Riva Blu Italian Restaurant & Bar, Manchester in Manchester

Came for daughter’s birthday. They made her feel very special. Fabriziow was an excellent waiter. Would definitely recommend

Pizza is good but there was nearly no Proscuitto on my Pizza. Friendly and quick service.

Absolutely fantastic restaurant food and service first class, we enjoyed it so much we visited again a couple of days later and everything was just as faultless we will definitely return next time we’re in Manchester.

Great service and food spot on. Steaks just as we ordered. Well done Team!!

I had a wonderful experience at Riva Blu! The place has such a cozy and atmospheric vibe – perfect for a relaxed lunch. The staff were absolutely amazing: attentive, friendly, and very welcoming. We didn’t have a reservation, but they still managed to find us a nice table. The food was absolutely delicious – every dish we tried was full of flavor and beautifully presented. What made the lunchtime even more special was that, when we mentioned it was my friend’s birthday, they surprised us with a beautiful and tasty dessert. Such a lovely and thoughtful gesture! Highly recommended – can't wait to go back!

First time here and do not regret it one bit food was on point service was amazing, jack and Kiera or Keira were absolutely outstanding thank you to both of them for making it a great experience

We loved the pizza, and Fabrizio was fantastic. He speaks Spanish very well and translated everything we didn't understand on the menu. He was always attentive. We'll be back!

Buzzy atmosphere and great staff left down by some average food. Starter of tuna was great but speciality of pasta and tomato was underwhelming and dessert of sponge with cherry and cream was dry and bouncy.

Amazing food. The scallops and tuna tatare starters were beautiful and the mains, sea bream and sea bass were excellent too. Both of us said it was probably one of the best meals we've had for a long time and we both dine in top class places around London etc. Well done to the chef 👨‍🍳 👍. Service was also friendly and attentive.

I’m a diamond card member of their loyalty scheme. You’re expected to spend nearly £3000 a year to keep the status. And because of that you get perks rather than points like you used too. Well it’s now changed so you only get the ‘low level’ perks now on a Monday to Thursday. I really don’t see how they expect people to keep going. The benefits of spending money with them is not worth it. Service was rubbish so they can’t even say you get their diamond experience. We sat down. After 30 seconds was asked what we’d like to drink. Although we felt rushed we quickly reviewed the wine list to order. He then asked what we wanted to eat? I had to ask him to give me at 1 minute to review a menu. You’ve lost your way individual restaurants. You no longer reward loyalty.

First visit 9th May 2025 and very impressed with greeting on entry, superb waitress at our table and food first class. Re-booked for a group of 8 for Sunday 18th May! Mike Marshall.

I came to Riva Blu with my partner for my birthday. The waiter working yesterday evening was amazing - a very efficient guy with long hair in a bun and shades. His shades were real nice! He went above and beyond to make my birthday special. We had a round of free drinks (we had Prosecco & Aperol), the Aperol was well made. We ordered a bread starter to share, the balsamic vinegar and oil was the best I’ve had in my life, the vinegar was made with grapes and it was so amazing! Lovely variety, our favourite was the focaccia. We also had some olives. My partner chose lasagne, it’s the best lasagne you’ve had in your life - nothing can compare to this lasagne. I had a seafood linguine. I asked for no mussels and the waiter kindly asked for them to replace it with prawns and they have me quite a few large prawns. We had a pink Prosecco and an unfiltered beer which were both amazing. To finish, the waiter surprised me with a happy birthday raspberry tarte which was so tasty. It was really fresh and flavoursome. Really lovely dinner, 100% worth it, wish I could go there every day. Thank you Riva Blu and especially our waiter who deserves special recognition for his hard work.

I cannot give enough stars here. Late out from a show, absolutely ravenous having not managed to eat before our show and yet RIVA accommodated my husband, daughter and I. Thank you so much for your kindness and hospitality. Great place to eat and went above and beyond so my family could eat. Thank you 🤩 10 🌟

Food is lovely and seafoods are fresh. Nice ambiance and attentive staff.

Great service, lovely food, Fabrizio was great. Thanks for the evening! We will be back!

Sabrina was a great host, she made our experience wonderful.

