The Riviera

Food: We had the nachos with guacamole and chicken. The nachos themselves were quite good (my spouse, who is somewhat of a nacho enjoyer, rated them an 8 out of 10). The chicken was served in relatively large chunks without seasoning of their own, which we thought was a bit odd; we ended up putting a bunch of extra salsa over the top, and the result was delicious.

Service: The staff were friendly and attentive despite how busy it was. That said, the place is obviously a bit understaffed and in very high demand - our server was running around frantically practically the entire time. If they had one or two more front of house staff this would've been perfect as well.

Atmosphere: Quite friendly and talkative, with locals drinking at the bar and visiting families eating at the tables. The decor is a bit idiosyncratic, with a combination of "maritime pub" vibes (painted aged wood, that sort of stuff) and "art gallery" (a bunch of local artists displayed on the walls). If the weather suits, definitely sit outside - it's in an amazing spot close to the island beaches.

Spacious and very hidden place. Confusing indications on the outside, and being hidden by vegetation it is not easy to find it immediately.
Nice garden and outdoor area with colorful style and matching bar, while the interior is a diner. Very narrow places.

Unfortunately several dishes on the menu were not available at 3 so we opted for a coffee.

At the time of the bill, $6 becomes $7 (tax?) and then the waitress keeps the change saying she doesn't have change. For $3/5 you don't have change? But what place are you that doesn't have a cash register?
I went back to ask for change, which was given to me quite nervously. In pennies

I would say tourist trap: (

I used to love this place when it was the Rectory Cafe. They had a great menu with lots of choices for vegetarians and an interesting selection of beers. I have been back 3 times since it changed to the Riviera and each time it is worse. The selection of food and beer is not good. The last time I was there, I had a vegan lasagna with kale Caesar salad. It was tasteless and I could tell they had just nuked it. The kale salad was good. The patio is great, but that doesnt make up for the decline in food and service.

I don't recommend it. The service was pretty bad the two times I've come here. Staff rush around, are short with you, and don't really seem to care about your orders.

This is a great place to relax and have a bite to eat and a drink after exploring the islands. There's a large patio with a lovely view of the lake and lots of trees for shade. We ordered nachos and they hit the spot as a mid afternoon snack.

Winter is limited but still has the summer favorites (burger and nachos). Call ahead to confirm. Great atmosphere in the winter, but does fill up fast with people

A nice place in the middle of the center island. It is nicely located within the woods on one side and the water on the other side. Easily accessible, usually busy over the summer weekends. The food is good, ambience is good. The place has its own vibe. The staff is great and friendly. The food is ok but a bit expensive considering it is on the island. The nachos portion is filling n the drinks are good too.

I always enjoy my time whenever I get the chance to go to The Riv. Atmosphere is everything you could want from a smaller bar: friendly and quick service, that makes you feel like you've always been around. Drinks are well made and the food is wonderful. The winter menu isnt very large, but what they have on there at the moment I'd have again any day, and I could barely decide what sounded better.

Plus all the desserts are handmade in house and are the perfect way to finish out a meal.

Excited to go back again, especially as things open up and the food and drink menu expands once the warm weather arrives.

Went there today and they had no hot chocolate, only brewed coffee, canned beers and nothing on tap, the servers seemed not interested in us whatsoever and it wasn't even busy. Considering they are the only place opened on Wards at this time, you'd think they would offer a better and warmer customer experience to retain their customers, but I guess not. Won't be coming back

Seemed fairly busy, we were greeted by a friendly staff member and seated quickly. However, we waited 15 minutes and no one else came by to take our order. Two tables seated after us were seated, checked on, ordered, and no one had come to check on us yet. We went up to the bar to ask for someone to take our order, and we were told someone would be with us shortly. We continued to wait and asked another staff member to take our order after waiting another 5 minutes. It had been 20 minutes since we were seated with no one stopping at our table. Not sure why we were ignored for so long when other tables were being taken care of. The soup was good and flavourful, coffee was good, the pear toffee blondie was a highlight. The food was quite good, but I wouldn’t recommend this place on the basis of the lack of service.

Location is awesome. Server was awesome. The atmosphere was buzzin, actually those were the wasps inside. The “top 3 even best burger in Toronto” was not any of that. Maybe top 3 on Toronto Island. The processed cheese ruins all flavour and the “Kettle chips” are just Miss Vickies.

