About
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,
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options
Meals
Lunch, Dinner, Brunch, Late Night
CUISINES
American, Seafood, Soups
FEATURES
Takeout, Seating, Parking Available, Television, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Waterfront
Reviews (506)
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All reviews calamari seafood chowder mahi mahi cioppino bread fries salad great view window table wharf hubby bay broth ocean parking
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Reviewed July 2, 2023 via mobile

Good, solid place for fresh seafood and great view! Hubby and I stopped while strolling on the wharf around lunchtime for calamari and clam chowder. We enjoyed our choices so much we brought our party of 9 back for dinner. The fish choices (salmon and...mahi-mahi) were nicely cooked and very moist. The firecracker sauce was spicy, and not too fiery. Fish and chips, and fish tacos as well as cups of chowder were also enjoyed. And in these busy, short handed times our waiter was pleasant and accommodating.More

Date of visit: July 2023
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Reviewed April 14, 2023

Great view, great food, wonderful attentive waitstaff, highly recommend! I had the ciopino - all the seafood in it was tender and even the mussels were good and I usually hate them!!! The broth was quite spicy, but if I can find a Riva's knock-off...recipe I'll try cooking it at home. My companion had a buttery garlicky seafood dish and he was quite pleased as well. The sourdough bread was of excellent quality. Would go there again next time I'm in town!More

Date of visit: April 2023
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Reviewed March 24, 2023 via mobile

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 good but that’s about all that was. The...service was sub par and nothing to write about it. It’s a shame a prime location like this, you would expect better food.More

Date of visit: March 2023
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Reviewed February 21, 2023 via mobile

it was pretty good. I played it safe and got the fried prawns and fries. The service was excellent. The food was fine. My husband had fish and chips and said his fish was excellent. The place was very busy at 3 o’clock in the...afternoon on a weekday. I was a bit disappointed in my meal and left hungry. at $20 a person it was cheaper than I expected with tip. The total bill was 60.More

Date of visit: February 2023
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Reviewed December 26, 2022 via mobile

This was a great choice for our family. There was something for everyone including two of the people who do not eat seafood-1 of whom is vegetarian. We all enjoyed our dishes. The waitress was a bit slow, however the manager was fantastic. Definitely get...a table right next to the ocean. Only complaint was that we didn’t see the specials board outside when we came in and no one told us about it which was a bummer because my son really wanted halibut and it was not on the menu. Of course when we walked out we saw the specials board full of halibut so that was a bit disappointing.More

Date of visit: December 2022
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Reviewed November 19, 2022

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 service. The owner obviously took care...of details. And there is a little gelato bar to get something sweet on your way out! Dont miss this wonderful restaurant for dinner on the pier in Santa CruzMore

Date of visit: November 2022
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Reviewed November 3, 2022 via mobile

My husband & I stopped in for lunch on Halloween on our road trip south & had a great experience- Milea the hostess was very friendly & we saw her hussle & help the servers clean tables when she wasn’t needed in the front of...house, our server was new & very efficient- checking back with us multiple times, one server told us the story of the restaurant passing down thru generations as a family business. Other servers dealt with the bill, etc and it all seemed like a well oiled machine. We had the chowder & cioppino and they were excellent & filled with seafood. I would definitely go back again!More

Date of visit: November 2022
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Reviewed October 3, 2022

After spending nearly three weeks on a road trip we were looking forward to relaxing and eating in some good restaurants. WOW what a disappointment RIVA was. The bartender was extremely rude and asked us twice to pay the bill ( I think he thought...we were going to run off)! Then we waited and waited for our food that was even worse than the bartender! Do not waste your time and definitely not your money in this false advertising awful place. There are plenty of much nicer restaurants here and with friendly staff.More

Date of visit: September 2022
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Reviewed September 22, 2022

We went here for the location on the Warf, which was great, the seafood, which was just nice, the Philly cheesesteak, which was a disappointment,. We sat outside, which looked much better than the scruffy tables inside, and had to wait quite a time for...the waiters each time we needed them. So, a mixed experience, which could have been much better given the fantastic location.More

