La Riviera Restaurant & Bar
Sydney
At a glance
Located at 170 Phillip Street, Sydney, La Riviera Restaurant & Bar offers an elegant all-day dining experience in a sophisticated yet relaxed setting. This chic establishment is artfully divided into two distinctive areas: a casual Italian-inspired space on the ground floor, and a French-influenced area on the mezzanine. Both sections are thoughtfully designed, featuring curved plum chairs, luxurious banquettes, Murano glass lighting, and a hand-painted seascape mural by Sydney artist Genevieve Felix-Reynolds, set against sky-high ceilings. It's an inviting venue suitable for various occasions, from a corporate breakfast to a leisurely lunch or an intimate dinner.
La Riviera caters to diverse dining preferences with an array of menu options. Breakfasts and lunches are available from Monday to Friday, while dinners are served from Wednesday to Saturday. For those in search of a quick bite, the venue offers thin crust pizzas, perfect for pre-theatre dining. Additionally, their Aperitivo & Pizza Happy Hour from Wednesday to Friday is a popular choice among patrons. Whether it's a private dinner or a larger event, the restaurant's mezzanine level can accommodate an array of gatherings, making it an ideal spot for both individual and group events.
Nestled near prominent city landmarks such as the Supreme Court and The Reserve Bank, La Riviera is conveniently positioned for both locals and visitors exploring the city. With its balance of Italian and French culinary influences, coupled with its stylish interior, La Riviera Restaurant & Bar stands out as a distinguished dining option in Sydney's bustling central business district.
Reviews
We had a wonderful business dinner at La Riviera. The food was delicious, the service was energetic and highly professional, and the atmosphere was fantastic. A special thank you to Elora, whose exceptional attention to detail and warm, attentive service made the evening perfect. Great value for a restaurant of this calibre in Sydney. Highly recommended!
Very nice atmosphere, and the seafood spaghetti was lovely. One thing we found a bit odd was the service. When we ordered, our server repeatedly pointed out that we hadn’t ordered a salad and asked, “Don’t you want vegetables to make the meal healthier?” We simply preferred fries for the evening, so the comment felt unnecessary. We also ordered the steak frites where you can choose one sauce, but the waiter kindly offered to check if we could have all three sauces to share, which we appreciated. However, this was later charged as an extra $10, which we had assumed was a complimentary gesture. Overall, the restaurant has a great atmosphere and good food, but the service experience would make us think twice about returning.
La Riviera was THE most incredible venue for our city wedding. Our original wedding venue closed unexpectedly less than three months before our wedding, leaving us to find somewhere new in a hurry and through some stroke of incredible luck I honestly believe La Riviera worked out better than our original venue would have. Kevin was helpful and insightful in all of our interactions, he provided advice and ideas that I never would have thought of without his input and added such chic touches to our event. All the guests told me how brilliant the food was, and the service was faultless. I loved the customisation of the event and how much fun we could have with menu, drinks, floorplan and vision. La Riviera is SUCH a unique venue, in the city, beautiful, great food and most importantly an incredible team. I cannot recommend it enough.
My boyfriend and I came here for dinner on Valentine’s Day. Immediately I was captivated by the romantic atmosphere of the place- candlelit tables, jazz music, and warm interior lighting. The food was absolutely delicious. This was our first time trying fancy / fine dining, and it’s safe to say that La Riviera has set a new standard for food hahaha. The dishes far exceeded my expectations, cooked to perfection and was super filling, I didn’t feel too heavy after finishing the three course meal : D And of course, the service was impeccable. We were served by Jacob for most of the night, and he was lovely. Would definitely love to come back for future Valentines nights, or even an anniversary night 😼😸
Went on Friday night so quite busy by the time we arrived for our booking at 6.30pm. The place has a lovely cosy ambience. We enjoyed the buffalo mozzarella entree with the nectarine. The tagliatelle pasta was on the softer side for me but overall both mains were decent. The tiramisu was a generous serving but not quite to my palate (my friend loved it). I much preferred the panna cotta, which was recommended by the staff. All the food came out pretty quickly despite the busy night. On to a slight con, when we asked for the dessert menu we were told we had 5mins to order. I was confused because it was only around 7.25pm and our booking was for 2 hours. I asked for clarification and was told not to worry, as we would still have 50mins to eat. I must have misheard and she must have said 15mins, because by the time we finished dessert around 7.40pm, she returned with the bill and the eftpos machine. We were told we’re welcome to move to the bar but they needed the table back. I even checked with my friend multiple times to make sure our booking was indeed for 2 hours as on the confirmation. We weren’t planning to stay on anyway so didn’t bother asking, but it wasn’t the nicest note to end the night on.
