Café Vivant

Had such an incredible dining experience with my husband, aunt, and uncle — who had been eagerly following this restaurant’s opening for months. The ambiance struck the perfect balance: elevated and intentional, yet warm and unpretentious. It was fascinating to learn about chicken in a completely different context than what we typically associate with it here in the U.S. As a former vegetarian, I’ve long been aware of how most chickens are raised — the overcrowding, the disease, the toll of mass production. But here, the chickens are sourced from a nearby farm, allowed to live double or even triple the lifespan of conventional ones, making them more active, healthier, and in turn, far more nutrient-dense and flavorful. You could truly taste the difference. The sides were creative and beautifully executed without being over the top, and the dessert and wine… don’t even get me started. Every element felt thoughtful and harmonious. A genuine 10/10 experience. Excited to come back in the future!

If you love great wine or care about amazing food that’s thoughtfully sourced, Café Vivant is a must! The place is so vibey and welcoming, with intricate, elegant woodwork and soft lighting. In terms of food, everything was so yummy and I highly recommend trying the Heritage Chicken Nuggets, Hollander Squab and the Whole Heritage Chicken for 2 (you can choose among different breeds they offer!). It’s fascinating to taste the difference of heritage chicken from what we normally get at the market or other restaurants. The chicken was flavorful, crispy on the outside and juicy inside. You also cannot miss their dessert! We actually went over the top and got every dessert on the menu. The cheesecake, carrot cake and chocolate mousse were to die for! Last but certainly not the least, their wine list, which has over 3000 bottles, is extraordinary - deep, thoughtful, and clearly curated by sommeliers who live and breathe wine. The selection spans rare vintage bottles, exciting California producers and everything in between. 🍷

Amazing ambience and even better food. Perfect for both casual/down to earth dinner and vibey date night. Highly recommend for serious foodies as this place is a mecca for heritage chicken and farm to table while still being unpretentious. The wine list runs 180 pages deep with impossible to find mature California cabs. The guinea hen was my favorite of the night with the duck being a close second

The best friggin chicken of my life. Came for a sister/brother dinner and did not know what to expect. Cafe Vivant far exceeded my wildest ambitions for a great dinner. The vibes were vibing, the staff was awesome- shout out to Jason for the excellent impromptu wines by the glass pairing, even the bathroom smelled amazing and was playing Greenday 💁🏻‍♀️. I can’t wait to bring my husband back on December 6th. He got our leftovers and said that even the leftovers were the best chicken he’d ever had. Beautiful farm to table experience, their relationships with their farms, wineries, and community make this an unforgettable experience. We had the chicken, obviously; the halibut, the mashed potatoes, and the pear salad (not in that order). It warms my soul to see such talent in the peninsula.

Fantastic wine ! I’ve been following this restaurant’s opening for a while and was very excited to try it. The wines were great, staff was patient in helping me pick and had some delicious burgundies and Santa Cruz wines. Staff was lovely as well.. Kevin, Linda, maitre’d were all personable and pleasant. Food was a let down though. Maybe just what I ordered. After much back & forth on the guinea hen, I ordered the duck. A dry aged, well roasted duck breast is something I order if it’s on the menu and thought it’d be a good place to benchmark food here. Gosh, I’ve had better ones in a railway station in France. The comfit was salty but the breast was stringy like it’s been sitting out for ages. No juice or flavor to it.

Such a charming restaurant in Downtown Menlo Park. Love that somehow it feels perfect for a casual weeknight meal or an elevated date night/occasion spot. Our group shared a few dishes. We especially loved the chicken for two, guinea hen, chicken nuggets with caviar, camembert cheesecake, and fried chicken ice cream! Their wine list is hard to beat. Will definitely be back soon.

