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Vivace Restaurant
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good for:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
19 reviews for Vivace Restaurant
Bf and I were in town for a baptism weekend, visiting his aunt and uncle along with his parents. Bf's uncle raves about this place, so we all went for drinks, dinner, dessert.
The restaurant was crowded when we got there - families, big groups, smaller groups, date couples, everyone looked happy and the mood was like a celebration. It was noisy enough to not feel self conscious if you brought your kids, but upscale enough to feel right at home if you're out for a nice dinner date.
We sat at the bar and ordered drinks as we waited for our table for 6 to be set up. There was a delicious little array of olives set before us to munch at the bar, and we really enjoyed watching the food go by.
Our table ordered SO well, that we were able to try many things on the menu. The antipasti plate was AMAZING - and I never say that about antipasti! There was a little pile of smoky yet not one bit charred (how DID they do that??) velvety, olive-oil-y spinach. A little pile of buttery roasted red peppers that were also AMA ZING. Some very thinly delicately spiced sliced zucchini, grilled asparagus in a balsamic reduction, shaved proscuitto, a scoop of creamy soft herbed goat cheese, and several pieces of grilled bread drizzled with olive oil to spread everything on. O M G you have to get this appetizer!
I almost forgot about the bread!! Back up one sec here, they have this crusty hot bread that is flat, with not much doughy in the middle parts (sorry inner child) that they serve with softened butter and hello-garlic! pesto for dipping. It is worth splurging your carb count for this!
We were told that the chicken meatballs and pasta were excellent, but there were so many things we wanted to try so we asked if it was possible to get a side of the meatballs so we could try it. The waiter ended up bringing each of us a beautiful, single meatball plated with just a forkful of the thinnest fresh angel hair pasta and fresh tomato sauce to complement it. This is not your mama's spaghetti and meatballs!
When our main courses came, we were already ooh-ing and aaaah-ing the antipasti, but we quickly shifted ahead. EVERYTHING was great in very different ways:
The veal piccata - I've never had veal pounded so thin, cooked so tender! I know what veal is and I agree that it is sad, but this was a delish dish beyond sadness. The piccata sauce was so good, my bf wanted to lick the plate!
The osso bucco - complete with a tiny fork for digging for buried marrow treasure, I requested this on top of spinach (very similar to the heaven on the antipasti plate) instead of rice. The sauce was velvety, the veal shank was perfectly braised so it was tender yet still moist. It was heaven!
The seafood soup - a HUGE bowl of cioppino-looking soup, loaded with shrimp, scallops, fish, etc - and all the seafood was cooked perfectly, not overcooked, not even close to rubbery, but TENDER and fresh.
The seafood lasagnette - obviously fresh pasta, very thin and delicate, with seafood in between and fresh tomato sauce and creamy goodness all over!
Since bf's aunt and uncle had been there before, they knew that the best dessert needed to be ordered ahead. So we were prepared for the Chocolate Molten Cake with spumoni! The gooey chocolate lava flowed out of that little cake, melted the spumoni ever so slightly, and was garnished with little mixed berries. It was TO DIE FOR!!!
The service was VERY friendly, even when we waited for the table, we were updated a couple of times - every 5 minutes or so - on the status of our table and if we had a preference as to which or where. The bar guy was friendly, the waiter was excellent, and the FOOD - so obviously made with love - STOLE THE SHOW!
This Tucson restaurant made us sad that we live in LA!!
Good place for lunch.
Ate a half salad, shared a tasty Margherita pizza (perfect size for 2), sipped an iced tea with refills.
Super nice service, and a comfortable outdoor seating area.
Fantastic Italian food and a great spot for special occasions. St. Phillips plaza is a great place to walk off your diner when your done too. You cant go wrong with Vivace.
I live in Phoenix and travel to Tucson once a month. I eat here everytime I am in town. I have not been disappointed.
The atmosphere, the patrons, the service and the food are all great. The bread is brought out to the table warm, the salad was fresh and the entree was tasty.
Highly recommended - this place is great.
Service was very accommodating. One of our party didn't want scallops in his cioppino. No problem, said the waiter. I had the mushroom soup for an appetizer (perhaps a tad salty). When it arrived at the table another in our party said "that looks good but I don't want that much." The waiter asked if he would like a half portion. Perfect. I had snapper, the fish of the day. Nicely prepared and very flavorful. Will make a return visit.
I'm surprised at the reviews here- I've been going to Vivace for years now, and I have never had anything but an absolutely wonderful time. The food is delicious (it can be very rich though), and while some things can be priced a little high, you certainly get a lot for the money- the portions are very generous. The owner has been there each time I've gone, and several times has shown us to our table, which is a nice touch. Some of the servers can be a little snooty, but you get excellent service here.
