Viva Taqueria

1/25/2018

Been going here since i was in middle school, everyone must try the Carnitas super tacos. YOUR LIFE WILL CHANGE!!! Always my to go item, nostalgic and tasty

12/19/2016

• 1 check-in

You haven't lived until you've had carne asada fries. Maybe your friends have told you that the best ones are in San Diego. Maybe others have told you there's a bomb place on the way to Davis (shoutout to Baldo's!) to get your carne asada fries fix.

Well, my East Bay friends. I'm here to tell you that Viva Taqueria will fulfill those cravings and then some.

I met a few friends here because someone was craving Mexican food. This place is definitely cozy. Aka not a whole bunch of seating, but there is a nice outdoor section if you come on a nice day/night. Bathrooms are also located on the outside of the building, so just ask for the key (and bring your phone as a flashlight if you go at night). The parking lot is also super small, so if it's full, you may have to spill into the street.

All that being said, the carne fries were AWESOME. I totally didn't expect such a giant load of fries. Everything was smothered with carne asada, sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes, and what I think was enchilada sauce. It. was. perfect. Totally glad the boyfriend and I shared because I definitely wouldn't have finished an entire order by myself.

There's also a complimentary chip and salsa bar. Viva Taqueria is definitely a place to taco 'bout.

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  Carne fries

  Carne fries

9/17/2016

• 2 check-ins

While there are a number of options, truly great taquerias are hard to find around San Jose.  They are hit and miss, and while I heard great buzz from my co-workers about Viva Taqueria,  I'm still looking for my go-to tacos option.

The Viva Taqueria Super Taco sounds great in theory but in reality it was so over-stuffed it could only be consumed like a tostada. I ate all the stuff on top and when the volume was finally manageable, I folded over the wet corn tortillas. I also didn't love the carne asada itself, which was more reminiscent of cheap ground beef than the steak I had in mind.

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  Super Tacos with Carnitas and Carne Asada

  Super Tacos with Carnitas and Carne Asada

3/17/2017

• 1 check-in

I HAVE FOUND IT. Finally, at last. My go to taqueria in the south bay. This place is a little ways away from Valleyfair and is a total gem in my opinion. The shop itself is super tiny, but they do have patio seating which is nice. Also have an open chips and salsa bar but the cups they give you are tiny unfortunately

Ordered 6 tacos, 2 lengua, 2 al pastor, and 2 carne asada. My life has changed lol. It was my first time trying lengua and now I feel that the bar is super high, I can't go anywhere else. However I realized the al pastor was sweet, and I don't like sweet and meat together. Everything else was super stellar though, the taco fillings were generous and they were all juicy as hell!! I am so in love, I imagine this food tasting 10000x better when I'm drunk

Prices are also fairly cheap too! And 1 free bag of chips when you order to go. The menu is actually super expansive but the tacos were so good I think I'll have a hard time trying anything else

3/1/2017

• 5 check-ins

Definitely Viva Taqueria is a solid five on my review, why? Their meat are cooked to perfection, their pricing is a steal and this isn't your taco bell type of "mexican" food. This place is authentic and their customer service is a two thumbs up as if I'm The late siskel and ebert (google it you millenials). Anyway back to the joint, I love ordering their tripas, carne asada, lengua and al pastor tacos. They have small, regular and super type of tacos, burritos or taco plates. I suggest you go for the regular tacos. Oh and if you spend more than $5 (that's easy) they give you a bowl or a bag for chips and salsa. If I can eat here everyday I would, but my diet would be ruined. Otherwise, Viva is legit, you won't be sorry!

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  All kinds of yummy!

  All kinds of yummy!

11/29/2016

• 1 check-in

Tiny little taqueria ... but that means it's authentic, right? :)

Had a chance to stop by here to meet up with a few friends. The shop itself only has a 3 or 4 tables inside, and then an outside patio area that seats a few more. It's definitely not meant for big group outings, but the food here is delicious. Had the carne asada fries and they were definitely worth the trip alone. Also had some of their horchata which was delicious.

The parking lot itself is pretty small, and the place looks a little shady at night -- but is it worth the stop if you're looking for good Mexican food? Yes. Absolutely.

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  Carne asada fries

  Carne asada fries

4/17/2017 Updated review

• 16 check-ins

Just a heads up to everyone, Viva is closed TEMPORARILY to get electrical work done. They will be opening sometime at the end of this week. Had to give them a call at their Modesto location to see what was going on cause I drove past the other night to see them closed before 9pm.

