Viva Mēxicana — Restaurant in Sebastopol

Dined at Viva last night with friends from Petaluma. We absolutely loved our experience. It was chef and owner Sima’s Persian Night, something new she is doing on Monday and Tuesday nights. Sima is Persian, and although she has served amazing Mexican food since assuming ownership of the restaurant, she has always added a twist that reveals her Persian influence. The new menu offers a great selection of traditional Persian cuisine, sweet, savory, tart and includes wine, beer, and specialty drink pairings. My party enjoyed a crisp Sauvignon blanc, but next time I will try the Santa Rosa plum fruit roll up margarita as it looked beautiful and the woman at the table next to ours said it was delicious. We ordered an herb and cheese app, sima brought olives in a walnut sauce, the cucumber yogurt dish, lamb and quince stew, lentil and rice, and chicken pomegranate stew. All was delicious! We rarely order dessert, but were curious about the menu so had the pistachio ice cream, havla, and bread pudding. Sima brought an herbal tea that was a perfect compliment. Each dessert was incredible-the ha la my favorite but my friends voted the bread pudding. Amazing! The portions are just right which allowed us to try many different things, including desserts, but leave feeling satisfied, not “stuffed.” Sima made everyone in the restaurant feel as though they were in her home. Persian music was playing in the background, and although she was busy serving, supporting staff, helping with takeout orders, she spent time visiting at tables, sharing food and her extensive knowledge about the traditions behind the meals on the menu. I noticed some customers arrived expecting her normal Mexican fare and she honored it. This is not a “get in and get out” experience- come for a unique, sobre mesa experience....

If you’re looking for the highest quality Mexicali / Cal-mex food in Sebastopol this is your spot!

Over the years I’ve eaten here probably..:.. 150 times? Something like that. I’m a vegetarian and this place makes my favorite veggie burrito of all time.

I just say “papas papas papas.” I haven’t looked at the menu in years so I forget if that’s exactly what it’s called but apparently it means something to the staff.

I believe it’s a potato hash, beans, veggies, goat cheese, and mango salsa. If you’re fully plant based just say hold the cheese obviously. It’s DELICIOUS. Just so well done in terms of flavors, textures, and overall nutrition.

So glad Cima and team have been offering such wonderfully nourishing food over the years. Everything here always tastes very fresh and the ingredients are clearly well sourced. I’m not sure what % is organic but it definitely doesn’t seem like your average bozo sysco sourcing which is basically required for cheap menu prices.

Here the prices are definitely more than your average burrito spot but the quality is way better. Also I’ve been eating these burritos with adults over the years and no one can finish a whole one without getting a belly ache so you’re definitely paying for 1.5 meals with a single...

The cashier (person who took our order) wasn't very knowledgeable about the ingredients in the food. That makes it way difficult to not worry if you have allergies to soy, gluten or/and dairy. Sweet potatoes and beans were good. Make sure if you make any adjustments to your food be aware of how much extra you're paying. I bought a papas papas burrito it comes with goat cheese, I'm allergic to dairy and gluten I asked them please don't to put cheese and make gluten free. They forgot to to removed the cheese, so I got super sick for three days. I called them right away, and they said they would make it again since they didn't want to refund my money. I went to get the burrito and I got a plate of veggies it's called deluxe plate. I ended up paying $27.74 I asked the owner that if she could swap out the tofu for veggies and even then charged me $3 plus dollars for less than a handful tropical potatoes(shredded sweet potatoes and white potatoes.) I think tofu is more expensive than shredded potatoes and she couldn't even accommodate my order. I don't mind paying, but I hope she would be more honest, and say I would charge you for the potatoes even though I'm charging you for the tofu that you're not taking. It used to be...