We considered Viva La Playa one of our favorite places to dine. When we arrived, there wasn't that restaurant, instead the original owners Benny's on the beach, decided to change the name & menu to Benny's Oceanwalk. Some of the old dishes remained on the menu but the “Guacamole was different and not nearly as good as before. Honestly, the place was empty & only one or two other customers came in. We were surprised that the restaurant never contacted us to confirm our reservation & never received any notice from open Table that they were closed. We were with close friends and decided to make the most of the situation and we had a good time. We don't plan on going back.
cdNYC10021
Slow service. Cosmo martini highly overrated for $17 each...! Not even served on a real martini glass- but a champagne glass instead. AND IT'S CRACKED...!! Told waiter about it and didn't even do anything about it...! ???
EWLNYC
The one vegan entree (not salad) on the menu is a veggie taco. This was not good - it tasted like all of the vegetables had been pickled, which was overpowering, and the kitchen refused to serve it with soft tacos (although I was able to order those separately), which I wanted to add some heft to the lunch. Overall, this was a disappointing dining experience. But, it's lovely to have a view of the ocean.
PHops
The home made style for the tortillas and fajitas was fabulous. Two women from Central America show up every day to make them from scratch. The care and thoughtful approach to every part of the meal was remarkable. The boiled shrimp, fresh guacamole, calamari, and the chefs specials were wonderful.. the dessert with a chocolate tortilla with ice cream was also great...
lackadaisical
Have you ever felt so belittled that you just wanted to crawl under the table like this? The manager at this establishment will find a way! Such a shame as the meal was very nice. We had a nice evening and our server was excellent and the food was prepared perfectly. Unfortunately the manager messed up our payment, and she couldn't handle it and took it out on me, the customer, for doing nothing wrong. I feel bad for the talented staff who have to put up with this tyrant of a manager. Ownership beware, this kind of leadership will cause your most talented staff to leave.
I love this restaurant! The service is amazing, the food is delicious, the location is gorgeous, and the ambiance is always festive. There is plenty of parking nearby as well. Viva la Playa, see you next week!
Steve Wiener
Meal was no better than Applebees. Wings where fast fried with no taste. Paella was smoked expecting a Spanish or New Orleans flavor . Berry chicken salad had one or two berries and few ingredients. Guacamole and service where very good.Sangria was a pitcher of ice! Very disappointed for a $100 plus meal .
It was pouring rain so we didn't get to experience the full outside like we wanted. The inside was small-ish but very cute and cozy, loved the decor. The drinks were pretty and good, except one of the margaritas came with “chipotle salt” on the rim which was literally Lawry's seasoning salt, it was weird and not good. The food was ehhh. None of us could rave about our plates, just ok. I ordered a $25 salad, and had to go get food after we left because I was still hungry. It was basically a mountain of arugula (and I like arugula, but not that much) with a few things sprinkled on top. I added a “salmon skewer” for an extra $10, when it arrived I only received four pieces of 1“ x 1“ salmon, hence why I was still hungry. We went for brunch but was told by the waiter there were no brunch specials for drinks or food.......ok. Spent about $100/pp. Nice drinks and ambiance but I don't see any need to return.
MichelleW
Had an amazing time here last night with a good friend of mine. The restaurant is gorgeous and in a beautiful location directly across from the beach. Open air with beautiful views. Service was excellent and the margaritas were delicious as was the food. Would highly recommend and will definitely be returning.
Yogalover
Food was ok. Paella is normally exceptional but tonight's was kind of blah. Steak and shrimp on it were tasty but the pice portion lacked flavor, I'm sad to say, as that is not normally the case. Our server, Sean, was exceptional.
Poor service kills everything. Our appetizers came out with our meal. The sides did not come out with our meal. When they came out it was after our meal was complicated. Manager came around to ask us how our meal was! We exsplained what happened and he said he would see what he could do. Never saw him again!!! They offered desert free but we are not desert eaters. Never a sorry but the waitress said it was her fault. But it had an impact on our night out. They comped our appetizer that was served during our meal and my meal that sides were not deliver. Sitting outside out front is very noisy with cars and Moter cycles. Would not go back
SusanS
Lack of service. Took over an hour to get our dinner eventhough others that came after us were served before us. Probably forgot to even enter our order into the kitchen. Very, very hungry by the time they brought our food -- they could have atleast offered us an appetizer.......
Absolutely loved our experience at Viva La Playo. The food was so fresh and delicious. We ordered two bottles of champagne for $30 each on a Saturday for brunch. We started with the seafood platter. It was terrific and then we got a salad and the shrimp tacos to share. Sat right on Ocean overlooking the ocean and it was really beautiful. Will be going back for sure.
BarbM
I had high expectations based on their other restaurant (Benny's). The food was just o-kay. Service was good up until the food service delivery, then the waiter was no where to be found. For a Friday evening, it seemed not very busy for him to disappear for drink refills, ask about the food, etc. The food itself was good, creative in flavors. We ordered a churrasco steak, cooked to order, shrimp tacos, they were good, but for $23 skimpy with 2 shrimp per taco, and the tortilla was soggy and fell apart. We also had a cheeseburger that was done perfect. Overall, it was a one time shot for us locals. Plenty of better quality in service and price in our huge foodie community.
SinaiPrincess
Food and drinks were delicious. Service was fantastic. Wish there were less car on the road but it has nothing to do with the restaurant. If you love Margaritas give a try to the Avocado one. Guacamole and Ceviche were fantastic. Unfortunately, they lost power so we couldn't order anything else. We will be back.
