Vivace

5 of 5 stars (excellent, fine dining). (see explanation of ratings below) Always one of our favorite... more

Great wine bar!!!!! more

I've been to Vivace's a couple times, and both times it was horrible. Poor service, over priced food that takes forever to arrive, and when it does its a disappointment and is cold. I don't know why I've herd good things about this place. It's a waste of hard earned money for sure. more

We went to Vivace last night for my birthday. I was in the mood for pizza. I said it tasted like frozen pizza, the crust was really tough. My husband tried it and said it was like cardboard. Appetizers were great, salad was good, his veal entre was very good. But the pizza has really gone downhill.\r more

Came here on a date and was pleased with just about everything. She really enjoyed the wine selection and I enjoyed the entree choices. Try the apps! more

A friend and I meet there for a Mom's Night Out...at first we'd just get drinks/wine. (good wine list by the way) Then one night we got dinner and I was VERY impressed. Yummy. I highly recommend Vivace. The whole North Hills 'thing' is really coming together nicely, and one could easily stroll around that area afterward. more

I went for lunch there on Tuesday while shopping at North Hills. I can not say enough good about the food , wine and service. We sat at the bar with Kelly who was just so nice, helpful and friendly. What a pleasant atmosphere and I will definitely come back! more

I've been to Vivace more times than I can remember over the past couple of years (only for dinner, though). If my girlfriends are getting together we hardly question where to make the reservation because Vivace is the favorite for all of us, hands down. Their wine selection is perfect (I've taken more than one picture of the bottle with my phone for a later purchase) and I've never been disappointed with their food. In fact, I'm going there tonight and cannot wait ... Pros: Food!, Service, Ambiance Cons: Nada more

My fiance and I dine at Vivace 3 or 4 times a month--esp when it is nice outside--the outdoor/patio seating is the best in the triangle! You must try their pizza, four cheese ravioli and seasonal salads just to name a few! The wine selection is also fantastic! Vivace is the perfect location for a romantic dinner, and also has a fun late night crowd if you're looking to party. The service is always the best in town--I have never had a bad experience there. The same company also owns Coquette which is located in the same shopping center. I highly recommend Coquette as well!! Pros: Staff, location, food, environment, good prices Cons: Sometimes parking more

Although nice enough, the staff was about as helpful as a blank dictionary, and offered zero enthusiasm or personality. The bread was dry, and there instead of olive oil, they brought out a little bowl of white paste that very closely resembled bird droppings. The menu itself was unauthentic, unexciting and surprisingly limited. I had the salmon which was served over a cold mess of cucumbers and tomatoes- disgusting combination- and cold- really? My companion had the risotto, which last time I checked, isn't supposed to be crunchy... Basically, if you're looking for an enjoyable meal, either stay home or go somewhere else. The only place worse is their sister restaurant Coquette. Pros: When the check came Cons: Where should I start more

To save time, here is the email I sent to the contact person. Read on.....\r \r Subject: My 1st Experience at Vivace was today and....\r \r It was pretty bad. My friend and I met at Vivace at 1:00 PM today for lunch. We were both surprised that there was only a brunch menu and not a lunch menu available at 1:00? We both went online prior to arriving and didn't see anywhere that stated only a brunch menu would be available? But given that it was Sunday, we just said ""oh well"". The waitress did inform us that the chef might make us meals from the lunch menu if those food items were available, which they were today. While we waited for our meals, we were joined by a 3rd guest; a gnat, which constantly flew around our little table. This annoyed me. Lunch finally arrived and we were both shocked at the portions. Both the swordfish and salmon seemed to suffer from malnutrition. But we pressed on and talked ourselves into believing that since we were both watching our weight, the portions served at Vivace would help us achieve our weight loss goal in the long term. The gnat agreed. While eating lunch, the gnat sent a text on his blackberry asking a friend to join us and soon there was a fly trying to sample my salmon, but I wouldn't let him. There just simply wasn't enough to share. We decided to skip desert and go on with the rest of our day.\r \r We both had heard such great things about your restaurant and one of my co-workers raved about Vivace. He also talked about how good the wine was so now I have to wonder if he was completely zooted to suggest this restaurant to me? My friend and I both were terribly disappointed.\r \r Needless to say we will never return..... Pros: Good Location, Easy Access Cons: Need magnifying lense to see portions. more

Menu has remained the same for quite a while and dining room can be hot. Food is fantastic. Wish there was more variety. Pros: some healthy, delicious choices Cons: menu is stagnant more

