Dee Greenwood

Nice restaurant on the water. We got to eat by the window to see the beautiful view as we ate. Got the mixed fried platter with a side of clam chowder. As well as the warm crab melt sandwich. The food was ok wasn’t a big fan of the fries they didn’t seem to be freshly cooked. I’d go back to try something different.

aide osornio

Tried Fi sh and Chips on the Santa Cruz Pier and it did not disappoint! The fish was crispy and fresh, and the fries were perfectly golden and salty. Great view of the ocean while you eat, too! Simple menu, fast service, and totally hit the spot. Definitely a go-to if you’re craving classic fish and chips by the water.

Craig S.

First time in Santa Cruz on business and this is where I ate last night. Freaking great!!! I wanted everything I saw everyone else getting. I got the Calamari with the shrimp/ scallops house special and it did not disappoint. Can’t wait to go back next time. I sat at the bar and my servers were phenomenal as well as the atmosphere.

Conley Gentry

We gave it a try, and it was awesome!!! Great good, excellent service, and incredible views. I had the fried fish sandwich, with a cup of clam chowder, and she had the Cod&Prawn Florentine,.she also had a Pineapple Coconut Margarita. Our Server was Dustin F. , he could do no better, we highly recommend this restaurant. We also liked the art for sale on the walls, good to see artist promotion and a small business helping out in every way

+3

Jasnit Batra

Loved loved loved the CHOWDER! We had the broiled oyesters (2 of each) they were fab too! The spicy prawns and scallops were super yummy too! The staff was pleasant and the ambience was so lively! Must try!

+1

Kwak Family

Cozy seafood restaurant on Santa Cruz pier! Cioppino was excellent with spicy kick coming from several jalapeño slices! Seafood ingridients (clams, shrimp, white fish, muscles, ...) seemed very fresh! The portion was large also. The clam crowder was quite good, especially after squeezing in the lemon juice from the slices. We will visit again when we are back in town...

+2

Roddri Amos

The ambiance is stunning and simply amazing with the view of the ocean. Our sever Carla was so delightful and attentive to our needs. There were a few hiccups but our server corrected with no questions asked. We ordered appetizers Shrimp Spring roll and 1/2 dozen Raw Oysters, Crab Cakes and Cheesy Garlic Bread. For our entree we ordered the Pasta Primavera, New England Clam Chowder Bread Bowl, Steak Fajitas & Cioppino. The food was exceptional We will return when we're in the area.

+7

Lori Castillo (LoriSaysSo)

Visiting from San Antonio, Texas, we were on a Pacific coastal road trip from San Jose to San Diego when we stopped in Santa Cruz for the night. We randomly picked Riva’s Fish House for dinner—and I’m so glad we did! We were seated quickly, and although the window seats overlooking the Pacific were full, we got a spot just across from the window, which was just as breathtaking. The atmosphere was both fun and relaxing, with beautiful local artwork adorning the walls (and even available for purchase!). Our waitress, Lola, was outstanding! She recommended a local lager that was delightfully refreshing after a long day of traveling and sightseeing. She was attentive, checked in on us several times, and truly made us feel like welcomed guests. Now, the food—SPECTACULAR! We started off with cheesy bread, which was delivered with a house made ranch that was, by far, the best I have ever tried. (And as a South Texan, where we chug ranch by the gallon, this is saying A LOT!) I ordered the salmon with the Soy Ginger sauce (a perfect blend of soy sauce, green onion, cilantro, teriyaki, ginger, red vinegar, and honey), and it was superb—hearty, savory, and bursting with flavor. The fried fish, prawns, and calamari were lightly battered, crispy, and cooked to perfection—not overly greasy or heavy. Every bite was fresh and delicious. Between the amazing seafood, welcoming service, and great atmosphere, I would absolutely recommend Riva’s to anyone visiting Santa Cruz. It was a perfect, memorable stop on our road trip, and I would return in a heartbeat! Lola deserves a raise!

+1

My husband and I enjoyed our dinner here very much! It made it to our restaurants to return list, which we only have a few right now. \n\nOur server John was so attentive and helped us choosing the d…

My husband and I enjoyed our dinner here very much! It made it to our restaurants to return list, which we only have a few right now. \n\nOur server John was so attentive and helped us choosing the…

Great view. Great service. Nice menu options. Full bar. Got a half dozen oysters, fresh and with a tasty mignonette. Steamed mussels were great, broth was simple. Server brought bread with salted w…

Great view. Great service. Nice menu options. Full bar. Got a half dozen oysters, fresh and with a tasty mignonette. Steamed mussels were great, broth was simple. server brought bread with salted…

Great view. Great service. Nice menu options. Full bar. Got a half dozen oysters, fresh and with a tasty mignonette. Steamed mussels were great, broth was simple. Server brought bread with salted w…

I think I been here too many times. I love their food it always came out very hot. service was great and the ambience so nice. We were sitting outside looking over by the water.

