Vivio’s Food & Spirits

«VOTED BEST: 2014 BLOODY MARY»
What the hell? By who?!
Hey, Vivio’s. Just because you put a bunch of stuff on your Bloody Mary, it doesn’t make it good. Oh, cool a $ 15 drink with some garbage bacon on it. That’s real neat. They poured the Bloody Mary out of a soda gun. I know that they probably have «their mix» in the back, but it still tasted like I ate a cardboard and tomato sandwich. Oh, pickle infused vodka? You mean you watered your vodka down with pickle juice.
The service was like walking into some place and when you get in there everyone hates you. It was almost like a record skipped when I walked in.
I didn’t like it here.

I’ve come here numerous times. The chicken fillets used to be ok, but they recently switched to an apparently cheaper, preprocessed, frozen brand that is flavorless and gelatinous (the originals were also frozen, but better quality.
Not a lot of consistency with the kitchen staff. Sometimes acceptable, other times significantly substandard.
Their dill pickles are probably the most bland, flavorless I have ever had. Their club sandwich is pretty good, but the nachos are hit-​and-​miss (depending on who prepared them). They have started making their own chips which are pretty good. Burgers are usually good, but sometimes you get a super greasy one.
Guinness should not allow them to serve their beer, as they regularly (and mistakenly) connect it to straight CO2 gas, and I’ve had it served to me in a small tulip pilsner glass.
Wait staff is generally quite good, but the management needs much improvement. This could be a potentially great place, but they lack the vision to make it so.

If I could rate this place 0 stars I would. We made a reservation at 8:45 and they said it would be about an hour for the table. This seemed a bit long but we had some shopping to do so we put our name in and went about our business. After an hour we walked back to check on the status of our table and we were told that there was one table in front of us. We waited another 20 minutes and they told us that there were 2 tables in front… I’m not really sure how that is possible. At this point we figured we had too much time invested so we decided to stay the course but then they informed us that they were no longer serving food so they could switch over for the lunch menu. Once this happened we left.
We did receive a text that our table was ready after we already received our food at American Coney Island.

We went here on a less than busy day in November. The food and service were as good as when we were in here on a busy Saturday in May – we just did not have as long to wait to get in.
We started with the beef barley soup — hardy and delicious (good for a cool afternoon in Detroit). I then had the lobster BLT and it was like getting a lobster roll in Maine. My wife had the salmon burger and it was like having salmon in Vancouver. We will go back in April — maybe sooner.

Wow, All I can say is what a Bloody Mary (the Big D) Stuffed olives, cheese, bacon, sausage. jerky, asparagus and pickled egg, a meal and drink all-​in-​one. I feel like I cheated myself all the times, I walked by and never went in. I definitely, will never walk by it again without stopping… I cant wait to explore the menu more and the service was supreme, thanks to Michele for a wonderful dinning experience.

How is anyone rating this place with fewer than 4 stars? I’ve never had a bad experience here. Mussels and blodys are top notch.

Life can be fair. I know. Sometimes I am the one who gives my shirt off my back to help someone shirtless, and sometimes if I find myself without a shirt, I can find someone in Detroit willing to share their shirt with me. Let this review be my shirt. Please let it help you if you find yourself cold and hungry after a Tigers game or Red Wings game! (The Detroit Lions don’t count as a team.)
Vivios is good. It’s the type of food that you can sit down and find something worthy to munch on while you watch your Sunday afternoon drift by. The burgers are unique enough, I recommend the spiced asparagus Wolverine Burger, and the drinks are strong enough to make me say good things about them in my next Unilocal review. It’s not half bad by the end of the day. A person will walk away full. The staff was friendly, the plates are clean, and the location is convenient.
Vivios just do me a favor, or let me say «flavor» and give yourself a kick in the ass and step up the game. Realize that your located in Detroit! It’s pretty much the food capital in the Midwest. Sure, Chicago has its pizza, New York has its Italian, but where there is a socket there is no lightbulb. There is no spark in this place. It’s just a stuffy little restaurant that still uses some type of «frozen» or ill prepared French fries instead of a signature potato that could set apart the competition. Putting delicious picked and spiced asparagus on a burger may be «hip,» but you still need to season the burger to give it that final touch that makes the patron who’s eating it, separate it from the good and bad and put it on their «I will show my friends this place when they come to town» radar.
Chicken tenders are not hard to make. It’s not hard to batter them in-​house and send them out with a glimmer of passion that shows some life. If the establishment is surrounded by one of the last markets around, give it a reason to stay alive. Detroit is a place of survival. Be prepared for the storm and make the changes to hold off the waves headed this way.
All in all, Vivios is a bar. A good one. Not a great one. They have food. They have a few good toppings. They put «funny» signs up on the walls to make you feel at home. They snuggle you away from Detroit and make you feel safe by blocking the beautiful city around them. They can make Bloody Mary’s. It’s just a tourist trap by the end of the day that newcomers and tourists think is good place because a shuttle will take them from the games to the beer. As a customer, grow a pair, and venture into Detroit and the culinary masterpieces that can take you down some strange ally’s, even if you don’t come out alive.

Best hangover remedy right here. Bloody Marys are always killer here. Soup is consistently on point and their mussels are to die for. I really like the atmosphere and the vibe of the whole place. Bartenders are very friendly and service is amazing. I hate I didn’t check this place out sooner.
R.I.P. Willis

The Jamaican jerk mussels are off the hook, and bloody Mary’s are excellent. Great host too. With a shuttle to the games, gtfooh

THE best hamburger I have ever eaten.
Amazingly amazing!
A really nice server with a smile.

