Viva Taqueria

Here is an honest review of the service at Viva: They are staffed by an entitled crew of transplant clowns who have equated self-loathing with a fearsome right to prejudice and malinger the simple sale of caricature Mexican food with patrons. Besides the obvious signs of sub-standard hygiene, the dress code for the staff at Viva is to simply turn their dirty laundry inside-out. And, add a choice of super-tight stained dirty jeans for the overweight ladies, and simple, over-sized grubby shorts for the tubby lads. But the upside to Viva is there are nearby restaurants with normal servers who actually work for a living, rather than hold an innocent --and potentially awesome food joint, hostage -- by inclusive hiring (good ol'boy system for slackers) and basic losertude. Don't tip these hacks, as they give proper servers a bad name. The owners would be wise to cleanse this Animal House ASAP, from the top down. more

Their food is somewhat lacking on the Mexican side of Mexican cuisine, authenticity is low, but if your expectations are to have a pretty okay salad with some added Mexican-inspired flavors then this is probably not bad. If you are expecting authentic Mexican fare then you probably shouldn't be in Ithaca, but definitely not at Viva. For Ithaca's Chili Festival their staff all wore colorful ponchos, a huge fake mustache and sombreros and served pozole as though it were chili. As a Mexican-American I was offended by their stereotypical portrayal of Mexican people especially given their staff's lack of ethnic diversity. On a lighter side, their Margaritas are fantastic, but I probably won't be going back anytime soon. more

I went here with my husband, the staff were horrible, and also made a horrible remark about his military career, we felt uncomfortable and never did go back Pros: fun Cons: bad staff more

I was there over the 4th of July as well-and I called in my order from our hotel because I didn't feel like waiting in line and being in a crowd. Was told it would be ready in 10 minutes--and it was! When you walk in, immediately go to the right. You can place a takeout order or pickup. VERY fast-GREAT food and great prices-I think My burrito was $3.99-and was like 2 pounds-AWESOME. Pros: Take out was FAST, BIG burrito, plenty of Sour Cream-if you're like me that's a plus... Cons: The wait if you want to eat there... more

Really... the most terrible place I have ever been to. Fireworks to come and lots of people outside, trying to get in every restaurant in town... we insisted in staying waiting for a table at Viva Taqueria for 50 minutes. Once in, as if it was needed to repeat again, there comes the hostess to say that we ""have"" to order at that moment because she needed to turn the table. I intended to have a great time with my friends and invited them to go there because I believed that it was a simple place where you could go, have fun, have some margaritas and enjoy the food when you have decided what you wanna eat, not when somebody come to tell you that you ""have to"". Honestly I do not go out to listen to people to tell me what to do when I am paying the price to decide. It was such an embarrassing situation because she insisted in arguing with me telling me to read the policy and saying that she would call the manager as if he/she would come to get me! I do not wanna read your policy nor talk to the manager and much less feel that somebody judges me by my accent, supposing that I am not able to understand the ""rules"" because they are written in English... You go read somewhere that you should not treat people like walking wallets. If you need to turn a table, I have nothing to do with that. That is YOUR concern because you are working. I am a customer. So, me and my 10 friends and who we can tell not to are never going to go back. Pros: nothing is worth it when you feel uncomfortable Cons: the impoliteness rule more

The food at Viva is very good, but if you are not part of one the waiter or waitress' ""clicks"" then you get treated poorly. If they don't know who you are, then they don't even talk to you and act as if you are bothering them. This is their job to treat all customers with respect no matter if they are their friends or not. This is not high school and the wait staff is getting paid to work for all customers and not just their friends. Viva needs to make all their employees treat all customers with respect. Especially for the months when they need the local people and tourists to support their business. Pros: Good Food Cons: Poor Customer Service more

Viva Taqueria is by far the worst in Ithaca EVER! The service is slow, the food mediocre to say the least, and the prices absurd. Don't waist your time or money. Cons: everything more

I love Viva! I was surprised to hear some of the negative comments because I eat there all the time and have never experienced the food to be anything but delicious. I used to live in the Bay Area so I think my ""street cred"" is pretty good. My favorite thing to order are the enchiladas with calabacitas. I ask for flour tortillas instead of corn; it will not disappoint. IMHO the margaritas are the best bargain in all of Ithaca. A margarita from Viva made with Don Julio Silver will take the edge off of any day. The same drink anywhere else would probably cost twice as much. It is cheap and delicious and I could rave about it all day. Pros: food, margaritas, fun atmosphere Cons: loud more

Pretty much gives new meaning to the word mediocre. Why go there when you can make a better burrito in your own home in about 2 minutes. Sangria's okay, but nothing to write home about. more

I never thought anyone could screw up a burrito. Meat, cheese and veggies with a spicy sauce all wrapped up in a soft tortilla. Makes me hungry just thinking about it. But somehow Viva did it -- somehow, they descrated the holy burrito. The Viva burrito is flavorless, mealy and stale. I'm not even from the west coast, but I've never had worse. I even gave it two chances. Granted, both were take out, but if the take out is any indication, I won't be sitting there anytime soon. To get your burrito fix in Ithaca, go to the burrito stand in the farmers market during summer months. Pros: location Cons: taste, service more

I've gone to Viva three times now. Each time I hope it will live up to its hype. Never does. I personally don't find the food spectacular at all. It is a great place for vegans or vegitarians, but I've had better Mexican elsewhere. They aren'tskimpy on the alcohol in the drinks. The prices are pretty good. Pros: Price, vegitarian friendly Cons: food more

With a great location in downtown Ithaca, Viva is an obvious choice for locals and people just passing through. The food is tasty and reasonably priced, the margaritas are excellent, and the waiters are always friendly. If there's a wait, just sit down at the bar while you sip sangria and munch on nachos. There's also a carryout side of the restaurant that is quick and cheap. Pros: food, sangria more

The waitors/waitresses have never gotten a tip from me when I've gone there (twice now), and never will, as I'll never be going back. It's seriously the worst Mexican I've ever had, the people don't know their food, and their staff is horribly rude. Never go there if you value your sanity and/or your perception of Ithaca having generally ""good"" food. Pros: Seated Quickly Cons: Horrible Food, Horrible Service, Mean Staff more

I like viva alot. The sangria is amazing, and the food is healthy, and fresh. The flan is also very good. The only negative thing I can say is that the coffee often tastes burnt, as if they were serving from the same pot all day long. Pros: inexpensive, sangria, relaxed atmosphere more

Our man-ish disgruntles waitress barely made an effort to take our ourder and proceded to tell one of us to get our own drinks from the fridge. Are you kidding me? She threw the plates on the table and managed to upset all 5 members of our dinner party one at a time. She then had the gall to follow us out into the street and yell at us in public because her tip was not big enough. Here is my tip for her. Get out of the service industry! Please don't eat there. Cons: , poor service, high prices more

For those of you from the west coast, this is clearly no comparison. But if you're looking for more than taco bell to satisfy your mexican craving, the place is ok. Lots of high school kids, quick service, a bit pricey for a taqueria. Pros: Quick Food Cons: Crowded, Parking Struggles more