I live around the corner from here and was walking passed one day when I noticed their secret garden of dining alley from the street. Al fresco dining is one of the top 3 things in life that will instantly make me happy and this location looked beautiful, I was dieing to try it. So, I stopped by this past weekend and went as soon as they opened on Sunday. There was only one waitress working so I understand if she was spread a little thin, but it did take awhile for us to order. I got the banana pancakes which were amazing. The bus boy kept my coffee warm at all times and I enjoyed a wonderful breakfast on a beautiful patio. Will definitely be making this a regular weekend brunch stop. read more

Okay, this my first Yelp review so I hope it's not too long--I have a lot to learn about being "funny/useful/cool" or is it "useful/funny/cool"?. Anyway, about the restaurant: Love love love! Only on Yelp did I realize this place had "Millenium" in it's name. Hmmm, you learn something new everyday. This place happens to be earshot away from my workplace so it's easy to find for me, but if you're not familiar with Ventura Boulevard with it's myriad hidden gems and unnoticeable delish restaurants, then you probably would never find this place if you tried. It's two doors down from a 76 gas station if your lost, next to a tattoo/drug dealer shop. Environment: So cute!! It looks like it was a former quaint little home turned into a restaurant, supposedly once owned by the father of the woman who plays the wife in "King of Queens"--you know, Zack Morris' girlfriend Stacy Carrosi when they were all at the beach for the summer--name anyone? You can sit inside if you're lame, but the patio in the back is the best part of this place. It's an enclosed, but open air little Euro/NYC patio, which gleams with patterns of sunlight on good days. It's usually bustling during the lunch hours, but my coworkers and I have never had to wait for a table. Seems like a lot of actor types frequent the place so there's always eye-candy, but my fav find yet--Stanley from "The Office" eating with his family inside--yeah, that's right, droopy, eye-rolling, black Stanley from The Office. BTW, for parking, don't hold your breath--luckily I walk. You can always take a chance in the Ralphs complex across the street. LOVE!! Staff: Uber-friendly, and the waitresses are super cute and sweet. Don't forget to banter with the sweet little Latino "drinks" guy who sets up your table. Remember this: Water is "vodka", iced tea is "whiskey", and hot chocolate is "sexy hot chocolate". LOVE! Food: Delish! I always try to expand beyond the breakfast menu when I come here, but the breakfast is so good, it's extremely difficult to get a burger or sandwich. My top three are the Corned Beef Hash, Angelo's Special, and the Eggs Benedict (although I have a friend who does make better). There's just never anything wrong with these dishes--the eggs are never runny and the homefries that come as a side dish are Da BOMB (was that too 90's?--can I still say "bad" as a positive??) Also, their pancakes are PERFECT so make sure you get a couple of those--skip the IHOP. I did try the Vivian's Burger once and it was good, but not the best burger I've had--I suggest you stick with breakfast. LOVE! read more

Vivian's Cafe - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Studio City, California

We go here for breakfast mostly out of habit, as I'm sure most people do. Everytime, without fail, my boyfriend complains about paying $25 for what should have been a $12 breakfast. "Never again!" , he says as he signs the credit card slip and I suck up the end of my $4 glass of OJ. I regularly crave the Beverly Hills salad for lunch. But hate the wait for something that seems so simple. In all seriousness, the waitresses could really use some lessons in customer service. They get a little snippy sometimes, as if being a customer is disrupting their day. Lesson to be learned: Habits can be broken. read more

What a quaint place to eat! Enjoyed the food. I had the tacos but it seemed everyone around me was ordering breakfast. Next time I visit LA, I'm definitely going back to this place. read more

We decided to give it a try based on the excellent reviews. Underwhelmed. Patio area in the back is nice. Very tight space. The wait staff was unfriendly and I felt a little uppity. Food was not good. The eggs tasted off to me. The pancakes are the only decent food we had. Don't try the huevos rancheros you will be shocked. Runny mess. Not returning. read more

