Viva Bene

I went to this place about a month ago. I was with party of 12 with reservations. When we were seated the place was empty except for 2 other tables. these two other groups had 10 kids between them. screaming and running around like it was McDonald’s playground. we asked waiter to put a stop to it, but he didn’t.we asked owner and all he said was they are almost done with meal anf will be gone.40 more minutes of screeching yells from 10 kids. thanks for thr the worst experience of my life. rude ass owner no respect for us. don’t ever eat here. Oh and the food was lousy. over cooked no flavor crap.

This place USED to be great…10 years ago!!! We came here after a show at the DCU Center and was greeted by a VERY snotty hostess!!! Then I went into the ladies room where there was only 1 stall that worked, one of the lights flickered on and off the whole time, there were water stains a foot up the wall, one of the 2 sinks didn’t work and the paper towel dispenser was held together with PAINTER’S TAPE! The service was VERY slow and they served people who came in after us! I ordered a toasted almond and after waiting a long time, the waiter told me they were unavailable because their milk all went bad!!! Then I ordered the filet only to be told THAT was unavailable too!!! The waiter was not friendly at all and did not apologize for anything. We certainly won’t be back HERE again!

Let me start by saying I’ve never given a one star review nor have I ever sent my food back. We went here last night to see a band and noticed it was on groupon so decided to eat first. Horrible experience from start to finish. We waited about 15 minutes before a waiter even came over. They were completely under staffed and unfriendly. About an hour after sitting our food finally came. I ordered stuffed baked eggplant with penne. It looked great but after about 4 bites in I noticed there was meat under the eggplant. I let the waiter know that I got the wrong dish and he said «oh yeah it just has VEAL in it, they gave you the wrong one». As a person who does not eat veal I sent it back and said I didn’t want my original meal because I couldn’t wait any longer. No apology whatsoever, he was the rudest waiter I’ve ever dealt with. When the bill came, my meal was still on it. I told him I shouldn’t have to pay for something I didn’t even get to have. His reply was «well you ate some of it». He ended up taking it off but I’ve never been to such an unprofessional and understaffed establishment. There’s no reason the bartender should be taking care of an entire bar and helping wait on tables, while the manager was doing absolutely nothing but counting money in the register. My friend ate here this night as well and when she asked for a to-​go box, the rude waiter said «you don’t even have that much left». I will never step foot in this joke of a restaurant again. Don’t waste your time!!!

Meh. This place was amazing while I was drunk on New Years Eve years ago, but I never submit a review until experiencing a place sober, because drunk me loves all food. Went back with a Groupon cause I remembered good things and the place needs Gordon Ramsey quick before they go out of business. It was completely empty on a Thursday night and the greeter was also the server, both bad signs. Nothing on tap, so I asked for a wine menu and the guy said they only had a few bottles at the time. More bad signs. At this point my wife and I decided to play it safe with pizza and eggplant parm and both were barely worth taking home the leftovers. Two stars because drunk people will love it and because the place is already sad enough.

