Riverside

Best Wood fired thin crust Pizza in LA. Outside of Rome Italy, they do a really good job. Service was very good and friendly. Decent prices, and best patio area. We’ll definitely be back. I didn’t give 5 stars because the bar tender took a little too much time to get our drink order. But, she was quite friendly once she got going. I highly recommend this place.

Beautiful garden outside. A little medieval times on the inside (in a good way). Low lighting. Great for a date or a small group. We were greeted warmly as soon as we arrived by Johnny. He continued to surpass standard service the whole night. He’s fantastic.
We ordered the fried chicken and waffles sliders as well as the lobster pizza to split between the two of us. SO. HAPPY. The ingredients were obviously fresh. Cool note: we were looking through the glass at the kitchen and the chef gave us a thumbs up which we gladly returned because it was amazing. Two thumbs up. So good.
Discovered their patio area is dog friendly which is a major plus for me as a dog owner. We would be back again regardless but that sure did solidify it. The patio is gorgeous and, for being on a busy street, surprisingly quiet and intimate feeling.
Only two dessert options so if you are big on the sweet stuff, potentially plan to go elsewhere. I’m more of a savory girl myself so I was completely satisfied to that end. We didn’t try them but we might next time.
Only downside — for some reason it smelled like cigarette smoke inside even though the doors and windows weren’t open. And even if they were, there was no one outside smoking! The smell eventually went away (or we got used to it).

3.5 stars.
Came here on NYE and found they had a minimal menu although it didn’t state that on their website. Kinda disappointed with that BUT my pizza was pretty good. The crust was crisp and thin which isn’t my go to for pizza but here it was super well done. The BF got a mushroom pizza but the balsamic on top was way too heavy and totally took over as the only flavor. I ended up having him some of my pizza so he wasn’t so sad and ate some of his instead. It was a bit better the next day but still not great. The salad we shared was large but overpriced for what it was.
The bread waffle dessert thing was fantastic.
Our service was for sure 5 stars as Johnny was superb.

This is a unique place. Amazing patio. Good for kids. Bring your dog. Wood fired pizza and full bar. Thank you.

I feel horrible it took me a month to write this review. I spend two weekends in a row here. We did our Girls Annual Holiday dinner, where they accommodated 20 of us… and couldnt have been nicer. The food was great, the service was outstanding. and the drinks. well lets just say if I wasn’t married I would marry the bartenders. The next weekend I went for a work party and there were like a zillion people there and the service was still amazing. What a great place. Thank you for making my holidays the best this year! We’ll be back soon!!!

Absolutely phenomenal. Dragged the parentals to this gem I found on Unilocal just to try their famous pizza. Everything else on the menu didn’t look as appetizing.
Ordered a half mushroom/​half duck and fig pizza (replaced the duck with chicken breast being hesitant). The toppings were simple yet all went extremely well together! It was all dusted with parmesan and glazed with the most delicious balsamic reduction. «Crust» was insanely thin (almost like a cracker). Would have liked a slightly thicker crust, but it was still a great concept when combined with the cheese/​toppings. For how much it’s priced, very worth it!
The ambience was lovely on the patio, however it was quite dark and our table was too small for three people! We had to put an extra table next to us just for the food! The inside is quite small and not the best environment to have a quiet dinner with a bar in the back.
Overall 4 star for the layout, 4 stars for service, 3 stars for the other foods we tried, and 5 for pizzaaaa

