While we had an acceptable experience, it was not what we expected. The service was very nice and accommodating but inexperienced. Would not recommend this restaurant for a special occasion but otherwise there is potential for a quite acceptable, if expensive, occasion.
Jeff
A consistent, top notch experience, as always. We arrived early, the hostess graciously made room for us at the bar. The bartender was more than attentive and friendly. Cassidy went above and beyond for our dinner despite juggling several very large parties. In no way did we feel we were competing for service. Vivante is and will always be our go-to for date night.
Chris
Server often disappeared for long periods of time. Never offered refills for my boss and I. Did recognize our birthday celebration which was nice. Didn't offer coffee or dessert and never pre bused our table. Food was excellent.
Lovely experience dining with Vivante. Beautiful hotel as a whole and the restaurant was just perfect for celebrating my fiancé's and I's anniversary. Classy and the waitress was so kind, gave great suggestions. Overall wonderful experience
Sierra K.
Food was delicious, and we had a great server. We shared pommes frites which were which was more than plenty for two people to share. The burrata was also great with some crispy bread. The duck was just right. It was over a bed of apple slaw which was a nice add! The tenderloin came with purple sweet potato mash which was new! Our food took longer than anticipated, but overall great experience. Wish it was a bit busier to feel a bit livelier.
BrettK
I thought I booked the Easter brunch, but when I arrived at 1:30 I was told that ended at 12:00, even though on their website it stated that the brunch continued on that day until 4:00. However, the food was absolutely wonderful and the service very good as well. Just a glitch on the Easter brunch, but would definitely go there again.
Limey1965
Vivante helped make our date night a big success! The great service, the sun brightening up everything through the huge windows, and then an appetizer and main course that were both huge hits. It was our first time visit, but won't be our last!
Luv2eat
Beautiful restaurant but the food unfortunately was not good. Meat was dry, serving size very small for the price. We were there an hour before getting our food with only one other table of guests in the restaurant. However the staff did try to make up for it with free dessert. They were very kind.
Lyndiana
It was a beautiful brunch. The restaurant itself is absolutely lovely. The food was delicious. It was our anniversary and they surprised us with a lovely cake. We were there at a very busy time and it was still a peaceful environment. We will definitely come back again for special occasions.
Irishchick91
Food, service, timing, all top notch! Onion soup, halibut, crab cakes, salad, all were excellent - good size portions, hot, well seasoned. Our server Amaya, was attentive and friendly. Will return!
My sister and I had an awesome birthday dinner for her last week at Vivante. The service, the food, and the birthday cake were all 5 star. And a special shout out to Megan the Gen. Mgr. who was SO nice and pays such great attention to detail! Highly recommend!
The best restaurant in Carmel. Attentive, personable staff, extremely reasonable pricing, excellent food, relatively quiet, gorgeous atmosphere. Always surprised at how few people have discovered this hidden gem. It is and will always be our date-night choice.
CarolynT
We always enjoy Vivante and thoroughly enjoy the food. Last night, however, we had a bit of a shock. My husband was interested in a featured drink on the drink menu. It was made with Knob Creek and listed at $12. The waitress clarified that it is a warm drink. My husband asked how much it would cost to simply change the drink to a Manhattan. She replied it would likely be a $1-$2 upcharge. So my husband ordered the Manhattan. When our bill came, the drink was $29!! We could not believe that she did not check that she was correct in her statement/estimate and confirm that my husband still wanted the cocktail. Thank God she was not overly attentive as he would likely have unwittingly ordered a second drink; but we were limited by time.
WendyH
Our waitress was very helpful with our time constraints. The crab cakes and salmon were delicious and a better portion size then other area restaurants. After an initial slip up with our wine order, our waitresses fixed the problem and replaced my glass with a fresh one. None of that Mickey Mouse pricing with 3, 6 , 9 or 12oz Poor's. One old fashioned standard poor. It was generous, delicious and fairly priced.
Mosey
It was a lovely time for a special birthday dinner, with our waitress, Cassidy who deserves 5 stars! All of the staff were friendly and gracious, creating such a pleasant atmosphere. Food flavor was delicious and 3/4 of us are gluten-free and our food was prepared safely and communication handled perfectly. Overall I only gave it a 3 because everything else was just really off. We picked it because it came up on a google search for French eateries. The menu didn't match, I'm assuming the outdated menu online, so it was only sort of French (we were looking forward to escargot!). I think the kitchen was having a rough night. We were told they were really busy. Someone mentioned something about room service at the hotel. Our appetizers arrived so fast that we got them before our drinks. Then we waited for a long time. Manager came out and said a filet wasn't prepared to their standards so they were re-making it. So we waited longer. Food arrived and the other 3 dinners were room temperature at best. I had fish so I sent it back. It was better but still not the warmest. Everything tasted delicious, so moving on. They told my husband he received a complimentary piece of cake for his birthday. He tries to avoid eating treats with gluten in front of us so he declined and she said the cake is the only free dessert she can offer. For a high end restaurant, I thought this was kind of strange to not be flexible and bring him a free sorbet or creme brûlée. Anyway, just a busy night probably, but we won't take a chance on it again at $100+/person.
