In recent years, pasta and pizza have become so much more than the fast-food comfort carbs you reach for on a Friday night.
Leeds is home to some fantastic Italian eateries and trattorias, excelling in the kind of cuisine which brims with authenticity. La Piola and Sarto immediately spring to mind. The mainstays – tomato meatballs, a basil margherita, insalata caprese – are all accounted for, but we are finding Leeds’ reach extending beyond: to finely crafted southern Italian fare and handmade sweet treats, and dare I say, that finishing touch of magia.
It might now be a bit of chain, with six branches now positioned across the UK, but we still have a soft spot for Riva Blu. It was an instant cult hit upon opening on Park Row in the heart of Leeds, and there are now numerous branches, including spots in neighbouring Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Hull, and a second branch here in the City at The Springs.
The buzz is well and truly as important as the food here. With its blue-hued signature-scape and warm nonna-style welcome, this sleek joint is smart but composed, cool without being pretentious and brilliant value considering its City centre location.
We arrived at peak hustle and bustle – around half past seven on a Saturday evening – and the smell of fresh dough was both immediate and mouth- watering. Glistening plates piled high with pasta and fresh seafood zipped past and the bar was alive with activity. If you fancy a spot of people watching, the neat tables of two by the window provide the perfect opportunity, but for an intimate date I would highly recommend booking their downstairs dining section, defined by sultry accents which practically scream “buy me a dessert then take me home”.
Whichever you choose, the restaurant has fast become a lively neighbourhood favourite for a reason, serving up classic southern Italian soul food in Leeds since 2022.
The menu then, celebrates the best of artisan regional cooking in diverse ways, while enticing cocktails and impressive Italian wines also make an impact. The only caveat? Riva Blu serves up dishes that are fairly-priced enough to let you overindulge horribly. We ventured home feeling like a pair of barrage balloons.
We found that anything fried here is a highlight. For starters, we sampled the truffle arancini and the frittatina carbonara – which was, as the name suggests, a deep- fried pasta fritter, with guanciale, pecorino, black pepper and bechamel. The arancini was crispy and the flavour well balanced, but the frittatina was the real winner. It had the perfect, satisfying crunch and felt like an elevated mac and cheese, swimming in oodles of bechamel with delightful pops of parmesan.
The offering is diverse, from seasonal specials, steak and “Scarpetta” (sweet San Marzano tomatoes and garlic served with freshly baked bread) being popular choices. We opted for their famous Linguine Gamberoni (wild red prawn, king prawns, vine-ripened tomatoes, chilli and garlic) as well as the folded pizza stuffed with smoked cheese, oozy ricotta, salami and San Marzano tomatoes.
The calzone was so intimidatingly large that at first glance we weren’t sure whether to fight it, eat it, or adopt it. Regardless, it had a pungent and slightly unusual flavour, with the addition of the smoked cheese which elevated it beyond your standard weekend choice. The dough was obviously exceedingly fresh and accompanied by a garlic aioli (an absolute necessity for dipping!) which was equally good with a side of hot crispy fries.
The prawn linguine was, quite frankly, a simple concept, but a silky delight for seafood lovers. I am a self-confessed garlic fiend, but even I thought it had exactly the correct punch of the good stuff, with the fresh chilli peeking through at the end in a pleasant yet unobtrusive way. For my part, I would have preferred a slightly less oily finish, although as a weekend treat, it tasted sumptuous. Fish fiends can positively bask in choice here, with the Tonno Grigliato (grilled yellow fin tuna with Neapolitan peperonata), Orata (whole roasted sea bream) and the Merluzzo (Atlantic cod fillet with spicy Calabrian sausage) being other notable choices.
In short, a brimming prosecco and an even bigger bowl of pasta is the whole- hearted, recommended order of the day at this ever-vibey Leeds staple. There’s a good range of wines available by the glass, with many sourced from Italy, France and other old-world regions. From previous experience, I know they make a mean Spritz, too. For the drivers and non-drinkers among you, Riva Blu has an outstanding array of dry options. The mocktail list was almost as long as its sister menu, with fun and flirty options such as the Born-Again Porn Star and the Don’t Gimme No Jazz. They also have a very tasty Zero Alcohol Moretti (a rare find) with pungent, zesty notes, and a deliciously tangy range of fruit sodas by, quite naturally, San Pellegrino.
This City Centre branch manages to keep things high-end and chic, whilst retaining authenticity in abundance. In short, the words ‘La Dolce Vita’ have never been truer. But, if you’re in search of one more reason to visit, the southern Italian restaurant is offering two courses for £20, all day, every day, until the end of March. Birthday guests can also enjoy the new menu on the house when dining with three or more
guests.
You can book your table at Riva Blu here or find out more on their website: Authentic Italian Restaurant & Bar in Leeds City Centre – Riva Blu