Went this morning for breakfast. Horrible food!! Huevos Rancheros salsas was gooey an no taste, refried beans from a can, heat up in the microwave . I was sick after eating, feeling nauseous. Service not good either! ! Never come to your table to check if u need anything else. Very disappointed! ! And for those prices u expect fresh food. .. don't waste your time and money. . read more

Tiny Front area, nice patio. Bad parking. Well to be clear. No lot, and not a ton of street parking. The food is standard brunch/breakfast and lunch fair. Omelets, pancakes, they have grits if you are inclined. My omelet was edible but nothing too exciting. Iced Coffee was a little watered down. All in all it was fine, the waitress was understanding and pretty good. They have a snarky line on their menu "we don't mind changing things if you don't mind paying!" Yes we know, thats how it works. I ask to change something and I pay, don't be an ass about it. read more

The food is great, the service leaves much to be desired. We recently had a late breakfast on a Sunday. Although there were at least 5 open tables between the inside and patio, they were ridiculously slow at seating people and very rude when we inquired about how much longer the wait would be. After our 40 minute wait we finally sat down, not to get a server for another 10 minutes. When she did come, she acted as though she was doing us a favor by taking our table. The only saving grace was the very polite busser and the food. It was a great breakfast, but not worth the wait or bad attitudes! read more

Hostess was rude and looks stressed out. If she could have yelled at me she would have. I asked for outside seating if available. And she goes I need to put you in the list. So do you want inside, outside or first avaliable? She sounded so annoyed. And this was in less than a minute of interaction. Food wasn't anything special and lacks customer service. I am going back to my favorite spot which is Aroma. Why did I try a new breakfast restaurant? The bus boys though were nice. read more

Vivian's Cafe - Really? This funny face pancake could use some creativity. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Studio City, California

I don't see what the big deal is. The food is good, but it doesn't make up for the terribly long wait or the laughable service. My two friends and I went this morning for Sunday brunch. Two waitresses took our drink order three times, and then when our drinks came, the waitress came by and asked if we'd like to order drinks. Like the cups in front of us were decoration? When we ordered our food, the waitress repeated it back to us and got it all wrong. We corrected her, but we still didn't get the right food. What we did get tasted okay, but it wasn't anything that would make me want to come back. My grits were bland and unappetizing. Both times I've been here, I've seen famous actors, so I think that might be why this place is such a draw. But c'mon, it's LA. You see famous people at Walgreens. Also, parking is a bitch. read more

On the plus side, I will say that the outdoor patio area is quite nice, but that's about where my warm fuzzy feelings with this place end. After we were seated, our waitress tells us that another customer had just yelled at her, and told her she was the worst waitress they'd ever had. Ok, cool, whatever. While trying to give her the benefit of the doubt, as the meal progressed, it became apparent that she truly was a terrible waitress. Everyone has off days, but she was ridiculously slow. I have to take issue with their claim to have the "best breakfast in the Valley." Even if our food had been brought to the table while it was still reasonably hot, it would have qualified as mediocre, at best. I will not be back. read more

Went to Vivian's for breakfast with my sister after an early morning hike at Griffith Park. The food was delicious, especially the white chocolate macadamia nut pancakes. The waitresses were friendly and attentive, and the outdoor patio is great. We would absolutely go back again and we would recommend that others do the same. Such a great atmosphere with delicious food. read more

Vivian's Cafe - Breakfast at Vivian's! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Studio City, California

The food is pretty good. I got the chicken fried steak and some OJ. The chicken fried steak comes with biscuit and gravy on the side. The food was cooked well and the potatoes were tasty. The patio seemed really nice but it was full when we got there, so we sat inside. The only downside was that it was warm sitting inside. I don't know if the restaurant has AC but my friend and I were sweating while we ate our breakfast, and we couldn't open the window because there was a hole on the screen with a fly sitting right by the hole. read more

Vivian's Cafe - Chicken fried steak - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Studio City, California

