Vivian

Wonderful experience. The chef is creative and each dish is very obviously prepared with love. Especially enjoyed the root vegetable salad, the country terrine and the venison. One observation: brioche toast is too precious for the terrine. There’s no harm in serving a more robust bread, even if it affects the appearance a little. Pâté should be “smeared”….which you cannot do with airy brioche toast. Otherwise an outstanding meal. Bravo!

What a gem. My boyfriend and I were visiting from Charlotte for the week and having been to Asheville many times, were in search of somewhere new and local. Vivian is small, intimate and absolutely delicious. We were lucky enough to get a seat at the bar, but heard many people check in with reservations so I would suggest to make one in advance. Our bartender was friendly, knowledgeable and made great suggestions.

We went on a Thursday and select bottles of wine were 1/2 off. We both ordered the steak, and it was one of the best steaks we’ve ever tried. It was so good, we returned two days later to have another one before heading home! The only thing we weren’t blown away by were the mashed potatoes, but paired with the gravy from the steak it wasn’t bad enough to have complaints.

We will be returning here on our next visit!

Finally ate at Vivian. Food was great, so creative and so much flavor in every dish. We had 2 shareable plates (beets and salted cod), steak and Black Forest cake for dessert. Place stays casual which is nice and very Asheville. It would have been great if the bar server who checked us in conveyed to our table server that it’s my husband’s birthday and add a candle to our dessert. The bar server greeted my husband with a ‘Happy Birthday’ greeting. Next table had a candle in their cake which would have been a nice touch for a great dinner. But we are happy with the experience nonetheless.

Vivian was recommended to me by someone I sat next to at the bar of Curate and I'm super glad I came. I liked it more than Curate.

Cool, quaint space that would be a great date night.

Here is what I had:
- Vivian's steak dinner: not normally a ribeye person but it was really good. The sauce really made it special.
- Salade se saison: simple, yet delicious would get it again.
- root vegetables: good but I didn't realize that it's raw vegetables. The sauce again was delicious, but next time I wouldn't get both a salad and this.

We had a wonderful brunch at Vivian's on Father's Day. The service was fabulous, thanks to our attentive server, Corey. We both had the Mango puree mimosas and the quiche. That quiche was probably the best I've ever had. It's huge, and so creamy...almost like custard. It was filled with fresh vegetables and served with a spring green salad. I can't wait to go back! Corey informed us that the quiche is always vegetarian, which I appreciated. Everything came out very timely. We didn't feel rushed, nor did we have to wait long for anything. It was a really pleasant experience.

This postage stamp of a house accommodates a New American restaurant that aspires to deliver innovative twists on many familiar concepts. The best work is in the 'Starters & Sharables' section and my next visit will build a meal exclusively from the 11 choices there.

Some examples: Ceviche serves the marinated fish in crispy chicharrones for a texture contrast. Tinned Trout doesn’t actually feature any tins, but it does toss local trout with an earthy bean salad to make one of the best starters. Likewise with Siano Burrata and its piquantly delicious basil pesto. Less successful were the Salt Roasted Beets where more greek yogurt would have amplified the flavor diversity. As it was, the dish was like chomping through beets.

The winning main courses were both fish: Either Pan-Seared Halibut (cooked to sinuous perfection) or Roasted Sunburst Trout Steaks (which comes with a deboning demo). Ask for salt on the table to accent the latter to good effect. Among the meats, domestic Roasted Rack of Lamb and Vivian’s Steak Dinner, a 14oz ribeye, were both credible.

The wine list is steller. “Small But Carefully Chosen” is the key here. The most interesting corners were from Europe (sometimes barely -- Georgia!). We had a choice from two whites from France’s remote and underappreciated Savoie region. As homage to the Sicilian in our party we chose a red, an impressive Cos Frappato which had just the right balance of fruit and forest floor. Then the table went all European with post prandials (Calvados, Sercial Madeira, Amaro, and Limoncello). A great ending to a memorable meal.

The sommelier was out so kudos to the patience of the manager who answered my wishes to “see the bottle” three times (you sealed the sale!) and the most friendly service so far in Asheville from our waiter (known only as Adam “P” on the receipt, probably due to a lifetime subscription to the Witness Protection Program).

