Viva India — Restaurant in Cincinnati

Great Flavors, Disappointing Portions, and Unwelcoming Service

I visited this Indian restaurant on a Tuesday evening with my girlfriend. The space is well-designed, offering plenty of seating inside as well as a patio for outdoor dining. The ambiance is clean, minimalistic, and thoughtfully decorated to reflect the culture of India, creating an inviting atmosphere.

One standout feature of this restaurant is its bar. Unlike many Indian restaurants in the area, they offer a sizable bar with a wide variety of liquor options, making it a unique spot for those who enjoy pairing their meal with a cocktail or spirit.

For our meal, we started with the meat samosas, which come in a portion of two and are served with their three staple sauces. The samosas were crispy, warm, and full of flavor, and the sauces complemented them well with the right balance of spice and tang. A great appetizer to set the tone for the meal.

Unfortunately, our main entrée, the combo Tikka Masala, was where the experience fell short. The sauce itself was vibrant and flavorful, though I would have preferred more heat, even after ordering a spice level of 3 out of 6. We ordered the wheat rothi naan as well. The real disappointment came with the protein portions—just two small pieces of chicken and one piece of lamb. Given that the combo option comes with an upcharge, I expected a more generous serving of meat, but instead, it felt like we were paying extra for less.

The service also left a lot to be desired. Toward the end of our meal, my water was taken away and never returned, and the server began cleaning our table while we were still seated, making us feel rushed. To make matters worse, they turned off the lights in one section of the dining room—despite the fact that there was still an hour left before closing. It gave off the impression that they were eager to clear out customers early, which is not the kind of hospitality I expect. If they plan to shut down early when business is slow, they should be upfront about their hours instead of making guests feel unwelcome.

Overall, I would recommend the food for its quality and flavor, but the small portion sizes and unwelcoming service left a bad impression. If I return, it will be much earlier in the evening to avoid feeling rushed—but given the lack of hospitality, I may explore other...

My husband and I had dinner at Viva India tonight and I am writing this review to tell people to come to this restaurant because we want it to stay! The food was absolutely the BEST Indian food I've ever had and that includes any of the restaurants in Clifton and Oakley. This was a gourmet meal at the same prices as those other restaurants.

The service was excellent and the dinner was served on stylish dishes and bowls, rather than those metal bowls used by all the other Indian restaurants. There was also plenty to take home.

We started off with vegetable samosas that were delicious, served with chutneys in small bowls rather than the dirty looking jars that are used over and over. I ordered Tandoori chicken with spinach and my husband ordered chicken biryani. He likes his food extra spicy and let's just say he was happy.

Viva India is a restaurant located on Erie Avenue that has housed a number a restaurants in the last several years--all of which closed within a few months of opening. Everyone in Oakley, Hyde Park East, Hyde Park, Madisonville, and all around town, please come to Viva India so that they have enough customers to stay open. We want this wonderful taste treat in our...

We arrived at the restaurant on a weekday, 1.5 hours before closing time. I was looking for a new Indian restaurant in the area, and this one looked great based on the reviews. As I walked in, the smoke in the air hit me in the face. It was as if the ventilation was shut off or they didn't have one, and all the fumes lingered inside. About a third of the restaurant was full. As we walked in, the hostess said the wait for food will be longer than expected. I said it was fine, so we got seated.

Ten minutes later, the waitress came back and took our drink order. Five minutes later, she brought our drinks and then said that they were actually closed and no longer serving. At this point, I was confused because Google said the restaurant didn't close for another hour yet. We were seated and then asked to order, which made zero sense.

I left the restaurant and headed over to New Shaan Indian Restaurant, which was 5 minutes away. New Shaan actually felt authentic and food arrived at our table super quick even though they were packed.

I hope that Viva India was just having a bad day with staffing because I would love to go back and...