"I must beg to differ!"   My Rating
2 Lourdes	Posted on: Monday, September 14, 2009
	Review: I signed up for this website for the sole purpose of giving a different perspective on this restaurant. Later I realized that the review refers to the Huertas location, when I was thinking about the Plaza de la Paja location. What follows refers to the new, much larger location at Plaza de la Paja in Madrid. // Firstly, let me state that I am American, have lived in Madrid for over twenty years, and am vegan/50% raw vegan. I love Viva la Vida. The decor is so lively and pleasing that I have thought about decorating my house in the same way. The food is all buffet food and absolutely delicious. I know many "omnis" who eat there and love it. I LOVE that it takes maximum ten minutes from arrival to scarfing down piles of food (great when you're starving!). A sizeable plate of food runs about 10-12 euros. It might seem expensive, but it is still cheaper than a restaurant. There is organic beer and wine, the beer costing only about 2.50 euros. You can sit outside on the lovely and popular square, Plaza de la Paja, a bit tucked away and not as touristy as other places. I love that you can eat as little or as much as you want, and try 20 different things without having to order 20 different dishes. Plus, you can occupy a table all night long if you want to (no one rushes you out); my girlfriends and I have started meeting here instead of at someone's house, because it's just as pleasant and creates no work (unlike being a host). Everyone stands in line and pays for their own food, so no issues about splitting the bill. I love the curried vegetables, vegetarian lasagna, polenta, chickpea salads, veg nori rolls, etc. For vegans and raw vegans, options are more limited, but you do have options. Admittedly, a lot of the food is probably fairly high fat. I go there when I want to treat myself and pig out, but that's just me (no one is forcing me to choose all the high fat options). But everyone loves the food here! I couldn't believe it got such a negative review from someone. There is pleasing decor, a varied and interesting crowd, ease of access, delicious food... all very affordable. Keep in mind that organic ingredients are significantly more expensive. A lot of people on weekends. Smoking section downstairs, and sometimes music. It is a great alternative to a typical restaurant format. In short, it is definitely worth checking out at least once... you might love it as much as I and (almost) everyone else do!   Pros: delicious food * not dirt cheap, but good value * relaxed, flexible, informal atmosphere Cons: * *
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"Deception!!!"   My Rating
1 primaveraf lor	Posted on: Tuesday, June 24, 2008
	Review: The ambient is good but has a deceptive food quality...very salty in general .. trying to be a wannabe take out vegetarian place which has NO SOUL !!! the cooks definitely has no idea of what they are doing ... a bit pricey (100g = 2.10 euros) ....you would rather eat in a restaurant for menu del dia which costs around 8-12euros at other places...i would definitely not recommend this place...it's a total deception from the outside appearance !!!   Pros: * * Cons: * *
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