Food and service were outstanding! The Cuban dishes we had were great and I've tried a bunch of Cuban restaurants. Great salad as well! read more

This place is so fresh and fun inside. We sat at the bar and enjoyed the vaca frita, churrasco, and the beet salad, all was wonderful. Love the ladies here too, they are so friendly! read more

Just had dinner there this evening and the service and ambiance were great...a small trio was playing soft easy-listening songs and it was very nice...my wife had the Ropa Vieja and it was good, however my Lechón Asado was VERY disappointing in the way they serve it...it should be roasted pork...in pieces, they serve it on a separate dish but a lump of very small pieces of shredded pork meat mixed in with a lot of onions...don't know where they got this from because it SHOULD be a slice or two of roasted pork meat NOT a lump of pork "picadillo" mixed with as much onions as there was meat. As a Cuban, I wish this restaurant succeeds and makes it here because it would be nice to see them flourish! We will be back to try other dishes (like the Fricasé de Pollo) and the Palomilla steak. I really hope they read my comment and reconsider the way they are serving the Roasted Pork so that it pleased the customer. read more

Dinner is so much better when you enjoy it with friends, especially at a great restaurant. Viva La Vida is a great restaurant. The design of the restaurant seating, the pleasant décor, the background music, was just so welcoming. This was our first visit, and it was perfect for us. Linnet our server was so nice and helpful, adding to our very positive experience. I confess we overstayed our visit and Linnet and the owner Alejandro could not have been better hosts. I had checked out their reviews beforehand and was torn between ordering their Vaca Frita or their pressed Cuban Sandwich. I decided on their Vaca Frita, a marinated shredded flank steak that is pan fried in the end to give it a little crispness. Excellent choice, so easy to eat, so good. I thought the plating was interesting in that the beef was in the shape of a steak. Was it cooked so tender that it just fell apart when touched by a fork or was it shredded and reshaped? The food only took about 10 minutes to arrive but we were there much longer, so long I decided we should order more food. So yes, I also had their Classic Pressed Cuban Sandwich. Well, half a sandwich, the other half will be my lunch today. That was another wonderful choice, soft bread, great flavor. It came with their housemade chips, loved 'em. Someplace during our visit I ordered their Flan. Two thumbs up for that, I wished it was larger. Viva La Vida has live music on Thursday and Saturday, and as part of the Beneva Village Shoppes, there is plenty of parking. As they declare on their wall, for us this was definitely a Cheers to Life night. read more

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We all enjoyed the creative selections for a ladies luncheon. The Cuban sandwiches and soup were the best!!

After reading some of the reviews before I wrote mine, I thought , why hasn't anyone reviewed the Ceviche?! I've had lots of Ceviche from some of the best places in Tampa but that combo Ceviche was amazing!! The best I've had! I could've had another bowl of that! Everything we tried was very good. The Vaca Frita was so tender, the Lechon Asado was delish, the Snapper special was cooked to perfection & the beef Milanese was very good with the right amount of tomatoes & Mozzarella!! Alejandro & Traci Lazo, owners would come over & check on us which is key as a new restaurant to ask for feedback. Our server was very sweet and thorough!Bravo Lazo's!! I can't not comment about the ambiance.... Loved the decor from the ceiling to the Viva La Vida picture backdrop to the begonia trees! We can't wait to go back and try the other dishes ! read more

Viva La Vida - Snapper Special with Prawns and Plantains - Cuban Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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Discovered this gem of a Cuban restaurant after it was mentioned in the Sarasota Herald. Daniella was our server and she was amazing! The food was delicious and the portions plentiful but not ridiculous. Being Cuban I appreciate good authentic fare and this was spot on! We started with croquetas and empanadas for appetizers. Delicious! My husband had the palomilla with congri and tostones and was delighted with the flavor. I had the vaca frita with black beans and rice. I was super impressed with the vaca frita!! It was succulent and flavorful! The beans were delicious!! Please try this amazing restaurant!! read more

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Great new Cuban restaurant to us anyway. Not sure how long they've been open, but the food was amazing and the ambience was equally nice. Great wait staff. Highly recommend read more

Excellent food and such sweet staff. Best ropa vieja I've had in a long time. Vaca frita is tasty but not shredded as I'm used to having at other restaurants read more

This place is fabulous! We've been multiple times and have tried many things on the menu. Everything is fantastic. The ambiance is beautiful. The food is well prepared and the presentation is clean and modern. Live music twice a week adds life to this adorable place. It's beer and wine only but they may be working on getting a full liquor license. read more

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We have eaten at Viva La Vida twice and had a terrific meal, very friendly service, and excellent live music both visits. We will absolutely return and have recommended the restaurant to others. read more

Beautifully decorated, delicious food and friendly staff! A welcome addition to the neighborhood.

