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My family just had the pleasure of staying at Disney World’s newest hotel, the Riviera Resort. The Riviera Resort, by the way, is quickly becoming one of my favorite hotels at Disney World. I love everything about it. The great rooms, the convenient location on the Disney Skyliner route, the great pool…there are so many reasons my family loves the hotel. And one of those reasons is the great number of restaurants at the resort.
One of these restaurants is Bar Riva.
I actually did not realize it was a restaurant when I first got to the hotel. I thought it was just a bar. But then I noticed families sitting there and eating and I quickly grabbed my phone to check out the menu. A lot of the food looked great, so my family decided to come here for lunch.
We did not have to get a reservation or do a mobile order for our meal. Instead, we just walked up and they told us we could sit wherever we want. It was a little before 2:00 PM on a Monday when we were there, so it wasn’t too busy.
They gave us all menus, which was actually really nice. That’s actually pretty rare these days in Walt Disney World. They often say it’s for COVID-19 reasons, but I strongly suspect they no longer print off as many menus as a way to save money. But at any rate, they gave us menus, which I really liked. They can be a lot easier to read than your phone.
Views, Decor and Atmosphere
One of the great things about Bar Riva is the views. See, Bar Riva is a restaurant with walls so there are fans and that helps cool you off from the Orlando heat. But at the same time, it has those archways in the front that gives you some great unobstructed views.
You can see great views of the pool and slide. You could also get great views of Barefoot Bay and the Caribbean Beach Resort, which is on the other side of Barefoot Bay. Or you can watch the Disney Skyliner gondolas go by.
You can also look at a beautiful murals they have on one of the walls. It is of a European Riviera port and a Disney cruise ship!
They also have TVs up above the bar. So if there is a game you want to see and your room is not ready yet, this is a good place to go.
I loved the whole laid-back atmosphere that went along well with the Riviera theming. I also loved the music played. That also complimented the atmosphere.
Drinks
So, as Bar is in the title, you will be happy to know they offer a lot of drinks.
If you are looking for non-alcoholic drinks, they have great options, too. If you participate in the Disney Refillable Mug program, they have a machine right beside the bar you can use to refill your mug. That can help save you money for anyone in your party not drinking an alcoholic beverage.
Also, speaking of drinks, they gave us water right away, which I liked. And the cups they came in were so adorable!
I love how they featured popular Disney characters like Tinkerbell, Stitch, Figment, Abu, etc.
And I loved the adorable Riviera Resort coaster under the drinks!
But don’t worry if you are wondering about the lounge’s alcoholic drinks. They have them! Here is what they currently offer.
Cocktails
- Riva Margarita
- Riviera Spiked Iced Tea
- La Petite Fleur
- Il Tramonto
- Le Bourbon Breeze
- Coco di Paradiso
- Magical Beacon Cocktail
- Aperol Spritz
- Negroni Spritz
- Almande Grog
Sangria
- Italian Sangría Blanco
- Italian Sangría Rosso
Frozen Cocktails
- Mediterranean Wave
- Piña Colada
- Provence Frosé
- Strawberry Margarita
- Strawberry Daiquiri
Beer, Hard Cider & Hard Seltzer
- Bud Light Lager
- Kronenbourg 1664 Lager
- Funky Buddha Floridian Hefeweizen
- Peroni Nastro Azzurro Lager
- Cigar City Jai Alai IPA
- Miller Lite Lager
- Stella Artois Euro Lager
- Heineken Lager
- Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
- New Belgium Fat Tire Amber Ale
- Angry Orchard Crisp Apple Hard Cider
- Truly Wild Berry Hard Seltzer
- Samuel Adams Seasonal
- Michelob Ultra Lager
- Modelo Especial Lager
- Blue Moon Belgian White Ale
- Blue Point Imperial Sunshine Blonde Ale
- Goose Island IPA
Food
But the drinks aren’t the only reason to go here! The food is great, too.
I had the Grilled Chicken Sandwich.
It consisted of Roasted Tomatoes, Mozzarella, Toasted Focaccia, and Spinach Artichoke Spread. I actually chose to hold the Spinach Artichoke Spread and as a result, it was a bit dry, so that is something to keep in mind if you are thinking of holding it. But even still, I really loved the sandwich. The tomatoes were really good. And I especially loved the bread. The Focaccia really added something special to the sandwich and it helped the Italian vibe that Bar Riva has.
The chicken sandwich comes with a choice of Romano and Herb Fries, Soup, Side Salad, or Fresh Fruit. I chose the Romano and Herb Fries.
I was glad I chose the Fries because the Fries were so good! And while I love just regular French Fries, but these were even better.
The majority of my table got the Greek salad.
It consists of Tomatoes, Red Onion, Cucumbers, Feta, and Crispy Greens with a Vinaigrette on the side. You have the option to add chicken or shrimp, but no one at my table did.
This salad was a big hit with my family. The greens were really fresh, and it made the salad taste even better.
My family is not big on cucumbers but thought even they tasted good in this salad. They were cut up small enough that they did not overpower the salad.
Another popular menu item with my family was the Bacon Cheddar Burger.
In addition to the burger and cheddar, it comes with Shredded Lettuce, Tomato, and Aioli. It is on a Toasted Brioche. And according to my family, it was delicious!
So when you combine the great food with the wonderful atmosphere and views of the hotel, it made for a wonderful lunch. I highly recommend visiting here!
Additional Riviera Resort Information
Now, the Riviera Resort is Disney World’s newest hotel. You may not have been there before or know much about it. By the way, you can learn more about it here.
You might also have heard it is a Disney Vacation Club property, which is true. And you may think if you are not a DVC member you can’t stay here. But that would be wrong. You can actually rent DVC points and stay in a DVC villa even without being a DVC member. And you save a ton of money by doing that. It cost me less to stay in a preferred room at the Riviera (on New Year’s Day, no less!) than it would have for me to stay at some of the moderate and value hotels at Disney World. You can find out how you can get a good deal this way by clicking here.
Getting to Bar Riva
Now, getting to Bar Riva is the most convenient for anyone staying at the Riviera Resort. But you can visit here even if you are not staying here.
You can take a Disney Skyliner from Epcot or Hollywood Studios to the Riviera Resort. I have done that before when I was staying at another hotel.
You can also walk over from Disney’s Caribbean resort. If you want to book a stay at this hotel, click here to book the hotel at a discounted rate.
You can also take a Skyliner from your hotel to the Riviera if you are staying at the Caribbean Resort. That is also true if you are visiting from the following hotels:
