Vivace Cuisine

I’d have to write a book to describe how amazing the food is. Literally it’s in my top 5 places I have ever gone. The staff there welcomed us like family. The place design is amazing very comfortable to sit and enjoy the amazing food. I recommend this to every single person in America

Surprises come in small places. I wondered in based on a 5 star rating while driving from Cincinnati to Detroit on a snowy cold night.
From the first look it was obvious they care. Looks, presentation, oh, the food.
This place would make it in Manhattan. That’s a BOLD statement.
From the goat cheese and olive appetizer to the pan seared tilapia –OMG.
This foodie of the road doesn’t give 5 stars to any good food spot. This place deserves every star they’ve ever received.
My compliments to the chef and the waitstaff.

I can’t speak much of the food — what I went in to have on a Friday night they were out of. They had ordered enough for 5 meals. What I can tell you…
— the bar stools don’t work for the bar — way too short (or the bar is WAY too high)
— the wine list (by the glass) is lean — but they have a $ 3,000 bottle you can buy if interested clearly priorities are well placed
— they close at 9:30 on a Friday night
— I had to hunt down my check after having some babaganoush as I had to eat something… was starving — was good
Adorable space but more fruit flies than people.

Wonderful. On our way thru Ohio we stopped. I got the Mediterranean pasta and my husband has the filet. Both were absolutely awesome. The chipotle sauce on the filet was fantastic. The grilled asparagus was devine as was the grilled pineapple which accompanied it. You must save room for the chocolate dessert. Highly recommend this place.

The food is very tasteful and the atmosphere was that of a larger town.

Stopped here for drinks and apps one night with our 1 year old. Not an ideal place for an infant but the place was empty and our daughter can be quite the charmer when she wants to. We ordered the stuffed mushrooms and goat cheese apps. The warm goat cheese with olive oil and balsamic and pita bread was delicious! Our daughter loved it and wouldn’t eat the rest of her baby food. We loved the tempura fried mushroom the best. I would probably just get that as a main course next time. The décor is very nice and the hostess was friendly, courteous and attentive. Definitely the nicest restaurant in Lima. Great spot for a date.

Gorgeous, elegant cuisine… impressive wine list, swank but smart interior. Loved it.

The finest Mediterranean Restaurant you will ever experience. Just excellent. I will be back.

I met a friend for lunch here. Our server was very friendly and attentive, even filling our water and tea glasses long after we had finished our meal and paid the bill. I ordered the falafel sandwich. The food was delicious, and tasted true to the Mediterranean region. The restaurant has a modern, minimalist design inside and is very clean. This place is definitely worth checking out if you are looking for something different in Lima or if you want to try good Mediterranean cuisine at a low price point.

Absolutely fantastic food and ambience! I had a gyro platter and my mom had the spinach salad with chicken. I will definitely be going back next time I’m in Lima visiting.

There is a reason that this restaurant has 5 stars. the gyro platter in chicken or lamb is the best I’ve ever had and coming from Detroit where there is even a town for Greek food that’s saying something.

Great Mediterranean fusion. My second meal there. The marianted plank salmon was delicious. Mango wine dressing on salad perfectly balanced. Last but not least the grape leaves were the best I’ve ever had and I’ve had more than a few. The hint of mint just right. My server, Jason was impeccable. Great experience
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Food and atmosphere is amazing. Everything that I had there tasted great… Great place.

Let’s be clear. This is probably as good as it gets in Lima, Ohio. This is NOT a 5 star restaurant. I am routinely in Lima for work, and have tried several of the restaurants in the area, and this one has been the best I’ve had in town. When in Lima, you’re limited by the quality of food you get at GFS — I’ve seen their trucks all over by restaurants, and I suspect this is no different. Not a knock or reason not to go, but be aware and change expectations accordingly.
Went with a colleague after work this week — was one medium sized party (8 or so), a single diner, and us 2. By the time drinks/​appetizers came out, we were the only ones in the restaurant. A bit awkward, because it felt like a date-​night place even before it was empty… but whatever.
A general note — every plate was finished with a «V» of what looked like balsamic reduction. If anyone from the restaurant is reading this, please, please stop this. They must prep their plates with this and hold them for service, or hold their food under a heat lamp after it’s been finished. Of course, I’m guessing on this, but my dinner plate came out and the vinegar (or whatever it was) was caked on the plate — it wouldn’t even scratch off with a fork. One of the single biggest reasons why this place is clearly NOT «5 star» quality. It’s at best tacky, at worst gross and/​or lazy.
Appetizer:
We shared hummus & pita. Was a pleasant surprise, but definitely not the best I’ve had (see, Aladdin’s in Cleveland). I like mine with strong tahini flavor, so that was great, and they use quality olive oil, so it’s not bad. It was slightly grainy, and the pita was forgettable. But flavor was there. Not a bad start.
I then had beef crostini — it was good, but you can’t mess up beef tenderloin. The beef was chopped, not sliced, so you didn’t get a sense for the kitchen’s ability there. Quickly seared, mixed with blue cheese and some aioli/​flavored mayonnaise. Can’t complain, but can’t judge a kitchen on that. Heavy on the mayo and cheese, and the beef was probably tenderloin or part of the chain. Good flavor and well seasoned,
Entrée:
I got lamb kebab. Lamb was clearly the star, and was done well — good seasoning, right on temperature, and tender. That alone makes this restaurant worth going to in Lima. Rest of the dish was jasmine rice, roasted tomato, red pepper and onion, and a fried potato. Meh. The rice was standard, cooked with turmeric (probably, bc of its color) and cinnamon. Not bad, but I’ve had way better from cheaper options. Same goes for roasted veg. Not bad, but really nothing out of the ordinary.
Got a bottle of red wine (bordeux/​merlot blend) for $ 30. I’m not going to comment because I’m usually not a wine drinker — they had no beer list (or cocktails? Can’t remember). Total before tip was just under $ 100 for two people (wine, 3 apps, 2 entrees) — so not bad, considering what we ordered. Service was fine — friendly and relatively fast, but we were literally the only ones in the restaurant that night.
Overall — If you’re in Lima, go here in full confidence of an above-​average meal. Downtown, your only other viable option is The Met, but that’s a story for another review. This place is the best you’ll get.