Never understood how the "Italian" gets into the description. This vegetarian can only get one thing, the souffle (Which I believe is FRENCH)
The service is always good, but the choices are limited.
It was a lovely restaurant - in a nice part of town, and for Tucson, this place was great.
However I'm going to be a city girl and a food snob and say it definitely wasn't worth the price and I didn't think it was that good. My risotto was swimming in broth, not every well made. And the osso buco, was just ok.
Overall...it was 2.5 stars, just ok. And if I did go back, which I don't anticipate, I would be very careful in my selection. Oh and their pesto......totally didn't dig it - they missed the taste completely. But GREAT bread!
Took my boyfriend here for our anniversary a few years back, and I've gotta say, we haven't been back.
Don't get me wrong, the service was wonderful, atmosphere was nice, and the food wasn't bad.
But $80 for two? In Tucson? x_x
This restaurant is my favorite in Tucson.
Soufle isnt the only Vegetarian thing on the menu!!! I got an artichoke something (it reminded me of a crepe but it wasnt). And the eggplant appetizer is DELICIOUS. I would eat that as a meal infact. Vegetarians and non-veggies will LOVE this place.... trust me.
It's a nice place for a family dinner, a girl's night out, or even a date. The ambiance on the patio is nice on the summer nights, especially with the lovely jazz playing from neighboring restaurants.
People might complain that the prices are steep but Tucson, but that's why this restaurant is geared towards a crowd that appreciates and can afford it. It's ambiance and food is naturally not your lame Olive Garden.
The paca-paca fish was DELICIOUS. Creme brulee like i've never had before. Great selection of wine.
You just cant go wrong with this place. It's a taste of heaven.
Favorite place to go in Tucson. Amazing food, simple decor, and the staff is always very helpful.
I was in town on business and came here for dinner on the recommendation of a local who said it was the best Italian around. When I got there at 5pm, my party of two was able to be seated without reservations. Service was good. Our water glasses were filled when we sat down and warm bread with butter and pesto was delivered to our table. I had the soup of the day, shrimp bisque. It was very good, but also very rich. I considered getting the beef tenderloin, but decided on pasta and ordered penne with sausage. It was also very good, but was I unable to finish it since I ate the entire bowl of bisque.
My coworkers and I went here for a pre-Thanksgiving holiday lunch. I had never eaten here before, but they all had and highly recommended it. Service was great and the food arrived at our table quickly. I ordered the penne with sausage and it was excellent, maybe the best I've ever had, certainly in Tucson. I will definitely be making a return visit!
This is consistently the best food in Tucson. The staff is superb and so is the food. Lunch is the best deal. Dinner is for special occasions.
Delicious food and great service.
This is one of my favorite Italian restaurants in T-town. Their osso bucco's broth rich in tomatoes ...wonderful bruschetta appetizer :-)
My husband and I went to Vivace yesterday to celebrate our anniversary. After seeing the great ratings in Tucson Lifestyle magazine, we really had high expectations for this restaurant... maybe a little too high. The food, service, and atmosphere were okay, but not what we expected for the price.
I ordered the crab-stuffed breaded chicken, and my husband ordered penne pasta with sausage. The crab-stuffed breaded chicken was essentially a somewhat dry chicken cutlet, folded like a taco, with a tiny bit of crab meat inside and a small, smattering of sauce on the plate. It came with some very oily, white rice that had a few pieces of broccoli and carrots in it. The flavors did not really impress me, and neither did the plating. When I go to a place like this, I usually expect a pretty meal, but everything we were served looked like it was just slopped onto the plate without even the tiniest effort to garnish. We decided to share the Tiramisu for dessert. The portion was extremely small, and it also looked like it had just been slopped onto the plate.
The service was fast, but not particularly friendly, and it felt very rushed.
The atmosphere was kind of a disappointment too. There was no ambient lighting, so we felt like we were sitting in the dark, and there was not a single candle to be found in the whole restaurant.
It was fun trying a new restaurant, but I don't think I'd go to Vivace again. Hopefully others will have a better experience.
consistantly delicious food with professional servers...fish is particularly outstanding, never overcooked. Never fishy. Veggies are also fresh and very tasty. Pasta is great but then you can get pretty good pasta in a lot of places. Decor is pleasing and attractive. It can get noisy due to all the hard surfaces. It is my favorite Tucson restaurant.
One of Tucson's best. Run by long-time Tucson restauranteur Daniel Scordato. Outstanding northern Italian food, very inventive and well prepared. Good wine list. Fine ambience either inside or on patio. Outstanding value for lunch.
