Viva Italian in Derbyshire Dales

Firstly, I have Italian family so I am pretty clued up in the cuisine. I am always honest for the benefit of the business not just to complain. Service - Mostly good. However, maybe at least poor the first drink from a bottle of wine instead of just putting it at the end of the table and walking off. No tip based on that. Food - Ragu had no depth of flavour, therefore, it tasted a little watery. Reduce down your sauce or add more seasoning.

Had a picante calzone. It was just cheap gristly bolognaise sauce with chopped raw chilli’s and a very small amount of tasteless grated mozzarella. Possibly the worst one I’ve ever eaten. As for my wife - the salmon was grey, overcooked and tasteless. Felt 100% like it had been frozen and microwaved. Today we are both suffering and keeping the toilet close by…..

THe resturant was welcoming and although the decor looked dated rhe seaing was confotable as there were 5 of us in the party. The service was good and drinks available was also good. We had the beer and wine which was served just right. THe food was well cooked and just right I enjoyed the sea food rissoto as did all the other people in the party. a good place for visit and would visit again.

We ate here with our daughter and one year old grandson. The staff were friendly and helpful. I ordered slightly off menu and nothing was too much trouble. The food was fresh, delicious, piping hot and reasonably priced. We will look forward to our next visit.

Probably the worst meal we have had this year. To be fair we are in the food business but when you order tomato basil and mozzarella and they miss off the basil you know u have problems. The top of the range wine I would not serve to my worst enemy m. The one saving grace was the waiter, excellent, he is wasted at this restaurant

Lovey Italian in Matlock - great menu choice and lovely food. Selection of pizzas, pasta, steaks, risotto and salads. The Tiramisu was also one of the best we’ve had. Highly recommended

Overrated overpriced overcooked The service was slow meals came out at different times I got a steak I asked for rare it came medium well my daughter got chicken it was so overcooked and dry she couldn't eat it this place will probably end up on kitchen nightmares

We were passing through Matlock and wanting a nice meal on our only evening in the town. Walked in and asked for a table for two. The response was curt: 'yes, but it will be a wait. I haven't taken all the tickets yet! Very miserable and rude manner. The place was dark, too warm and lacking any atmosphere. For all those reasons, we left and had a lovely meal elsewhere.

The service no existent. The pizza was the worst that I have tasted in 25 years, The second glass of wine never arrived. Should not be described as an Italian restaurant

As a group of eight we booked a meal for a midweek evening and were surprised to be asked to pre- order our meal. However we went ahead and sent our choices When we arrived there was no draughty beer on tap only bottles and no reason was given. We ordered Peroni and when we asked for a second round they had run out of that and only had Moretti! A bit later we saw one of the staff brining in a case that they had just purchased, Food was OK but there was no atmosphere and staff were young and inexperienced. We left disappointed and certainly wouldn’t recommend a visit ( small group or not)

We were here for the weekend - and it was recommended to eat here. One of the starters had some of the items missing and the risotto had so much big chunks of onion in it. Most of the mussels were closed. The service wasn’t upto scratch either….people they knew were spoken too we clearly weren’t worthy!!

Thoroughly enjoyed our night here. Fantastic food, good atmosphere and accommodating staff. Would visit again 1000%

Excellent food, good choice. Staff friendly and great service from Steve, Jack and Oscar. Ate at the restaurant each night during our stay in Matlock. Definitely recommend.

Outstanding meal here on New Years Eve. The food was outstanding, I especially enjoyed the Pollo Ananas and I haven’t seen anything like it anywhere else. The service was very good and quick too. For the standard of the food the price is reasonable as well.

We visited here on New Year’s Eve for my boyfriend’s birthday and we are so glad to have chosen here to eat! We’re not local to the area so relied on previous reviews to pick somewhere that would be perfect for a celebration. The food was outstanding, the presentation was beautiful. Everything was fresh and prepared to order, you could even see through the open kitchen to see the chefs cooking! I ordered the bruschetta as a starter, as a vegetarian is was nice to have something different to the usual tomato and mozzarella bruschetta. This one had plenty of olives and feta, as well as rocket and balsamic glaze, it was really delicious. My boyfriend had the meatballs which he had managed to finish before I’d even taken my second bite, he said the sauce and the quality of the meat were both incredible. For mains, I had a vegetarian pizza, I’m not a fan of mushrooms at all but they happily removed them and asked if I’d like a replacement instead which was great! My boyfriend had the polo ananas, as a rum lover, who also loves pineapple and banana, it was as though this dish was created for him! He loved it and the fact that he’d never seen this before anywhere else. There was a great selection for both vegetarians and meat eaters. We also found the staff to be incredibly friendly and went out of their way to be helpful even though it was a busy night for them. Being my boyfriend’s birthday, I had secretly asked if they were able to sing happy birthday with our dessert order as a surprise (my boyfriend was obviously mad at me for it!) but I loved it and all of the staff were really enthusiastic about it too! Overall it was a perfect choice for a special birthday and we’d definitely be back when we next visit the area.

