Greensboro Restaurant Guide

I headed to lunch at Riva's yesterday and was once again disappointed. This restaurant has let me down a number of times; always the same thing and now I just want to share these issues to hopefully save someone else from the issues here. The service is slow and rude. It's a tiny little place and I guess they staff it that way. Every time I have gone (4 times now) there are only 1 or 2 people working the tables. You would think for its size that this would be enough, but they never seem to be around and are always rushed to deal with you. Each time there have been instructions given to the waiter, like no tomato, and sure enough tomatoes are on the sandwich or salad or whatever was ordered. No apologies, heck no even stopping back to make sure everything was ok for that matter. I even have been at off busy hours, 1pm instead of noon and still the same service issues. Now; if the food was wonderful or even great I could see still going even with bad service, but it’s always been very so-so and not special. I ordered the Inner harbor shrimp salad sandwich this last time, 3 small shrimp with one leaf of lettuce and a slice of tomato (that was asked to be left off) on this huge croissant. No spice or flavor, just some watery mayonnaise-like sauce. I felt like I was eating bread with mayo, that’s it. The food was awful. It’s not just the case for me, but my two eating companions had issues with their own orders. I will not give them yet another try.

Upon entering this establishment you immediate know this is not your run of the mill restaurant. The decor is perfect for the Trattoria name. Our waitress Christina (I think) was so friendly, prompt and helpful. They were very accommodating with the 9 month old that was in our party of 8. We started off with 3 appetizers: Ciabatta, Risotto Fritters, and Prosciutto Spinach Crepes. They were all very scrumptious! All of our meals were delicious but what stood out to be the best is the lamb chop special. We pretty much ordered every desert on the menu and tore it up without leaving a crumb for the dishwasher... except for the crumb we saved in the corners of our mouth for later. If our experience does not entice you to try this restaurant, then maybe their support of local farmers will. They use locally grown produce whenever available for special menu items. This is a well run restaurant that will leave you with a lasting experience from beginning to end.