Wow.... lovely staff, amazing food which is cooked to perfection. One of us had the steak dish and its very rare that someone can cook it to perfection throughout. Staff looked after us so well even when it was very late in the evening. Would defidently recomend to come back again.
Disaster!! One year ago I moved to stafford, I don't know many good restaurants around here, so I decided to check the reviews and I picked this restaurant. I completely regret it. I ordered a lasagne, and my husband ordered a pizza. Both dishes did not have flavour at all, very plain. The lasagne was so overcook that the paste was melting with barely touching it. The pizza was tasteless.
Had take away from here many times and never disappointed, always hot and tasty. Decided to eat in and the food was absolutely lovely, staff were very friendly and it was hot. Was a little while of a wait for food but not enough to complain about inside, just worth noting. A lovely meal once again and will always be one of my favourite Italian restaurants.
Honestly, I think I've had better tasting ready meals. Inflated prices for what you get also. Approaching on a fiver for a pint of coke?! Save your money or go elsewhere. Oh and to add - the service! There wasn't any. Other people in the restaurant had to ask for menus ffs. Sat with finished plates for like half an hour.
Pricey. Quality of food average. Service was slow (it was busy). Loud. Queue at the female toilets (1 only). Kids portion would benefit from being smaller (and cheaper!)
TLDR: Oh my god this place is insanely good. You really need to try it. The fusilli al puttanesca along with a mariola are two fantastic dishes that aren’t too spicy (sensitive to spice) but pack a seriously flavourful bang for your buck. Save room for desert. Our visit was a last-minute “lets do it!” and fate couldn’t have been kinder. The décor conveys a classy, elegant, family-run restaurant with an emphasis on quality. The staff were extremely attentive, polite and welcoming with a smile. We started with a fairly light starter – bruschetta along with some in-house made bread with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar (beautiful decanters and plates). I am very picky about my food and had never been brave enough to try bruschetta before. This time it looked so good I decided to explore, and I was not disappointed. The flavours were quite impressive – a fantastic combination of sweet, salty and spicy with a crunchy and powerful base. The bread with the oil and vinegar was warm, crispy and still a bit moist. A beautiful accompaniment. The starters gave an indication of how good the food was going to be but I hadn’t expected what was to come. For our mains we ordered fusilli al puttanesca along with a mariola, myself having the fusilli. The first bite (quite literally) of the fusilli al puttanesca is quite difficult to describe. I was instantly in shock. I have worked in kitchens for 7 years. I have spent and dined for 2 weeks on the Amalfi coast. I am a lover of Italian food. This dish truly shocked me as to how good it was. The flavours were explosive, rich and full, all the while the textures caused a celebration in my mouth. The fusilli was Perfect. The sausage was Perfect. Sitting typing this out, I long for that first bite again. How can something, described so basically as “Napoli red sauce, with salsiccia Italian sausage, chilli and parmesan.” Rock my tasting world so much, be so rich and flavourful and be cooked so perfectly so as to get a solid feeling and understand the meaning of “al dente”. The Mariola left my partner speechless. The bacon, pasta and sauce was all cooked beautifully giving a powerful flavour combination that was difficult to resist – even when we felt like we were going to pop! We somehow managed to polish off these mains along with a cheesy garlic bread (with actual slices of garlic!!!!! Yes!!!!) that was the perfect accompaniment. After a wile debating and trying to figure out if we had room – we decided to go all in and try a desert too. We opted for a Raspberry Pavlova and a Salted Caramel Cheesecake. I’d love to tell you how the Raspberry Pavlova tasted and looked, sadly I only managed to catch a mere glimpse of it before it disappeared at light speed. It seems it was irresistible to my partner. What I didn’t know is that for the entire 10 minute car ride home he wouldn’t stop talking about how good it was and if he wasn’t going to pop, he could easily have gone for another. My salted caramel cheesecake was delectable, smooth and, believe it or not, salty! It’s so difficult to find something today that is advertised as salted caramel that is actually salted! The portion size was perfect – enough to enjoy but small enough to not be a chore to finish, while also being presented impeccably. Overall, this may be my new favourite place in Stafford. A truly hidden gem, sitting right under our noses when we all walk by. Only those who are brave or curious enough to enter will understand what culinary delights hide behind those doors with subtle banners of green, white read. I’m due to leave for another adventure soon. When I am back, I know where I am going to go for my food. Ciao and I will see you soon.
Amazing food, service could be improved. There is great choice of dishes on offer and the portion size is very generous. They offer gluten-free pasta (for an extra 99p). Only thing that it it down was the service seemed a little overwhelmed for a Saturday. Had a great time and will visit again.
Vivere is located at 56 Foregate St, Stafford ST16 2PR, UK
You can contact Vivere at +44 1785 259745
You can find directions to Vivere by following this map link