I have heard that the owners have aspirations of being a 1 star restaurant, and that food is designed to go with more refined and elegant, rather than bold, wines. What I liked: * A respectable wine by the glass list. It's different from what I've seen elsewhere. The mark-up on the wines seems reasonable, but they are expensive wines. * The veggies and mushrooms that accompanied the chicken were tasty, I enjoyed them. *The dessert menu is unique, with five fresh interpretations to choose from. The deserts (I had the baked Alaska, the other three the chocolate mouse) themselves were visually appealing, bordering on being works of art. * The dinner was served at a comfortable pace. We got there at 6:30 and left after 10:00. We had not spent that much time in a restaurant in a long time. What I didn't like: *The chicken is over hyped. In the end chicken is chicken, I didn't find the taste and texture particularly different from what I have had elsewhere. The presentation was interesting with chicken feet included, again that's different. The chicken itself was over brined for my taste - in fact it was the loudest flavor of the night (more below.) * Desserts were bland to my taste. I had baked Alaska, I could not tell there was chicken ice cream. The other folks at my table all said that there was not much chocolate taste in the chocolate mouse. * Loud. Most new restaurants these days are full of hard surfaces, long gone are the padded walls of restaurants. So I guess I just need to eat outdoors more so I can hear the conversation better. I would definitely go back for a drink of fine wine at a fair price, and then head to another restaurant for flavorful food.

Modern and inviting decor with lively ambiance that allows for easy conversations. Menu was unpretentious, seasonal and simply flavorful. Accompanying the meal is a comprehensive and thoughtfully curated volume of selective wines, including California wines from the 70's and 80's and deep wines from Burgundy and Bordeaux. A truly delightful experience.

Sat at the communal table. Amazing food paired with the deepest wine list and great service. Ambience and lighting are very nice and chic while not being pretentious and down the earth. Classic farm to table with a huge focus on poultry. I loved the guinea hen and the duck in particular. Great addition to Menlo Park and the bay area in general. Highly recommend! Can't wait to come back and try more things For those who are into wine - the restaurant has a list that goes on forever focused on aged California and French wines.

Wow, it's not often that a brand new spot blows it out of the water. But Cafe Vivant has done it. Every dish was thoughtful, beautiful, and delicious, and the service was excellent. We had the crab cannoli, rabbit pate, pear salad, octopus, duck, and guinea hen. Everything. Was. Excellent. EVERYTHING! Also the 200 page wine list is something to be applauded. To top it all off, loved eating it all with the hip hop instrumentals of our favorite throwbacks in the background. Perfect vibe soundtrack for our feast.

I really wanted to love Cafe Viviant. The idea of heritage chicken and extensive offering of French wines really speaks to me. Sadly, it is so very close and yet so very far from being worth your time and money at this point. Honestly, wait a few more months to see if they can figure out the problems with the food, the service, and the ambiance. I suspect they can. For now, I feel like a total chump for giving them $500+ for three people to dine. Three people who didn't even order a bottle of wine... If you go, sit at the communal table in the retail side of the restaurant. It is the farthest away from the kitchen and the horrendous, persistent, incredibly disturbing low roar of their industrial dishwasher. Service was inattentive and required excessive effort on our part. It took 20 minutes to order a glass of wine! We ordered a single mocktail and despite delivering two, they never did manage to get the one we actually ordered. The wine menu is essentially an inventory list making it a boring read. They offer a "seasonal shortlist", but we were informed that the shortlist was not seasonal at all. Rather it was a list for people who don't like to read. The wine service was a huge miss for a wine focused establishment. The culture is not (yet?!) set up for wine hospitality. The food is good, but not yet great. The chicken nuggets with caviar just did not work. The chicken was minced and the breading was tempura. The celeriac rollitini is a single noodle with loads of foam and delicious chanterelles. The pear salad was lovely with the dressing and frisee working well together. The root down duck was amazing and the confit divine. The California golden chicken was presented beautifully with lots of flair, taken back to be carved and it emerged beautifully tossed with delicious root vegetables. The sauce they served was way too salty but we love roasted chicken. We had the side salad and french fries, both of which were quite nice. We skipped dessert as we could not bear anymore of the sound torture and were tired of fighting for decent service.

Came here with a few friends for a birthday dinner. This place specializes in chicken, which I undoubtedly enjoy! The interior is very aesthetic and modern. Service was friendly and we enjoyed our dinner here! We started off with their mocktails which were very nice. As a starter, we had the heritage chicken nuggets (the fanciest chicken nuggets I've had) which were good (undeniably as they are topped with caviar!). We went straight for their whole chickens for our entrees as that's what they are known for (we were a party of 4, and that's a lot of meat!). We went with the California golden and the French bresse (the least amount of dark meat, and medium amount of dark meat). I liked the California golden a bit more as the meat was a bit less "gamey" but was definitely a tad salty. The salad, fries, and Mac n' porcinis were good (the latter two were on the saltier side as well). We ended with their desserts which were all quite complex. We wanted to try the baked Alaska, but they told us they don't make that anymore and they didn't update the menu yet. The tarte tatin was my favorite! They also gave a small complementary dessert for my birthday. Service was good overall.