Oh wow! I don’t have to give them any stars, o.k.
This could possibly be the worst restaurant in Detroit. I had the fish and chips, my wife had the corned beef, both were terrible!!! Add to that, calamari that was awful and chili and split pea soup that was mediocre. The martinis were good but the olives were terrible, taste like salty sponges.
This! Is! DETROOOOITTTT!!! How is the corned beef sandwich garbage!!! The fish taste like your mouth tastes when you wake up hungover after a long night of drinking. This place was soooo badddd!!! I mean awful!!! It’s located in the heart of Detroit’s iconic Eastern Market, but the quality of everything was terrible.
Only go here to drink. Please I beg of you!!! I hear the bloody Mary’s are great but I dont drink bloody Mary’s. I do drink Martinis and they get a B+. I don’t have much good to say about this place.
They made me give them one star to post.

First time here yesterday morning after Eastern Market. I’ve heard so many people recommending this place to others, I’m glad I got a chance to see it myself.
The wait: over 45 minutes for party of 4
Food: I split the Chicken Detroiter with my boyfriend, was a very good sandwich but nothing to be amazed by. Both ordered the Two Gun bloody marry, it was very tasty & I would come back to enjoy another.

This place kinda feels like Cheers the show, not Cheers the cheesy Boston tourist trap. I’m not usually one for mussels or a Bloody Mary, but the staff here can talk you into both before you know it!

Our son recommended this place so we gave it a try before a Tigers game. The Bloody Mary’s are top notch and they offer 4 – 5 different varieties.
I had the standard Bloody and it was great. Fair price at $ 7.00
You cannot go wrong if you like a good Bloody Mary.
Our server was very efficient as well as helpful in helping us decide what to order.
TIP: if you’re planning on going here before an Tiger or Lions game, plan to arrive when they open as it will fill up fast.

This restaurant is like a semi-​hidden gem. Our family is critical when it comes to food – as in no fast food burgers or take out pizza. Only the good stuff. Vivio’s definitely offers «the goods». They take bar food to a whole new level of flavor and options. I typically go for a salad, and they are to die for. My mom tells me the Blooody Marys are killer. I’ve had the Philly Cheesesteak and it is hands down my favorite. The tuna salad is literally this delectable mound of tuna salad atop leafy greens. We usually come with empty bellies, leave full from lunch, and don’t even think about a dinner. The food is good old filling dishes, but not to the point of feeling gross and bloated.

We came here for lunch when shopping at the eastern market. So unfortunately, we could not sample their world famous bloody mary’s. They looked quite good along with their other drinks, I would like to try and come back for dinner or a game. We ordered the fish and chips, which were good, and I liked their homemade kettle chips, I like the pepper flavor they add. I ordered the lobster melt which was not a melt at all, it was cold. The lobster which is really languistino’s are marinated in some sort of lemon and onion ceviche type sauce. The bacon was really good, I just would have preferred this to be hot, like the name suggest «melt.» I would like to come back and try their mussels, but, I would not order the lobster melt again.

Visited during Flower Day and it was crazy busy. Food and service were okay.

This place isn’t that great. The bloody Mary’s are okay, not the best and also the buffalo burger… It was kinda nasty. Way overpriced. Was more cooked in some parts, dry then bloody n the lettuce was that kind that looks like cartoon lettuce. The bun was nasty, it’s just regular bar food at high prices. Not that cool of a place.

An Eastern Market staple and a must if you’re a bloody mary fan!
Walking inside it may not be what you expect. It has a classic old feel when you step inside. I would say possibly 1980’s era watering hole-​ish.
A friend and I dined there on a Saturday early afternoon after hitting up the market for produce. There was a slight wait, but they have the electronic system that will text your phone number when your table is ready. They originally told us we had 20 minutes so we walked back to my place to drop off our groceries. It ended up being a much shorter wait and we were not around when they had texted us our table was ready. We responded back we will be there in 5 minutes. We had expected our table would be gone and we would have to put our name in again, but they had actually saved our table for us, which was great!
I of course ordered a bloody mary, the BLT BM, and it was fabulous. I’ll be back for the habanero one and the fully loaded. The drink wasn’t too sweet (like I have had at other establishments) and the flavors blended nicely. It was a smooth tasty bloody. Each bloody is served with a beer chaser. My friend ordered a two-​hearted, but I think the server misheard him and brought him an Oberon, which he was fine with. They have about 6 – 7 beers on draft which change regularly so don’t go by what the menu has listed.
Since we dined on Saturday we had the weekend menu. I ordered the taco salad to accompany my bloody. It was good, not much to critique, but I will say they were not chinsy on the meat or other toppings. I’ve had some taco salads where its basically just a head of lettuce.
My friend had the philly sandwich and he was pleased.
I saw many people around us order the french onion soup which looked amazing and the mussels which I have heard are excellent. Mussels just aren’t my cup of tea personally, but everyone around us seemed to have enjoyed them.
I wouldn’t come here expecting a gastrolounge experience with a plate presentation. If you do I feel you will not be pleased. Come here to enjoy an excellent bloody mary with a side of your basic American Pub Fare, which is still tasty.

Unilocalers have proclaimed that the mussels are a must but did you know that their burgers are the best? I mean everything from the bun to the perfection of grilling the burger, Vivio’s does it right! The fries were pretty good and the pickle was nice and crunchy but it didn’t have a good vinegar kick.
The variety of Bloody Mary’s is a fun thing to see, especially the ‘Loaded B. M’ with 6 different ‘garnishes’ and some beer as a chaser (the garnishes are more like a meal when you’re done eating them all!). The pickled asparagus are surprisingly spicy so watch out! I also tried their Bloody Mary with some extra spice but all I really tasted was black pepper (not the spice I was going for).
This is a fun Detroit location and if you go on a non Eastern Market day, you’ll have a better chance of getting in without a wait.