It’s all about the beautiful patio and the amazing pizza. Less about the small menu of featured items, which I thought was kinda blah and too small. But the patio is something to take notice. Charming, nicely decorated, a small bar, with lots of variety in the seating. The feel, like an upscale bar.
The menu has 8 apps + 8 various entrée items + 8 pizzas
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1. Gravy Fries — a handsome serving with 3 dipping sauces brown gravy, cheese sauce, and ketchup… and the cheese sauce was out of this world ($ 8, 4.5 stars)
2. Szechuan Hot Wings — 6 wings, a little pricy to begin with. More sweet and sticky than hot, but it’s the off-​taste of the chicken that was the most turn-​off ($ 9, 2.5 stars).
3. Pulled Pork Sliders — 3 sliders with haphazardly placed salad in the middle, the presentation should be improved. Great little buns, but I didn’t like the pork at all — gamey. Sent back. ($ 16, 1.5 stars)
4. Chicken Marsala — Now we’re talking. Perfectly cooked chicken, very tender chicken breast totally delish. A little too creamy for a marsala and more fettucine, but totally kickass ($ 18, 4.5 stars).
5. Fig & Chicken (~instead of duck) pizza — hold the door, they know what they’re doing. Incredible crust, thinish, with perfect covered toppings ($ 21, 5.0 stars).
Conclusion
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Laid back service by both host, server (Lance), and busser — all very good and very nice. Come for the pizzas and draft beer, stay for the patio with appropriate heat lamps and the vibe.

Love this place!!! Johnny is such a great guy! Very attentive and the food was great and out so quickly! The drinks are also amazing! Make sure to stop by!

The perfect place for a casual night out. Living in Toluca Lake for the past 10 years I gotta say these guys got it right. Its always so welcoming and feels more like visiting a friends home rather than going to a restaurant/​bar. No need to call your friends, if they live in the neighborhood chances are you’ll run into them. If not, very easy to talk to others and make new ones. As the holidays approach it’s a great setting to bring friends or just get out on a chilly night as opposed to staying home.

This is a great place to watch Sunday football. Great iced tea! Wonderful beer selection and delicious food. The patio is so pretty on a sunny morning. The chairs are cushy and big and surround high tables. This would be a great place to throw a party. I like the friendly guys who run the place too. I will definitely be back. The only thing I didn’t like is that they don’t have celery for the wings. Other than that my man and I had a great time watching our team.

Sunday brunch was delish!!! What a gem of a place. Food is fantastic, vibe was wonderful and the greeting by the owners made me feel beyond welcomed as if I was welcomed into their home. I’ll be back for sure.

I want to give Riverside four stars for environment and three solid good stars for food. The service was super friendly and we will definitely come back to this restaurant because it’s a great vibe. We shared the dumplings that were deep-​fried so therefore not my favorite… I prefer panfried dumplings. The dinner partners seem to like them just fine. We also shared the duck and fig pizza. We all really enjoyed it but it’s more like a cross between pizza and flatbread. I’ve had better pizza but I’ve had far worse as well. I wish there was a little bit more duck on the duck pizza. We found ourselves picking at it trying to find pieces of yummy duck.
We went a little crazy and ordered the waffle bread pudding that was huge and enough for three people to devour. The bread pudding was served with a decadent caramel sauce and a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream everyone was very pleased. I highly recommend ordering this for a table to try. This is not even a sharing portion for two people. Riverside has a cozy neighborhood feel that has a nice patio with trees and twinkle lights. I recommended for a casual night… It was also not overpriced which made the meal much more palatable.

My stars are for how pretty it is on the patio. I felt very comfortable.
Only problem was the toppings on the Margaretta pizza were not good quality.

I had been to the Red Door several times but had not been to Riverside which sits immediately in front of it. We stopped in the other night for a quick app and drink while we waited for our reservation to come up at Sushi Yuzu. We ordered up a couple of drinks and for the app had the legs which are along the lines chicken wings. Super amazing is all I can say. They were cooked perfectly with a bit of crispiness to the skin and were seasoned to perfection. The are served in a large bowl with a side of ranch. I literally could have eaten 3 – 4 servings of these things. I can not wait to get back and try some of the other menu items.

Wow! Went here for a birthday dinner and it was absolutely amazing. The food, the atmosphere, the service and the drinks were all spot on! We were a group of 8 girls and Johnny really took care of us. Since we had reservations, upon arrival they already had a free pizza awaiting knowing we were there for a birthday. Their menu is pretty awesome. I mean where else in Toluca Lake can you get fancy chicken and waffle sliders?! Must try!

Great pizza, good beer, amazing décor and friendly service.
I ate solo and they were (apologetically) out of my first choice, but I ended up with a delicious mushroom pizza. My waiter was very friendly and I sat outside in the front outdoor section
My only comment would be that the service was patchy. I didn’t mind a long wait between check ins, but I saw some tables that struggled with the wait.
There is nothing that won’t stop me coming back. I highly recommend a visit for great food and awesome atmosphere!

