La Viga Restaurant

Service was outstanding and the food was delicious. I’m giving this place 3 stars because it’s very sauce heavy on each dish. I appreciate sauce on my meal but it was too much.
Definitely a cool spot for dinner. I would recommend making a reservation as the tables fill up quickly.

Cute lil mexican restaurant w tons of seafood options! Great chips and salsa too!
Also made a reservation via Unilocal which was golden!

RUDE… walked in and was seated. After a minute, I realized this was the loudest restaurant I had ever been in, so loud I couldn’t hear the person next to me. The waiter walked up and asked for our drinks, I asked for a water. Before my 3 friends could respond, he said 4 waters and walked away. He returned with 4 tiny iceless waters and walked away without saying anything. A minute later he returned for our order and I said we just needed a minute… he looked pissed and walked away. We left.

If you’re looking for authentic good tastingMexican food do not come here. Servers are friendly but the food is flavorless. I brought my family of six here so I tried all six meals and everyone was the same. The food is not bad tasting but is just bland. The prices are also not as advertised online, prices are actually about $ 5 more per item than advertised. The place is just a good place to socialize but I would prefer to spend my money somewhere where I can also enjoy the food. I am Mexican and have tried food from different parts of Mexico, so I know what good Mexican food tastes like. If you like good white Mexican food you’ll love this place.

Very cute little restaurant– I would definitely go back for their ceviche and tapas. I went for dinner with my mom– we split the Ceviche de Dorado (mahi-​mahi, mango, sweet potato, lime and habanero sauce), Mejillones & Almejas (sautéed mussels & clams, and chorizo with lime and chiles), and a few tacos and we had more than enough food! My favorites were the ceviche and mussels by far. The ceviche was cool, spicy, and sweet. It was less citrus-​y than what I think of with a standard or traditional ceviche, and a bit heavier. The mussels were amazing, served in a base with lime, onions, peppers and tomatoes, with a few slices of grilled bread– definitely good to share.
We tried a few of their tacos as well, which were less impressive (specifically the papas/​calabasas, cochinita, and the carne asada. They weren’t bad, but I think I’d rather try another tapas or big plate. That being said, we definitely did not need more food. My mom raved about the desserts, but we were both so full that we just couldn’t order anything more. I saw a rice pudding and flan on the menu though, which I would love to go back and try!
I also had to try their sangria– it was good, but if I were to go back, I think I would try the Carmenere off their wine list or the white sangria instead.

We got recommendations for this restaurant from a friend a while back. Menu selection changes once in a while which is great so we don’t get bored by the same thing over and over. Staff is very friendly. Food presentation is great. i wish they could make margaritas.
Overall great place.

Unilocal comes through again. Not from the Bay area and was passing through and wanted some good Mexican food, searched Mexican restaurants and this gem came up. Redwood City is a very cool area with decent nightlife and this place didn’t disappoint. I went with the Ceviche Trio and it was awesome, each one had a very different taste, also had an Asada Taco that was very tasty. Nice cold beer too. I’ll stop by next time Im up north.

This place is great!
Wife and I arrived at the airport for a weekend in San Francisco. I was hungry for Paella and found La Viga on Unilocal.Wife go the special of day – Grilled Wild Salmon and I got the Paella Mixta. We also ordered some raw oysters. There wasn’t an empty seat in the house and that included about a dozen sidewalk customers, but service was very efficient. The Paella was loaded with seafood and that salmon really was a nice recommendation from our server.
Nothing about La Viga is eye appealing, but I don’t care. You want to make me happy at a restaurant? Feed me great eats!!! Wife was being stingy and wanted to give La Viga 4 ½ stars… it’s my Yep account and I really liked it so try not to tell her, but we’re going 5 stars.
Really, guys, if you are trying to decide between, 4 ½ and 5, just go… you’ll like it.

