Riva's Italian Restaurant Reviews

Normally we go to Riva’s for Pasta, but lately we tried their Veal Cutlets and loved them! Not usual to find veal in the restaurants we go often so we are delighted to order Veal at Riva’s. As always, their appetizer soup is delicious, could be lentils or vegetables, home made comfort food! Riva’s is a fun place and Randy makes it funnier and friendly. Recommended!

As soon as you walk into this place, the staff treats you like family; like you have known each other for years and they miss you. Besides the wonderful ego boost you get from the welcome, the food is delicious. If you have the opportunity to have bruch here, do so. Can't wait to visit the wonderful staff at Riva's!!

I love this place for the food and the service! Everyone I've taken is also a fan. The lentil soup is fabulous, especially with the garlic bread. The salad is a bit generic but a nice break before you dive into the entree. The veal with lemon cream sauce was great, again especially with the garlic bread for dipping. Same with the shrimp and scallops. The chocolate cake was a nice finish, and always enough to share.Come HUNGRY! Nice wine selection as well. Not one of the pretentious places, just a great place to go with family, friends, a date, whatever.

A cute place with a lot of charm. It is decorated in white Christmas lights all around the restaurant and it is located in a trendy area in the Montrose District of Houston. Food is tasty and not very expensive. The owner/manager was very accommodating and friendly and gave us excellent customer service.

I live in Montrose, and this is my 2nd favorite restaurant in the neighborhood. Unfortunately I can't always afford to dine at Hugo's, so I frequently make the hike over to Riva's. They serve many types of pasta, meat dishes, salads, and appetizers. Entrees are served with soup, salad, and garlic bread at dinner. I don't think this is stated on the menu, and I remember being pleasantly surprised when I received a couple of unexpected courses. Portions are huge. Prices are very affordable - about $10-15 for a full meal per person. They have a full bar, and a generous pour on a decent $5 house wine by the glass. Staff always make us feel welcome. They have a pleasant covered patio with several tables if you enjoy the al fresco experience. Riva's has been around for a few decades, and I hope they plan to stick around for more. Sunday brunch here is always fun too - great prices, good food, but be careful with their bottomless mimosas!

It had been a decade or more since we last visited Riva's and I was hoping the food was as good as I remembered, it was better. Stopping in for lunch, I had Shrimp fettuccine and my husband had lasagna. The servings were large and we were very surprised when the final bill arrived, under $20. We were prepared to pay around 40 for the quality and size. The wait staff is attentive and fabulous. The restaurant itself could use a facelift, but it is a wonderful place to sit and visit, drink and laugh, enjoy a wonderful meal and funky interior.

I've never been treated as poorly at a restaurant as I was at Riva's. I highly recommend avoiding this place at all costs. Houston has too many great places to get brunch to waste your time in this place. We visited Riva's with a group of 7 to celebrate my father's 61st birthday with his friends and my sister. He called in advance to make sure they'd have a table for our fairly large group, and they were ready to accommodate us when we arrived. When ordering, I asked if it was possible to have an omelette that doesn't include mushrooms, and the server told me that everything is preprepared in advance so that was impossible. Apparently they couldn't even make a plain omelette without any fillings at all, which leads me to believe that they must not be making them to order. When the food arrived, everyone received their entrees except for my father, who was left to sit for 10 minutes. Of course, we all were waiting to start eating until he received his food. After all, it was his birthday. Finally, I asked the waiter where my dad's food was, and he went to look for it, but a few minutes later I saw him running around bringing drinks to other tables. Then someone else came by and said they would try to track down the omelette my dad ordered. It took a third employee to finally bring the food, and there wasn't so much as an apology. When the check came, I stepped away to talk to the manager, because not only had the service been awful, but each of our separate checks had 18% gratuity added to the bill due to the size of our party. I asked to step out the side door with the manager to speak to him away from the dining area to avoid causing a problem, and his response to me was the abruptly yell, "You complain too much! I don't have time for this!" and then to storm away. After arguing with the waiter separately, I was finally able to get the extra gratuity removed, but the manager came over and proceeded to scream at me again in front of the entire dining room. I suggested that he should have at least offered a simple apology for the delay (I wasn't attempting to get anything for free), and he screamed, "I don't have to apologize for anything!" I paid cash quickly and abruptly left to avoid any further trouble. I've been to my share of gay mimosa brunches in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. I know how they usually go. You get a few obnoxious tables of fall-down-drunk queens having too much to drink and getting belligerent. Sometimes I'm at one of those tables. Our table, however, was occupied by me, my pregnant sister, my father, and a group of his polite older friends. We couldn't have been less demanding, yet we were treated like we didn't matter. My dad's birthday brunch was ruined by the terrible service and the ensuing screaming match, and you can be sure that we won't be returning. This is the kind of thing you see on Kitchen Nightmares, where the owner or manager of a restaurant yells at customers, and you think, there's no way that could happen in real life! Apparently, it does happen, and it's appalling.

I have been going to Riva's for 15 yrs. The atmosphere is pleasant without being overdone. I love the patio in nice weather - it is covered with ceiling fans., screened from street and parking by landscaping and fencing. Inside is cozy. The food is always good and very reasonably priced. One of my favorite places in Houston.

The lentil soup is to die for! Really great pasta dishes, veal marsala was tasty, chocolate cake was fabulous, and Randy is a fantastic server! Everyone is always so nice and attentive!

