Viva Bar + Kitchen

3.5 stars for brunch
Bottomless mimosa service was above average, with 5 different juice choices available and carafes left at your table!
We had the Carnitas Hash and Huevos Rancheros.
Both came a bit smaller than I’d have expected for the price ($ 15/​$ 16).
Viva is a Latin fusion establishment, but the only thing I really noticed different in their brunch was a heavy reliance on salsa for flavor. Their «papas fritas» are really just breakfast potatoes.
The food was decent nonetheless!

AMAZING! great food, service, and drinks. Adrean serves up great drinks at the bar! #goPanthers

Very cute restaurant and very accommodating staff. Some friends and I enjoyed glasses of wine at the bar. I had Apothic Red (only $ 7 a glass), it was very tasty and smooth. I saw their yummy food pictures on Unilocal but the kitchen was closed by the time we got to Viva! :(Bummer, I will have to come back and try their food out!

UMMM one word: Groupon.
this place was special for me and my lover due to the miracle of groupon.
we came here to consumate our anniversary of love and it delivered.
the french platter of cheese and meat was good. but it gave both of us really bad gas. which was coincidental as we were in the gas lamp district.
i can’t help but think the two are connected?
it was so bad that we had to drive to the nearby Walmart neighborhood market to get tums. and while i was in the bathroom (true story) a woman approached me trying to exchange food stamps for cash.
but guess what Viva Bar doesn’t accept FOOD STAMPS or EBT.
anyways. i think i had the filet mignon. and it was amazing. no, it really was.
i would go back. it was fucking perfect. it was like the first time you discovered your own body. the edge of the filet was seared perfectly.
however restaurants are competitive here, and they will likely change their name soon to «re-​invent» themselves. they are the madonna of kitchens.
good food. bring tums.

It is simply amazing to come across this place with a bar-​like atmosphere to serve such delicious and high-​quality food! We went to Viva Bar + Kitchen this morning after looking around in the neighborhood for a place to have breakfast. Without much expectation, we decided to settle for this place… and by Thor and all the gods of Valhalla, we were damn right! On Richard’s plate, his refried beans and carnitas were simply to die for. and so were my sausages which almost melt in my mouth. The potatoes were perfectly seasoned, and, cherry on the cake, our waitress Sarah was just perfect! Definitely a place to come back to!!!

I came with a bunch of co workers so I pretty much tried half of their menu. I’ll write about what I could remember, but it was nothing spectacular and it was over priced.
–Duo of Shrimp and Scallops — tasteless and shrimp and scallops were rubbery.
–Seared Ahi — it looked ok, but there was no taste. The fish was not fresh and just drenched in sauce.
–Viva Fries — These were actually tasty, but they are French fries so it’s pretty hard to screw up. But the for $ 7 why do they only give you so little? It’s such a cheap thing to make you would have thought they were giving you Kobe beef or something.
–Lamb Sliders — OK
–Argentinian Skirt Steak — I ordered medium rare and they over cooked it. I had to scrape every last bit of the sauce to save the dish.
I really wanted to like this place but the food was overly priced and just bland. Service was friendly, it’s a good location and it looks fun, but this is the only that’s holding this place up.

My husband and I were visiting San Diego for the weekend, and purchased the Groupon for Viva — was $ 75 for two alcoholic beverages (up to $ 14), an amouse bouche, any appetizer to share, two entrees, and a dessert to share. Everything from the drinks, to the food, to the service was stellar.
I ordered the Californa Dream Martini with a sugar rim (vodka with muddled oranges and strawberries) and my husband ordered a hibiscus margarita. Both drinks were splendidly crafted.
Our amouse bouche was shrimp risotto (⁵⁄₅), appetizer was the Bistro Filetto (⁵⁄₅) — we ordered the filet rare and it was so tender, sauces not overpowering, and the crostini perfectly buttered.
For our entrees, I ordered the duck two ways (⁴⁄₅) — duck cooked well, gorgonzola hash was good (paired with the duck well), too much picked cabbage on the plate — and my husband ordered the Paella de Barcelona (⁵⁄₅) — Saffron Risotto was delicious and the seafood cooked to perfection. We ended our dinner with a classic flan which was rich and creamy.
We sat at the bar and they have four high def televisions. It would be a great place to sit to watch the game. Our server/​bartender Annie was very professional and insightful about the drink and food menu.
We enjoyed our dining experience and we highly recommend. They are a bit on the pricier side with some of the things they offer, but if you can catch the groupon it’s well worth it. Otherwise, I would still normally go there, but may not go the whole craft cocktail and four-​course shebang for my bank account’s sake. :)

