Riva Blu Italian Restaurant & Bar, Manchester in Manchester

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

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!

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

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

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

Thanks for the lovely evening Especially to Aniello

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Fabriziow gave us great services

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.

Fantastic service from Fabrizio and amazing dishes

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

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

Lovely experience, Fabrizio was a great host!

Loved it wonderful ambiance and food.

Gorgeous food and great service, thanks Fabrizio!

Amazing food and great service by Fabrizio💪

Fabrizo amazing service and the food was delicious.

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 💕

very nice and food and cocktails were delicious :)

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Fabrizio was a great host and the food was decent.

Good food great service. Fabrielo was very friendly

Always a fantastic experience. Cant fault 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!!

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.

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 😊

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.

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.

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!

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!

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 :))

Great service by fabrizio and good food :)

Great food, service by Fabrizio and ambience.

Fabrico was a really good waiter- great experience!!

Lovely food and Fabrizio was a fantastic waiter.

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

Came on a group meal, food was a while coming out to say we all pre-booked but on the whole the food was good...

Phenomenal food and service, I come here regularly and have never had a bad experience. I would highly recommend the arancini starter and the arrabiata pasta.

Marta was lovely, super friendly, she helped us a lot. He made the food very pleasant for us. A 1,000 out of 10

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ We had a fantastic dinner for 12 girls last night, and it was truly a memorable experience! The atmosphere was perfect for Christmas party, providing a calm and festive vibe. Our waiter was exceptional, attentive, and made sure everything went smoothly throughout the evening. The food was absolutely delicious, and we couldn’t have asked for better service. Thank you for making our celebration so special.

Nice decoration, good food and very pleasant service, especially Fabrizzio

Beautiful restaurant; excellent, efficient service and delicious food. Thank you to our waitress Sabrina who really looked after us ☺️

Excellent Italian restaurant with authentic food and amazing service. Thank you Marta for making our dinner special and suggesting the Limone dessert

The decoration is magnificent, the cuisine is excellent and the servers Dom and Fab are very welcoming and pleasant We will return on our next trip to Manchester

The place is lovely and staff/ service excellent. Food is fine but it is not good value for money.

We really enjoyed our time in the RIVA and it’s really nice food and nice Service and Marta she was amazing she advised us about the food and it’s was really great even the sweet was amazing thank you so much for your service Marta. :)

Really enjoyed it here, great atmosphere and the food is excellent. I had carbonara modified with mushrooms instead of bacon and it was wonderful. Marta looked after us so well, we will return!

Fabri was a great host and was always there when we needed him.

Great waiter, Great food. Pizza was amazing. Only giving 3 stars because the food took so long for it to come out, and Our friend ordered steak, he wanted it medium rare but had to send it back 2 times to the kitchen. First time it was completely raw and the second time it was overcooked.. its a plus that he didnt have to pay for the food, but its not cozy for him to sit and Eat his food when the rest of us is done eating..

Such a nice evening with our waiter Fabri. Will be back for a good time and nice food

Such a nice and amazing waiter ! Thank you Marta for the effort u done for me of making possible to eat my favourite pastas even if they weren’t on the menu !

I booked to take my daughter and her friend for lunch last Sunday. The restaurant was empty. It’s a beautiful restaurant and we have been here a few times. But after sitting down and asking for a kids menu, as we had already looked online at what they would eat. I was told that kids meals are only offered to under 9’s. Nowhere on the website does it say this? There was nothing suitable on the menu for the girls, so we ended up having to leave and go elsewhere. (The girls are 11) Very disappointing and embarrassing. I understand they have to make money, but the restaurant was empty and I’m sure the girls would’ve been happy ordering desserts and mocktails which would’ve bumped up the price.

Marta was amazing, so many suggestions. Such a queen, great disposition! Brilliant food and environment too👏🏼

Had an amazing experience at Riva Blu in Manchester, could not fault the food or the service, our server Marta was brilliant and was very helpful.

Great food Friendly service all the staff were helpful and polite.

We had an amazing meal, the food was 10/10, the atmosphere was perfect for date night and the staff were incredible, especially Marta! Highly recommended :)

We only called in for drinks, the negronis are the best you can get, made by the friendliest barman you could find....Aniello, thank you

The food (lasagne) was just ok and not a decent portion. A lasagne at Aldi is better value and tastes better.A very small portion of chips cost £5. Not value for money at all and what seemed to be head waiter was ignorant. Asked for the dessert menu, he just didn't bother and after 10 minutes I just asked for the bill. We'll never go again.

Good food, great service, Sabrina was very attentive and knowledgeable about the menu.

Wow, what an experience. From the start the waiters and staff are welcoming and so friendly, feels like you’re at home in here. I don’t think I’ve had meatballs so tender before, you actually didn’t even need to chew to eat them. Plus the venue is absolutely stunning.

First time there, food was lovely, would definitely go back

Domenico was great, pizza and as great!!

This was a nice surprise, great food and the staff were superb.

Food excellent. Very good service from Marta.

Marta looked after us so well Amazing food

Godo was amazing! Our waiter, Cristian was wonderful- excellent service. Will definitely visit again and try the pistachio tiramisu next time for dessert!

I shared a moment in this restaurant while looking for an Italian restaurant. I don't regret it. The parmentier was very good, plentiful. Friendly service with an Italian accent and fast (not many customers at 8 p.m.). I recommend.

The food is fantastic. The costumer service is amazing. The environment is wonderful. Sabrina and Marta were great. I recommend!