I think I been here too many times. I love their food it always came out very hot. Service was great and the ambience so nice. We were sitting outside looking over by the water.

I think I been here too many times. I love their food it always came out very hot. Service was great and the ambience so nice. We were sitting outside looking over by the water.

I think I been here too many times. I love their food it always came out very hot. Service was great and the ambience so nice. We were sitting outside looking over by the water.

Stopped by to grab a few cold drinks while enjoying the beautiful weather. There was no wait time for us since we just walked straight to the bar. Great selections of drinks and was one of the on…

Food was delicious and was the only restaurant open late on a rainy nights gut in January. Service was fast and friendly. The atmosphere was comfortable and has nice water views.

Food was delicious and was the only restaurant open late on a rainy nights gut in January. Service was fast and friendly. The atmosphere was comfortable and has nice water views.

Went here first time. Ordered several dishes... overall good experience. Tried their fried calamari as well. It was really good.

Riva was absolutely amazing! My husband and I ordered takeout at the bar, which was a wonderful experience in and of itself. Great NA drink selection and a minimal wait time on the food. Once we …

I had the best fish dinners i have ever had it was prons, and fish in a white sauce with melted parm on top. The view from the santa cruz warf was also amazing. We will definitely be coming back.

I had the best fish dinners i have ever had it was prons, and fish in a white sauce with melted parm on top. The view from the santa cruz warf was also amazing. We will definitely be coming back.

Amazing service, crazy good food, couldn’t ask for a better experience. The short rib fried rice was one of the best I’ve had! The oysters were so good and the Cioppino was amazing! If you’re in Sa…

Excellent food. Oysters on the 1/2 shell. Delicious. Service was exceptional. They forgot our oyster order and brought us extra oysters!!! We had the grill halibut and mahi-mahi. This is …

Fantastic Food! Steak Fajitas, Special seafood Linguine and Chicken Breast with Firecracker sauce. All food was well cooked and presented. Tasty flavours in all dishes. Well priced too! We were rea…

Fantastic Food! Steak Fajitas, Special Seafood Linguine and Chicken Breast with Firecracker sauce. All food was well cooked and presented. Tasty flavours in all dishes. Well priced too! We were rea…

This is our second restaurant we eat for dinner since we arrive in Santa Cruz. This place has a nice view if you like ocean. Appetizer, food and dessert are all yummy. Our server I forgot her nam…

Some of the best seafood I have ever had! Service was great, professional and friendly! Had views of the water, boats, surfers and wildlife! We will be back again!

Just what you would hope for in a seafood restaurant on the pier. It had quite a crowd but there was a short wait outside in a heated tent which was thoughtful. The salmon was perfect as was the …

Destiny Anguay

The service here was great. The atmosphere was very nice, and had a wonderful view of the ocean. The food was good. We had a party of 5 and we all ordered something different. I was hoping for a little more flavor in the food but overall it did the job.

Joseph

Great bargin for seafood. Fish and calamari plate for $22 not bad for the portions. Well seasoned fries for sure could use a little seasoning on the calamari but still amazing with cocktail sauce. We missed happy hour seating but overall good service. For being at full capacity. Only a 15 minute wait around 5:45ish.

Janelle Stepper

Stopped in Riva Fish House for some clam chowder bread bowls! We were seated immediately and our waitress was very friendly and attentive. We ordered some gin and tonics with the meal, which were very refreshing. The clam chowder was good but not great. Would have loved more clam and less potato in it. All in all though, I think the overall experience of dining here was very pleasant.

Michael Benner

Had lunch on a Monday. Food was really good. Honestly, the clam chowder was some of the best I've had. I would have given the food 5 stars, but for breaking the cardinal rule of shrimp! If it's a shrimp dish meant to be eaten with a fork, NO TAILS! Now my hands are all saucy because I'm digging around in my dish with my fingers trying to remove shrimp tails. Ugh. In any case, great location, and very attentive staff. Was empty when we went in at 11:30, but had filled up by the time we left around 12:30. Definitely recommend of you are headed to the Santa Cruz Wharf for the day.

