Riviera Ottawa

Riviera in Ottawa has one of the most diverse menus for drinks I’ve seen, which makes it a fun spot to explore different drinks. The scallops as an appetizer were fantastic — perfectly cooked and full of flavor.

However, the main courses were a bit disappointing. The Chicken Milanese and Lobster Spaghetti were both underwhelming and didn’t live up to the high expectations from such a high end restaurant like Riviera. The service was so friendly and attentive.

My husband and I chose Riviera on Sparks Street for our anniversary dinner. We eat out quite a bit in Ottawa and had very high hopes for this spot given its reputation.
​The evening started strong—the beef tartare was delicious. However, it was a disappointment from there. We weren’t thrilled with our mains at all; we found both dishes to be very salty, which was surprising for a kitchen of this caliber. On top of that, our server was noticeably disorganized throughout the service.
​The atmosphere was also a letdown. The vibes were completely off, largely due to a table behind us using their phone flashlights non-stop to take Instagram photos. It really ruined the ambiance of a romantic anniversary dinner. They do have an extensive wine list, but it is very pricey. Between the salty food, the disorganized service, and the disrupted atmosphere, this won’t be a repeat for us

We had great service and delicious food and a wonderful experience to celebrate my Mom’s 80th birthday. When we made the reservation on-line, we mentioned it was Mom’s birthday. When we walked through the door, the two hostesses greeted Mom with big smiles and wished her a happy birthday – she was so surprised by her welcome and she loved it. The manager personally brought over her dessert with a candle and wished her happy birthday and once again Mom had a big smike. Mom thought Riviera might be a young person’s restaurant when she walked in and looked around but she was treated so special and she loved her food and the experience so much that she can’t wait to go back. We highly recommend Riviera and we will be back soon. Thank you for the fantastic evening and service.

This is one of my favorite places in Ottawa hands down, service is always on point it seems and the food is consistently amazing.
Even when I ordered take out during COVID. I can’t say enough good things about Riviera and I hope to make it back soon. Also I should add that I really respect the fact that the bar staff put great efforts in the mocktails as they do their cocktails. My wife and I do not drink alcohol and we are always thrilled with everything. Highly recommend!

My husband and I went here for our anniversary dinner and we were blown away! Their negronis are to die for, we had the beef tartare and the scallops to start, and the rabbit ragu and sea bass as our mains. For desert the chocolate creme aux which we would recommend sharing. Everything was delicious. Our server Stephanie was the highlight of our evening, she was so kind and never made us feel rushed. Even though the photo booth wasn’t working that evening she made sure that we still got some photos. She was so lovely!