Address: | 400 Walnut St #101, Des Moines, IA 50309, USA |
Phone: | +1 515-282-8936 |
Site: | viviansdm-hub.com |
Rating: | 4.6 |
Working: | Closed 8AM–9PM 8AM–9PM 8AM–9PM 8AM–10PM 8AM–10PM 8AM–8PM |
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Dennis Harper
Went with another couple for restaurant week arriving at 630. First impression is "very nice place". Open feeling large space but the acoustics are such that conversation at the table is still possible. Based on the menu prices we decided we should look at the entire menu as and not restrict ourselves to only the restaurant week menu. Waiter was very nice and was working hard but did not know a great deal about the menu it seemed but that was not a big deal to our group. So I had a beer and the rest had drinks. All were good. One of our party ordered the beef stroganoff while two had the fried chicken and I ordered the meatloaf. We all did some taste testing of each so I personally sampled everything. The verdict - very, very good food. We all agreed we probably would not prefer the Stroganoff if we returned but the chicken was good and the meatloaf was really outstanding. Mashed potatoes were really tasty and the geenbeens were unique and well prepared as well. Based on the drinks and the main menu items we all agreed we would return to try some other menu items. None of us ordered any of the mac and cheese menu items that looked very good and we all suspect would be very good based on the chicken and meatloaf items. Dessert was less than average but that may have been due to unlucky selection or just a bad day. So I rated this a 4 star for the following reasons- nice facility, good drinks, great main menu food with good portions and very reasonable price with adequate service. We spent about $35 per person including two drinks. If they had "wowed us" with the dessert maybe I could have added a star. I would recommend to friends and family.
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Roman Serebryakov
Went for brunch on Saturday, had high expectations, left with disappointment. The tables and chairs outside are super uncomfortable, maybe on purpose so people dont want to stay very long? :/ We had to tuck our legs just to be able to sit at the table. The waiter was a dick, he basically described polenta as some kind of a hot cereal, didnt get any silverware for us until we asked when our food came, didnt give any spoons for coffee, the whole time we were there he didnt even crack a smile. Anyways, we got Surf and Turf, super small portions, barely any crab cake. For 14$ I was expecting a little more. My gf got pancakes, meh. After $30 for average food and unhappy waiter not going back, thanks.
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Keegan Lare
We had brunch here and all the food was pretty good overall. For Iowa, I would say the chicken fried steak portion is too small, but flavor was good. If I was the owner, the one thing I would change is the biscuits. The current biscuit does not resemble a southern biscuit. Seemed like more of scone than biscuit. I think others will be disappointed with the biscuits, even with gravy. If you looking for a lighter meal, the Western Eggs Benedict was good, but just know it does not come on an english muffin.
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Alicia Louvan
You can really tell that the owner, Jeff really cares about each person that walks through the door. Ive had lunch here numerous times and continue to go back. This place will always be special to me as my boyfriend (now fiance) worked with the owner, Jeff to plan the perfect surprise engagement proposal. The food was phenomenal and the service was even better. I have and will continue to recommend Vivians to everyone I know. :)
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Local User
My experience was between 2-3 stars. The wait to get beverages and put in our order was really long. Our group had the chicken fried steak, the 3 meat hash, crab cakes, and the mac and eggs. A couple of the orders came 3 of the orders came out wrong. and only 1 ended up getting corrected. Everyone agreed that the food was overcooked with the exception of the mac and eggs. The staff was plenty friendly but not very good.
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Zachary Smith
The food is delicious. Dont be turned off by the prices. The quality is excellent and the portions are generous. We highly recommend the deconstructed chicken pot pie. The pastry on top was so flaky and delicious. The service is top notch, too. We were greates and thanked by host, bartender, server...the staff is clearly there to provide a good experience to the patrons. Highly recommended.
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Brad Allen
Wow! Just wow! Everyone my wife and I interacted with from the door greeters to our server were awesome at guest service. We sat at the food bar and got to see all the wonderful looking food and desserts. Our food tasted awesome and we were excited to find out they offer a discount to season ticket holders for the Civic Center. We will be returning often to try more of the menu.
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Addy Free
The buttermilk pancakes were excellent at brunch. Well-made mimosa. Quality service. Others in my party had ordered poached eggs that were much too over-done, being closer to hard boiled in the yolk. I heard that the restaurant is new, so perhaps theyre still growing, but poached eggs are a part of their "The Original" menu item, so that was a let down. Beautiful interior.
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Adam Huisman
The atmosphere here was nice though it was on the loud side making it difficult to have conversations. The food was hit and miss. The fried Brussels sprouts were delicious whereas the Iowa Mac and Cheese was overly salty and the cheese sauce tasted exactly like Velveeta. Id give Vivians another try, but I would definitely try something else for my main course.
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Nick Lucs
Ive been to Vivians multiple times now and keep enjoying delicious food and nice service. The atmosphere is great. I was able to take some friends from Florida here and they loved the (dinner) menu. They wished they couldve stuck around for brunch. :) Love the wine selection and their choices for cocktails (nice happy hour, too!)
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Bryan King
This is still a relatively new place but its a good addition to the downtown scene. Its a cool place to pull up a seat at the bar, order breakfast/brunch and read the paper on a weekend morning. Ive been here a handful of times because of the friendly staff and the Iowa Mule is awesome.
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Jonathan
Wait staff was friendly, interior is polished and sophisticated. I had the surf and turf Benedict. 90% of my food was cold, the potatoes were hard and shriveled. My girlfriend got the pancakes which were ok. The syrup is from a grocery store bottle. The bacon was very good.
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Joe Stasi
The Cobb Salad is the BEST I HAVE EVER HAD. I will now crave it for lunch. The diner menu is also terrific with huge portions. The bone in Iowa Chop is 2nd to none.... Service and atmosphere is outstanding. Try Vivians Diner & Drinks 400 Walnut
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Ross Fulton
While just a tiny bit pricy all of the food was excellent. The chicken fried steak that I had was delectable. Its a little on the classier side, but we were shown no ill will for walking in looking like hobos.
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Michael Dunham-LaGree
Great place for breakfast and lunch but value starts to drop for dinner menu. Service was good every time but food quality didnt match prices for dinner. Beautiful space and attentive servers and management!
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Josh E.
One of the best restaurants in downtown Des Moines. A great location, great food, and service. If you havent been here before you should check it out immediately, youll probably find me eating there.
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D. R. Arthur
Excellent food and staff on the ball. Eclectic as well as economic menu selection. Bar is well done with catering option into ball room or beyond splendid for events.