My sister chose Riva’s to celebrate her 18th birthday last night and we were pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere of the restaurant. Originally 11 were in our party, however at the last minute several members canceled and we were down to 7. We had one medium-sized table and a smaller round one reserved for us and we were a bit spread out with gifts and the cake resting on the smaller table alongside one of our guests. The owner, Michael, saw only one person at the table and decided that was unacceptable. He went over and said that since we weren’t having more people coming he needed to separate the table because they needed it immediately. Then, WHILE my father was still sitting at the head of the table with bread IN HIS HANDS, and while my aunt was sitting on the opposite side of the table WITH FOOD ALSO IN HER HANDS (not to mention my sister and myself also seated), the owner began shoving the tables apart. He did not give us a chance to respond to his demands or even stand up so we could move out of the way. My aunt began telling him to wait so we could stand, and he, in a rude tone, stated he needed the table now and we needed to move. Mind you my father at this point was trying to scoot his chair back so he could get out of the way, however the owner wouldn’t give him a chance as he kept pushing the table into him. My aunt had her food literally dragged out of her hands as she tried to put it down so she could move as well. Not to mention my sister and me also had to scoot out of the way as quickly as possible to avoid being caught on the table legs. When my aunt demanded that he wait a few seconds so we could at least get up, things got really ugly. He got IN HER FACE and began getting a really bad attitude saying our guests weren’t here and he needed the table immediately. She told him we understood and had no problem with that; however he needed to give us a chance to stand up. He continued to get an attitude with her while standing in a threatening pose over her and when she demanded to speak to a manager, he stated he was the owner. When she said that his behavior would be reflected in the tip, he got even more mad and said “What did you say?” in a threatening manner. At that point she dismissed him because it was clear he had no problem making a scene or threatening his guests. God forbid he would have taken it even farther. He then continued to shove the table and when I went to help him move it so as not to shove my father over, he told me to leave it alone because he could do it (in a sharp tone). Needless to say that really set the tone for the evening, and more interestingly, NOONE sat at the newly cleared table for another 20 minutes. The only reason we even stayed was because our orders had already been placed and my sister had really been excited about trying this restaurant. I tried several times to find out if there was someone else I could speak to in regards to this, but it was made very clear to me that Michael and his brother (who was busy in the kitchen) were the effective owners. Needless to say I will NEVER recommend this place to any one and I highly advise you to dine elsewhere if only to truly enjoy your meal without having the owner shoving the table out from under you and threatening you.

Went to Rivas with another couple on a recommendation. Fairly busy, as it was a Friday night. We're told a 45 minute wait, no problem, again it was Friday night. Atmosphere was amazing. Place was quaint, wonderfully decorated for Christmas. Only knock on this part, was just 1 bartender, but he was BUSTING his butt and making it work. But, why? Maybe add another for Friday night? Anyways. Got seated, then waited 10 minutes before Hannah finally came to get our order. My wife and I decided we were gonna split a meal (menu said it was a $3.95 upcharge for split meals and we're totally ok with this). Hannah then says " oh, no split meals during the month of December"??. My wife then says," ok can I just have a side salad then" Hannah then says, " no, only the full salad, no side salads. My wife then says, " ok, I will just sit here, I'm not that hungry". Mind you she's JUST gotten over being sick so wasn't that hungry, not trying to be difficult. THEN Hannah says, "No, you can't sit here without eating" even though there were 3 other people that were gonna eat. After that, we got up and left. We are chalking it up to an isolated experience but just wanted to let y'all know!! Probably won't be coming back!!

My husband and I stopped in Riva's for an early dinner on a weeknight and were thrilled to have found such a great place. Wait staff is fabulous---over the top polite and courteous but not hovering which sometimes is a fine line. Had we realized how much food came with our entrees we would have opted out of the appetizer but it just meant we had more leftovers to take home! I chose the cannelloni and my husband had a shrimp and scallop fettuccine dish and both came with salad, soup and endless garlic bread. There was so much food!!! It was all served piping hot and flavorful. We also were convinced to have Tiramisu for dessert even though we could not finish our entrees and it was a great choice! Thanks to our waiter for suggesting it. We had such a nice dinner---very reasonably priced, attentive wait staff, easy parking and delicious food. I would definitely recommend this place as a place to stop by when in the area. We will be back!

I have been eating here for years, I even remember when this place was a bar called Missouri Street Station.I moved out of the neighborhood four years ago and had not been back until a recent visit. It was pretty much the same as I remembered. Nice, quiet, good food, good service. One thing I found strange though, since I had not been in a while I wanted to check out their website to see if the menu had changed. After searching google I couldn't find a web address for them. I called the restaurant and oddly enough they do not have one. I would strongly suggest they get a web site, not having one is almost unheard of these days.

We love this fun place. The people are so friendly and Sunday Brunch/Lunch is great. All the mimosas you can drink for $9.95

I have been eating for for about 6 years now and have never had a bad meal. Just off of Montrose and across the street from Niko Niko's, Riva's is a "neighborhood" type of restaurant that has a comfy local feel to it. The decor is festive with all of the Christmas type lights and music. The food is very good and comes with a salad and soup which I find impressive. Prices are very reasonable and there is a small bar if you want to sit there and enjoy a libation. The staff are always very courteous. Riva's has its own parking lot but it can be full so you might have to park on the street. Try it out. I think you will enjoy it like I do.