While we had an acceptable experience, it was not what we expected. The service was very nice and accommodating but inexperienced. Would not recommend this restaurant for a special occasion but otherwise there is potential for a quite acceptable, if expensive, occasion.
A consistent, top notch experience, as always. We arrived early, the hostess graciously made room for us at the bar. The bartender was more than attentive and friendly. Cassidy went above and beyond for our dinner despite juggling several very large parties. In no way did we feel we were competing for service. Vivante is and will always be our go-to for date night.
Server often disappeared for long periods of time. Never offered refills for my boss and I. Did recognize our birthday celebration which was nice. Didn't offer coffee or dessert and never pre bused our table. Food was excellent.
Lovely experience dining with Vivante. Beautiful hotel as a whole and the restaurant was just perfect for celebrating my fiancé's and I's anniversary. Classy and the waitress was so kind, gave great suggestions. Overall wonderful experience
Food was delicious, and we had a great server. We shared pommes frites which were which was more than plenty for two people to share. The burrata was also great with some crispy bread. The duck was just right. It was over a bed of apple slaw which was a nice add! The tenderloin came with purple sweet potato mash which was new! Our food took longer than anticipated, but overall great experience. Wish it was a bit busier to feel a bit livelier.
I thought I booked the Easter brunch, but when I arrived at 1:30 I was told that ended at 12:00, even though on their website it stated that the brunch continued on that day until 4:00. However, the food was absolutely wonderful and the service very good as well. Just a glitch on the Easter brunch, but would definitely go there again.
Vivante helped make our date night a big success! The great service, the sun brightening up everything through the huge windows, and then an appetizer and main course that were both huge hits. It was our first time visit, but won't be our last!
Beautiful restaurant but the food unfortunately was not good. Meat was dry, serving size very small for the price. We were there an hour before getting our food with only one other table of guests in the restaurant. However the staff did try to make up for it with free dessert. They were very kind.
It was a beautiful brunch. The restaurant itself is absolutely lovely. The food was delicious. It was our anniversary and they surprised us with a lovely cake. We were there at a very busy time and it was still a peaceful environment. We will definitely come back again for special occasions.
Food, service, timing, all top notch! Onion soup, halibut, crab cakes, salad, all were excellent - good size portions, hot, well seasoned. Our server Amaya, was attentive and friendly. Will return!
Restaurantji Recommends
My sister and I had an awesome birthday dinner for her last week at Vivante. The service, the food, and the birthday cake were all 5 star. And a special shout out to Megan the Gen. Mgr. who was SO nice and pays such great attention to detail! Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pumpkin Ravioli, Celebratory Cake
The best restaurant in Carmel. Attentive, personable staff, extremely reasonable pricing, excellent food, relatively quiet, gorgeous atmosphere. Always surprised at how few people have discovered this hidden gem. It is and will always be our date-night choice.
We always enjoy Vivante and thoroughly enjoy the food. Last night, however, we had a bit of a shock. My husband was interested in a featured drink on the drink menu. It was made with Knob Creek and listed at $12. The waitress clarified that it is a warm drink. My husband asked how much it would cost to simply change the drink to a Manhattan. She replied it would likely be a $1-$2 upcharge. So my husband ordered the Manhattan. When our bill came, the drink was $29!! We could not believe that she did not check that she was correct in her statement/estimate and confirm that my husband still wanted the cocktail. Thank God she was not overly attentive as he would likely have unwittingly ordered a second drink; but we were limited by time.
Our waitress was very helpful with our time constraints. The crab cakes and salmon were delicious and a better portion size then other area restaurants. After an initial slip up with our wine order, our waitresses fixed the problem and replaced my glass with a fresh one. None of that Mickey Mouse pricing with 3, 6 , 9 or 12oz Poor's. One old fashioned standard poor. It was generous, delicious and fairly priced.
It was a lovely time for a special birthday dinner, with our waitress, Cassidy who deserves 5 stars! All of the staff were friendly and gracious, creating such a pleasant atmosphere. Food flavor was delicious and 3/4 of us are gluten-free and our food was prepared safely and communication handled perfectly. Overall I only gave it a 3 because everything else was just really off. We picked it because it came up on a google search for French eateries. The menu didn't match, I'm assuming the outdated menu online, so it was only sort of French (we were looking forward to escargot!). I think the kitchen was having a rough night. We were told they were really busy. Someone mentioned something about room service at the hotel. Our appetizers arrived so fast that we got them before our drinks. Then we waited for a long time. Manager came out and said a filet wasn't prepared to their standards so they were re-making it. So we waited longer. Food arrived and the other 3 dinners were room temperature at best. I had fish so I sent it back. It was better but still not the warmest. Everything tasted delicious, so moving on. They told my husband he received a complimentary piece of cake for his birthday. He tries to avoid eating treats with gluten in front of us so he declined and she said the cake is the only free dessert she can offer. For a high end restaurant, I thought this was kind of strange to not be flexible and bring him a free sorbet or creme brûlée. Anyway, just a busy night probably, but we won't take a chance on it again at $100+/person.