Cafe Viva Natural Pizza

If you are in a hurry and there’s nothing else around, it will be ok for you, don’t expect too much, we tried their Zen slice and the crust was just ok, the topping were too messy, flavorless and too «tofuish». The «cutlett Parmesan — vegan option was chewy, the bread had an after taste of a cardboard

It was the only gluten and dairy free pizza place that had a multiple crust types, plus spelt, whole wheat and cheese for those who wanted it. It was a regular stop for a quick slice, and let me tell you, those GF/​DF pies were genuinely rivaling the regular — no glorified cracker here. And the vegan desserts were to die for. I was devastated to suddenly see a for lease sign and the place cleared out today! What happened? It was popular with every pizza eating type!
Dear owners, please come back, even if you have to move slightly. You filled a comfort food need for those of us who needed something special, something healthy.

The reason I am writing a review is not because Viva is one of my favorite pizza spots in the city. It’s because it closed down without notice.
I Live close by Viva and I make the trek there at least once or twice a month to get their vegan pizza. It was one of the first pizza places that catered to Vegans.
Never a complaint except for the fact that the slice was too loaded up with vegis to eat like a regular slice. it is very sad that this place is gone. I HOPE they reopen somewhere in the area. I miss you already

This is how vegan pizza is done folks. Take notes!
As a former NYC resident who used to live around the corner from this place (and still visit and eat there every time I return even tho I usually am gluten free. yes…its that good) I now live in the SF bay area… where the vegan pizza in comparison might as well be a tasteless communion wafer. This place does it. they LOAD up on toppings. the crust is always perfect… and they dont even NEED vegan cheese on half their vegan pizzas… theyre just THAT good! Its not a wine n dine fancy place by any means… more takeout or sit and have a slice… but the pizza is WORTH IT!!!

Got the green pizza. Totally my kind of pizza — loaded up with veggies instead of piled high to the sky with cheese. They have so many interesting varieties. Very excited to come back and try others.
They are a bit pricey compares to other NY joints, but they definitely don’t skimp on the toppings and their slices are huge, so it’s not really that much more when you take everything into consideration.
Service was prompt, no fuss.

Wasn’t sure if I should put it as 3 or 4 stars. I have only tried it once and only had one item from the menu so I guess I can only speak for that. I had the zen pizza on cornmeal crust. It wasn’t bad but the tofu on it lacked seasoning. The pesto sauce on it was good but ver inconsistent. The slices are $ 6 and are HUGE. I split one with my friends because it is the equivalent of two slices. Overall the workers were nice and let me sample the pizza before hand.

I was surprised at this place. I ordered two vegan slices because that is what I can normally eat… I didn’t know that each slice weighed so much and were ¼ of the pizza. My goodness, for the size of the slices, it is a bargain. I can’t wait untli my next trip to NYC for another seitan slice.

Their grilled vegetable calzone is off the hizzy and so is their bella spinach pizza slice!!!
ALLERGY CROSS CONTAMINATION BEWARE**************
Nothing bothers me more than calling over the phone, asking questions about the ingredients, and having the worker say repeatedly, «Don’t worry, it’s vegan!».
Having allergies doesn’t = vegan (Duh?!)
So I decide to go there and ask the same question in person. I get the same response. I tried the pumpkin pie and it was ok. I did feel there was some nuts that slipped into the canoli or perhaps IT’S MADE WITH NUTS. I think this was supposed to be nut free but something from another dessert rubbed against it. Likely, I drank some of my alkaline water and flushed that down.
Take the time to either label your food or explain to customers what’s in it. If you don’t understand English well maybe hire someone who can understand a question and provide a rational answer. Saying, «It’s vegan, don’t worry!» is a problem. When it comes to health matters it can cost someone their life. Some people sue businesses for killing their child with peanut crumbs.
I came here at like 1ish am thinking I could get some good grub. They don’t close when advertised, they seem to close early or when they feel like it. Better learn how to cook your vegan food or go to Brooklyn for late hours vegan places.
Also, CLOSE THE FRONT DOOR ALREADY. Stop leaving it open it’s freezing outside. Have you checked the weather lately?
Word to the wise, protect your business buddy.