Absolutely delicious meal that was tailored to my mums taste as well. Great service, with a friendly and funny waiter. Was good value too and was a great choice whilst in the area

Tasty food and large portions. Our server was really lovely and friendly. We had the ‘three colour garlic bread’ to share as a starter and it was a full pizza size with tomato, feta, red onion and basil. Very tasty and more than enough for us to share. For mains we had a vegetarian pasta dish and steak pieces in a brandy sauce with fries. Both very tasty. Service was slow but we were made aware of that when we arrived as they were unusually busy for a midweek evening. I didn’t see any vegan options on the menu but it is a huge menu so I may have missed something. Overall a pleasant evening in a family run Italian restaurant.

Takeaway pizza tonight - was not very impressed with these Pizzas at all. Passata not even spread properly on the margherita, a big lump of it on the centre of base with hardly any cheese added. We were looking forward to a good quality Italian pizza, we don't feel this was what we received. Pizza's were cold when handed over. Paid £30 for 2 pizzas, onion rings and some wedges! Very over priced for the quality of the food. Will not eat here again!

A lovely atmosphere with great staff and authentic Italian food. We had been looking forward to this meal and it didn’t disappoint! The food was good value for the restaurant and the house wine was fantastic. Well worth a trip if you’re craving some good Italian food!

We visited this restaurant one Sunday evening on a visit to Matlock. Nice, pleasant atmosphere, excellent staff and service and really good food. Highly Recommended.

Service was quick and polite but food very disappointing. Had bruschetta to start only 2 tiny pieces of bread and loads of lambs leaf covering the plate, far too much to eat. 1 cherry tomato cut in half and a small amount of crumbled feta. I’m not a fan of olives and there were loads of them. Three types of pasta offered with meals spaghetti, fettuccine and penne. We were looking forward to fettuccine but we’re told they had run out; as the restaurant had just opened we were very surprised that an Italian restaurant had no fettuccine! Husband enjoyed carbonara, but portion was quite small. My Pomodoro was average Both in size and taste. Overall disappointing after reading reviews.

Small mix up with our booking initially but they got us a table ready within a few minutes. Lovely atmosphere, great service and the pizzas were delicious. Enhanced our weeks stay in Matlock.

A most fantastic place to eat. Fabulous food and excellent service. Staff were very friendly and chatty but not intrusive and the food was amazing. Could not recommend this restaurant highly enough.

We were staying in Matlock and were lucky enough to have the last walk in table and WOW so glad we did! Amazing service amazing food we have eaten at a few Italian restaurants and this surpassed all of them. Fantastic

We had a family get together for 15 people, adults and children, every member of the family enjoyed the occasion, lovely food and a warm friendly welcome. A perfect experience, the food was cooked well, generous portions and only the youngsters had room left for a dessert. The restaurant was busy but service was good, just giving us the right amount of time to chat and catch up. Highly recommended.

Excellent food and great service. We visit Italy often but had never heard of the draft beer but do try it. As good as Peroni or Birra Morretti. Check you bill as there is clearly some misunderstanding about table numbers as we had another tables order added to our bill. Staff were very apologetic so not an issue. The air conditioning was most welcome after a day on motorbikes.

Food came very quickly and I suspect nothing was made fresh just heated up. Risotto dry with no flavour. The breaded mushrooms with pate were chewy and wedges were very greasy. Staff were friendly but food was very disappointing.

We had a good night, it was a busy Bank Holiday weekend but the service staff kept things rolling, with time for a little chat, and a sneaky extra pot of balsamic. We had pizza,pasta and chicken pollo... all was good, only thing alittle below par was the prawn cocktail. Cheese cake, choc fudge cake profiteroles were super. Hen night on table close to us was having great fun too.. Good night out for our family. Adults and teenagers.