I have been to this establishment many times before, My family and I go on days we know are not as mature such as random weekday evenings. We understand the culture of this restaurant and in fact are avid supporters of the environment, often patronizing w/ out kids (we live nearby). As recently as September, we celebrated my daughters 8th birthday and were even given balloons by the staff that were left by the piano. Per usual, my family and I (2 adults and 1 child) showed up to Riva’s at 4pm on a Sunday to play Uno and to enjoy their pink sauce and pesto but were angrily met by the owner and told we were not allowed in due to our daughter’s age. I was obviously confused because we frequent the restaurant so often that the servers know us- we’re “the family that plays Uno.” When I confronted the owner about why weren’t allowed in suddenly, he rudely told us that it’s not a place for kids and we needed to leave. Knowing what he was referring to, I told him “it’s Montrose and 2021, we can sit on the other side if there was a party.” Regardless, he angrily demanded us to leave. Not understanding why, I asked for a legitimate reason and he stated a family had recently thrown pasta to other patrons or to him (?) because of the culture- he wasn’t very clear but the excuse was completely bogus nonetheless. I kept explaining we understood the environment and showed him that the sign says “due to the mature environment, children under 12 not RECOMMENDED” let me reiterate here, RECOMMENDED. If I chose, as a parent, to allow my child to frequent a restaurant that MAY have mature content that is my prerogative. Though, this day was particularly dead with all of 1 person at the bar and maybe a few in the back. Honestly, it felt discriminatory to not be allowed in because we had a child. We gladly supported this establishment but it’s unfortunate to say that the times prior to today we were also met with the resistance over our child- once the manager (possibly- shorter hispanic woman) had to leverage with him over allowing us in and another time he approached us abrasively because my sister ordered a drink she couldn’t drink and asked if she could exchange it (that’s a whole other story). The owner has no patience or tolerance and is completely erratic. it’s ironic considering I was refused service because I have a child, a child I am teaching to be tolerant, non-judgmental and loving to all people. I believed Riva’s represented and pride itself on being open to all walks of life, but not after this discriminatory treatment. Lets be real, by no means does this place advertise to be family friendly, but it is not 18 and up either- there is no cut off time for children, it is not a club or some dive bar, IT’S AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT. The owner has always been abrasive but in this instance showed his true colors; erratic, short tempered and judgmental. I can’t imagine what he did can be legal (turn away people because they have a child?). Oh, the kicker ? they threaten to recorded me and take pictures of my car/ family. The staff were complacent as they stood around and did nothing to control the incident or the owner. I’m sad to lose this place but even worse feeling to be treated so poorly and for such a ridiculous reason. All this thinking does is further the divide and segregate us even more from each other. Please avoid at all cost. I wanted to support local but I can go to North Italia and receive better service. (I highly recommend North Italia).

Salad, soup, garlic cheese bread and entree all for 10-16 who can go wrong. The quality is great, the service was delightful. Can't wait to go back!

You cannot go wrong with this place, I have ate here many times and had several different dishes, i will say the lasagna is my default. The bread is delicious try not to overstuff yourself with it before your entree arrives. We usually have 6-8 in our group for dinner and they handle it smoothly. You get a lot of food and its a great value, highly popular with the gay crowd. The waitstaff is friendly and over the years i see very little turn over. Also pleasantly surprised is children under 12 are not allowed. THANK YOU RIVAS some of us adults need a children free atmosphere-escape. Give this place a try.

Visiting friends in town and need a spot for dinner. After a day of traveling wanted simple and relaxing, this place exceeded expectations! More options & choices than you could ever eat and but would definitely want to try, along with kind and helpful staff with excellent suggestions made this dinner the perfect welcome home after long trips. Breads, salads, hearty entrees made everything about this place great, will def be returning.

Riva's is one of my "go to" places when I need someplace to take guests or just to have a good relaxed meal. The atmosphere is eclectic casual attire mixes seamlessly with coats, ties, heels, and formal wear. The staff is attentive and friendly. My favorites are the chicken piccata, and the cheese tortollini.

Quite possibly the most amazing Italian food outside of Italy! The very best in Houston. Don't let the ambiance fool you. The food is beyond words!

I used to come here many times over the years and always enjoyed the Eggplant Parmesan. The sauce and cheese were good, but this time the dish was smaller and skimpier. The eggplant was sliced so thin you could barely taste the eggplant. I tasted some meatball and it was way over seasoned, and I normally like spicy but this was not tasty. The garlic bread was good. Not sure that I would go back.

This place is a bit big for a hole in the wall. A neighborhood gem for sure. It could use a bit of a cleanup. The service is outstanding. The food is very good. We ordered the Shrimp Scampi (sautéed) 5/5, Chicken Picatta 5/5, Cannelloni 4.5/5, and crème brûlée cheese cake 5/5. The prices are great too.

Not located on any major street but restaurant is amazing. It has a very nice size bar. Food is delicious, portions are super generous, you get soup AND salad with each meal. There is free parking and there’s an outside area. Children under 12 ate not aloud due to the mature art.

We were turned away at the door because the owner would not seat a toddler, although their site says "kid friendly". Look, the food and service has always been mediocre at best, everyone knows that. Never the less, we have gone there for 15+ years, mostly during a holiday period due to its decorations..(christmas looks like someone puked christmas lights inside), but to NOT make it clear on their site that they do not seat children is "SORRY"! We arrived in two cars, from various areas of town, six patrons, (one being a toddler) last nite and were turned away at the door. It ruined our evening, and we will never return. Food and service isn't worth it, especially with all Houston has to offer. ps. dirty bathrooms as well.

Nice neighborhood restaurant. We enjoyed the complimetary lentil soup, bread, and salad. Menu items were good, but not great. Servers were friendly and we enjoyed the casual, local atmosphere!

This is not gourmet, but the food is very good and a lot of it. Almost every meal includes soup, salad, and garlic bread. The portions are ample and the prices are very reasonable. Nice neighborhood place with a good amount of parking for this neighborhood. Four of us ate there with drinks, wine and desert for about $70.00 per couple. Service was very good for how busy they were.

