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Aqua Riva - CLOSED
Categories: Restaurants Canadian (New) Restaurants Seafood Canadian (New), Seafood [Edit]
200 Granville StVancouver, BC V6C 1S4
Neighbourhood: Downtown
(604) 683-5599
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dessert, Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Quiet
- Ambience:
- Classy, Trendy, Casual
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
10 reviews for Aqua Riva
10 reviews in English
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Review from Karen R.
4/29/2010 4 photos
Went to Aqua Riva tonight for the first time (I love Dine Out).
You can't argue that it has one of the best views in the city (and a reminder that I live in the most beautiful city in the world, but I digress). Our table was almost windowside but right in the middle of the room where we could see Canada Place, the mountains and the Port of Vancouver - gorgeous.
Service - good service. Our waiter was very friendly and non-intrusive. The more I think about it we barely saw him which was great because it was a good night for conversation. I hate being hassled so the more I think about it the more I liked the service.
Starters - we both ordered the wood fired scallop and prawns on a bed of risotto. The risotto was excellent - perfectly cooked, not chewy and full of flavour. The basil vinaigrette was sweet and the perfect condiment for the seafood and the risotto.
Mains - I had the maple glazed salmon with polenta, veggies and ginger butter. The ginger butter made the dish - I could drink a bottle of that stuff, yo. The fish was nice but a tad overcooked. My friend had the steak and potatoes and enjoyed it - though the portion of steak seemed to be a little much for the dish. Was it on sale?
Dessert - apple and cranberry crumble with ice cream. LOVED IT.
Overall a good experience - I would suggest it for a first date. :) -
Review from Pauline C.
Vancouver, BC
2/4/2011
I heard that Aqua Riva was going to close down soon so my bf and I paid a visit to the restaurant as we have never been.
When we walked by, we thought there were only 2 tables; however, we walked into the restaurant, there was a sea full of people. I believe a majority of them went to try the dine out menu as I saw a lot of the smoked wild salmon salad on the serving table. We didn't get a window seat; nonetheless, I enjoyed my bf's company as we seated by the corner.
My bf chose:
- Baby Green Salad with Smoked Wild Sockeye Salmon and Grilled White and Green Asparagus and Sherry Dijon Vinaigrette (the salmon meat was decent, too much salad dressing)
- Wood Grilled Rib Eye Steak with Cajun Jumbo Fries and Salsa Verde (the steak was a little fatty and the flavoring wasn't outstanding)
- Banana Chocolate Mousse Cake (there were about 5 layers with chocolate ganache on the top and in between layers. The non-chocolate layers I found that they were too crumbly and dry. I tried mixing it in with the chocolate ganache but it was terrible. We only had fewer than 5 bites of this).
I chose:
- Sesame Crusted Scallops with Spinach and Cous Cous Salad and Orange Sesame Vinaigrette (scallops were not gigantic and they were not evenly marinated.)
- Ginger Potato Crusted Wild Salmon with Grilled Asparagus Risotto, Corn and Black Bean Salsa and Basil Butter Sauce (the risotto wasn't great...it looked like mashed, VERY mashed potatoes. I left that untouched after a bite. The salmon didn't have any flavor to it.)
- Apple and Cranberry Crisp (this was a little too sweet; I wanted to dig all those bits and pieces of apples to eat as I felt like it was the last course of my meal and I should at least feel or TRY to be full. I felt ripped off because my other courses weren't satisfying.)
Won't think I would visit again. Well, my bf didn't choose this place or else it would be minus 1 for him. The score is the bf: 3 and me: 0. -
Review from May B.
Vancouver, BC
2/2/2011
Went here as part of Dine Out over the weekend. First off, let's establish that I probably wouldn't choose to dine here regularly, if not for the Dine Out menu. My idea of dinner usually falls into the pub fare/pizza/sushi range. Hey, I'm a student.
I went with my brother and two friends, and though we arrived 20 mins before our 7o clock reservation, we were seated immediately. Lo and behold, we run into my friends' sister and her longtime boyfriend - what would you expect, everyone's taking advantage of Dine Out! We were seated near the windows and I had a grand view of Canada Place.
Service was attentive. Our server was quick and we never had to ask for a thing - we were the ones always being asked if our water needed to be refilled or if we needed anything else.