We visit the Islands often and today we stopped by the Riveria patio for lunch and drinks. The hostess was outstanding, the server was excellent and the Thanksgiving inspired menu was decadent. They all made my rescue dog feel welcome and even accommodated my request for some bacon for him. What a fabulous local business. Highly recommended. We will be back soon with friends. Cheers, Roger and Ace

The setting was very nice that onlooked the lake and the patio added a quaint style. The menu looked very good with a range of hot and cold options. I ordered the vegan lasagna, the only thing stopping this being 5* is that the lasagna was very cold! My girlfriend had the burger and said it was very good. Good range of beers too.

All the poor reviews are correct! The customer service is just awful! The owners should take note! Not hospitable at all! Just go to the Island Cafe!

Beautiful ambiance. Hamburger and drinks were very good. Could have added more potatoes. The server at first was a little unfriendly, almost seemed annoyed he had to work. By the end he was more present and professional. Over all great time on centre Island. Had a lot of fun!

Nice place by the lake. Staff were friendly and service was quick. We ordered fish tacos, pizza, and a dessert all of which were ok, although the medium sized pizza is bit pricey. They have a good selection of beers as well. Definitely a place to go at Ward 's!

Went with my friend and tried the Impossible Burger and the flourless chocolate tarte. The burger (a bun with a few leaves of salad, 1 pickle and tomato slice) came with a salad which was all wilted (some of the leaves had even turned into green slush). The burger itself was okay, but very overpriced at around $17/burger. The cake was horrible - it seemed to have been headed up in the microwave and came with a side of defrosted berries. The meal left us feeling queezy in our stomachs. Unfortunately we cannot recommend this place.: (

Great place to relax in the garden area in the summer.

The nachos were good but so big even for 2 people. Drinks were good too!

The audacity to charge $20 for clearly frozen pizzas. Service was pretty good. But I can’t justify paying $27 for a frozen pizza you can get at Metro.

Hidden cafe on the Ward Island. Gives an opportunity to sit under the trees and close to the water.
All employees were nice and friendly, but we had a not-so-friendly waiter. Still, giving a 4 star for the overall experience.
Food prices were high as expected, but not too bad comparing some other heavy tourist attractions.

Lovely atmosphere.think Hemingway's Island of the North, 6 toed cat included! All staff are lovely, but Tommy, my server, has the most amazing, fun energy. Food was good. White sangria was lovely. View and patio lovely! Come and relax.alone or w friends.

I’ve enjoyed this find as there are very limited options on the island for places to eat. I was disappointed they got rid of their vegan bowl option this summer. Limits my choices down to one.

Nothing bad to say about this place. Nicely located, huge patio with lots of shades. Staff was very friendly but professional. We had the nacho (very generous portion) and aperols. Food and drink were nice. Prices are very reasonable. Would 100% go back.

My daughter and I rode our bikes on the islands and enjoyed a wonderful lunch here. The burgers were very tasty. I also recommend the desserts. Best of all was the incredible service we received from Tommy. It’s nice to see a server who clearly enjoys his job and is very good at it! Thank you, Tommy!

Enjoyed a visit to this restaurant and bar on Toronto Island. Cycled the island with friends. Wonderful to visit again. Will be back soon!

We had visited Riviera for the 2nd time today, after a positive first experience, and I was looking forward to eat here again. The place is lovely and the atmosphere is really relaxing but today the food was terrible.and our server quite rude. We had a pizza and the fish tacos, water and a canned beer.

The pizza was the frozen pizza you can get for $ 4 but you pay +/- $ 20 here, and the fish tacos were small, and basically uncooked and tasteless.

We ate our food, because we were hungry and because it was honestly only 2/3 bites. We told the server that we didn't like the food and he got angry at us and told me "well! You ate it so it was not bad! " And he basically disappeared without even trying to understand what was the problem. He then came back with the bill ($ 44, a ripoff) and told me I should have conplained after the first bite, which I get it, and I learned it as a lesson. It was the first time in my life I actually commented on the food, because the quality and the price are a scam. Thank you!

Attentive staff. Great patio. Good menu. Tasty food reasonably priced. Only been once but will definitely go back when next we visit the island.

Food is good. Our server was great. Patio location is sublime. 2 stars for the uptight policies and management. They wouldn’t let us put two adjacent tables together, which IMO is unreasonable since they served us as one table anyways. They also wouldn’t serve tap water on the patio, which AFAIK this is against Toronto Public Health rules and Ontario LLBO laws. Otherwise, good experience.

