Vivo Italian Bistro — Restaurant in Stanwood

TL;DR: This used to be our go-to place, but due to rude staff, poor food service and three horrible experiences, I will never order or go back.

When I first came to Stanwood, this was my favourite place. I had my engagement dinner here. We would go here for our anniversaries, birthdays, heck, any special occasion we could find an excuse to. I made friends here and enjoyed going to the tea store they run upstairs with my mother-in-law.

But over the last year and a half, every time I have gone in has been a regrettable experience. I was regularly not served my side orders, my rice would be burnt bottom-of-the-cooker rice, and it wasn't uncommon to be seated with no silverware or never get our drinks or get them late. I've been told to wait at the door with more than an hour til close so the waitress could ask the cooks permission for me to be there. I could understand if I was coming in at 30 minutes til, but over an hour?

The waitress who made me wait was probably one of the worst ones I've had. She never checked up on us, never gave us our drinks, and waited more than 15 minutes just to start our order and made it more than clear that we were an inconvenience to her and never smiled once. I had such an anxiety attack over the visit I didn't go back for over a month.

Another terrible waitress treated me poorly due to my egg allergy. I asked if she could check if a new menu item had egg in it, and she looked at me like I had two heads and said "It's just a sauce." Sauces commonly have egg whites as a thickener. I had to ask her to go and check three times because she argued with me over it. When our appetizers arrived, I bit into it and it was frozen in the middle. A chicken product, frozen in the middle. I spat it out and panicked, and she got upset at me for asking her to take it away.

My husband asked for the chicken wings to be remade, and I asked for my seafood meal to be cancelled because I was too stressed about undercooked meat to want to gamble with oysters and asked for my husband's pad thai to be boxed up. She went ahead and told them to remake my husband's pad thai instead without consulting us and didn't tell us until we flagged her down and asked why it was taking so long because we wanted to leave. She argued with us every encounter we had and every problem that came up until another waitress checked us out at the front.

Those two were just the worst ones I've had, but after the countless experiences with being forgotten or treated poorly I just never, ever want to go back anymore and I'll never...

We had an incredible experience at Vivo! I started with the Lavender Bee Martini—light, perfectly balanced, and just the right touch of floral without being overpowering. It came in a generous pour and was absolutely delicious. My boyfriend ordered an Old Fashioned, which was strong, smooth, and expertly made.

For appetizers, we tried the meatballs and the focaccia bread with chimichurri sauce—both highly recommended. The flavors were bold, fresh, and set the tone for the rest of the meal.

The star of the night was the confit chicken. Cooked to absolute perfection, it was hands down the most tender chicken I’ve ever had—even better than what we achieve at home with our smoker. The creamed potatoes were silky smooth, and the blistered Brussels sprouts had the perfect crunch and char. Every bite was packed with flavor.

We also shared the short rib pappardelle, and wow—the noodles completely stole the show. Rich, hearty, and layered with flavor, it felt like being transported straight to Italy.

Of course, we couldn’t leave without dessert and finished with the tiramisu. It was light, airy, and had all the right notes of espresso, cocoa, and cream. A perfect ending.

Although we had a reservation, we chose to sit at the bar—and we’d recommend you do the same! The atmosphere was warm, lively, and the bartenders made the experience even more enjoyable. The wait might be long, but it’s more than worth it.

Old review below from when it was a Thai restaurant:

Wow very happy!!

First off the portion size was great, we could have shared an entree! We ate the crab Rangoons so fast that I forgot to take a picture. I have no complaints at all. I will be coming back next time I want Thai...

Visited Vivo to celebrate my mom’s birthday, and it completely blew us away—it exceeded every expectation. Hands down, this was one of the best meals I’ve ever had.

We started with a trio of appetizers: the burrata, Brussels sprouts, and meatballs. Each one was absolutely delicious, and honestly, I didn’t think the meal could get any better… but then the main courses arrived. I sampled everyone’s dishes along with my own, and every single bite was packed with flavor. Everything was cooked to perfection—from texture to seasoning, it was clear the kitchen puts a lot of care into each plate.

Then came dessert. We ordered the tiramisu and lemon tart and my dad and I were a little skeptical about the olive oil cake, but we decided to give it a try—and wow, it completely surprised us. Light, moist, subtly sweet, and full of unexpected flavor. A definite must-try.

Both my parents enjoyed martinis which they both thought were delicious. I opted for a mocktail and it was amazing. Notes of lemon and blueberry perfectly sweet and refreshing! Love that they include a list of mocktails for those who don’t enjoy alcohol.

The atmosphere of Vivo is just as impressive as the food—warm, inviting, and stylish. And a huge shoutout to our waitress, Tracy, who truly made the experience even more special. She was kind, funny, attentive, and incredibly knowledgeable when it came to the menu and recommendations. She made us feel taken care of from start to finish.

We’ll...