I'm originally from Chile. Heard about this restaurant from a customer at work. Being much closer to home than the other couple of Chilean restaurants I know, I decided to go and check it out with wifey on a Sunday afternoon. To my surprise it looked nice from the outside and the location was good in a nice shopping center, corner space, pretty big. Unfortunately, that was pretty much the only good thing about it. Walking in, no one to greet us and show us to a table, you know...the awkward look around and stand there for a while until someone noticed us and told us to sit wherever we liked. We took a window table, and waited to be waited on. The waitress seemed to be new, we ordered some water while we dove into the menu. I ordered a "pastel de choclo" and my wife a "churrasco" sandwich (steak, avocado, tomato, and mayo). When I asked for pastel de choclo, the waiter asked "pastel de pollo"? That's not even a Chilean dish!, she then remembered the right plate I guess. We were not given any suggestions, nor any daily specials. I was looking forward to the warm bread (pan amasado) and butter while our dishes were prepared...that never came. By the time the food came, our water was gone, no refills were offered. We began eating, the pastel de choclo wasn't bad, however it was definitely not a reminder of a traditional dish, it lacked the chicken (found one or two pieces only within, where the should have been at least a whole piece in there), it also lacked the egg, and it was definitely frozen, as it was full of water in the bottom. The Churrasco sandwich was made out of pieces of meat, instead of a steak..it seemed as if they would've made it out of the extra meat from the sides of other steaks. We were already eating when the waitress brought some bread, cold and not the "pan amasado" I so was looking forward to. Again, no water refills were offered. Half way through the meal, a lady wearing a black chef outfit came to ask how we were doing and if we needed anything else, we asked for more water. When it came..it was warm..no ice!! By the way, our waitress never came back, other than to bring the check. We were not offered any desserts or coffee/tea, which is pretty traditional in Chile to have after your main course. In addition, there were some people eating at a nearby table when we came in, a lady, her husband it seemed and kids, which seemed to ended up being either staff or maybe the owners, since we saw them later behind the counter, they were talking as loud as you could stand, and the kids were running all over the place. There were some Chilean motives/figures on the wall, however no Chilean ambiance  at all. That's the one thing you want to feel when you walk in a restaurant from any country, you want to feel a little bit like you're there. Play some cueca in the background (at an acceptable volume of course) to create the feeling, don't just rely on playing TVN on the monitor, which can only be seen by a few. Have your staff dress appropriately, no jeans. In Chile waiters wear black and white and tuxedo ties, the waitress wear the same, most of time with a regular tie. All in all, not a place we are planning to visit again. So far Pamela Delicatessens on bird road, takes the cake with a nice place, friendlier staff, better look, and owner that is there assisting and tending to her customers, at least every time I've gone, and better food - more reminiscent of our beautiful country.
Review Source:Viva Chile, I will be back. Just **maybe** not with a huge group of people! :o)
I decided to have the hubs Bday dinner here solely based on YELP reviews (brash, I know)!
Let me get the only negative off my chest - we had a brand new server who apparently forgot to write down half the orders. Then decided not to let the kitchen know when we pointed out to her that half the orders were missing. An hour later, when the managers came over to check on us (they weren't there when we got there), they were shocked to learn that half the food did not come out. They fixed the issue immediately and were VERY VERY kind, apologetic, and helpful.
NOW - onto the food and drinks....
**Yes, have a Pisco Sour. Have two or three - they are TASTY! It is like a whiskey sour and margarita had a baby!
**Pastel de Choclo - our table ordered 6 of these, and it was pretty much house divided. 3 of us LOVED them, 1 thought the "top" (a corn tamale crust) was too sweet, and the other two were just meh, but hot sauce helped them out.
**Chicken Sandwich - out of this world. It was very very simple, with a huge piece of grilled chicken smothered in fresh avocado and a little homemade mayo. Maybe tomato? It was really really good and simple.
**Empanadas - We tried all three. Sadly, the chicken and beef ones did not come out hot, and that was their downfall. The fillings were GOOD, but would have been better if not at room temperature. They were huge though - 2 could definitely satisfy you for lunch! The cheese ones were made totally different and I loved them - it was three small "puffs" that came right out of the fryer with some melty cheese inside. Very tasty!
**Seafood soup - OMG hands down AMAZING and VERY fresh tasting!
**Vegetarian soup - not sure of the name, but this was pretty much the only vegetarian thing on the menu (aside from cheese empanadas) and my mom really liked it.
The prices aren't bad, maybe a little high for the empanadas but fine for the soups and dinners. I think the piscos are about $6 each, which considering the amount of alcohol, wasn't bad at all!
THIS RESTAURANT HAS A NEW ADDRESS! Â 6890 Stirling Rd., across the street from its old location.
