Viva Cafe

Gotta say… This place is a gem in the heart of Long Beach. The best enchiladas, the biggest tamales and tastiest flan I’ve ever had. Mireya the chef really has that menu down. Consistently good every time I go.

This attractive restaurant is right next to MoLAA. We hadn’t been in years but remembered a good lunch or two and wanted to return – which we did Wednesday, 6÷3÷15. Small quibble: the chairs (inside, anyway) are too low for the tables to be really comfortable.
Larger quibble: one server (for both inside and outside) and one cook. This adds up to much too long a wait – for everything. Tick — tick — tick.
The food was somewhere in the middle, quibble-​wise, though the cook was sweet and could have used a helper. I had the Cuban sandwich (more pickles, please!) and we each had dessert, coconut flan (a little tired/​old) and rice pudding (much better).
Next visit, maybe I’ll try the tamales…
This café is well worth supporting!

The food goes above and beyond even their drinks are filled with spices and flavor. Serves authentic Latin American food at a very low price. The service was exceptional, great timing in terms of food delivery. I recommend this place 100%.

Great hidden treasure, and the perfect spot after a MOLA trip. Tamales and Mole are fabulous!

The service was great. The guy who took my order and rang me up was super nice.
The patio looks great.
The food is the problem. The enchiladas were edible, they were about what you’d get from best frozen options. Not a good value for 12 $.
The calimari was dry and flavorless and awful.
The flatbread was worse. It was limp and flavorless. So bad.
The free flan was not edible. Grainy. Awful.
Too bad cause it’s a nice space and so close.

Ugh, two words: Never again! Came here after visiting the museum. We ordered at the counter because no one was around to tell us otherwise. Apparently you’re supposed to be seated and waited on. The girl who took our order got it all wrong. We ordered one dessert, she brought two, then said we could keep the extra. Great!
Once she brought the bill, she had charged us for both. Once we pointed it out, they voided the first charge on our card, so then we decided to pay cash. Well that was a mistake because she NEVER came back with the change! How rude! We had planned on tipping her, but you shouldn’t just assume to «keep the change».
On top of that, the chips were too salty, the «Mexican hot chocolate» was just so-​so, the flan was good, but not nearly worth all the trouble we went through. You’re better off driving to Starbucks for a coffee and pastry. Won’t be eating there ever again.

Magnífico servicio, comida deliciosa, el chocolate más rico que me he tomado. Me comí un queso fundido, no tan auténtico pero exquisito. Por hacer check in en Unilocal me regalaron un flan por persona. La verdad sí regreso y lo recomiendo altamente.
Great service, delicious food, the best chocolate I’ve ever had. I had also a melted cheese, not so authentic but exquisite. Just for checking in on Unilocal got me a free flan for each person. I will go back for sure and highly recommend it.

Delicious! Have had their tamales and enchiladas more than a few times now and decided to try their vegetarian one. Still delicious! Always feels nice out on the patio with music playing, in the shade and art pieces around you. (: even though I’m by myself ;_​_​_​_​;

Lucky Jackson: «Good morning, I’ve been looking for you all night.»
Rusty Martin: «You must be desperate to find a model that really needs fixing.»
Elvis Presley and Ann Margaret, «Viva Las Vegas»
*Update, the new restaurant manager messaged me and explained what he will be working on as he takes over. I am upgrading review to three stars as the food is very good. And please note if you are reading my reviews for the first time, mini-​me always refers to my son; not a friend or egads one of the restaurant workers. I would never disparage a service worker in print especially since I toiled in customer service for 10 years and could only last as a busboy for three days because I thought the job was too hard. (The exception to this rule is of course The Winery That Shall Not Be Named).
This restaurant really has potential. Located adjacent to the Modern Latin American Museum in Long Beach, this restaurant boasts a colorful patio and very good food in an artistic setting. Yet they obviously understaffed the help to the point that with a «busy» rush of 6 – 7 tables, they just couldn’t get the food out in a timely manner.
Plus, mini-​me got to learn a lesson about how sometimes niceness doesn’t pay off. For instance, when we arrived virtually simultaneously with 3 other parties, the lone server went to us first but we pointed to another table has having arrived a few milli-​seconds ahead of us as the people who should go first. The server obliged, took their order, they received their food promptly. Mini-​me asked why I did that: «Because it was the right thing to do.» «But you are hungry?» «I can wait my turn.»
Waiting…waiting…waiting…finally the server came back to take our order. We ordered drinks and waters as beverages, plain tacos for mini me, regular tacos for me and my friend as well as queso fundido and a fresca flatbread.
Waiting…waiting…waiting…No waters or drinks were served as other tables orders were taken. Waiting… I went up to ask about beverages. The helper of the server was also helping the cook. She was overstretched and said our drinks would come out shortly. After a bit more waiting they came out.
Waiting…waiting…waiting. No food. Again, inquire about food: «Yours is coming up next».
Waiting…waiting…waiting…finally food arrives. And it is very good! But it all arrives at once and now small table is full. We try and gobble everything up at once, forgetting the fact the Queso was supposed to be an appetizer. Also ignoring the other fact that both taco orders are served plain. No worries, I use the queso as a taco additive. The food is both interesting and familiar. Americanized but not panderingly so.
Bill eventually comes but this has taken way too long. I go up to pay. I’m not complaining about service though. I can see they do not have enough staff. As I sign my bill, next guy comes up and complains. He gets free dessert. I get nothing for being nice and understanding.
You better toughen up Mini-​me, it is a cruel world out there and the King is either dead or living in Milwaukee.
Not recommended unless the place is empty or they hire an additional employee (But the food is good).