Riva Grill On the Lake

Happy hour, friendly bartender, great views, tasty fries, easy parking, Didn’t eat a meal here but would return for the aforementioned traits.

I like this place! Kinda sad that others have not had such great experiences. I’ve been here twice now (once was a couple years ago and once recently) and both experiences were great. I’m always greeted by friendly hosts and servers, and you can’t beat the amazing views through floor to ceiling windows facing the lake. One of my favorite things about dining here is that breakfast items are served until 4p on the weekends (hello, Chicken and Waffles!) and the classic Gar Woods Wet Woodys are served cold and refreshing like always.
Favorite food items are mostly breakfast related and include the Chicken and Waffles and the Fried Egg BLT. Serving sizes are definitely large, so I would recommend sharing if you’ve got a smaller appetite. The Chicken and Waffles are served as nice crunchy fried chicken pieces sandwiched between giant bacon stuffed waffles. The bacon in the waffles is a little hard to eat if you have a chewy piece, but it fulfills your desire to have sweet and savory. The chicken is tasty and juicy. The side of syrup could be a little larger, but the server won’t mind bringing you an extra one. The Fried Egg BLT is one of my faves… stuffed with bacon, avo and a deliciously fried egg, it’s lighter fare than the chicken and waffles but still super filling.
Now the Wet Woodys are worth a try if you’re up for an alcoholic adventure. For me, one and done… I personally like the Prickly Pear because it’s a little sweeter than the other ones, but if you want something on the little side, get the Malibu Coconut one.

We have been patrons of Riva Grill for many years. I have had good experiences and not so good experiences.
I have to say that on this las visit to Lake Tahoe, I was pretty impressed overall. Service was excellent (Wess). We ordered:
Steamed Clams – no grit, and sauce was light
Wedge – fresh and crisp
Blackened Ahi – it was good, but not what I was expecting. I would have preferred it to be blackened, it was barely seared and not well seasoned.
The service is deserving of the fourth star, and the reason we always return:)

Very lackluster experience.
The décor can only be described as a cruise ship dinning hall from the late 80’s early 90’s, and very poorly maintained. Viable chips and scratches all along the walls and carpet was very stained. Also found that my napkin was already dirty when I went to use it.
The prices are astronomical for the quality of food given and the service was very minimal.
I gave two stars for the great location and view, as the rest of the experience left much to be desired.

I’ve been here twice. Once about 2.5 years ago, pre kids) on a guys trip. In that particular case, I had quite a few beverages. They have these things called Woodys– and there are a bunch of different types. I think I may have tried them all (kidding!). But I did have a few of them and they sneak up on you. That is the problem with sweet drinks!
I came here again about a month ago with my wife and now two kids (a lot changes in 2.5 years!). And I really had a great experience. The bar menu is extensive, the food is excellent and it is kid friendly. Overlooks the lake, of course.
I got a chicken sandwich with avocado, my wife got a salad and I got my son a grilled cheese. I don’t know how to describe all the items except they were delicious. Ingredients were fresh and the service was prompt.
Also, they have a bunch of boat tours that take off from this part of the lake. But the secret is that if you are eating at a restaurant, there is free valet. So just tell the guys collecting money for parking that you are eating at this place and you’re going to valet. You’ll be set.

Awesome view and awesome food! We dropped in here for a late lunch, and we were fortunate enough to get some primo seats with a fabulous view of the lake. Unfortunately, we weren’t in the mood to drink, so we didn’t take advantage of their world-​famous Wet Woody, but after hearing everyone rage about it, we’ll have to be back another time to give them a try.
What we did order: lobster bisque, fish and chips, and fish tacos. (Can you tell we were in a seafood mood?)
The lobster bisque was thick, creamy, and delicious. The fish and chips were near perfect — light and crispy fish, perfectly cooked chips, and a spicy tartar sauce to top it all off. I didn’t try the fish tacos, but the boyfriend said he preferred my fish and chips over his fish tacos.
Prices can run a bit high, but you pay for the amazing ambience. If you can snag a seat on the patio, go for it; you won’t regret it.

I have been to Riva Grill before and being that this summer I am on a quest to get a Wet Woody at all four locations (Hacienda, Riva Grill, Garwoods and Bar of America) this was the perfect excuse to come up here.
Although the traffic can really suck getting up here during the summer, I am talking bumper to bumper and ½ hour to move about a mile, it is worth the drive once you are seated and can take that relaxing breath while overlooking the amazing Lake Tahoe.
I highly suggest taking advantage of their online reservation booking system. I was able to get on here and make a reservation on a Friday afternoon for Saturday at 2 pm. I a so glad that I did. Everyone was enjoying the outdoor patio and it was full. Good thing we made that reservation otherwise we would probably have to been seated inside. The inside area is very nice and I have no complaints about it but outdoor dining at Tahoe in the summer is something that everyone needs to experience.
The Wet Woodys speak for themselves and are always amazing. The pizza we ordered was so so good. Wood fired with pepperoni, Italian sausage and mushrooms. Lots of fresh grated parmesan was on top. REALLY fresh parm. Like so fresh I just wanted to take the cup of it and dump it down my throat. The crust was so crunchy and good. Very tasty and the sauce was awesome.
I can’t wait to come back up here again. You can also take advantage of their complimentary valet parking. That definitely helps up there since it is tourist trap hell during the summer. Check it out. The place is great.
The server was pretty efficient too and made sure our Woodys never got too empty. He reminded me of the comedian Jim Bruer.

It was eighty-​six dollars and we don’t regret it.
We didn’t go wild. We celebrated a thirty-​third (I think) birthday with one wet woody each ($ 15 each), side of impressive fried zucchini (or was I just tipsy from the woody?) (about $ 10), amiga had fish n chips served with slaw and fries (about $ 18), I had a delicious veggie burger (avocado, roasted red pepper, lettuce, tomato, and teriyaki sauce?) (about $ 16) served with some awesome garlic mashed potatoes and also tasty fries (since the fries accidentally got put on the plate too). The potions are basically outrageously huge.
Top that off with friendly though not spectacular service, free valet parking, and a beautiful view of the lake. And you know what, I’ll give that pricy sh1znat four stars!

Face au lac Tahoe et ses eaux turquoises, tres pratique pour dejeuner avant d’aller excursionner sur le Tahoe Queen qui part d’en face
Le service est agreable et la cuisine tres correcte
Un peu cher, une biere locale à 6,75 dollars mais la terrasse en face du lac vaut cela