“ we were in Leeds for a few days, biking on the Leeds-Liverpool Canal and stopped at Viva at the end of the day. what a fortuitous impulse! lovely restaurant staffed by charming helpful folks. I ate penne pasta with spicy salami-very nice. Evelyn had a fine salad and we shared garlic bread with cheese, actually served as a pizza-nice dish. Very nice space; we locked the bikes on the sidewalk in front. Smallish space, nicely decorated with lots of painting hung throughout. We agreed that we'd dine there again next trip. ”

“ Awesome, authentic, Italian food. Early bird special available before 7pm. Ordered the cheese bread with tomato sauce, lasagna, and hot chocolate fudge cake. Everything was perfect and some of the best lasagna ever! Will be sure to be back regularly. ”

“ Viva, situated on Bridge End, is Leeds' one little slice of Italy. Not pretentious, pushy, high fashion Italy; rustic, family ran, healthy Mediterranean portions Italy. Viva is little gem which delivers pizza, pasta and meaty Italian dishes along with some great little vino gems; and the best part is that it all comes at a really low price point which makes it a great place for pretty much any event or occasion, be it a lunch, a first date, or whatever you have planned. Well worth a visit! ”

“ We don't live far from here, so any excuse to spend a little more on a nice meal is a good excuse for Viva. I love their lunch deals and the fact that the main guy there recognizes me and refuses to speak anything but Italian to us. I tend to order some of the same dishes every time we go there, and I'm left licking my plate! I LOVE the mushroom ravioli (which is saying something for me, since I usually prefer meat) and I've never had an overcooked scallop in the joint. The garlic bread with tomato sauce is definitely worth trying... it doesn't sound or look impressive, but we were left wishing we'd ordered more. I really love the vibe, and if you can make it for the lunch or early bird dinner specials, Viva is well worth it. ”

“ I went to Viva for dinner on Friday 20th May 2011 with my partner. We've been quite a few times before & we know they do a great Early Bird Offer so we got there for 18:30. The Early Bird offer's available from 17:00 - 19:00 and it's three courses for £14.95. As usual we got a friendly welcome from the Italian staff and we were taken to a table. The restaurant was busy but there were still a few tables available. We were given a menu and left to peruse it for a few minutes before we were asked for our drinks order; we both ordered a Moretti (an Italian lager) and it was lovely. A few minutes later our food order was taken and after we'd ordered we were both given a complimentary bruschetta which wasn't the best but nice for a freebie. We both ordered the breaded melted brie with cranberry sauce to start which was yummy but very naughty, and we both had pizzas for our main course which were delicious. We were both full to bursting at this point so we asked for a break before our desserts (which are included in the Early Bird deal). After allowing our stomachs some time to recuperate, I ordered the hot chocolate fudge cake and my partner ordered the ice cream sundae. My chocolate fudge cake was nice but very heavy and the ice cream was pleasant but we weren't sure if it was home-made. All in all it was a great meal and the bill came in at an extremely reasonable £38 between us. Although Viva is a little rough around the edges and some of the art work is a bit random, it's a lovely little place that serves tasty food at fantastic prices! ”

“ The perfect opportunity arose for me to finally visit this restaurant as we were go to a Matinee at The Grand. I reserved a table just to ensure a guaranteed place for my friend and I. We arrived at 1215 and were welcomed by (I assume) a female member of the Italian family owners. We were taken to the beautiful bistro style table (a large fresh red rose was the centrepiece) and offered to have our coats placed on the peg. We had decided in advance to try their lunch deal which consists of a brusshetta for a starter and any pizza or pasta from the menu for £6.95! I did look at the menu in full just for reference and the choice is vast, definitely traditional + reasonably priced (most pasta and pizza £8.50-£9.00 and meat/fish dishes £13-17). The bruschetta Napoletana starter was sliced homemade ciabatta with red onion, mozzarella and tomato with balsamic and oil dressing (I had mine with olives instead of cheese as I don't eat dairy products) it was the best I've ever tasted; so fresh and perfectly balanced. We both had pizza for the main course. I was desperate to have a seafood pizza which was not on the menu but the Male Owner was only too happy to oblige and at no additional cost (I offered to pay extra). My pizza had a very light tomato and basil coating topped with fresh mussels in their shell, cold water prawns and a king prawn in it's shell in the centre, it was so fresh and light, I ate the whole pizza over the hour, I just didn't want it to end! We also had rocket salad to share. The food is the best Italian food I have ever tried. The service was exceptional (OK there was only 1 other table dining but I believe the standard is retained when they are at full capacity) as was the house wine and coffee.The bill was £31 which is exceptional for x4 175ml glasses of wine, x2 starters, x2 mains, x1 rocket salad and x1 double espresso.I cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough and I am wanting to return here asap! ”

“ I went to Viva last night for a friend's birthday bash, an I have to say that I really enjoyed myself. This is a proper Italian eatery, with proper Italian owners, who will speak to you in proper Italian a lot of the time. It isn't often that I turn up for my meal and the owner makes a point of shaking me by the hand, this personal touch felt good. As we waited for the rest of our party to arrive we were treated to free nibbled to hold back the tide of hunger. The food was great, and we all have a lovely time. The artwork on the walls is an absolutely insane collection of random bits but it adds to the charm. I was particularly fond of one of the light fittings which was shaped like an enormous statue of liberty style flaming torch. I want one. ”

“ An old fashioned pizzeria. However, the food is great forget Pizza Hut or Pizza Express when visiting Leeds city centre and check this place out! The owner, who's name I don't know is a real personality. check out early bird specials which run from between 5pm and 7pm. Also check out the Morretti beer on tap, for some reason it tastes better here than anywhere else I've ever had it! ”

“ This is a proper old-school Italian restaurant. It looks a bit tatty from the outside, but inside the service is friendly and attentive (and very family-friendly), and the food just wonderful. Starters were a good size and came with tasty garnishes. For the main course, I had a sirloin steak which was possibly the tenderest and tastiest I had ever had. My wife & kids had pizza: proper Italian style and again very tasty. The home made tiramisu was melt-in-your-mouth magical, and the prices pretty reasonable. My only small complaints were that the avocado in the (otherwise wonderful) tricolore salad was unripe, the food was generally a little on the salty side, and it took a long time for them to bring us the bill (although the restaurant got very busy just as we were finishing our meal). But these didn't detract much from the overall quality of the experience and the warm feeling we left with. ”