Stopped in for a weekday lunch and really enjoyed it.
Food:
Ordered 3 oysters on the half shell (I was dining alone and didn’t want to go hog-​wild, but it would be easy to do so!). Obviously fresh and plump, with that briny finish. Tried the house made hot sauce on one of them, which was a nice complement. For my main dish I ordered the mejillones y almejas (Mussels and clams) served in a chorizo broth with peppers. Man, was that a tasty dish. Broth was amazing, and the mussels and clams were like little shellfish treats along the way. Only had a few bites of the grilled bread, because the broth on its own was so tasty. I could have stayed there all day, sampling dish after tasty dish.
Service:
Attentive and friendly. Almost too formal for the casual space, but I don’t think that is a bad thing. Better to overdo it than underdo it on service. Well-​trained staff for certain.
Vibe:
Mariscos-​para-​todos-​maravillosa! I am not bothered by bench seating, or lots of wood in the restaurant, which makes it kind of noisy. I think it brings a really amazing casual feel to the place in which you can enjoy amazing seafood dishes.
Family-​friendly:
Definitely. But your kids better like seafood, and the smell of seafood too. I noticed it when I first walked in, and got used to it pretty quickly, but if the kids are sensitive to that particular smell, be advised.
Summary:
Simply the best seafood in an easy-​to-​enjoy environment. Great food with no fuss, but really great service. I’m not sure what could make this place better!

We came here for a late lunch around 2:30 on a Saturday and there only a few tables taken so we got a really good spot by the window! (you know. excellent spot for picture taking purposes.) They also have a few outdoor tables but they only seat two people per table.
I always check out food photos taken by other Unilocalers and screen shot what I want before I arrive. Sadly they didn’t have the empanada or the crab cake that I was really looking forward to eating. so we decided to just try out their highlights.
Ceviche Trio $ 19 –fresh.but not much flavor.
Camarones Al Coco $ 13 –only 4 butterflied prawns. light and tasty, the sauces that come with it are good.
Dorado a las Brazas $ 24 –the mahi mahi was a little dry but it had a nice charred flavor. The plantain rice was sooo buttery and delicious. (make sure to ask for extra achiote orange sauce! I was dipping everything into it.)
There’s also complimentary chips and salsa, but the salsa was so bland and it tasted like tomato broth.
Everything came out to be around $ 70 with tip. Damn.
I think this place was okay, nothing to rave about and it’s pretty expensive. I think I enjoyed their sauces and plantain rice out of everything. I was expecting more palette wowing dishes from all the great reviews. Staff was attentive and nice though.

We loved our meal here! The appetizers came out super fast mere minutes after we ordered! We started with the Ceviche Mixto. It was so good, but too spicy for me! Warning: it has habanero chile in it! The Camarones Al Coco were next. They were hot and crispy, and had a slightly sweet coconut flavor to it.
The first plate we ordered was the Cochinita Pibil. The plantain rice was so creamy and mildly sweet and the chunks of plantain went so well with the savory pork. The pork itself was so flavorful and tender we would totally get it again! The second plate was the Salmon Al Achiote. Each individual ingredient and all the different sauces tasted delicious separately and went so well together. The salmon was flaky and perfectly grilled. It was so good I completely cleaned the plate!
We finished with the churros. After having churros con chocolate in Spain I could have done without the sugar on top of these churros, but I was glad that they weren’t completely rolled around in sugar and cinnamon; it was simply sprinkled on top and the cream inside and the chocolate underneath also was not too sweet. Next time I would order the same thing simply without the sugar.
We would absolutely come here again. Everything we had was amazing and we are looking forward to trying other dishes here. Parking can be tricky because they don’t have a parking lot, so street parking only!

Ceviche trio was not bad, I think I like the mango one the most because I like mango.
Pasta special was very creamy, a bit heavy for my liking and the mahi mahi was overcooked and super tiny.
Four tacos was a lot, I had the potato, chicken, pork, and fish and my fav was the pork and fish. Pork had the orange on top, and just worked well.
Chips and dip was pretty good, but I did see them putting a huge bucket next to the sink, which I don’t think is sanitary.
Flan was tiny, but ended the meal nicely.
Service was fast and nice, no complaints. One bathroom only, ek! Street parking, blah!

