Fun, low key Mexican ("Mexithican") place in a convenient location in Ithaca. Always solid food and interesting vegan options and things with tofu, although I found the tofu quesadilla to be sort of bland until I doused it in hot sauce. Their mole sauce is excellent so I recommend asking for a side of that, too. Massive portions and reasonably priced. Service totally fine. Big restaurant so good for large parties. read more

People are just starting to realize that Viva sucks honestly they were racist in a place where they serve Mexican routed food to my Aunt that speaks all Spanish.I speak full on English but for her comfort I always speak Spanish around her, I ORDERED THE FOOD IN (mind you perfect)ENGLISH FOR HER AND FOR ME, they sat us in the middle of many (white) people and that wasn't the part that bothered us. The part that bothered us that he asked EVERYONE except us if the food was ok If the drinks were ok, my aunt simply ate and mentioned it to me and told me to tell the manager on what bad service we have gotten. I only told the sever, because I'm not going to waste time and patience but please he gave me the most dumbest excuse, " I thought you guys didn't know how to speak English" oh and so what that means we don't deserve service!?!??? Viva get it together. Also please get some Hispanic people working there food is sooo bland No seasoning. That what ever you call mole is not mole. I'm 100% sure this is a rip off and it's sad that this is the only place people call this tacos or even Mexican remove the title of Mexican that you have on your sign. Total disgrace to the Latino community. If you go to Queens NY to a taco truck you can find more options of food. For a much better price. And it will taste way much better. Don't go to Viva. read more

I've done the sit-down side and the take away side. First time I was there I went to the take-out side and got a Tofu Burrito ($4.50). So insanely delicious. Fresh and yummy and exactly what I was hoping for. I got mine with guac added because I love guac. Really inexpensive yet delicious! Definitely vegan friendly! Second time there I went to the sit-down side or "Cantina" I believe they call it. I got the Enchiladas Tomatillo ($8.99) and it was amazing. It came with black beans, rice, and escabeche. As I mentioned before, it's very vegan friendly here. Just ordered it with Tofu filling and specified vegan and he knew not to put any dairy on it. Definitely some of the best enchiladas I've had. They weren't too spicy and had the right amount of sauce, the beans were cooked real nice, the rice was flavorful, and the escabeche was amazing and added a nice zing to everything. I would totally go back to have the enchiladas or the aforementioned burrito again. Love it, highly suggest! read more

Viva Taqueria - Tofu burrito :) - Mexican Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Dining in at Viva is a fun experience and they take the time to present your food well. This is NOT the case with take-out. I've had several issues in the past, including the Super Viva Platter literally just being a stirred up mess of 'food,' or the time I ordered a quesadilla and literally received a ball of mush. They get a 1 from me until they fix this issue. Also, the staff has a 'too cool for you' vibe. read more

Viva Taqueria is both literally and figuratively a welcome bright spot in downtown Ithaca. It's colorful and fun and DELICIOUS, conveniently located in the Commons, and a welcome respite from the too-often-gloomy Ithaca weather. I am a total sucker for eating and drinking al fresco. Is it warm out? Quick! Go to Viva and snag a picnic table right now! Viva's margaritas and sangria are delicious and well-priced, especially if you can grab them during happy hour (4-6pm on weekdays). They have a huge selection of different tequilas and make everything to order, so it's no problem if you want, say, a "skinny" margarita with more lime juice and less mixer. Viva claims to serve "fresh healthy Mexican food" and yes, it's fresh, but I'm not sure it's healthier than any other Mexican restaurant. I usually order the Cantina Platter, which is great since you get a bit of everything, but I've also had the Fajita Burrito and Chicken Ranchero Quesadilla before and they have been delicious as well. The guac is to die for...you could make a meal out of that alone (and maybe I have...). In a rush or want to save a few bucks? Order from the take-out counter instead. There are tables outside cordoned off specifically for take-out customers, so you can still sit in the sun and relax while you chow down. read more

I'm sad to say it happened, a bad experience at Viva! It wasn't so much the fact that we were waiting for over 40 minutes just for our drink...but that the staff was totally uninterested in our feedback on how the situation might have been handled better. In fact while we were discussing with our waitress, another staffer loudly commented on how unreasonable we were. As a frequent visitor - I promise you - our remarks were meant to help. Of course we will be back, you can't find better food and atmosphere for the price - but it was disappointing and we have stayed away for several weeks. I added this review as an update to a previously glowing one and I hope that Yelp will show both. read more

Meh. They give you the option of self service or full service with waitstaff. We made the mistake of going with the waitstaff since she really didn't do anything. Waitress took forever to come over so we ordered chips and salsa and entrees when she got there. She never brought the chips and salsa. Got my burrito and while it was good it was pretty much the same as self service except it was served on a plate. Had to chase our server down to check out of course. read more