I have heard that the owners have aspirations of being a 1 star restaurant, and that food is designed to go with more refined and elegant, rather than bold, wines. What I liked: * A respectable wine by the glass list. It's different from what I've seen elsewhere. The mark-up on the wines seems reasonable, but they are expensive wines. * The veggies and mushrooms that accompanied the chicken were tasty, I enjoyed them. *The dessert menu is unique, with five fresh interpretations to choose from. The deserts (I had the baked Alaska, the other three the chocolate mouse) themselves were visually appealing, bordering on being works of art. * The dinner was served at a comfortable pace. We got there at 6:30 and left after 10:00. We had not spent that much time in a restaurant in a long time. What I didn't like: *The chicken is over hyped. In the end chicken is chicken, I didn't find the taste and texture particularly different from what I have had elsewhere. The presentation was interesting with chicken feet included, again that's different. The chicken itself was over brined for my taste - in fact it was the loudest flavor of the night (more below.) * Desserts were bland to my taste. I had baked Alaska, I could not tell there was chicken ice cream. The other folks at my table all said that there was not much chocolate taste in the chocolate mouse. * Loud. Most new restaurants these days are full of hard surfaces, long gone are the padded walls of restaurants. So I guess I just need to eat outdoors more so I can hear the conversation better. I would definitely go back for a drink of fine wine at a fair price, and then head to another restaurant for flavorful food.

Wow what a beautiful restaurant! I loved being surrounded by all the wine bottles and even didn't mind the communal seating as we were seated just apart enough to feel we had some privacy. The glassware and even utensils are all so light and delicate and were a pleasure to use. The food was outstanding with each dish, even non chicken ones, tasting delicious and unique. I would love to come back and try more of the wines from the very extensive wine list! I just wish they had more wines by the glass available as ordering a whole bottle can be daunting.

Bay area needed Cafe Vivant. From the extensive wine list, amazing squab, roasted chicken, and the best chicken nuggets! My only tip would be to leave room for dessert as it's an experience that's worthy of visit on its own. Must visit and will return.

As someone who really likes chicken (yes, chicken breast..) and wine, I was excited for Cafe Vivant's opening. They have completely transformed the former La Boulangerie space at the corner of the block. It's now very bright and open, and it's just a very cool setting, especially with all of the bottles on display. Drinks: they actually sell spirits, but the cocktail list is low ABV only. They have an impressive wine list, with some options dating back to the 1960s and 1970s. I was there for a work dinner, so I didn't get to browse the entire list, but you could spend a lot of time perusing it! We ended up ordering by the glass. Menu: they are known for their heritage chickens, and there are 3 to choose from. The menu has much more than just chicken, though. Starters - I would say each dish is best split between 2 people, 3 was a bit of a stretch - Butter poached main lobster: topped with uni, with a lobster nage and root vegetables - Celeriac rollatini: filled with chanterelles and black truffle, very flavorful and satisfying for a vegetarian option Mains - - Pacific halibut: with thinly sliced suqash on top, confit tomato, baby potatoes, and a fragrant mussel saffron broth. I wish it had come with crusty bread for the sauce! Part of the fish were saltier than others, but overall, the flavors were great - California Golden chicken: raised 112 days in CA, $48/person (service for 2). The lemon and thyme jus over the chicken was amazing. The dark meat fell off the bone, and the white meat part had lots of flavor and wasn't dry. I appreciate the initial presentation of the whole chicken before they cut it up for you. It comes with various mushrooms and roasted fall vegetables. Sides - - Pumpkin risotto: mostly tastes of parmigiano, not too heavy on the pumpkin (which I appreciate) Desserts - - Camembert cheesecake: the must try, with camembert filled "eggs," complete with a yellow yolk inside, pineapple compote, calamansi curd, hay ice cream, and lots of other textures. This dessert is the kind you expect at a 2-3 Michelin star place because of all the surprising flavors and textures - Chocolate mousse: with honeycomb cake, caramelized sunflower, grape fig leaf sorbet; this was also composed beautifully and had lots of textures and flavors, but it's hard to beat the cheesecake They have all the right touches for a fancier new place: Cutipol, Aesop, individual hand towels in the bathroom, bobo glasses, etc. Though heritage chicken is their feature, the other dishes were actually really great. I would definitely get the lobster and the rollatini again, and their desserts were also high level. I really like this new concept, and Cafe Vivant definitely brightens up Santa Cruz Ave (both figuratively and literally with the beautiful lighting and space). Though their features are heritage chicken and wine, don't skip that camembert cheesecake!