This is by far the best Italian food we've ever had and we eat a lot! The staff is hilarious and treat you like family. They don't have high chairs, booster seats or a kid menu so I was afraid it wasn't kid friendly, but they all played with my son. We just ordered him a side of pasta and it was perfect! We will definitely go back next time we are in town!

This is a nice, quaint restaurant hidden off Montrose. The portions are big so no appetizer needed. The service is great. The lasagna was very good but the soup was just average. Worth going for a casual night out but not spectacular.

I would like to correct the impression that children are not welcome here. I have been coming here since before I had children. The food is incredible. My favorite is the veal picatta. The lentil soup is out of this world. Since I've had children they have come with me for lunch or dinner over the years. They are now 8 & 10. We normally sit outside, but we were welcomed to sit inside. The owner has always been so nice to our family. I have had birthdays here, brought many friends and family from out of town including my grandmother and everyone raves about this place. There is a sign warning about children under 12 on the door. If you're not easily offended then bringing your children here is fine, just respect the other patrons here or dine on the outdoor patio like we do.😀🌈

Trees come with house soup, garlic bread and salad. lie the dressings... Italian and buttermilk brought to your table to add your own. The pasta bls are great. my fave is the grilled tomatoes, garlic and fresh julienne Basil covering capellini. full bar.

My girlfriend and I stumbled upon this place, somewhat by chance, and couldn't have been happier. Several trips later and I can still recommend it. My favorite dish is the carbonara, but everything I've tried is quite good. The service is also good. And the decor is wonderfully kitsch, while the ambiance as a whole is pretty nice!

Riva's is one of those rare "finds". A little off the beat & track, but worth the visit. Entrees are ample and come with soup, salad and all the garlic bread you want. Food is very good. We enjoy that they also have their own parking lot. Very nice place, good wait-staff.

The food is delicious, and before you get your meal there is complimentary garlic bread and lentil soup (at least on the night we visited). Everything we ate was very tasty, and the portions were plentiful. Prices were excellent for the quality of the food, in my opinion. You'd pay more at a chain restaurant and the food wouldn't be near as good. I absolutely loved the vibe of the place - old but well-kept, decorated for the season (ours was Halloween and they had a huge display), and there are string lights everywhere, year round. The staff was very friendly and eager to please, but didn't hover. We'll be going back for sure.

This was our second trip to Riva's- we love the food! The place is a bit old, 'mom and pop' sort of place- but that's exactly the kind of place to get great food! I ordered spaghetti and meatballs. I think it's about 14.00. With that you get soup, buttered garlic bread and salad. The serving size of spaghetti and meatballs is huge- I ate it for 2 days!

I have been to this restaurant on multiple occasions over the past few years. I never leave disappointed. I usually have the carbonara, which is devine! Mike, one of the owners, is always friendly to my wife and I and seems to remember us, even though we are not regulars as we do not live in Houston any longer. His brother, Josef, I believe, is the chef and is quite talented. We will be back!

Came here last Friday with some friends. Came back last night to celebrate my birthday. Great ambience. Hidden gem in the Montrose area. Will definitely be back again.

I am very disappointed in the treatment my friends and I receieved at Riva’s on a Wednesday night. There were five of us. We meet regularly for dinner, however, this was the first time in several months that all five of us were able to attend. When we arrived at Riva’s shortly after 6:00, one of us was already seated at a table and had ordered a drink. The five of us proceeded to greet each other with much excitement because we hadn’t been together in several months. We sat down and ordered a round of drinks. Within less than ten minutes of arriving, we were told by the owner (Michael) that “you need to be quiet.” We were astonished because 1) we hadn’t been in the establishment for very long, 2) we weren’t using foul language or being disruptive, and 3) the restaurant was almost empty. I was mortified as I had recommended Riva’s. I was looking forward to introducing four new patrons to one of my favorite establishments. It was painfully obvious that our patronage was not welcome. We paid for our drinks and left. I admit that we were loud immediately upon arrival, however, our boisterous behavior was not prolonged. There were so many other ways Michael could have handled the situation. A polite “hey, can y’all please keep it down” would have sufficed and we would not have found it offensive. There were many open tables so we could have been moved to another table. Michael could have waited a few minutes to see if we quieted down. So many options. I loved Riva’s so much, that my friends and I had planned to hold our “October” birthday party there at the end of the month. If Michael is offended by five women at 6:00 on a Wednesday evening, he would be appalled by a group of 10-12 on a Sunday afternoon. As I have contemplated this review over the last several days, I have become more and more distressed. I had been a huge fan of Riva’s for YEARS. I will miss it.

Great Place! Great Food! Great Waiter! (Alex) Great Atmosphere! In the heart of Montrose where you can be whatever/whoever/however you want to be, first time there and I would gladly go back, had a great time and a great meal, what more can you ask for :)

Riva's is located very near Montrose and Westheimer. Ample secure parking. Lots of tables inside and outside. Extensive Italian menu with many great entrees. Crab cake appetizer was awesome. Three different dishes ordered and all were great including the Lintel soup. Hot garlic bread is a great start. Tiaramisu out of this world! Service quick, friendly and professional. Did I mention the large number of gay and trans diners? Highly recommend.

Excellent Italian food. Very authentic- seems like a genuine family owned place. Best Italian food I had I. Houston.