Dessert to die for with limoncello - we had delicious main courses coked to perfect for my daughter and I. I had scallops tuna and prawn skewers. Thank you Riva Blu

Could not fault anything, service was wonderful, food was just the right amount and surprising in its approach. They were also really sweet with helping me with my surprise. Would recc 🩷

Fantastic meal and wine. Great service from our server Georgina

Nicely cooked southern italian cuisine

Pre booked a table for 4 here before the Peter Kay show. Arrived a little early for our 4.30 booking but there as plenty of room at the bar to have a drink. We were taken upstairs to our table where it’s was very busy most tables taken it was such a good atmosphere. Decent menus with plenty to choose from, I had the Calzone which was really good rest of the group had various pizzas. Definitely recommend this restaurant if your in town 👍🏼😊

Great food and staff highly reccomend

I went here for my birthday and i can say Absolutely beautiful place with excellent food the staff are excellent and make you feel very special 5 stars for me

The service was wonderful in a lovely relaxing atmosphere. Well done! Staff were patient, understanding and helpful. Worth another visit.

Excellent service and lovely food.

Amazing food, lovely soft steak and the gnocchi was great. Staff are very friendly and helpful

Great service and food. Thanks Jack!

Jack was the perfect host, we were well looked after and comfortable. Beautiful venue, and the food was divine. Semifreddo was exceptional, and the coffee is smooth and delicious!! Me and my partner are visiting the area, this place is enough to suffer another 4 hour train jourmey for. Thank you guys for a lovely night!

I wish I could give this place more than 5 stars, the staff were incredible. Especially Jack, he made out night perfect! The food was perfect, I had the lasagne and it was more than a great dish it was a journey in itself! Absolutely love this place, well worth the journey. Thanks so much folks

Great service from Fabrizio for our rowdy party of 5 and 2 small kids!

Excellent meal and brilliant service

Wonderful food, relaxed yet formal vibe, definitely worth the visit for high quality food and drink!

Best italian restaurant in Manchester. Close to city center.

Had a lovely meal and our waiter Fabrizio was very helpful and friendly

I had an amazing experience at this Italian restaurant! The food was absolutely delicious – everything was fresh, full of flavor, and cooked to perfection. From the appetizers to dessert, every bite was a delight. The waiter was incredibly helpful and organized, making sure we had everything we needed without feeling rushed. The highlight of the night was when he sang "Happy Birthday" for someone at our table – such a nice personal touch! Great atmosphere, excellent service, and fantastic food. I’ll definitely be coming back!

Nice decor and location….however the pasta dishes my partner and I ordered were probably the worst we have eaten The rigatoni was like chewy rubber , lukewarm, with virtually no sauce to speak of ! I don’t often write reviews but this was truly awful ( and expensive) We will not be returning

The food was lovely but the best part was Georgina's attentiveness and served us with a smile. We would go back again 😌

Thanks for the lovely evening Especially in Aniello

Aniello was amazing. Great service and amazing food and drinks 💕

Fabulous food nice wine and great atmosphere plus superb service. Recommend to anyone. Served by Fab and very attentive

The best restaurant I have ever been to. Everything was perfect; the food, the drinks, the place itself and the wonderful staff. I really cannot praise the place enough, and cannot wait to go back.

I’ve eaten better food from a packet.

Cannot reccomend this place enough. Went today with my mum and we both agreeded it was the best italian meal we'd ever had with the best cocktails we'd ever had. Our waiter amazing aswell (I regret not getting his name so I could name him in this reveiw) and it really made out girly day out perfect. Will not only be coming here again, but will be making sure to go out my way to head into manchester specifically to come here again

Had an amazing time at Riva Blu, in due part to our server Sabrina who was exceedingly friendly during our visit. The atmosphere of the restaurant was superb. The lasagne and bolognese are staple classics that were executed perfectly.

Very elegant place, excellent food and Fabrizio's perfect attention. A pleasure. We will repeat again

Lovely food and service!! Would reccomend

Sabrina was brilliant, the food was excellent. Such a great place!!!!

Food and staff was perfect the atmosphere was just so comfortable and orders come very quick. The food itself was so damn tasty I'm going back next time I'm in the area 100% Georgina was also a wonderful host who made us feel very welcome.

The food prices are reasonable, the wait time was short and everything turned out well

Food and drink was amazing. Very friendly staff. Fabriziow our server was very welcoming and polite.

The service was excellent and even though we ordered a main course and we didn't enjoy it they took it off the bill for us which they didn't have to do

Excellent customer service, our waiter was very kind and had excellent customer skills . The food was very tasty 😋

Disappointing Pasta and Rushed Service, but Good Wine Visited Riva Bar with high expectations, but the experience was underwhelming. The pasta was bland, watery, and lacked any real flavor. On top of that, the service felt rushed and inattentive, making the meal less enjoyable. The one saving grace was the wine, which was excellent. Unfortunately, good wine alone isn’t enough to bring me back.