We considered Viva La Playa one of our favorite places to dine. When we arrived, there wasn't that restaurant, instead the original owners Benny's on the beach, decided to change the name & menu to Benny's Oceanwalk. Some of the old dishes remained on the menu but the “Guacamole was different and not nearly as good as before. Honestly, the place was empty & only one or two other customers came in. We were surprised that the restaurant never contacted us to confirm our reservation & never received any notice from open Table that they were closed. We were with close friends and decided to make the most of the situation and we had a good time. We don't plan on going back.
Slow service. Cosmo martini highly overrated for $17 each...! Not even served on a real martini glass- but a champagne glass instead. AND IT'S CRACKED...!! Told waiter about it and didn't even do anything about it...! ???
The one vegan entree (not salad) on the menu is a veggie taco. This was not good - it tasted like all of the vegetables had been pickled, which was overpowering, and the kitchen refused to serve it with soft tacos (although I was able to order those separately), which I wanted to add some heft to the lunch. Overall, this was a disappointing dining experience. But, it's lovely to have a view of the ocean.
The home made style for the tortillas and fajitas was fabulous. Two women from Central America show up every day to make them from scratch. The care and thoughtful approach to every part of the meal was remarkable. The boiled shrimp, fresh guacamole, calamari, and the chefs specials were wonderful.. the dessert with a chocolate tortilla with ice cream was also great...
Have you ever felt so belittled that you just wanted to crawl under the table like this? The manager at this establishment will find a way! Such a shame as the meal was very nice. We had a nice evening and our server was excellent and the food was prepared perfectly. Unfortunately the manager messed up our payment, and she couldn't handle it and took it out on me, the customer, for doing nothing wrong. I feel bad for the talented staff who have to put up with this tyrant of a manager. Ownership beware, this kind of leadership will cause your most talented staff to leave.
I love this restaurant! The service is amazing, the food is delicious, the location is gorgeous, and the ambiance is always festive. There is plenty of parking nearby as well. Viva la Playa, see you next week!
Meal was no better than Applebees. Wings where fast fried with no taste. Paella was smoked expecting a Spanish or New Orleans flavor . Berry chicken salad had one or two berries and few ingredients. Guacamole and service where very good.Sangria was a pitcher of ice! Very disappointed for a $100 plus meal .
It was pouring rain so we didn't get to experience the full outside like we wanted. The inside was small-ish but very cute and cozy, loved the decor. The drinks were pretty and good, except one of the margaritas came with “chipotle salt” on the rim which was literally Lawry's seasoning salt, it was weird and not good. The food was ehhh. None of us could rave about our plates, just ok. I ordered a $25 salad, and had to go get food after we left because I was still hungry. It was basically a mountain of arugula (and I like arugula, but not that much) with a few things sprinkled on top. I added a “salmon skewer” for an extra $10, when it arrived I only received four pieces of 1“ x 1“ salmon, hence why I was still hungry. We went for brunch but was told by the waiter there were no brunch specials for drinks or food.......ok. Spent about $100/pp. Nice drinks and ambiance but I don't see any need to return.
Had an amazing time here last night with a good friend of mine. The restaurant is gorgeous and in a beautiful location directly across from the beach. Open air with beautiful views. Service was excellent and the margaritas were delicious as was the food. Would highly recommend and will definitely be returning.
Food was ok. Paella is normally exceptional but tonight's was kind of blah. Steak and shrimp on it were tasty but the pice portion lacked flavor, I'm sad to say, as that is not normally the case. Our server, Sean, was exceptional.
Restaurantji Recommends
Poor service kills everything. Our appetizers came out with our meal. The sides did not come out with our meal. When they came out it was after our meal was complicated. Manager came around to ask us how our meal was! We exsplained what happened and he said he would see what he could do. Never saw him again!!! They offered desert free but we are not desert eaters. Never a sorry but the waitress said it was her fault. But it had an impact on our night out. They comped our appetizer that was served during our meal and my meal that sides were not deliver. Sitting outside out front is very noisy with cars and Moter cycles. Would not go back
Lack of service. Took over an hour to get our dinner eventhough others that came after us were served before us. Probably forgot to even enter our order into the kitchen. Very, very hungry by the time they brought our food -- they could have atleast offered us an appetizer.......
Absolutely loved our experience at Viva La Playo. The food was so fresh and delicious. We ordered two bottles of champagne for $30 each on a Saturday for brunch. We started with the seafood platter. It was terrific and then we got a salad and the shrimp tacos to share. Sat right on Ocean overlooking the ocean and it was really beautiful. Will be going back for sure.
I had high expectations based on their other restaurant (Benny's). The food was just o-kay. Service was good up until the food service delivery, then the waiter was no where to be found. For a Friday evening, it seemed not very busy for him to disappear for drink refills, ask about the food, etc. The food itself was good, creative in flavors. We ordered a churrasco steak, cooked to order, shrimp tacos, they were good, but for $23 skimpy with 2 shrimp per taco, and the tortilla was soggy and fell apart. We also had a cheeseburger that was done perfect. Overall, it was a one time shot for us locals. Plenty of better quality in service and price in our huge foodie community.
Food and drinks were delicious. Service was fantastic. Wish there were less car on the road but it has nothing to do with the restaurant. If you love Margaritas give a try to the Avocado one. Guacamole and Ceviche were fantastic. Unfortunately, they lost power so we couldn't order anything else. We will be back.