Recommended.

I have a birthday coming up and for my pre-birthday dinner, I wanted to try a place we hadn't tried before, so I chose Vivian. I had read about Chef/Owner Josiah McGaughey being a James Beard Award Best Chef nominee and I'd heard good things about it from friends who'd dined there, so I went in with high expectations ... and I was not disappointed.

The menu is fairly small, as is the restaurant itself, which is fine with me. I'd rather have a choice from among a few things done incredibly well than a bunch of choices from an array of mediocre offerings. We started with the Siano Burrata as an appetizer, and it was a great beginning to a fine evening. For entrees, my wife had the Pan Seared Wreckfish and I had the Roasted Rack of Lamb. My wife hadn't tried wreckfish before, and she said it was excellent. My lamb was cooked just right, perfectly seasoned, and served over a delicious mushroom risotto. The presentation was impressive, and the portion sizes were just right ... we left full, but not in belt-busting discomfort. For dessert, we shared Peaches & Cream, featuring brandy-soaked peaches ... awesome!

The service was great. Ciaran took care of us and was attentive without being intrusive. We had a table at a window in the small main dining room. The interior is austere, but it's pleasant and has a nice vibe to it. All-in-all, I give Vivian an "A" ... we're really lucky to have such an incredible culinary scene in Asheville. I look forward to dining at Vivian again ... soon.

Loved it! The food was delicious and the waitor gave great advice on what to pair together based on flavor and fullness. He was like our menu navigator! Sat outside on patio which wasn’t particularly cute, but the inside looked like it had a great vibe. Bar staff service oriented and very accommodating when we had to perch for a bit waiting for taxi.

Really great atmosphere - casual and comfortable. The food was fantastic across the board and the service was friendly.

What we ordered:
Apps - Salade de Saison (only complaint was we wish the cheese was shredded instead of served as a block), Nordic Deviled Eggs (delicious), Beef Tartare & Marrow (both were excellent but we definitely could have used more toast to finish it all).
Mains - Vivian's Steak Dinner: ordered it medium, well seasoned and tender served with a good sauce (I'm not usually a steak sauce fan) and excellent mashed potatoes.
Braised Duck Legs: delicious
Pork Tenderloin: our least favorite of the options, it came to the table a bit cold and felt a bit under seasoned and underwhelming in comparison to the other dishes.
Dessert - Choux aux Craquelin: two sizeable Choux stuffed with a citrusy cream.
Apple Almond Tart: another generously portioned dessert that meets all your flaky apple dessert expectations and tops them with a salted caramel ice cream.

If I could give this restaurant a 6th or 7th star I would. The customer service was above and beyond. The food was so tasty and sooooo good.
This is a Must Dine Alert MDA. Do not, I repeat do not visit Asheville without dining here. My friends and I absolutely loved Vivian's

Vivian is outstanding every single time. Their team is friendly, helpful, and attentive. Everything we ate was delicious. The ceviche was particularly memorable.

I just spent a lovely birthday at Vivian. We had an early reservation on a Wednesday night, and while the place wasn't busy when we arrived, it definitely filled up quickly. The atmosphere is quaint and cozy, being located in an old warehouse district in an older building. Everything we ordered was great, but the standouts for me were the scallop quenelle with lobster sauce (which, of course, I forgot to photograph until we were halfway through), the cabbage rolls, and the dessert wine pairing with our desserts. The lobster sauce on the quenelle was the perfect consistency. Rich and velvety, and coated the back of the spoon perfectly. The lobster flavor really shone but didn't cover up the delicate nature of the scallop quenelle either. The quenelle itself had a pillowy consistency that just melted in your mouth, with just enough time under the broiler that it almost seemed to be contained in a pastry of some sort until you cut into it. The sauce on the cabbage rolls had notes of caraway and dill that really complimented the sausage inside, but just the right amount was used so it didn't overpower. I was having a hard time deciding what wine I wanted for dessert so our waiter grabbed his 'alcohol expert' who created a little flight of dessert wines/digestives that were perfect with the three (yes three, for two people... No judgement, it was my birthday) desserts we ordered. The banana cream pie with ice cream and an amaro to pair with it was my absolute favorite! We waffled on ordering steak or pork osso bucco for our main and I think we made the right decision for this visit, since our waiter said the steak is always available, but we will definitely be coming back to enjoy that soon! Thanks to Vivian for a wonderful evening!