We had dinner the day after the restaurant opened. TLDR: Appetizers and dessert were the stars. Prices were very high. Service is still being worked out. We started with the heritage chicken nuggets topped with caviar. For $38 a pair, they better be great--and they were. The quail was also terrific, as were the shaved pear salad, the celeriac rollatini, and the heritage pork belly. I was confused by the heritage chicken service. The price of those chickens is 8- 10x a roasted chicken at whole foods, and it was quite plain, and the pieces were very big and hard to cut. It's meant to be the star of the meal, and for our table of 6, it was the least good. The 2 desserts we tried, the cheese cake and the carrot cake, were so creatively reimagined, beautiful and delicious. The restaurant is pretty, if stark. I have a lot of patience for a new restaurant getting the operations worked out, but I was surprised at the lack of warmth and hospitality. We recognized the owners from their photos, but they never introduced themselves, or asked us how we were enjoying our meals, even as they helped with serving drinks and clearing plates. That was surprising.

Delicious food beautifully presented and outstanding service by staff. Can't wait to return to try other dishes. A great addition to Menlo Park dining.

Best wine list West of the Mississippi. Literally. The chicken i delicious, but so is everything else I tried. Been there 3 times already.

Had such an incredible dining experience with my husband, aunt, and uncle -- who had been eagerly following this restaurant's opening for months. The ambiance struck the perfect balance: elevated and intentional, yet warm and unpretentious. It was fascinating to learn about chicken in a completely different context than what we typically associate with it here in the U.S. As a former vegetarian, I've long been aware of how most chickens are raised -- the overcrowding, the disease, the toll of mass production. But here, the chickens are sourced from a nearby farm, allowed to live double or even triple the lifespan of conventional ones, making them more active, healthier, and in turn, far more nutrient-dense and flavorful. You could truly taste the difference. The sides were creative and beautifully executed without being over the top, and the dessert and wine... don't even get me started. Every element felt thoughtful and harmonious. A genuine 10/10 experience. Excited to come back in the future!

Came here to check out the new spot and it was amazing. The chicken nugget was savory with a smoky flavor. The Caviar was a nice touch. We split the Delaware bird which was cooked to perfection. The wine list here is surprisingly phenomenal. The sommelier Alex, was super helpful. The space is beautiful, the chairs are comfortable and the ambience is wonderful for an evening out. This is a great addition to the Palo Alto Menlo Park food scene!

Ever since I heard that Cafe Vivant would open in the summer of 2025 serving heritage chicken, I checked at least twice a month from June on and finally it opened last week of Oct. So my wife and I dined finally last night on 11/13. For almost half a year, I was expecting to finally taste juicy, moist, and amazing flavor of the Pescadero bird. What a total disappointment as the chicken was horrible: dry, super salty!! A supermarket roasted chicken is much better 1/10th price. I complained to the owner and he apologized and took this chicken off the bill. We also had the chicken nugget for $38 and not worth for price point, I love dessert and the cheesecake was not good at all. Will not return or recommend. The service was good, however.

Went to Café Vivant recently and loved it. Every dish was delicious, the service was thoughtful without being stuffy, and the whole vibe feels elevated yet relaxed and totally approachable. Even with something like the Chicken for Two, you're encouraged to get in there with your hands -- great food and an easygoing experience go hand in hand here. One of our guests was pescatarian, and we were pleasantly surprised to see that nearly half the à la carte menu works for pescatarians, and there are some delicious options for vegetarians as well. Absolutely deserves five stars.

We had a fabulous experience at Cafe Vivant. The food is delicious. We ordered the pear salad, celeriac rollotini, pescadero chicken, and Camembert cheesecake. All of the dishes were hits. We also appreciated the inspired wine list. Pricey, but worth it. This is a great addition to Menlo Park!