+4

Kristen Horwith

We were in the area and I wanted to kill two birds with one stone for my in-laws. My mother-in-law wanted to see the water and eat some seafood. (They're from the Midwest so I wanted to make sure they got good seafood) They have a sangria that both my in-laws recommend. Our food came out quickly but not too quickly so we didn't have a chance to eat our starters. I can't recommend the Clam Chowder enough! If I didn't want to order the Mahi Mahi Tacos I would have just ordered chowder in a bread bowl. My mother-in-law had the calamari and fish. She said it's some of the best calamari she's ever had. This coming from a woman who lived in Spain for a few years too. The staff was so friendly! Our server was great, and very attentive to my father-in-law and his requests. You also can't beat the view. I don't think there's a bad seat in the place. I would more than recommend stopping here if you're down near the boardwalk.

+4

Just stopped in for a quick lunch of clam chowder and fried shrimp. And now I'm stuffed to the gills. Huge portions of everything got the cup of clam chowder rather than the bowl because I know it wo…

Just stopped in for a quick lunch of clam chowder and fried shrimp. And now I'm stuffed to the gills. Huge portions of everything got the cup of clam chowder rather than the bowl because I kn…

Great food, good service, nice ocean view seating area, cali crab sandwich was great, fish and chips were good and crunchy clam chowder was above average the coconut curry with cod over rice was …

The view is fantastic! Right on the water. We even had seagulls land on the railing and watch us eat. Food and service was very good We had the fish sandwich the clam chowder and the fisherman’s…

The view is fantastic! Right on the water. We even had seagulls land on the railing and watch us eat. food and service was very good We had the fish sandwich the clam chowder and the fisherm…

The view is fantastic! Right on the water. We even had seagulls land on the railing and watch us eat. Food and service was very good We had the fish sandwich the clam chowder and the fisherman’s…

The view is fantastic! Right on the water. We even had seagulls land on the railing and watch us eat. Food and service was very good We had the fish sandwich the clam chowder and the fisherman’s…

The view is fantastic! Right on the water. We even had seagulls land on the railing and watch us eat. Food and service was very good We had the fish sandwich the clam chowder and the fisherman’s…

We had read good reviews so decided to try. My husband had fish and chips. I had same fish in fish sandwich. Fish in itself was tasteless. Service was fair. Won't be back.

We had read good reviews so decided to try. My husband had fish and chips. I had same fish in fish sandwich. Fish in itself was tasteless. Service was fair. Won't be back.

We had read good reviews so decided to try. My husband had fish and chips. I had same fish in fish sandwich. Fish in itself was tasteless. service was fair. Won't be back.

Location is perfect, food was not. Ordered red snapper and mahi mahi both were bland and dry nothing fresh about it and the sauce on the top of the fish was horrible. The clam chowder is really goo…

Mrinalini Loew

Review for family of 4 with 8&10 year old. Great atmosphere right by the water, got a table by the window and kids were enthralled with the pelicans diving for fish. Small wait around 5:45 on a summer Saturday, but we just got a beer at the beer garden down the wharf while we waited so no big deal. Ordered local beers from menu (seems like a beer & cocktail place as "wine list" was tiny) and they were good! Lots of Italian soda flavors for kids. They had a normal kids menu (chicken tenders, pasta, etc) that was perfect. From main menu we got calamari and cheesy bread, which were both good but note that the sauce for the calamari was a bit ketchupy (which was easily and cheerfully fixed when we asked for extra horseradish and lemon). We got the California crab sandwich which was delicious and highly recommend and the fish tacos which were just ok. I wish they took the same amount of fish and put it over two tacos instead of making three skimpy tacos. Overall food was ok but service and atmosphere were great - I would recommend beers and anything from the appetizers section for a great time! There is a little gelato to go area on way out and I highly recommend!

Calamari was decent, I prefer more of crunch however was more softer . The clam chowder was bland and lacked flavor however the bread was soft and good. The fish and chips were good. The view was n…

calamari was decent, I prefer more of crunch however was more softer . The clam chowder was bland and lacked flavor however the bread was soft and good. The fish and chips were good. The view was…

Food is consistently good and prices are reasonable. Not sure if our waitperson was having a bad day or perhaps they are understaffed since today is a holiday? We asked for bread and I also ordered…

Decent seafood joint. Divey atmosphere. Service is friendly but really slow. Food is acceptable quality for price point. Not a bad option if in area.

Having lived in Santa Cruz for 50 years we just had the worst dinner ever.Where do i begin .Having arrived on a Friday night one would expect a wait.Not here for there was ultimately a reason. First …

Having lived in Santa Cruz for 50 years we just had the worst dinner ever.Where do i begin .Having arrived on a Friday night one would expect a wait.Not here for there was ultimately a reason. Firs…

The service was disappointing to the point where we decided to leave. I was dining with my family of four, but the waitress only brought drinks for three of us. After following up twice, she made a…