Viva La Vita

They are closing permanently as of December 16^th.
My family and I went yesterday (¹²⁄₁₄) around 12:30pm. The restaurant was closed. I had checked their Unilocal page and website before going and there was no indication that this restaurant was going out of business. We saw their back door was opened when we were circling around the parking lot. When we walked up to the restaurant, there was a notice on their front door that said they will be closing permanently as of December 16

We had a great meal here tonight. I had the pasta primavera and my boyfriend had the fusilli with tiger prawns; both were fantastic. The beef carpaccio, wine, and fresh bread were also great. Really enjoyed this place.

Enjoyed a great dinner here on Sunday evening. The carpaccio was good, though a bit over dressed. The special arugula salad with poached pears was very good, though the arugula didn’t seem to have that signature peppery bite to it that I love so much. The mushroom ravioli-​like dish (can’t remember the name) was phenomenal with a lovely rich cream sauce. Extra points for making us an affogato even though it’s not on their dessert menu. Looking forward to coming back to try their other housemade pastas.

linguini was good, but i don’t like their Cannelloni (there is some taste in it that is strange).

I understand all the 5 stars. I used to love going to this restaurant. It was quaint and had quite delicious food. They do well for a «normal» dining party (which I understand are most goers). This single star review is for our company holiday party held here this past Christmas.
From the second I arrived, it showed their disorganization. I walked in with cases of wine in hand and asked where they should go. She had no idea. The rest of the evening was filled with incredibly slow delivery and forgotten orders.
They decided to seat us in the main room, while their standard guests were shuffled to the room next door. They did not hire any additional staff for our party of 50 and had servers running in and out of our room from the front door to serve the room next door. Mind you, this is winter weather, so the cold wind is periodically being blown in.
Our company decided to bring our own wine. I was initially disappointed when they put the bottles on the tables (to pour ourselves) and weren’t going to serve our guests. In the end, I am glad. since they were so understaffed, all of our wine glasses would have likely been empty for the duration of our event.
And the last and worst part. We all know that there is corkage fee involved. Come to the end of the night. presents are being opened and dessert had been eaten. The evening is obviously winding down. The staff decided to pop open multiple bottles. At the end of this, after consolidation of the wine, we had 7 full bottles remaining.
Dear owner, I hope the extra $ 90 you pocketed was worth this post so you could take your kids to Raging Waters or wherever. Please DO NOT hold your corporate event here.

Didn’t think this restaurant could get better since I already gave it a 5-​star review but they out did themselves last night. Haven’t eaten out much for months but decided to celebrate my birthday at my favorite Italian restaurant. The meal was, as always, outstanding. .. my compliments to the chef. What followed was simply spectacular. Just check out the pic i posted.
Thank you, Memhet, for making my celebration extra special!

Main complaint: too expensive. Food was decent. More details below
The ambiance is quite romantic! I came here on a Friday night with a bunch of friends for a birthday (we’re all in our twenties), and we felt a little out of place. The candles, Andrea Bocelli/​opera music was very romantic, and it felt like were all on a group date. The food is decent, not too heavy (which is good for an Italian place), but like i said — overpriced!
I got a grilled chicken salad for $ 13.50, which had baby spinach with a light citrusy olive oil dressing. The only problem was that the chicken was so burnt that it didn’t taste like chicken anymore!
My friends all got pastas (like the bolognese or penne) and said they didn’t feel full after their meal, which they paid around $ 16-​$ 18 for.
Overall, the service was great. Since I was with a bunch of young twenty-​something-​year-​olds, one of the waiters showed us a couple of really cool tricks, one with a straw and one with a cloth napkin, which was very entertaining. Also the servers were very nice to always check up on us and ask if we wanted more bread (which came with delicious olive oil/​sundried tomato/​olive dipping sauce!).

Excellent food & service! The staff is always friendly and treats their guests as family. The food is delicious from appetizers, lunch and dinner, to dessert! Our favorite place to go in San Carlos!