The food was pretty damn good. I ordered the chowder to start while the rest of my party went for the scallops. I tried a bit of their appetizer and loved the orange sauce. The chowder wasn't my favourite, though. For a main, my two friends went for the steak which they found decent. I went for the pasta and, oh my goodness, the shrimp was amazing. Seriously, that was some of the best tasting shrimp I've ever had.
For dessert I, of course, went the route least taken. Everyone else ordered the banana chocolate mousse cake while I, not a fan of banana anything, went for the berry crisp. Gotta say, that crisp was warm, fruity, and crisp - everything a crisp should be.
Overall my bill (paying for two Dine Out menus, a glass of Pinot Gris and a bottle of Pellegrino) came to $90 (including tip.) Despite the deal, it was still a much pricier meal than what I'm used to. However, with great service and a good menu, I would come back if I ever had the money to treat myself! -
Review from Sheila W.
BC
11/17/2008 2 photos
This is a fancy place to go that is popular with convention-going types from Canada Place right next door. You'll likely need reservations to get in here on Friday, Saturday and holidays (Valentine's for example). It's a pretty big venue (200 seats) and has a fair-sized bar for those waiting on a table, so if you don't mind knocking off a bottle of wine while you wait you can skip the reso and try your luck.
The dining room is really bright, as it is wrapped by windows that allow you to marvel at the harbour and the North Shore Mountains. If that doesn't bring home the reality that you're on the West Coast, the food is "West Coast" cuisine and the wine list features many delicious BC wines. The service is mature and professional yet still very friendly.
The seafood and fish here are usually well done, and Aqua Riva is an Ocean Wise restaurant (committed to ocean-friendly seafood). The Sablefish ($28) will melt in your mouth. There's also chicken, beef, lamb and back ribs for those who like heartier fare.
I only had one bad experience when I ordered "fresh" oysters on the half shell ($2.75 each). I'd had them here before and they were delicious, but this time they were bloated any had an almost cream-cheesy texture in the middle that makes my stomach turn to remember. We mentioned it to the server and they took a few of them off the bill, but not the entire order. Goes to show that you should never order oysters is a month that doesn't contain an "R." (We had milky oysters in August. No 'R'.) -
Review from Lisa L.
Vancouver, BC
3/21/2011
Didn't even know this place existed until I came for a lunch meeting. Beautiful views of the water and cozy decor similar to 360 at the CN Tower. I loved the service and the food was delicious. Great for lunch and easy conversation. Would definitely come back to again. Prices were a bit high for a casual lunch, but the whole was greater than the sum of its parts.
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Review from Annie M.
Vancouver, BC
8/15/2010 1 Check-in Here
The reason why we went there for dinner coz we got a gift certification. We got window seat, of coz, nice ocean view there.
I ordered ahi tuna n scallop sashimi for appeitizers. It's ok. Wood grilled stablefish as main course. No surprise.
Overall, just ok. Most disappointed thing is the dessert menu, I didn't order any dessert coz not attractive at all. The services is good. -
Review from Chloë E.
Vancouver, BC
1/5/2009
Went here with a large group from work. Our table was in the far end of the L-shaped dining room, far from all the other tables--it made me feel like we were on a time out for something.
The large windows look out over Canada Place, so it's particularly beautiful with the evening lights. Bring a pashmina if you chill easily!
I ordered the duck. It was delicious, but thinking back I wonder why I skipped all the seafood? Silly me. Overall our dozen dinners left smiling. Service was attentive although unmemorable. I'm not deducting a star for this, however, because it's tricky for a server to captivate a large group. -
Review from Sara M.
1/2/2009
managed to get a reservation here on NYE. It was later on (8:30) but they were not ready for us so we sat in the bar till 9. Once we got sat it was directly next to the band. I couldnt hear my husband that was 1 foot away!. Half way through the meal the waitress knocked over a glass of water on the entire table, the entree's were medicore, the deserts frozen, probably wont go back
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Review from Jenni B.
2/2/2009
I just went for dine out here a few weeks ago and this place was brilliant. Easily the best service I have received in ages, I got a table over looking the water. ambiance was lovely, food was incredible. This is a great place if you are looking to go for a nicer dinner with friends or a significant other.
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Review from Steven V.
Surrey, BC
1/5/2010
What can I say that already hasn't been said about this place. The food is great, the view is great and the service is excellent (they actually screwed up our reservations, but handled the matter so well we will be back again).