We loved our experience at Vivian! We had a seat in the window and it was perfect to enjoy our drinks, food and watch the world go by. The pastries were light and fluffy. The deviled eggs were define, perhaps the best I have ever had. The lox was super fun and in a preparation that is like no other. Then we finished off with our mains of the smoked lamb eggs Benedict and quiche. The quiche was very flavorful and the lamb brought a nice touch to the dish. Highly recommend getting a side of potatoes if it doesn’t come with your dish. The owner is absolutely delightful and will likely be there to greet you. Great little gem in the arts district!

Highly recommend!!! And make a reservation. This restaurant is at the top of the list on all lists for top places to eat in Asheville. All the dishes where amazing. I would go heavy on the appetizers. They were all so good. The menu changes out. Staff is great at explaining the menu and making recommendations. Super friendly. Overall great dining experience.

Great service, atmosphere, and food! We loved their deviled eggs, squash, and lamb.

A must visit. This review is for their brunch. We had made a reservation through Opentable which is recommended as they were quite busy. Our table was ready 10 min before our arrival time and the restaurant sent us updates on the status which was appreciated. Got seated right away in their patio with a friendly server. The quality of the food was fantastic. Recommend the lemon and blueberry cake from the pastry section, and the eggs Florentine which were the best I’d ever eaten. Some other things that we tried were mimosa, fluffy orange juice (OJ with egg whites - it works!) and Sally’s Pan Pancake which was a savory-sweet skillet bread topped with cheese and bacon, with maple syrup. I’d probably skip the pancake a second time, but interesting concept nonetheless. They also ran out of a few items by 1.30 including the fried potatoes that come with the eggs, so I’d suggest an earlier reservation. Their pricing for brunch is really great and we were pleasantly surprised when the bill came. The restaurant is also conveniently located in the River Arts District so after the meal, you can enjoy a walk by the river.

I cannot sing my praises loud enough about this dining experience! To borrow Southern idiom, I’m fixin’ to belt my praises to the pines!! From start to finish, Vivian demonstrated stellar service, drinks/wine and food. Shannon, the owner, came and introduced themselves to our table, and was knowledgeable and kind. Then the food started coming… appetizer after appetizer, I was blown away! Perfectly prepared dishes that were seasoned and thoughtful. And THAT STEAK… I’m going back and ordering 2!! One for me and the other one for me! And I have to give a hats off to the staff, it was a community effort, I think every dish was brought to the table by a different person and each staff member could talk about the food and were jovial and kind while doing it. 10/5 stars - Great job, Vivian!

Vivian is my wife and I's favorite date spot in Asheville. The menu always offers something different and creative. We always leave satisfied and feel like every dollar was well spent. The atmosphere, the food, the service - they all apeak for themselves. We will be back and we will continue to spread the word. Cheers!

Sunday Brunch was EXCELLENT. Have dined at many Asheville restaurants, and Vivian is now on the top of my restaurant list when dining out in the Asheville area. I definitely will be back for dinner! The steak was so flavorful, and tender. Eggs cooked so perfectly that I'm worried if eggs from my local breakfast spot back home in Raleigh will ever be the same. The great part is that the food is only a part of the great dining experience at Vivian. Service was the highlight. Our server noticed something wrong with my order before I could even notice it myself. She immediately corrected the issue, before I could even have time to notice it. Helpful, but not overbearing. Ambiance is contemporary and casual. I Definitely would recommend making a reservation...Vivian fills up quickly!

Imaginative menu; everything was well executed and genuinely delicious. Attentive service plus great food - we truly enjoyed our meal. The smoked squash was particularly amazing.

It would be easy to make a meal out of just appetizers, given the nice variety of options.