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CLOSED: Cafe Viva Natural Pizza
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7
Closed
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Vegetarian
Vegan-friendly
Lacto
American
Pizza
Fast food
Take-out
New York pizza restaurant. Counter service. Try the zen pizza and vegan desserts. Not associated with the other Cafe Viva that'a also in NYC. Reported closed to HappyCow.
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179 Second Ave (at 11th St, East Village, Manhattan), New York City, New York, USA, 10003
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Last update on 24 Jan 2014 by Guest
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16 Reviews
First Review by michal
KarinaU1
Points +56
Pizza for vegans - Edit
It's hard to find vegan pizza, but this place is great. The pizza is really good and all the desserts are vegan too.
Read morePros: Vegan pizza, Vegan desserts
Guest
serosenberg
Points +72
Healthy pizza in an unappetizing setting - Edit
This counter-service pizza restaurant sounds really great on paper, but the actual experience was disappointing. The space is small, inadequately lit and kind of dirty seeming. They do have lots of interesting vegan pizza options, including unusual, healthy ingredients and a variety of different crust options.
Read moreI shared a slice of daiya cheese pizza and a slice of "seitan dream" with my husband. Viva's "slices" are enormous, so if you would normally eat 2, 1 will definitely suffice. The whole wheat crusts were hard and dense. That made the daiya slice less appealing than it might have been. The toppings on the seitan dream - artichoke, onion, etc. - all kind of blended together into an unfortunate mess of tomatoey blandness, but seasoned with something spicy. The onions were a little undercooked, too.
One of the really nice things about Viva is their house-made beverages. I enjoyed a watermelon coconut water, and they had other interesting options as well. The dessert fridge was filled with delicious-looking vegan treats, but it could have benefitted from being displayed nicer, instead of just a bunch of desserts in plastic boxes crammed into a gross looking fridge.
With so many vegan options in the East Village, I think it will be a while before I head over to Viva Natural again.
Pros: lots of vegan options, healthy pizza, dessert and beverage selection
Cons: hygiene, crusts are too dense
Guest
BettyxB
Points +126
Is the first thing that i crave when am not in NYC - Edit
I eat at viva whenever I am in the neighborhood (or not really i just have to go there every time am craving it) is good and fast a little bit overprice though
Read morePros: fast, good,
Cons: Small, pricey
Guest
bencamps
Points +581
Veg and Vegan Pizza Joint! - Edit
Visited on 28/06/11. We got here pretty late after a gig and although it's a little scruffy we enjoyed our time there and enjoyed our food. Lots of choice of pizza, ours were both a bit bland but not bad. Friendly guy who served us. Great place for a late night snack or a quick lunch.
Read moreGuest
O-liv
Points +100
Best pizza ever! - Edit
I was amazed at the food here! I had the seitan pizza, which was good, and the Daiya cheese pizza - amazing!! But I was also really surprised by the deserts! All seemed to be vegan, and soooo delicious!! I had the oreo cake, creamy and delicious, and my boyfriend has the peanut butter cream cake - wow!!! We also had a Woopie Pie to go, as we wanted to try one: also great! So if you go, make sure to keep a little room for a slice of cake.
Read morePros: great pizza, amazing vegan cakes!, cheap
Cons: none: it's perfect!
Guest
veggiegoth
Points +217
awesome vegan pizza! - Edit
i have been coming here for several years and this is the place you want to go for vegan pizza. they have many different pies from artichoke, pesto, soy sausage and other yummy toppings. i used to go here more but unfortuantly i am not in the east village as much as i used to be. this is the best vegan pizza i have had here in nyc.
Read moreGuest
Fallopia Tuba
Points +47
Great pizza - Edit
I've been going to Cafe Viva a lot lately, and had been getting their [very popular] slice with Daiya cheese on it. They have a lot of customers seeking that out, since Daiya is a singular experience in vegan cheese; it stretches and tastes great! A couple of weeks ago, their Daiya delivery was late, and I saw a few people walk out when they found out it hadn't gotten there yet.
Read moreFor vegetarians who are not yet vegan, there's a very good selection of pies with kosher mozzarella on them. This place has its Kashruth certification displayed on the wall. The top shelf of the display case is for the vegan pies, including the "Ganja" (with hempseed) and other variety pies. The slices may be a little pricey, but you get a very generous quarter-pie, with ample toppings.
As other reviewers have mentioned, they offer a good selection of Vegan Treats desserts, and they also have some sugar-free, wheat-free cookies and other healthy treats.
[A caveat: I honestly wasn't aware they've had health-code violations, and I'm going to pay attention to the place the next time I go. I thought "kosher" meant "clean."]
