Riva Fish House

Went to Riva's on the wharf tonight. Wanted to go to the Wednesday wharf celebration, but it was canceled because of rain. So at Rivas, we had four cups of clam chowder, which was excellent.The combined crab shrimp Louis was huge and very tasty. Fish tacos with tilapia are very good. The crab melt was a little dry but using some of the fish taco dressing on it made it OK. Service was great. Also had the Santa Cruz Mountain brown ale (heavy but tasty) and the Orange Hefeweizen-nice!Don't know what the fuss is about with people posting bad experiences at Riva's, but ours was great. Free parking and not crowded!! Win-Win

Let me start off by saying I'm not one to write bad reviews b/c of the impact ot can have at a small business. That being said:Walked in at 1:45, first server interaction at 2:10 when we ordered kids food (not adults entrees, to speed up process of getting kids fed). Cheeseburgers came with no cheese. Server didn't take the order for remaining food until I flagged him down. To which he said he'll be with us as soon as possible. A whole 15 mins later after closing out his tips from 3 other tables. Terrible service for mediocre food with less than optimal portion sizes. Took up a good 2 hours from my day at the boardwalk.P.S. never checked on my drink of how the food came out. When he dropped off check he was sure to be fast to return and run my card. Tip reflected service.

We stopped by because one of our friends like this place. Firstly love our table next to the beautiful ocean view. We ordered the calamari as an appetizer and it looks like it was house made as opposed to most restaurants that are bought from the same supplier. Calamari was tender and the crust was nice and crunchy . My boyfriend ordered the poached pear with grilled chicken . The chicken breast was freshly grilled and pear was tender. I got the Louie salad with shrimp and crab. I appreciate the generous amount of real crab and bay shrimp. We were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food. Usually when the restaurant has great views, it has mediocre food. This place has both great views and great food! Would definitely come back and try other items.

It's a convenient restaurant to dine at when you're at the Santa Cruz Pier, but otherwise there's nothing memorable about the entrees. The fish tacos were watery and fell apart when I ate it, also lacking in seasoning. We also ordered grilled mahi mahi with fries, veggies, and chimichurri sauce in the side. The only memorable thing about the fish entree was the sauce, but the mahi mahi was a bit dry. The views were nice but food could use improvement.

It's a solid seafood eatery in Santa Cruz. It's definitely much more casual inside than I anticipated. The oysters were very fresh. Service was okay. The parking situation was a bit confusing, since it's located in the pier. Turns out you can drive on the pier straight up to the restaurant. We parked before entering the pier and walked ten min to Riva. Although we went for dinner, I imagine the ocean view is very scenic during the day.

During this SF trip I am on a mission to find the best clam chowder. Riva Fish House on the Santa Cruz wharf is not it, even though its version has many good qualities and the staff were very chill. My two gripes = chopped onion should not be in a chowder; potato chunks could be smaller and softer. Old Fisherman's Grotto in Monterey so far has my vote for the #1 clam chowder.

Riva Fish House! Honestly, I thought I wrote a review for Riva's already. What can I say that the pictures don't say for themselves? This is one of the best spots to eat at on the wharf. Food is on point as well as the drinks and the awesome ocean views. Clam chowder is a must, oyster shooters for me, the salmon bowl, fish & chips, as well as the pasta & prawns. All bueno. Of course this spot is touristy and on the expensive side but what do you expect? Service is always super friendly and quick. Make it a point to check out Riva's if you're on the wharf feeling hooooongry!

In a sea of mediocre food on the wharf, Riva stands out by being... bland. 2.5 stars.It's a boring dated room with only few decorations and a decent water view. No outside seating. On to the food...Crab cakes: two small cakes with obvious filler in them. Best thing we had ... which isn't saying much.Fish taco mahi mahi: good sized piece of fish but without flavoring. Tacos were dry unless you added the thousand island dressing. Authentic, right?Clam chowder: glad we got the cup and not the bowl. Not many clams and not much taste. I added some hot sauce to make it interesting. The waitstaff are fine, although seemed a bit overwhelmed and perhaps weary of their jobs. Bathrooms remind me of a cruise liner. And don't look in the kitchen.

This is the second time I've been here and it continues to have great food and good service. Beautiful views of bay too.This time I had the Oysters on the half shell. Very fresh and the mignonette sauce was tasty. We also shared an open face Crab sandwich, packed with fresh crab and melted cheese. Served with crispy fries. Delicious!

Our server was great!! Food here was amazing and super fresh. Best calamari i've had so far