Vivande Porta Via--CLOSED

I am addicted to their hazelnut torte cake thing, which is the only reason for the 2 stars. Otherwise, it would be a 1 star simply because they offer the absolute worse customer service in existence. more

My wife and I went to Vivande for a nice dinner out. What we found was terribly overpriced food. In fairness their pasta was extremely fresh, but our meal was very bland. I ordered the Canneloni which was really tastless. My wife had the Beggar's Purse which she really liked. We had appetizers of sun dried tomatoes stuffed with Pecorino (terrible) and the endive salad (ok, but not worth the price). For dessert we ordered the ""famous earthquake cake."" The earthquake cake, does not justify the name. The serving size is tiny. It is shaped like a triangle with the wide end being 1.2"" and the length being about the same. I know in America we eat too much, but the piece of cake was tiny. It was served on a glass plate with a tablespoon of whipped cream. Worse yet the cake cost $8. It was not a great cake. It tasted more like a brownie and for $1.50 you can go down the street to Peet's Coffee, order one of their brownies which is twice as large, and have a really good chocolate dessert. Pros: fresh pasta Cons: terrible service, terribly bland food, bad dessert, slowest dinner of my life more

We dined on a Sunday night. We tried the pork chop, the risotto, and one of the fettuccine dishes. All verged on perfection. We loved the food and in contrast to other comments on the service, ours was very helpful with wine and food recommendations and overall friendliness. A great evening! more

I went on a saturday night, it was crowded, but only took about 5 mins to get seated, I had the Pappardelle con Ragu d Agnello, housemade wide pasta with a heavenly sauce of lamb and some veggies.....OH MY goodness!!! Outstanding. Had a beauriful Aglianico that was suggested by the nicest waiter, it was perfect. Now on to the Desserts, you got to try the hazelnut Merinque cake, so good youll want another piece. All in All my Experience was pretty Flawless, even though it was busier than a line at the D.M.V. YOU have to go and get true southern Italian fare, unless you want to shell out and fly to Sicily!!!!!! Pros: Food-Service-Atmosphere Cons: maybe some jazz on the music system more

We had lunch at Vivande. The service was good and food was fine but nothing that would make us rush back for another try. Pros: Prompt Service, Fresh Pasta Cons: Just Ordinary more

I came into the restaurant on a busy Saturday night and was hit first by an hour wait and the wine bar was full. Not a great start but i had heard great things about Vavande. The man who greeted us was exceptionally kind and offered to take our cell phone number so that he could call us when ous table was ready. How awesome is that? And lo and behold when the hour was up we were at a bar down the street and the man, Taylor was his name, he called us and we sat and had the most delicious pasta i've ever eaten. The price doesnt necessarily reflect the rustic ambience but the food most certainly is worth it. The service was delightful! Thanks Taylor, see you next time ! Pros: Service, Food more

i agree with gtak. the quality of the food is good. the risotto is definitely a stand out. but it is not worth suffering through the bad service. i have dined there three times. each time i have experienced rude service. it is a shame the kitchen has to suffer loss of patronage due to the waitstaff. because i am never going back. more

A gem that is open all the time so you can eat when you want. Interesting and very reasonable wine list. Charming, relaxed atmosphere and always fresh and delish food. The wine bar is a great addition. Pros: friendly, great food, great wine more

Food's very good, but... We split an appetizer salad and were charged an extra $3 for the split because the server gave us an extra (empty) plate. When questioned about the charge, she checked with her manager who told her to tell us that we should have read about the extra charge for splitting on the menu. We did read this on the menu but it was on the entree page. I doubt anybody else was paying for the splitting of an appetizer. We would not have minded if the salad was served on 2 plates, but all they did was give us an extra empty plate. On another visit, service turned really cold when we didn't order wine. We have kept coming back because the food's so good but no more. more

Hidden amoung the bustling Fillmore district, you could easily walk right by it...but that would be your loss. I was with a party of 4 on a busy Saturday night and after reading other reviews, decided to find this restaurant and give it a try. Immediatly upon entering, you are greeted kindly and promptly seated. We were given a great seat in the back of the restaurant where we could enjoy great conversation. Our server was excellent and knew the menu and recommendations were spot on. The food came out quick and everything from the minestrone soup to the Ragu Bolognese was superb. But you better save room for dessert, because the handmade pastries and cakes are as excellent as the entrees! You will definitely not be disappointed...mange! Pros: Great service, good prices, good atmosphere Cons: Small place more

I had heard spectacular reviews about how italianissima its food was, and after having lived in Italy for a while, I was somewhat dissapointed. An applaud for their impromptu menus accomodating to the available fresh ingredients, but I did not find the food delicious, specially for the prizes being charged. The atmosphere is charming, specially for a weekend lunch, but nothing to rave about... Pros: atmosphere, deli area Cons: overprized more

Perhaps ""niner1984"" is more used to eating Italian food at suburban joints like Olive Garden - that would explain their thoughts on Vivande. Vivande is now, and has always been, the most authentic casual Italian restaurant in San Francisco - it is a jewel on the local dining map, and we are lucky to have it! In fact , I think I'll go today and enjoy one of my favorites, the pesto linguine with oysters - yummie!! Pros: food, food, food more

Isn't it too bad that the authentic regional Italian food was so disliked by niners1984. I've regularly dined and shopped at this tiny little jewel of a restaurant for years. I have brought many of my Italian friends and relatives who have all agreed that Vivande's food is as true and honest as it gets. I think niners1984 either must have been eating at a different restaurant all together or is completely confused, because I happen to know that Vivande uses imported arborio rice for their risotto, because I have talked with them at length about this and happily buy my arborio rice from them to stock my own pantry. Erroneous comments are insulting. Pros: great food, helpful staff more