Pros: Daiya cheese, great selection, Vegan treats desserts
Guest
Bow
Points +80
Best brownies ever! - Edit
First up, a confession - I never tried the pizza. I intended to, but never got a chance. I found myself wandering in here looking for dessert on a Monday after finding that Lula's Sweet Apothecary is closed on Monday's, and I bought a vegan brownie with white and dark vegan chocolate chips. It was perfection - crispy round the edges, rich and gooey in the middle, just right. It was more than I could eat in one go but still tasted great the next day. I should have gone back sooner, but popped back in on my last day to buy brownies for my family so they could see what the fuss was about. The brownies coped well with the long journey home and were still perfect two days after purchase. My family all claimed they were the best brownies they had ever had (including the non-vegans in the family). Their double choc-chip cookie was pretty great too. The pizza looked interesting, but whatever you order, don't leave without a brownie (if you're too full after pizza, eat it the day after, you won't regret it).
Read morePros: Best brownies ever
Guest
Lynn
Points +31
So nice to be able to eat pizza! - Edit
I eat here whenever I am in the neighborhood......... I love the vegan pizza, which is so hard to find, even in Manhattan! It is simply delicious!
Read moreGuest
nycvegan
Points +45
be very careful, health code violations! - Edit
I found the restaurant closed a few weeks back, and I finally found the NYC Health Department report. Of hundreds of restaurants in their zip code, they clocked in at the 4th highest point level (and points are BAD). 28 points will shut you down; they had 55!
Read moreSee http://167.153.150.32/RI/web/detail.do?method=detail&restaurantId=41230060&inspectionDate=20081224
lowlights "7.) Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility's food and/or non-food areas.
8.) Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility's food and/or non-food areas."
I will NEVER eat here again.
Cons: mice, rats, violations
Guest
piffelina
Points +3514
great pizza - Edit
my boyfriend and i were there, and unfortunately over-ordered - one slice of pizza would have been enough for both of us!
Read morei loved the pizza (with tofu on top), but i wasn't too keen on the lasagna. it was a bit too raw and veggie-like.
we also ordered a piece of tofu-carob, but it was a bit too much. the orange dream smoothie-drink was ok.
i would go back for the pizza.
Pros: great pizza, huge portion
Cons: other food not as good, not as cheap as we though
Guest
A.Z.P.
Points +623
An amazing pizza for everyone - Edit
I eat pizza all the time, so a few years ago when my friend said he was ordering in, i was hardly excited. Then, when it got here and i tasted it I was amazed. Ever since then, if i'm in the village, Cafe VIva is the place I go. In terms of the pizza, it has a little something for everyone. The regular slices are the perfect combo of cheese, sauce, and a good crust (they have regular, whole wheat, spelt and corn meal crusts which are all good). My favorite pies that i would recommend are probably the Picante and the Santa Cruz which is packed with Broccoli, garlic and vege sausage. The santa rosa and the Bella are pretty darn good here as well. If you want to be extraordinarily adventurous with your Pizza the Zen is an antioxidant pizza with Miso tofu on it (personally, it was a little too eclectic for my tastebuds). The trick with going to viva, is first to look at all the different options they have( What kind of crusts? toppings? Cheese or tofu on top? etc.) and decide how adventurous you want to be with your pizza. Secondly not to over order. At an average Pizzeria I'll eat 2 or 3 slices, at viva the slices are enormous (particularly the ones with toppings) and at most i can generally eat a slice and a half. Lastly to enjoy some of the freshest healthiest and most delicious pieces of pizza you will ever have!
Read morePros: Inexpensive enormous slices, Fresh healthy toppings, Amazing variety and Kosher too!!!
Cons: Only a few tables
Guest
XspeedyX
Points +122
Go here! - Edit
We loved the vegan pizza!
Read morePlus if you're glutenfree, you'll still be able to eat pizza here!
Go!
Guest
philjdomm
Points +945
Since 2002: Loved it - Edit
Well, I know they had one in mid town across from the library on 34th and Park but now down to the one on upper west side and now east village on 2nd. I finally tried the one east 2nd and it remained, very delicious! I have to try their vegan pastas!
Read moreGuest
kindlizard
Points +1095
good stuff - Edit
Really affordable and huge portions. We had quite a variety for minimal money. They have creative vegan selections and save room for dessert b/c they have vegan treats there too. Great spot.
Read morePros: Price, Portion, creative
Guest
michal
Points +93
great pizza! - Edit
the portions are huge and the food my friends and i shared was great!
Read moreCons: limited seating
Guest
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