Yum! Server was sweet, service was fast and the cafe (especially the patio) is wonderful. Relaxing atmosphere (although top 50 hits from the radio are playing through the speakers). Ordered the lox plate, which is near impossible to mess up but I was happy it was on the menu and even happier eating it. Only a few parties here (mostly working individuals) on a Wednesday morning. I can't wait to try more things on the menu. read more

Seriously blaaaaaaaah, Waitress's attitude and cold food is not a good start to what was to be a Sun shiney day in l.a.. I mean total of 12 patrons two waitress's at 8:00am. you would think that your breakfast dish would be moderately warm along with the fresh scent of cooked eggs and potato's. No, quiet the opposite. Cold and with the aroma of it being brought back from the day before's leftovers. Plus, way over-priced, Jerry's Deli is probably cheaper then this place. Now as for the help,. Hmm, they seem more distracted thinking about there acting possibilities then accommodating you. read more

My friend and I went and had breakfast here today. I got the Waitress Special, and I have to say it was good. But that was the only good thing about our experience. My friend asked the waitress if the hollandaise was made in the store or store bought. She said that it was made in the restaurant so he got it. First, the waitress took forever to bring the food to us. We saw it sitting in the window for about 5 minutes before it was brought to us. Now, I've been a waitress, and I understand how that is. But there were only a few other tables besides us. Second, my friend said that the hollandaise did NOT taste homemade, it was starchy and bland. The eggs were really runny, yolks and whites. He couldn't even finish it, and he felt sick the rest of the day. Third, the waitress didn't check back on us at all. Our drinks were never re-filled. I haven't had that bad of service in awhile. Especially not bad enough to write a review on. We will never be going there again. read more

Cute cafe with outdoor seating. The banana pancakes were very good. I would highly recommend. It was cool because both owners were there and greeted regulars. Eggs were too fried for my taste, overall prices were very reasonable. Definitely visit if you're in the neighborhood. read more

Vivian's Cafe - 2+2+2 - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Studio City, California

Haven't been in years. Still a great spot from what I remembered. The patio is a great, shady spot to enjoy some coffee and a short stack.

The pancakes was good. Service was good. It was 102 degrees outside and they didn't have ac inside. read more

Vivian's Cafe - This was my eggs benedict. Smh that is unacceptable - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Studio City, California

RUN, don't walk... RUN to this cafe! Best waiters and bus boys ever!!!! BEST FOOD! GO GO GO!!!! Get the walt veggie sandwich and get a scoop of tuna!!! Also, Hank B (a guy who reviewed this)... F you!!! Get a brain!!! You must be a scientologist! If you're so smart, do my taxes! read more

Been coming to Vivian's since 2000 and it has become one of the places that I most identify with whenever I come back to L.A. after a long trip. The staff is amazing and while the little cottage and (alley) patio is a novelty to some, to me it's welcoming and inviting and basically what "home" would feel like if you had your own private cooking/service staff and didn't mind strangers walking in and out of your place all day (so social). I've tried most things on the menu and it's all good, although I definitely stick to the Waitress Special most days. The coffee is above average (on par with everything around here- Twain's, Hugo's, Jerry's, etc.), but the quality/standards here are always excellent when it comes to their food. Nothing greasy, oily, or unnecessary for that matter. I've never been here with anyone who hasn't cleaned their plate. There is a wait most of the time because the place is small and it's in demand, so if you're not a local/native then don't go and complain about not being treated like a King/Queen like you would normally be in no-where's-ville, Oklahoma, or wherever it is you're coming from. The customer service here is just fine for native Angelino's ,but if you want the Denny's/IHOP experience just keep driving down Ventura. read more

