Small shop with a large range of vegetarian and organic food and vegetables. Has a selection of boxed salads and wraps in a refridgerator and deserts, sold by weight. There is a large table at which the food can be eaten if you don't want to take it away. It was tasty and priced very moderately. The staff spoke English.
I had some small bites on the go, it was nice to have some actual vegan Spanish food! The shop has a great range of chilled, fresh and frozen veggie goods too. The lady serving spoke excellent English to boot!
Viva la Vida is a buffet & take away restaurant. It is a small buffet, but with a wide variety of choices. The store also has a small bio-market with soy yogurts, bio yogurts, breads, cookies and tofu and other veggie goddies.
On one hand, the best day to go is during weekdays for lunch. There is a menu for 500 g + drink for 10 euros. A dessert buffet is also found there, which includes carrot cake (so good!), brownie, chocolate chips or oat cookies, muffins...
On the other hand, there isn't a comfortable place to seat in Huertas Viva la Vida. There are two seats inside the buffet and another two outside. The Viva la Vida in La Latina has large lounge, but I haven't visited it yet. However, the decoration of Viva la Vida is unique. It's colorful, green and filled with plants.
Great place! It was a warmish evening, so my friend and I sat outside to tuck into our take-out boxes. We stumbled upon this restaurant by chance, as we had previously decided not to visit after reading a few wobbly reviews on Happy Cow. The selection is amazing, and we got a bit of everything - as well as the usual salads and veggie burgers, we had crepes, sushi, lasagne, curry, patatas bravas, couscous, polenta 'pizza', paella, and a huge array of croquettes to choose between. My box came to ten euros, and I had plenty leftover for a midnight snack.
A buffet (the food is weighed at the cash register) with a really BIG choice of food to pile up on your plate(s). As with all such places there is always a chance you'll choose something which doesn't turn out to be so tasty as it looked, but that chance is very small at this place. The price is OK, my plate was about 12€ but I'm big and I was very hungry. :) Also, the atmosphere is great, excellent interior decoration.
You get a large selection of really tasty and healthy food. Imaginative recipes, freshly cooked and prepared. There is a small counter in the store where 2 people can eat, not very comfortably.
You end up paying a price that is similar to a restaurant that provides seating, but you can assemble a very varied meal. And the food is really good.
The do have a place that has seating, and similar food, called Latina, at Plaza de la Paja. Haven't been there.
I signed up for this website for the sole purpose of giving a different perspective on this restaurant. Later I realized that the review refers to the Huertas location, when I was thinking about the Plaza de la Paja location. What follows refers to the new, much larger location at Plaza de la Paja in Madrid. // Firstly, let me state that I am American, have lived in Madrid for over twenty years, and am vegan/50% raw vegan. I love Viva la Vida. The decor is so lively and pleasing that I have thought about decorating my house in the same way. The food is all buffet food and absolutely delicious. I know many "omnis" who eat there and love it. I LOVE that it takes maximum ten minutes from arrival to scarfing down piles of food (great when you're starving!). A sizeable plate of food runs about 10-12 euros. It might seem expensive, but it is still cheaper than a restaurant. There is organic beer and wine, the beer costing only about 2.50 euros. You can sit outside on the lovely and popular square, Plaza de la Paja, a bit tucked away and not as touristy as other places. I love that you can eat as little or as much as you want, and try 20 different things without having to order 20 different dishes. Plus, you can occupy a table all night long if you want to (no one rushes you out); my girlfriends and I have started meeting here instead of at someone's house, because it's just as pleasant and creates no work (unlike being a host). Everyone stands in line and pays for their own food, so no issues about splitting the bill. I love the curried vegetables, vegetarian lasagna, polenta, chickpea salads, veg nori rolls, etc. For vegans and raw vegans, options are more limited, but you do have options. Admittedly, a lot of the food is probably fairly high fat. I go there when I want to treat myself and pig out, but that's just me (no one is forcing me to choose all the high fat options). But everyone loves the food here! I couldn't believe it got such a negative review from someone. There is pleasing decor, a varied and interesting crowd, ease of access, delicious food... all very affordable. Keep in mind that organic ingredients are significantly more expensive. A lot of people on weekends. Smoking section downstairs, and sometimes music. It is a great alternative to a typical restaurant format. In short, it is definitely worth checking out at least once... you might love it as much as I and (almost) everyone else do!
The ambient is good but has a deceptive food quality...very salty in general .. trying to be a wannabe take out vegetarian place which has NO SOUL !!! the cooks definitely has no idea of what they are doing ... a bit pricey (100g = 2.10 euros) ....you would rather eat in a restaurant for menu del dia which costs around 8-12euros at other places...i would definitely not recommend this place...it's a total deception from the outside appearance !!!
8 Reviews
First Review by primaveraflor
Kirsh
Points +86
Viva la Vida - Huertas - Edit
Small shop with a large range of vegetarian and organic food and vegetables. Has a selection of boxed salads and wraps in a refridgerator and deserts, sold by weight. There is a large table at which the food can be eaten if you don't want to take it away. It was tasty and priced very moderately. The staff spoke English.
Read morePros: Moderate prices, Tasty food, Good food to take out
Cons: Very small, Only one large table
Guest
rjmehra
Points +324
Good range, good prices - Edit
I had some small bites on the go, it was nice to have some actual vegan Spanish food! The shop has a great range of chilled, fresh and frozen veggie goods too. The lady serving spoke excellent English to boot!
