Riva

Not sure why this is rating so high. I agree that the food is good but it is so expensive. very much a tourist place!

Pros: Good food and nice view

Cons: over priced

Posted 02/01/09

On July 21, 2007, at around 6:30pm, my wife, myself and two other couples arrived to celebrate our anniversaries together. The dinners involving fish were fine, but the steak dinners were not cooked right. I asked for medium and received well done. My brother and law asked for medium rare and received well done. He did not want to wait for a new steak, but I decided to wait. Twenty minutes later, after most were done with their meal, my replacement steak arrived. This time it was cooked very rare as the center was very, very bloody and cold! Rather than wait even longer I decided to just eat around the edges. The manager who brought out the steak made no gesture to give us anything for my trouble - which was rude but fine. However, here comes the best part. When the receipt was brought out and we looked at the automatically included "18% gratuity", it was almost 25%! They included the gratuity on the steak that they took back in addition to the steak they brought me! I pointed this out the the manager and he said "Oh, problem with the system." I had a terrible steak and was almost ripped off and the only thing the manager did to fix it was give me his business card and say "Next time you come let me know and we will make your experience better." Why could he have not made it better that night? The bill came to almost $400 and that is all he had to say? VERY BAD experience.

Also, right after he left our table I noticed him approach another table and speak to another couple at another table. I am not sure what the couple was saying but the customer's face was very red and noticeably upset at the manager.

The food is ok, but realize 90% of the cost of this expensive restaurant is just for the view. There are other restaurants with similar views in the city that cost less and have better food!

Pros: If you are on the Pier its convienient

Cons: Service was terrible and they dont do well with steaks

Posted 07/22/07

Lousy service. Lousy waiters, disdainful servers, hostesses with attitude (you expect that). Food was good, not phenominal, good. Drinks were wrong, and late. Servers and waiters were talking with attitude over their shoulders. This ruined what could have been a nice meal. they don't treat you that way in LA. Save the 70 bucks per person and grab a hotdog. You won't get the attitude which is free on the street. You'll have money left over to actually have an enjoyable evening. DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME OR ENERGY ON THIS PLACE.

Pros: fresh seafood

Cons: you get so angry about service you can't enjoy the food

Posted 07/14/07

Beautiful views and nice ambience. Very romantic. The service was terrible. The wait staff is pleasant enough, but dinner took about 2.5 hours. If I wasn't with such good company, I think I would've liked to have walked out. I could see several couples getting impatient throughout the dining room. Apparently I wasn't the only one getting fed up. Dinner itself was fair. My filet mignon was overdone but because the service was so darn slow, I didn't dare send my food back to the kitchen. The meal is on the pricier side, which you can expect for fine dining...it just wasn't worth it tonight. I probably won't go back, especially since there are so many fine restaurants in Chicago where money and time are better spent. You can definitely do better.

Pros: Views, ambience

Cons: Service, food

Posted 03/27/07

We accidently have to eat there BECAUSE PARK IN THE RESTAURANT SPACE AND THE ATTENDENT TOLD US IF WE EAT AT RIVA RESTAURANT, WE CAN GET VALIDATION AND PAY ONLY TEN DOLLARS INSTEAED OF THIRTY THREE DOLLARS. So we decided to eat because we also hurgry ,we went up stair of the restaurant , it is fine restaurant. The service is great. We orders crab cake to share for two of us, it was great. My friend order clam chowder to try, it is quiet different from California clam chowder. It was very light broth instead of thick broth in California. I order sirlion steak, the steak is good but the cheese which on the steak was too strong but I still finished my steak. My girlfriend order pork chop, the sauce on the pork chop is very salty but she like the pork chop. The price is fair compare to service , view and parking lot.

Posted 01/14/07

This was the worst meal we had in Chicago. Average food. Very expensive. Not a good value.

Posted 01/16/06

I visited Chicago for New Year's Eve and fell in love with this restaurant. It's right in front of the lake with amazing views. The service is great and the food is delicious. Ambiance is great for both romance and family-I had an amazing experience. GO RIVA!

Pros: Great Service, Great Food

Cons: Bad Parking, End of Pier

Posted 01/05/06

Fom the ambience to the meal everything was perfect. Exceptional service. Great location.

Pros: food, service, parking

Posted 05/07/05

I visited Chicago (from Seattle) to visit my niece and tried planning a very special evening for our last night together. When I booked my reservations 2 weeks ago, I mentioned our hope to see Chicago's Light Nights from our table, the receptionist was icy and dismissive of my special request, and it wasn't til we got there that I found out the stupid fireworks display wasn't even visible from our window, so that was another huge disappointment. Our server looked haggard and I hated the way she plunked down everything onto the table with a loud "thud" - I felt unwelcomed and uncomfortable, but most of all, I hated the smirk she gave when we weren't interested in ordering more food or wine, even though we spent $150 already. Chicago overall is cool, but the staff at Riva needs some lessons on customer service.

Pros: Great View., Great People Watching, Decent Food

Cons: Unhappy waitstaff, Pricey, Rude phone manners

Posted 02/23/05

The ahi tuna and sashimi salmon were fabulous. With all the other dishes I tried (Tuna tartar, petit ragout of scallops and shrimp, oysters, cod, salmon trio (poached, smoked and raw)) I managed to not actually cry out "OOH!" but it was not easy.
I ate there two nights on a recent trip. The first time was the night after having eaten at the Signature Room (awesome view, good food but not in the league of Riva, have drinks at the bar and then head to Navy Pier to eat). The second night I ate there Bill Clinton dropped in for dinner there. Excellent quality, attentive service and generous portions. I never thought I would look forward go back and to eat tuna in... Chicago!
Superior quality of fish and preparation.
Excellent overall experience.

Posted 11/05/02

Riva is Chicago's best seafood restaurant. Their chef is awesome. Don't miss the daily specials; they are creative and really tasty. And the view! What a spectacular place to experience Chicago. You can't go wrong. The appetizers, entrees and desserts are all well done. And the service is great too. The server said that they get a lot of out-of-town guests because of the view and location but Chicagoans shouldn't pass up the opportunity to dine here on a regular basis; the food is fab.

Pros: Great food, Great Service, Great ambiance

Cons: Navy Pier

Posted 09/24/02