The BF and I came to Viva Bar + Kitchen for a little date night using the groupon deal. The deal came with a warm salsa taster, an appetizer to share, two entrees, a dessert to share and two drinks. The atmosphere of the restaurant was very cute. There’s both indoor and outdoor seating.
Pros: The Charcuterie Platter was BOMB dot com. The three cheese were manchego, brie and cheddar. Normally, you think of cheddar being a cheap, boring cheese but that may have actually been my favorite from the platter. The cheddar was delicious. I also loved the brie spread on the warm, buttery bread. The bread that was paired with the Charcuterie Platter was absolutely amazing. The meats (jamons and chorizo) were very unique and I really liked them paired with the cheese, nuts and fruits. There were also a few dollops of mustard on the platter that paired very well spread with the brie.
I really enjoyed the flan! It was very thick and creamy. I highly recommend it!
Cons: I was not a big fan of the paella. The BF and I both ordered paella (traditional for him, barcelona for me). I lived in Spain and this paella is much different from the flavors you’ll taste there. The paella at Viva is full of spices. It almost tastes more like a jambalaya. If you’re looking for an authentic paella, this is not the place for you. It has a kick to it and was too spicy for my personal taste. I prefer The Prado’s paella that comes in a more traditional chicken broth type of sauce.

I bought a Groupon for Viva Bar+Kitchen in anticipation of trying out this restaurant for the first time. My Groupon included brunch for two and unlimited mimosas. Sara promptly greeted us… she was very attentive… I order the Ranchos Rancheros, my friend ordered the eggs benedict… both equally tasty however if you can see in the picture of my rancho rancheros I have two poached eggs on one corn patty and only one small poached egg on the other… besides this small detail the food was pretty good. I saw a few of the other dishes that came out to our fellow patrons and they looked amaz… ranging from the chicken and waffles and blue berry pancakes. The vibe is very lively with open airy windows and of course hip music playing in the background.
Note*-I have had plenty of «unlimited mimosas» in my day, however here, they fill up a carafe of pre-​mixed mimosas and sit it on your table… I love this… this way you don’t have to wait for your waiter to fill you up!
If you check in you get free chips and salsa.

This place is amazing! Ordered steak and eggs and it came out a little too cooked but everything else was great.
Perfect brunch spot w 4 nice TVS and a bar where you may drink @9 am!!! Will be back

Such an amazing spot. We had a blast and loved the music. Beau and Adrian rock. The food is just outstanding. What more can you ask for? Perfect place to eat and wonderful drinks! We will be back! Can’t wait to return.

I wanted to love this place and there are some elements I really liked, but in the big picture I walked away with a so-​so opinion. For starters the atmosphere is nice and we were seated right away. Our table was visited by lots of staff so we expected great service but it seemed like some details got missed in passing between so many people.
I let the waitress know I was pregnant and ordered a virgin strawberry mojito but upon my first sip discovered that it was indeed full strength (delicious but a pregnancy no-​no). Meanwhile a friend at the table who’d ordered a plain full strength mojito got a 7 up with mint and strawberries. They did remake them but not until the bartender came over and told me that she had not mismade them to begin with. They also didn’t offer to comp the drinks.
The food was good, two friends said their paella and shrimp tacos were delicious, and my carnitas were good but not enough to bring me back. I had asked the difference between carnitas entrée and street tacos and was told they were the same thing but different portions but the entrée, when delivered did not have guacamole or tomatoes that were listed on the street taco listing also the server said he’d get us extra tortillas which seemed nice since we didn’t ask for them but we were charged $ 3 for 5 tortillas that we didn’t ask for or really need.
In the end it could have just been an off night and I the other reviews on here make me think that you might have a great experience but the 5 of us who went tonight probably won’t be back.

