Viva Voce Cafe

Hi, If you need a Viva Voce fix, go to La Veranda in Clayton. The menu is very similar.
The original owner owned two restaurants before he sold the Montclair business to his chef and both restaurants had the same menu. Yes, there were rumors of a restaurant opening in Concord (I heard that as well), but I recently read somewhere (perhaps Ginny Prior’s column in the Montclarion) that the chef has now gone to La Veranda. So, I suspect an additional restaurant will not be opening for now.

To previous owner: Please update your website and indicate you are permanently closed! We drove all the way over here only to find out this place is beyond closed, it looked raided.
We had purchased three
vouchers just a month ago and now… useless!
The food was hit, a really good hit with some of their dishes and a miss on others. The wine selection was pretty good. But man, service could have been better-​slow and disengaged. Shame.

This place is closed! Owners should update their website and Unilocal. I was also also allowed to make a reservation through their website. BOOO!

Took advantage of a groupon and went to dinner tonight.
Food. Shrimp louie I would give 4 stars. Calamari 3.5. Linguine and clams 3 — Too much lemon. Fettucine alfredo 2. It was too ordinary.
Service. Overall 3, but I could go 4 cuz even tho the blinde hair server looked unhappy and wasnt too helpful, the other guy with dark hair was great.
Restaurant. Acousitcs was not very good. There was a louder group in the second room that over powered the rest of the place. From the outside, it’s really cute; inside is not as cute.

Have been meaning to go here since my friends had a good experience on Valentine’s day this year.
The Groupon showed up and I decided to go tonight
Two stars because of the service — after my waiter saw the Groupon, he dismissed me
Not more than ½ dozen words were spoken… not «how is your meal? Is there anything else you’d like» NONE of the pleasantries you would expect. The busser was nice and made sure I had butter for my bread.
The Butternut sqaush soup was supereb. The veal dis was not worth $ 19.95 but was prepared nicely with some «chewy» parts along the way.
The chef/​owner was nearby when the entrée arrived and I gave him a thumbs-​up
Unfortunately, not going back — REALLY try to support my local places, however the waiter blew it for me and more importantly, the owner

Came back and tried the Jumbo prawns with polenta and I liked how fresh it was, but the entire dish was a bit too salty. Prawns had great flavor, but was also too salty. Double check your water before drinking because one of the waters we had tasted like dirty rags. Friendly staff.

I chose this restaurant to celebrate my birthday on 7÷1÷2013 with my family. What a mistake! From the overdressed salad to the pasta sauce that looked more like gravy (and not tasting much better), I quickly regretted this choice. I selected the restaurant because we recently moved to the area and there was a 20% coupon here on Unilocal.Unfortunately we were so eager to leave, we forgot to pay with the coupon. I give the restaurant one star simply because the waiter was so friendly, although unfamiliar with the menu and wine list.
After paying a $ 150+ tab we piled into the car to find a restaurant to accommodate us since we were all still hungry! Thank goodness for Bellanico!

Gordon Ramsey where are you? I felt like I was in the shown Kitchen Nightmares. Where do I start with this horrible experience. First, they young wait staff (college kids) took 10 min or more to greet us and serve us water and give us menus. The bread and Olive Oil on the table are sub par. The olive oil isn’t even extra virgin. It’s a very light olive oil with no taste. The calamari was the WORST appetizer I have had in a long time. Not only was it a small portion but it was probably frozen calamari out of a bag. Next, the minestrone soup was way to salty !
Our main dishes were the Petroli sole and clam linguine, both were down right disgusting. The «cook» made the sole into a schnitzel by dipping it into an egg batter then they drenched it in an overpowering butter caper sauce. The fish wasn’t even cooked in the middle. The clam and linguine dish was also drenched in a thick cream, lemon sauce. I could only eat half of it because the sauce was to tangy from the lemon and it had way to much cream in it. The clams were not fresh and were most likely from a can or jar. Even their parmigiana cheese had a weird taste to it when we asked for some. The cook here doesn’t not taste the food they are serving it was to salty, to creamy and mushy.
Warning: Save your money even if you see this restaurant on Groupon ! The original chef or owners must have left because this place is really bad now.

