Riva Waterside Restaurant and Bar in Gravesham

The food and wine was delicious with attentive service. Where we sat was a wonderful view of the Thames. I will certainly return.

Good food, friendly staff, lovely setting.

Riva bar has closed down permanently October 2019

The restaurant has been shut down for a number of months. If I could have given no stars that would have been a more accurate representation. My partner was not happy as it was her favourite restaurant and to travel a long distance and then be turned away was not great on her birthday.

Went to stop in for a evening meal to find it closed. Later found that it’s been shot by council due to not paying the rent. Sad times

Shut down by council for not paying rent

This restaurant had gone into receivership so we had a completely wasted journey. A very disappointing experience as had taken time off work to do this. Please take it off your listing

Amazing food and service. The Portuguese wine is great (BOTH) and cocktails are so freshly prepared with attention. My fave spot in Gravesend

A great place for couples, families and friends with lovely river views. The food was excellent and and a great atmospher.

We recently visited for dinner. The food and service were impeccable despite it being quite busy with some large parties.

very lovely evening good food good service will be back

we where sitting in the restaurand,near the Themse. A very nice, friendly and courteous service, excellent cuisine! A must visit for all vacationers to Gravesend! We will definitely be back! Thanks!

Only for drinks food was ok the salad was far too expensive and it took far to long to come.

Best service, friendly staff, brilliant food. This is the only place I ever visit in Gravesend. Everyone is always looking after me and treats me like family.

Riva is a quality restaurant with a lovely setting overlooking the Thames. The food and service were both excellent it was just a shame that there were not more diners there to build a better atmosphere.

Came here for my Grandma’s 80th birthday. Excellent food, beautiful views and friendly staff. Can’t fault it.

This is a wonderful location with views over the thames the meal was fantastic I've been to a few Michelin star restaurants and this is really close to it in taste and presentation wise had quite a few cocktails which were really good the young man / manager was extremely friendly polite and answered any questions we had as my young lady doesn't like certain types of food brilliant service we really enjoyed our visit here and will be coming again at some point

An excellent meal we had starters and mane and I'm having dessert the cocktails are fantastic the young lad that works is extremely nice welcoming and friendly I would recommend this place to everyone thanks

Always a great place for a quiet coffee overlooking the busy river. Great service!

Perfect Service,professional staff....,but small renovation needed...Favorit place👍

We had the restaurant to ourselves and staff were very accommodating

We had dinner there last night (19/08/19) for our wedding anniversary - very quiet but not to be unexpected on a Monday evening - The service was excellent with a very friendly and attentive waitress - We were both surprised at the superb quality of the meal - every bit as good as a fine dining restaurant in London - We would not hesitate to recommend to friends and will definitely go again

Went to riva to celebrate my NaN birthday , Great food great service would go back , relaxed atmosphere,

No idea how bad reviews have been added. I guess people only leave comments when dissatisfied or bitter. I stopped here for lunch on my way through Gravesend and noticed the unique location then ventured in. I was treated by friendly staff and amazed at the incredible dining area with lovely views of the Thames estuary. The food was lovely! I had the pork belly and loved the extra crackling that was on the plate. All in all a great experience and would come back again. Thank you for the lovely lunch

Riva has a lovely outlook and is a great setting for dinner with friends. The menu choices are great contemporary dishes. The food preparation is of a very high standard and the service attentiveness the same. We love this place and will be back, a lovely place on the river in Gravesend.

Very nice evening. Staff very polite. Service was very very slow, but didn’t detract from a lovely meal. Will love to return again at some point.

A wonderful riverside restaurant with lovely views. Booked a lunch on a monday with a friend. Being a monday it was quiet but food and service was great... a really good menu... plus great cocktails too. Will definitely return again.

Lovely restaurant with a nice view and great vegan options.

Another very enjoyable evening in the Riva Service and food was excellent have been coming here for years and have never had a bad experience 😊

We stumbled across Riva by accident a couple of weeks ago, when having a picnic in the sun, by the Thames. Our first visit was mid afternoon for a drink. The bar area has a very casual, comfortable feel, whilst feeling refined at the same time, a totally chilled vibe. Great on a warm sunny day, as all the glass doors open providing seating for two in each section.Our return visit was with friends for Sunday lunch. The views up and down the Thames are unrivalled as it sits on a jetty, so you’re literally dining above the Thames. Food quality was “excellent”. A mixture of starters and mains were chosen, which everyone enjoyed. I have to say my choice of the lamb was amazing - beautifully presented, cooked to perfection, with a huge portion, tasted divine. These were followed by deserts and coffees to wash down copious amounts of wine.The entire visit was topped off by great service, attentive at all times, whilst being unobtrusive. Also very Knowledgable about everything that we asked about items on the menu.All 4 of us will return.

