I went with my uncle who’s been coming to this restaurant for 40 years and I really loved it! The only dish which wasn’t terrific was the tomatoes with mozzarella (the tomatoes were a bit sour) but the specials were delicious and their cappuccino was so delicious. As with the Italian ice cream. I look forward to coming back again!
Raymond Smith
so disappointed, the only plus was the attentive water server. Never saw the waiter unless we asked for him (and the restaurant only had 3 tables filled) the appetizer was not fresh and microwaved (@ $20 + unacceptable), the focaccia was decent and the main dish of risotto fruti de mare was not risotto but paella, I like paella but not an undercooked rice dish. I'm giving 2 stars only because the olive oil and pecorino romano cheese was good but never again
Ray
the good was the decor was nice and the water server was attentive. The service was very poor...we had to flag down the server for everything, and there were only 3 filled tables in the restaurant. the appetizer of eggplant parm was not fresh and the risotto di mare was not risotto but paella. there was a generous amount of seafood, but at least one piece of that seafood was spoiled. very disappointed today . I wonder if all the good reviews were bot/AI generated....
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Tiago Martinez
We had an amazing first experience at Arriva on Valentine’s Day and recommended it to many friends — which is why this second visit (June 28, 7:30 PM) was so disappointing.
The food was delicious as always, but the service was extremely poor. After our meal was served, we were completely ignored for over 30 minutes — no refills, no dessert menu, no check-ins. I had to ask the assistant for dessert and later for the bill, as our server seemed lost despite having only a few tables.
It was honestly one of the worst service experiences I’ve had, which makes me sad because we really loved this place. I hope the team can improve, as the food truly deserves better service.
Melanie Johannesen
Went there a couple weeks ago. Waitress was doing her best but took almost 90 mins to get our food.
Terri
My son and daughter in law took me here for my birthday. We had reservations and were warmly greeted at the door. The old rustic Italian ambience was very inviting. We started out with a Buffalo Mozzarella appertif and the tomatoes were very refreshing. I had the Veal Parmigiano with pasta. The portion of veal was amazing. The flavour of the tomato sauce brought back memories of Sunday dinners at my Zia's when families and neighbours got together for dinner. My son had the Pennette Al Salmone Offumicatto which he said he loves so much he orders all the time. My DIL the Gluten Free Fettuccine Alla Puttanesca. She said the noodles were some of the best GF noodles she has had. The service was great! Would highly recommend!
Monique Quirion
Great italien food and service
marcelo gonzalez
The plates my girlfriend and I ordered were vastly different yet just as spectacular. The cream sauce creamy and the vodka sauce perfectly balanced. And the chef was arguing with someone in Italian which adds to the authenticity and ambience, second time coming, an amazing experience again.
Elly Rayne
This restaurant is slowing down in its original service provided they didn’t have two or three things on the menu that they normally would. They had a very small staff running, and the atmosphere was pleasant at best. I would not recommend it for the prices that they continue to charge for the food that they provide just my opinion.
D K
I write this review with great disappointment.
I made a reservation for a birthday dinner with my friend here and made a note of it on OpenTable, since they had that option open.
I was excited because I knew the previous owner Paolo before he passed away, who was a very warm and kind gentleman. However, I don’t know his sons, only from photos, and had not been to the restaurant.
When the day came and I arrived at the restaurant on time, it was his son the new owner who led us to our table. The greeting was very matter-of-fact and he quickly left after leaving us with the menu.
A different server expediently took our order later on.
The food was okay. The bread was cold but delicious; the salad was a bit bland but still good. My friend liked his fettuccine, though my lasagna was frankly unremarkable. I could taste the quality of cheese, but otherwise I think the lasagna from a certain family-friendly Italian restaurant was slightly more enjoyable than this.
None of the above really mattered too much, because what I was annoyed about was how stone cold the service was throughout the entire affair.
When I walked to the washroom, a waitress was staring at me. I gave a smile as I walked past her, and there was not a single change of expression on her face.
Near the end of our meal, the waiter asked if we would like to order dessert, I replied thanks but it was my friend’s birthday and we had to leave some space for cake. The waiter acknowledged simply with an okay then left. He also didn’t say anything while we were paying our bill.
Not once did the server ask us how the food was throughout the entire evening. They were, however, noticeably more attentive to other tables near us. Not sure if it’s got something to do with us being the only non-white table in the restaurant at that time.
Ironically, the best service we got was from the water waiter who was replenishing our glasses all evening. He was incredibly attentive and friendly the entire time.
I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, but I will say the service was quite disappointing by any standards.
Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Arriva.
An absolute institution on commercial drive. Been here almost 40 years, I come here on all my special occasions. Great food and excellent service. Dustin the Gm and owner is a gem along with his staff. Always willing to bend over backwards to accomodate my large family
We had a very good meal here. The service was excellent, the pasta delicious and the atmosphere warm and cozy. We all finished our meal, not a crumb left on our plates. We will be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Complimentary Focaccia with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar, Salad, Gnocchetti Sardi Con Salsiccia, Linguine Alle Vongole
Shauna J Lawrence
It's was so delicious in flavors and melt in your mouth
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Subrata Chakrabarti
A really nice Italian restaurant. This is very friendly and warm place.
We came here our dear friends. Some of us had salad and some had soup.
Two of us had pasta with sea food (spicy and good). One had fish of the day - trout. It came with potatoes and vegetables. One had Linguine with sea food.
Dessert was tiramisu and crème brûlée. We finished with coffee.