I ate here a couple of times. So far it is one of the tastiest Peruvian places in the South Bay/​Peninsula area. The ambience is casual, but the food is that of higher caliber places.
Homemade chips
Tasty ceviche trio and mixta — 19 or 17 dollars depending on what you get. Good flavors and fresh. It is not the best tasting ceviche ever, but it is good and I will order it again. (Best is La Mar, but also smaller portions for the price and is a pricier establishment). (3.5−4 stars)
Best Paella ever — perfectly seasoned and good price for what you get (5 stars)
Chocolate cake was presented beautifully, not not too sweet or bitter, and came with raspberry coulis and what tasted like homemade vanilla ice cream (you can see the vanilla bean specs). (5 stars)
cochinita pibil — pretty good and nicely seasoned (3.5 stars)
Pulpo — tender and has a good flavor. It was satisfying and homey (4.5 stars)
It doesn’t blow me away, but it hits the spot.

This place was packed!!! Parking is pretty hard to find in this area, that is probably a good thing because they can’t really handle a ton of people. Don’t come here on a date unless you like it loud!
Now on to the food!!! They brought us chips and salsa (?). I am not really sure it was salsa it looked and tasted like tomato soup. I started off with the soup of the day — tomato shrimp. I really liked the soup it was a creamy tomato with fresh tomato and onions, there was one shrimp cut up into the soup, it was well flavored. My entrée on the other hand was a bit of a disappointment. I ordered the empanadas — one shrimp, one salmon. I judge an empanada on two things, the inside and the outside. Let’s start with the outside, an empanada is supposed to be lightly crispy, this one was bland and soggy. Inside the salmon empanada the salmon was slightly dry. Inside the shrimp emplanada was mostly cheese, a handful of mushroom and maybe a cut up shrimp. For dessert we had the churro which was pretty average.
The service was friendly and attentive. This place is a bit pricey for the food they serve.

Lunch on a Saturday for four.
We enjoyed camarones coco (coconut prawns) to kick lunch off. Then two de carne taco plates, one del mar taco plate, one cayo de hacha (diver scallops) plate. The sauces on the cayo de hacha (scallops and rice) was very tasty. All 4 dishes were excellent.
The Tempernillo wine was rich and very good.
Service was with Jorge, who did a terrific job.
Enjoy!

Thanks you to fellow Unilocalers for the recommendation. My boyfriend and I were in the area, looking for some food, and decided to come here based on what we read. We were a little hesitant as we came up to the place because it looks pretty ordinary from the outside. Inside, however, the ambiance, food, and service are excellent. I got to try dishes that I never had heard of before. I tried the Caldo de Mariscos a broth with fish, muscles, clams, and shrimp was good, like really really good. I also had the Coconut Shrimp, which had a little too much coconut for my taste,
Service was really excellent; we got recommendations on what to try and always had our water glasses full. The were really very sweet and friendly. I can’t wait to come back and try more new dishes.
Definitely get dessert! We got both the Flan and the Churros, and both were delicious! The churros had filling and came in a wonderful chocolate sauce. It is a must have!