Very good service and fantastic food but slow service and good view of the river will be going again

Dropped in to Riva the other day. Beautiful setting on the river. Sat on the balcony overlooking river Thames, so peaceful and relaxing here.

The staff were very frendly and helpfull, they helped set things up and worked very hard to make the event go smoothly, and nothing was too much trouble. The food was good, and replenished frequently.

Location is lovely with glass windows to enjoy a view. We were lucky there were not a lot of people so we enjoyed the quietness of the restaurant. We were disappointed that something so basic such as still water was not available since it had finished and the wine list we had seen online was not the same as the one at the restaurant so the wine we wanted was not available. That said, the manager was professional and did apologise for it. Food was quite tasty and fresh and we enjoyed it overall.

The food at this restaurant was lovely and Jack, our waiter, could not have been more attentive. It’s a great setting next to the river and made for a perfect meal out.

We ate in the restaurant this evening and was pleasantly surprised with the food and the service! After hearing negative reviews a few years ago it wasn't on our radar as somewhere to go for a meal ... tonight has proved us wrong. Jack was very attentive and couldn't do enough for us and the food was excellent! We had a voucher for tonight's meal however we would definately dine here again and hopefully bring friends with us too. We highly recommended Riva Waterside restaurant! We'll be back soon.

What a place to be great food and drinks from Monday to Sunday staff always make you feel welcome selection of drinks is impressive my favorite is gin and of course pizza the best highly recommend this place xxx

Amazing meal for Father’s Day, there was 5 of us and every course was delicious. Excellent service from the staff and the view was so good.

The three of us ate here last night (Friday 14-6-19) & what a pleasure! Great food, environment, personal & timely service. The waiter was attentive without being a pest & nothing was too much trouble for him. As you would expect such food & service is going to cost a little more than the average ‘chain’ restaurants but it’s easily worth every penny & forfeiting two of the average local restaurants for one in ‘Relaxing Riva’ Treat yourself....you’re worth it! J,T & A xx

I went with my 3 daughters and son and have been before. The food wasn’t bad but not great. It was empty at 8pm on a Saturday and only 2 other tables were occupied in what is quite a big space with a very good view of the river. It should be packed at that time so something is clearly wrong. I had the king prawn cocktail which was ok-ish and the T Bone steak which was small and a bit gristly. I expect a T Bone to be substantial. The other steaks also looked small. Someone needs to shake this place up and make something of it. Such a waste of a great space. Waiter was friendly though.

The Riva Restaurant, is literally located right over The Thames, and as such views of the river and its traffic are perfect.

Visited sat night with a small child. Food was excellent, I was especially impressed with the young manager, jack, who was very pleasant and attentive to all customers and to my young son. Prices reasonable and the view at the restaurant is very pleasing. Well worth a look if you’re in gravesend..

Glass-walled Mediterranean restaurant over the River Thames on the world's oldest cast iron pier. Address: Town Pier, West Street, Gravesend DA11 0BJ

Imagine selecting this restaurant to celebrate your anniversary at and finding that it is still locked up at 7.30pm in the evening and the barman has to rush to unlock it!

Was a nice atmosphere Starters and Mains foods could have been hotter

The food was not worth the money. The drinks were overpriced. The starters took forever to come yet we were the only people In the restaurant. The worst part about the experience was the service. The waiter we had was rude and confrontational saying he wasn’t even meant to be working the whole time he was serving us. He referred to my sister as “darling” when we asked to speak with his manager. The manager was not apologetic either for his staff as we were walking out of the restaurant. Do not eat here.

Lovely location, river views and lay out. Found it very strange that as a table of 3, we were the only people being served all evening on a Friday evening! Even when we left, walking through the bar there was a DJ playing to just 2 people sat at a table. Squid starter was tasty but ruined by me dipping a bit in my ‘homemade sweet chilli dip’ which wasn’t sweet in the slightest and so hot, it wrecked my taste buds to enjoy anymore. The burger was lovely and can’t complain at the service (well there was no one else to tend to the whole night)

Only picked this restaurant as it was on my Meercats 2 for 1 deal app recently downloaded. Absolutely lovely setting, great service and food. Well worth full price let alone 2 for 1. Will definitely go back.

Ignored the reviews so glad we did as the food was amazing. Best meal out I've had in a long time. Unfortunately there was only us & another table occupied which could be due to previous reviews. But I would highly recommend & would will be going again.