This place is a gem, unbelievable service.amazing food. If I l8ved on the island, I would eat here daily

More pollen puffs floating around and in my food than I would ever consider acceptable. Slow service, very poor selection of food. This place is a pub with a basic menu that pretends to be a restaurant. Best part is that it has a well shaded patio. So if you want a drink and to get out if the sun this is your place. If you're looking for good food and a clean atmosphere this isn't your destination.
Change the name to "Island Castaways", make it a costume themed pubfare dive. No renovations needed and just search the yacht club garbage bins for decore. Jugs of beer, sangria moats and iced coctails served in wooden barrel mugs.
Riviera burps are just bad memories.

On a hot sunny day the patio here is a shady Oasis on the Island. And inside is so cozy on the cool days. Fantastic people and a lovely, romantic Island experience.

Great atmosphere on the Toronto Islands. Dog friendly patio. Good selection of food and drink. Great service.

The ambience is great, nice place to relax if you don’t mind the poor quality of food.
The staff was very friendly and helpful though.
Not much to choose from, my burger bun was cold but the beef patty was too charred and Nacho was probably just warmed up in the microwave. I literally had a stomachache right after eating there.

I wonder if they had changed the chef / owner since the menu I saw from two or three years ago had so much more to choose from and they looked so much better.
Maybe just good for a beer but definitely should not expect too much from the food.

Hmmm. This is a very nice place where you can have a few cold drinks on a hot summer day. The pizza we ordered was prepacked and à bit weird (over fried cheese on the sides and undercooked in the middle) - would not eat there again. The real gem - the hostess Janeesse! She is great! The facility is also awkwardy outdated for the price they charge. Great view though.

Though promising, the food has declined - the nachos were evidently soggy and the buns of the burger that was available on the menu were frigid. I would not recommend the food of this establishment. However, the overall setting and the ambience of the location is not to be condemned - it was relaxing and indeed quaint as some have mentioned.

Absolutely awesome service, great food and drinks. Margs on tap is just a blessing on a hot day. Nachos were great and the special was awesome.

Staff was beyond friendly, can not say enough good things about them.

That said. I will personally start a petition and then riot (in that order) to get the Italian melt special added as a regular menu item. So delicious and was the perfect thing to have half of and eat the other half on the ferry ride home.

100% will return, really looking forward to it!

Cute little quaint place. Highly recommend starting the islands from Hanlan and making your way all the way to Ward’s and doing a food stop at The Riviera before heading back to the city. Food was good, scenery is nice out on the patio, trees provide shade, and the lake provides a nice breeze after the blazing heat of the day. Just beware, soda is not free refill That’s the only reason I give it 4 stars.

Un petit restaurant calme et sympathique. Repas au coin du feu.avec quelques flocons de neige. Dehors.personnel très agréable.

Outside and indoor seating. Definitely made for outdoor seating. I has beer or liquor. Waitstaff is great. Zoe is such a doll. You can bring your dog. It has good food. The waitress had to run back to the building because the WiFi wasn't strong so I wish it was better. It has room for 60-90 people. Water is in a bottle

I went here for lunch with my friends after walking around the island the whole day. We ordered nachos in the appetizer. They were good. For mains me and one of my friends ordered fish tacos. They are one of the worst fish tacos I ever had in my life. Taste was below average and they were really bland. I won't recommend it. Rest of my friends ordered veggie burgers and drinks. They said it was ok and nothing out of this world. Customer service was nice. I won't go here again
as food was pricey for the taste and range it offered.

Cute for a date. Went during off peak times so was very easy getting a table inside as it was chilly. Food was solid and they do have different menu specials to ask about.

Amazing food. Felt very welcome by the lady serving us. Big respite on an island where there were no food options except this, served us greatly!

Great place to chill on the island.w would recommend.

Check hours before you go

Yes it's pricey, bit if you didn't bring your own food and drinks be prepared to shell out

It's a beautiful place, but I think the drinks are watered down, 3 stars for the beauty of the place.

Honestly, this place might be your choice for a break when you do the whole day hiking trip around the Toronto Island and need some rest with something to eat.
I ordered BANGERS N' Mash (two chorizo sausages with creamy mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and home made "chalet" gravy.
I ordered this dish because I like sausages, but these chorizos were way too salty, the mashed potatoes ok, carrots were not roasted but boiled or steamed (again, I ordered this dish because I like roasted carrots too).
The "master" with whom you order and pay your check could show more friendliness for customers.

