Rediviva Restaurant — Restaurant in Aberdeen

Edit: the next time we went there, we did not experience the issues listed below. I've increased my review accordingly.

Warning; all of the reviews stating a potentially VERY LONG WAITING PERIOD FOR YOUR FOOD ARE LEGIT.

Short review: the food is exquisite (it is pricey). The food portions are QUITE adequate (I noticed a few reviews previously that said the portion were on the smaller side....maybe the chefs noticed and changed things by this point, but if not, the portions are quite satisfying as they were). The staff need some serious tightening up/training.

That aside, let me explain to you our experience. We reserved ahead and upon walking in a few minutes early, we were immediately seated. The restaurant was maybe 1/2 to 2/3 full at the maximum of our stay.

Water came. Kind service came; our waitress explained how the menu worked (which was nice!). OF COURSE the menu was not the same as what we saw online as this restaurant is very vocal about a potentially daily/weekly menu change due to whatever is fresh and locally available (so it often can change daily). So we knew that. No docked points there.

The music was kind of loud for me personally, but ok. It was savvy. No points docked there. The environment was comfortable.

We ordered drinks and food. The drinks are YUMMY. Strong enough to notice the alcohol but balanced and tasty and unique. We waited approximately 45-50 minutes for our sides/appetizers to arrive (both of which were the same kind of soup). It was annoying a little, but the food was exquisite. I have not had such a tasty soup in 15 years.

We ate and again found ourselves waiting quite a long time for the main course. So my partner asked a particular waitress staff member who had been seen hanging around the bar but not doing a whole lot to set up another drink for him. She literally ROLLED HER EYES and SHOOK HER HEAD as it was, i guess, an obvious annoyance/inconvenience. It's been while since I felt so....bad to ask someone on the clock to order something as our waitress was clearly busy. If we weren't spending nearly $100 per person, maybe I wouldn't have minded but BOY was it a bit much to swallow.

We waited quite a bit more (a table that entered after us got their food before us, but maybe their orders were less complicated than ours (and yes, he got his drink in the mean time)). Our waitress offered their sourdough bread starter as a comp for our wait. We accepted.

Our dinner ended up coming right before the comp; we turned down the comp at that point because we're were so full and offered it to another table. The dinner? Some of the best food we've ever had. Delicious (I wish I asked for a spoon to slurp up the juices/sauce). Perfect. Fun, different, natural. We WILL be coming back again (5☆ alone), if nothing else excited about the next different menu.

Upon receipt, the waitress forgot that the comp was a comp (and that we ended up turning it down) and had the cost added to our order. We had it corrected with ease.

Maybe the restaurant reads their reviews; I SO BADLY wanted to give the restaurant a 5-star review because the food was mind-blowing. It was inventive, fun, local....the kinds of things we see in cooking shows. But the 3-star service made me feel compelled to settle at a 4 star review. As a local, we WILL be back and will be excited for what the menu holds. I hope the service is a bit tightened up. Also though, as a local hiring manager, I understand how hard it is to find enough quality employees in the area to run a smooth shift 🤷‍♀️.

Thank you for bringing this level of cuisine to...

My boyfriend treated me to a lovely dinner out at 8 pm, and overall, I enjoyed the experience. We decided to share everything and ordered the tartare, scallops, bone marrow, the main steak dish, and dessert. While the evening was enjoyable, I do have a few critiques about the food and atmosphere.

Food:

The food, unfortunately, had two significant issues: it was overly salty and often burnt. As someone who loves bold flavors—I even put Tajin on almost everything—it takes a lot for me to call something too salty. But in this case, several dishes crossed that line. The tartare, in particular, was overwhelmingly salty and could have greatly benefited from some citrus to balance the flavors.

The bone marrow was another disappointment. Bone marrow is naturally rich and flavorful on its own, so adding Dijon mustard on top seemed unnecessary and overpowering. It would have been better served on the side as an optional addition. Additionally, the bread served alongside it was severely over-charred. We had to scrape it off to make it edible, and even then, the burnt flavor was overpowering. This makes me wonder if the grill is being properly cleaned, as the burnt taste was consistent across other dishes as well.

We also tried the scallops, which, like the bread, were overly charred and excessively salty. While they weren’t terrible, they didn’t leave a lasting impression either—just a bit forgettable.

The main steak dish was the standout of the evening. It was well-cooked and flavorful, but even here, I found myself wishing for a bit more textural contrast. The accompanying side was smooth, almost like baby food, when I was expecting something heartier, like solid potatoes, to complement the dish.

Atmosphere:

The restaurant could make some improvements to its ambiance. The sound system, while loud, was of poor quality and detracted from the overall dining experience. A simple solution would be to lower the volume until a better system is installed. Additionally, the acoustics in the space made the ambient noise overwhelming. Some sound-absorbing panels on the walls or ceiling could help tremendously. Finally, adding accent lighting would enhance the mood and make the space feel more inviting. I also wish they put that cool octopus mural on the main wall to cover the over whelming white wall as well.

Final Thoughts:

Despite these critiques, our waitress Jen made the experience much better. She was attentive, kind, and truly a highlight of the evening.

My boyfriend mentioned we’d come back on Wednesdays to try their Wagyu burger, because he tried the burgers before and said they are pretty good soI’m looking forward to that but we probably won't order anything else from this restaurant again.

If I could give a 2.5-star rating, I would, but I’ll round up to 3 stars, thanks to the...

Wow, what a great place! Small, intimate setting, with good service and great food to boot. There were honestly only a couple things I dropped a star for, and really if I could only drop a half star, that would probably be more appropriate. The cocktails were all outstanding, especially the "I'm on Fire" and I would highly recommend that be on a regular rotation if not a full time selection! Starting out with the first course of Hazelnut-potato milk "soup", king trumpet mushroom, and herbs; it was impeccable and this was my first time having trumpet mushroom, it was delicious. My second course was the seared scallops, accompanied by a celery root puree, arugula, hazelnut, and brown butter; it was simple perfection. For her second course,my date had the roasted beets encased in pastry, cave bleu cheese, beet espuma, and beet caramel; this was so delicious we are planning on recreating a variation at home. My main course was supposed to be the Braised foreshank of lamb, corn polenta, chimichurri, and baby beets. This is were things diverge slightly. Reason being, above is how it was worded on the menu, but not what I was served... However, the lambshank I got was freaking delicious in its own right. In the spirit of full disclosure, I did not ask the server why it was different, but only because it was still divine. There was no chimichurri or beets to speak of, rather what tasted like a five spice braise. I would have appreciated it if menu changes were made, that I was told when ordering, but again it was so good, it was immediately forgiven. Wrapping up with the dessert course, the french press coffee was top notch, and it was a good thing because the Mascarpone mousse (Red fruit cake, fresh berries, mascarpone mousse, and raspberry powder) was very lacking of flavor and the cake was absolutely arid. Again, the divergence here is that the dessert my date had, the flourless chocolate torte with hazelnut crust, tamarind, and black sesame caramel, blew my mind with flavors and texture. The service was great, even with the lamb shank oversight, and the courses were timely without being rushed and overall we had an amazing evening with plans to go back again soon. I highly recommend and would say my final star rating is more like 4.5 - 4.75 stars and definitely a gem in the heart of Aberdeen. Kudos to the team...