Riviera Mexican Grill

Great serive and food — bartenders are superb

More of a kennel than a restaurant. 6 dogs on the patio including one who was licking the margaritas and eating from the table. If you want to brand this as a dog place. … go for it. For me. … I’ll find a place that puts humans first. Food was ok and the severs are nice… but can some of you please just leave your dogs at home while you dine out.

Best Cadillac margs I’ve ever had. But be careful, you shouldn’t drive after having one of these bad boys. Grilled chicken is the best food item. I get mine inside a taco with avocado. Yum yum. The pastor tacos are also amazing. Unfortunately only served in the evening.

Boysterious crowd seated nearby apparently at too much to drink. I had delicious food all authentic my mouth waters for the yummy salsa and chips not bland plenty of kick. The fish taco, was crispy and well seasoned.

One thing I really love about this «Baja» style restaurant in Redondo is the ambience: as I walk in, the colorful decorations, surfboards, fish tanks, and the tantalizing smell of fried corn tortillas all transport me to a beach on the coast of Northern Mexico, where the waves are good and the Cerveza is always cold.
Attentive staff and fresh food make this some of the best sit-​down Mexican in the south bay, and why it has such a local following over all these years.

I go back and forth with my opinion about this place, even though I have been coming here with my family since I was in middle school. I think the food was better years ago, but there is something to be said for the fact that its still a staple in the Redondo Beach community. They have their fair share of unique takes on traditional Mexican food, and I think that if you keep that in mind and not compare it with what you may expect at a more «authentic» eatery, you’ll be happy. When its super crowded, I don’t consider it worth the wait, but its a great spot for a weekday lunch.

Riviera Mexican was decent, although not particularly memorable. I had high hopes since I was always told that SoCal has the best Mexican outside of Mexico, but I can get better salmon tacos in NYC! The outdoor seating area was quite nice, though, and the prices were reasonable.

The spinach and cheese enchiladas were AMAZING and I’m picky with my enchiladas!
The salsa is also really good and flavorful.
4 stars though because we waited 20 minutes to be seated, and 40 minutes for our food to come, and the prices are a bit too much for the portions.

My wife and I have been coming to Riviera for years and this is one or our favorite Mexican restaurants.
They have inside and outside seating, but inside is always noisy, so my advice is to request outside. They have plenty of heaters, and even in winter it it comfortable outside. Just a better environment to eat.
Order the margaritas out of the machine, they are far better than the hand made from the blender. This should be considered hot tip number 2. Hot tip number 1 was eating outside.
Hot tip number 3 is the Taco’s AL Pastore.
I love this place and you will too. I do need to disclose that I am on Machine blended pint size number 2, but I will not be changing up my views later… You will love it too!

OK, after about 4 visits to this place I feel it is finally time to review it…
— First time was so-so…withheld any opinions. I was hungry and I left full but not overly happy.
— Second time was better, but with some slow service and the patio was loud.
— Third time some of our food was not up to temperature, but the service was good.
— The last time we went, was pretty good with no complaints at all.
There’s a patio out front, very well decorated, has heaters, and it usually where we sit.
The prices are really reasonable.
The chips and salsa are quite abundant, and the salsa is spicy/​tangy and very good.
Ask for the super spicy salsa too… with habaneros.
The enchilada combo is my go-​to dish and I dig the stuffed chili relleno also.
The fish tacos are good, but mine were kind of cold one time. hmmmm.
The guac is decent…
You cannot go wrong here though and honestly the Ameri-​Mexican Food always hits the spot.
Overall a pretty good experience. I’ll keep coming back, if they keep feeding me.
ENJOY!

A friend of mine knew about this place and as we were crawing some Mexican, he took us here. The place had a perfect atmosphere and plenty of space.
The food… Oh The food! The portions were huge and with excellent taste! The nachos and guacamole were killer! Perfection!
I was too full for dessert, unfortunately, but my friends had some lovely drinks– mojito was a success.
Will come back here for authentic Mexican in July!

Margs are amazing!
Food is good, plates are creative. A little pricey, but you pay for the ambiance. The décor is cool too

Living in South Redondo we frequent «The Riv» several times a month. Last night chef Thomas made the best Siete Mares (that’s «Seven Seas» a seafood soup) we have ever had there. So tasty with jumbo shrimp large juicy scallops and SeaBass yummy! This place has the best grilled fish tacos and Margaritas too. The Riv also has a great happy hour 12 – 9 Mon-​Thursday with Best bartenders Juan, James and Ken. Managers Martin & Tudor are always very attentive. The entire staff is like a family.

Hard for me to review a place like this that is supposed to be good for Mexican food… and I got a salad. I know, I know. But then I think well… everything on the menu should be legit if the restaurant is good! My salad was not good. It was boring and just didn’t work well. I got the chicken papaya salad. I will say that they gave me a ton of chicken AND avocado… love it when they don’t skimp on the avocado! And I also gave some stars because my friends liked their food (lobster quesadilla and fish tacos). Overall, this place did not wow me. The service was mediocre — our water glasses were empty for a longgg time. Ambiance was a little weird — cheap Mexican decoration, kind of cheesy.
I have to eat gluten free (Celiac). They don’t have a gluten free menu, and I didn’t feel like asking a million questions about the menu (thus the salad). The server double checked with the chef to make sure the mango dressing was gluten free. There wasn’t much else on the salad so it was safe! I probably won’t be back but good to know I could find something to eat there.

