We stopped by last night for a celebratory birthday dinner and had the BEST time! The service was phenomenal, the atmosphere was stunning, and our waiter was so knowledgeable about the menu and gave us some of the best recommendations for both drinks and food. Everything came out fresh and perfectly prepared. The drinks were fantastic, but the food was seriously top-tier! Since it was a birthday celebration, we ended the night by asking a random stranger if they could take a picture for us... only to find out they were actually the owner. They were so sweet and you could genuinely see how much pride and love they have for the restaurant they created. It was such a lovely experience from start to finish, and getting to meet the owner was just the perfect way to end the night. We absolutely loved our time here and I already can't wait to go back! read more

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I had such a great experience at Rio Izakaya! I went with a friend who was visiting from out of town, and it ended up being the perfect place to celebrate. Our waiter was incredible, he took the time to explain the menu, answered all of our questions, and even surprised us with some house-made sake to celebrate our special occasion. That thoughtful gesture really made the experience memorable. The sushi was incredibly fresh and absolutely delicious. We also ordered the lobster fried rice, and the lobster was cooked perfectly, tender, flavorful, and not overdone. Every dish we tried was excellent. Between the amazing service, fresh food, and welcoming atmosphere, I can't wait to come back again. Highly recommend! read more

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We came in with high expectations for the Omakase experience, and at nearly $100 per person for 13 courses, I think that's entirely reasonable. Unfortunately, Rio Yakitori left us feeling like we'd paid a premium price for a very repetitive meal -- though the evening wasn't without its bright spots. The space itself is genuinely beautiful. Upscale, modern design with plush partial furniture, cozy couches, and a stunning bar that sets the mood perfectly. The seats were comfortable and the overall atmosphere felt like exactly the kind of place you'd want to spend a special evening. The staff matched it -- warm, welcoming, and attentive from the moment we walked in. The opening was promising -- a solid miso soup followed by our first two yakitori sticks of chicken set a nice tone. The plating started strong too, with an elegant presentation that built some early excitement. But as the courses rolled on, even that became formulaic -- nearly every yakitori stick arrived the same way: five dots of sauce and a small mound of salt. What felt refined in the first course felt like a template by the fifth. To make matters worse, the chicken oyster appeared twice -- not in the same serving, but back to back across consecutive courses. In a 13-course Omakase at this price point, that's hard to overlook. As the courses continued, a larger pattern emerged: the vast majority of the menu was chicken. Dish after dish, the flavors started blending together, and what began as an experience quickly felt monotonous. The clear standout of the evening was the Hamachi collar -- genuinely excellent, and a reminder of what this kitchen is capable of. The pork belly with asparagus was a welcome sight after so much chicken, but the relief was short-lived. After the first bite, it was dry and flavorless -- a missed opportunity on a cut that should practically cook itself into something rich and satisfying. When I mentioned to our server that the Omakase felt very chicken-heavy, he acknowledged it openly -- admitting it's something they're actively working on. I appreciated the honesty, but I wished that conversation had happened before we ordered rather than after. A simple heads-up from the staff could have steered us toward the individual yakitori sticks, where we could have explored the Wagyu or dry-aged options we were actually curious about. We also ordered four pieces of dry-aged sushi at a fairly steep price, and it simply wasn't worth what we paid. The hoso maki with three types of fish sounded like a nice variety but landed flat -- plain and unmemorable. On the cocktail front, we tried a drink aptly named "It's Complicated" -- a Matcha Yuzu, plum wine, and citrus blend that, true to its name, didn't quite come together. On the pacing front, each dish came out roughly every ten minutes, which gave the meal a natural rhythm and allowed us to breathe between courses -- that part was actually nice. That said, two hours for 13 courses started to feel like a long stretch by the end, and a slightly tighter pace would have kept the energy up. All in, dinner for two ran just over $300. I have no problem spending that kind of money on a great meal -- we do it regularly -- but the value has to be there. Looking back at my photos, I'm fairly confident we were only served 12 of the promised 13 courses, which at this price point is hard to let slide. The ambiance is there. The staff is there. The food just needs to catch up. This time, it wasn't. read more

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Rio Izakaya is a newer restaurant located in the Westshore Marina District. The cocktail and food menu has a variety to choose from. The carrot ginger salad was my favorite as it was very fresh and flavorful. We also enjoyed the edamame, chicken skewers and spicy tuna roll. We will be back to try other menu items. They definitely need to install blinds as the sun was beaming into the restaurant and blinding half our table. read more