From the outside looking in, I won’t envy any of the more than 10 Italian restaurants in San Carlos. The economy still sucks, many decent eateries have gone belly up. Whatever still survive are competing for the fewer and fewer customers.
Piacere is no longer Italian, Positano has limited menu to attract me to return, my dearest does not like Spasso. Seeking help from Unilocal,I found out that 888, Delizie and La Tosca all suffered from deteriorating ratings for the recent several months.
Luckily there is Viva La Vita. The Unilocal rating is still consistently high. The décor is classic and inviting. White table cloth covered with white paper (hey, laundry is not cheap anymore). The dinner menu is plentiful for even picky diners like us.
Starter: Clams and mussels ($ 11) are cooked just right, served in an amazingly tasty tomato sauce (smooth «creamy» tomato base, small cubes of real tomatoes, green herbs).
My entrée: Night special, grilled mahi mahi ($ 26), topped with plenty of sauteed sun-​dried tomatoes and bathed in citrus sauce. The fish meat is very tender and flavorful. The side potatoes are roasted to crispy brown and doused with reduction balsamic sauce. Not to my liking, the broccoli is blanched and served naked. I rather like to repeat the reduction sauce here too.
Her entrée: Penne with smoked duck ($ 16) in a brownish, smoke-​flavored cream sauce. There are diced tender asparagus and roasted pine nuts also, which are nice touches that I do not find very often in a pasta dish anymore.
Dessert: Tiramisu ($ 8), quite traditional which I like, but the extra topping of a very sweet sauce of dark chocolate and caramel really kills the subtle and complex flavors of the cake itself.
Thanks to Lauren the waitress who said she had worked at Starbuck before, the cappuccino ($ 3) is phenomenal — thick tall froth and strong enough expresso for our taste!
Being Saturday night (but with football and Giants World Series going on), I saw 2 other parties inside and 2 parties outdoor from 7– 8:30. Well, it is a tough business, but mio caro amico, hang in there and prove you are the survivor of the fittest!

Had a fabulous meal here with A and M.
The choices were perfect: polenta gorgonzola mushroom saucy appetizer. Sure, ok.
M had the seafood risotto which was delicious but the eternal bowl of food. No matter how hard he tried, it was always mostly full. Risotto will do that you do you though.
I had the chicken picatta and it was devine. You know when you make the selection but you’re worried about it until you get to taste it? That was me. From the first bite on I kept repeating this mantra, «I made the best choice» and «Yay me!»
A had a fusili marinara dish that looked fantastic too. We were all in our food heavens that we didn’t want to share the experience. It was a night of fresh food, greedy company, selfish bragging and we were all okay with it.
Good to see Mahmeht as our waiter — provides spectacular service.

I love this place! My friends and I have been celebrating special occasions at Viva La Vita for years. The service is topnotch and the food is very, very good. What I have always loved most about this place is they are great about accommodating larger groups while the quality of service and food does not suffer. I understand they just expanded and now have a private room for parties.
As much as my friends and I love this place I’ve never written a review so I figure it’s about time. The level of service at Viva La Vita is always impeccable and the owner is always there to make sure everyone is happy. On our last couple of visits we were served by a young, blond girl, Lauren. She was able to answer all of our questions and made some excellent recommendations. We love her so now we always ask for her.
During my last visit we ordered the grilled polenta with mushrooms and gorgonzola which was to die for! The fried calamari seems to be a staple at most Italian places but here it always comes out perfectly. For an entrée my friend ordered the duck penne which our server recommended. She was extremely happy with it and I absolutely loved the grilled salmon. Everything always tastes amazingly fresh and is cooked perfectly. I have never been disappointed here and portions are big enough for leftovers.
I highly recommend Viva La Vita for lunch, a weeknight dinner or a special occasion with a large group, you can’t go wrong.