Can't say anything about the the experience dining in since I ordered at the take out counter, but one thing is for sure, I sorely miss a California style burrito or Chipotle. I was hoping for a suitable replacement for a burrito made in SF's mission district or any carne asada burrito found in Southern California, but simply rolling up the same ingredients just isn't the same. Ordered a Steak/Carne Asada burrito and discovered the beans inside to be way too mushy to go well with the burrito, the steak was too chewy, and the pieces too large for each bite in burritos. Even Chipotle gets it done right and I'm not necessarily a huge fan. For $8 a pop compared to the usual $5-6, I'd expect at least a decent burrito. Maybe I'll try the chicken burritos or tacos they have instead, but messing up such a staple of Taqueria food keeps me wary. read more

Yum! They serve pretty decent Mexican food here for a reasonable price. It's a cute place with kitschy decor but still fun and easy. The service is quick and there's a full bar. The food wasn't too too impressive but it's 1000 times better than 'That Burrito Place' in Collegetown. Overall, pretty good. read more

Not a big fan of their white man's Mexican food, but their margarita's kick some serious ass and it's not the tequila either, it's their fresh lime juice mix, yum. These are the best margarita's in the whole Finger Lakes area trust me. I do like the vibe of this busy spot, I like both sides, self service and table service. But my go to seat is the bar folks. Try the house margarita with some guacamole and chips, mmm. read more

If you want that takes large groups and has fairly inexpensive margaritas then stop by Viva. The service is fairly good especially given that every other table is 6+ people. The food however definitely has room for improvement. read more

So good!!! Awesome!!! Amazing!!!! Best Fresh-Mex outside of Texas!!!! If it wasn't socially inapporpriate I would have liked my plate clean. I can't wait until we head back to Ithaca again next year. This is going to be a loooong year! :) read more

Look, I'll preface this review by saying I'm not from California, but from New York, so be advised--I probably have no idea what I'm talking about. BUT, if you're still reading, I'd like to say that I had a fantastic lunch at Viva today with my sister. I got the Cantina platter with chicken, which is basically a plate of various things (rice, beans, guacamole, salsa, etc.) and some corn tortillas. What impressed me was how FRESH everything tasted. So many times the pico de gallo at Mexican places is tasteless and blah, but the ingredients in the salsa fresca here tasted great--really fresh, crisp tomatoes, and fantastic cilantro that gave it a great kick. The corn tortillas were nice and warm, and I piled all the ingredients in happily and scarfed the entire plate in about 10 minutes. Service was great too--friendly and REALLY quick. Our food came out within 5 minutes. Wish I could've gone for dinner last night instead of lunch today, but AppleFest made that impossible. I really wanted a margarita! read more

This was the busiest place near the commons and I made it a mission to try this place out before our vacation ended. We had to wait 20 mins to sit down but it was worth the wait. We started off with the chips and salsa. All three salsas were fantastic. The we ordered the 3 taco sampler and the shredded pork burrito . The pork was crazy good . But one of the tacos did not taste good at all, we're don't eat Mexican a lot, so take it with a grain of salt . All of the sides were great. The beans , rice and slaw were all fantastic. I ordered the casabeche on the advice of a local business owner, and it was great. The food was spicy, but luckily we had delicious cold drinks to cool off. The smokey joint which I was told used to be a secret drink, was very good. My husband and I still keep thinking about this meal, a week later. it was that good. read more

We went in on a Saturday night around 7:15, and opted to wait for an indoor table since there was a possibility of rain. A 20 minute wait was not bad, we stood in the bar area to wait and had a drink (margarita for me, water for my son). My margarita was fresh and pretty good. It was rather stuffy in the restaurant, and we began to wish we'd sat outside instead. We got seated and our waitress was the best thing for the rest of the meal. She was kind and observant, and checked on us a few times. We asked for chips and salsa, which were just ok. My son had the carnitas burrito and enjoyed it, but he's also 17 and eats pretty much anything. I had the chicken mole tacos, and they might be the worst taco I've ever had. The texture of the meat was very odd, and lacked flavor. The mole sauce was served on the side, but may have been the best thing on the plate. The rice and beans were cold, and not seasoned well at all. Overall, it was unimpressive and forgettable. read more

I come from the southwest so my standards for mexican food are pretty high. That being said, I went into Viva with an open mind. I tried their take-out/informal side the first time. It was okay, but drafty and really crowded, and eating something like a fajita on several plates while standing up is just uncomfortable. The portions are smaller but the food was pretty decent! Not bad, but not crazy authentic either. The formal experience was similar. Good food, filling, decently-priced, but I got really weird looks for eating by myself. Maybe I broke some taboo that says you can only be seated in the formal section if you have a group? The server was awkward and not very friendly. All in all, though, if you're craving Mexican food, you basically have no choice but to go here... it's not great by any means, but it'll do the job. read more