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we went here prior to a concert hoping for a great meal. I don't mind paying top dollar for a delicious meal but tonight I felt it was not worth it. We also decided to try this place since it is one of the only few izakayas in town and it has 4.9 stars! It was great in the beginning. Started off with aged fish - hamare and sea bass for appetizer. And an order of maki - Delicious! We decided to order the 13 course omakase. The description says different meats. The first few plates were good! Tender juicy chicken skewers, hamachi then it got boring and the same taste. Out of 13, one skewer was pork, then one hamachi and the rest were chicken. Although it came with different aromatics like mint on one and red onions on another, they all tasted the same, tasted like chicken teriyaki. Finally the dessert came - cloud cake which was delicious. The complicated drink needs to be taken off the drinks menu. It tasted awful. I thought it would be a beautiful concoction of matcha, yuzu, plum wine etc but nope. Service was good and the place looked fancy with nice stoneware, plating and furnitures. I have to say, It will take lots of convincing for me to come back. read more

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My friends and I had seen this new restaurant pop up on our social media feed so we knew we needed to try it. We stopped by for dinner on Friday and had an exceptional dining experience. Our server, Giovanni, was so sweet, attentive and knowledgeable. His passion for food and excellent service really shines. We ordered a ton of food! The yakitori was amazing - the chicken was cooked to perfection while still being juicy and flavorful. All of the aged fish and raw fish was so fresh and beautifully presented! The sushi rolls were generous and contained the perfect amount of rice. The ambiance was very high end, modern and luxurious. Overall, this restaurant is an excellent new addition to the Tampa area and will definitely be on our rotation to visit again! read more

Rio Izakaya - Caviar - Japanese Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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This is a great sushi restaurant with high quality ingredients. The miso was rich in flavor with mushrooms, seaweed, and tofu. The ginger salad was crisp and the dressing was great. The sushi was high quality, fresh and prepared well. The waitress did have a bit of a mishap at our table but handled it so gracefully and the GM came over to make sure everything was okay. Pro team ensuring a great experience! read more

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If I could give this place 6 stars I would. To start our server was extremely informative. From telling us where the all of the ingredients were from, and how they were made or grown. For example the rice from the Lobster fried rice was milled by the restaurant and the chicken from the yakitori was from an Amish Farm that only sells to Rio (how cool!) There was so much information, I would've paid just to hear about how they finely craft everything. All the food was absolutely delicious! From the Edamame to the miso soup, lobster fried rice, sushi rolls and THE CHEESECAKE!!! Omg! It's not your typical cheesecake, semi sweet and more of a cake than cream cheese. Fantastic, I need 1,000 of them. The ambience was perfect, plush seating, beautiful decor. Rio Izakaya is definitely more than just a restaurant it's an experience. read more

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I went there a few weeks ago and cannot stop thinking about the experience. Gio really did us right. The specialty drinks were perfection and the food was above imagination. The lobster fried rice was my favorite! Cannot wait to go back soon! read more

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This place is super cute! It's in the westshore district of tampa near the bay. The fish was very Fresh! I loved all the flavors it's def a must for date night or a girls night read more

Rio Izakaya - Japanese Near Me - Tampa, Florida

One of the best Restaurants in South Tampa, was there during World Cup, vibe was amazing, food was very good. I highly recommend to whoever loves good food and service. read more

I've been to Rio Izakaya a few times now and have always had a good experience. The food is consistently fresh, well-prepared, and thoughtfully presented. Gio was our server and did a great job throughout the meal. He was friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu, offering helpful recommendations without being pushy. Service was prompt, and he made the experience enjoyable. read more

Exceptional food. I would've liked to see a slightly more diverse amount of sake options, but the tasty meat more than made up for it. Went on a whim. Parking was a bit of a struggle. But this would be a great place for a date night. read more

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What a unique and great establishment, we enjoyed Sunday dinner at the bar, Nancy and Will were friendly and very knowledgeable. Starting with dumplings, and the ginger salad, so unique and. Delicious. We then shared a few rolls, I never had sushi with such fresh fish, the tuna melted in your mouth. Looking forward to making this a regular spot. read more

Great food and ambiance. Sushi top notch! Zain C was awesome. Explained everything we needed to know with each bite. read more

Rio Izakaya - Chicken oyster. - Japanese Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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This place is unreal, definitely something Tampa needed. Approachable high quality nigiri and authentic yakitori. Other dishes looked great too. There's a decent amount of good sushi/nigiri in town but a lot of it is high end (expensive) omakase stuff. This doesn't break the bank but still brings the quality and rarer pieces. On top of it they have rotating dry aged nigiri too which is unheard of in Tampa. A few places have skewers in town but not real full authentic yakitori. If you don't know, yakitori is specifically chicken skewers. They have a beef skewer and some pork skewers which I have yet to try but the yakitori is king. The night I went, there were 14 DIFFERENT chicken skewers. They had the wing, tender etc but they also have heart, liver, shoulder, diaphragm, and cartilage. Some of these items there are only one of per chicken! Incredible stuff. I went the second night they were open and service was flawless. I was expecting at least a couple hiccups but there were NONE! Excited to go back again... and again and again read more