4/17/2017

I found this place in 2014 shortly after moving into the neighborhood. It's definitely a hole-in-the-wall place but the food is really good. I usually get my favorite chicken Super burrito with the complimentary chips. The place is small so it can fill up quick during busy times.

In the last year they've taken out a bunch of th indoor seating to make it ADA compliant. There is also patio seating for those nice days too.

The quality has been pretty consistent but I've had some meals that I'd swear were not up to their usual standards. I find that if you go during their busy times the food is really good. When it's slow you might get something that's been on the fire too long.

The parking lot is tiny so you might have to find street parking elsewhere.

The prices are very reasonable and in my opinion it's the best Mexican food in the area.

8/6/2016

• 1 check-in

We stopped here on our way back from Henry Cowell. We were looking for authentic Mexican and this place was just that. I ordered the flautas and my sister ordered the taco salad. The food is cooked fresh upon ordering. Prices were reasonable for portion size. You also get chips and salsa with every order (not every entree). Since we paid together, we only got one bowl of chips. The taco salad came out about eight minutes before the flautas. The food is brought to your table; you don't have to wait at the counter. Water cups are 25 cents. The building was warm and there aren't public bathrooms. We sat outside and enjoyed the breeze. The food was delicious and seasoned to perfection. Many meals come with rice and beans. There are plenty of options on the menu so you may need to come back a few times.

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  Flautus with rice and beans

  Flautus with rice and beans

1/9/2017

• 1 check-in

Decent cheap quick Mexican fix. Had the enchilada plate, which is only $8.50 with 3 enchiladas (meat of choice), refried beans, and Spanish rice. Free chips and salsa (help yourself) but don't get the chips at night, as they're kind of stale.

2/4/2017

Little hole in the wall type of restaurants have surprisingly the best flavors. This place definitely did not live up to that. The carne asada burrito was absolute shit here. The asada looked like ground beef and had no flavor. I had red flags going up in my head since the first bite, don't know why I kept eating. The only thing I liked was the tortilla.
I also tried the enchiladas plate, it wasn't amazing but was far better than the asada burrito. However, the beans and rice had no flavor content whatsoever. It was an overall highly disappointing experience.

Don't think I'll be back ever lol.

6/22/2016

My boyfriend and I came in last night excited to try this place for the first time. When I walked in I immediately noticed the chef wearing a blue bandaid without a glove, which obviously is a health code violation. Any person who is or has been a food handler would know that.

So I told my boyfriend I am grossed out and really don't want to eat here because of the chef having a bandaid around his finger and no glove on! I could see him touching tortillas with the bandaid finger as he was making food. I warned my boyfriend that we should leave but of course, my boyfriend assured me that I'm just paranoid.

So, I give the place a chance and order some enchiladas. They were delicious until I came to the last bite of my enchiladas where I found *lo and behold* a piece of blue string-see picture. In other words, a piece of the chefs bandaid was in my enchiladas and I almost ate it. I feel sick to my stomach just thinking about it.

I should've walked away when I had the chance! Stay away from this place! They do not follow health codes!

5/20/2016

• 1 check-in

• Listed in 2016 Reviews.

This is a good spot to fulfill your craving for GOOOD Carne Asada fries - cheesy, crunchy, salty, greasy all ticked! Please let yourself be more open to the ambiance as well, what doesn't seem very extravagant actually could be very promising, that's what probably hidden gem is :)

Tip: free chips and salsa for $5 minimum - the green chili salsa is so addicting!!

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  Carne Fries, delicious!!

  Carne Fries, delicious!!

1/28/2017

• 21 check-ins

California burrito carne asada 6.5/10 last time it had a crazy amount of fries and barely any meat. Basically, a fries burrito

Fish quesadilla  7.5/10 pretty good

Taco salad with chicken 7.5/10 pretty good

Super quesadilla with pollo asado 7/10

Super quesadilla with carne asada 6/10

Their small tacos suck. They only have meat on them with no beans. Their carne asada was insanely plain.

Al pastor super burrito 5.5/10 sucked too. Didn't finish it

7/28/2016

• 1 check-in

The Good
- California Burrito (which has French fries in them!!!!)
- Private Parking Lot
- Self-serving salsa and sauces
- Outdoor seating
- Fast and friendly service
- Burrito bowl upon request

The Bad
- Cleanliness (tables and chairs are kind of sticky. Food chunks and sauces are spilled on the outdoor seating area, but the employees just walk pass by them, not bothering to wipe clean. The trash can outside was over flown.)
- Hard to read menu (poor organization and faded text and photo)

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  Carnitas "Burrito Bowl"

  Carnitas "Burrito Bowl"

4/22/2016

• 1 check-in

This is a small locally owned Taqueria.