Date of visit: August 2022
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Reviewed September 2, 2022 via mobile

Take “good for kids” & “takeout” off your google search, both are advertised and not true at all. Only reason lily got a $16 tip for less than mediocre service was because we wanted to GTFO so bad we didn’t want to wait for change....Her and literally every other person working were absolute garbage. Rude with zero personality is not what the service industry is all about, especially in a tourist town. Clam chowder served with a side of midriff is not what I ordered for dinner. I guess being “cool” is more important to the “business” than the actual business part. We were told the outer patio portion was for “large parties only” with 2 two tops…. Okay…. Was told “no takeout on Labor Day weekend because it’s busy” … at 4pm with mostly empty tables… it’s a tragedy the food was decent. 10/10 do not recommend.More

Date of visit: September 2022
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Reviewed August 27, 2022 via mobile

We wanted a fish restaurant only to be terribly disappointed by this restaurant. We ordered 2 orders of their special of the week—halibut, Mahi mahi, and prawns Alfredo. For and appetizer we order oysters on half shell and a salad. The side salad and the...shrimp Alfredo were good; everting else was either tasteless, over-sauced or down right inedible. We were told that the halibut was locally sourced and the freshest fish on the menu.. The halibut was dry, more like desiccated. One had “firecracker” sauce which we ask for on the side. They did not put it on the side. It drowned the fish and was disgusting. My husband had the mahi mahi with the sauce and it was equally unappetizing. You could not scrape off the sauce. I think they drown the fish in sauce to cover up the poor preparation. The vegetables were frozen and not well cooked. No taste again. The Coleslaw had no bite—bland as though it had just been tossed in a runny mayonnaise. The pasta Alfredo with prawns was good. Our service was fine and the waitress took the halibut off our check. This was appreciate.More

Date of visit: August 2022
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Reviewed August 19, 2022

I reviewed this restaurant a few years ago. I liked it then but was disappointed by the service. I recently revisited, and was left with the same impression. I think they under-staff. We were greeted by a very nice young lady who said she would...do better than what I described in my last visit. Her service was better at first but went downhill quickly. We receive very little attention, and had to remind her to bring parts of our order.More

Date of visit: August 2022
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Reviewed August 4, 2022 via mobile

Great location and views. The food was good, however the the clam chowder bread bowl was disappointing (the bread was definitely not fresh). The service was not great, especially when the waiter asked if he could bring the bill when we barely started to eat...(I guess because his shift was ending)… this is not good hospitality by any standard… what if we had wanted a dessert afterwards?!More

Date of visit: August 2022
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Reviewed July 24, 2022

We got an excellent view at the back window over the water so we saw the sunset. The staff could not have been more friendly and approachable. Food was fresh and cooked to a very high standard. Highly recommend.

Date of visit: April 2022
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Reviewed July 17, 2022 via mobile

Omg. Dirty bar, very loud and inappropriate bartenders with high school silliness ( Diego says: "motherf**king this" - "motherf**king that") performing for customers sitting among dirty dishes without even a hello and successfully avoiding eye contact with those waiting for the dishes to be cleared...or place an order for a drink. Example: When is it a good idea to throw an empty wine bottle 5 feet into a trash can full of empty bottles? CRASH!! Come on, man! Shocking. Whoever trained tonights 7/17 Sunday staff should be talked to by the owner. No manager presence. Food was okay.More

Date of visit: July 2022
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Questions & Answers
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Maria E
March 24, 2016|
AnswerShow all 7 answers
Response from Geminiwiners | Reviewed this property |
We didn't make a reservation for a party of two. A bigger party might want to make reservations.
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RIVA FISH HOUSE, Santa Cruz - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Riva Fish House

Yes, Riva Fish House offers takeout services.

Riva Fish House is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travelers:
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 4
  • Value: 4
  • Atmosphere: 4