Pleasantly surprised with Viva’s street tacos and happy hour !! $ 5 sculpin ?! Unbelievable ! Where can you ever find that deal? They also offer $ 5 delicious red or white sangria! The tacos were very good! We tried the carnitas, carne asada, and pollo asada! Carne asada was our favorite ! Very good. We also got the queso fundido and it was great ! Love the stringy cheese melted on top. Our server was very new and could not answer any of our questions about the menu which was a bit of a let down, but she was honest and we appreciated that! I just wish we would have known how the dishes tasted prior to ordering, I think it would have influenced our choices. Overall, we will definitely back for happy hour!

«Great Location, Great Service, Great Food «
My wife and I went to Viva Bar + Kitchen last night and had a wonderful and refreshing experience. First of all the the Bar and Kitchen is located in the San Diego Gas Lamp district, just 1 block from the Historic Balboa Theater. It was very convenient to have dinner and some drinks at the Viva Bar + Kitchen before we attended «The Tenors «concert at the Balboa Theater that night. Our Server Melissa had one of the nicest, smiling, and bubbly personalities, I have ever seen. We would go back to Viva Bar + Kitchen just because of Melissa’s professional and excellent service. She was AWESOME ! Every food item we enjoyed on our 4 course meal was excellent. The dinner started off with a very tasty Chef’s Special Amuse-​Bouche. Next was Tapas appetizer of Chef’s Charcuterie Board, which included a Chef’s Selection of Artisan Cheeses, Cured Meats, and Crostini, was so tasty. Especially the Carmelized Onion and Cranberry goat milk cheeses. My wife and had the Argentinian Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce, Braised Potatoes, and a delicious Corn Ratatouille. For Dessert we had the Churro Bites, which was Deep Fried Dough, with Cinnamon Sugar and House Caramel and Chocolate Dipping Sauces. We also enjoyed the house made Flan. Both desserts were delicious ! After our dinner, the Viva Bar + Kitchen Manager Beau came over to our table to see how our meal was, and to tell us a little about the history of the Bar + Kitchen. The Bar + Kitchen also has some very nice out door seating to enjoy if you wish. The next time you are in the down town Gas Lamp area of San Diego, drop in and visit the Viva Bar + Kitchen, it will be well worth the visit !

Was visiting San Diego over Labor Day Weekend and upon arrival, I searched for a good brunch spot near my hotel and found this spot, which was walking distance from my hotel. As convenient as this place was, I mostly found it a big disappointment.
The food was pretty tasty but I felt the portions could be a bit larger, especially for the price. I ordered the Carnitas Hash, I wouldn’t call the dish authentic by any means but it was tasty enough. Endless mimosas are 20 bucks. I don’t mind that too much but definitely influenced me to get my money’s worth =D.
What really turned me off to this restaurant and bar, was the service. The hostess seemed indifferent and our waitress was just plain awful. I tried my best to win her over, engage her in some kind on conversation but all I could think of while she was waiting on my table, was how bad of a day she maybe been having. She was pretty rude.
It’ll be a few months before I return to San Diego, but I can guarantee that my next visit will not include a stop here.

This restaurant was really nice! Located in the gas lamp quarters across from The Keating hotel (read my review on this hotel). The have a delicious four course meal with delicious red sangria. The sangria was very refreshing. The portions was the prefect sizes. There is outside sitting, which was very nice because of the beautiful weather.
Service was just OK. The waiter wasn’t very quick which was very disappointing because it was a slow night.

