It didn’t take long for Vivo Pizza + Pasta to get noticed as the new restaurant in the Boca Center. Hard to miss with a bright inside and tropical lime-colored chairs at outdoor tables a few doors down from Starbucks.
“We had a party of 12 Saturday night, knock on wood,” said Jersey transplant Seth Horowytz, owner-operator for the Canadian company’s first U.S. location. Five more are planned from Boynton and Delray to Doral.
Vivo built its reputation as a full-service restaurant in Toronto and Ontario offering “quality and value,” Horowytz said. https://www.vivopizzapasta.com/
Their menu offers seven antipasti from pasta fagioli to salads at $13 each. Pizza comes in 11 “flavors” for $17, from their signature pie with spicy soppresatta, to patata with potatoes and pancetta. Don’t miss their pizza loaded with fior di latte cheese, prosciutto, arugula and Parmigiano Reggiano.
The secret is in the sauce, the owner says, and they’re particularly proud of their Bolognese. Served over rigatoni or gnocchi, the dish is one of 10 pasta entrees at $17.
Entrees include three daily specials in the $21 to $25 range. Mussels and penne with prosciutto in an Alfredo sauce were on the blackboard the day we stopped by. Calamari and grilled chicken are staples at $20 each.
Five desserts, among them tiramisu and a Nutella pizza with strawberries as their biggest seller, are $8. Italian wine by the bottle or glass and Peroni lager on tap.
If the menu reads real Italian, so are the chefs, he said. “Even the coffee beans are from Italy.” Espresso or espresso macchiato. $3. Cappuccino or latte $4.
By Marci Shatzman