We don't live in the area, but when we found ourselves within a reasonable distance, made the effort to come back for a meal. Good move. This time we brought friends, and we all enjoyed our meals. Everything looked and tasted delicious. Food was brought in a timely manner, well presented. Excellent range of dishes which made choosing tricky. Nice selection of desserts to finish off. If I ever find myself in the area again ...

Viva never disappoints! Lovely food, very varied menu. Service was excellent. Pizza stole the show, although all meals were delicious. Good value for money, given the quality of the food. Delighted with our visit.

Lovely family meal with staff able to accommodate us despite not booking and busy. Fabulous friendly service from attentive staff made the evening and the food was excellent.

There was six of us, our food came out quickly and piping hot. The food was absolutely delicious, every one of us enjoyed our choices. Very very tasty!! We're not from the area and due to flooding couldn't get a taxi. The staff went above...

We had been traveling all afternoon looking forward to a nice Italian boy we're we disappointed starter's were okay,main was terrible cheese garlic bread no cheese dry just don't bother .

Bruscetta was poor. Pizza was supposed to be aubergine and courgette. My husband had neither on his and I didn't have courgette on mine. It was very busy and clearly understaffed but priority seemed to be clearing tables to get more in rather than serving...

Dined here on at the weekend and was really impressed with the quality of food and service. Everything was super fresh , well presented and delicious! We were visiting Matlock for the weekend. The bill came and before we even got to check it the...

What a lovely family restaurant. Service was fabulous. Food was delicious hearty Italian. Bolognese was delicious and calzone was great. Value was excellent - these days prices of restaurants have gone up so much so it was a pleasant surprise to see this place has...

Bruschetta all from a can (sundried tomatoes, canned olives and amazingly no fresh tomatoes), pizza greasy and with an unusual taste - I think it was cheap cheese. Cavity ceiling with dark walls and an overall dim and dingy feeling. Service slow given there were...

Friendly service and superb food made for a really lovely first time visit. We will definitely be back if we are ever in the area again. Thank you !!

We had a lovely meal, unfortunately they were out of the fillet steak but served a good alternative instead

Such a lovely place food and choice was amazing.staff was really lovely even though they were busy.prices very good wine very good price would return. Makes a change to find such a place as we are from grimsby

We were first in on a very wet Thursday night but received a warm welcome. Staff were very good, attentive and friendly without being annoying. I was worried when I saw the amount of dishes on offer, but the food was delicious and the portions...

Yet again outstanding service,value & food quality. The spicy garlic bread is unbelievable so try it next time.

Booked to come here as we were visiting Matlock Bath for the night. The food was amazing. Not the fastest of service but it was super busy for a Wednesday night which can only be a good sign in my eyes! Would def return.

Very poor. Pre- ordered food and had to wait an hour for it and three of the dishes were inedible. Wine very poor

Delicious, delicious, delicious. The risotto was the best I have ever eaten in a restaurant. Both of us loved our food. The service was excellent and the staff really friendly. We were so impressed that we immediately booked to go there again, and were really...

Food not so bad, but watch the wine list, ordered a bottle of champagne which seemed reasonably priced to be told they had none in stock, ordered a gavi, £23.95 to be served an Aldi bottle that retails at £6.99! Not as described on the...

Went here with my partner for a valentines meal out, we both had mushrooms to start with,they were so tasty and just enough for a starter portion. My main was salmon risotto I never had a risotto taste so good,my partner had the meat calzone...

Not sure what to write, or how to score this. The food was really lovely, party of 8 at 6pm and pre-ordered over a week in advance. A few things missing of the menu which meant an alteration, but that's fine. One meal was missed...

We visited on a Saturday evening, first sitting at 5.30pm. The service was great, nothing too much trouble. The food was amazing - great fresh pasta dishes and really delicious pizza. All very reasonably priced too which is a bonus. Would definitely recommend to anyone...

This place is lovely with lovely staff the food is great served hot. The food has excellent flavours and a great selection to choose from. Our second visit and booked again. Some nights are very busy so book if you can.

Viva Italian has an extensive menu with good serving sizes, however, upon my second visit to this restaurant I was let down to find half a sharp cocktail stick in my mouth while eating one of the pasta dishes. I did not kick up a...

Out on a day trip yo Matlock we came across Viva Italian. We hadn't booked but, they were able to accommodate us. The place has a lovely atmosphere, staff were very friendly and helpful. The food was fabulous, great flavours, very well presented and served...