We ignored the reviews as we like to make our own decisions. We were the only people in the restaurant, a real shame as the environment, waiter and food were lovely. Even so they still opened up the kitchen and restaurant for us. The restaurant was warm when we arrived but the temperature did drop slightly before we left (no point heating an empty restaurant though). The food was beautifully presented and tasted lovely. I had a pasta dish, perfect size meal for me. Some food does cool quickly eg. Pasta perhaps pre warming the plates might maintain the temperature of the food better. I forgot to take pictures of the food. I have had to down grade it to a 3 out of 5 due to the lack of atmosphere, otherwise I would have given a 4. I hope to visit again over a weekend to see if there is any difference.

Bad service, staff could not understand us.

Terrible food terrible Service very expensive the only good point is it's position on the river should be ran by somebody else who has a slight idea about running a restaurant

Refused a refund on Christmas day! We were kept waiting for hours and the service we did get was poor at best! Will be taking matters further terrible misconduct

Terrible food terrible Service avoid avoid avoid

New chef and new menu which looks impressive. The food tastes delicious. I had a watermelon martini on arrival. Loved the beetroot dish and pork belly. The staff are friendly and accommodating. Well worth a visit will definitely come back for another visit when we are back in town.

Turned up for a mother’s day meal booked at half 1 got told to wait a few minutes whilst they sorted the table which turned into half hour even though there was only 3 of us and there was plenty of tables. It then took them another half hour to serve us only to find out half of their drinks menu they couldn’t actually do. The waitor and waitresses were useless asking us for our order even though we had ordered our meal 20 minutes beforehand. Finally served our starters which must have been designed for children (4 prawns as a starter). The rest of the food was awful as well and slow service the entire way through. Other customers were already leaving before being served anything and I wish I had done the same. It completely ruined our mother’s day meal. Would not recommend to anyone they need shutting down will never go again. The restaurant images and food is all for show don’t be fooled.

Went there 31 March 2019, ordered two soft drinks & Cabernet Sauvignon (red wine), the waitress didn’t know what it was. About half hour later two soft drinks turned up but no wine, i had to go to the bar & ask for a Merlot which I eventually got

Lovely food beautifully presented and excellent customer service from the restaurant staff. Both the manager "James" and the new chef took the trouble to speak to us at the end of the meal and more than happy to compliment both. A unique riverside dining experience we are happy to recommend.

Great food and service we had to interrupt lunch to see to the baby but they were more than happy to keep food warm no rush, relaxed and calm lunch in lovely setting

amazing view, food was excellent as well as servive will be going back

Very poor trendy food.The lamb was shredded and tasteless. And cold . If it were possible to give no star's I would.A good view over the Thames but save your money and eat proper food.

DO NOT GO HERE! Honestly if I could give them no stars I would, they ruined our Christmas party by not presenting any food what so ever. Refused a refund and still owe me over £400 to this day! Poor food, poor staff. Money/organisational issues. Blatant misconduct and will be taking matters further.

Visited today for a day lunch. Couldn't expect anything better. Food is delicious. Pork was a delicacy.Service attentive. Lovely atmosphere. Couldn't find any better place than Riva Waterside Restaurant.

Had a lovely evening on Friday with our friends at Riva. The staff were very welcoming, friendly and helpful. We enjoyed our food very much too. The service was good with appropriate timings which I think is important.

Had a very pleasant evening here on Friday evening with friends. Staff were very welcoming, friendly and helpful. We had a round table in the corner by the window with an amazing view and enjoyed our meal very much. Thank you.

Been here before and the food was good, however under the new Chef it has improved dramatically. All Four of us had different meals and we was all impressed. Lovely setting, helpful staff and now the added bonus of Great Food. Recommended.

Lovely Sunday lunch with friends.

We came here for our anniversary dinner, we have done so for the past couple of years, it is well located on the pier with a very good view so you get really good pictures . This time however was much better than the previous visits, there is a new chef and a new menu. The food came out quick, piping hot and super delicious. The waitress was also very helpful and welcoming. We are very happy customers

We came here for our anniversary dinner, we have done so for the past couple of years, it is well located on the pier with a very good view so you get really good pictures 😉😉. This time however was much better than the previous visits, there is a new chef and a new menu. The food came out quick, piping hot and super delicious. We are very happy customers 😊

Went for lunch with friends using Groupon. I was a little uncertain about what to expect, as previous reviews differed wildly. However, our experience was nothing but positive. Two of our party of four were 30 minutes late (they had been sitting in the front bar, waiting for us for fifteen minutes), the manager was very understanding and patient. Once we had all arrived and ordered, the courses were served promptly and were all very tasty. The chef came and spoke to us to thank us for our compliments. It was definitely an enjoyable afternoon for all of us.