While my Unilocal/​foodie adventures with friends has taken me all over the Bay Area, it’s taken us until now to find ourselves in Redwood City. It’s especially funny considering how it’s flanked by two of our favorite cities along the Peninsula, San Carlos and Palo Alto. Now, after having tried a couple spots, perhaps we should check out more of the restaurants and eateries that have been popping up in the area!
Having bookmarked La Viga a while ago, I was pretty stoked when my friends and I ended up here for our monthly dinner. Needless to say, given their popularity, there was a pretty good sized crowd for a Wednesday night. However, despite how busy it was, service was timely. More importantly though, the food didn’t disappoint. Although, with so many delicious looking dishes on the menu, our greater concern was figuring out what to get rather than whether the food would be good.
– CEVICHE TRIO — Ceviches «Camaron», «Dorado», and «Pescado»…$ 19
**Ceviche de Camaron: Shrimp, Pico de Gallo, Avocado, Cucumber Purée
**Ceviche de Dorado: Mahi-​mahi, Mango, and Sweet Potato with Lime, Mango, Habanero Sauce
**Ceviche de Pescado: Red Snapper, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Lime
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Overall, all three were solid, but I liked the Pescado the most. It felt simple, but the flavors were terrific. As good as the snapper was though, the mahi-​mahi itself tasted better and fresher (I wasn’t as high on the contrast of the mango, lime, and habanero). As for the Camaron, it was fine, and I loved what the avocado added, but I prefer ceviches with just fish.
– PULPOS SALTEADOS — Sauteed Octopus and Calamari, Baby Potatoes, Rocoto Chile, Fennel in a Garlic and Saffron Sauce…$ 14
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My favorite dish of the night! The octopus and calamari were both meaty and cooked beautifully. What’s more, I loved the baby potatoes and how flavorful the sauce was. Saffron can be pretty potent, but it was rather subtle in this instance. A great dish all around.
– TRIO de TACOS DEL MAR — Snapper with Cabbage and Chipotle Cream + Crispy Shrimp, Pico de Gallo, Tomatillo Sauce + Grilled Salmon with Fruit Salad and Chile Lime Sauce…$ 12
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Since they wouldn’t have gone far if we had shared, we opted to each take a taco instead. Although it wasn’t my top pick, I was pleasantly surprised by the Grilled Salmon. I’ve never had it in a taco before, but it worked really well! The fish was very moist and there was so much of it! The fruits added a nice, mildly sweet component as well.
– PAELLA MIXTA — Chorizo, Prawns, Chicken, Mussels, Clams, Saffron Rice, and Lime…$ 24
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Of all the dishes, I was the most hopeful for this one since I love a good paella. There was a lot of goodies thrown in (the seafood was really fresh) and the dish was really well seasoned. Even though the portion seemed a little light and a little wet (small quibble), this was leaps and bounds better than what I had at Fresca in SF.
– CHAMORRO de CERDO — Braised Pork Shank in Chipotle Tequila Broth, Sweet Potato Purée, Brussels Sprouts, Green Beans, Cherry Tomatoes…$ 21
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This left me so conflicted. On the one hand, I thought the sauce had a lot of depth — a little spice, some earthiness, and a deep richness. On the other, the shank was really fatty (or the portions I tried, at least). As much as I liked the taste of the dish, it’s hard to say how enjoyable it was given the lack of meat.
Although our overall experience was largely a success, service, while fast, wasn’t perfect. Mainly, it was how they wouldn’t let the four of us move to a four-​top (we were on a large two-​top) since it was reserved for a table of two. I get that they had a reservation for a table, but it didn’t make a lot of sense to us logistically.
Still, despite those small service flaws, I definitely want to come back again. In part because the food was so good, but mostly to try the two big absences with our order — the Coconut Shrimp and the Churros. I mean, if what we had could leave me this happy and satisfied, I can only imagine how good their two most popular dishes must be!

La Viga reminds me of my desk at work: Organized Chaos.
I’ve built a paper fortress around myself but I know where everything is. HR workflow, as I call it. I recently read a survey that was baffling: HR is the second highest group of professionals that have office sex. Ummm how? Do people air bang on top of their paper fortress? *shrugs*
Getting back to the point, La Viga was popping on a Sunday night, and there was consistently a crowd waiting inside yet the kitchen turned out orders like a well-​oiled machine. At times, the staff was chaotically running around but kept their cool and never forgot a thing. Rock stars, if you ask me.
La Viga serves Latin influenced seafood dishes prepared with fresh, local, and sustainable ingredients with reasonable prices and generous portions. Reservations are highly recommended. I loved that there was outdoor seating at the front so you bring your furbaby:
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We shared the following:
*Guacamole w/​dungeness crab ($ 12): 3 STARS

