Caffe Vivaldi

Came here for a late night drink with a friend.
Pros: very generous pours for wine, cool ambiance, and live music. Open late.
Cons: cheese plate was underwhelming; didn’t particularly like any of the cheeses and it was just some large, thick slabs of cheese rather than the nice, small slices that fit perfectly on crackers or bread. Not a great wine list either, but the generous pours made up for it.

I’ll start with the not-​so-​pros to get them out of the way: The food is solidly average and very much on the pricey side ($ 7 for a pot of tea?). Service got better as the night wore on, but it was nothing to write home about.
Now for the pros: Come for the live music! I was here for a pal’s show. This is a wonderfully intimate little space — he was preceded by a jazz trio who sounded absolutely fantastic, and his piano-​vocal set sounded great as well.
Woohoo music :)

Very nice place with live music. Food is delicious, great beer selection and huge variety of drinks. The staff is very friendly. We were looking for a place that is not super crowded and noisy. And this place was perfect. It had 1920s vibe that we loved. Will be back again.

Super fun place. Small and intimate. Good acoustic music. I just had desert and drinks but the walnut apple pie was delicious. Cash only but they have an ATM.

Man, it pains me to give this place a bad review because the West Village, and New York in general, needs places like this. Places that have been around for a bit, that have some roots, and that are comfortable for locals and tourists alike. And this place also has live music every night (and no cover, at least on the night that we were there). So, all of that is great. But…
The sticker shock when we got the bill was pretty disappointing. We, two people, were just looking for some dessert and drinks/​coffee and that ended up costing us $ 50. The most egregious charge was $ 4 for some soda water that I wanted on the side of my espresso. I just assumed that it would be free! It’s a European-​ish place so I didn’t think they’d be making much of a fuss about some carbonation in the water they served me with my espresso. But they sure did! They charged me $ 4 for it!
So, unfortunately, we likely won’t ever be going back. The chocolate mousse was eh and the tiramisu was not good. A waste of money, really. The espresso was also unimpressive. Just not great food and drinks all around.
For $ 30 – 40 we would have left happy (and maybe given the band a few more dollars). But $ 50 left us feeling a bit burned. $ 4 water?! They ripped us off so we won’t be going back.

Solid spot for a relaxing night out. My friend and I had dinner around the West Village and wanted to just chill and listen to jazz. We stumbled upon this place instead. The atmosphere was quite cozy for a cool crisp October night. The place was small but intimate. Everyone was just focused on the music that’s being poured of the musicians’ souls. A glass of white wine, great music, and company made it a night to remember. I’m definitely coming back here again!

It’s great that they have live music all the time. And it’s an intimate spot. The food, however, left much to be desired; all four of our brunches were weird. Both friends who ordered eggs Benedict lacked hollandaise sauce and the English muffins weren’t toasted. My omelet was quite strange too. But the waitress was sweet and kept our bottomless mimosas flowing!

Jazz was funky, appetizers and coffees make a great atmosphere. There were first dates galore and clear regulars. A fun, late night entertainment idea!

Cozy and intimate place. Girlfriend and I came for the music and dessert. The Frutti do Bosco was really yummy, a good balance of flavors. The Apple pie was too sweet for my tastes. Only real complaint is that music was advertised to be from 7 to 9, and 9 to 11. Got here at 8 and first one was wrapping up, and had to wait until 9. Not a big deal though :)

I had an incredible experience here overall. I came on open mic night with a few of my friends. I was disappointed that they didn’t have a full bar. I wanted a sex on the beach but the best they could offer me was a watered down version of a screwdriver. This is why I will not give 5 stars. Also there wasn’t much space for seating and the floors were in desperate need of sweeping. However the performances were amazing. One woman flew in all the way from Japan that very day to perform. The others were good as well but she really took the spotlight of the night.

Same intimate place to meet friends and see a show. However, service is soooo slow. They only have one waitress working during the evening and it takes forever to get served. Once you do put your order in, it take forever for your food and drink to come which is disappointing. Come only if you don’t mind the wait.