WHAT?! A WEDDING AT VIVA BENE?!
Yes! Yes! And again, I say yes! Excellent venue for a wedding or any other large/​private gathering.
Last Sunday, I had my wedding reception at Viva Bene. From the moment we inquired about the venue for our event to the moment we left for the evening, my husband and I cannot be happier with the venue, the food, the parking, and the bar.
First of all, let me state that my husband is a professional musician and I am a pastry chef. At the time, I was the pastry chef at the ‘premier wedding venue in Worcester’. Do the math. After being sorely let down BY MY OWN EMPLOYER, just 10 days before my wedding, Keivan saved the day! We had an appointment to see Keivan, and we went through the different buffet packages. He comped us a Mediterranean platter with the appetizer portion of the fare, and I must say, excellent! The baba, tabouli salad, and hummus were FANTASTIC!
For the dinner, the chicken sicily was my personal favorite, but many guests raved about the beef dish and the Italian dishes. The pasta was great, the rice was perfect, and the salad is always good at Viva Bene. Also, I love the bread they serve there. We had children attend the reception, and they were given pizzas. They ate pizza, but the children snuck up and ate the buffet food as well and they liked it!
The room was warm and inviting. The stage was perfect and it did not displace guests at all, because the food was set up in a side room. Guests were able to sit in the side room and still see the band. There was a long table set up to display the cake. Melissa did a fabulous job cutting and portioning the cake. Servers went around the room and served the cake on trays and put extra slices on the cake display table. I really could not be happier. The food was on the buffet tables for a while in the heated hotel pans in case guests arrived late. And guests did arrive late, so they ate and were very happy. The leftovers were consolidated and many people took food home. The restaurant provided them with take-​out containers.
The parking was great because there is a dedicated parking garage next door just for the restaurant and it is NO CHARGE! My guests and I only had to walk a few feet onto the sidewalk to get into the front door, which is important for me (walking in a bridal gown).
The bartenders were friendly and accommodating all evening. I asked my guests and looked several times, people did not wait long at all to be served. Everyone raved about what a cool set-​up it was, and that it was so much better than a typical reception. They were super happy because the Patriots were playing the Giants, and the TV’s were on (without the volume). I was okay with that, because I too am a football fan.
Keivan is a good businessman. A man of his word, and there were no problems all night long. He kept a very watchful eye over everything. Apparently, this is the third wedding in 6 months at Viva Bene. It might not be the first place you think of when planning a reception, but I would highly recommend it. They were flexible on the start and stop times. The band sounded great in there, because it is already known as a fabulous music venue anyway. The acoustics are much better than a typical hall or banquet room.
I have read the previous reviews, and I cannot comment and what some of their issues are. I disagree with many things that have been said. I can truthfully comment on the fact that we had great food that did not come from a Sysco box. I would personally like to see more Mediterranean items on their regular menu. I think that is in their wheelhouse.
Overall, these people care so very much about their business. They worked very hard to make my special evening perfect. And what a success! I can’t wait to go back to some of the upcoming music shows they have. I think that is what sets them apart from every other place. It is a great place for dinner and a show!

Hands down, has to be the worst dining experience in Worcester. Walk in, place is maybe 20% capacity, took awhile to be seated. We were asked if we were there for the show. Didn’t know they had entertainment but once we turned the corner and saw the black curtain haphazardly hung over a side wall with drums, guitars and amps we were confused. Is this a «fine dining» establishment or rock club. We were seated away from the music platform. No tableware, no napkins… had to steal a napkin from another table to wipe the puddle of water off my booth seat. Wait… it gets better. We waited a good 10 minutes til we finally were able to flag the host that seated us. Oh… Sorry. Our server arrives, very sweet. Ordered cocktails. Ok I admit I’m a martini snob, I like it just so. I asked the server if the bartender makes great martinis, she assures me YES. My husband orders the signature Cosmo. What a joke… I actually see our server make my «really cold, shaken Grey Goose dirty martini, she shook it once. And then I see her leave the bar with a tall glass and return with what is clearly a pre made Cosmo which she pours into a martini glass. My martini was so awful I asked her for some olive juice… still couldn’t save it. I returned it for a glass of wine. We should have packed it in but decided to give the kitchen a chance. We ordered sautéed calamari to start. It arrives in a timely manner BUT it looks like it is drenched in Mexican hot sauce. It was so spicy hot we asked for bread, to which we were told they were out of? It’s 8:30 on a Friday night, how does that happen? A good portion of the dish was cold, stone cold. Needless to say, we didn’t finish it. My husband being in an Italian restaurant, wanted meatballs and pasta. They were out of meatballs, so the server says we can sub sausage. The sausages look like mini fried meat nuggets burnt beyond recognition. I ordered stuffed eggplant. Stuffed? Not quite, we couldn’t stop laughing that my plate looked like a splat of artichoke hearts, with a layer of eggplant and a sh** load of burnt cheese. My side of penne was drenched in tomato sauce that was one part puréed tomatoes and one part tomato paste. No garlic, oregano, basil… nothing. Just a thick bland sauce. I might add during this dining experience the place started to fill up with a crowd of «roadies «. I’m in no way opposed to followers of bands, but who wants to dine in a relatively pricey place to be inundated with hard core rockers? Dessert??? No thanks. Get us out of here. The final straw… As we leave the place there are 5 – 6 patrons smoking right outside the front door. I get that people smoke, but really… Move away from the front door. I hate to see dining establishments fail… But if the owners of this place had any sense… They would cut their loses and run… Like we did!!!