Really enjoyed our visit here. Fabriziow was really attentive and lovely

Fabriziow gave us great services

Fabrizio was the man. Top-top service, incredibly tasty food & the atmosphere was ideal. We’ll see you again soon!

Loved it wonderful ambiance and food.

Lovely experience, Fabrizio was a great host!

Good authentic Italian food with relaxed atmosphere. The waiter Fabrizio is very friendly, explained the dishes and gave good recommendations. Will be coming back!

Fantastic service from Fabrizio and amazing dishes

Fabrizo amazing service and the food was delicious.

Amazing food and great service by Fabrizio💪

Gorgeous food and great service, thanks Fabrizio!

Visited Saturday evening with the family. Beautiful decor and atmosphere. Bar area and drinks choice fabulous. We had a great booth table for 6 and an attentive and interested server, (from Ischia and who gave us some great information on the island and we want to visit there now), who overheard us talking about a recent birthday and delivered a lush dessert without request. Staff were plentiful and really efficient and friendly across the restaurant. Food was amazing and we weren’t rushed at all which was perfect for our group. We joined the Club IR and will visit again. Thank u all 💕

overpriced and a bit chaotic, our drinks were served incorrectly followed by a really poor excuse for a cesar salad for 12.95 I received 4 tiny cubes of chicken, mostly soggy croutons and not even the correct salad leaf for this type of dish, they served our pizza to another table leaving one of our group eating after everyone else had 'finished', the bolognese was tasteless mush, the side salad was literally slimey, the cucumber looked like it had been in the freezer, see through and slime texture, overall expensive disappointment.

very nice and food and cocktails were delicious :)

Our food and service was excellent l. The restaurant was busy as a Saturday night generally is but as a last minute booking they fitted me and my mum in. Georgina our waitress was incredibly kind and couldn't do enough for us. The food was expensive but what you'd expect in a restaurant in Manchester centre.

Marta was amazing really kind and helpful. She recommended the lemon desert which was unreal! Thank you so much

Nice food reasonably priced.. time given between courses which I liked.. Will be back

Booked a table, didn't get seated until 20min after the booking. Staff are really friendly and helpful good atmosphere. Food is okay but I have had better Italian.

Wonderful service from Geoffrey at the bar, great cocktails made by him too

Fantastic dinner! The best Arancini I’ve ever had 😍

Tested this Friday. The room is very nice and our waitress is very pleasant. A few downsides, however, such as the noise in the room and the pasta that I ultimately found a bit classic in terms of taste. One last point. The servers are running around a lot... They seem overwhelmed!

The food was not so good... and not too much on the plate for his price... the service was 0... they looked stressed ... I wouldn't go there anymore!

Lovely food, drinks and vibes ;) definitely return

My daughter and I popped in for lunch a few days ago.. the restaurant was quite empty, yet we were seated at a terrible booth for 2 stuck to the wall and next to the front door, a till and a space heater sat on the floor...I folded my overcoat and stored it on the display shelves as no one offered to take it, This isn't uncommon nowadays and id pop my coat over my chair if i cant hang it, However the single seat booth could not facilitate this. My Daughters starter was fantastic...my calamari was slightly overcooked. The mains were disappointing and my daughters first comment was that her bolognese was grossly overated on reveiws, meanwhile my carbonara was extremely salted. Unfortunately on this occasion, I can say that Ive tasted many nicer ones.. However, whilst the panna cotta i ordered was very nice and my daughter enjoyed her icey gelato, our server emitted no warmth or even a smile throughout, he attended and served, but didn't seem like he wanted to be there...maybe it was just us, because as we were leaving he warmly greeted some acquaintances/friends that were sat outside. Maybe it was just a bad day all round, but our experience was not quite what we had been led to expect. We had a great catch up regardless, but very much doubt that we would return, or recommend.

Went here on the 9th of January with my wife on her birthday and was very pleased with the visit. We were served by Fabrizio, he was polite, pleasant and gave excellent recommendations showing a high level of service. The atmosphere was also very pleasant and comfortable for nice conversations. The food was both satisfying, it was an incredible experience. Will definitely be back again when we visit Manchester again

When in for a meal I ordered my main and when it came it wasn't what I thought I had ordered however it was my mistake. When the waiter came over his attitude was aggressive towards me and unacceptable as he assumed I was blaming them for my mistake. They did offer to change my food however attitude wasn't acceptable

A lovely experience, the restaurant is clean , modern and very inviting. The food was fantastic and our experience was made extra special by our waitress Marta who was professional, but very friendly, helpful and welcoming. A really special celebration of my husbands birthday was perfect. Thank you.