Decent but not amazing. Their guacamole and chips were really good and our favorite of the night. Yeah chips are usually the same but the guacamole was great! I got the 3 soft tacos (each with chicken, pork, beef) and the best taco out of the 3 was the chicken (probably personal preference). It came with rice, beans mixed with cheese and sour cream on the side. The rice was okay, not that good. Another time I got 3 soft chicken tacos (after I figured that was my favorite) and all three of them easily fell apart when you tried to picked them up. The tortillas also didn't seem like they were cooked/heated which was a bummer. read more

Best Tacos I had were back in Cali. This place comes close to the what I tasted out West. A+ read more

I've eaten at a lot of american-mexican places and this is my favorite of ALL of them. Sooo good. The burritos seem to have the freshest ingredients of any Mexican place I've ever had (this seemingly would apply to their other menu items but i always get the burrito). Very friendly staff. You have to try the chips....very good. read more

Viva Taqueria is one of my favorite places in Ithaca now to eat at. I was surprised by the rates of this place I feel they are a little low. When we finally got to there after my gps on my phone took us the wrong direction. The restaurant is right off the Ithaca Commons and right on the corner. When you go inside you will see a bunch of people waiting for take out. This is a good sign when you go into a new place to eat at. We were told there would be a 40min wait for a table. So we decided to get drinks while we waited for the table. I recommend that you try on of the margarita's, I had the Pursuit. It was a little strong for my liking but it was still good. We got two dishes to share because that we like to do is get something different from each other and then share. Steak Fajitas and Macho Nachos is what we had ordered. They serving sizes were so large that we took leftovers back with us to the hotel. The decor is pretty awesome to look at and reminds you of day of the dead decor. We will be going back here next time we are in town. read more

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So delicious! My family came to visit and we decided on Mexican. So glad we ate at viva! We all loved our meals. I would say that the apps aren't very big. That was our only issue. Definitely a yummy place and we loved looking at all of the decor! The masks are so cool! read more

I dunno whether this is just a takeout thing, but guacamole is the prepackaged, dining hall stuff. It may or may not be made from actual avacados. The chicken and mole sauce are solid, but the three words that come to mind for the burrito as a whole are "made without love." Maybe I ordered on an off night. Otherwise, all this "fresh ingredients" talk is simply incorrect. Not only is this not objectively good Mexican food, it's mediocre for upstate New York. read more

My favorite restaurant. The house margaritas are outstanding. The burritos and quesadillas are the best. It can get pretty busy here in the evenings. read more

I will not be eating at Viva Taqueria in Ithaca.. a place who likes to take your money. Menu on website doesn't match what they actually charge you in person and at that for you not to receive or get a complete order from them. And when you call.. to be put you on hold for 15mins and then finally have the manager say he/she can't come to the phone because their hands are tied. Wow.. Great Customer Service!! Done!! read more

As others have pointed out, Viva Taqueria isn't authentic Mexican food by any means. Do Ithacans care? Judging by the I Love Viva Taqueria group on Facebook and the long lines every time I've gone there-- the answer would be no. If you don't mind pseudo-Mexican food, Viva's the place for you. I've yet to had a bad experience with any of my orders and honestly, I think this will be one of the places I miss most when I leave Ithaca (right after the Almighty Wegmans). Even though I'm not vegetarian, my favorites are the Tofu Superburrito and Tofu Quesadilla. Their beef nachos aren't bad either. If you're ordering it to-go, be prepared to wait in line for at least five minutes and then another five-ten for your order to be done. I'm not kidding when I say that Viva always has lines. read more

I Called 2 days before to place a large (over $200.00) order and the female answering the phone would not take the order, even after I offered to leave a credit card. I arrived as they opened at 11 to place the order and have lunch... the female taking the order at the counter could not a multitasker and should concentrate in 1 thing at a time. My order was not correct and it took over 1 hour to get ready. To top it all off, an older white female with an atitude and a mouth like a truck driver, decided to get involved and make comments, which was a mistake and it just made things worse. I never got to enjoy my lunch as I had to stand and wait to correct the mistakes on the order as it was coming out. This was the first and the last time for us. Adios. read more

I have mixed feelings about Viva. The good: The location is great. Right in the center of everything. It also has outdoor seating which is a bonus if you manage to find a hot day in Ithaca. The bad: The food was just okay. Its not expensive so I am not expecting it to be amazing, but it was a little watery and lacked spice. But definitely do-able - I would eat here again. The bartenders a little bit rude and entitled, but the drinks are decently priced. It also gets really crowded at dinner but that is to be expected. read more