This is a great hole in the wall restaurant. This is my first time trying a vegan pizza; it was way better than expected. They already pre-​made the pizza and they will heated it up once you place the order. The wait is not too long and it tests fresh. I also ordered a green juice which only cost $ 6. What a great deal. (Normally $ 10 at other juice places.) If you are looking to try a vegan pizza; this is a great place.

OMG, I love this place. I’ve been coming here for about 8 years and I like pretty much all the vegan options, although I’m not a huge fan of the super green pizza that reminds of me hot salad on bread. They do a great job balancing healthy ingredients and great-​tasting pizza. My favorite is the simple Sicilian, which is spicy tomato sauce on crust, and I usually also get another slice to go with it. I like the Ganja slice, which has soy meat and lots of hemp-​related items. Now that they offer some vegan cheese pizza, I’ll likely be getting a few of those slices.

One time you can eat pizza at 1am and not feel guilty — crust was good too.

I have to admit, I was a bit deterred at the fact that I was going to be paying $ 4 – 6 dollars for a single slice of pizza, even if it was vegan, however this is no ordinary pizza… they have a ridiculous selection of crust types, which is awesome and as Lolo M mentioned in her review, «slices are piled high with all sorts of goodies,» which is awesome!
I tried the Zen slice, and it took me a minute to finish because it was sooo filling! You definitely only need one slice… so lunch for $ 4 – 6 dollars? count me in! The spelt crust was perfect, I’m dying to know how they made it. Also, the green tea pesto is brilliant.
I’ll be back to try more slices and to also try the desserts. I saw a great selection of vegan cakes, cookies, and other pastries that are calling my name!
Small, rugged, hole-​in-​the-​wall place, so not really good for groups or any fancy meal plans.

Amazing vegan pizza selection! Viva was the first place I ever had a vegan slice in. I was very impressed, even their simplest Daiya slice is amazing.
The really good thing about viva is that I can go there with my non vegan friends and we can both enjoy delicious pizza and we both have plenty of options.
It’s a small little place so sometimes when it gets busy there’s nowhere to sit, but other than that, it’s definitely worth planning a visit to.
I love that they have so many different crusts that you can choose from. My favourite crust is the chickpea and the spelt are both delicious. I would suggest the seitan dream if you’re in the mood for a lot of tasty toppings or the plain daiya slice if you’re in the mood for a plain slice.
I can’t review their non vegan slices but according to my friends that have eaten them, they’re amazing as well.

Yes! Vegan pizza! By the slice! I love this place in a really real way.
They have an awesome and diverse selection of vegan (and non-​vegan) slices to choose from and a little selection of yummy desserts as well.

This is definitely my favorite place for pizza.
As you can tell by the amount of times I’ve been here, I might be just a little bit of a fan. I liked this place much more when I first found it, but I have grown to realize it’s definitely not the best pizza, but it is the most interesting. Where else are you going to get vegan slices, especially ones called «Vegan Picante,» «Magic Mushroom,» «Ganja,» «Seitan Dream,» «Zen,» and so on. Their spelt crust is consistently one of my favorite crusts.
The only problem I have with the pizza is that it can tend to be too oily and the flavors are not as well defined as they could be. There are no bursts of flavor, though the slices always taste good.
As for the entrees, I have been staying away. I got a Seitan Parm once. It was a pound of pasta with oily pieces of non breaded seitan topped with a little bit of sauce and another pound of daiya. It was disgusting. Maybe I’ll try again another time, but I think I’d sooner give John’s a try since it’s right across the street basically and they are an Italian restaurant that’s been around since 1908.
In conclusion, this is the best place in NYC for a quick vegan slice. They have variety and the slices are huge (always get mine cut in half). Also if you want quick vegan desserts they have a ton of great Vegan Treats stuff.