We decided to try this new restaurant been open for 2 weeks and we like Cuban food I've eaten a lot of Cuban food. The decor and design of the place is really nice. The service was great everybody was nice everyone greeted us with a smile that's refreshing always refreshing. We sat at the bar it was pretty packed in there so it was quicker to do that. I do have to say we were disappointed in the food unfortunately the brown rice was very very good and it was hot the yellow rice was cold and had no flavor I had two pieces of chicken the dinner piece of chicken was juice here with flavor the thicker piece of chicken was not totally dry or moist and really didn't have any flavor it was like my chicken came from two different dishes. Me lady had the flank steak the flavor was good but the steak was tough I no Cuban food can taste better than that. There's about five or six places to eat in that lot. They have their work cut out for them I think if they want to keep the people coming back, we're going to wait a while and we'll go back in a few months. But hey I cook so I could be picky and then again to each his own right. Anywho in anyhow go out get something to eat you deserve it treat yourself read more

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Cuban food in Sarasota just got even better. Two weeks into serving dinner, Viva La Vida is here to impress, and hopefully to stay. It is very obvious that every detail of this restaurant was carefully designed, a product of love. Start with a menu centered strictly on Cuban cuisine, traditional dishes with native spices, prepared to entice all of your taste buds. Their modern decor and delightful soft Cuban background music, makes you want to dance; the abundance of courteous staff to ensure a great experience; a simple but exquisite menu to keep everyone happy -- Alejandro & Tracy did it right! What did we order? One order of Vaca Frita, served with arroz con moro and fried plantains; very likely one of the best Vaca Frita that we have ever had, not shredded (as in most places) but a flavorful, soft & tender cut of meat with delicious crisp edges, topped with crunchy onions -- just delicious! One sandwich Cubano, with the perfect amount of mustard and pickles! We will definitely be back to order other tempting menu items. read more

Viva La Vida - Cuban Sandwich - Cuban Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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Wow, great food, the homemade croquettes are amazing. The Cuban sandwich is one of the best we have had, even the home made chips are really good. Reasonably priced as well. Will be back read more

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Great food and service ! We had a Palomilla and rice and beans, everything was great.

Food was tasty, smallest portion of pechuga chicken I've ever had at a Cuban restaurant. Also was charged $3 for Cuban bread. Plantain and black beans were good! read more

Viva La Vida - Pechuga chicken and plantain - Cuban Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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Nice ambiance, helpful and friendly waitress. Tasty food, good presentation on all the dishes. My only suggestion would be to incorporate the Cuban milkshakes on the menu for kids and adults that want to go down memory lane to their childhood years. read more

Omgggg this place has wondered homemade food! The restaurant is very clean and bright and the menu is great! We were there for lunch today and shared empanadas and a Cuban which were excellent. Both the owner and our waitress were very nice and engaging! On Friday and Saturday nights they have music from 6-9:00, we definitely will be back for that! read more

The vaca frita beef is very flavorful and tender. A knife isn't even needed. The cuban sandwich is large and fab and potato chips are home made. The decor on the patio is charming and has all the feels of ocean Florida charm. Creme brulee is read more

Amaizing Cuban food restaurant, nice service staff and owner. Easy & plenty of parking. Modern decoration with sitting inside and outside. Everything was very tasteful and the right portions. I had lechon, congri and fry sweet plantains. My husband had vaca frita with congri and sweet plantain. For dessert we had a delicious flan. read more

Viva La Vida - Flan - Cuban Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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great ceviche sauce, also cuban sandwich good, music inside was good low volume appropriate for smallish restaurant read more

Beautiful decorations. Very clean venue.. the Cuban food was delicious, the Cuban fried rice was better than any I've had in the Top places in Miami. Looking forward towards trying more dishes in the coming weeks . Highly recommend recommended . read more

Excellent food at reasonable prices, very nice interior, and great service. This restaurant will be a big success!