This was our second time here using a groupon and the food was delicious, good portions and tasty! We started off sharing a salad, Insalata Reigna and they give you alot of walnuts in the salad; then we ordered Scaloppine di Vitella Piccata, Veal tenderloin sauteed in garlic, white wine, lemon and capers. Served with sauteed vegetables and spaghettini and I had the Petrale alla Mungnaia served with penne and sauteed vegetables. The portions were generous. Only negative was that it took us 30 minutes to get our food and were wondering what happened since we didn’t get there until 8:30 pm and the crowd had died down.

I found this place via groupon. Another groupon for the win!
This place is tucked away in a lush green neighborhood, which helps to give it its charm. The groupon is definitely a GREAT deal for this place.
Everything we had was pretty delicoius:
Italian soda: they’re huge, we got one for the four of us to share, and we unfortunately couldn’t finish it off, probably because none of us are huge sweet fans to begin with.
Fried calamari: MMMmmmmMM. Definitely started off the meal right. The marinara sauce was my favorite for the dish.
Pizza: We got the one with pears, proscuitto, and gorgonzola. Personally, I felt that the pear to prosciutto and gorgonzola ratio was a bit off. I would have preferred more pear, as the flavors of gorgonzola and prosciutto were so overpowering and salty.
Veal with lemon and capers: Super good, the veal sauce was a bit salty, but the polenta and roasted eggplant complemented it well.
Gnocchi: we got it with the sausage sauce. I realize that I am not a huge fan of gnocchi, even though the concept of it sounds so good. The texture just never is right, but it was still a solid dish, for you gnocchi lovers, this will probably just hit the spot.
Crab ravioli: There was some kind of flavor that overwhelmed this dish that i didn’t like as much. But, the texture of the ravioli was good, as was the lobster bisque sauce.
The service was great, and the dessert, we got the white chocolate strawberry gelato cake, which was YUM. The strawberry flavor went so well with the cheesecake base and white chocolate chunk top.
But, I had to knock off a star, because we were charged for our eggplant side. The menu specifically says under Secondis «comes with a choice of a side.» So when we ordered, we asked for eggplant, but they didn’t tell us that actually there are already sides that are assigned to the dish, and so we were technically switching it out, so had to pay for the switch. Not that the $ 3 is a big deal, but it just is annoying when things aren’t clear from the very beginning. Especially when we asked about it when we saw it on the bill, they said it was something that a lot of customers asked about, and that if it was a big deal, they can take it off.
It’s not a big deal, it’s $ 3. BUT, if customers always trip over it, then you should either make it more clear on the menu, or let the customer know when they make the order, because we could have cared less if we got eggplant or whatever other kind of vegetable.

Cute little Italian bistro up in the Oakland Hills. Parking is hard to find, so expect a walk. Cars whiz by, so please be careful! We went here with a $ 25
coupon. We ordered the Mussels, Gnocchi Dil Giorno with Alfredo sauce, Spaghettini All Piemontes, strawberry italian soda and watermelon italian soda.
Mussels — great blend of garlic, tomato and white wine sauce which made the sauce delicious. The mussels were fresh and not fishy at all!
Gnocchi– was wonderful it was probably one of the better ones we’ve had. The texture was pillowy and was melt-​in-​your-​mouth just right.
Spaghettini– was my highlight! Spaghetti with fennel meat sauce that had a kick of spiciness that I didn’t expect. Total comfort food that you’d want to take home and eat it in front of the TV! I ordered the ½ order but i still need a to-​go box. Also the spaghetti tasted very well the next day! (Awesome factor)
Italian sodas– never had italian sodas before but the winning flavor is strawberry!
The service was great, the waitress was very attentive to our needs.
The ambience was very nice. They had long mirrors inside, that gave the illusion that the restaurant was bigger than it was. Very comforting, intimate, romantic dinner setting. The restaurant lit up as we were leaving and it gave the impression that you were on the cobblestone streets in Italy!
Overall, great experience! I would love to go back if I am in the area. I mean, they turned my childhood comfort food, Spaghetti, and made a grownup version! C’mon, you can’t go wrong with that! Viva Voce Café, is a total hidden gem that should not be overlooked!