I wanted more flavour and I think my beans were undercooked, but it's a perfectly acceptable place to go for dinner (I'd go here before Moosewood in a heartbeat). Be warned though, people from states with real Mexican food: the escabeche is INEDIBLE. I pretty much agree with all the other people who have posted saying that in California, this place would have gone bust, but as soon as you stop expecting "Mexican food", it's actually fine. read more

Everyone who goes to school in Ithaca or even is just visiting the town should go to Viva! It's inexpensive and the portions are big enough to get full! I have gone to Viva many times and always enjoy it and the servers are always so nice! read more

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Super cute and reliable place in the commons! I got the Fajita Quesadilla which was great! The guacamole is amazing too so get that to start! read more

Viva Taqueria - Mexican Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Not actual Mexican food if you can't tell by now, but not bad food. It's flavorful and well made, just not Mexican. The portions are large and filling as well which is a plus. read more

I love going to Viva! Especially if someone else offers to pay! I would say that Viva is the most popular restaurant in Ithaca, probably mostly due to it's location, but also for it's fun, colorful, interesting interior, good outdoor seating during warm weather (great during the nice Ithaca summer evenings), and for it's amazing menu. If you love Mexican food like I do, you MUST go here. I never thought I would ask for another bowl of guacamole, but it's so good! Let it be known that it can be a bit pricey depending on what you order, but you won't be disappointed. The only time I thought Viva was a bad choice was when I had to walk back up South Hill right after eating. As long as you have some extra cash set aside, and a ride home (their drink menu is also very enticing) Viva will prove to be a truly special, memorable experience! read more

I ordered a veggie super burrito and I wasn't as fond of it as I hoped to be. In other words, I rather go to chipotle. The only plus to the burrito was that it had both tofu and beans but the sauce was not satisfying my crave for a good burrito. read more

Mediocre Mexican food without much flavour. The take out is acceptable, I wouldn't recommend waiting in life for the actual restaurant.

We were in town to visit for the day and most places were closed for Memorial Day so it left us with few options. We happened upon this place and were pretty impressed. The food was cheap and had unique tastes. The menu was pretty small but we had the chorizo enchiladas and a smothered burrito. Both were delicious. Lost a star for the slow service and dirty bathrooms. Place was packed though. read more

Viva Cantina is a bar-restaurant with a quick serve area on one side, and a sit-down area on the other. I came and had a tofu burrito (~$7) which was pretty good, filling and relatively cheap. It's definitely superior than Chipotle, for reference's sake. For one thing, the salsa in the interior of the burrito is fresh and spicy. Also, the tofu is excellent: firm and fresh. Like many places in Ithaca, Viva Cantina gets its tofu from the local tofu shop, Ithaca Soy. This makes a huge difference in terms of taste and quality. If you've never had fresh tofu before, this will be a revelation. My main suggestions for improvement: Viva Cantina should offer seitan tacos (there's an Ithaca-based seitan maker, as well), fried tofu tacos, tofu sour cream and other veganized standards. That would go a long way toward making the place more interesting and worthy of multiple visits. read more

While wandering the downtown area in Ithaca, I decided to give this place a try. I was in the mood for Mexican and there was quite a crowd! The guacamole, salsa, and chips were awesome! The meal was good and interesting. Not your typical Mexican meal, the burrito was served with something coleslaw-ish and pickled veggies. It was all tasty. I like to try new things so I tried the chicken mole burrito, it was a little different, nutty and spicy at the same time. Not sure if I would order it gain, but it was worth trying. The service was quick and friendly. The sangria was really tasty. This place seemed like a fun place to be on a Saturday night, probably even more fun when school starts up again! read more

We visited Viva Taqueria on the advice of some friends of ours who went to college in Ithaca. It turns out that they had some decent mole enchiladas and tacos - washed down with some Dos Equis it was a very nice and quick bite. I'd check it out if you are looking fora quick bite near the Commons - reasonably priced, fairly quick and generally tasty. For me that's hard to argue against. read more

Came for a quick bite to eat. They have separate area if you wanted to be waited or just order and sit. (which is an interesting concept for a restaurant) I had tacos. They were okay. I wish my tortilla was toasted more. I can taste the corn in the tortilla, which I guess is a good thing? The portions are alright for the price. I guess the food is nothing special really. There are also some flies around, which questions the cleanliness of the place. The waitress was average and checked up on us a few times. The decor was interesting. Lots of random items on the wall. Most related to Hispanic/Mexican/etc culture. read more

The cheatin vegan tacos were amazing! It was a large portion though and I could not finish it alone. Would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone. Cute atmosphere also. read more

Viva Taqueria - Cheatin vegan nachos - Mexican Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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