I went with a group of friends to celebrate the end of exams. In my opinion, the food was quite poor. I had the spaghetti with cream and shrimps. The pasta was super soft (the dish looked like mashed potatoes) and the shrimps were horrible (I needed to chew them). The place was for a group like us (about 8 people) and I did not like the decoration (the main room is surrounded by a lot of Christmas lights). At least the waiters were nice, and the price very reasonable. Taking a look to previous reviews, maybe we just had bad luck that day, but it is hard to think I am going to come again... :(

We popped in for lunch. Ordered meatball parmigiana sandwich and eggplant parmigiana dish. Both were made with amazing meat sauce and extra cheese. The restaurant had a slight odor of sewage diminishing the experience. Another complaint is that they offer chicken parmigiana plate but wouldn’t make it in a sandwich for us. I’m spoiled as a regular at Carrabbas where they always say, “if we have the ingredients, we’ll make it for you”. Bottom line, food quality at Riva’s was excellent.

We visited Riva's for the first time recently with friends who have been many times & raved about it. We were not disappointed. From the excellent service to the great food, it was such a wonderful dining experience. Each of us had something completely unique from the other, and no one was unhappy. We will be returning in the future for sure.

We took a walk the other evening for about 2 miles from our house and ended up at Riva's for dinner. At first, we were struck by its charm, but soon became frustrated by our inability to get a waiter to take our order. However, once we flagged one down, service was delightful and timely. Nice salads with choice of two dressing placed on the table...good touch! The garlic bread was heavy on the butter, light on the garlic...would have preferred an opposite ratio. I had the penne with rosa sauce. Deceptively huge portion, quite tasty. The wife had chicken marsala, which had a surprisingly light sauce compared with many restaurants whose marsala is almost syrupy. Top it off with a couple of glasses of wine - not a large selection but they comped us given our initial wait. So, all in all, a very nice find. We will be back!

We have eaten at Riva's many times, and it's pretty good. Tonight was miserable.. We ordered an appetizer , and it was wrong, not what we ordered at all, but we ate it anyway.. It tasted OK but not what we ordered.. I ordered a tenderloin, medium rare.. the came back well done.. No problem.. so i asked them to fix me another.. The steak came back cooked properly.. but the waiter brought back a message from the owner.. "next time order your steak rare" The group at my table , all of a sudden felt uncomfortable being there.. But our waiter was no where to be found.. We ask the busboy to bring us to go boxes and boxed out own food.. I had to wait at the bar to pay the dinner bill. While i was there, the owner came by, and i told him the food was not good tonight. He got very animated. Telling me, "I have cooked 20,000 steaks in my life and your steak was perfect, next time, order it rare!!" Well you do get a chance to make a bad meal, but you only get one chance to berate me.. I'll take my money elsewhere.

Riva's reminds me of neighborhood Italian restaurants in New York or Chicago. Great atmosphere, easy going, the owner's family works there. In short, this is what they do. It's more than a job. They have pride and want to deliver a lovely dining experience. Best fettuccine Alfredo I've ever had, served with grilled chicken. Caprese salad, homemade soup, excellent. My date had rack of lamb that was delicious. It came with a huge side of spaghetti with meat sauce that I ate for lunch the next day. A lot of food. Neither of us could finish our meals. Then, we asked about dessert. Without hesitation our waitress said her mom makes the best tiramasou. She was right. A good thing I went for a very long run the next morning to burn off some of the calories. It's on my go-to list.

One of our favorite restaurants in Houston. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Tucked away one block from a main intersection, this restaurant is a perfect place for lunch. Menu is filled with delicious Italian dishes. 🍝. Lots of choices are available. The grilled chicken and salmon are great. Pasta dishes are also tasty. Deserts are great too. We strongly recommend this place. Waiters work hard to treat customers like welcome guests. Service is generally excellent, but may get a little slow during busiest times. Food comes out very fast, usually. It's not uncommon to see the owner talking to patrons at the bar. The bar is a popular hang out for business men in the area. 🍻🍷🍸 This restaurant is loaded with positive atmosphere. Christmas lights line the windows, and a baby grand piano sits in one of the dining rooms. Awards and photos of luminaries are spread all over the walls. One of the best things about this restaurant are the low prices. The meals here are a great bargain ($$). Ignore the higher estimates on some of the sites. Of course, dinner will cost more than lunch. Our lunch was delicious and inexpensive.

I have dined at Rivas several times and the food was decent. I wanted to take my daughter and my 3 grandchildren here for a mid week lunch. We noticed the glaring sign on the door that children under 12 are not welcomed. Surely this would not be the case when the restaurant was empty at 1 pm. One would think that any and all customers would be greeted warmly. But no, the children were not invited in whether they were well behaved or not. Perhaps I could understand a crowded evening but an empty lunchroom?? Children learn how to dine at more upscale restaurants and grow up to be generous adults and repeat customers. Apparently the management does not understand this concept and good customer service. With this attitude, I will never set foot in Rivas again and I will spread the word that Rivas does not value its clientele. Ultimately, we went to rival Theo's and were warmly welcomed by the staff and management.

Popular neighborhood restaurant for Italian food. Really decorate the place for Christmas and Halloween. Good food, but nothing fancy. Not really a place for kids.

Excellent locally owned restaurant. We ordered the Eggplant Parmesan. We were served garlic bread, lentil soup, salad, and the main course. The food and service was excellent. We had tiramisu for dessert. They had ample parking. Great find in the Montrose area!!!

Great experience. Group dinner after a meeting. Not crowded, easy to park, good food, easy to work with, PLUS cheerful separate checks. Just be careful of the bread: It is soft bread, loaded with butter and garlic, and one isn't enough.

