"Riva’s is the perfect balance of a gay dive bar and a casual red-sauce Italian restaurant. Ambiance here radiates from the bawdy staff, year-round holiday lights, and the massive, cheese-slathered plates of baked eggplant parmesan. It’s a beautiful, adults-only playground—a sign on the front door explicitly states “no children allowed”—that’ll transport you to a time when Houston was just some working-class cowtown. It’s not the best Italian restaurant in town, nor is it the most beautiful. But Riva’s hits that sweet spot of comfort and nostalgia, coats it in a deeply unserious attitude, then smothers it in marinara. And we can’t get enough." - chelsea thomas, gianni greene
