VIVA Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Urbandale

Fantastic service from Alex! Me and 3 friends went in after a rough day trying to kayak; put in at the wrong spot, had to drag them far, then one ends up getting a hole and that ends our adventure for the day. We decided to go here because someone said it was good and as we trudged in, feeling defeated, our server senses it and asks us about our troubles. As we explain, he listens and tries to make light of the situation to help. He goes above by making multiple runs to our table after items are added then more are added. After taking our order and putting it in, he brings us a surprise drink he made, which was really good and greatly appreciated by all. He was very vigilant on checking with us and making sure everything was meeting expectations, which without a doubt, were. The food arrived looking amazing, and tasted even better. The flavors were there, the plating was good, so both visually appealing and tasteful. The margaritas were also tasty, a little on the strong side for some of the others, but mine was on point. The ambiance was nice, wasn't overdone on the decor, but it definitely hit the theme. Overall, I would recommend this place as long as Alex is your server, or if everyone is of his caliber, then...

If I could give this place zero stars, I would. Every time I've been there (5 times), the service has been poor- as in, don't count on getting a refill or anyone coming to your table to ask how things are. I live very close so I have tried to give them more than one chance but it is equally poor service each time. I am moving out of the area tomorrow so decided I would give them one last chance. I thought it would be easy to just walk over and grab dinner since all my kitchen stuff is packed away. I get there and the doors are locked... 5:30 on a Sunday night. Posted hours show 11am-9pm on Sundays. No sign on the door as to why they're closed. I tried calling... No answer. Tried again after 6pm, no answer. Apparently they just close whenever they feel like it. I would not recommend giving this place your money unless you appreciate slow service and mediocre food, not to mention, being closed for no...

I am not sure how this place got 4 stars because the food, the service and drinks were bad. I have had better at taco bell and I detest taco bell. Our waiter got testy when It took us about 5 minutes to read the menu but once we ordered we had to chase him down to get refills, napkins or take our dirty dishes.

My daughter got her meal about 10 minutes before me and I got a quesadilla. Her steak was like jerky but had plenty of shrimp.

After eating we waited for a long time to get him To come back for our ticket then 20 minutes passed and we finally got up to pay even though most people were tabbed out at their table.

It was super hot in the restaurant so I am suspecting they had the air down or it couldn't keep up.

With the number of truly wonderful Mexican restaurants in the Des Moines Area this will never get any of my money again. If you want authentic tasty Mexican food ...