Rivas is a treasure. The atmosphere is pure Italian, very cozy, and the waitstaff very friendly and attentive. The food is scrumptious. I had the shrimp fettucine which was delicious. The shrimp was very fresh and the dish was seasoned perfectly. Their desserts looked excellent, but due to the huge, irresistable portions, I had to pass. I highly recommend Rivas for a business lunch or a romantic dinner.

I am a regular at Rivas, and have never been disappointed. We always sit at the bar, and always have a great dinner. The lasagna is always awesome. The food and service are always great. The bartender (or is the owner or both?) is always on top of everything, and never allows a guest to be ignored. Plus, he is a super nice guy.

Great food. great service ! enjoyed the xmas decorations gave it a very nice holiday feel ! I truly enjoyed my luncheon with my friends there we had a very relaxing good time. You will surely want to return again for another delicious meal and great service. Thank you, Rivas.

What a nice place to have Italian food in the Houston Montrose....enjoyed the ladies and lads laughing over their mimosas and the friendly waiter. Burger was good, capellini very good, eggs maybe not my very favorite (but okay.)

We don't go this this area often so we we make plans periodically to eat at Riva's. We usually come as a crowd from Tomball/Montgomery area since a large group of my friends also love Riva's The owner s always pleasant and the food is always on point. Love the bread and the lentil soup as well as every single pasta dish I've tried. You can't go wrong with this place.

We visit our neighborhood Italian restaurant regularly and are never disappointed! Good food, good service. Order lasagna... it's a classic that won't disappoint.

It's always full of lively people. The pastas are always freshly made and not over cooked. There is always ot bread. The staff is friendly and attentive.

The bottomless mimosa brunch at Riva's can't be beat! And they really mean bottomless. At no point did our server stop proactively refilling our glasses. We never had to ask once -- he was so on top of keeping us boozed up! The staff is super friendly, the service is very good and the food is good too! It all makes for a wonderfully fun brunch experience with friends.

We stopped to have dinner at Rivas last Saturday after an exhausting day at the Energy Day fair in downtown. It was the perfect place to go, cool, dark and fabulously decorated for Halloween! Our waiter was very personable and the staff served all of the dishes quickly, expertly and with a smile. We both had veal dishes from their selection and both were very tasty and delicious. Dinner came with a small bowl of soup with a great flavor and a small salad with a choice of dressings on the side. We had a glass of their house red which went with the meal and was a great dining wine. We finished with their homemade tiramisu, which was light and delicious. We could not have asked for a better experience. We got there as they opened and had no trouble with parking or getting a table. As we left we noticed the restaurant had filled up and so had their parking lot. The meal was very reasonably priced for the food and service we received. We will definitely go back.

I have eaten here many times through the years; always a pleasure. The food is consistently delicious; you can depend on that. The veal is my favorite, but also the chicken-pasta combinations. The salads are unequaled anywhere; the soups (especially the lintel soup is superb). You are always greeted with a smile and the service is excellent

Really like it here very cool vibe.Staff always seem to be in party mode very friendly yet forgetful at times. I still love it and will continue going

We had a couple wonderful dinners here during the Christmas holidays. The food was delicious and the Christmas décor was adorable. In fact, it was so much fun the first time, we had to make another trip. Now to try it this quaint little restaurant for brunch.

This recipe is a cute little gem hidden away on a side street and they serve a wonderful brunch. Definitely check this place out.

First, Randy is the best server, ever! Food is always excellent. Eggplant dish is around $13. You get homemade soup, salad, eggplant, pasta, and wonderful garlic bread. Very filling, and tasty. Husband had the pork shank, which also was excellent, and huge portion. Drinks were good. A little loud, but fun atmosphere.

Cozy place with yummy food, great wine list, pleasant staff. We make the extra distance to eat here when we are in Houston

My daughter chose this place for a family gathering for her birthday. She and her boyfriend arrived before the rest of the party. They informed the waitress that there would be one child in our party. She stated it should be ok. When we arrived, 4 adults & 1 child we were met by the owner stating they do not allow children because they have had issues in the past. I went in to tell my daughter who was seated we needed to find another place. When we came out the owner was still hem hawing about whether we could come in or not. I was done & didn’t want to stay. But he said we could come in. Mind you, all this time he is talking about not wanting kids in front of a a 7 year old. She looked embarrassed & became introverted. We were seated but it seriously felt as thought they brought out all our food so quickly as to get us out. The waitress tried to make the evening enjoyable but by that time it was too late. We have been there multiple times, but it will be the LAST TIME.

We try to go to Riva’s every time we go to Houston. The restaurant is loud, kinda fast decorated and has a large bar area( they don’t refuse kids but they recommend because if the atmosphere to not bring little ones) The staff is all very friendly ( you can tell they enjoy what they do and are all close/maybe even related). If you want some good italian meatballs- there is no better than Riva’s! Fir around 15.00 you get fresh bread brought to the table, delicious salad and soup and a huge plate of spaghetti and meatballs! It is just incredible. Dakota got veal Parm. And he loved it too. If we lived in Houston- we would probably go to Riva’s at least once a month!!!

We saw some reviews on here that look good and thought we wanted to try someplace new and we decided this was it. Came down here and the place is so dark we were not even sure it was open. Turns out that it was and we walk in and waited a few minutes before anybody discovered that we were there. They sat us immediately and then send to forget about us. A waiter finally came up and asked if we were ready to order. I told him that we didn’t have any menus to even look at and that is when they decided to bring us some paper ones. Apparently, in the back corner where it’s dark, they have a near black colored glass on top of the table in the menus or underneath. Maybe if it was daylight with sunlight coming through the windows you could see that but how would anybody know? Anyways, I had chicken Alfredo and my wife had chicken Parmesan. The Alfredo and chicken were good. The salad was good. And the soup was good. The chicken Parmesan was severely lacking. Service was spotty, at best. The Christmas decor made it a bit fun but the average food and subpar service tells me I will not be back. There are better places to go for better food and better service in the same price range.