I thought I had wrote a review for this place already. I forgot the receipt in my wallet and I wanted to make sure. Well it looks like I never wrote one.
This place deserved my review. It would be unfitting for a Unilocal Elite not to.
Went here on a whim while being around the area. Places were just opening for dinner, and we wanted to try something new.
We were the first patrons here. I ordered the Veal Piccata, my GF ordered the Linguine Tutto Mare. We started with the Calamari Fritti.
Complimentary bread is provided and a house olive oil base dip. The bread from what I recall was good especially with the dip.
The calamari was fresh and satisfying. It was among the bests I’ve had.
My dish was delicious. Everything was cooked perfectly. I tasted all the flavors. My GF’s pasta was cooked al dente just how she likes it. She commented the seafood was fresh tasting and she too was highly satisfied.
The service was great. Although perhaps we were spoiled since we were the only patrons there since the just opened. Everyone had a smile and was very friendly. We also never really had to ask for any water refills.
The place was clean overall. Portion was good, prices are about $ 18 average per entrée. Give this place a try if you’ve tried the usual here in San Carlos.

Unimpressed with the food quality and taste.
Mediocre experience here at best — although the waiters kept rolling around us like we were the only customers that evening.
You can find better places to go to on Laurel Street than Viva la Vita.

Finding decent Italian food in the Peninsula is not an easy task. I was looking for a lunch place in San Carlos downtown and stumbled upon Viva La Vita. I thought I have dined here before but it was probably just the previous occupant at this spot.
It was close to 1 on a Sunday afternoon. Viva La Vita was really empty when other restaurants nearby were having lines out the door. I was a bit concerned but didn’t give it too much thoughts.
Picked carpaccio and lamb pitta off their menu and our server sold us their red snapper special of the day. The carpaccio was likable except the Parmesan cheese wasn’t quite sharp enough. The lamb pitta, while reasonably tasty, was not nearly as good as many of those I had at mediterranean restaurants. The meat was tougher than I would like and the pita bread was a bit dry. The soup on the side was nice though.
I really expected a bit more from their red snapper. The fish was alright. Tender and moist but lacked crispiness. The risotto was not properly cooked though. The center was not just firm but hard and crunchy.
Food was a bit disappointing but they did have really good dip for the bread.
Service was friendly but unacceptably slow. Given that there were only 2 other tables seated besides us, I really shouldn’t have to wait over 40 minutes for my entrees.

Went to Viva La Vita, got prime seating outside, wonderful service, staff was always checking up on us even though we were way outside!
Wasn’t so sure about what I saw on the menu (I’m a very picky eater!!) but finally decided on the Ravioli with spinach, tomatoes, and asparagus in a pesto sauce. O M G it was DELISH. So phenomenal!!!
After we topped off our drinks and absolutely amazing entrees, it came time for dessert. My dad got the spumoni (he is a spumoni fanatic, and so was his dad… they know their spumonis!) and I got the cheesecake which was drizzled with caramel sauce and raspberry sauce. AND topped off with a delicious strawberry. Presentation was amazing (I’ll attach a picture of the cheesecake) and the flavors, textures, and overall experience was not to be believed.
Needless to say (although I will say just to clarify) I will definitely be coming here more often and bringing all my friends!
Bravo, Viva La Vita!

We decided to take my MIL, and grandma-​in-​law here for Mother’s Day dinner on Saturday night.
The reasons we chose this place:
My MIL is very picky, and Italian is something she always likes, the reviews were good, and it’s near the MIL and GIL’s homes.
From the moment we walked in, i had had a feeling we weren’t going to like this place much.
The average age was about 65… Granted, i think that’s the average age of most San Carlos and Belmont residents.
Our server was HORRIBLE. She rarely came back and checked on us. She never offered bread refills, (not that we wanted them, since half the bread was stale anyway.) I had to ask for water 3 times, and it took a VERY long time to get food and wine. I realize this wasn’t her fault, but she didn’t seem to recognize that everything was taking much longer than it should have.
I was intrigued by the fact that several of their pastas were made in house, which is why i ordered pasta. It sounded and looked amazing, but was beyond bland. I can make better pasta and sauce at home.
My guy had the minestrone, which was also tasteless.
Although, my guy’s lasagna was very good. Had I l only tasted this, i would have given this place a better rating. (I still would have deducted for the bad service.)
All in all, this was a wasted meal out for me. I think the family liked it, and it was their day. But, I’m hoping they don’t ever want to come back.