Read morePros: Location, Range, Price
Cons: Not much seating
Guest
nuttybrunette
Points +42
Yummy yummy! - Edit
Viva la Vida is a buffet & take away restaurant. It is a small buffet, but with a wide variety of choices. The store also has a small bio-market with soy yogurts, bio yogurts, breads, cookies and tofu and other veggie goddies.
Read moreOn one hand, the best day to go is during weekdays for lunch. There is a menu for 500 g + drink for 10 euros. A dessert buffet is also found there, which includes carrot cake (so good!), brownie, chocolate chips or oat cookies, muffins...
On the other hand, there isn't a comfortable place to seat in Huertas Viva la Vida. There are two seats inside the buffet and another two outside. The Viva la Vida in La Latina has large lounge, but I haven't visited it yet. However, the decoration of Viva la Vida is unique. It's colorful, green and filled with plants.
Pros: delicious, healthy, nice decoration
Cons: not many seats, not inexpensive, take out
Guest
necropalice
Points +131
Delicious! - Edit
Great place! It was a warmish evening, so my friend and I sat outside to tuck into our take-out boxes. We stumbled upon this restaurant by chance, as we had previously decided not to visit after reading a few wobbly reviews on Happy Cow. The selection is amazing, and we got a bit of everything - as well as the usual salads and veggie burgers, we had crepes, sushi, lasagne, curry, patatas bravas, couscous, polenta 'pizza', paella, and a huge array of croquettes to choose between. My box came to ten euros, and I had plenty leftover for a midnight snack.
Read morePros: wide selection, good value, tasty food
Cons: few indoor seats, inconsistent temperatures
Guest
gradjanin7
Points +60
excelent at Plaza de la Paja - Edit
A buffet (the food is weighed at the cash register) with a really BIG choice of food to pile up on your plate(s). As with all such places there is always a chance you'll choose something which doesn't turn out to be so tasty as it looked, but that chance is very small at this place. The price is OK, my plate was about 12€ but I'm big and I was very hungry. :) Also, the atmosphere is great, excellent interior decoration.
Read morePros: choice of food, decorum
Guest
gonga
Points +51
Really good food - not cheap - Edit
You get a large selection of really tasty and healthy food. Imaginative recipes, freshly cooked and prepared. There is a small counter in the store where 2 people can eat, not very comfortably.
Read moreYou end up paying a price that is similar to a restaurant that provides seating, but you can assemble a very varied meal. And the food is really good.
The do have a place that has seating, and similar food, called Latina, at Plaza de la Paja. Haven't been there.
Pros: Good food, large selection, location
Cons: no seating, not cheap
Guest
Lourdes
Points +20
I must beg to differ! - Edit
I signed up for this website for the sole purpose of giving a different perspective on this restaurant. Later I realized that the review refers to the Huertas location, when I was thinking about the Plaza de la Paja location. What follows refers to the new, much larger location at Plaza de la Paja in Madrid. // Firstly, let me state that I am American, have lived in Madrid for over twenty years, and am vegan/50% raw vegan. I love Viva la Vida. The decor is so lively and pleasing that I have thought about decorating my house in the same way. The food is all buffet food and absolutely delicious. I know many "omnis" who eat there and love it. I LOVE that it takes maximum ten minutes from arrival to scarfing down piles of food (great when you're starving!). A sizeable plate of food runs about 10-12 euros. It might seem expensive, but it is still cheaper than a restaurant. There is organic beer and wine, the beer costing only about 2.50 euros. You can sit outside on the lovely and popular square, Plaza de la Paja, a bit tucked away and not as touristy as other places. I love that you can eat as little or as much as you want, and try 20 different things without having to order 20 different dishes. Plus, you can occupy a table all night long if you want to (no one rushes you out); my girlfriends and I have started meeting here instead of at someone's house, because it's just as pleasant and creates no work (unlike being a host). Everyone stands in line and pays for their own food, so no issues about splitting the bill. I love the curried vegetables, vegetarian lasagna, polenta, chickpea salads, veg nori rolls, etc. For vegans and raw vegans, options are more limited, but you do have options. Admittedly, a lot of the food is probably fairly high fat. I go there when I want to treat myself and pig out, but that's just me (no one is forcing me to choose all the high fat options). But everyone loves the food here! I couldn't believe it got such a negative review from someone. There is pleasing decor, a varied and interesting crowd, ease of access, delicious food... all very affordable. Keep in mind that organic ingredients are significantly more expensive. A lot of people on weekends. Smoking section downstairs, and sometimes music. It is a great alternative to a typical restaurant format. In short, it is definitely worth checking out at least once... you might love it as much as I and (almost) everyone else do!
Read morePros: delicious food, not dirt cheap, but good value, relaxed, flexible, informal atmosphere
Guest
primaveraflor
Points +16
Deception!!! - Edit
The ambient is good but has a deceptive food quality...very salty in general .. trying to be a wannabe take out vegetarian place which has NO SOUL !!! the cooks definitely has no idea of what they are doing ... a bit pricey (100g = 2.10 euros) ....you would rather eat in a restaurant for menu del dia which costs around 8-12euros at other places...i would definitely not recommend this place...it's a total deception from the outside appearance !!!
Read moreGuest
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