My girlfriend and I were walking around Downtown in search of something to eat for dinner. We had several places in mind. The reason we chose to eat here was because one, she knows that I have an undying love for seafood and two, she was raving to me on how I would love seafood paella. She had previously tried it a different restaurant in Downtown. Seeing as how we were in front of Viva Bar and noticed that they had seafood paella, I decided for us to have dinner here.
I order the seafood paella and my girlfriend ordered the pasilla crusted sea bass. As far as seafood goes, the seafood paella contained shrimp, sea bass, scallops, mussels and calamari. Sounds good right? This dish wasn’t spectacular or anything. The calamari was extremely bland and lacked flavor. Some mussels were fishy and others were bland, which lead me to question on how fresh they actually were. The sea bass was bland. The shrimp was similar to cocktail shrimp and the scallops turned out to be the best tasting piece of the dish. Overall, I was not impressed with my first experience of eating seafood paella. My girlfriend raved about it and I was really dissapointed.
The pasilla crusted sea bass my girlfriend ordered tasted a lot better. The green lentils along with the sautéed spinach was what made the dish stand out. It definitely had a lot of flavor and the taste of her sea bass made me wish I had chose a different dish to eat.
I simply gave this place a 3. I didn’t think this place was anything special based off the food. Isn’t that why we go to restaurants? The sea bass somewhat made up for my disappointing seafood paella. I certainly loved the ambiance and the layout of the place. The service was alright. The lady that served us was pleasant and she refilled my water when it was out. Overall, I don’t think we’ll be checking this place out again. I had high hopes for my seafood paella and they were soon shattered when I took that first bite.

While visiting San Diego for Comic Con, my party and I decided to stop by Viva Bar for lunch. It was fantastic! We sat down at a table by a huge window where you could people watch and see all the cool costumes walk by. The windows of the bar were decorated with really neat Comic Con illustrations and my favorite, a TARDIS. Whoever the artist was, they are super talented!
Our server was really friendly and very informed. I asked her to recommend a drink and she talked me into getting the mojito. It was great! Very fresh! It also complimented the food we ordered.
Our table ordered the carne asada fries, carnita tacos, and chicken quesadilla. Since we checked in on Unilocal,we got free chips and salsa, which was a bonus. Everything was delicious! The carne asada fries were a crowd favorite. The only slightly disappointing thing to me was the salsa, I felt like it needed a little bit of salt. I don’t know if this is a particular San Diego or west coast thing (this place wasn’t the only place where I thought this at) but in general Viva was a great place to have my friend meal of Comic Con at. I will happily return there next year!

Enjoyed appetizers and drinks. Nice atmosphere and décor. Efficient, friendly service. Lamb sliders were incredibly tasty. Ribs were wonderful but a tad dry. Carne asada fries were nice, but cool very quickly. Guacamole was flavorful. Meat and cheese tray served with toasted French bread was a fave… nice pairing. The whiskey smash was fabulous although I doubled it because, well, I do like my drinks extra boozy. Fun was had watching the Comic-​Con folks prattle about in the streets. I’d do this one again. Stop in.

I feel compelled to write a review for Viva. It’s right smack dab in the middle of downtown and they have brunch which are the perfect two combinations for a Sunday funday.
I met my girlfriends down here and we started off with amazing mimosas. You can get them by the glass for $ 6 each or you can buy a bottomless mimosa for $ 18.
I decided to order churro waffle since I saw a picture on someone else’s profile and they looked absolutely mouthwateringly delicious!
Also got the chorizo omelette which added a nice spice and some protein to my lunch.
We were able to sit right outside and people watch on their patio and catch a nice breeze while we were at it. They décor is modern and very pleasing to the eye & I must say the tile in the women’s restroom made me want to start remodeling my own house.