Viva — Restaurant in South Padre Island

Viva South Padre Island is a must-visit dining destination, offering not just breathtaking views but also an exceptional culinary experience. The menu boasts a delightful blend of fresh ingredients and innovative flavors that will tantalize your taste buds.

We started our culinary journey with the Crispy Brussel Sprouts, a delightful appetizer that offered a perfect balance of crispiness and sweetness, paired beautifully with the refreshing Watermelon & Feta Salad. The combination of juicy watermelon, salty feta, and crisp sprouts was an explosion of flavors and textures.

For the main course, we opted for a variety of dishes, each more delectable than the last. The Ribeye Tacos were a standout, with tender, juicy meat packed into soft tortillas and topped with fresh cilantro and onion. The Texas Redfish, a local specialty, was cooked to perfection, with a delicate flavor and flaky texture that melted in the mouth. The Cauliflower Steak, a vegetarian option, was surprisingly satisfying, with a rich, meaty flavor and a beautiful charred exterior. The Cilantro Rice and Chiles Torreados added a nice kick of spice to the meal, while the Teriyaki Ribeye and Shrimp Skewers offered a sweet and savory combination that was simply irresistible.

The real star of the show, however, was the view. As we dined, we were treated to a breathtaking sunset over the ocean, with vibrant hues of orange and pink painting the sky. The ambiance was relaxed and elegant, with gentle sea breezes and the sound of waves crashing against the shore providing the perfect backdrop to our meal.

The service at Viva South Padre Island was impeccable, with attentive waitstaff who were knowledgeable about the menu and happy to accommodate special requests. The portions were generous, and the presentation of each dish was carefully considered, making the entire dining experience feel truly special.

In conclusion, Viva South Padre Island offers an unparalleled dining experience. The combination of fresh, locally-inspired dishes, an incredible view, and exceptional service makes it a must-visit destination for food lovers. Whether you're a local looking for a special night out or a visitor exploring the island, you're sure to leave Viva South Padre Island with a full stomach and a heart full of...

NOT THE FISH BROUGHT: We are 40+ year veterans and winter Texan’s here at SPI. We have eaten several times at Viva and brought and entertained several guest’s. The atmosphere, food, and service here has always been superb. HOWEVER…Our most recent dining experience was an absolute disappointment that should NEVER happen. We regularly go on private fishing trips with various Captains and bring our catch to be cooked to restaurants in SPI that offer the “Cook Your Catch” option. We brought 4 filets of black drum, 4 of trout, and 5 redfish throats. The waiter insisted that the chef preferred to fry the throats as our choice of blackening them would take longer and may not be throughly cooked. We had originally wanted to have a combination of baked trout, fried drum, and blackened redfish. The SHOCK was that we were not served the fish that we brought. Not the portion sizes or the filets, and the fried throats had fin’s sticking out, which as many times as we have caught and cleaned our fish, we have always removed the fins. It was such a SURPRISE that this had occurred and embarrassment to address this with our guests. All the waiter did was insist it was our fish even though we knew it was not. We had previously had our catch cooked at both Blackbeards and the Brewing Company. They cooked to our liking, and it came out looking exactly like what we brought, not cut into pieces and small portions like what Viva gave us. We fully expected to have a lot of left overs. With so much fish caught, it is nice to have the option to have a fine restaurant on the island cook your fish occasionally. But I would caution you against Viva as an option as our experience was all but a HUGE...

Very unfortunate experience at dinner tonight. Food ZERO stars. Service ZERO stars. Atmosphere ZERO stars.

We found not one, but TWO HAIRS in the very expensive meal of, “Scallops Veracruz,” priced at $34. Even worse we didn’t realize until our meal was nearly finished. 🤮🤮🤮 One hair was attached to the bottom of a scallop and the second was embedded inside the rice.

We asked to speak to a manager who took his sweet time coming over and offered little in terms of apologies. “Maybe the hair blew into the kitchen.” Really!!? Just completely unacceptable. Removing that plate from the check was the least he could do.

This restaurant as a whole is disappointing. Not sure how they have so many high reviews. SHADY.

The pricing is ridiculous given the quality/taste of the food. Cocktails as watered down with too much ice. The watermelon “salad,” at $12, is just a bowl of watermelon. The waitress looked at me like I was crazy when I asked where the SALAD greens were. Like it’s obvious that a SALAD would not have them? Also, it was room temperature, in an already hot restaurant (there’s no AC).

We usually tip 20-35%, depending on quality of service, but given the disaster that was this meal we left 13.5%, which I considered to be very generous of my husband. We should have left zero. My husband, being the gentleman that he is, says “Thank you” as he receives the receipt and all she says is “mmhmm.” After ALL THAT, all we get is an attitude and a “mmhhmm”??! If I was upset before, now I am LIVID.

At over $40 per person for a meal we expected much more, and this place fell...