The food is awesome, the experience not so much. I don’t really like the service because every time I book inside, they end up placing me outside even though we made the reservation three weeks in advance for indoor seating (and it honestly feels like they prioritize non-college students for inside). It’s always super cold outside -- something about the setup is never warm enough.
I also don’t like that it feels like they don’t care as much when I’m seated outside. They often don’t keep silverware at the table and service takes noticeably longer. I wouldn’t even mind where I sit, but it’s so cold that I have to keep my jacket on the whole time, and the service is just worse when we’re outside.
Additionally, it doesn’t feel fair-- I feel like I’m not being treated the same because we’re younger, even though we’re paying the same price for the food.
I’ve been going for the last few years, and honestly it’s some of the best Italian food in town, but I always leave not fully happy because of the service. The vibe also feels kind of judgy and not very welcoming, especially since my friend and I are younger than most of the people there. I forgot to mention this has happened 3 times over the last school year.
Food: 4
Service: 2
Bethany M
Was so excited to try this place to be so disappointed at the end. Ordered the calamari for most of the plate to be fried pickles. The Marsala was one of the worse Marsala I’ve ever tried. (I’ve never had a single Marsala with red sauce 🤔) I will say tho the server was very nice!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 4
monkey02 2020
Excellent food and service. Sweet bartender named Leah makes great drinks 🍸
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pasta Alla Vivace
Donna Mahan
We eat here 1-2 times a week. Not sure what is happening but we've had 2 bad experiences in a row. Last time our order came out incorrectly. My husband ordered the NY strip without the potatoes or demiglaze to cut out the carbs... neither was done. I requested artichokes added to my dish which also wasn't done. Tonight our dinner arrived 45 minutes after we had finished our appetizer and salad. The server never asked my husband how he wanted his steak cooked and by the time it had finally arrived, it was way overdone. By this time, it was also too late too eat so we asked for boxes. All the tables around us who had arrived after us, had already eaten. The poor server was left to make excuses and as per usual, not a word from management. This is consistent w vivace when there is a problem....never a peep from management! In most decent restaurants, management speaks to their customers but never a nice word, acknowdgement or inquiry from vivace management and we easily spend $150/visit for a table of 2!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Andrew Fraher
I was looking for a place to celebrate my 23rd wedding anniversary, and as we both love Italian food, this seemed to fit the bill. Our introduction to the business was the strange parking, as I drove around the building twice and settled on parking near the street. I walked up the hill to the not entrance, and there was a sign on the not entrance door that said not to park in the spots for the shops or the Sentara lot, as you would be towed. Given there was no parking available in the back of the restaurant, I parked in Sentara and was later told by our server that parking in Sentara was okay. Nothing confusing about that. Perhaps some signage would help. We were quickly seated, and our server came and took our drink order. It is a cozy restaurant with open seating, and the noise levels were reasonable. We had an early reservation at 5:30 (that's early to us), and as the night went on and it got busier, we noticed the two servers were a bit overwhelmed. The table next to ours asked rather curtly if one of them would take our order. Our server was trying to keep up, and when I asked her if they were understaffed, she said no. Hmmm. Okay, the food. We started with wdge sald for me and a hpuse special salad for my qife, and they were good. My wife ordered the chicken piccata and a Montepulciano to drink. The chicken was tasty and tender, and the freshly baked bread was the highlight of my meal. I ordered spaghetti aglio with a side of sausage and a side of meatballs, as I was looking for something light, a little spicy, and we both love meatballs. What I got instead was a dish that was overpowered with garlic and basically inedible. I tried four forkfuls, and then had my wife try it to see if I was being overly sensitive. She couldn't eat it either. Same result with one of my daughters the next day, and the other daughter, the garlic queen, said it was good, although it was a lot of garlic for her. Prices were average for C'Ville. Big disappointment for the 23rd! I would not recommend this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Kelsey Slye
Not allergy friendly. Even tho stating my allergies was still served them than when corrected food arrived it still contained the allergen which resulted in my mouth having blisters.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
Jeff Browne
A very nice post-game restaurant. Good pizza and very affordable beer. The ambiance and staff were excellent. I will come again.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
C. Caratozzolo
We enjoyed a delicious meal with friends; we cant wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Trish Schechtman
Always a good meal! ❤️❤️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rosie B
the food here is always top notch! Kalia was one of the best servers we love her
It was my first time coming here. Me and my friend stopped here for dinner on 11/16/2025. We arrived there for dinner around 4:30PM. The service was okay, but that changed after our food arrived. I ordered Chicken Parmesan and a side Cesar salad for my entrée. The marinara sauce tasted like canned tomato sauce, not what I was expecting. The chicken cutlet had the distinct taste of a frozen chicken patty. The goat cheese and artichoke dip was wonderful. Our server could have been more attentive with checking on us, however, it wasn’t a terrible experience. I was expecting a better quality meal, considering I spent over $40 for myself alone.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Lucas Cantu
Great environment, chicken parm filled me up was great too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Geoffrey Voltz
Had my brothers surprise 70th here. Gave us a private dining room. Waitress was attentive and polite. Food was magnificent. Atmosphere was delightful. Prices weren't ridiculous. Mussels and calamari were tasty and parking was plentiful
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, Mussels with White Wine Tomato Brodo, Orecchiette Broccoli Rabe House Fennel Sausage Parma Padano, Fresh Calamari Fritti with Smoked Tomato Aioli
Steve Momper
Server lost my credit card. They looked for quite a while. I was told that I would get a phone call when they found the card. I called the next day and they said they found it. I had to drive 1/2 hour each way to get my card. No apology. They acted like I forgot my card. They did not charge my card for the meal. Noisy dining room made talking difficult. Food was average.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Duane Adams
Great atmosphere, attentive staff. Food was absolutely on point. Veal Marsala and chicken piccata was very good. Would definitely come here again.