Went here with a big group of friends after a sports event. We were sweaty and famished. We made a reservation to be sure our group of 8 had room. We were seated immediately!
The place is very casual so our group was not out of place. The waiters prioritized drinks and chips and salsa. Which was perfect cause we needed those badly. Ordering took a little longer which is normal I find on a Friday night in a group. I chose the cheese and spinach tortilla. When it came it didn’t look too appetizing however I was hungry and ate it all.
Overall the Mexican cuisine was not stellar. I feel you can get a more authentic and pleasing experience at tons of competitors. However if you’re looking for fast and friendly this is a great option!

This place is rad. Delicious food, great margaritas, good service.
Been going here for years.
Really cool atmosphere inside they have fish tanks and Mexican decorations and historical pictures. I love this place.
Definitely try it out if you’re in the area!

I am a fan of their banana blended margarita. This was a nice spot that I came for lunch with my girlfriends. Service is good, and the food came out pretty fast. Décor is very colorful.

Quick update here… Absolutely necessary based on most recent experience (s), as I, (we), have been here about five or six times since my last review…
The place is just amazing. We, (Felicia B., Rini B. and my two granddaughters), stopped in here after a brief road trip /​errand run and I was just blown away!!! The lobster taquitos, as mentioned many times elsewhere are absolutely amazing and the green chili salsa they serve with it is freaking unbelievably delish. Sweet and spicy at the same time. Gnarly good…
But this is really more for the never before seen, much less tried, «tacos al pastor special». Seriously, some of the best, if not the best, al pastor taco’s I’ve ever eaten, bar none, and believe me, this chunky munkie has tried a few al pastor tacos in his day… Offered up on a little, plain white menu inserted in the regular menu… Like I said… Never before seen but then maybe that’s becuz my blind ass just didn’t have my spectacles with me during our other visits… Who knows?
Anywho… These little boogers are tender, melt in your mouth morsels of magnificently marinated meat that comes in a nicely presented little taco foursome, served along side rice and beans. Considered yourself educated… Keep an eye out for this «special» menu. I know I will definitely revisit this option next time we visit, just to validate the happy dance my taste buds experienced.
Now if I’m gonna be a nit-​picky SOB, our only complaint was that the chicken in the wife’s grilled chicken papaya salad was as she said, «a little dry» and «lacking». But she asked for some extra dressing, slammed it on and was satisfied afterwards.
Can get pretty busy on the weekends, especially during lunch and dinner «rush» periods. Love this place!!!

When in RB, this is a good ‘go to’ Mexican food spot.
My family always has a great time here, thanks to the friendly staff, good food, and fun atmosphere. This past Sunday was no exception, our waiter (Alberto) was friendly and efficient, we had somewhere to be and he got us in and out. We sat in the dinning area when you just walk into the door by the host stand, the booth near the fish tank. My girls love looking around the restaurant at all the ‘things’ that adorn the walls and ceilings, a very eclectic collection of beach and Mexican artifacts. On a nice warm day, they do have a front patio which gets crowded on the weekends, they also have outside heaters if you get cold.
We had a pitcher of strawberry margaritas, and they were excellent, not too sweet and not too bitter. I like the cactus themed glasses — see my picture. Table service also includes tasty chips & salsa.
Food was very good, and the grilled (not the breaded) fish tacos are my recommendation. We also frequently split the appetizer platter, which offers a good variety. The parking lot up front is small, and the large lot behind has very narrow spots, so if you’re concerned about door dings, get there early and find a spot on the street (metered parking — bring change).
Based on the popularity, this is a very busy place during the peak hours, especially on a Friday or Saturday night, so definitely make reservations, otherwise you will wait. There is a small bar area, where you can get a drink and watch TV while you wait. Cheers.

Oh how I love the Riviera. It is like home away from home. Where do I begin? First off the employees are so nice and they have a guitar player on Friday and Saturday nights on the patio who is really good. The patio is super cute too, I love just spending a couple hours out there with some good food and drinks.
The drinks by the way are great and strong. My husband and I usually split a pitcher of the house margaritas, but you really can’t go wrong with any of the margaritas. The chips and salsa they give you are great, thin crispy chips and wonderful fresh salsa, also pro tip ask for the secret spicy salsa they have, so freaking good.
I have not had a bad dish here either. I love the Camarones and Scallops Mojo De Ajo, it is shrimp and scallops in this wonderful spicy garlic sauce. The black or pinto beans and the rice are excellent as well. I have also tried the Camarones Rellenos, which is a giant pepper stuffed with grilled shrimp and cheese and the crab enchiladas, yum.
The quesadillas are also all tasty and my hubby has had a lot of the mexican combos with different enchiladas and tamales and has like everything so far.
If you are in the South Bay area it’s a must visit!!!