4.8 (127)
$$
Vegan Options Verified Hires

Overall info

  • Free parking
  • Non-smoking rooms
  • Pet-friendly
  • Bar

What started as a fish market has ended up an amazing dish restaurant and bar. At Riva Fish House, we offer a view with flavor. Dine at our seaside haven on the Municipal Wharf in Santa Cruz today! When we gave up the fish market for the restaurant, our objective was to turn out the best possible meal at a cost working people with a family could afford. That didn't mean something they could handle but under stress. It meant, and still means, a really good meal and beverages at a really comfortable price. Our loyal and friendly staff now serves some of the best, award-winning seafood around. Voted Santa Cruz's Best Seafood Restaurant, we offer something for everyone. Try our chowder, fish tacos, zucchini fries, or a killer crab sandwich. Big hunks of juicy tasty crab, seasoned to perfection, served on sourdough bread hand-made and baked to Riva's exacting specifications, with cheese of your choice, grilled and hot for your body. It's probably good for your mind, too. Wash that down with a craft beer or handmade cocktail. Finish off your experience by trying some of our 12 flavors of delicious, creamy gelato that is sure to please. Stop by and dine with us soon. You'll walk in with a smile. You'll walk out with a grin.

Reviews

4.8
(127)
Carol Martone
November 19, 2018

Great views,happy hour drinks and appetizers great. Entrees fall short. Crab sandwich was off, not the freshest. Seafood too spicey.

Candice Austin
November 19, 2018

Gorgeous scenery overlooking the ocean. Definitely recommend the crab and shrimp sandwiches. First time trying a italian soda, I had a blackberry one! Everything was extremely tasty!

Aleah
November 6, 2018

The back of dining area has the best seats, the view is so nice!! My husband and I got a couple seafood plates, he actually ended up not like the calamari at all. I got our waitress to change it out with another type of seafood no problem. Plus, you get a mini bottle of champagne for your mimosa, that’s a win!

sonia jimenez
October 9, 2018

I'm not a seafood kinda girl but I'm glad the Riva was the one that popped my seafood cherry because my goodness everything was delicious. Their calamari was amazing. And the customer service was great. I will be going back every year. Thank you Riva Fish House for my seafood experience

Pamela Saba
October 8, 2018

Great restaurant 👍. Best Calamari in Santa Cruz!. Oysters were good too but we would preffer that ones in San Francisco. Great view. We went twice and sat at bar, perfect for us. The bartender, Manuel, was very pleasant. He gave us a good service. We definitely would come back here!.

W131 RCV
October 3, 2018

Chowder was spot.on and the salmon was cooked perfectly so that you could eat the skin with it. Vegetables were also cooked pefectly. Very friendly service and really enjoyed the meal. Thanks

Joohee Choi
September 11, 2018

Chopino was def large portion.. also full of seafood. Highly recommend it

Eleodor Sotropa
July 11, 2018

My daughter and I had the lunch clam chowder in the bread bowl, fish and chips and the crab sandwich with Swiss cheese. It was too much food for us, still all was delicious. The IPA ("friendly joe"? maybe) was good too.

Erica Pele
July 2, 2018

It was pretty good, calamari was on point. Crab was served cold, we asked to heat it up. Good customer service.

Bonnie Young
March 2, 2018

The view was beautiful but the quality of the food was not. Over cooked, bland, and overpriced for what you’re getting. Despite being located by the sea, the seafood sourced does not taste very fresh. Also, we ordered a medium burger but it came burnt and well done. The food lacked so much flavor. The oysters lacked the taste of oysters and didn’t taste that fresh either. The clam chowder did not taste like clam chowder; the flavor was overwhelmed by bay leaves (there were multiple in my bowl) and I could hardly taste the flavor of clam in it because of it. As for the penne, the plating was poor, there was a completely random fried zucchini on it and the shrimp was overcooked, giving it an awful texture. The service here was also poor. The waitress came around to ask if the food was alright and we told her the burger came out wrong. She said “my apologies” and walked away. Moreover, it took forever to get any server’s attention. A very disappointing lunch..

Top