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Curated our own blue fin flight along with some specialty nigiri. The sushi chef was kind enough to add a piece of snapper. The uni was my fav, chu-toro was next best, and then otoro was my third fav. My friend's favorite was the chu-toro. Giovanni was a great server. They gave us the dessert on the house for my friend's special birthday. Such a nice gesture and truly enjoyed the ambiance and the vibe. They even have dassai which I didn't get a chance to drink. Looking forward to coming back to have dassai and the yakitori. read more

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This is a YES! Love a new neighborhood spot. Service was excellent. Food was fantastic. Can't wait to come back and try new things on the menu. read more

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We came here 3 weeks after it opened to try everything out, the restaurant is gorgeous, the waitstaff was friendly and accommodating and the food was authentic and tasted fabulous! The overall vibe was chic and perfect for date night! read more

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Omg !!! There is no words but amazing !! Zane did an amazing job and I can tell he's so passionate about the food and I love that!! I got the lemon cake drink and it was absolutely amazing and the food !! TO DIE FOR !! So delicious!! When you visit ask for Zane he will tell you everything about the food read more

We had a great meal here. Not inexpensive . . but it delivered on all cylinders (Service, Ambiance, Food Quality). I look forward too returning there on my next swing through Tampa. read more

This was wonderful! Staff was knowledgeable and great. Food was incredible, flavors well balanced, we will be back

I visited here with a few friends and had a wonderful experience. Our beautiful server Nancy was really friendly, attentive, and informative! Chef Kon is a talented and handsome chef. He really knew what he was doing with the menu. All the fish, appetizers, and drinks Nancy recommended were top notch. I can't wait to come back here with my family! I wish I can bring my cat!! She would've gave a 5/5 star rating for the fish too. read more

Gio is an amazing server! So attentive and friendly. Love the service and and this spot

Excellent quality food and beautifully presented dishes. Every ingredient tasted fresh and thoughtfully prepared. I loved the dry-aged nigiri, Wagyu Trinity and Miso Soup (totally homemade). read more

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The food is really good here! Our favorites were the Chef's Yakitori platter, the salmon tartine, and chef's nigiri selection. Service was very good. The only thing is parking is limited. It shares a lot with other restaurants and the parking spaces are really tiny. I would definitely recommend this restaurant! read more

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Service was excellent! That was the best part of the experience. The menu, needs to be consolidated, it's annoying shuffling thru 6 loose pages and only having one of each so everyone has to take turns looking at everything. The food- the miso soup, salmon nigiri and bluefin tuna cigar were good. The bok choy dumplings were not good and the snow crab California roll was a miss as well. One piece had shell in it. The drinks- really wish the cocktail menu was longer and more varied. The ambiance was the biggest miss for me. The seating is really close and it's just one big open dining room, so the room should have dimmer lighting and the music should be a little louder. The chairs are also really uncomfortable with the curved backs. They don't leave anywhere to rest your arms comfortably. read more

Zane did a great job !!! food was amazing !!! drinks were fantasti!! 10/10 asking for Zane when you come in so you can know exactly what to eat and drink!!! read more

Loved the edamame app, Otoro Nigiri, halibut entree, short rib entree, and the panna cotta dessert. The cocktails and service were wonderful as well. The halibut was the star of the show though- the best I've ever had- WOW read more

Rio Izakaya - Coconut milk panna cotta with red bean dessert - Japanese Near Me - Tampa, Florida

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Had such a great experience at Rio Izakaya thanks to Nancy! She was incredibly attentive, friendly, and made the entire dining experience feel welcoming from start to finish. She gave great recommendations, checked in at the perfect times, and had such a positive attitude throughout the night. The food and atmosphere were already amazing, but Nancy's service really made the night memorable. I'll absolutely be coming back! read more

Amazing food, uncompromising ingredients and excellent service! Beautiful surroundings

The food drinks and the atmosphere was great i highly recommend this place and definitely will come back

Best new restaurant in tampa or st pete hands down, even on the soft opening. Every dish was excellent, interesting, memorable, great service, easy parking, highly recommended. read more

Outstanding! Our server, Emily was the best. Food, atmosphere and management was the BEST!

Really amazing food experience. The food was outstanding, as was the service. I lived in Japan for several years and ate at some of the most acclaimed restaurants. This experience was equally memorable and exceptional! read more