten-free pasta, while my fresh catch grouper was cooked to perfection. The grilled octopus starter was tender and flavorful, setting the tone for a fantastic meal.

With excellent food, friendly service, and thoughtful touches, Riva exceeded our expectations. Highly recommended—we’ll definitely be back!

Lee A.

We were looking forward to an exquisite Christmas dinner experience. I ordered the chicken entree, my partner ordered the beef brisket. The chicken was served at room temperature and appeared to be swimming in a pool of what looked like watery baked beans. First bite of chicken was like sinking my teeth into a vat of pure fat. The skin was greasy and soggy and the chicken itself lacked flavor and was undercooked. I didn’t even touch the beans as I couldn’t get past the fact that they were somehow supporting the buoyancy of a very miserable looking chicken. My partners beef brisket wasn’t any better. It also was served at room temperature and appeared overcooked to the point of almost breaking a tooth while chewing through the leathery texture and chunks of fat in between. For dessert I had the bread pudding which in other restaurants has been my all time favorite dessert. Not this time, my spoon practically ricochet from the crust when I was about to take my first bite. Bread pudding is supposed to be moist and full of flavor, nope! When you make a reservation in a hotel such as the St Regis your expectations are already set high and you are expecting a hefty price tag to boot. However, when you are met with a tragic dining experience and only offered 25% off for the misery and time spent there that you will never get back is shocking to say the least. Never again!

Brooklyn W. (.

We wanted to leave a review due to the current low ratings and reviews. The menu has changed a bit from what we see online. For instance, I ordered the cavatelli and the recipe changed in that chicken was added and the cabbage & duck confit was removed. Several other small changes were noted that made the menu more approachable. Food was served hot and amazing. So flavorful! Wine was on point. Service was top notch and the restaurant/atmosphere is beautiful. Perhaps this newer restaurant is finding its feet. 5 star experience!

Lynda M.

We were really looking forward to a fabulous experience, but unfortunately it was very disappointing.

Six of us came for lunch. Surprisingly the restaurant was not very busy. There were only 2 other tables occupied in the dining room. The Hostess sat us beside a table of 10 people, 6 children and 4 adults and our table was in the corner beside the door to the patio so was very busy with staff going in and out.

It took over 30 minutes to get the bottle of wine that we had ordered and 2 cocktails. We know it's a new restaurant, but the wait seemed very long for such an exclusive restaurant. Sadly the meals seemed to take even longer. Again growing pains of a new restaurant however no communication from our server.

The thing that was really hard was we were a table of 6 adults that were sat beside a table with 6 children that were completely unsupervised by the adults at the table. They were chasing each other around the table, throwing paper airplanes throughout the restaurant and playing basketball with scrunched up paper, all while the parents were on phone calls on their speaker phone. We honestly felt like we were dining at "Chucky Cheese's".

The disappointing part is the staff did nothing to help with the situation --- ask the parents to keep their children seated in their chairs would be a good start or asking us if we'd like to move tables. We all have grown children and understand kids are kids but this was a scene from the "gong show". If this is the type of environment you are trying to create we definitely won't be back.

On a positive note -- the food was excellent, our server did his best, the grounds are spectacular and we enjoyed our drinks down at the Monkey Bar afterwards -- trust me, after that experience, we all needed one!