Is this a wine bar?

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Details

About

Welcome to Vivace. Our Suburban Italian restaurant (established in 2004) has a very classy and warm atmosphere, with soft and intimate lighting. Professional staff members are knowledgeable about the menu and wine list, and offer a non-intrusive level of service at all times. The tantalising menu ranges from fresh seafood to quality meat, with specials that change daily to keep regular diners happy.

PRICE RANGE

$50.00 – $100.00

CUISINES

Italian, Wine Bar

Special Diets

Vegetarian Friendly, Vegan Options, Gluten Free Options

Meals

Dinner, After-hours

FEATURES

Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Private Dining, Seating, Street Parking, Free off-street parking, Highchairs Available, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Accepts American Express, Accepts Mastercard, Accepts Visa, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, BYOB, Gift Cards Available

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4.5

407 reviews

Excellent

250

Very good

114

Average

25

Poor

10

Terrible

8

Julie Doe

2 contributions

Christmas Day lunch

Dec 2019 • family

Vivace never fails to impress. From the welcome upon arrival to the prompt re-filling of water and wine. The food is also of a consistently high standard. Popular choices throughout the year include the marinara pasta and the chicken breast accompanied by various grains. The roast potatoes are also ‘to die for’ - consistently well roasted and crunchy. For Christmas lunch there was delicious snapper fish and lamb cutlets - or vegetarian options on request. We even had a guest who needed ‘dairy free’ which Vivace was very happy to oblige. Beginning the meal with a seafood platter or arancini and finishing with a chocolate saucing pudding left little to be desired. Despite the busyness of Christmas Day (including 2 lunch sittings), the service was impeccable. Well done to Chris and Andrew and the team.

Written 15 January 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Paul

Everton Upper138 contributions

Lovely Italian restaurant

Feb 2020 • couples

Lovely Italian restaurant with a great menu & wine list. Only thing which too the edge for us is they didn’t use fresh oil for their deep fried stuffed zucchini flowers, there was an old oil fish taint to the taste. Other than that it was excellent.

Written 3 February 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Robyn B

Melbourne27 contributions

A Great Dining Experience

Aug 2023 • friends

Vivace is my ‘go to’ restaurant for fine dining and special occasions. These past winter months they have offered diners, through Tuesday to Thursday nights, a ‘winter warmers’ special consisting of 3 courses, changed weekly, at a very reasonable price making it affordable to dine there on a more regular basis. The food never disappoints, and Chris, the owner, is a wonderful mine host. The wait staff are very efficient and friendly and the restaurant has a warm and welcoming ambiance. Can highly recommend.

Written 15 August 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sam P

Melbourne15 contributions

Disappointing and expensive

Jan 2022 • none

Are We have travelled regularly to this restaurant over the years from a more northern suburb taking 30 minutes at a time because we had always been consistently impressed with both the value and the standard of food. Last night by contrast was a big disappointment in terms of the main course. Because of Covid and lockdowns and what the industry has gone through over the last 2 years I did not one to make a fuss on the floor the restaurant last night. The main course was lamb rump, and coming from the farm where we butchered our own meet regularly, I could not believe the amount of fat and gristle on the end of the part of the rump I took. My partner had the butt end which was nice and lean but you do wonder why the chef wouldn't have inspected this before it was cooked and removed this superfluous portion of the cut. The other thing that was disappointing was that prices seem to have ramped for entrées ($30 for calamari) and sides are in excess of $10 a plate which is getting up there. Also, now we are out of lockdown and things are getting back to normal it was disappointing to have to load up your credit card for the booking because I could not initially get through on the telephone where they take a $20 hold payment without processing it but it sends a very negative message compared to all the other outstanding restaurants we visited in Melbourne regularly and this never is an issue. Strong message from the competitor restaurants we visit is that they trust us and it will not be an issue with us being a no-show

Written 29 January 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

sonson

Pinjarra187 contributions

Dissapointing

Jan 2020 • couples

The best part of our visit was the friendly staff but the meals were overpriced and bland. The pasta which was on the specials menu was sticky and overcooked, the desert, white chocolate panacote again was bland. All the serving sizes were small even the mains sized meals. We won’t be returning.

Written 25 January 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

paul l

35 contributions

Expensive dinner that did not deliver

Feb 2021 • none

The service from the waiter attending to us was excellent . A pity his colleagues in the kitchen let him down horribly . Oysters mornay entree not properly grilled . Duck was so salty it was inedible .......lord knows why anyone would make a salty duck dish . Fish was a tiny serve and over Cooked .When one is paying over $ 40 for a main course one is entitled to far better than this

Written 20 February 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

gecko1968

86 contributions

Substandard at this price point

May 2021 • none

The food simply isn't compatible with the prices. It is a short menu and we sampled sufficient dishes to be able to assess the standard. The food just isn't creative or interesting enough compared to what one would expect for this price. It is almost like home cooking....including the part where some things don't quite work out. It was also disappointing that an Italian restaurant would only have a couple (of rather poor) Italian wines available by the glass. The service was fine and the decor is refined but overall an underwhelming experience.