First let me state up front. I know both proprietors of this establishment. I don’t want people to feel I am fluffing a friends place. I am a hard hitter. I tell the truth. So let me begin with my 100% honest appraisal.
I knew both men individually and both had a lofty dream of creating a really cool and relaxing place where you could have a drink and enjoy a meal… that was comfortable.
Mike AKA «Doc» has an artistic soul and is a detail freak. Biz partner and buddy also Mike. is too, a detail freak. They had first opened a cute and local bar in the back known as the Red Door. This «secret» place became a local favorite. Eventually, the M&M team took over the other side of the entire business. THE FRONT side of The Red Door. It was an expansive place… tons of room with a restaurant attached. It had floundered before they took it over. Seeing how they made The Red Door so cool and enjoyable… they ventured LARGE. They completely went through the place with a fine tooth comb and made it special.
They have a covered front patio that is so big… HUGE parties can be hosted It’s a site to see. AND… it’s so beautiful too. They have 3 bars in this place… that should tell you how big it is. They have TV’s throughout the patio area… and they serve food.
Mike1 AKA Doc… had said to me… We make the best pizza in LA, and that it took him several months to figure out the dough he would use. I told him… THAT is a very tall statement… Him being who he is… wanted to prove to me that he wasn’t boasting. He went into the kitchen and in 12 minutes produced the single best pizza I had had in LA.
Now. I am a pizza connoisseur, read some of my reviews. I have eaten pizza in the best places… From Rome. to Venice and Capri Italy… to NYC… etc. This pizza was not a thick Chicago style (which I also LOVE) It was Roman. It was thin. crispy crust and the cheeses and sauce did not clash. It had Parmesan cheese sprinkled on it… with basil leaves. It was Margarita style. Just cheese and sauce.
I was NOT stuffed after eating it. I was not oiled out! I felt like I had a real meal. prepared with skill. Not a pizza that is commercially made. of which I have talked about as well in the past. So… I gave that pizza FULL respect and told the maker. A+
That kind of attention happens only when attention to detail is taken into account.
Give this place a try! You will enjoy The Red Door… you will enjoy the food to the extreme at RIVERSIDE. AND, you will relax and have room to have all of your friends together in that front patio. AWESOME.
Both Mikes have put so much love into this place you have to try Riverside!

I really really like this place. Great vibe. Super nice staff. I had the salmon which came with rice and asparagus. I’m not a dairy eater, and it had a creamy sauce all over it. Had I known that, I would’ve ordered something else, or ordered it plain. It was cooked nicely though, and so were the asparagus.
My boyfriend had the steak and potatoe pizza. He said he really liked it, but he wished there was more steak. We would really come back just for our server, Johnny. What a nice man! Soo accommodating and sweet. He gave great customer service, and looked out for us the entire time, when it was so clear that he was busy. We will totally return.

Had my son’s bday at Riverside and Michael and his staff exceeded my expectations. Everything was great and my guests praised me and I took the credit. In fact, they are expert party organizers. The setting was already perfect; it was 72° and the Riverside patio is beautiful and cozy, ideal for mingling.
Then Doc (the chef) began his parade of food. I highly recommend the mac&cheese, the truffle potatoes, lamb chops, potstickers, and ofcourse the great variety of gourmet pizzas. Well spent 4 hours building momories, and we’ll certainly be back for more. If you’re looking for a place to get family and friends together, or just to spend an evening nursing a drink, look no further than here.

The Doc is a great host. His servers equally so.
The food is pretty solid too. Loved the Sirloin steak special. I’m told the pizza is excellent and the secret menu item of «Fried Chicken Waffle Burgers» were incredible.
The seating, the space and the whole place is great.
The only negatives were that the prices seemed a bit too high and the wines aren’t the best. They’re also left out and not put in a fridge, so the ones they have don’t taste their best. The Scotch… can’t remember if they have Macallans. If they don’t have Macallans, I hope they start to stock it.
If you’re not a wine snob, you’ll be fine. :)