Alex, the owner is very hands-on. This place is amazing. I ate their three times in one week. read more

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I had the tuna tower and the lamb chops with jasmine rice and mixed sautéed vegetables Absolutely amazing Great food, great vibe , great service read more

Outstanding service, empanadas were fabulous, terrific atmosphere nicely decorated! Amazing addition to SRQ! Que rico!

Food amazing service excellent great Ambience all the flavors incredible . The products are very high quality,

I am reluctantly writing a review on this gem. I don't want it to start getting crowded. If you like Latin food. Don't come here. The people are too friendly. The food is ridiculously good. The ambiance is definitely Cuban. I will be making this a weekly stop, so please don't come so that I can get a seat. read more

Atmosphere was adorable and welcoming. Quite a few diners in for an early-ish Friday night dinner. Bright colors and cozy booths. Everything looked new and fresh. Service was outstanding and friendly - we were well taken care of. Starters were beef empanadas (outstanding - I'll come back for those) and an app plate with fish balls, chicken wings (surprisingly tasty) and something else deep fried. All the different sauces were fun. On to the mains: Out of four, the table's favorite was hands down the Cuban sandwich. Perfectly prepared and juicy. Just excellent. The flank steak was confusing - haven't ever had flank steak that fell apart with the consistency and taste identical to pot roast. But to be fair, our server told us it would fall apart, so I was warned. A generous portion topped with onions and served with rice/beans and plantains. Pretty good for pot roast. Palomilla steak was okay - a little dry perhaps. Overall we enjoyed our meal. Will definitely come back for the empanadas, wings and Cuban sandwich. read more

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Loved this place! The food was delicious and reasonably priced. Highly recommend if you are looking for a good Cuban spot. Service was great, we will be back! read more

Absolutely loved it. Great service and food. Nice ambiance- especially for a strip center restaurant. Please give it a try.

What a treat!! When we heard that a Cuban restaurant was going to open in our neighborhood I had mixed emotions, happy that a Cuban restaurant was opening but wondered if it would be a disappointment like most or the other Sarasota Cuban restaurants have been. We visited Viva la Vita this week and WOW, we hit the jackpot!! This is their first week and only open for lunch but Alex, the owner, said they plan to extend their hours as soon as possible, perhaps as early as next week!! Alex and his wife have spent several months preparing for the opening, the restaurant is beautifully decorated, the atmosphere is bright and welcoming and.... the food is authentic Cuban, real Cuban, the Cuban cuisine I loved growing up in Miami! I had their Picadillo with yellow rice and black beans...superb and plated beautifully! My wife ordered the Sunset Harvest Salad and said it was very good, a friend who is a vegetarian ordered the Vegetation Delight sandwich and said it was delicious. We finished off our meal with desserts, flan, bread pudding and creme brulee, all were plated beautifully and delicious! We will definitely be returning to Viva la Vida, it is like being back in Miami for a great Cuban meal. read more

Our server, Yanitzia, was incredibly friendly, warm and inviting. She made us feel right at home. The food was absolutely delicious and truly a step above any other Cuban restaurant we've tried. We are so excited to have such a wonderful place nearby. Five stars all the way! read more

Ate there for first time on friends recommendation. Will definitely be back. The decor, the food, the service, especially Yanely, were excellent. We had the empanadas, ropa vieja and vaca frita. All very authentic Cuban dishes. Again, the decor, unusually vibrant and welcoming, just enjoyed being there. read more

The wait staff excellent. The food was superb. Everything new and bright. We loved this place!

So good!!!! Very happy I tried it. Would highly recommend! My wife had the chicken and it was the best we've had in Sarasota!!

Read some reviews, decided to try, GREAT idea.four different lunch items were ordered all were very tasty and plenty for lunch. I would recommend you to try it out. Service was friendly, timely, professional. The restaurant itself was clean,bright and comfortable. Again worth a try! read more

Excellent! The food was outstanding and the staff are all very friendly and welcoming. I would definitely recommend.

FANTASTIC food- I had the chicken fricasses and it was amazing! A good size portion served with 2 side dish choices. Great service and a nice clean place, I will definitely go back soon! read more