Coffee Review: Viva
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Viva Fine Foods & Bakery is a little bakery and cafe just a couple blocks from where we live. Ianiv & I have been over there many times for coffee, a sweet little treat, or just a nice lunch. The paninis are really great – but the muffins are definitely to die for.
I have neglected to ask where the Viva coffee comes from on this visit, but will do so the next time I go in.
The coffee is not out of this world, but also has nothing bad to say for it. It is well prepared and, like Salt Spring, is called the “Canadiano.” It has a nice bold and subtle flavour. Not acrid in the least, which was a nice change over my last review. This was my first espresso-based coffee at Viva – I had always just gone for the drip. The drip is also very good.
The coffee seems very fresh and the baristas always seem to pay attention to what they are doing. And I’ve never had any server in Viva who was not overly kind in a non-obtrusive way. Very good staff.
The Viva location in Kits is not overly large. There is a bar inside to sit at or some tables outside. Nice place to go for a morning cup or to sit and have lunch. It’s been months, but I still remember an amazing panini I had there with some sort of curry sauce. So good.
Coffee- 83%
Service – 95%
Atmosphere – 89%
July 2nd, 2006 at 9:40 pm
This cafe is seriously the WORST cafe and bakery in Vancouver. Did your fat-o-meter not click in??? The coffee is atrociously horrible – do you know how many times they re-steam milk there for a latte? Health regulations should close this place down! Huge staff turnover! I once timed an espresso there – SIX SECOND SHOT… the owner obviously hasn’t a clue about coffee. This place is not worth a visit. The service sucks and it mainly caters to yuppie Kitsilano folks that don’t care if their coffee is served from a toilet as long as it looks trendy from the outside. I am quite stunned that you gave this place such a glowing review. Awful awful awful. Save your money and hit up Terra Breads on 4th… or better yet bake the scones yourself with margarine and brew some President Choice coffee and it will still be better than the crap they serve here.
May 23rd, 2009 at 10:39 am
Did your brain not kick in Simon when you started eating a flaky pastry, and didn’t think about the fact that fat is an essential part of tasty baking. Margerine is congeled vegetable oil, is that what you prefer??? We do not properly digest vegetable oil as well as butter fat, or better yet lard!!!
You may not like Viva, fair enough, I think it has gone way downhill since the days I used to frequent it. But please, picking on the fact that the products clog your arteries, shows your ignorance for food in general. It’s about moderation, but feel free to eat whatever disgusting concoctions you are cooking at home, or eat a granola bar and glare at the happy folks enjoying themselves, and eating well!
June 22nd, 2009 at 1:40 pm
I agree with Simon. I was at Viva over the weekend and it was horrible. The coffee was below average. The older lady that works there (might have been the manager or owner not sure) was a tool. She seemed to have no regard for me the customer and was snappy to her seemingly brain dead staff. Both the coffee and the overall experience left a bad taste in my mouth…literally. I will be shocked if that place stays afloat for more than a year.
June 25th, 2010 at 6:56 am
I just visted Viva and the owner was very rude! I asked for a specialty coffee not know if they due them or not. She gave me the rudest look and said “does this look like starbucks?” then told me to go to another coffee place. I still don’t understand.
As for the staff I knew some one who worked there and the owner is a horible lady to work under. She treats everyone very poorly and doesn’t pay the proper rates she should.
I would not recomend Viva to anyone! I would never suport the owner. Dawn is her name i think.
June 25th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
A friend of mine suggested Viva for brunch, so I gave it a try. When i got there this older lady with botox lips and a fake smile just stood behind the counter and didn’t bother to ask me if I needed anything; I think she was staring at her reflection in the espresso machine….which brings me to my next point: the coffee was stale and she ran the espresso for thirty seconds! I would be happier enjoying a cup of coffee from Subway. As she handed me the coffee, it spilled on her hand, probably because her orange lee press-on nails got in the way. I would say this cafe was a fake Prada purse: pretty from a distance, but a closer look will reveal all the flaws.