Fabrizio was a great host and the food was decent.

Really good experience at Riva last night. The staff were excellent, very attentive and helpful with the menu. One of the group was doing Keto and he made suggestions on how to change some of the dishes. Great vegan choices. Food was excellent. Will definitely go again.

Good food great service. Fabrielo was very friendly

Always a fantastic experience. Cant fault it.

I loved the place. Very cozy and nice. The food was good too but the bolognese was a little out of taste I guess more sauce would have made it perfect. Everything else was excellent. Would definitely recommend it.

Came here for new year’s eve , was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere and waiting experience. staff were very personable , especially our server fabrizio. We will definitely be visiting again soon . highly recommend!!

Absolutely delicious food, great service. Although they were very busy, they accommodated our group of 6 and even brought out a birthday treat for the little one. The best lasagna I've had outside of Italy!

Venue and service lovely, but food awful.

Huge thanks to Riva Blu Restaurant, Manchester for an amazing time celebrating our graduation and a close friend's birthday! The food was fantastic, the vibe was bellissimo, and the staff went above and beyond. I can't wait to see Fab and Martha again! I definitely missed meeting Kira, my best friend there... Wishing you all the continued success - you deserve it 😊

Absolute disgusting food and service here . I booked online weeks ago ended up shoved on a bad table so don’t bother booking online we ended up waiting over an hour for mains which never arrived they stated only waited 30 minutes this was much was a lie . I paid for starters but refused to wait any longer dozens of tables still waiting for food in no way does this place look Italian ! Lots of S.E Asian staff . They actually argued with us saying only 20 minutes I said over an hour and still no mains . AVOID. THIS PLACE . No wonder only place available on a Saturday night AND To add to the insult the so called Manager followed us to the door arguing with my lady we had only waited 30 minutes and requested we did not discuss the incident with other customers. What a joke lucky I didn’t slap him! Awful so called customer service ! This place is about as Italian as my uncle Eric from Wigan AVOID ! Plus they hate criticism my partner went in personally to make a complaint face to face with a manager during the day and was spoken to by a older male at the bar who stated he would look into the complaint and call her back days later still waiting for the call 🙄

My son and I went in hoping to have a quick warm-up drink before our ice-skating session. It looked busy as it was a Saturday before Christmas, and we didn't have a reservation. All we wanted was a quick shot of brandy or vodka at the bar. However, the manager was extremely rude and made us feel unwelcome, then turned us away. This was the worst customer service I've experienced in town. People who work in hospitality should be polite as a minimum.

Absolutely delicious, starters, mains, sides deserts all devoured. Not a morsel of food left. The Scollops were delicious. Steak and pasta’s were beautiful. Excellent Singing for my Hubby’s Birthday. chilled relaxed atmosphere.

Recently visited Riva Blu. Overall my experience was positive, but there was room for improvement. Starters and main were excellent. Pizza was especially good! Only gripes were the fact we weren’t offered Parmesan and black pepper when tables around us were. Also the Tiramisu was underwhelming and flavourless. Still worth a visit, surroundings and atmosphere were lovely.

Fabulous experience, great food & customer service was perfect. Fabri is well mannered and taught us a lot about the history in Italy which made us feel even more welcome. Thankyou Fabri and Thankyou Riva Blue

Fabrizios service was amazing. He was very attentive and gave us such a great experience. Food was delicious and we even got given a birthday treat for the birthdays!

I booked here for me and my friends for my 19th birthday we had a mix of cocktails which were delicious and the food was 10/10 I would like to make a special mention to the server Dan for making the ordering process very smooth and easy! Another special mention to Marta who sorted out our bill and made it very simple because there was a different range of card and cash payments! Great thankyou :))

Just dined at Riva Blu this evening, the food was really good, and the service was impressively fast, even though the restaurant was busy. Our waiter, Fabrieio (I hope I spelt his name correctly), made the evening even better with his cheerful attitude and excellent service. He was attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely enthusiastic, making us feel welcome and well taken care of. Riva Blu is a top choice for great Italian food and outstanding service. Highly recommended!

Great food, service by Fabrizio and ambience.

Great service by fabrizio and good food :)

Fabrizio...best waiter I've ever experienced...ever!

Lovely food and Fabrizio was a fantastic waiter.