Great outdoor patio. Ordered Budda Bowl and was disappointed. My partner had the Eh Burger which was alright.

Amazing atmosphere in the patio, but unfortunately the food quality is poor. Overcooked dry burgers. Bagged chips were served as a side. Lots of menu options were unavailable.

Lovely patio, beautiful setting. Food exceeded expectations. We ordered the soba noddles, Margerita pizza, nachos, burger, and everyone agreed was was very good. Exceeded expectations. The pizza in particular was very good although small in size (individual). My husband quite enjoyed the nachos and my friend said the beef burger was very tasty. We also had a pitcher of sangria which was nice (not the best I've had but very refreshing on a hot day). There was a wait (warm summer Saturday - - it was to be expected) so we put our names on the list and came back in an hour and were seated rightaway, No hesitation recommending.

Weirdly run joint that exploits its position as as tourist trap.won't provide tap water, small expensive cocktails, they don't have fries, only chips they call kettle but are just plain from a bag.

Went to this restaurant for some food and drinks because we thought it would be a good choice since it's deeper in the island so less busy. Found a table, but the rest of the experience was downhill from there. For people who are also new to this place, they only serve water bottles if you ask for water FYI. My friend and I ordered burgers with chips (also they don't serve french fries, these are actual potato chips). After waiting about 30-45 minutes wondering where our food was, the server decided to let us know that the kitchen's stove broke since we put our order in. Again, the stove broke. SINCE.our order was put in, 30-45 minutes ago. The next question was if we wanted to order anything else but what we just ordered. We obviously just asked for our bills for the water bottles and beer can that I got. Honestly, at that point, the drinks should have been a concession. This was a seriously poor way of handling a situation and a great way to waste people's time.

Very, very expensive. Bought the Eh burger with chips. The chips was the potato chips what they got out of a cheap package. But the price blew me away. Very expensive!

The patio in the back is huge with lots of shade in the summer. Service was fast and Joleesa was attentive, friendly and efficient with a great personality - I immediately liked her. In fact, all the staff were great. Food was standard sandwiches, burgers, salad bowls. Fresh and came out fast. I read some of the reviews - if you're looking for high end food, you're in the wrong frame of mind. It's a great patio beside the lake with decent drink options and a good selection of food on the Toronto Islands. Likely the best place to eat on the islands. We all had a great time. Ward's little oasis.

Really nice restaurant with a great patio for lunch. The only reason this isn't a 5 star is because we had to purchase bottled water instead of being able to get glasses of water.

Food is pedestrian, low effort and nothing is fresh or high quality. Quite disappointed with this dimension of the experience.

Serving staff are great and the setting is gorgeous.

Sadly it seems that "all items prepared fresh in house" means opening jars or salsa and guacamole. The Margarita pizza crust tasted like what I get at the grocery store, as did the sauce.
Atmosphere was lovely and the waitstaff were great. The hostesses was especially awesome and personable.

Lovely patio, friendly servers, and good food. We had burgers (Impossible and beef) and we shared some of their desserts, and everyone came away happy.

Service was terrible. Staff were not friendly. We were served by Jessica. Food overprice. So sad I come to visit Toronto as a foreign and I get this kind of service. Jessica needs to improve a lot. Probably, it was not her day. Atmosphere was nice, great patio outside.

GREAT FOOD AND LOCATION! Located on the Toronto Islands, it's just a boardwalk away! Perfect little place for a pint and some very tasty food. Great atmosphere and staff!

Outstanding views on the outdoor eating patio. The Slam Burger is very tasty. But the real star here is the nachos. Phenomenal and very shareable.
Be aware that the extras are extra expense. Even the soft drinks aren't refillable. But the view is so worth it.

Cute oasis in the trees offering Beyond Meat.

Minus at least 2 stars for the hostess's dishonest seating practices.

Visited today and absolutely loved this little place. Staff very friendly and helpful, incredible food, recommend the nachos and chocolate and walnut cake. Would love to come back when we visit the city again.

RENO COMPLETE - The Rectory NOW renamed - "THE RIVIERA" IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS - 7 DAYS A WEEK @ 11AM - 11PM - NOW THAT'S GOOD NEWS! Ward's Island is a Toronto treasure - you've got to feel it to believe it - ENJOY!

