Vivace Restaurant

Vivace is an Auckland institution! It’s laid back and casual in a city-​centric dirt of way.
The service is attentive, the wine list is excellent and they do a mean pizza!
I enjoyed a vino and shared the chorizo, prawn and caramelised onion pizza with a friend.
A great place to go if you only have a standard hour! s lunch break,

My favourite restaurant in Auckland — great food and awesome service.

The people that work at Vivace are seriously so so nice. Just good tempered, well-​mannered people. We went in with a group of about 25 girls. It was a hens do so we were probably a tad rowdy and not the easiest group to deal with but clearly Vivace live by the mantra ‘patience is a virtue.’ Water and wine were constantly topped up, meals were delivered in quick session, service was with a smile.
As for the food, it’s well-​priced and while it’s no French café, it’s tasty. We shared platters to begin with crumbed ‘shrooms, calamari, meatballs, pâté and a romesco dip. Everything was nice but didn’t blow my socks off, except their pâté — that stuff is addictive.
For my main I had the lamb salad. The lamb was beautifully cooked as was the kumara. I enjoyed the zingy tzatziki dressing but I had a real aversion to pequillo peppers stuffed with feta. I must of missed them on the menu, because I really can’t stand those small sweet peppers and filled with feta — much too 90’s for me!
We didn’t indulge in dessert this time but we did have espresso martinis (of course) and they were up there with some of the best in town.
If you are looking to book a large group dinner with a diverse group of people, I’d definitely recommend looking into Vivace!

Recently while holidaying in Auckland I visited Vivace with a group of friends on a Saturday night. The restaurant inside is grand looking — it’s not like anything I have seen in Perth, it has ornate furnishings with a large fire in the middle and a lot of candle lighting. It did have a very «Interview With A Vampire» feeling about it. I did find it quite dark but this just added to the ambience.
We had a large table and the service on this night was excellent, drink orders were promptly taken and delivered shortly after we arrived. My only gripe was that the beer I ordered wasn’t avaliable but I was quickly shown an alternative.
The menu is extensive — if you can’t find something to your liking on the menu there is something wrong with you. I opted for an entrée of spicy beef & cheese empanadas w parmesan & chilli aioli which came as a generous serving and I questioned whether I would be able to fit a main in. By then I had spotted the list of risottos and chose to order the spicy pork risotto with broccoli and provolone cheese. I chose the entrée size which was more then enough for me having had an entrée — in fact I couldn’t finish it so I would say it was a generous sized entrée.
The food came to the table at roughly the same time and for a large table this was great. I was very happy with my choice, the risotto was really well made, light, cheesy and fluffy. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Great location for groups and there are also private rooms to hire toward the back of the restaurant. There are also plenty of small tables. This restaurant really caters for everyone and I found the pricing to be very reasonable.

We were craving for pizza & pasta and we went to Vivace as we enjoyed our last dining here. We had to send our coke back as it did not have any fizz in it. The waiter was very sorry and we were served with a perfect one immediately. Rigatoni w roast chicken ($ 28) tasted amazing with just extra olive oil for sauce. Simple and delicate. Toasted breadcrumbs were an interesting addition to this pasta which we really enjoyed. However Classic pepparoni ($ 20) was a bit of a disaster. The dough was very dry and hard that we nearly broke our dish while cutting it to pieces. We remembered that we had the same pizza last time when we were here which was a shame. Spaghetti w chilli & lime marinated prawns ($ 28) were gorgeous too. Just the right amount of chilli and prawns were served along with tangy and full flavours. Maybe just stick to pastas?

We were invited to a birthday dinner party here for a friend. I was looking forward to finally dining here having only previously only having drinks at the bar.
PROTIP: there are two large private dining rooms that seat approx 10−12+ each. Plus the sectioned off large table off the main dining room. So its perfect for larger groups… especially for those like our group that like a little privacy for the rambunctious table talk.
We arrived before the birthday boy, so a smaller group of us had drinks at the bar… The cocktails are pretty clever and well balanced. The wine list is comprehensive without being extensive. And the bar service was fast.
Once seated the server took our orders (we ordered a variety of tapas in pairs) and the food came out pretty fast but all at once which was fine, but I found the hot dishes that I didn’t get around to eating first ended up a little colder than I’d liked. The dishes are small and designed to be shared. The menu was well rounded. A few of the group decided to do more traditional mains style and they were not disappointed. The steak and fish looked like very generous servings.
The cake had a $ 25 cakeage fee, while that’s common it was on the pricier side. But we did have the private room without an additional fee so it sort of worked out.
The table side service was excellent and attentive without being disruptive which it can be with so many people. I really enjoyed the ambiance and décor. With high ceilings and polished concrete floors and the open fire and big black wrought iron gates to the private room you forget this spacious warm place is located in the heart of the inner city.
All up the bill was VERY reasonable, I’d say cheap even! but instead of doing a split we ended up working it out on what people ordered. Which took more brain energy than I had left. lol. The staff was very patient and accommodating while we dithered about.
I highly recommend this place for pre-​movie or pre-​theatre. It’s a short walk to the Civic or the Aotea and Imax and perfect for relaxing and getting some really good food and drink fast. It feels impressive because the road frontage is just stairs with some curtains so it feels like you’re in the know of something special… which this is.

I have been to Vivace many times over 10+ years, including twice in the last week and the food has consistently been of an above average (but not exceptional) quality, the service friendly although super slow last night. They were however very apologetic about the slow service and proactively brought some complementary breads. Good value for money in the central city.

I went to Vivace on a casual date with three friends one afternoon just to catch up and have a glass or two of wine. Upon our arrival we were greeted warmly and taken upstairs. I was eyeing out the lunch specials menu because it was cheap and cheerful! Plus being a student this was absolutely perfect.
When I ordered the chicken schnitzel and chips, I was expecting a small amount of food, I was expecting a small kids meal looking type of serving but to my surprise it wasn’t. Mind you this was an awesome surprise, the serving was large and they had even included a salad to the plate!

If your looking for finer than a pub feed but not quite fine-​dining then check out High Street’s Vivace. From fish of the day to slow cooked lamb shanks served up on seasonal vegetables and flavorsome sauces the menu offers plenty of variety that should please most.
Great for a business lunch or a romantic date night, the staff are attentive and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming.
There are two semi-​partitioned rooms that are available for larger groups and small functions, ideal for birthdays or work events.
Half of Vivace is dedicated to a bar with a satisfactory range of beers, wines, spirits and cocktails. Bar menu consists of tapas, fancy fries and pizzas.
Don’t come here if you’re on a limited budget, meals are around $ 30 and the bar menu is not cheap. Drinks prices are about the going rate for the central city.