I LOVE this restaurant and was sooo disappointed that it had closed when we moved back into the area last February. But for all the fans, it is NOW OPEN AGAIN!
It is located across from the old location at 6890 Stirling Road.
Get the same great Pastel de choclo and all the other Chilean delicacies like Locos. Â SO GLAD TO HAVE THEM BACK! This is one of our favorite restaurants - no matter what the cuisine!
YUM! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED (and I know what I'm talking about - I'm a gourmet chef myself and lived in Chile 5 years).
This is a long overdue rave review for Viva Chile. Â We stopped on our way to the airport and were so glad we did!
The owners were finishing up dinner (it was around 4PM) and graciously welcomed us to the restaurant. Â We sampled the pisco sour and had to have one. Â I ordered the pastel de choclo and loved it. Â It was recommended by the owner once he understood we were there to try some Chilean specialties.
If I died today...yjhgu7nbf  ryhf (knock on keyboard)...Dr. G, medical examiner, would be in charge of emptying the contents of my stomach into a plastic container for analysis. She'd be so confused by the amount of globalization going on in my gastrointestinal tract, that she'd probably say something like --
"This guy's bolus (last meal) looks like a UN potluck."
At that point I'd probably get up and say, "If you think that's freaky, you should holla at my liver."
Watch her show if you haven't already --
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealth.discovery.com%2Ftv%2Fdr-g-medical-examiner%2F&s=2cfd397fb719df7730610f5e87495c66dd748631b6bdd6a59f3f7df640c25f38" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://health.discovery.…</a>
I'd always considered myself an international gourmand of mystery, but until Viva Chile, I had never sampled Chilean cuisine. Wine yes! Enough to fill a kiddie pool, but I couldn't even name one dish. I didn't know what to expect.
As I've never been to the world's longest country, and there are only 5 restaurants in Dade and Broward County combined that serve Chilean fare, I can't speak on its authenticity. It doesn't matter what ethnicity the Veevs is, as a standalone restaurant, it's for winners!
Like their morning shows, soap operas, and weather channels...South Americans like to do everything with flair. You'll recognize everything you see on the menu but be sure, it will come with a twist. Here's how I overdid it --
Completo - a hot dog the size of 12-gauge shotgun filled with tomato, guacamole, and mayonnaise ammo.
French Fries - topped with two sunny-side up eggs. Little crispy potatoes let me dip you into the sun of my cloudy albumin sky. If you haven't eaten this yet, you're ruining your life! Get it together!!!
Pastel de Choclo - a giant meat filled arepa that every other patron seemed to order. Did they know something I didn't (tell me your secrets Chilenos)? I didn't have you PDC but take this as a warning, I'm going to mess you up the next time I see you.
Chacarero - skirt steak, tomato, mayo, and naturally...green beans?! You know you're eating something otherworldly when you start talking to your meal --
Me: WTF!? Where did you come from!?
Haricot Vert: France of course
Me: welcome to my humble sandwich.
Full Liquor Bar - you will NEVER get even remotely buzzed here because the portions are so obscenely large and filling...they should work in porn. It still gives me comfort to know it's there.
I wish I had more to tell you, but that's it. Probably better than I give them credit for but like I said, I have no frame of reference to compare to. Besides nothing can top this little Chilean dish --
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3Dlzas_TSV7II&s=77f9f96ca19fc316c48fcadd841287999cdc4ea3d4da27b747fac678a84452c7" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/w…</a>
At this point I had been eating like an elephant for 5 days straight so it was hard to stomach any food really with out feeling sick so my review might be bias. I also feel bad giving it 3 stars because my friend loves this place so much. I enjoyed it I just wasn't crazy about it. I guess she had hyped it up a lot too.
We got the chacarero sandwich, the Chilean hot dog, and a chicken dish with a fried egg and french fries. Maybe the hot dog was my favorite, the chicken was over cooked so we weren't fans of that, and the chacarero sandwich didn't have much flavor. It sort of just tasted like avocado mayonnaise. Which was fine, just though the steak would stand out more.
YUM!!! It's a shame that this place is quiet every time I go there but the bread there is awesome :) the service is OK, only reason whyitook a star off. To be hionest, I have no idea what sandwhich I ordered bc my friend ordered it for me, but I guarantee that it won't fail to please. My three friends and I each ordered a different sandwich, Mine was w chicken :) will update w e name of my sandwich next time I stop by!