What a lovely and friendly staff😊Such a beautiful restaurant,incredibly looking dishes, so delicious!!Very warm and beautifull atmosphere.Excellent service

Ресторан с шикарным видом, находиться в историческом здании, старого городского порта. Особенно, красиво становиться на закате, вид на воду и проплывающие суда, просто божественнен! Так же, порадовал услужливый персонал и вкусная кухня! Подходит, как для романтического вечера, так и для проведения мероприятий.

Had a great time with family. Excellent service and great atmosphere, stunning views and amazing food. On top of that Do is playing great music if you want to havea bit of fun after the meal. Would highly recommend. Thank you

We used to go Riva bar for our date night every month and absolutely loved it but recently it has changed its menu to a very small and selected not a lot of variety and food we found quite poor was not a great Experience we would normally have 3 course we only had a main we ordered drinks that took quite a while to reach our table (we did not understand this as we was 1 of 3 couples in the Restaurant I ordered a glass of wine for the waitress to Come bk over and ask if I wanted a single or a large ???? I would not recommend or be visiting the restaurant again very disappointed Such a shame

The setting is amazing! The food and presentation was top quality! The staff were very polite and courteous, unfortunately only one lady serving which put her under pressure. If they work in the service this could be one of the best restaurants around!

Lovely place, with a beautiful view through the windows. Tasty food. 100% customer service. Can't understand why is not so popular. If you want nice food in the nice restaurant, give it a try.

Went to this restaurant yesterday with friends. Was my first visit. The waitress practically begged us to write a trip advisor review, so here goes:

We stopped using this restaurant some years ago but I was recently invited to have lunch there and I had quite a pleasant meal here so I hoped that they were improving and booked a table for three last Saturday(2nd February)

We got a groupon voucher as a gift so decided to try this place. We were advised that as we were on a groupon we could choose anything on the menu but if it has a g next to it it carries a surcharge. I think there were 2 or 3 starters and mains that didn’t carry this charge, the charge was between £2.50 and £5 bit it didn’t stipulate . My partner didn’t want one of the 3 starters on offer and asked for the antipasti of bread and olives which was cheaper than the starters, she was initially told no but they eventually gave in. We were told that we couldn’t order from the grill menu but asked for a burger, no was the answer, fish and chips?? No!.

Lovely views. Nice decor. Don't think the radiators were working though; I had to keep my jacket on inside. Only 4 tables were occupied out of the ten perhaps, yet it took us 30 minutes to get just our bread and olives. And that was only after we complained. The food was good though.

Comfortable well organised event

Absolutely rude staff no atmostphere food disgusting over priced and a 12.5% service charge, staff verybad attitude refused to let me speak to manager

Disgusting rude staff, added service charge without asking me, which is discreationly, would never return, impossible to speak to manager.

Would never recommend poor food no atmosphere and very rude staff

We attended riva this evening and quite frankly it was the most awful meal we have had in the last 20years. Just moved to gravesned and I would have preferred a meal at the local Toby Carvery. Starters a terrine with toasted mothers pride bread.... A burger that looked like it was made in the 70s and tasted like it was made in the 70s. Dessert.... Well if it had been cracked open from Iceland I wouldn't have mind but not even Iceland would own up to that.... Then came the heating arrangements.... It was like we were outside it was so cold. A total of 6 diners for the 2 hours we were there came through the doors.... All Groupon customers. Then came the bill.... A service charge of 12.5 per debt? On the total bill including the Groupon part of the bill. Save yourself the limp/out of date mouldy salad and visit a Jamie's Italian or even a mcdonalds. Thoroughly hacked off having to pay for this.

We went for Sunday Lunch on a Wowcher deal. 3 courses from a very nice menu . Service was very good. We were not rushed in between courses Food was very tasty

Good food and excellent service The setting of the restaurant is one of the best around views up and down the river

This was a surprise meal for my partner and I really was hoping it was as good as it seemed to be online. The view was actually amazing, the food wasn't too bad (I really liked the vegetable lasagne) and the service from two separate waiters was really something to remember. They gave us a cake to celebrate our occasion (which we didn't ask for), they were very careful when pouring drinks, they checked on us enough but not too much and were gracious when attending to any special requirements.

Went on a Groupon such a lovely setting but everything had a surcharge. You had minimum choice if you wanted something else even say desert if you didn't want cheesecake and changed it for Ice cream £3 surcharge. Every other restaurant has given a choice up to an amount then a small surcharge or pay the extra. Very badly thought out just seemed like pushed and scamed rather than an honest restaurant looking to expand business really bad move by the person who done this. , And then they try and hit you with a 12.5% service charge ? On the full price. Well it's not the Ivy and most seemed very inexperienced not a problem we all have to learn but I left a small tip , reasonable not nearly £10 as requested so beware nice views but not pleasant!