This place is beyond fantastic. My sister in law found this hidden gem via groupon. It was the first time any of us had been there and not that far from my place. I never heard of it, but we are so glad we did. The bruschetta as an appetizer was simply amazing and the calamari was delicious too. We ordered two entrees (both family style) and we were blown away by the taste of these dishes. The service was superb and the chef/​owner is one h*ll of a genuine guy. Me and my soon to be wife will definitely try to become regulars here. And since the food was soooooooooooooo good we asked if they could cater our wedding in October!

Review #800 on Unilocal.
Yup it’s finally time I get started on the Unilocal writing for 2013 why not kick it off with this spot in the Oakland Hills.
My GF decided she wanted to try this place out and it’s tucked away in the hillside district of Montclair. A cozy spot with three obscure paintings and an Italian atmosphere.
We got the following items:
–Sangiovese Santa Cristina 2010 Italian Red Wine
–Calamari Fritti
–Ahi Tuna and Avocado Brushetta
–Penne Tre Funghi w/​Chicken and Parmesan
–Tiramisu
–Special Strawberry Cheesecake**
The Sangiovese was a nice mellow wine for the meal. Calamari was alright but I felt it was a bit too chewy for my tastes. The Brushetta came a bit late to our table (arrived the same time as our entrees). Nevertheless it had a nice vinaigrette of sorts, however the Avocado was lost in the flavor profile.
Penne would have been perfect if the chicken were a bit more moist (the mushroom sauce couldn’t save it from being dry). I liked my girlfriend’s spaghetti because the fennel sausage wasn’t overwhelming unlike other Italian places that I’ve been to in the past so it was a pleasant surprise.
The Tiramisu was tasty and my only qualm with that was the strawberry. Should have just drizzled chocolate or sprinkled a bit of edible coffee beans and that would have been alright.
The main star of the night is, that strawberry cheesecake. Originally I was going to get their in-​house gelato cake but the waitress, put this one on the house due to the delay of our second appetizer. I’ve had my fair share of interesting takes on traditional desserts. This one by fair takes the cake (pun intended). The strawberry instead of blended with the cheesecake, has a certain air-​y and yet creamy mousse flavor. Think of your favorite strawberry smoothie gone serendipity (minus the frozen aspect). While the cheesecake crust had just enough crumble.
Overall, we spent about $ 50.00 that night. Tax, tip and Unilocal-​Check In special. Customer service overall was courteous enough. We’ll probably come back here again for maybe another stab at the pizzas and dessert. My final rating is a 3.5 but I’ll round up to four. Cheers!

Neat little place that the GF and I went to with a $ 25
coupon. This is a very cozy, cute little place situated in the hills. But — -none of the pretentiousness you sometimes find with little cafes. It’s very low-​key. The only downside to the whole experience was the lack of parking (not their fault). We were there on a Thursday night, and I can imagine weekends must be a pain. But that was the worst part, if you can call it that.
For the food: EXCELLENT! We had the bruschetta and the calamari fritti for appetizers. The calamari was among the best I’ve ever had. Very flavorful. Since it was our first visit, we decided on large pasta plates: I had the pesto fettucine, while she had the spaghetti alla carbonara. Both were fantastic. I would have loved to get one of the second (meat) dishes, but quite frankly, we were stuffed.
Still, even for all we had, the final bill was $ 42, which was great for a place of this caliber. Couple that with the coupon, and it’s a win-​win. We will be back.

Nice little Italian restaurant on busy Thornhill Road in Montclair. Nice menu and good service. We had the caprese salad and prawns wrapped in bacon. Not that many pieces of cheese and tomato slices, and only four prawns. But the caprese salad came with a lot of greens that you can turn into a salad. The linguine and clams were very tasty, as was the lasagne.
The dining room is divided in two by a large wall. Evidently the restaurant under went an expansion into the other part of the bulding. Too bad. But the wall does make the restaurant cozier is some respects.
There seems to be some parking along Thornhill, but you might have to walk a block or so. There is parking across the street where a beauty salon and cleaners is located, as well as a convenience store to the left of the restaurant, but parking in either would seem to be anti-​social behavior, and you might risk getting your car towed.
Used a
coupon which the server used to add her tip to the final bill.