The menu at Viva includes a wide variety of dishes. You can choose one of three varieties of pasta with any of the sauces on the menu. I thought that was a nice touch. Service was efficient and friendly. The waiter explained that they had...

Tues night and was quiet. Young lad that brought meals out was very friendly and pleasant. Young girl showed no enthusiam and was not interested. Bruchetta starters - the bread was dry and not toasted. Main meals - had chicken in a brandy sauce and...

Spicy garlic bread is unbelievable (full of green chillies) which was perfect for us & the Gamberoni Fritti made us a perfect starter however the Manzo Cacciatore was certainly not made with fillet steak. It is always a shame when the quality of the ingredients...

Good service. Chicken dish really tender and tasty. Extremely light Chocolate Fudge Cake. Nice and cosy. Italian waiter a lovely character.

We booked online, via the restaurant website and received a call prior to our booked time to confirm the reservation, which was helpful as we did not receive an email confirmation. Our party included two adults and two kids and our overall experience of the...

The last night of our holiday spoiled by poor food and service. Pros Excellent garlic bread Good calzone OK lasagne Cons Tapenade was just a jar of capers in vinegar wizzed through a food processor. The driest chicken served as a main after much discussion...

Food delicious. Had garlic bread with cheese for starter - had tomatoes on too - husband said best garlic bread he’s ever had and he doesn’t take these things lightly and had the antipasto starter to share between us all. Kids loved it all too....

Booked a table based on Trip advisor. The Resturant feels like it has slipped a tad. While staff were polite, they did not remove empty glasses when drinks were replaced. The seafood pasta dish was basically like festive mascapnoe and fennel flavored pasta with one...

Food absolutely beautiful as always. Staff fantastic. After a day out in Derby, decided to catch an earlier train back to eat here as knew it couldn’t be beaten. 👍

Consistently good, we come to derby every few years and considering moving here. We always visit Viva and have never been disappointed, the food quality is good and the service matches this. On this occasion was impressed how the management and staff managed some ‘difficult’...

Really enjoyed our meal here the food was lovely with a great choice and the service was also good. Would return if we lived nearby.

Had a fantastic meal here. The staff were very friendly and nothing was too much trouble. We had a lovely evening here and would definitely return and recommend a visit

We really enjoyed our meal and service here. It was just a shame we weren't able to tip our fantastic servers as we were made aware the management keep all tips - this is utterly appalling and shouldn't be allowed. I expect I'll get a...

PART ONE: Viva Italian [Part Two: Oi Vita! follows in next review] This is what we had between the two of us Cozze al Vapore (mussels in cream, lemon and garlic sauce) - chewy mussels in cream, no lemon or garlic flavours Salad with feta...

We had a lovely meal here. The staff were good and there was a massive selection of food on the menu. The restaruant is nicely set out and all the food was well cooked and incredibly tasty. We really hope we will retun soon.

Great portions,huge actually. Share a starter if I were you. Great selection of both starters and mains all very reasonably priced. Quite a big restaurant , Unfortunately staff didn’t seem particularly happy or engaging with the guests .

Visited this restaurant with friends. Had to wait a full hour before our food order was taken with no apology. Food order arrived and it was wrong. Waiter said “I didn’t cook it” chef came out to show us his paper and just said “this...

We were a group of nine with wide ranging needs, likes and dislikes with respect to food. The menu was very wide ranging with allergy options. All the meals were excellent and were served in a timely manner by well organised staff.

The selection was extensive, all freshly cooked within sight. The full range of Italian cuisine. Just so much to choose from, spoilt for choice. Helpful advice from friendly staff regarding food selection and drinks recommendations.

We didn’t book but we were able to get a table for two at the start of the long weekend. Staff were super attentive the whole time we were there, checking in on several occasions but not in an intrusive way. The food was tasty...

Went here wiv the missus, not really knowing the area. Nice gaff, pretty big inside which ain’t a bad thing cause I reckon it gets busy in here. The place is ok. The waiter was ok although it took him a while to ask how...

On holiday from Norfolk so booked without knowing this restaurant but absolutely delighted,clean and welcoming food excellent quality the steak was cooked to perfection Louis and Jake were wonderful waiters friendly and very helpful Pity this restaurant wasn’t in Norwich!!! Highly recommended

Thursday night out, first in quite a while but well worth waiting for. The food cant be described as anything but Perfect. So fresh, tasty and great portions. Service and attentiveness without being Intrusive was excellent (Steve) big thanks you made our night. Highly recommended.

