The best Vietnamese restaurant in town. This is a family owned business and you can taste the love they put into their food. My absolute favorite entree here is the bun cha gio and thit nuong (vermicelli noodles with egg rolls and bbq pork). It's amazing here, the eggs rolls are called "Crack rolls" for good reason. You can order it as an appetizer, but make sure you get two orders!! You can't just have one, they're so addicting!! Another favorite of mine is the com ga roti, which is fried chicken on a bed of specially made rice! The chicken is crispy on the outside and moist on the inside. Lastly, their pho which is a true test to any vietnamese restaurant. Very flavorful broth, not too fatty and slurp worthy. It's perfect on those cold fall days. I came here multiple times on my recent trip to Canada and was never disappointed in the food or the service. Writing this review, makes me crave their food....if you're in the area, definitely stop by!! read more

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Love this restaurant! It's the only place I have found in Winnipeg with authentic cha gio (spring rolls) made with rice paper, NOT wonton wrappers. For this alone, 5 stars. Having had many homemade experiences with Vietnamese families, this is important to me. The pho and salad rolls are also good. However this time I ordered bo koh (spicey beef stew) with French bread, which was a favorite in Saskatoon with rice noodles. Unfortunately here I was disappointed - not very flavorful, and they used fatty, grisly stewing beef, no noodles option, although I didn't ask. Other places in Canada seem to have adapted this dish to Canadian taste and use better quality beef, as they do in pho. I also ordered com bi suon (barbecue pork chop with broken rice), an old favorite in Vancouver. I said where's the pork chop? Finally found pieces of bone in cut up pieces of pork which were pounded flat, flavored the same as their barbecue pork, which is good (with spring rolls on noodles) but not what I wanted. And no broken rice. Other than these two dishes on that day it's a wonderful place, clean and pleasant with good food, and Vietnamese is always the best bang for your buck. The service is attentive and professional. I hope this family will continue to thrive in Winnipeg. read more

It was generally good!! The pho was tasty and spring roll was crunchy and delicious. Nice pho place in downtown read more

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The flavour on the food is beyond good, good service, however the small sized portions and high price on the dishes we order prevents this restaurant from getting a full 5 stars read more

Another local finds. Definitely a hidden gem. Store is not noticeable but a friend bought me to this great place. This restaurant serve true authentic flavour viet food. Ordered a few dishes to share. Most memorable is the deluxe pho. Broth was aromatic with different spices. Strong beef flavour and a hint of savoury fish sauce. Noodles were cooked perfectly as well as the beef. Very tender. Lemon soda is ok and so as the pepper beef skillet. read more

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+.5 for service A little bit more hype than what it's worth unfortunately. I wouldn't say Viva is below average for a Vietnamese restaurant in Winnipeg, but I wouldn't rank it in the top 3 from my experience here. The restaurant has an awkward entrance; it's actually through a side door that leads to the lobby of a medical complex. You can't access the restaurant directly thru Sargent. Once inside the place looks quite nice, very traditional Vietnamese decor that's similar to many other Pho places in the West End. I had the special phnom penh noodle soup. For $10, I was expecting some form of creativity with the broth and presentation, however it was mostly average. The chicken broth they used was okay, the noodles were standard pho noodles, while the pork they used was BBQ pork...which unfortunately was not what I expected (I thought it was gonna be pork shank of some kind). The crab was in the form of a small crispy cracker, which actually tasted pretty good. However the portions were smaller than usual, and I wasn't completely full after the meal. Service was excellent here. Viva certainly has its clientele, but personally I liked Thanh Huong across the street better. Considering the competitive nature of Vietnamese restaurants in this city, I'll likely pass for this place in the future. read more

