Riva Italian Restaurant - Port Stanley, Ontario

Mackie

I am a foodie & was excited to come here bc I heard great things from friends! Our server was excellent & helpful and their were lovely views from the patio. The burrata salad had a nice sized piece of burrata but only 5 pieces of small lettuce for $24! It would have been nice to have @ least half a head of lettuce as it was mostly just cheese & not a lot of flavour. We expected the mushroom pizza to have a variety of mushrooms, there was only one kind & not many of them. Creme brulee crust was way too thin but custard was nice and rich. The rice mozzarella balls were really nice and chewy with lovely marinara sauce. Imo, I think the prices are way too high for the quality and quantity of food. I will not return as we paid almost $150 for mediocre food. I was just in Italy a month ago, so it was a disappointment for me. Please sit down with your staff and taste the foods together so you can see what needs to be added for better flavours.

Henry F.

We were at Riva today for lunch. This is a lovely new restaurant on the water in Port Stanley. Great views from the patio. Just a really nice vibe.
It overlooks another great place the Inn on the Harbour where we have stayed several times.

We had a pasta dish and Lake Erie pan-fried pickerel which was absolutely delicious. But it was not enough food. Portions could be bigger especially the roast potatoes.

The highlight however of our visit was was our server Alyssa. She was engaging and humorous. And she had a little bit of sass which is always enjoyable. Next time we will definitely ask to be seated in her section.

The location is tremendous. The service is awesome. Such a welcome addition do the culinary adventures that await you in Port Stanley.

We highly recommend this restaurant add this lovely lakeside town.

Angela M.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’ve been to Riva twice now — one of those visits was for my birthday — and I can honestly say it’s some of the best food I’ve had in a long time! Every dish was bursting with incredible flavor — you can really tell the chef is from Italy and knows exactly how to bring authentic, fresh tastes to the table.

I still dream about these meals and can’t wait to go back for more! Including photos from both visits because it deserves to be seen — truly a top-notch dining experience. Highly recommend!

Anne W.

The food was very Fresh, beautifully prepared & presented. Portions were generous & very tasty. Our Server was professional & attentive. I can hardly wait to go back to try more dishes! The view of Port Stanley is quite pretty & entertaining with Harbour and Bridge activities.

Hannah H.

We had an amazing dining experience here. The patio on the channel is beautiful and such an amazing way to enjoy dinner with a beautiful view. The service is absolutely amazing. Every staff person we interacted with was delightful and so welcoming. The food was delicious and very satisfying. Definitely recommend for an upscale dinner or date night.

US

Riva Italian Restaurant is an absolute gem in Port Stanley! We enjoyed the most delicious Italian food — the prosciutto pizza was perfection, and the burrata was fresh and creamy. Their cocktails were just as impressive, beautifully crafted and full of flavor. The service was excellent from start to finish — friendly, attentive, and welcoming.
The atmosphere was simply perfect. Dining on the patio with the stunning Port Stanley view made the experience even more special — romantic, relaxing, and unforgettable. A must-visit spot for anyone looking for authentic Italian cuisine in a beautiful setting!

Robert D.

Not kid friendly. Our kids went stir crazy after sitting for approx 2 hrs. Food was good but for the price wasn't anything wow. Took extremely long for our order as waitress (who was super nice) forgot our friend's order and didnt let us know. The owner asked how it was and became a bit confrontational with them about the time and reasoning. I feel the Owner could have handled the conversation better. They did comp the order, which for waiting over an hour for a pepperoni pizza - makes sense. Overall, Id imagine they have much better days/service than what I experienced (and what I can see from other reviews they do), but Ill probably go elsewhere next time for a 2 hour, $160 family lunch order. Great view and atmosphere. Clean and spacious.

Liz

My family and I dined here tonight. My first impression walking through the door was “WOW”. It’s absolutely stunning inside, and out. I would just come here for drinks for the view. It’s overlooking the harbour, and you can see all the boats coming in from the lake for the night. 5 star for location, view, and decor. Music was loud Italian band music. Would definitely like to hear lounge music.

Service was just good. We were told that the fridge was broken, so they weren’t offering anything fresh. The menu consisted of carbs and more carbs. Which is fine, because it’s an Italian restaurant. Pizza and pasta were our options. The waiter was amazing. Kudos to Brady for a great dinning experience. He was very apologetic for the lack of food, and kept coming by to see if we needed anything. The wait was over an hour for our food to come out which was extremely long. If we had more time, and no kids with us it would have been ok to have some drinks and wait.

Now let’s talk food. I like to consider myself a foodie, as we dine at a lot of restaurants. We started our meals with a cocktail. I got the Italian mule and it was yummy. The price point was $15 which wasn’t great. My kids got some yummy looking mocktails for $9 a piece. I ordered Rigatoni E Salsiccia (pasta, pork sausage, red sauce). It was not nicely presented like some of the reviews I seen. It didn’t come with bread or a leaf on it lol. It had absolutely no flavour at all. I kept asking myself if it was a joke. I put lots of pepper on it. Table didn’t have salt, so I couldn’t even add that. It tasted like boiled pasta with a can of tomato sauce poured on it. No spices, or garlic. I expect lots of garlic from a high end Italian restaurant. My husband got a pepperoni pizza. He said it was ok, but not great. My one daughter got a Caesar salad, the other got butter noodles with parm and a Caesar salad. No garlic again in the Caesar. The butter noodles came out as boiled pasta with a stick of butter melted in the bowl. No parm was in it. We had to ask for some to be added. It was not good at all. Just taste like boiled noodles. She wasn’t able to finish it. It was so soupy in butter that they took it off of our bill.

I wanted to love this place so much. It’s the most perfect location. I just don’t think the food matches the vibe. It’s VERY bland. I will return for cocktails, but I’ll be staying clear of the food.