Viva Madrid - Claremont, California

Big F. D. C.

The dishes were from decent to below par, but it got a 4-star rating because of the excellent and friendly service. The beef in wine was really really tough, the halibut was pretty good, the calamari was good, the lamb chop was decent and paella was not very good with chicken that was added was dry and chewy and whole dish was a bit too moist from what I remember eating paella in Madrid or Toledo a few years ago.

Rocky A.

We were very disappointed about our experience in this restaurant. It is not 100% authentic about flavors. It was mostly sweet which is definitely not a Spanish flavor. As a professional in bakery their homemade bread like they mentioned is definitely not homemade but industrial. The only dish which was nice to eat was the black squid. It tasted fresh and flavorful. Sangria was a shame. Normally you should get lots of fruit in your drink but here was mini pieces. The environment is nice but service was also terrible. Lack of attention from our waiter. We had to call him several times for filling our water, bills,…

Betty H.

Located in the Claremont Village near Starbucks. They open at 4pm on weekends, we got there at 4:30pm on Saturday, wait time was 45 mins for us party of 2 yet they immediately sat a family of 4 who got there after we did...we understood the size of party mattered though and waited patiently. After waiting 1 hr & 10 minutes, we asked for an update & got our table shortly after. The restaurant is tiny with limited seating which explains the wait times. They hand you a sheet with Tapas menu (appetizer size items) you have to scan on your phone to see full menu & pricing. Food was decent with good presentation but the Paella was underwhelming. Our server was efficient and helpful with the menu. We wanted to order dessert but they were rushing us out so we ordered dessert To-Go which was very overpriced, $8.25 for a scoop of plain rice pudding. Feels like they only want you to order Tapas so you hurry up and leave. What made our experience completely awful was not only did we feel rushed, (not by our server) but by another staff member who seemed to be the food runner came to our table and politely asked us to leave because their waiting list for party of 2's was long. This is happening as my husband is still drinking his 2nd beer! We were in disbelief and thought he was joking but he was serious. I had never been asked to leave a restaurant specially after spending $130 for a rushed dinner, not a good feeling. Definitely not a good vibe here when you can't enjoy a full meal. Based on our bad experience, we will not return.

Rich G. (. A. G.

Location:Hidden, Parking:Okay, Service:Okay, Authentic: Close ( based on my 3 years of living and eating locally in Spain) Con: small glass of Sangria for a high price. Overall: second time try as the paella was not even close to what I enjoyed in Madrid. This time, when I got a small glass of sangria, I was just not happy . This time, the rice mix was better. The mushrooms were decent, and the tortilla was also decent. So would I try a 3rd time? Yes ( it's a charm), it's a solid place at 3.5 stars.

Dr. A. D.

I’ll start with the positive. Our waiter was amazing. He was very attentive. Kept the water coming and brought out our dishes in a timely manner. He was great.
The restaurant was busy inside and there was an hour wait. We decided to wait for a table outside to be cleaned and out table was ready in about less than 10 minutes.
I really really wanted to like this place but it was not a good experience for me. Having been to Barcelona, Madrid, Cordoba and Sevilla, and having authentic Spanish food all my life. let me just say that the dishes did not compare to the real thing. First of all, everything we tried was so SALTY! My goodness. We ordered multiple tapas including the patatas bravas, oxtail stew, bread basket, tortilla española, croquetas de pollo, and the garlic bread. The best was the bread basket and the patatas bravas. The patatas were more baked tasting than fried, missing the crunchiness but the flavor was good. We also ordered the Paella Canarias and the Nachos Españoles. No, just no. So salty it was borderline inedible. Are those canned peas on the paella? Probably. So disappointed. It was my birthday dinner and I deserve a birthday dinner do-over somewhere else.

Sunstruck T.

I went to this tapas bar years before, and this restaurant experience was pretty similar - loud, fun, and filled with tasty tapas! My friend and I got a pitcher of sangria and it was sweet without tasting like pure syrup . The tapas we got were reasonably priced and portioned well. I especially like the Spanish variation of the empanada - mouth is watering just thinking about it! I will say the service was pretty lackluster. We sat at the bar but the bartender maybe checked in with us twice throughout the whole meal. One plate of ours never arrived, and when we alerted the bartender, we were still charged for it on our final tab - we had to bring it to the attention of the supervisor to get it off out tab. Beside that, I would stop by again - not a lot of tapas bars in the area, and the food is definitely worth the visit again and again!

Steven L.

A person from a party of 6 turn to me and asked, “ why come here? Chinese food taste so much better than this.” I replied to the guy, “i had a great tapas experience when I was in Barcelona and wanted to give this place a try.” That group did not have a great dinner experience. But they were really nice about it and from the sound of it, they left a really nice tip to their waiter.

With that said, we continue to wait for our food. First of all, the sangria is delicious. But they do not fill it up, if you look at the picture. Secondly, our calamari and the clams were really salty. But…. our pállelas mixta was really good.

It’s a great atmosphere for drinks. The people working there are really nice. They actually help each other out when it’s busy.

Marco L.

This was not a date night dinner. Service for 45 celebrating my daughter’s master's. We had the private dining room to ourselves on a busy Saturday night, Father’s Day weekend. So imagine the hustle and bustle. Gabriel and the staff were EXCEPTIONAL. Patient and accommodating. Not a single sorry we can’t instead, always a -peasant let me see what we can do. Be patient the kitchen had two folks doing the best. Our dishes came out a few at a time with the paellas being the culinary summit. The room got a bit warm, it was loud, but it felt like a family party. The restroom situation was an issue - one was out of order and the demand for the functional facility was significant. Needed towels by the end of the evening. The pechuga de pollo was fabulous with the fried carrot chips. I just love paella and the mixta was one of the best. Carne en vino was tender and flavorful; hint save some bread to dip in the wine sauce. We even had a visit from the owner, who is very appreciative of our business and one sweet person. Look any restaurant that has been operating for two decades and survived a pandemic has to be serving up some pretty good food and creating a fabulous experience. Visit Viva Madrid and enjoy.