Family favourite of our for well over 20 years. In fact I can remember many memories of coming here for meals with friends and my family for a long long time. Prices are your typical Viet restaurant inexpensive and flavours are wonderfully delicious. If you enjoy Vietnamese food sure there may be other places in Winnipeg but Viva is one of the best. We ordered a multitude of dishes on our visit. A mix of Vietnamese and Chinese. Here is the grand rundown: Deep fried spring rolls- crispy and filled with pork and veg. Awesome as usual Hot n sour soup- a very good mix of the H&S typical ingredients (bamboo shoots, mushroom and tofu) in what my wife calls a gluey sauce. Delish Fresh Vietnamese (make yourself) spring rolls- different concept as every other Viet place I've been they make them for you. Here they bring out the fresh rolls with a very clever hot water contraption that you soak in and add your ingredients and roll away. Char grilled beef was awesome with noodles and veg and you make some nice tasty rolls! Cantonese chow mein- this has always been a staple of a great Chinese meal and they had it on the menu so it made my daughter happy. Healthy mix of meat and veg with tasty shrimp in a light gravy sauce. Chicken with Chinese broccoli (gai lan)- very lightly done Cantonese style with a light sauce and crunchy gai lan. Viva fried rice- BBQ pork and great wok flavour with the rice in a light soy sauce making it a nice brown colour. Beef Bun Vermicelli- great grilled flavour from the beef with vegetables and noodles for a delicious favourite of mine. The night we ate the restaurant was packed. We called for reservations before and they held the table as we were slightly late. The restaurant had a very smoky air to it from the grilled meat. Not cigarette smoke but they need a stronger exhaust fan. Overall it's an awesome meal if you choose to eat Vietnamese or a Chinese or mix the dishes. One of my favourites in Winnipeg. read more

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Good rice,Good Sweet n sour,but chow mein was like top ramen.Don't waist money on chow mein

One of the best Vietnamese restaurants in the city. The restaurant is family owned. It is definitely a gem in the ruff considering the area it is located. It can be very busy during Friday and Saturday nights. The menu offers a variety of choices from soups to chow mien to rice plates. They are super accommodating with substituting different ingredients. A lot of vegetation and gluten free options as well. The soups are very hearty, definitely recommend the pho soups. They also have a unique wrap it yourself rolls option that gives you an interesting experience. Additionally, the sizzling dishes are quite savoury as well. Anyone visiting in Winnipeg looking for a good Vietnamese restaurant should check Viva out. read more

The most important thing I can say about Viva is that they really have the best spring rolls I've ever had by far. The spring rolls are wrapped somewhat unusually with rice paper which makes them super crunchy and delicious after being deep fried. The stuffing is generous and quite tasty as well. I find the pho dishes to be a little above average but not the best I've had in Winnipeg. The flavour can be just a little too powerful and lacks some of the delicate aroma I've experienced elsewhere. That aside, its still pretty good and I normally do order a bowl when I'm there. I've found most dishes I've had off the menu to be generally above average quality wise. One particular standout for me are the black bean sauce dishes which are quite delicious at Viva. Service here is a little up and down. While they're usually pretty busy I've never had to wait too long for service. The servers themselves aren't always the most friendly or helpful but are at least acceptable. Despite that shortcoming though, the food is definitely worth going for. Especially for the best spring rolls ever! read more

I love the pho here - it's very fragrant and definitely has a hint more star anise in its broth compared to other Vietnamese restaurants. It is one of my favourite places for pho (along with Phuong Nam). Another reason I love this place is the iced Vietnamese coffee! It's very strong but that's the way I like it. If you've never had Vietnamese coffee - this the place to have it - on ice with condensed milk. Another dish that I usually order at Vietnamese restaurants is "Banh Hoi Thit Heo Nuong" which is charbroiled pork served with rice paper, vermicelli noodles, and fresh vegetables. All the items come separately so you have to wrap your own summer rolls. I have to say the charbroiled pork isn't as flavourful here compared to other establishments so I usually order the pho with the rare beef ("pho tai") instead. This place can get pretty busy on the weekend but I think it's worth the wait. Service fluctuates - mostly because it's a family run restaurant as there's usually only 2 people on the floor running around. There's also a variety of Vietnamese/Chinese dishes on the menu. read more