Ok lets get after it! From the Keep it real guy! My first outing, Its a very warm, cozy, quaint little place! The coffee was excellent! I thought the food was very good as well, if not excellent!! The only draw back is very pricey for such very small portions, Im not a professional football player, but I think if you tried to feed the Patriots Cowboys, or Rams there for breakfast they may leave very hungry!! The quality of the food is excellent, 5 stars my only suggestion would be, portion sizes for what is being charged! The breakfast the omlettes, are not inexpensive, the scrambles?? maybe a few more eggs?? another slice of toast. This is not the year of the great depression, with soup lines. Just some food for thought, or suggestions! Service warm,and efficient! JR. read more

Threeish star food: y'know it's got pancakes and omlettes and stuff. The chicken sausage that came in my omlette was pretty good. The french toast looked fluffy. Grits were an option. So you can't complain about any of that. It was sort of basic plus. The toast was good. They did invest in good bread and decent ingredients as building blocks. I appreciate that. The omlette menu was a bit limited. Extra for a coupla' slices of cheese? Really? A LOVELY back patio. Decent coffee if only they refilled it once in a great while. But I'd rather give it a 2.5 It's important to recognize proportion. Namely: if you can seat 7 bazillion people your kitchen and waitstaff need to be able to turn out food for a bazillion people in a reasonable amount of time. I showed up at 12:30. After being told it would be "15 minutes, maybe less" I was seated just before 1. Order placed around 1:10. Food showed up at 20 to 2. That's a LONG time for two omlettes and some quick grits. What's worse is it probably would've taken longer only we complained to the waitress and she hustled out our order with the apology "Yeah, there's a lot of food waiting in the window." So our food is just sitting there on the hot line congealing? Yuck. I didn't need to know that. Just tell me the kitchen is backed up. Don't bring me my food with the image of it sitting out for half an hour in my head. The grits were not buttery. I'm ok with that. My friend was not. But that's because I'm anal about cholesterol right now. They did bring out butter so maybe it was with the idea that "If you want it you'll use it." I did appreciate that they asked if I wanted my toast buttered. I did not. I'm glad too, since the wheat and the rye both were whole grain and nutty and deeeeelish. I actually don't remember any of the flavors in my omlette coming through OTHER than the chicken sausage. There were onions and tomatoes, and I remember seeing them, but not tasting them. The tomatoes were pretty pale, so I'm guessing cheapie tomatoes. But they're in season right now. It shouldn't be hard to get good tomatoes. Or at least tomatoes that taste like something. Cheap. I like cheap. But maybe not QUITE that cheap. Yeah. Three stars. Average. Not terrible, but not special in any particular way other than the nice bread. read more

Vivian's has been a staple in my Studio City residency for the last 4 years- love this place! Their breakfast is consistently on point- I almost always get the Angelo's special and it's never a disappointment- their wait staff is very sweet and the bus boys are very kind and always remember their repeat customers! On weekends you can expect a short wait, but I've never waited longer than 10-15 minutes. My favorite part of Vivian's is their real nice outdoor patio- literally feels like you're having breakfast in someone's backyard! Birds chirping, and always a good energy- Thanks Vivian's! read more

Extremely slow service, tiny portions, and unfortunately over priced. This happened on multiple visits. Beware.

The service was great, food was amazing, I had Georges Tacos and fries and my friend had the breakfast burrito and home fries, we both ate every bite! So we decided to go the next day and had Banana pancakes and home fries! It was so so so good!! read more

Vivian's Cafe - Georges Tacos and fries!! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Studio City, California

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I'm never disappointed with this place. Good food great service and the ambiance is pretty cool. It's a small place so on a busy day you will wait but the food is worth it. They also allow dogs and are pretty good about bringing them water too. read more

The staff is always welcoming and accommodating, the food is outstanding regardless of what you order!!! Happily becoming regulars here!!!