An adult restaurant ! No kids under 12 allowed. But the food ! Omg it was absolutely a culinary delight. Creamy hollandaise. Perfect poached eggs on spinach was delicious. Pork chop and veal were just as wonderful. So tender. The manager Deana was so nice to us all. Truly a fun and delicious place to eat. We will be back.

Went here on a weeknight to celebrate my husband's birthday. Kept it simple with a chicken funchezzi (came highly recommended) and the lasagna. In brief: Average food. Nothing to write home about. I personally think this is a very average Italian restaurant. For the starter we got complimentary soup (I believe it was some sort of lentil soup) - bland, very creamy. It also came with a big plate of a pretty generic salad with standard dressing on the side (ranch, honey mustard etc). The restaurant itself is very cute and cozy. I definitely liked the vibe of the place, and our server was polite and super enthusiastic. So from that perspective the restaurant is great. From a food and price perspective...average.

My daughter and some friends were celebrating her graduation and I called the restaurant in advance of their arrival hoping to comp the evening for them. Not only was I told they didn’t ‘have time to that’, but he hung up on me. Wow....just wow.

Friendly service and great food pair together at this "off the beaten path" restaurant. From the salad with the homemade dressing to the mouth watering garlic toast, every bite is sure to delight.

I have been here a few times over the past 6 months and have established a Dukedom on Yelp. Just thinking about the Chicken Funchezzi makes my mouth water. It has flamboyant decorations, with strings of lights and happy helpful staff. There is a bar in the restaurant. I know that at least one of the waitresses is a professionally trained singer, who will sing you happy birthday for your birthday. The restaurant is a house converted into a restaurant giving it that Italian home cooked meal feeling. Like most italian food restaurants, this is not a loud restaurant. There is a patio area also. If you order an entree it comes with a small serving of the soup of the day and a dinner salad with your choice of homemade salad dressings, italian or ranch. If you are hungry order an entree, otherwise their appetizer and salad menu is all tasty. Be aware, while flavorful and good, their calamari dish is not fried. The chicken parmesan is better than Prontos or Spaghetti Warehouse. While this is not as high quality as Damian's, it is half as expensive and still very good food. They also has some homemade desserts.

The food at this place is horrible. When we told the waiter that we did not enjoy our meal, he called the owner over to the table. The owner of the restaurant screamed at us and made a scene because we did not liking the food. It was so unbelievable that he would be so unprofessional. So, I can't say enough bad things about this horrible place. My friends and I will never go there again. The owner could not be any bigger of a jerk.

We visited this past weekend, first time to go. We were able to sit out on the patio and it was a nice weather evening for H-town. We had a very friendly and attentive waiter who was really great. Service was thorough and fast. We ordered the crab cake appetizer which served four of us! It was huge! It was really tasty. The meals come with so much; bread, soup, salad and entree. I took food home. The atmosphere was really great and we will go back! Had no idea this little place was tucked behind busy Niko Niko, literally one street past it and there it was. Happy to have another solid choice to go to in that fun area.

Friendly restaurant in the middle of Houston's artistic (read: gay) neighbourhood, and the owner and waiters also appear to be of that persuasion. Very good value meals that come with a nice and spicy lentil soup and a nice salad included. Garlic bread galore as well. Mains were of decent quality, not top notch but for this price more than acceptable. Really good house wine also reasonably priced, loved their Pinot Grigio. Options for indoor and outdoor seating.

Went for a Friday night dinner w/friends. Sat on the patio & received excellent service. Drinks were good, food was wonderful! We were first served a creamy lentil soup (outstanding!!!), then a very fresh salad, then our main courses. Also had the crab cakes (yum) & calamari (heads up, NOT fried) as apps. Fettuccine was spectacular as a side! It was a very quiet, low-key place even during a busy time period... There were 6 of us, & I tasted all of the main courses- can't say a bad thing about any of them! Would love to try their Sunday brunch some time. Too bad they are 30+ mins from my house... We will return!!!

The food here is standard Italian-American fare. The salads are pretty average, but the soup -- even while very simple -- are always very tasty. And the deliciously buttery garlic bread really hits the spot. The service is friendly and the restaurant has a very cozy neighborhood vibe. Come for a very casual meal that's consistent.

Great service and very accommodating (seating us in a small patio at our request). The service was great, the crab cake appetizer to die for, and our dinners really tasty! Our dinners came with soup and salad....all of our food was delicious and considering the location, very reasonable in price.

Like homemade Italian food, typical atmosphere and friendly waiters and manager. I love their lentil soup! Good value for money! A place to go back many times!

Love the atmosphere, ambiance, staff, food, and wine, and most of all, I love Randy. great person and provides excellent customer care. Because of Randy, the staff, and the chef, we return for brunch, lunch, or dinner. Great food!!!! Highly recommend!! Thank you, Randy, Chef, and Staff for always meeting us with welcoming smiles and service!! :-) Mil Abrazos!!

Excellent place prior to opera, play or symphony, safe parking, clean restrooms and good music.

