Vivace — Restaurant in Raleigh

Yes, the decor is modern and elegant, and the food is very good; however, Vivace does not live up to its hype. Five friends and I were seated at a corner booth so that we were all able to face each other. My first thought was that we would be able to carry on conversation. I was wrong. The noise level in the restaurant, probably due to the fact that people are packed in like sardines (it is nearly impossible to make your way through the dining room to the rest room), was so high that I had to lean in to hear the person next to me. The light was also very dim in the corner; we had to use our cell phones to read the menu. Service? A 20% gratuity is added for parties of six or more. Apparently, that is reason to spend a disproportionate amount of time at other tables while the party of six or more waits for over five minutes to order another drink--during the meal. By the time my friend and I received our second drink, ten minutes had passed. The server was generally inattentive. When I went to the ladies' room, a waitress was walking out with one of the stall doors in her hand. I guess those sorts of things happen, but, in this case, a stall door falling off its hinges, along with some of the wall, just added to my disappointing experience. If you are looking for a swanky atmosphere filled with other people who are all about feeling swanky, Vivace is for you. Just know that good service, conversation, and outstanding cuisine...

I won't spend time writing a review, I'll just copy & paste the email I sent to the GM! THIS PLACE WAS AWESOME!!!

Good morning! I hope that you have had an amazing week. My wife & I just wanted to send you an email and tell you how wonderful of a time we had at Vivace on this past Monday Evening. Everything was AWESOME! Kevin, our server, did an amazing job at making sure we were taken great care of.

The food...simply amazing! My wife loved her four cheese ravioli. Her only complaint was that she wished she had more. That's just how good it was! My ribeye... (even with the hair found at the end) I must say that it was second to none! It was seasoned and cooked to perfection. I am not a fan of cauliflower, but the puree was simply awesome!

We both were never really fans of brussels sprouts, but Vivace's made us believers. The calamari was cooked perfectly. Last but not least...the Tiramisu!!!!!! My wife loves tiramisu when it's done right, and you guys' DID IT RIGHT!! I'm not a fan of it, but yours...I'd come back and order it!

Thank you guys so much for helping us to celebrate our 1st Anniversary. The next time we are in the area, we will definitely be making an appearance if time permits. We wish you all much continued success in the restaurant business and look forward to visiting again and telling all our friends about your restaurant. Thanks again and have a great weekend!...

We had called a ahead of time to inquire about Celiac safe options but when we arrived found it was much different than we were lead to believe. There are very few Celiac safe options. While they offer a gluten free pizza and pasta they are not Celiac safe. I got Salmon and my bf pork chops. The server noted our dietary restrictions on both and neither of us got sick but our server was not very knowledgeable on the menu in general and told us spaetzal was a bean although we both were fairly certain it was a type of pasta. He was willing to ask about allergies though. However, I don’t like that they made an allergen substitute to my bf’s meal without checking to see if it was okay until after the decision was already made by the kitchen. Minus being oily the food was good, but the experience was not. The host and additional hostess (or manager maybe) welcomes and farewells felt in genuine. I felt like I was on a date with the couple to my left and right. I could not extend an arm in either direction or I would be touching the next guest. I could understand every word of their conversations as I’m sure they could mine and it was rather loud so it was hard to have a conversation in general. Also, for the prices on the menu I expected a cleaner restroom that did not smell so much. The only saving grace for this place was that the food...