The food is awesome, the experience not so much. I don’t really like the service because every time I book inside, they end up placing me outside even though we made the reservation three weeks in advance for indoor seating (and it honestly feels like they prioritize non-college students for inside). It’s always super cold outside -- something about the setup is never warm enough.
I also don’t like that it feels like they don’t care as much when I’m seated outside. They often don’t keep silverware at the table and service takes noticeably longer. I wouldn’t even mind where I sit, but it’s so cold that I have to keep my jacket on the whole time, and the service is just worse when we’re outside.
Additionally, it doesn’t feel fair-- I feel like I’m not being treated the same because we’re younger, even though we’re paying the same price for the food.
I’ve been going for the last few years, and honestly it’s some of the best Italian food in town, but I always leave not fully happy because of the service. The vibe also feels kind of judgy and not very welcoming, especially since my friend and I are younger than most of the people there. I forgot to mention this has happened 3 times over the last school year.
Food: 4
Service: 2
Was so excited to try this place to be so disappointed at the end. Ordered the calamari for most of the plate to be fried pickles. The Marsala was one of the worse Marsala I’ve ever tried. (I’ve never had a single Marsala with red sauce 🤔) I will say tho the server was very nice!
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 4
Excellent food and service. Sweet bartender named Leah makes great drinks 🍸
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pasta Alla Vivace
We eat here 1-2 times a week. Not sure what is happening but we've had 2 bad experiences in a row. Last time our order came out incorrectly. My husband ordered the NY strip without the potatoes or demiglaze to cut out the carbs... neither was done. I requested artichokes added to my dish which also wasn't done.
Tonight our dinner arrived 45 minutes after we had finished our appetizer and salad. The server never asked my husband how he wanted his steak cooked and by the time it had finally arrived, it was way overdone. By this time, it was also too late too eat so we asked for boxes. All the tables around us who had arrived after us, had already eaten. The poor server was left to make excuses and as per usual, not a word from management. This is consistent w vivace when there is a problem....never a peep from management! In most decent restaurants, management speaks to their customers but never a nice word, acknowdgement or inquiry from vivace management and we easily spend $150/visit for a table of 2!
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
I was looking for a place to celebrate my 23rd wedding anniversary, and as we both love Italian food, this seemed to fit the bill. Our introduction to the business was the strange parking, as I drove around the building twice and settled on parking near the street. I walked up the hill to the not entrance, and there was a sign on the not entrance door that said not to park in the spots for the shops or the Sentara lot, as you would be towed. Given there was no parking available in the back of the restaurant, I parked in Sentara and was later told by our server that parking in Sentara was okay. Nothing confusing about that. Perhaps some signage would help. We were quickly seated, and our server came and took our drink order. It is a cozy restaurant with open seating, and the noise levels were reasonable. We had an early reservation at 5:30 (that's early to us), and as the night went on and it got busier, we noticed the two servers were a bit overwhelmed. The table next to ours asked rather curtly if one of them would take our order. Our server was trying to keep up, and when I asked her if they were understaffed, she said no. Hmmm.
Okay, the food. We started with wdge sald for me and a hpuse special salad for my qife, and they were good. My wife ordered the chicken piccata and a Montepulciano to drink. The chicken was tasty and tender, and the freshly baked bread was the highlight of my meal. I ordered spaghetti aglio with a side of sausage and a side of meatballs, as I was looking for something light, a little spicy, and we both love meatballs. What I got instead was a dish that was overpowered with garlic and basically inedible. I tried four forkfuls, and then had my wife try it to see if I was being overly sensitive. She couldn't eat it either. Same result with one of my daughters the next day, and the other daughter, the garlic queen, said it was good, although it was a lot of garlic for her. Prices were average for C'Ville. Big disappointment for the 23rd! I would not recommend this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 5
Not allergy friendly. Even tho stating my allergies was still served them than when corrected food arrived it still contained the allergen which resulted in my mouth having blisters.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 1
Service: 5
A very nice post-game restaurant. Good pizza and very affordable beer. The ambiance and staff were excellent. I will come again.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
We enjoyed a delicious meal with friends; we cant wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Always a good meal! ❤️❤️
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
the food here is always top notch! Kalia was one of the best servers we love her
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
It was my first time coming here. Me and my friend stopped here for dinner on 11/16/2025. We arrived there for dinner around 4:30PM. The service was okay, but that changed after our food arrived. I ordered Chicken Parmesan and a side Cesar salad for my entrée. The marinara sauce tasted like canned tomato sauce, not what I was expecting. The chicken cutlet had the distinct taste of a frozen chicken patty. The goat cheese and artichoke dip was wonderful. Our server could have been more attentive with checking on us, however, it wasn’t a terrible experience. I was expecting a better quality meal, considering I spent over $40 for myself alone.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 2
Great environment, chicken parm filled me up was great too.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Had my brothers surprise 70th here. Gave us a private dining room. Waitress was attentive and polite. Food was magnificent. Atmosphere was delightful. Prices weren't ridiculous. Mussels and calamari were tasty and parking was plentiful
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, Mussels with White Wine Tomato Brodo, Orecchiette Broccoli Rabe House Fennel Sausage Parma Padano, Fresh Calamari Fritti with Smoked Tomato Aioli
Server lost my credit card. They looked for quite a while. I was told that I would get a phone call when they found the card. I called the next day and they said they found it. I had to drive 1/2 hour each way to get my card. No apology. They acted like I forgot my card. They did not charge my card for the meal. Noisy dining room made talking difficult. Food was average.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Great atmosphere, attentive staff. Food was absolutely on point. Veal Marsala and chicken piccata was very good. Would definitely come here again.
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