Written 8 May 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

daytripper

Melbourne46 contributions

Pretty ordinary.

July 2022 • couples

Dinner for a birthday. Hadn't been there for a while so was expecting great food. Well it wasn't at all. Great wine list and good service is no substitute for great food. My pork belly was not tender and the size for the price was far too small. Sides of potatoes and greens were good. I deliberated over my dessert choice and thought lemon tart would be amazing. Thoughts of a nice tarte slice, glistening yellow custard and mouth watering. Wrong. It came and was a rectangular slice, decorated. I could barely get my spoon to break through, was that hard. Definitely not fresh. Wouldn't be surprised if it was bought from elsewhere. The waitress brought another dessert, a chocolate fondant mound. It was a bit better but at $22 it under delivered. Neither dessert would even rate against amateur chefs on a television cooking show. No multiple elements or any clever touches - you know, spun sugar or a toffee wedge, just nothing to excite. I expected more of this restaurant. The high prices indicate really special menu items but what I had was ordinary. Not for me.

Written 19 July 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Daniel S

Melbourne12 contributions

Very disappointing

Feb 2022 • couples

This restaurant has been a favourite for many years. I went there for a special occasion and had the worst risotto I’ve ever tasted. The rest of the meal was fine (not great), but a main course at $39 should not taste like gruel.

Written 11 February 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Deb

Melbourne35 contributions

Great takeaway!

Apr 2020 • family

We decided to have takeaway as a result of covid19. Vivace did not fail to impress!! Hot tender scotch fillet, mouth watering calamari and tasty fluffy gnocchi pesto were all fully flavored and delicious. The sides of garlic broccolini and green beans hit the spot. Prompt service great taste , loved it.

Written 11 April 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lauren N

Melbourne69 contributions

One of the best things ever to go in my mouth!

Sept 2022 • couples

We were recommended this restaurant by a couple of friends who gifted us with a voucher to prompt us to actually go there and so glad we did. Lovely venue, great service, but oh my god, that seafood linguine was honestly one of the best things I’ve ever had. It was so perfect and so delicious, just the right sized portion too. I was incredibly satisfied last night however today Im honestly tempted to drop back in again on my own to have it. If this isn’t in the broadsheet’s cook book it should be as this dish should be famous around the streets of Melbourne. Not that I could ever attempt anything nearly so perfect but just so I could look at it whenever I wanted. Big well done and highly recommend!

Written 22 September 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Meander588504

106 contributions

Money well spent

Nov 2020 • none

Everything was great. Lovely food and an excellent wine selection. Service was spot on. Under current covid rules a 2 hour limit applies on tables and we managed to squeeze 3 courses into this time without feeling rushed. Entrees we tried were calamari and yellowfin tuna. Mains were slow roasted lamb, baked blue eye and the seafood linguine. Desserts were the panna cotta with passionfruit and the citrus coconut meringue tart. Couldn’t fault a thing. We’ll be back

Written 21 November 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bobby.B.King

1 contribution

EXCELLENT EXPERIENCE

Nov 2021 • none

We had dinner at Vivace for the for the first time last week and had a fantastic night. The service, ambience were of an international standard with extremely warm and friendly staff. The food was exceptional, modern take on classics, italian undertones with fresh local ingredients. Great to know theres a restaurant like this Bayside!

Written 30 November 2021

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Marcel D

26 contributions

Exceptional !

Aug 2023 • couples

Thursday night ,full house. A perfectly crisp and tender confit of duck in a delicious puddle of cherry sauce served with yummy leaf salad and crisp oven fried potatoes. A chocolate fondant berries and icecream Devine.

Written 31 August 2023

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

gwegwy

Mt Eliza572 contributions

Another great lunch

Oct 2022 • none

Back in Brighton for a morning meeting but, this time, we arranged it for a Thursday so that we could visit Vivace. It had been a while but we felt very relaxed quickly and downed a prosecco for her and a couple of the Viola beers for me. Lots to attract us on the menu but we eventually decided to share the scallops and beef carpaccio. Both excellent and we each followed that up with very generous servings of seafood linguine. Our bottle of Craiglee chardonnay was a good accompaniment. Didn't want dessert but finished the meal with glasses of Wild Duck Creek shiraz (pricey but very good). As ever, the service was relaxed but impeccable. Such a good restaurant.

Written 5 October 2022

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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