|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Editorial Review
We all know that New York pizza is the best, but a slice of guilt doesn’t have to be part of the pie at Café Viva Natural Pizza (all Kosher Dairy) on the Upper West Side. This local pizza joint serves “only vegetarian Italian food and pizzas using all natural ingredients,” some of which are organic and kosher dairy.
Cafe Viva doesn't use preservatives, emulsifiers, “extenders or chemicals of any kind,” for those that are trying to cut down on extenders. The exterior of the restaurant appears unassuming, just like any other pizza place, but one look at the pizzas on the display shelves will convince you otherwise.
Specializing in thin crust, with one Sicilian offering, Viva offers a choice of plain, whole wheat, corn crust (wheat free) or spelt crust (also wheat free). Who know that you could get whole wheat pizza in New York? In addition to their pizzas, Café Viva also serves calzones, filled not with sausage or beef, but with sun-dried tomatoes, marinated tofu, eggplant, zucchini, or even rennetless cheese (that is, cheese with no animal-derivative enzymes).
While the calzones sounded appetizing, my dining partner and I went straight for the pizza counter. Note to skinny pizza lovers: a “slice” of pizza at Café Viva means 1/5 of a pie; their slices are huge!
I ordered a slice of the Zen pizza (vegan and the most expensive at $5.25 per slice) and a slice of the Bella pizza ($3.70 per slice). The Zen pizza, “super anti-oxidant pizza,” is a green tea herbed spelt crust topped with green tea herbed miso-tofu, green tea basil pesto, shitake mushrooms, maitake mushrooms, carmelized onions, sun-dried tomatoes and roasted garlic. The unique combination of ingredients results in a mild but satisfying experience, not tangy or salty, but more mellow, like a good meditation sitting.
The Bella pizza occupies the other end of the flavor spectrum. A whole wheat crust with pesto sauce, mozzarella, spinach, onions and feta cheese, the Bella pizza has a strong and intense pesto flavor, quite salty and garlicky. What can I expect from a restaurant that has a 4-foot-drawing of a bulb of garlic named Tony smiling at you on the wall? The Bella pizza is a bold and satisfying choice that reminds you that healthy and delicious can exist together in one slice of pizza.
My fellow pizza lover ordered a slice of the Santa Rosa (vegan, $3.95 per slice) and a slice of the trusty Napoletana (read plain cheese pizza, $1.80 per slice), for standardization sake. The Santa Rosa has sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, roasted garlic, olives, and tofu marinated in miso and soy cheese piled atop a plain crust. A pizza with a sweet and tangy side, thanks to the sun-dried tomatoes and mild miso-soaked tofu, the Santa Rosa will leave any vegan, or even meat-eater, satisfied.
And how does a healthy pizza place compete with the best in the city in the plain cheese pizza competition? Better than you might think. Café Viva understands that the simpler the better when it comes to a slice of cheese pizza: crispy crust, lots of sauce but not too much, a layer of mozzarella cheese and a thin layer of grease. “Hmmmm,” said my plain-cheese-pizza eating friend, “Tastes like plain cheese pizza.”
Café Viva offers a selection of homestyle desserts, either vegan or dairy free. The dairy cannolli ($1.75) tasted like the real thing, and the vegan “Death by chocolate” ($3.95) almost killed me, rich and intense.
Café Viva doesn’t need fancy décor to sell its product. The wholesome flavors that come from fresh ingredients and unique toppings keep a steady crowd streaming in and out of the restaurant. Beverages include natural sodas, teas and juices, but when we asked if we could bring our own beer, the cashier warmly said, “Sure.”
Bon Appétit! |
|
Restaurant Information
| ||
Kosher
Vegetarian
Vegetarian Friendly
|
Italian
Pizza
|
$ (under $15)
|
|
Member Reviews -- Sorted by
Most Recent |
| Positive | Negative | Most Recent | |
|
Showing: 1 of 4 | | User Rating: Below Average | No respect! Posted by poshaughnessey on 3/8/08 | The owner of this place does not understand that the customer comes first. When they screw up your order, the owner offers to replace it for 40% off the replacement, and then says that he's doing you a favor and that you should be happy.
Turned a regular customer into a very unhappy one that will not be going back.
| | More Member Reviews |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Café Viva
Map-it
Coupon