AMAZING!!!
This was my first time here after being recommended to come here a few times from my neighbor. As soon as I walked in I knew I was gunna love this place. It had a very cozy homey feel to it. We got seated right away without having a reservation which was great no wait! They serve you a delishious bread basket with fresh housemade bread. Then I ordered the penne alla vodka and my mom ordered the eggplant parm. We were both pleasently surprised on how big the portions were. The penne I ordered was huge! And the best part was how much chicken they gave me! I will definitely recommend this to anyone who loves itallian food and to get a good amount of food for your buck! For sure coming back soon! YUMMM :)

So we decided to try this place because I had a $ 25 coupon and the menu looked good. Rather sorry we wasted our money as we ended up sending one of out two entres back as it was incredibly salty and the other one was perfectly edible, but unimpressive. Overall we found it overpriced for what we got.
We got the impression that the chef cooks by recipe rather than tasting things — even the special of the day. How else can you explain the damage done to a fish by salty breading, an even saltier sauce and then topping it with too many super salty capers? It was truly inedible! Or a Minestrone soup that was really chunky vegetables, no beans and a few hunks of penne? The linguine with seafood was nice enough, very garlick-​y, but nothing to write home about.
Jenny, our server was nice about returning the uneaten fish and not charging us. She seemed surprised though when we asked if the loud 60’s R&B could be put away in favor of something more suited to a quiet little restaurant full of couples. The music should have warned us — nobody is quite running the show here. It’s uncoordinated and that shows in the décor, the unevenness of the food and the overall ambiance.
Lots of neighborhood folks came in to pick up pizza while we were there. I’m guessing that might be what this place is really good at: pizza, not the upscale veal and seafood menu at high prices. I won’t be going back, but, if I were, I think that’s what I’d try next time.

We were seated right away on a Thursday around 7:30pm. Service was good, and the food was delicious too.
— Calamari: crispy & perfectly seasoned
— Veal with piccata sauce (lemon/​caper sauce): the waiter said this is Viva Voce’s «best» sauce. Joe C. loved it!
— Gnocchi: you can pick any sauce on the menu to go with it. I got the pesto sauce — it was delicious.
— Free bread: I’m a big fan — it was super soft on the inside but had a nice chewy crust too
Note: Viva Voce gift certificates are available on
— great deal!

Salve, Viva Voce Café! I love this little Italian restaurant. It’s so homey and the food is delicious!
The bf and I came here with a
coupon – no surprise here, but we both agreed that we will be coming back again with or without a coupon. The décor is lovely and perfect for a date. Most of all, the food is amazing. You must order the Veal Picante. yummmy… I also had the Penne Tre-​Funghi, but the veal was def. better. It was nice and tender, while the penne had a bit of a bitter, earthy flavor to it because of the mushroom – not something I’m used to in pasta dishes. I might order it the next time I come back, but I think I’ll opt for something else.
Dessert is great! We wanted the Kahlua cheesecake, but ended up with the almond mocha because they ran out of the Kahlua. My only complaint here is that we needed to wait for the ice on the cheesecake to melt before we started eating. I wished they had defrosted the cake for us… so not too happy about that.
There’s only one CON I cant think of: street parking ONLY. BOOOO! Parking can be difficult since the area consists of small tiny winding roads.
Viva Voce Café is my lil secret place, but I’ll be happy to see you there… Ciao!
UPDATE (6÷28÷11): I’ve been here so many times and the food is always, consistently GOOOOD! Well worth those 5 stars!

A little Italian restaurant that is hidden away in Montclair off of Thornhill. The locals must love the fact that they don’t have to drive very far to have good to very good Italian food. Their were customers picking up food the whole time I was eating.
Started off with the Antipasto Misto ($ 8) which was roasted garlic, feta and goat cheese, roasted peppers and eggplant. I must have been read the menu wrong because I was looking foward to meats and cheese. Still flavorful, love the different types of olives. Also ordered the Pane con Aglio ($ 3) which is garlic bread with olive oil, herbs and parmesan. I do not recommend this because the three types of bread that is offered as part of the meal anyways.
I ordered the Spaghettini Fruitti de Mare ($ 16) as my main entrée. Clams, Prawns & Calamari in a lobster bisque. I was not sure how the lobster bisque was featured and how it added to the flavor, my palette was confused. The dish was tasty though and the noodles were al dente, nice job.
My rating is between the 3.5 and 4 star range. Very good service. I did not see a full bar, limited beer and wine offerings.