Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Openings: Viva Cucina on 2nd Avenue

Viva Cucina debuted last week at 85 Second Ave. on the SW corner at Fifth Street. 

The Italian restaurant, with vegan and vegetarian options, is an offshoot of Cafe Viva Gourmet Pizza on the Upper West Side. Justin and Lenny Iracani are running the EV outpost. 

This is also a return to the East Village for the family, who ran Viva Herbal Pizzeria at 179 Second Ave. until it closed in early 2014

So you can find some pizza here (with gluten-free and whole wheat crust available) as well as a variety of pasta dishes, risotto and grilled fish.
Viva Cucina's website is still under construction. You can find them on Instagram here

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday from 4:30-11 p.m. 

The restaurant takes over the space from Nai Tapas Bar, which moved to a new space across Second Avenue earlier this year.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

looks great. i miss the old Viva so much :(

Anonymous said...

Excellent! Viva Herbal was one of the best joints.

Anonymous said...

I’m so happy to find you . I lived near the uptown Cafe Viva restaurant for 18 years. This family knows how to make vegan food delicious and create fights over who gets to lick the forks & plates !! I can’t wait for tomorrow to get some delicious food that is good for my body too!!!💜