I decided to book this restaurant for my company's Christmas meal, 19 people attended. I have been at this company for nearly 11 years and I have never had a problem with organising events. This was the worst experience I have had with a restaurant and will not be going back. As we arrived at the restaurant the door was locked, not a great start. Entering the restaurant, it was just us there, didn’t feel welcoming at all. As this was a Christmas meal you would expect crackers on the tables and feeling a bit christmasy, nothing like that at all. Instead it was freezing cold so cold that 3 members of our party didn’t take their scarfs or coats off throughout the meal. We had to wait a long time for drinks, and when we did receive our drinks the coca cola was flat, the water didn't taste very nice either. The starters we had weren’t too bad, but the main was not acceptable. Half of the Christmas burgers were not cooked, one burger absolutely stunk of fish and the worrying thing was I had two pregnant ladies in my party I was very wary of what they were being given eat. The burgers were taken away but were brought back less than 60 seconds later you could tell these had just been reheated. The Turkey Christmas dinner were very dry, 2 of the dinners were again not cooked, they were sent back. The waiter then came back to tell us it would take a further 30 mins for a new dinner to be made, the other person was told that they had run out of Turkey. However, the waiter did ask if she wanted anything else, but by this point everyone had refused to eat the main meals. I was then asked if the fudge cakes were to be warmed so politely, I said yes, the waiter came back to the table with stone cold fudge cakes. I complained once again, the waiter then said if we warm them up, they will fall apart (so why ask me in the first place?). I was then presented with a split fudge cake that they had left in the oven too long, the waiter said see this is what would happen. If they didn’t leave them in the oven so long this wouldn’t happen. We decided to just eat the cold fudge cakes. A colleague of mine had the fudge cake, but due to the lateness of everything she had one bite and had to go as she was being collected from the restaurant. Her fudge cake was taken away obviously, but then was brought back to the table and passed to another colleague of mine just moving the spoon that the ice cream was sitting on and hiding the bite mark from the previous person. This is absolutely disgusting and unacceptable for a restaurant. The cheesecake tasted like sand and very gritty. The waiter we had was very apologetic and did try his best, but he really let himself down with his bad hygiene issue. Having a waiter leaning over passing food around smelling the way he did, again is not acceptable. To top the night off a member of the party was being sick even before we had left the restaurant and she only had a starter. I would never step foot in this place again its well over priced, very bad service, staff with bad hygiene and very very bad management!!!! do not waste your money in here!

Great staff and Manager on the day- even though restaurant was cold we had heaters and blankets given to us and the attitude of the staff and quality of the food overtook any discontentment with the temperature- a large party of 13 of us and all were accommodated and went home with a smile on their faces.

Lovely urban view and river. Food excellent

Our booking made through Opentable wasn’t showing on the system. After 15 minutes of waiting we had to ask to order - the restaurant was not busy. Starters were fair. Mains were disappointing. We ordered a Brownie for dessert as we had seen it on the online menu. A chocolate tart arrived with no explanation. On query it was explained the menu had changed... Our mistake, but we could have been told Brownies were no longer on the menu rather than being served something we didn’t ask for! To top off the evening the fire alarm was set off by the smoke machine in the adjoining bar - can’t blame the restaurant for this but it rounded off a poor evening nicely! The restaurant is in a great location and could be fantastic if the issues with food and service are ironed out.

So I decided to ignore some of the more negative reviews and give this restaurant a go!

Good food. Lovely setting. Good service.

Very friendly staff. Foods amazing. Drinks are even better. Will be returning xx

A group of 5 adults arrived for an early yet relaxed lunch last Sunday. Ribs was just opening for lunch and as the restaurant overlooking the Thames was reserved for a function, we were accommodated in the bar area which was freezing!! The staff did bring over a portable heater to try to warm us but we did keep our coats on for quite some time! There were a few mistakes over the actual Tapas dishes and dips ordered by 3 of the group but the waiter addressed this problem by providing extra dips and topping up the Tapas portions without extra charge. The drinks were reasonably priced and the premises clean and tidy (in fact one of the cleaners was still working as we arrived). Overall a pleasant hour or so spent at Riva.

Great veiw Staff friendly Food always good

Excellent food and excellent service had a very enjoyable meal with a good selection, the atmosphere in the restaurant was lovely

I bought a Groupon voucher for this restaurant ‘ three course meal for two.’