Food was not bad and the waitress was nice. The jazz music was good tho the vocals that came with it was not so good =\

Musicians are great. Food is OK. Drinks are expensive. Service… um.
I came here with my boyfriend for dinner and to listen to the live music. We walked in, and among the many open tables was one in the back corner which was perfect because we could sit in a way that we could both eat and face the musicians. We sat down, and the waitress immediately said that we needed to move because this was a table that could sit three people, and there were only two of us. Okaaaay. It’s not like there was anybody waiting for a table, and why couldn’t three people sit elsewhere? But we weren’t going to cause a fuss. She moved us to a table that was less than ideal because it left one of us sitting with back to the performers — not really what we wanted to do. It felt rude to not be facing them, but how else can you eat? And I couldn’t help but notice that this new (wobbly) table could have fit three people if you turned around one chair. I really didn’t understand why we couldn’t have just stayed put.
Then, fifteen minutes later, in walks another couple. Two people. They sit down at that nice empty table-​for-​three from which we’d just been booted. Waitress ASKS THEM if they would LIKE to move to another table. When they say no, they’d like to sit there, it’s no big deal, and she lets them stay. Funny how she was so quick to tell my boyfriend and I that we NEEDED to move, but this other couple were allowed to stay, no problem.
After we finished eating and drinking, we asked for water (which they had never brought to us during dinner), and when it FINALLY arrived, it was in the tiniest glasses I’ve ever seen. This wouldn’t have been a problem except for the fact that the room was hot and stuffy.
By that point it was getting late, and I didn’t want to be up all night, so I tried to order a decaf. They were out of decaffeinated coffee. That’s odd.
It’s unpleasant to go out, spend money, and be treated like you’re a nuisance that needs to be pushed aside. Felt so awkward that I just couldn’t enjoy myself.

I had one of THE best cappuccinos I have ever had in my life there last night. I mean friggin’ memorable cappuccino. How does someone accomplish that? I don’t know but dang it, I want everyone to know they got it and a fire place… with fire in it.
Now this would be a nice first date place. Did not stay for the live music but whatevs. I’m about the caffeine and dessert after dinner anyways. :)

Quaint atmosphere.
[lit candles everywhere, small lining the small space, rounded well-​lit bar.]
Delicious cocktails.
[I got a Cosmo ($ 10) — seemed to fit the space.]
Friendly Waitress.
[I felt a little bad for her since she was the only one working — both the small bar and taking orders from the tables. Perhaps they didn’t expect a huge crowd on a Sunday night, but there was definitely enough patrons to warrant a second hand.]
Live Music.
[You can check out whose playing by visiting their website. A friend of mine was touring through NYC and had his gig here. Great sound in this small venue.]
All in all, this place has the ultimate ‘village’ feel. I’ll be coming back and trying something from the kitchen.

If you look at this as a live music venue that has café, food, and bar offerings, you’ll find it’s one of the best atmospheres in the village for acoustic and nearly acoustic acts that range from singer-​songwriter to modern chamber and classical music. If you look at it purely as a café that happens to offer live music in the evenings, you’re missing it’s greatest asset.
On a Saturday evening at 9:15pm, we arrived in time to get a spot for our friends performing at 9:30pm. The place seemed packed, but after looking a little longer from outside the window, there were still some easy to find seats. We could have walked in mid-​song, but as trained musicians, it’s habit for us to wait for clapping between songs to enter the room. We grabbed seats that were unoccupied, but had some cups and a partial wine glass in front of them– perhaps not yet removed from the previous visitors. There’s really no place to hide here– so if a seat is open, it’s free to sit in. I’d say the room holds 40 people at most– so it’s very intimate and many of the people in the room had a relationship with the band performing– so some back and forth with the audience was involved as well.
After a song or so, the only server in the room came over and gave us a menu to browse and asked us if we knew what we wanted. We took another song or two to browse the menu before she returned. I went for the Brandy Apple Cider ($ 8) and the husband went for an Affogatto. Drink prep and service took a little while– because she was making the drinks and the rounds for everyone in the room– but I liked the relaxed pace and not feeling rushed or forced on drinks. One guy ordered a bottle of champagne to share with his friends, which is a great idea if you bring a group of people who may want lots of drink refills at different times.
The sound is controlled by the musicians and the speakers in the room are as much their monitors as they are amplification for the audience. Because the room is small– the music rarely ever gets so loud that a conversation can’t be heard– which also means that a loud conversation next to you may occasionally feel disruptive to the music– however it rarely lasts too long before everyone is fully immersed in the music again. When the music is playing– most people are all-​in with their attention on the music, and conversation happening in-​between songs or sets.
A tip jar was passed for the musicians– all of it goes directly to them rather than the venue taking a cut of a cover charge. I sincerely appreciated the fact that there wasn’t a cover charge and cocktails were under $ 10– unlike some other establishments in the area. The set we came for lasted 1.5 hours, which seemed to fly by in no time.
If what you want is a chill and intimate place to relax and hear some great music– this is one of the best I’ve experienced in the village.