This place is fantastic, and I mean truly fantastic. Try the Vietnamese Pancake or the wraps in rice paper. Or the rice with vegetable dish. Oh and don't forget the Vietnamese coffee. This place is just as good as Vietnamese food gets !! What else? The restaurant looks a bit shady from the outside, but is actually nice and clean inside. The staff is very friendly and the food is promptly served and it's no problem to get separate bills if you're in a larger party. The place doesn't look like much but can get pretty crowded by people who know what's good. Definitely give this a try ! read more

I haven't been back in the city for years but my first stop had to be Viva. I was curious to see if the food was good as I remembered and I was not disappointed. Comfort food category! I have yet to find a worthy competitor in Toronto. Thanks and I will be back again before I head home. read more

Great tasting food but really small portions! Fairly expensive if you consider the size of the dish you receive. I came here for dinner on a Tuesday and the waitress seemed extremely overwhelmed. She was not friendly and was quite frazzled. My family had to ask for the basics such as water, cutlery, tea etc. As delicious as the food was, I do not think we will ever be back here. The parking situation is hit or miss since it's street parking. read more

Great authentic vietnamese food. I had the vermecelli delux and loved it. I love that the meal was not dry and they gave you enough sauce for the meal. I had the lychee shake and it was delicious! read more

Love this restaurant! Best in town. Been going here for the past 10 years since I was taking my Bsc at University of Winnipeg. My favourites are their crispy spring rolls, deluxe vermicelli and pho ( they don't have that after taste like other Vietnamese restaurants. read more

My faves are the wraps, hot and sour soup as well as the deluxe vermicelli. Just awesome.

Great food, definitely going back there again! I recommend their springs/salad rolls! Nice and polite servers too!

Best pho place in town. Friendly service. More than 130 authentic Vietnamese dishes to choose from. Will come back when I'm in Winnipeg again. read more

I'm from out of town and took my friends advice to try out some of the local Vietnamese restaurants. So far Viva is one of the best among the ones that I've sampled. The service is a bit slow but once the beef noodle soup is served you can immediately tell it's excellent quality. The meat is very fresh and soup savory. I would definitely come back gain. One of the things that I didn't like is their milk shakes. It appears to be made from power instead of real fruit and too sweet. Other than that it's an excellent choice. read more

Pho restaurant that doesn't offer a vegetarian Pho. No tofu in the building. Ordered a chicken rice dish instead, the chicken was very rubbery and tasteless. The service was good and very friendly so feel bad for the review, but limited menu for vegetarians, and sketchy quality on the chicken. read more

Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! Been a customer here for 20+ years now. Love the fried spring rolls (#1)! The banh xeo (#4) is addictive! The make-your-own spring/salad rolls (#6-11) are so fresh and tasty. The pho tai is delicious (#15). I can't get enough of the special Pnom Penh soup (#34)! It hurts when I don't have enough room to order the special Vietnamese fish stew (#120). read more

I ordered the deluxe vermicelli and it was very tasty. Very good bbq pork and portion size was okay. Restaurant is kind of small in a not so attractive part of the city. But will definitely return. read more

Went to this Vietnamese restaurant today after trying a couple of other ones in the city. The place was clean, service was good and respectful and pho was great. Even brought someone with me who doesn't like pho as she had poor experience in the past at a place in Toronto. She loved it. The price was good too. 7.95$ for small pho. I wish I took the bigger one for 1.50$ more. I will be back for sure. read more

Get any of the vermicelli dishes and you won't be disappointing. Service can be slightly slow, but the food is amazing and the prices are good too. read more

Sorry to go against the tide, maybe I was here on an off day. The Pho was edible, but certainly nothing special. The spring rolls on the other hand were horrible! I ordered them to take out, they were greasy, burned on one side, and packed in a styrofoam container that they melted into. We threw them out. Just being honest. read more