The Riviera as it’s now called was a perfect place to spend an easter Sunday afternoon watching the game. Amazing service!

Love this patio! A true must visit for all visitors from outside the city as well as any Torontonian who has never visited.

Parfait pour s'échapper de la ville et profiter d'un déjeuner copieux. Les hamburgers sont déliceux!

The website states "we're open! ", we spent half a day to get there and spent $15 for ferry, just to find a sign saying "we'll be back in in February".

Beautiful spot on Toronto Island, beautiful patio by the boardwalk and lake. Quick service, light meals, burgers, tacos, margaritas, full bar etc

The Rectory is in a lovely location on Ward's Island, just a short ferry ride away from Toronto Downtown. The food choice is limited, but when we asked if we could vary the fillings on a dish of 3 tacos, our waitress said that it wasn't possible, and don't shoot the messenger because she was only quoting the official line - not impressed! Anyway the food quality and drinks were ok but only 3 stars due to our condescending waitress who didn't make us feel welcome, and brought the bill before it was asked for, making us uncomfortable!

We are a supplier to this establishment and I know some of the staff and management. But honestly, I have sat at the bar as a customer on a few occasions. Each time, I've had something to eat. The burgers are easily the best on the island, and I've tried the burgers at each of the yacht clubs and the marina. None of the other places have burgers that are as tasty. They also feature Steam Whistle tallboy cans at 3 for $11. What a deal! The lake front patio is relaxing and the service is second-to-none. (And yes those are our HDTVs on the patio)

The Rectory is an Island Classic, and I'm so Happy that it survived after the terrible floods last year, that almost crippled this wonderful spot. The new owners, who took over about 6 months ago, are experienced and F'n Brilliant! They have done such an amazing job to revitalize and bring The Rectory to the quality & high standard this historic restaurant/building/property deserves! From the new beautifully landscaped patio area that runs along in harmony with the boardwalk, to the modern flat screen TV's for all the sports fans, The Rectory has once again really become one of my favourite escapes. Let's not forget about the food: Fresh oysters and incredible organic dishes, Everything is Simply Delicious! The staff is also super SUPER Cool and welcoming. You'll relax and feel miles away from the hustle and bustle. Just Go, You'll see ;) FYI: Can't wait for the Fresh Bakery Coming Soon out front, that I'm sure customers and residents will ALL appreciate! Cheers and Applauds!

Absolutely disrespectful staff. They need to keep the unnecessarily sassy asian server away from customers. Went to the island and wanted to have lunch there so called ahead to make reservations. We were told the restaurant does not take reservations. Waited in line for 20 minutes and we were seated at a low makeshift table while we could see 2 other tables also meant to seat 2 people completely empty. We asked a female server if we could move to one of those tables and she said yes. As we were moving the asian guy brought another couple to sit there and literally took the chair out of my hand saying the table is reserved for the asian couple. I asked if we could have the second free table and was told that is also reserved. I said i guess we have to leave, to which he rolled his eyes and said "whatever". We were in such shock that a grown man who is supposed to be in customer service is behaving this way. Two other servers saw what was happening and no one said a word. We will never return here. It is staff like this that run local businesses to the ground.

Charming patio, good food. Especially the hamburger. But there may be a bit of a wait because of its popularity.

We used to love this restaurant mainly because of the beautiful setting. It seems to have changed a lot under the new management. Half way through our dinner the big umbrella crashed down on the table and dumped our drinks all over my dress and sandals. I was soaking wet and sticky, and I also hurt my arm when the umbrella fell. We explained to the manager that they need to anchor the umbrellas under the tables because people could be seriously injured. He acted pretty unapologetic and didn't seem to really care.

Toronto island is one of those places I should go more often. It's like a getaway from the city without going anywhere and part of that feeling is generated by places like the rectory.

Located by the water this place has the feel of being at some rich friend of a friends backyard party. The attitude here is laid back, perhaps too laid back for Toronto proper but it suits the island.

Still I haven't mentioned the food. I had the burger which is of the smashed variety which I like but being a neurotically picky eater I was disappointed to find onions in with the ground meat. Also note no fries here only potato chips. Maybe that contributed to that backyard BBQ feel but it's hard not to miss french fries when eating a cheese burger. I will say the people I was with all enjoyed their meals but for me the setting was what made this place worth it for me.