This is one of my favorite places to go to in New York with a good friend when I just want to relax, enjoy some great music and sip on something comforting.
Their cappuccino is always good and the warm cider and rum tea are my favorite, paired with the apple walnut pie — beyond comforting especially during the winter when their fireplace is lit up. And the music line up is always great, I’ve been to this place at least two dozen times in the past four years and the music has never disappointed.
I will say though that I’m not a fan of the entrees on their menu, I’ve had dinner here twice and the food was OK. Not bad, but nothing to write home about so my advice would be to stick to appetizers, dessert or drinks here.

Caffe Vivaldi is a quaint little spot in the city where you’ll have an opportunity to see various performances. I personally came here for a poetry reading by women inspired by Audrey Hepburn.
The first thing you’ll notice about the place is how very small it is. They really can’t cram that many tables/​chairs in here. The worst thing about the small space — the bathroom. I could barely move into and then close the door in the men’s bathroom. It took some maneuvering on my part to accomplish this simple task. I’d say that if you weigh more than 170, you’re def not going to fit in that bathroom.
The décor in the place is lovely. The east wall has a grid of black and white pictures of great men throughout history and the rest of the places makes you feel like you’ve walked into a French café in a movie.
Prices here were surprisingly reasonable and the Manhattan I drank was ok. Not the best I ever had, but not the worst. They have a good selection of beers as well, including all three chimays.
This is the type of place I’d like to go to on an off hour, but would stay away from at peak.

Juste Top. Un endroit chaleureux, super musique, serveuses sympas et aux petits soins. Les gâteaux sont à tomber

Two musicians walking through the village looking for a place to chat. Well, of course, Caffe Vivaldi catches our nerd eye. Better yet, there’s live jazz music. World’s collide and we enter, looking forward to the evening.
Caffe Vivaldi has a great ambiance to it, a wonderful selection of wines and small plates, and excellent service. We stayed well into the evening just chatting, enjoying each other’s company as well as the café around us.
I’d definitely recommend stopping in here one night. Tucked away from the rowdy Bleeker St crowds, this is a gentle spot — great for friends, for dates, and perhaps even an evening out with yourself.

I can’t believe that a place like this exists in the village. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find FREE music, cheap drinks, and almost more importantly, NICE bartenders below 14^th street?
Came in to see a friends show and sat at the bar. I was a little worried about ordering just a coffee (albeit on a Sunday afternoon) but I went for it. I wasn’t hassled to get any drinks and I was only charged $ 2 in the end. I hadn’t really talked to the bartender but the people I was with were exchanging some light conversation. They bought a bunch of drinks (mostly shots) but I didn’t have anything. After the set, the bartender buys me a shot AND 3 other shots for my friends. How is this even possible? When was the last time this happened to someone who was a complete stranger to the bartender? I looked like crap, I was barely talking, and I STILL managed to receive amazing and uncharacteristic hospitality in the city.
Unbelievably impressed by this place and I hope that my friends shows bring me back here in the future. Please check this place out and tip the bartender well!