Passable as every table receives complimentary housemade chips (thick and crunchy) and salsa. While the guac was buttery, it needed more seasoning and lime. Confused as to why they would add cucumbers as it distracted away from the guac. I would skip adding the crab as it was watery and didn’t add much to the guac.
*Empanadas Duo w/​pineapple mango, serrano-​lime vinaigrette ($ 10): 3.5 STARS
Read rave reviews of the shrimp and mushroom empanada which was delicious but it comes with the less than desirable [fishy] salmon empanada. The exterior had layers of flakiness but barely held up to the heavy fillings (had to eat with fork and knife).
*Camarones Al Coco: Crispy coconut crusted prawns, sweet habanero cream ($ 12): 5 STARS
I don’t care for shellfish but these were addictingly good! Perfectly fried, tender shrimp crusted with a light, über crunchy batter of tropical coconut shreds. Loved the sweet habanero cream for a layer of sweet heat.
*Paella Mixta w/​chorizo, prawns, chicken, mussels, clams, saffron rice, lime ($ 23): 4 STARS
Although there was no socorrat (crunchy rice crust), the rice was fragrant, flavorful, and chockfull of fresh seafood, tender chicken, and mildly spicy chorizo.
*Custard Filled Churros w/​chocolate ($ 6): 4 STARS
Warm and crunchy with a creamy and vanilla-​y filling and a chocolatey dip – how can you go wrong?
Do wash everything down with a pitcher of sangria ($ 18) that was fruity and potent:
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The staff was friendly, knowledgeable, and very efficient. Dishes came flying out of the kitchen so we didn’t have to wait much between courses.
The dining area isn’t large but they make good use of the small, casual, and rustic space. It’s lively and can accommodate large groups (communal tables & benches).
Area seems a bit sketch so luckily we got parking right in front of the restaurant. Otherwise, expect to do some walking.
Going back to that survey, the group of professionals that were ranked #1 for banging at the office are…*drum roll please*: IT!
I always knew the shy ones were the naughtiest!

4.5 stars round up. I saw this place on «check please» and decided to invite some friends who live in Redwood City to give La Viga a try. Reservations for 7 were easy on the Unilocal App with «seat me». It confirms and reminds you of the reservations. And Thank God we had reservations there were people waiting from the time we got arrived till we left. The food comes quick and this was a little pressure to flip the table minus star. We had the following:
Drinks:
Sangria good
Aguas Frescas good
Pinot Noir good
Michelada terrible way too sour.
Food:
Empanadas Duo
Pulpos Salteados (octopus)
Mejillones & Almejas (Mussels) excellent
Ceviche Trio, just OK
Special Salmon excellent
Caldo Marscos very good
Pescado Sarandeado (Branzino) good
Paella Mixta good
Dessert:
Flan tiny tiny piece of flan $ 6
Sorbet
Service was excellent, Ambiance equates to casual eating in a market atmosphere. Good value. $ 241 including multiple drinks before tip. Street parking is a problem.

Came here for dinner and I still really like the place minus a couple of things…
Let’s start with the pros
1. The presentation of the food was great. I liked the flavors and even had a chance to try a drink, which was strong.
2. The service was good; we kept getting water refilled and our server checked on us a lot.
What I didn’t like…
1. I got the vigarita and I wish it were a tad bit sweeter… def too sour and I ended up not finishing it because it was in a tall glass with way too much ice so by the time I was half done, it tasted too watery with the ice melting. It was def strong, though.
2. I didn’t like how white rice was served with the enchilada… seemed like a waste. I wish they gave sautéed veggies or a light salad. The white rice was just unnecessary.
3. Salsa was okay…
4. Wish they had an actual house made salsa instead of adding it from a store-​bought bottle.
I prolly would come again for take out since it is the best Mex food I’ve had in the peninsula but I like another place in SF more and, even though it is far, I like the flavors of that place a tad bit more than La Viga.

Dorado a las brazas, so good.