This joint, among other places, is what makes NYC pizza so famous. It’s cheap, fast, and better than cheap fast pizza anywhere else. My napolitana took like 1 minute and had that special sweetness in the sauce that you only find in the big apple (i don’t think people call it that anymore).
Careful with the garlic salt, the shaker just basically let’s you pour out enough in 1 second for an entire pizza.

What? Vegan & gluten free pizza? What? No greasy pizza nonsense here.
You see, I’m weird. I’m not a huge fan of pizza… & now that I’m a health freak (or not depending on how YOU eat), it’s sometimes borderline impossible to choose a place to have lunch.
SO I discovered café Viva! Ahh. Okay I’m on my Columbus shit… I didn’t discover it, this wonderful place existed before Sasha saw it but you get my drift.
The vegan options are plentiful, I wish they had a full list of ingredients like what’s in the dough but I’m just being annoying.
There are whole wheat crust options & gluten free options like spelt crust!
Last time I was here I had an amazing slice of something… Can’t really remember but it was ah-​mazing!
take a chance– if it looks good chances are it IS good so go fer it.
LOVE this place.
Oh and their vegan chocolate cookie is THE bomb. Not sure I WANT to know calorie intake on that though.

Every now and again, I crave pizza, but that’s been a disaster since I have not been eating any dairy products for over 4 months now.
After a pretty gruelsome yoga class, I found myself wanting a nice slice of carbs. There are only a few places in the city that offer vegan pizza and so I decided to give this place a try.
I had a slice of vegan pizza topped with soy sausage, peppers, tomato sauce and onions. It was a huge slice of pizza! It could have easily fed two people. There was no cheese on it. It was decent, but I now realize that with vegan pizzas, just stick to something plain. The more toppings, the more confusing they get.
And although it was a good slice, it didn’t really taste like pizza to me. It was more like a tomato-​like stew only on top of dough. I think next time I’ll just stick to plain with daiya cheese.

So I finally got down to try this vegan pizza/​pasta place.
OMG I was totally blown away by the delicious hearty pizza they offer here.
There are so many varieties of tempting-​looking pizza, with veggies overflown.
My first vegan pizza was given to the «Bella», with pesto and spinach.
Before I came here with my friend on a Sunday afternoon, I’ve actually walked down on this street for lots of times. Strangely, never noticed this shop! incredible~
They also have fresh-​press veggie juice and vegan desserts such as choco cookies/​pastries/​even blueberry cheesecake.
I have to try all their healthy veggie pizza and maybe some pasta now.

Viva is a small pizza joint serving eight or nine different types of vegan pizza by the slice, as well as some traditional vegetarian options. It’s a good place to get a quick bite in the East Village.
I had a slice of their vegan seitan-​artichoke-​sundried tomato pizza which came on a spelt crust ($ 6). The slice tasted okay, but wasn’t great in my opinion. For one thing, none of the vegetables or the sauce seemed to have much flavor, and they also reheated the slice for too long, making the crust way to crispy (I like my crust to be softer or chewier, but definitely without «crunch» factor). Lastly, $ 6 is a lot to pay for a slice of pizza, vegan or otherwise (their cheapest option seemed to be a Daiya cheese slice for $ 3.25).
I also got a tiramisu-​like thing for dessert ($ 4). I didn’t realize Vegan Treats makes tiramisu, and damn was this good — easily the best I’ve ever had.
Viva has a few tables for two and some counter seating as well. It’s a grimy place that always feel sticky (the front door is always slightly ajar as well), so it’s not the type of place you want to have a sit-​down meal per se.
While I love that Viva has whole wheat and spelt crusts, as well as a good array of vegan toppings (seitan, mock sausage, Daiya cheese), they need to keep their pizzas fresher somehow as they sit out all day and lose flavor. They also need to clean the place a bit better and make it a little more comfortable for an eat-​in meal.