Food was a decent Italian exposure. The cacciatore felt sweeter and simpler than most. The Chicken Piccata Feels like it was missing that touch of «fresh». The service was not the best but tolerable. The atmosphere was a little sad of bleu however the bar was excellent as the wine.

Going out of business?
Went there last night for dinner. You see all those items on the menu on their web site? Forget it. The menu they handed us was a flimsy 8.5 X 11 paper, and a very pared down version. 2 apps only, and maybe 8 entrees.
We chose the antipasto salad to start. I wasn’t expecting chunks of meat or cheese, but a few slivers of deli sliced cold cuts on a balsamic dressed salad really was uninspired at best. They also added slices of blackened chicken breast. Not exactly Italian meat, but OK, give the chef some area to be creative.
My friend ordered the chicken piccata, which he says was so so. I ordered the chicken parm. Instead of a breaded chicken breast topped with sauce and cheese, they again opted to serve this with a blackened chicken breast in sauce and cheese. This is not creative license — this just sucks. It was edible, but not very good. We did not have the time to send it back.
After dinner, coffee and cordials. The coffee was the weakest I’ve had in months from anywhere. We asked for Sambuca in the side. They were out of Sambuca. Really??? An Italian restaurant out of Sambuca??? OK, what the hell, just bring me a cognac — Remy Martin. Ooops — They were out of Remy Martin, one of the biggest selling cognac out there.
Bottom line — if you have any sort of choice, avoid this place until it closes and something better takes its place.

I would post a picture of my dish but I ate it too quickly. The food was great and everything tasted super fresh.

I absolutely love the food here at Viva Bene! Ever since my first time going, I’ve not stopped enjoying their food. I love it so much that I asked the owner if I could work there and guess what, now I’m working at Viva Bene! It has been a blessing! I get to enjoy their food all the time now. The owner Kevin is an awesome person! Tom is the best server there so if you go in, ask for Tom! Also look out for EPIC FELLOWSHIP events that they are having there… great food, great music, great fellowship! Should be one coming up Nov. 8^th and Dec. 20^th of 2015. Hope to see you there at Viva Bene!

The swordfish was excellent, and the live music was a Great touch. Would definitely return!

Went using a groupon. Surprisingly empty. The portions were huge and the food was good. Our server was pretty friendly as well.

This was not the first time but will be the last…
Table was ignored over 30 minutes until our drink order was taken, 45 minutes to place our food order, an hour before bread arrived. And second round arrived 1:15 in — we didn’t chance a third round given our time crunch.
The reservation noted we were on a time crunch to get to the Hanover inside 2 hours of the reservation & the waiter was reminded. One meal was delayed and didn’t arrive at the table until 1:20 minutes after we sat down. We immediately asked for the check so we wouldn’t be stuck and miss our show.
(4) of the meals at our table (of 9) included seafood in which the shellfish was terribly over cooked, rubbery and tasteless. (Think gummy bears and rubber bands.) The non-​seafood pasta meals were fine.
The musicians loading in through the front door & middle of the dining room during dinner service was less than ideal as well.
Stick with (non seafood) apps, salads & pasta at the bar if you want passable food & don’t want to be ignored by the staff.

The and drinks were good, once we finally got them. Service left a LOT to be desired. They seemed to be short staffed, but friendliness would have made up for some of that…

Honestly? Can you not attend to people faster than 30 minutes?
I went to this restaurant for a quick lunch with some friends since it’s so close to school. It took us 10 minutes just for someone to seat us and another 20 minutes for someone to actually ask us if someone has helped us or take our order. But the kicker is someone who was seated after us got service quicker. I don’t understand how his can be! They are really lucky that we are FORCED to give one star to this place otherwise I would give negative stars. Service is horrible and they don’t care to change! If they change their service, maybe it would be an acceptable restaurant. Otherwise, I don’t know how they are staying in business with how they treat people.

