Caffe Vivaldi

Recommends

Hector C.

Joined 1 year ago

a West Village Institution. What a great place, what a great experience. Sitting just a few feet away from excellent singer-songwriters in a welcoming and cozy atmosphere. The food is great and the service is very friendly. I can't help but smile every time I walk out of Caffe Vivaldi alone or with a group of friends. It has become a home away from home. They've recently started brunch on weekends. I took some friends to check it out and have nothing but good to report.

*I must say that reading some past reviews here, it's obvious that there have been some disappointed visitors. Whatever happened then in 2008, certainly is not something that I or anybody I know have encountered in the past few years.

Vivaldi is a genuine jewel in the Village.

Doesn't Recommend

kentrj

Joined 5 years ago

Food (if available) is fair, drinks overpriced, and watch your wallet. I attended a political fund raiser on a Tuesday night. The room is a dump. My friend and I wanted to order what we thought was the best beer on the menu--alas, they had but one bottle left. It went on like this for the next 2 hours or so: None of the seafood items was available, and one of the three sauces for a variety of "homemade" raviolis wasn't available. Oh, and could I please hold your credit card because the place is so crowded? After ordering, we were told that the ravioli we chose also wasn't available.When it finally arrived, it was uninspiring to say the least. We also ordered a few whiskeys. These were served in "illusion" glasses normally reserved for cheap watering holes--you know what I mean--the illusion is that you think you're getting a full-size drink. But no, when I got the bill, I saw they still had the nerve to charge $8 to $9 a shot. But still, I paid the $110 tab in cash and gave the harried waitress a 20% tip (the situation wasn't her fault, after all). The place was crowded, so I made sure to give her the money in hand. Imagine my feelings a couple of days later when I discovered the restaurant had charged my credit card $110.00! Hmm, no good deed goes unpunished . . .

Doesn't Recommend

yogawomen

Joined 5 years ago

Avoid this dead cafe. Sorry, this place has been around forever but the lease holder just wastes his time and doesn't make anything out of it ! Spend some money, get some real tables and rip out the false ceiling and make this a cool cafe. The life music just a drop into the bucket ! dude figure it out !

Recommends

suatkat

Joined 6 years ago

The Right Dessert!. A couple of weeks ago, my friends and I while strolling through Greenwich Village in search of the ?right? dessert, decided on sampling the selection at this cafe. I?d been here before for their live music. The cafe showcases some very talented performers and is a very pleasant experience that?s not too heavy on the pocket (e.g. about $25 will get you 3-4 beers and some zesty bruschetta- the music is free). But this was the first time I?d tried their dessert and the tira misu was just the best I've ever had...and I've had a lot of tira misu! The cake was moist, yet not too rich. The coffee liqueur was robust, yet not overpowering. And it was oh! so! fresh! In short, I thought it was the perfect marriage of sweet with subtle. I couldn't get enough. So to make room for more, I washed it down with a cup of their freshly brewed coffee (some of my friends ordered herbal teas and I was surprised that the cafe carried enough variety to satisfy the diverse requests) and sinfully ordered more. Another friend ordered the chocolate hazelnut torte and wasn?t disappointed either. But the tira misu was delicious and just what we were looking for. Next time I?m here for after-work beers, I am definitely ordering it again -- knowing fully well that cakes do not pair well with Sam Adams! Caffe Vivaldi?s tira misu is still the ?right? dessert.

Recommends

merryeat

Joined 7 years ago

usual fare. I remember being here several times but I was really disappointed with my last visit. They have a great casual, hangout after-work atmosphere. Unfortunately, if you go too late, the kitchen help leaves and your order is filled by the server. She was great and did her best, but they ran out of food, she didn't know where most of the food was.

Once we got our order, the dessert was pretty average, and nothing special.

Recommends

11222

Joined 7 years ago

Warm, cozy, Good food, great live music. I've been coming here for years. It is one of my favorite NYC spots. First, I always try to go when Kristin Hoffman is playing. She is a fabulous artist with the most beautiful voice. They have good food, tasty desserts, and good drinks. The service is usually unreliable and occassionally aloof. The place can get a bit crowded on nights we go to see Kristin, but if you can get a table, its a great time. A real gem.

Recommends

sidecar71

Joined 9 years ago

nice ambiance, ok food. I also wandered in here a few months ago and loved the ambiance: it is softly lit and very cozy with wooden floors and booths. But I was very unhappy with the food. I ordered ravioli which I think was priced and listed as a meal but turned out to be about 6 medium-sized pieces (they tasted pretty good). Since I was still very hungry I ordered foccacia which turned out to be 3 pieces of very dry italian break that was burnt (to the point of being black on the sides and edges) with some bland mix of italian-like veggies. Overall, nice ambiance, but the food portions are too small and sometimes kinda bad.

Recommends

PresidentPTC

Joined 10 years ago

Quaint and Inviting. I wandered into this cafe very recently, and I found that it had a warm ambience about it. I would recommend the hot spiced apple cider especially, it is beyond belief; absolutely inspiring! The lighting, the space, and the color tones are all quite inviting. A must see!

Recommends

firewomanm

Joined 11 years ago

The nicest people!. I didn't dine here, but instead came here (12-20) for drinks and dessert after a disappointing experience at Cafe Milou a blocks away (you can read my review of that!) They have the friendliest staff here! It's a nice small cozy place, and they joked with me and my 2 friends. We kept ordering dessert, and they were so patient with us as we pressed our noses up to the glass and drooled. We decided on the tiramisu and warm apple crumb pie, which were both great. The rest looked good as well. Very pleasant experience.