Riviera Ottawa — Restaurant in Ottawa

Everything about the dinner was pleasant. The moment you walk in the door you can tell that the attention to detail is superb. The staff welcomed us, but it was clear they took the time to familiarize themselves with the occasion, wishing my Fiancé a Happy Birthday. The Maître'd was charming and let me know hey found us a quiet spot (a request I had made in my open table booking).

The atmosphere is interesting. The space is so long with very high ceilings, a former bank building. It makes you feel as though no expense is spared. As though you're free to take up space. It allows for sound to move, and therefore a space which was busy on a week night still allowed for intimate conversations. The design of the kitchen was something to behold as well. Everything is out in the open. Your dining experience is not limited to front of house, you see all the machinery of the cooks and mixologists hard at work. It was pretty incredible.

The cocktail menu is fantastic and the staff were knowledgeable and helped us make some selections of Champagne as well as a sweet watermelon cocktail (pictured below - I provide a description there it was such a unique cocktail experience!)

The menu is small but anything but simple, each dish is well thought out, elevated in flavour and presentation. We selected the Duck Breast and Lacquered Halibut. Both were very delicious. The Halibut came with sunchoke pure, and fava beans. The sauce was gently sweet and had a little kick of spice, barely noticeable, I suspect from ginger. The duck was masterfully cooked to medium rare, the way i like, but might be chewy for some. Take small bites and savour the experience.

When I say we cleaned the plate I mean it was as though no food had ever graced its surface. We loved the food.

The final moments of our night at Riviera sealed the deal for us. We let our server know we would skip dessert because we had cake at home. He surprised us with a beautiful, cute little macaron with a candle. It was very sweet and thoughtful. We also discovered that they have a photo other in the back by the washrooms (5$ charge) which we gladly took advantage of, great for any date, makes for a cute momento.

Finally, as we left a server who hadn't served us or greeted us on the way in, said goodnight and Happy Birthday to my Fiancé! We were so impressed that other staff not responsible for our table knew we were celebrating a birthday. And that is why we would love to recommend this place. Yes the food is amazing and unique, but the staff and service are far and beyond what we could have ever expected.

We made a 4.5 hr trip from Toronto, and let me tell you, we will be back again. Highly recommended. 10/10

Thank you to all the staff for making the night special...

We were excited to try Riviera on our Ottawa trip but it fell short of the many glowing reviews. The space is beautiful, set inside an old bank, which adds a unique charm to the dining experience. The menu is small but well-curated, indicating a focus on a few select dishes.

Drinks: The drinks were alright, but they did not justify the high prices. While we understand that $20+ cocktails and glasses of wine have become standard in many restaurants, we expect them to deliver in taste and quality. The orange wine by the glass was decent but forgettable. The Garden of Earthly Delights cocktail, while easy to drink, lacked depth and complexity. It had faint notes of chartreuse and mezcal, backed up with cucumber and lime, and was garnished with a lime wedge. Despite finishing my drink, I was not offered a fresh one, which brings me to my next point.

Service: At this price point and for a self-proclaimed fine dining establishment, the service needs improvement. The staff was not unfriendly but lacked hospitality. Our server barely greeted us, did not welcome us to the restaurant, and offered no explanation of the menu, the space, or the concept. Table maintenance was an issue, as we often had extra plates and cutlery left unattended. My empty drink sat without an offer for a refill. Additionally, a server returning from a smoke break smelled of cigarettes when dropping off items, which was a significant sensory turn-off for both of us.

Food: The food ranged from fine to forgettable. Bread was dropped at our table without a word. The fluke crudo was the standout dish, featuring well-balanced flavors and a good incorporation of chili without overpowering the fish. However, more clementines or smaller pieces would have been appreciated, and the plating was somewhat lazy, simply served in a bowl. The gnudi, while tasty with peas and asparagus, was reminiscent of dishes we've had at many other restaurants. The asparagus and morels were a letdown; the sauce overpowered the vegetables, the asparagus was overcooked, and the morels, while delicious, are generally hard to mess up.

We initially planned to order more but decided against it as nothing truly impressed us. Based on our experience, we were hesitant to try additional items. Perhaps other dishes are better, but the lack of service and lackluster flavors left us wanting to leave.

In conclusion, while Riviera has potential with its beautiful setting and promising menu, the overall experience was disappointing due to subpar service and underwhelming flavors. Improvements in these areas could significantly enhance the...

It will be a year ago in February since I went to this restaurant for my Birthday and the experience was so bad I still get upset thinking about it 10 months later. Hopefully this will save others time and money by hearing my story. We showed up and the place was beautiful, admittedly cold though but obviously not their fault. we were given a table for two and the waiter scoffed when we brought our own bottle of wine for the corking fee. waiter asked our orders while my partner was in the washroom so I had to order for him! Luckily he had told me what he wanted but then he was asking how my partner wanted his steak cooked and I had to guess Mid order the waiter stopped me and said “I’m going to stop you right there. That’s way too much food for you guys.” As someone who has dealt with eating disorders in the past this brought me to tears and my partner came back from the washroom to me crying. appetizers were served and since we ordered oysters we didn’t have room on our table. When we asked to have the table beside us pushed over just for the appetizers to have room the waiter hesitated and said “as long as you finish in the next 45 minutes because we have other people coming.” We felt like we were a burden to them. at the end of the night, we were feeling discourage and I asked to leave and get dessert somewhere else as I felt uncomfortable. My partner poured the rest of the wine in his glass and the waiter came and chastised him for pouring his own glass, telling him he poured it too big and that it would affect the flavors of the wine. Admittedly we were a bit rude at this point and said we just wanted to leave. when we went to get the bill, they brought out a silver tray with a single lit candle on it (no dessert) to blow out for my birthday. No inherently bad but a bit weird considering most places we’ve been to in the past offered complimentary desserts on special occasions. It would have been better not to have brought anything out in my opinion. the food was mediocre at best but that may also be because I was so upset by the whole experience that it left a bitter taste in my mouth. I have been very vocal with friends and family about this experience. Many have told me I should leave a review for...