I love this place! I like that it's a bit of a hidden gem & I can walk over there sit on the patio and can enjoy traditional breakfast or lunch. The service has always been great for me, I think it's how you treat your servers that determines the service level. I have never had a bad service issue. They also try to accommodate special requests & substitutions, which I like. Only complaint is that they close so early, but I understand...it's good business decision, they serve breakfast & lunch :-) read more

Vivians is a mom and pops owned establishment. They have amazing breakfast and the best tuna salad I've ever put in my mouth. What I really love about this place is the service; waitresses are good looking and super friendly. Speaking of friendly, they're dog friendly! You have the option for indoor and outside seating. Great place. I'll definitely be recommending this to people and coming back! read more

I love this place !!! The customer service it's very good specially the boss boy !! He is so awesome always smiling !!! Food is prefect !! Love Love this place :) read more

Vivian's is a nice, quaint eatery that has it's ups and downs. The food is all fresh, BIG up! Certain menu items are REALLY good, like the banana pancakes, Grilled muffins, and many of the breakfast plates. Overall, it is very pricey (just as you would expect on Ventura Blvd). Service was so so. read more

I love Vivian's. This is my favorite breakfast spot and I love that I can be outside and not get sunburned.

Everytime I have been here, the service has been so slow I thought I was on candid camera. Even after being seated, it took about 15 minutes to get coffee and water on the table and a total of about 45 minutes to get our food. There were also a bunch of aspiring rappers there today, who aside from smoking weed on the sidewalk outside, proceeded to light up cigarettes at the outside table in the garden. When I mentioned it to the host (cause I was downwind with my 2 year old) , she seemed like she didnt want to intervene-probably saving me from a confrontation I didnt need at that point. I finally got my breakfast burrito and was offered a different table, but I wanted to get out of there ASAP. Good times. The food is good, the drama you need to endure not so much. read more

This place was great!!! I was hoping to see Leah! The place has great food and awesome environment! read more

We stopped in for breakfast before walking over to Studio City. They claim the pancakes are world-famous, but I wouldn't go that far. They're tasty and good for a carb hit. The place is quirky and neighborly with people who are the right mix of friendly and professional. If you're in the neighborhood, it's a reliable choice for breakfast or lunch. read more

Came here last week for a business meeting just for a moment. It's a small cafe that you'd miss if you weren't looking specifically for it. It's right next door to a rock school for kids. Maybe that's where the parents go while their tots are wailing away in the privacy of a studio rather than in their garage. However despite the location, it's very quiet here. (Thank God for sound proofing right?) From the front, it doesn't look like much. But in the back is a little jungle of a courtyard with tables. It's nothing extraordinary but it's not a bad spot to catch a bit of sun. There wasn't outlets in sight. It just umbrellas and tables. The menu was nothing special. The service was alright. This is right across a major shopping center for the area. And having gone to the Ralphs beforehand, I wouldn't recommend coming here for the food when chances are you can get com probable quality over there (with much hotter patrons & ample parking). This is not somewhere I'd go out of my way to come to, sorry. read more

First to review? I'll bite. So Vivian's had been recommended by some friends several years back but that was back in the day when I had Valley-itis. No way was I going to *the Valley* for breakfast. Yeah, dumb. Vivian's "ultimate pancake" is pretty damn tastey and they know how to put the "extra" in the 'extra crispy' bacon we always ask for. Everything we had was good and fresh - from my omelette to the waffles. The inside seating is small, but the outdoor patio is spacious. Both are modestly decorated but it's a great neighborhood joint. Friendly & fast service. read more

Yummy food, for sure. The food was delicious. Small portions, but definitely good food. This place only has like 5 tables inside, so if you go on a hot day, be prepared to sweat on the patio! Its HOT out there! On top of that, they didnt have the misters on, so my poor mother was dying from the heat. I would definitely recommend this place on a nice COOL day when you want some inexpensive food thats also delicious. OH - I must add how disappointed I was at the fact that the waitresses are soooooo NOT foxy or hot. I expected good looking girls. What I found was bland looking, chubby chicks. Maybe I went on a bad day. Oh well. I'll still go back. I was just a little disappointed. Where ARE the hotties?? read more

I abso loved the Crew's Scramble! Had egg whites substitute! It was just what I needed on a cold day! I think this might be my new fav here! :) read more