Review Source:I can't say enough good things about this place! Â The food is amazing, the service excellent, and there was absolutely no wait on a Thursday at 6pm. Â Probably because not a lot of people are aware of how delicious the food is! Â
The homemade bread was definitely the star of the meal, so I recommend ordering the chacarero sandwich or the Chilean hot dog. Â The chacarero sandwich comes with steak, avocado, tomato, green beans, and their homemade mayo. Â And the hot dog is not your ordinary- baseball stadium-ketchup and mustard-hot dog. Â This hot dog comes with avocado, diced tomato, topped with the homemade mayo and is wrapped in a delicious homemade bun. Â My mom isn't a fan of hot dogs and even she was raving about this! Â
The empanada's are really tasty, but I think the cheese empanada was my favorite over the chicken empanada, just because the crust is one big delicious puff filled with cheese.
After we stuffed ourselves, we went next door to the Publix and after getting some groceries, as we made our way back to the car, our server came running outside with our leftover's that we had boxed up and accidentally left on the table. Â Everyone was impressed with the fact that he was watching for us, even though it had been at least 10 min. Â He easily could have just thrown our food away, but he didn't. Â
And thanks to him, delicious leftovers were enjoyed by all the next day...
Things started off great and ended up OK. Â The service was excellent throughout the dinner with good suggestions, information about the origins of dishes, and offers to make changes to items when the waiter thought we were not certain about something in the ingredients. Â The chicken empanada appetizer was perfect - full of savory chicken and not at all greasy. Â Bread was hot and fresh, and the pisco sour was right on target. Â Turning out to be a good call to come here! Â But the entrees didn't bear out the promise of the first part of the meal. Â The flavor of the seafood soup was good, but the shellfish were overcooked and somewhat tough. Â The fish (sea bass) was also overcooked.
We will go back and give Viva Chile another shot; the promise still lingers and perhaps we hot it on an off night.
Eating here provokes memories of Grandma's house - not that my grandmother is Chilean, but I can only imagine if she were and made a restaurant, it would be exactly like Viva Chile.
Not pretentious or fancy in the least, this quaint little restaurant located in Davie, FL offers up sumptuous portions of food in a clean atmosphere with tremendously friendly service. We were served by an older gentleman, quite possibly the owner of the establishment, who was a sweetheart - offering up several menu suggestions, giving background information on the dishes and completing the welcoming feeling that washed over us since stepping through the doors.
Menu highlights include:
Empanada de Pollo/Carne ($ 3.00 each) - Awesome empanada, probably one of the best I have had in Miami. It is STUFFED with seasoned shredded chicken or beef, the salsa they bring really making it sensational. These empanadas are more like their flour-based Argentine cousins than the more traditional cornmeal-based variety.
Palta Rellena de Langostinos ($ 9.50) - When I saw this on the menu, my mind went straight to Peruvian cuisine, maybe it was the name "Palta" instead of "Aguacate", but these are amazing nonetheless. Literally two halves of an avocado, stuffed with a cold mayo-based shrimp salad. There is also a side of a vegetable salad in the same dressing as the shrimp. Â My only qualm with this was that the shrimp were salad sized and not the langostinos I had expected from the menu description.
Pastel de Choclo ($ 11.99) - I wasn't sure what to expect when ordering this dish, although I had the vague idea it would be some sort of casserole. Â I'm very glad I did order this, a delicious cornmeal casserole filled with expertly-seasoned ground beef and chicken, this is one of those sweet/savory combinations that I love very much. The portion is huge, enough to feed at least three or four when ordering several dishes, as we did. The leftovers have lasted three days and they were still tasty after reheating quickly in a microwave.
Sopa Marinera ($ 13.99) - Easily a meal unto itself for two, this is a light vegetable based soup full of mussels, clams, shrimp and squid. Very light and tasty, my only complaint is the seafood, other than the mollusks, were clearly brought in frozen. This made the squid a bit too rubbery for my tastes, however taking the price into consideration, the soup is a great choice.
I don't know how we managed to still have room for dessert, however upon a hearty coaxing from the server, we decided on the house special. The desserts are made fresh daily and change frequently. The house special that night happened to be a cake, thick almost like an ice-cream cake, bursting with coffee and caramel flavor.
This little restaurant is perfect for an affordable, simple meal for the whole family. The intimate feel makes the atmosphere perfect for a weeknight gathering, however ensure that you are willing to bump a few elbows as the restaurant is very small. But what's a few bumped elbows among friends?
After wanting to branch out from my typical rotation of 5 south Florida restaurants, I found Liana and Eschel's reviews for Viva Chile and gave it a try. Both reviewers were dead on with their praise, as this quaint establishment was quite delightful. Both the beef and cheese empanadas rivaled the best I've had in South America or elsewhere with delicate, rich crusts and tasty fillings. The corn pie combined the sweet flavors of creamed corn with savory meat and chicken with exceptional balance. And, both the beef and chicken sandwiches were scrumptious and great values. Our server treated us like visitors to his home, and recommended their Saturday nights where they have live, multilingual music. I'll be sure to check that out the next time I'm in town.