How can you tell whether the food is good or bad in an atmosphere like that? I had an appetizer and a glass of wine. Left without dinner because of the racket. Cons: loud, loud, loud more

We ate at Vivace for my husband's birthday. Our server was wonderful. She was so kind when my husband spilled his Sangria. She gave us another one right away. We all loved our food and we were seated quickly. Pros: great service and food more

This is by far, one of the best restaurants in Raleigh, and definitely the best Italian restaurant in Raleigh.\r My wife and I went there based on buzz and rabid recommendations. Usually, when you have high hopes for a restaurant, especially Italian, those hopes can be easily dashed. Not the case. The Ox Tail as an appetizer was perfect. Right resistance to the teeth, and an unbelievably colourful taste. Extraordinary. The waiters knowledge of wine was impressive. The information was obviously learned very recently, but learned very well. He brought a spicy Greek red that was so perfect that I had him give me the name so I could hunt it down later. The Risotto was perfect. Perfect resistance, perfect seasoning....Perfect. The steak was so good, I wanted to meet the cow. The house coffee and tiramisu followed suit.\r Now, to the detractors. \r -You think the total of your bill= the level of service you received? Seriously? That is all in your head.\r -You didn't make a reservation, and you were upset that they were busy, and let that colour your whole visit? Come on!\r -Being a server for 4 years, and a ""cook"" and sous chef for 6 is painfully mediocre. Easy on the Grappa. \r -You are not comparing Italian Italian cuisine to American Italian cuisine, are you? Really? Come on! And saying that the good reviews are written by friends of the owner? THAT is a little ""clunky""!\r -You experienced timing issues with your courses, the manager caught the problem and comp'd you dessert, and you still won't come back. Very reasonable...\r -""Food was good, but not great"". Please, not so much information at once!\r And to all, a great restaurant is going to be busy, crowded, and noisy! This is not a bad thing. If you want quiet, the museums have restaurants. And you won't need a reservation.\r \r Pros: Amazing kitchen, great service, great patio Cons: Not a good place to go if like to whine about issues. more

I am not certain what restaurant the previous reviewer was talking about but it certainly couldn't have been Vivace. I have been a frequent customer for 2 years and the reasons I keep coming back time and again is the great food and service. I definitely can dispute the assertion that Vivace doesn't give great service unless you buy an expensive wine or have a large party. I usually come in alone and my bill is usually anywhere from $10-$20. That is the reason why I continued to come back. No one has ever made me feel unwelcome because I just come in alone or don't buy the expensive wine. The other reason is the fantastic food. The dishes they come up with are amazing! I would recommend Vivace to anyone! more

While the food was fairly above-average, Vivace's service is what left a bad taste in my mouth. Our waitress was slow and rarely available, leaving us to wait sometimes 15-20 minutes before she brought our drinks or took our order. I wonder, though, if we'd had a $150 bottle of wine on our table if we would have been treated any differently. Those around us who were drinking wine or who were with larger parties were visited often while my party of two seemed only to be a bother. \r \r I wouldn't recommend this place for a romantic evening and definitely not for a first date; it's loud and feels very cramped. However, I would recommend this place for a group of people who want to go to a fairly trendy place where fine wine, good food, and time with friends are more important than quality service. Pros: Food Cons: Service, Atmosphere more

this is my favorite place to grab a glass of wine with friends. staff is friendly & service is great! more

I have to say that Vivace offers the best outdoor dining in Raleigh and Thursday nights are a must. Great service, fantastic atmosphere, and the food was phenomenal! All of the staff is friendly and the drinks are amazing. I have recommended this restaurant to all of my friends. Pros: Service Cons: Parking more

I went with 2 girlfriends on a Wednesday night. I was surprised to find out we should have made reservations. Who makes reservations for a Wednesday night? We ended up getting lucky and were seated outside. It was a great night for outside dining. We ordered the red sangria. Very good but not the drink to have outside. It attracted too many flies. We ordered the four cheese pizza with carmalized onions and portobello mushrooms. It was delicious, though the crust was difficult to cut. I ordered the risotti with corn, shrimp, and arugula. I was extremely disappointed in this dish. The risotti was not cooked enough and the dish was bland. It needed salt and pepper. Vivace does have a very extensive wine list, if that is what you are looking for. Everyone at the tables around us did seem to enjoy their wine selections. more