Riviera brings the atmosphere and flavours of the Côte d’Azur to St James’s Street in central London. The luminous main dining room uses soft Mediterranean colours, natural textures and carefully chosen art, with broad windows looking towards Pall Mall and St James’s Park. Amelia’s Room provides a more private lounge setting, while the large covered terrace recalls the relaxed glamour of Cannes and Saint Tropez.
The opening plates combine French tradition with ingredients from across the Mediterranean coast. Onion soup and snails with garlic butter sit beside burrata with tomatoes and olives, Niçoise salad, courgette flower with goat cheese and truffle, sea bass carpaccio, tuna tartare and oysters. Crisp vegetables, citrus, herbs and light sauces give the seafood and salads a fresh character before the larger dishes arrive.
Pasta includes veal ragù rigatoni, trofie with pesto and bucatini finished in a Parmesan wheel, with whole native lobster pasta providing a substantial centrepiece for sharing. Fish and seafood choices move through octopus, sea bass, cod, turbot and bouillabaisse. Charcoal grilled chicken, beef fillet with Café de Paris butter and rib eye on the bone add richer alternatives from the grill.
A flexible lunch menu offers a concise introduction to the kitchen, while the full evening service encourages a slower meal across several courses. French wine and bottles from further afield are chosen to complement seafood, pasta and grilled meat, and the cocktail list brings fruit, spice, herbs and classic spirits together. Live artists and later entertainment give the restaurant a more animated mood as the evening develops.
Address: 23 St James’s Street, St James’s, London SW1A 1HA, United Kingdom
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