Annual family meal Sunday
Service…excellent…we changed the time and they accomopdated us.
Atmosphere…Beautiful Place… nicely decorated… obvioulsy this was an exepnsive build out.
Food:
Pizzas…Great start… but push those toppings out to the edge though… mushroom, cheese and figs
Charcuterie platter… nicely done
salads…best Mozzarella I have ever eaten… bet it’s good with real tomatoes… a seasonal issue… put a drizzle of olive oil and some salt on top…
Mixed greens… house…al well recieved… Caesar. not sure the charred romaine is working… dressing was light… asked for more
Pork Chop… thick and mighty… a sauce mght work with it… sort of staid aftrer a few bites… vegetables were… brussel sprouts… undercooked…purple tatoes… old and dry
Short ribs… terriric…great sauce…
Pork…nice comfort dish well done…
Tenderloin with demi glacé… Where was the demi glacé… good…
Lobster Rissotto… good…
Mushroom Rissotto… mushy…looked overcooked… rice has lost shape
Desserts
Crêpe cake… someone try it and tell me you think this is good… ordered two… bad…crepes undercooked… dead and pasty… we told waiter… he looked shocked… our group will eat anything sweet… we all pushed this one back
Apple cake… chemically taste
Gelatos…all great
Ever with a place was not so big and because of that could do what i think they are really capable of?
This is a chain… the names may be differeent but the passion here is to make money… I wiush the passion was around food… they could achieve that but may be too big to do so.
Prices and portions were excellent… good value
We’ll go back in a smaller group on a quiter night.

I really wanted to like this place as they are always doing deals and being generous with coupon everywhere to attract customers in.
But, the thing is food wasn’t good at all. Calzone was big but tasteless. My Dish, chicken with pasta (kind of like chicken piccata), was huge but not flavorful. Service was good enough. It wasn’t busy so no service issue here.
Restroom needs work.
I can appreciate that the owners try to market this restaurant aggressively. I will continue to go when in downtown area. But, please maybe bring in a new, more capable chef?

I went again today and had lunch. I realize now the priciness i saw last time was because it was the dinner menu. Well, let me say that the prices are fair esp for the amount of food they give you! I had a lunch portion and i was stuffed (and i can eat)! And food was just as yummy! Soooo needless to say I’m back here updating the review and giving it the full 5 stars it deserves! Hope ya’ll try it and enjoy it like i have. Buon appetito! :)

Went here for the first time with a Groupon in a Thursday night. Look and feel of the restaurant was fine and staff was attentive. Food was good, but I’m not sure it was worth the cost (we were basically paying ½ with groupon). We had mussels & bruschetta for apps which were good. I had Linguini alla Gorgonzola which was drowning in sauce. Taste was good but needed about ¼ of the sauce it was served in. My friend had Veal Marsala which was good but the sauce a little watery. We had Chocolate Lava Cake for dessert which was good.

A co-​worker and I came here this evening before a show down the street at the Hanover theater and we weren’t particularly impressed. It first started with us walking into an empty (give or take a few patrons) restaurant with high ceilings very little ambiance. There were fresh flowers on the tables but thats the long and short of it. The color scheme was just wrong.
Onto the food
We both ordered chicken parm because we both looked at each other and said «its kinda hard to eff up chicken parm so i’m sure it’ll be good.» Well it just wasn’t right. The food came out EXTREMELY fast but my companion’s chicken was somehow burnt and cool to the touch, so i’m assuming they had ours sitting waiting before we got there… kinda strange. Not to mention the whole pan seared chicken thing … Ive never seen chicken parm not fried and this just kind of caught me off guard.
Now; I know that Worcester is not known for fine dining and culinary arts, but I’ve had better chicken parm at my college cafeteria. I honestly felt like I was eating something that I would’ve attempted to throw together in the kitchen in middle school. Not to mention the bread was borderline stale, the oil they served with it tasted like it had already been used in a frying pan, and the pasta was pretty obviously a major label boxed brand… (which would be alright but not for the price they charged for it.)
I’m really not a harsh reviewer, truth be told i rarely even come on Unilocal (had I seen this places reviews, i’d have just gone to a deli or something else,) but I just don’t know how this place stays afoot aside from its location being so close to the DCU center. it was also an absolute GHOST TOWN in there tonight and that should say it all… call me crazy but what kind of ‘fine dining’ restaurant is dead at 645pm on a Thursday? Kinda nuts. Luckily I rarely have reason to be in Worcester, but next time I’ll probably just stop at the Olive Garden or something while I’m on my way…
**(I am enjoying the owner’s responses though… it’s like a trip down memory lane to Amy’s Baking Company on Kitchen Nightmares)