I attended a relative/family/friends gathering to celebrate the life of a family member. Riva’s outdoor patio was reserved for the private gathering and their accommodation was perfect: plenty of tables with social distancing, a bottle of red and white at each table along with plentiful water. Following the memorial, food was served. A great soup, salad, bread baskets, plentiful dressings, and an assortment of entrees. Servings were plentiful with many taking food boxes home! The food was great, the wait staff was extremely attentive and the atmosphere was perfect. Never been to Riva’s before, but I will be back at every possible opportunity. The place was decorated for Halloween and I hear their Xmas decorations are even more over the top! Thank you Riva’s for helping us celebrate Seamus’ life and for the great food and atmosphere!

It was a small quaint restaurant- very Tuscany like! Casual and authentic. YOU DO NOT NEED AN APPETIZER- the portions are enormous! They brought delicious bread to our table. With the meal you get soup, salad and entrée...And all was delicious!!!

My husband and I found this place trying to feed a pasta craving and were very wonderfully surprised to find this Italian restaurant. The food was great with really good portion sizes that came with complimentary garlic bread, which is great when you are a person who loves carbs. Our meal also included a soup and salad. The service was friendly and attentive. The atmosphere felt warm, intimate, and comfortable with both indoor and outdoor seating. I highly recommend this place to others and will join the regulars that frequent this place.

Four buddies out for the evening at a pub looking for a good place to eat close by. One of the guys had eaten at Riva's once before. He said the food was good, nothing fancy, and it was priced right. So we took a chance based on his word. Since I love plain, home-style Italian food, I can't understand how I was unaware of this place until last night. Great lentil soup, a fine garden salad and penne pasta with roasted pancetta in alfredo sauce, along with incredible garlic bread. $10.95 total. I could only eat less than half of the pasta, and had enough to share the leftovers with my wife for lunch today. But it's not about the quantity or the price. Everything was fresh and delicious. All four of us came away with plans to visit again soon. I'm going to show up with my wife for Sunday brunch and check out their bottomless Mimosas for $8.95.

We went (5 of us) and waited about 25 minutes to get seated, while it wasn't a long wait, one of the wait staff got in an argument with another staff member in the front seating area. (A dinner AND a show I suppose.) The food was pretty good, but when it came to the end of the meal, or even requesting anything during our dinner, it was a 15 minute wait. The food was the highlight, and the service seemed to be having an "off" night.

Discrimination of kids - straight away by the door guy told us no high chair for babies and no really babies coming to this restaurant - his face expression and tone of voice were upset 😠 Horrible welcoming Food - horrible taste - nothing Italian at all Really disappointed 😔

I LOVE this place for dinner! I was not as impressed by brunch. While you can get a bottomless mimosa for $11.95 each, it needed more OJ. The meals we ordered were a LOT of food so you more than get your money's worth of protein - omelet, sausage, potatoes, croissant - plus veal, chicken, pork, etc. I should have ordered an Italian dish because they're my favorite. The price was amazing however so if you need to fill up, do it. Get the chocolate cake.

On Friday, May 4th, a group of friends went to dinner at Rivas. This rude man that is called the owner, was showing to us his bad manners when he told us we had to move because he needed the table. He literally bullied us to put pressure on us to leave. I had arrived just minutes before the incident to join the group. I was not even asked if I wanted to order something. This man just came in a very violent way to force us to leave the table. We were threatened by this man. He did not mind that there were 5 ladies in the table. This man needs to come back to school to learn about citizenship. Thank God none of us are irrational. Otherwise a fight could be generated due to the irrational approach that this owner executes with his customers. Please, run the voice to other people so the BBB can do something to stop this terrible person. Edwin and friends

Went with two co workers, they had been there, I had not. I was TOLD that I could not beg off. I am so glad they insisted. The atmosphere is awesome. YES, there are Christmas lights strung everywhere and if any of the TV chefs were to see it they would have a conniption. But, it was fun, great music and the FOOD IS WONDEFUL. for $16 I got, soup, homemade garlic bread salad and my entrée. two, Large flattened chicken breasts, seasoned and fried to a great crisp with a wonderful lemon butter sauce. If you get a chance GO THERE!

This was the worst service experience I have ever had in a restaurant. Except for the bus service help, we literally had almost no service at all. I joined friends who were waiting for me at the restaurant. They were already seated but no water. The "waiter" if thats what you call him walked up to our table and shouts "who wants drinks?!" We just wanted water and soft drinks, so he walked off and said "Goddammit". At first we chuckled with a light hearted attitude. When he came back he brought everyone's drink but mine. I had to remind him to please bring me some water. He then came back and took our order, and that is almost the last we saw of him. I asked him to split the check for us, but when we got the check is was one check. When we finished our food he never came to bus the dishes, instead a bus woman came and picked up only two of our plates. I had to bus the rest of the table bc the waiter never came back. He served other tables around us, especially the table full of men. But forgot about us at all. Thank you to the lady who kept coming by and refreshing our water. I was ready to go bc i had to be somewhere. But we waited around for someone to come pick up our money for the check until finally we walked up front, as the restaurant was closing. We asked the owner to please split our check. He had another waiter split our check, since ours had vanished. As we were doing this our waiter walked in from outside. He acted all chipper as if he waited on us all night. Then when I was signing my check and placing the tip he stood over me! He laid on the charm as I signed my receipt. And bc he was watching me I accidentally gave him a 30% tip! I really hope he shared that with the people who actually served us!

Our family goes here for dinner when they are visiting. Am a native New Yorker and I really appreciate Italian food. Although this is Texas and it is not run by Italians, it is one of the closest things you can get to feeling like I am in New York City again. Excellent service, there are at least 3-4 people coming by your table while you dine. I like the house salad, then the soup, then the entree, oye! It is always a consistently great experience and a good value.