What a surprise for Lima! I’ve read the reviews and thought dinner would be good at best but it turned out to be amazing!
This is a perfect quaint date night spot! We went as a group of four and had a delicious meal with a knowledagable waiter (Who happens to be new to the area– he moved here from OKC).
If you haven’t been here and your looking for something different, delicious and delightful this is the spot for you!

I just went for the desserts and kill some time.
I tried three desserts and wish I could have sampled a few more.
They all were delicious.
The staff were very friendly and while I was there in the afternoon it wasn’t to busy.
I hope I get the chance to return to this place.

I have been to Vivace probably half a dozen times as Vivace, and half a dozen times as Lazeza. Not once have I ever come close to being disappointed. The menu is varied enough for most anyone, the atmosphere is truly beautiful for Lima, and the food is astounding.
Most recently I came here with a friend, and got my usual Meza platter for the appetizer. I can’t decide which of the 4 things on the platter is my favorite, but I’d have to lean towards the grape leaves or the baba ganoush. The baba ganoush in particular has a rich, smoky flavor that has tons of depth. I could devour this stuff all day long.
For our entrees, I got a Mediterranean fettuccine with delicious sun-​dried tomatoes, spinach, feta cheese, and beautifully cooked noodles. My friend got the lamb gyro platter, and she couldn’t get over how perfectly the lamb was cooked.
The service was absolutely perfect, I was never left wanting. She was warm, genuine, and helpful. Closing the meal with delicious chocolate truffles was really the perfect exclamation mark to a world-​class dining experience.
KK, you’re the best! Don’t ever stop making delicious, amazing food, and I promise to keep coming. :)

Hands down… the best Greek food we have ever had. And we all thought our hometown Greek restaurants would be tough to beat… wow were we surprised. They can’t hold a candle to what a young Palestinian chef who ‘s grandfather taught him the ropes can do. You’ll find touches of Greek, Middle Eastern, French cooking sprinkled around the menu. Came here with two co workers and had the Tilapia, Chicken Kabobs and the Lamb Gyro platter. All were absolutely outstanding. Out first was the Meza plate appetizer… with some of the most delicious pita bread you can get yours hands on… soft warm and to die for with hummus, falafel, kalamatas & goat cheese and dolmades… delicious. Next was a Greek salad plate with the Mango Chardonnay dressing… the dressing alone just made the salad. From appetizer to desserts everything was just flawless. The combination of spices on everything was amazing… from the touches of cinnamon in the rice and chicken kabobs to the touch of mint in the dolmades
Who would have thought to find a gem like this in little Lima Ohio… but you are incredibly lucky. We are here for 8 days on business and we all decided that we are definitely coming back again before we leave.
Update Visit #2:
We’re on a roll… we all came back for more and just as amazing the 2^nd time. Jason is such a personable waiter. We all enjoyed the mini wine tasting, the Star Trek/​X Men /​Star Wars conversation… just had an all around great time. Had the Tilapia, Crab cake appetizer, another Meza platter (and that smoky tasting Baba Ganoush is just to die for… I could have licked that little compartment clean. I took pics of all our entrees and posted. Stay tuned as I feel update #3 coming on… we are working our way through the menu

Hidden gem in Lima! We flew in from Arizona and are staying in St Mary’s and drove the 25min based on all the great reviews Vivace received. Great service, romantic ambiance and really enjoyed the music. and the food of course was fantastic!

(Diners from New York visiting locally) As a New York city foodie, I was a bit skeptical when I stumbled in this 5-​star rated restaurant in the heart of downtown Lima. Within this 1200 rsf rhythmically decorated eatery, I tasted one of the best lamb gyro: YES, you read correct. The BEST LAMB GYRO my tongue has ever wrapped itself around. in LIMA of all places. (and I have tasted many gyros in my travels, from the local street vendor to fine dining restaurant in New York to Europe. Am I still in Lima?.. or in Chelsea?
After mentally recovering from my culinary shock, we ordered the sample platter, where, yet again, I tasted something so delicious, there was no way it came out of that kitchen: but it did. Behold, the house made dolmades. How do I know it was housemade? every bite I tasted the ingredients. The tartness of the lemon zest, the chicken stocked soaked rice, the parsley. the grape leaves absorbed every tantalizing profile of its content. It was simply intoxicating. even borderline erotic. (I did tell our waiter, Jason, that it was the worst tasting item I have ever had that he needed to give me the recipe, he laughed in response. *sigh* curse you, Jason!) Quietly, we ate the baba ganoush, the humble hummus bursting with flavors. and waited for our next plate.
Then the house salad came. Now, what is so special about the house salad? Nothing. Simple ingredients except for the lustful salad dressing! Which chef concocted this sinful dressing that awakened every 10,001 taste buds? I had to find out. Again, our waiter, gracefully bowed, told a story about Vegas, and abracadabra himself into the kitchen. (bloody hell. There is no way am I getting any of these recipes, I am? I am convinced that there is a witch doctor in the kitchen disguised as a cook)
The final dishes that we ordered: the fresh cajun style salmon cooked in cedar plank. Served with fresh grilled pineapple, perfectly cooked asparagus spears, and couscous. The presentation was sexy, visually appealing, and the taste? Ecstasy.