Service was above average. And there was no rush.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood, Linguine Pescatore
Vincent Lee
Don’t order Oyster , I feel stomach pain after eating
I went with my uncle who’s been coming to this restaurant for 40 years and I really loved it! The only dish which wasn’t terrific was the tomatoes with mozzarella (the tomatoes were a bit sour) but the specials were delicious and their cappuccino was so delicious. As with the Italian ice cream. I look forward to coming back again!
so disappointed, the only plus was the attentive water server. Never saw the waiter unless we asked for him (and the restaurant only had 3 tables filled) the appetizer was not fresh and microwaved (@ $20 + unacceptable), the focaccia was decent and the main dish of risotto fruti de mare was not risotto but paella, I like paella but not an undercooked rice dish. I'm giving 2 stars only because the olive oil and pecorino romano cheese was good but never again
the good was the decor was nice and the water server was attentive. The service was very poor...we had to flag down the server for everything, and there were only 3 filled tables in the restaurant. the appetizer of eggplant parm was not fresh and the risotto di mare was not risotto but paella. there was a generous amount of seafood, but at least one piece of that seafood was spoiled. very disappointed today . I wonder if all the good reviews were bot/AI generated....
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
We had an amazing first experience at Arriva on Valentine’s Day and recommended it to many friends — which is why this second visit (June 28, 7:30 PM) was so disappointing.
The food was delicious as always, but the service was extremely poor. After our meal was served, we were completely ignored for over 30 minutes — no refills, no dessert menu, no check-ins. I had to ask the assistant for dessert and later for the bill, as our server seemed lost despite having only a few tables.
It was honestly one of the worst service experiences I’ve had, which makes me sad because we really loved this place. I hope the team can improve, as the food truly deserves better service.
Went there a couple weeks ago. Waitress was doing her best but took almost 90 mins to get our food.
My son and daughter in law took me here for my birthday. We had reservations and were warmly greeted at the door. The old rustic Italian ambience was very inviting. We started out with a Buffalo Mozzarella appertif and the tomatoes were very refreshing. I had the Veal Parmigiano with pasta. The portion of veal was amazing. The flavour of the tomato sauce brought back memories of Sunday dinners at my Zia's when families and neighbours got together for dinner. My son had the Pennette Al Salmone Offumicatto which he said he loves so much he orders all the time. My DIL the Gluten Free Fettuccine Alla Puttanesca. She said the noodles were some of the best GF noodles she has had. The service was great! Would highly recommend!
Great italien food and service
The plates my girlfriend and I ordered were vastly different yet just as spectacular. The cream sauce creamy and the vodka sauce perfectly balanced. And the chef was arguing with someone in Italian which adds to the authenticity and ambience, second time coming, an amazing experience again.
This restaurant is slowing down in its original service provided they didn’t have two or three things on the menu that they normally would. They had a very small staff running, and the atmosphere was pleasant at best. I would not recommend it for the prices that they continue to charge for the food that they provide just my opinion.
I write this review with great disappointment.
I made a reservation for a birthday dinner with my friend here and made a note of it on OpenTable, since they had that option open.
I was excited because I knew the previous owner Paolo before he passed away, who was a very warm and kind gentleman. However, I don’t know his sons, only from photos, and had not been to the restaurant.
When the day came and I arrived at the restaurant on time, it was his son the new owner who led us to our table. The greeting was very matter-of-fact and he quickly left after leaving us with the menu.
A different server expediently took our order later on.
The food was okay. The bread was cold but delicious; the salad was a bit bland but still good. My friend liked his fettuccine, though my lasagna was frankly unremarkable. I could taste the quality of cheese, but otherwise I think the lasagna from a certain family-friendly Italian restaurant was slightly more enjoyable than this.
None of the above really mattered too much, because what I was annoyed about was how stone cold the service was throughout the entire affair.
When I walked to the washroom, a waitress was staring at me. I gave a smile as I walked past her, and there was not a single change of expression on her face.
Near the end of our meal, the waiter asked if we would like to order dessert, I replied thanks but it was my friend’s birthday and we had to leave some space for cake. The waiter acknowledged simply with an okay then left. He also didn’t say anything while we were paying our bill.
Not once did the server ask us how the food was throughout the entire evening. They were, however, noticeably more attentive to other tables near us. Not sure if it’s got something to do with us being the only non-white table in the restaurant at that time.
Ironically, the best service we got was from the water waiter who was replenishing our glasses all evening. He was incredibly attentive and friendly the entire time.
I don’t want to jump to any conclusions, but I will say the service was quite disappointing by any standards.
Based on my experience, I cannot recommend Arriva.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
An absolute institution on commercial drive. Been here almost 40 years, I come here on all my special occasions. Great food and excellent service. Dustin the Gm and owner is a gem along with his staff. Always willing to bend over backwards to accomodate my large family
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, Seafood, Gnocchi, Risotto
We had a very good meal here. The service was excellent, the pasta delicious and the atmosphere warm and cozy. We all finished our meal, not a crumb left on our plates. We will be back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Complimentary Focaccia with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar, Salad, Gnocchetti Sardi Con Salsiccia, Linguine Alle Vongole
It's was so delicious in flavors and melt in your mouth
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
A really nice Italian restaurant. This is very friendly and warm place.
We came here our dear friends. Some of us had salad and some had soup.
Two of us had pasta with sea food (spicy and good). One had fish of the day - trout. It came with potatoes and vegetables. One had Linguine with sea food.
Dessert was tiramisu and crème brûlée.
We finished with coffee.
Service was above average. And there was no rush.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood, Linguine Pescatore
Don’t order Oyster , I feel stomach pain after eating
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
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