Viva Bistro & Lounge (Wyomissing, PA)

-2017 update: The service and food quality has really gone downhill since and I will not be returning

“ViVÁ’s unique Euro-Mediterranean cuisine combines the finest French and Italian recipes for a truly delightful and tasteful culinary experience ranging from ViVÁ’s Signature Appetizers and Tapas, Home-Made Soups, Signature Salads, Fresh Fish and Seafood Dishes, Popular Chicken, Beef and Steak Entrees, Comfort Foods, Burgers, Panini and Wrap Sandwiches, and Viva’s Fabulous Home-Made Desserts.”

Another one of my favorite restaurants in my area…the main reason…the Mac ’N Cheese a la ViVÁ (of course!) “Rotini Pasta, Roasted Tomatoes, and Chopped Bacon Baked in a Smoked Mozzarella Cheese Sauce and Topped with Tomato Bruschetta”

Doesn’t that sound delish?! I know it does to me, I just love it! The Mac ‘N Cheese is just so creamy and cheesy. I am normally more of a baked fan, but this is an exception for some reason. I think the bacon and tomatoes just add in the extra needed crunch and flavor to the dish.

Along with the Mac ‘N Cheese dish, we also ordered the Shrimp Firecrackers- “Spicy Batter-Dipped Shrimp with Hot Pepper Aioli” 

I really enjoy the crunch on these, they are not soggy at all! I do not necessarily think they are very spicy though, but when you dip in the Aioli sauce, that is a different story. The sauce tastes wonderful, I just cannot add a lot to my shrimp.

Viva also has a wonderful 3 course dinner for $15.99, which my boyfriend decided to get. He went with the Loaded Baked Potato Skins for his appetizer, a salad, then of course the entree…..

While you only receive two of these, they are a pretty decent size, and actually tasted really good. The main reason (for me), they had a pretty thick layer of cheese on top of them. These also came with a French Onion Dip & Chives spread on them. I was very questionable at first, but it actually turned out to taste amazing!

For the main course…Meat Loaf Wellington with Marsala Mushroom Sauce and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Neither one of use were sure what “Wellington” consisted of, so this was a surprise. Apparently it is meatloaf cooked in bread, different! He ended up mixing everything up, which kind of turned it into shepherds pie, but overall, he said this was a good dish.

Overall, this is one place I am pretty pleased with. The service can be questionable at times, but the food is great! While this is a fancier looking restaurant, the food is actually very reasonably priced.