viva mexico

i really love this place! i taught english inmexicoyears ago and this is the closest i've found to authentic mexican food so far in new zealand. it's simple, honest and jam packed full of flavour.

not sure you can go wrong with vivamexicoawesome people and some of the best food in town, when we go away it's the first place we want to come back and eat at. best brownie in town but always hard to fit in...

i am appalled by arthur's review it sounds as though he was in a bad mood before he even walked through the door. vivamexicois an excellent place to relax and eat some authentic mexican food. the chefs are obviously native tomexicowhich adds to the already fantastic experience. the pulled pork with anchote was to die for and i order on the recommendation of the waiter.
the best cheap eat in town hands down!!!!!!! we have been 5 times and will not hesitate to return! great work guys.

i had heard about vivamexicofrom a few friends and finally tried it out a few days ago. absolutely loved the atmosphere, the food and the service was impeccable. the place was packed the whole time i was there and you can see why by how good the food is. i will definitely be back soon!

closest thing to authentic mexican food you will get in welly (for now???). the owners are from ensenada,mexicoinstead of the faraway lands of whakatane or timaru. definitely leans towards food on the northern side / border food, but the soups especially are very good and flavoursome. also the dudes pop the cap off your jarritos with a lighter from their pocket, so it's true authentic.

i ever knew vivamexicohad a branch here. been here six years apparently.

love the back alley feel to this place. inside decor is eclectic mexican and rustic. felt like we weren't in wellington.

we opted for the jalapeño starter to share and two veggie tacos each for main.

we ordered only two tacos each as we thought it would be a light meal. it was much larger than we expected.

i loved this meal. it felt authentic (never been tomexicoso can't honestly say) but it wasn't processed or westernised. great flavours. i enjoyed the refried beans on the side, nice consistency and seasoned well. generous sized salad.

i asked for some chilli sauce and received a small dish with some chilli salsa which ended up costing me $2, which felt a little cheeky but it wasn't a big deal.

i ordered a corona and my partner a glass of margarita which was lovely.

superb tasty and filling meal. will return for sure.

we have visited twice (and both times on a public holiday) so not sure if it makes a difference but compared to the other two mexican places in welly this is by far the worst. the service is average, the prices expensive for what you get and usually the music is so loud you can't hear yourself talk. disappointing as everyone lovesmexicofood!

bueno!!

vivamexicois a fantastic eating spot if you're looking for a bit of an extra kick in your meal.

our portion sizes was great and the hot sauce was fantastic albeit burning.

showstopper: the freshness of the food was refreshing.

overall grade: b

¿es vivamexicomuerte? ¿que???

this place used to be my all time fave. something happened and they've lost their 'zing'. i used to rave about their soft shelled tacos and enjoy it washed down with a tamarind jarritos. the jarritos is still the same :d but you can get those at any mexican joint. ¿donde esta el sabor, el amor? estoy triste.

my nephew is a big fan of mexican food, so inevitably i found myself at viva mexico.   having now sampled most of the mexican restaurants in wellington, vivamexicoremains my favourite - it just feels more authentic and less "gimmicky" than many of the others in the genre.   vivamexicohas become a bit of a ritual, and generally forms part of a lunch-time wander up to cuba street in the sunshine.  the fish tacos are a must-try, and i'm reliably informed that the quesadilla is the *shizzle*.   i had ceviche (which isn't usually a menu item) when i was there last week - and loved it.   they also stock mexican cola (jarrito), which i'll admit to developing a bit of a (ridiculous!?) penchant for.   vivamexicohas a great, grass-roots, grungey feel to it, and that's helped it wiggle its way into my heart as a firm favourite.   only (minor) downside?  they don't take credit cards.

my first visit to vivamexicowas underwhelming to say the least. to say the most, the restaurant's good food is completely overshadowed by the ineptitude of their service.

first we were greeted and sat and left with menus. being a completely empty restaurant, it was a bit surprising to wait ten minutes to have our order taken.

upon ordering, our server started listing rules that don't appear anywhere on the menu... no you cannot have two different meats in the three enchiladas. choice of meat means one meat for all three enchiladas. one meat, one sauce, three enchiladas.

ok, a rule is a rule even when it doesn't make any sense, but then it got worse. after telling me no to the enchiladas, the server said i could mix meats in the three taco plate (because, you know, that makes sense?!). so i switch gears and order the tacos because i want to try both the pork and the chicken. oh not those tacos!!! as it turns out, you can have different meat choices on the tacos either. so why did the server say i could? he flips back a page and says "these tacos" -- so the grand summary for those who skipped ahead, there is one plate on the menu for which you are allowed to have different meats despite their being many similar plates on the menu. at it's best, it is restaurant bureaucracy -- a type of red tape that you're never meant to understand. at it's worst, it is poor planning by the kitchen staff and poor communication by the serving staff.

it was enough that i almost put down the menu and headed to a different mexican restaurant down the street. [note to viva mexico: you aren't the only mexican restaurant in town. why are you empty at lunch on tuesday? because of experiences like mine.]

but we aren't done yet!!!

so, after the ridiculousness of the enchiladas and tacos, i decide to flip back to breakfast and order heuvos rancheros, something with no meat at all.

the food was, despite the service issues, quite good. authentic and loaded with flavor and some spice.

however, while eating the food... a splash of water comes flying over the wall from the kitchen. yes, i got rained on while eating my food. who knows if this is dirty dish water or something from food prep. it did not help to brighten my mood. and whoever sent the water flying certainly didn't come to check on whether they hit their target.

add to that a mexican coffee that was ordered but not received, and you've got a recipient for some of the worst service in wellington.

if you go for the food and enjoy terrible service, you'll love viva mexico.

i was never much of a "foodie" in the past, and previously would never have even tried mexican food - but i absolutely love and adore viva mexico! the food is heavenly, the coffee is a experience in its own, and their desserts (especially now their doing churros - which are mouthwateringly good).

i would recommend vivamexicoto anyone and everyone who wants to try something new or want a nice change from their "usual".

the pricing is reasonable, services are a great size, and the general feel of the place is just fantastic!

it’s hard to find an authentic mexican meal in new zealand – but vivamexicogets very close. it’s definitely not gourmet, but mexican is supposed to be cheap and cheerful. all the staff were talking spanish, which makes it feel even more authentic. the meals are tasty, that atmosphere is perfect, and the staff are super friendly.
make sure you try their home made spicy sauce!

it's hard to find an authentic mexican meal in new zealand - but vivamexicogets very close. it's definitely not gourmet, but mexican is supposed to be cheap and cheerful.

the meals are tasty, that atmosphere is perfect, and the staff are super friendly.

i will be going back.

like everyone says it's great, cheap, tasty and fast. nothing is a problem for them. i go here all of the time and the food is great. go to vivamexico- you won't be disappointed.