We came on a very busy Saturday night, when the restaurant was completely full. It was very noisy, but the service was very good (until it came to paying the bill, which took a long time) and staff were all very friendly. The food was...

We stayed at a B and B close by and this restaurant was recommended. We were not disappointed. The food was delicious and the price very reasonable. We had pizza and a beef ragu which I asked to be made spicy. It was fab. The...

I took my elderly parents to Viva Italia last night as we were celebrating my mums birthday. Right from the start I had a bad feeling about this place when the waitress told us that they had none of the rose wine that featured on...

Lovely place called in on the off chance we were welcomed to eat had a great meal and good service and great value

We visited on a Saturday evening. The place was understaffed and two teenage boys, who were totally useless, were serving. One came to clear our table before we had eaten anything, and the other offered us dessert when we were still awaiting our main course....

Very tasty food and good portion sizes and great value. Best calzone pizza I have had. Very friendly attentive staff

Amazing food!! Really enjoyed it all. Best italian food I have had in a while. Lovely atmosphere. Staff were really friendly and really good with my 7 year old daughter.

We visited this venue twice and we were more than pleased with the service & the food which was freshly cooked which you could see in front of you. The price was very reasonable in fact one of the cheapest Italian restaurants we have dined...

This place must have had a real off night, or other reviewers have lost the ability to taste. It was genuinely the worst food I’ve ever had the misfortune to be charged for. We ordered for a family of four; 4 mains and a couple...

We have been using Viva for many years. In the last few months I ask... What has happened? Our visit yesterday was such a disappointment. We arrived and were sat down and then left. No attempt to establish if we wanted a drink. Instead the...

We went for an evening meal on Thursday 7th April, had the Antipasta starter, enough to share between the two of us, then I had Penne Arrabiata, was lovely, nicely cooked pasta still with a bite, my Husband had the spaghetti and meatballs. The portion...

We had a meal here this evening. On arrival there was a large group of men, they were enjoying their food, jovial but not overly loud. By the end of our meal their language was foul, they then proceeded to dress the groom in a...

Good foods, staff don’t talk and look miserable and tables were bare, we were shocked this place looked like a cafe and not a restaurant. Had to ask to order drinks and to order food, certainly didn’t expect this. Food was delicious but just no...

Good restaurant. Nice experience and amazing food! Great value for money too! I had the house wine which is just as good as any but the salmon was perfect! Starters were of decent size too.

Great food. The waiters and waitresses were lovely, however the temperature in the restaurant was toooo hot. Would recommend the mussels!

The staff were really friendly and attentive to details. The food was amazing, both of us thoroughly enjoyed our meals and would definitely recommend and return!

We visited this very popular Italian restaurant on a busy Saturday evening. Luckily I had managed to book a table the night before and I would strongly recommend that you do make a booking as during the evening several people were regretfully turned away as...

Celebration meal for my husband. Food, service, everything outstanding 👌thank you Viva for an amazing experience. We will be back

My first visit to the restaurant, everything was perfect. The service was second to none and the meal was so tasty. I can recommend the Steak Rosmarino, it was full of flavour. I would definitely go again.

Incredible food. Service was warm, friendly and welcoming. All waiters was attentive and happy to assist. I couldn’t fault my experience. The food was delicious and served piping hot, tasted fresh and authentic.

I was really looking forward to eating at Viva, the menu looked brilliant. Sadly we were very disappointed, I had Italian mushrooms as a starter. The breaded mushrooms were without a doubt, frozen and store brought. The mushrooms were served in a piping hot BOWL...

I can’t believe that this restaurant served me a fish meal. I’ve been a non meat eater for 5 years. On the garlic bread, was a large piece of chicken stuck to it . I eat of chunk of it. The manage wouldn’t give me...

Perhaps it’s because my wife and I have visited Italy on many occasions, or that the Italian restaurants closer to where we live are just that much better, but this was disappointing. My starter was a prawn dish with vodka, garlic and paprika. These arrived...

Like a previous review, we were pointed to our table rather than shown to it, but other than that the staff seemed fine, other than the fact it took quite a while to take our food order. For the starter, i ordered Polpette Picante, which...

We were a big party of 13 - the service and food were both incredible. Best Italian food outside of Italy! Fabulous choice, too.