When I say small I'm not kidding. There are perhaps four tables and two booths inside and sitting down at any one of them feels awkward. There is more outside seating on a patio thingy, but it overlooks nothing but asphalt. even though umbrellas are provided at the outside tables for shade it still gets super hot.

They have their own small little parking lot, and share another with some other small businesses. I've never had a parking issue, but at times that lot will be nearly full.

There is an outstanding self serve salsa bar. Thus chips and salsa are in practical terms unlimited. More good news-the selection of salsa is made in house and offer a range of super tasty(and spicy) flavors. WOOT! The downside is that with so many people self serving it can get a little grubby.

The portions are large and made when you order, so they tend to be fresh, hot and greasy. They offer standard combo meals and super burritos, but can accommodate custom orders w/o any hiccups. Between custom order wish fulfillment and the salsa bar you can eat happy here for sure. Pricing? Wellll...........you get what you pay for. It's not the cheapest place and they cheap out on the drinks-refills will cost you, and they charge even if you just want a cup, but overall the food tastiness is worth it.

Four stars for the classic Taqueria style awesome food.

4/7/2016

• 2 check-ins

Good place for a quick taco fix! The meats were flavorful and their super taco was huge! Friendly service and my food came out fast. I would recommend ordering the carne asada and al pastor tacos. Overall, food was great and cheap here.

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  Ginormous super carne asada taco

  Ginormous super carne asada taco
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  So satisfying

  So satisfying
• See all photos from Thuy N. for Viva Taqueria

10/4/2016 Updated review

• 2 check-ins

went here today in honor of national taco day. ordered me 3 tacos (lengua, carnitas, carne asada) and a small horchata. comes with free chips and salsa.

all the corn tortillas (two per taco as it should be) were nicely crisp on the outer rim and held this consistency even after sitting in all those juices. every bite was like the last.

lengua: melt in your mouth tender. i dunno bout you, but when i order lengua i'm always afraid of it coming back rubbery. this was cooked perfectly. seasoned well. definitely the star of the night. 5/5

carnitas: with a great mixture of crispy and juicy this shredded meat was also cooked perfectly and seasoned well and didn't disappoint. 4/5

carne asada: not as juicy or tender as the other two, but still packed a lot of great flavor. no real complaint. just not AS good as the aforementioned tacos. 3/5

horchata is always bomb here. retains all the essential flavors without anything being overpowering.

how satisfied am i right now? to quote a reputable website, "Yay! I'm a fan." -yelp!

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  Left to right: lengua, carnitas, carne asada Free chips and salsa and a small horchata up top.

  Left to right: lengua, carnitas, carne asada Free chips and salsa and a small horchata up top.

4/17/2017

Best burrito in 4 years at Santa Clara University. Travelled far and wide in search for the greatest and this is it. $8.65 for a California burrito you can never forget. Drove by today and glass was broken, must have been robbed. Best wishes to a quick startup again, I need my Viva back

3/11/2016

• 1 check-in

This place was a little overrated to me (3.5 stars). Located in a small plaza next to a market, I wouldn't have found this place if it wasn't for Yelp! The cashier was friendly and service was pretty quick for my to-go order:
-Cocktel de camaron: my favorite dish I ordered; shrimp was plentiful, the sauce was perfectly sweet from the seafood and tomato
-Arroz con pollo: pretty good, but I wish there was more cheese; different from the ones I've tried at other places
-Tacos (carne/steak, grilled/regular chicken): the biggest disappointment for me; the steak was kind of dry and I couldn't really taste the difference between the two kinds of chicken
-Chips and salsa: self-serve and free with $5 purchase; 4 kinds of salsa (regular, hot, chile verde, and this creamy spicy avocado one), the avocado one was my favorite!
Overall, this place wasn't bad, but I'd probably go somewhere else (Taqueria Veracruzana) for tacos. A lot of the dishes I ordered were on the pricier side, but the portions were plentiful and was good enough for multiple meals. Not a bad find, but not super amazing either.

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  Self serve chips and salsa that are free with a $5 purchase!

  Self serve chips and salsa that are free with a $5 purchase!
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  Menu

  Menu
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  Store front

  Store front
• See all photos from Sarina J. for Viva Taqueria