Review Source:What a find! After hearing about this strip-mall, hole-in-the-wall on the 'Restaurant Roundabout' of NPR's 'Food News and Views with Linda Gassenheimer' a couple of week's ago, I have been planning to take my boyfriend Eschel, who, after seeing the Chile episode of 'No Reservations with Tony Bourdain' has been wanting to try authentic Chilean.
So, we drove to Davie, no small feat from Coral Gables, and arrived to a nearly empty and modest little restaurant with the most adorable awaiting staff. Within minutes, the small but potent Pisco Sours had us very happy. Then the empanadas came... and they were awesome! The perfect baked, crispy, yet chewy shell, and plentiful fillings of beef or chicken were a hit with my most discriminating boyfriend (when it comes to empanadas). They were so good, we ordered four to take home.
Next we asked our very nice Chilean waiter (working with his parents/restaurant owners for the summer) what he recommended for our two entrees. Without hesitation he said the 'Pastel de Choclo' (which also come highly recommended by my mother) and the Corvina with Mashed Potatoes. The Corvina was fresh and very good in a light wine and butter sauce, but the Pastel is worth the drive, flight, or whatever it takes. This thing comes pipping hot in a clay bowl baked to perfection. Sweet and crispy corn tops a casserole of more corny goodness with chunks of beef, chicken, egg and olives nestled throughout. This dish can feed a family of four.
We have to go back to try their famous seafood soup soon, we saw at least three other people order it on a hot Miami night - so it must be amazing.
Our sweet waiter didn't let us leave before trying some shots of his famous Mango Sours, just as good if not better than their Lemon sibling. Â
I give this place a 5 (only my second on Yelp!) and here's why -
1. Food - Was authentic, presented nicely and plentiful.
2. Drinks- Delicious and inexpensive.
3. Ambiance - Authentic, quaint and clean. Yes, they are between a Chinese take out place and a Publix, but it is easy to forget with their live music and lively atmosphere.
4. Service - Excellent, friendly and knowledgeable about the menu.
5. Price - Very inexpensive for the portions of quality of food.
So after seeing Tony Bourdain's recent episode of "No Reservations" where he went to Chile, I decided that I wanted to try some authentic Chilean cuisine.
Some searching commenced, and it looked like we might be out of luck, when Liana heard about a little place (thank you, Linda Gassenheimer, for having your foodie show!) in Davie, of all places. Â So we decided to give them a try tonight.
After what seemed like an endless drive we finally got there (in a shopping center next to a Publix nearby the Hard Rock Casino, of all places), only to find them almost completely empty. Â Well, after that journey, we were going to at least try the food.
We sat down, and were promptly greeted by our waiter (and the son of the owners), who took our initial order of empanadas and pisco sours.
The empanadas deserve a review unto themselves, and are the next best things to my beloved and sorely missed Take Out Empanadas. Â They are EXCELLENT. Â I've now learned that my favorite dough is the one made in the Chilean style. Â These were served with a decent hot sauce and a great, homemade tomato salsa, with plenty of fresh cilantro and garlic.
And at $3.00 a pop, two could very well make a tasty yet cheap meal. Â And in fact, we ended the evening taking four extra home with just that purpose in mind!
We followed this with our entrées: grilled corvina and mashed potatoes for Liana, and a pastel de choclo for me.
Liana's dish was good, if not great, but mine was amazing.
Don't let that simple name dissuade you. Â Calling this a "corn pie" would be a terrible disservice, and doesn't carry the quality of it. Â Imagine your favorite English-style shepherd's pie, now give it a Latin American twist by adding a layer of shredded chicken on top of the ground beef, and putting a wonderful mashed, sweet corn topping on it, rather than mashed potatoes, and then taking this whole creation and placing it under a broiler to partially caramelize the corn mash . Â That's the beginning, but tasting is believing, because it's simply wonderful. Â
It's served in a piping hot stoneware bowl and you can literally see the steam wafting up from it. Â So after taking a forkful and blowing on it to prevent injury, I got a taste of this amazing blend of sweet corn, beef, and chicken, with a few chunks of hard boiled egg thrown in for good measure.
The whole thing ended when our waiter insisted on our trying his mango sour, which is quite tasty too.
Thankfully, over the course of the evening a number of groups came in for dinner. Â Clearly arriving so early, at 8:45, was just silly! Â I want to see small places like this make it, because they deserve to.
My only regret is that it's SO FAR away from Coral Gables. Â But at least it's near my parents' place, so this is somewhere I'll have to convince them to take me when I'm visiting... Â :)
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