They moved the outside tables around so that they are not crooked on the cement anymore :) Maybe they read my review. Our second time here was just as good as the first!

Some friend recommended it so I decided to try it out. Wow, it’s a pretty decent Italian place in the area.
I have basically given up hopes on Italian food on the west coast because it’s not the same as the places in, say, Boston’s Little Italy. It’s overpriced food that I can usually whip up at home. This place though, raises my hopes a little bit.
First off, they served us bread with a homemade dip consisted of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, onions (or maybe shallots?) and garlic. That dip is amazing. We couldn’t stop eating it, even towards the end of our meal.
I got the mushroom risotto. The taste was complex and creamy, and definitely one of the better risottos I’ve had in the area. To those who like the rice al dente though — the rice is a bit overcooked and softer than that. However, that’s how I like it so no complaints there.
Most of us cleaned our plates out, which is a pretty good testimony to the quality of the food :) Chiming in with the other reviewers, the service here is great, the waiters are attentive and nice, which is a plus.
Like I said, this place shows promise and I’m definitely coming back for more.

Although I normally veer away from indulging in Italian food, I decided to go along with a friend of mine who loves it. The food here is delicious… I ordered the beet salad with goat cheese and vinegarette, while my friend ordered the Lobster Ravioli appetizer. We both ordered the Red Snapper special, It was soooo tasty. flavorful, and completely satisfying.
I love the atmosphere at this restaurant, I was there with a friend, but it would be the perfect place for a nice romantic date, the candles at the tables, the beautiful artwork on the walls… the vast array of wines to choose from.

It’s too bad that Giuliana’s went under but a suitable replacement has set foot in its place. Before that it was another Italian restaurant which was rumored to have IRS problems so this is now at least the 3^rd iteration of cuisine of Italy.
The remodel is slightly fancier than the old Giuliana’s but not by much. Most of the clientele are older and most likely San Carlos locals. When we entered we were greeted by the hostess (who is super cute, for you guys out there) and asked for a 5 person table. Seems like they’re not really equipped for that and it took a while for them to jostle the tables around and finally we ended up with two tables of 4 together.
After perusing the menu we ended up with:
–Spinacio Riscaldare — warm spinach wilted and tossed with bacon bits, roasted garlic, fresh lemon and extra virgin olive oil topped with roasted goat cheese
–Tre-​Colore — ripe tomatoes, avocado, fresh mozzarella cheese tossed with extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sea salt and fresh basil
–Tomato Basil Soup
–Linguini Vongole — linguini pasta with fresh clams, tomatoes, parsley,
garlic, olive oil and white wine sauce
–Tagliatelle — with wild boar ragu and demi glaze with shaved parmesan
–Vitello Piccata — pan seared veal cutlets in lemon, caper and white wine sauce served over fettuccine pasta
–Salmone Griglia — grilled wild salmon served with lemon butter sauce and seasoned vegetables
–Halibut — with pest mashed potatoes
–Cabernet sorbet
–Bread pudding
–Chocolate cake
Everything was tasty and I would have to say the flavors definitely lean toward the traditional even though they tout California cuisine. The linguine vongole was almost perfect except the pasta was a bit on the soft side. The weird thing is that’s from a dry pasta while the tagliatelle is a fresh in house made pasta and the texture was better. The wait staff were a bit on the eccentric side and our waiter forgot to take the order of the last person, then ran back to take it when he realized seconds later. They’ve only been open for a few weeks so I think they will iron these minor kinks out to be a solid go to Italian restaurant for the area.