VIVI EATERY

Nicely laid out little restaurant close to UCR. Food is decent. Had their tonkatsu ramen $9.95. they added a bit of chili oil to the broth, but does not overwhelm the taste of the pork bone broth. It was decided that it tasted better than the other ramen places around the university. Also had the Vietnamese ice coffee. It was done the original way, dripped, and so took up to 20 minutes to be served. They did not add too much condensed milk. The resulting taste retained more coffee taste, vs Lee's Sandwich's oversweetened ice coffees, and felt less thick when drinking it.

The staff and service is amazing, the ramen was very exceptional. I will be returning very soon.

This was my first trip here. It's the first place I've seen in Riverside that serves Japanese Curry. My only comparison for taste is when I had Japanese curry in Japan at Coco's Curry House (which, the lovely woman working has informed me they're an international chain and have locations in so cal) but I digress; I loved it!

The curry flavor is more mild than an Indian dish in my opinion and has a sweetness about it. Japanese Curry is fairly kid friendly in terms of spice; all three of my kids have eaten and enjoyed it.

Vivi serves more than Japanese Curry if you're looking for something different. My next trip will be tonkotsu ramen (forgive me if the spelling is incorrect) as I picked up a ramen addiction on my Japanese trip as well.

The place is very nice and contemporary with a moderate amount of seating. They also serve beer and wine. The draft beer selection consisted of about 8 varieties although I had none at the time.

Onto why I gave 4 instead of 5 stars:

The hours are a bit rough. Business opens at 3pm and closes at 11pm. The late start makes it a great option for students as it's within walking distance of UCR but a poor choice for anyone working in the area looking to grab a wonderful lunch.

If the ramen is as amazing as the curry this will be the only Japanese restaurant I go to

TL;DR: eat here. It's good

Heavily recommend the Vegetarian Shaking Beef: it's surprisingly good, and not too salty. Pretty laid back atmosphere: the bar tenders (waitresses? not sure what to call them) are super friendly. They're basically social butterflies, but if you're introverted don't let this discourage you: they don't force their conversation onto you.

Huge shoutout to Jackie and the manager (whose name I forgot to ask) for helping me find an ale I like, and for helping me with a scene I'm writing.

Really great vibe here, I've been coming since there soft open. The bank mi is delicious! Great beers on tap and the house coffee is amazing (better than Starbucks for sure). I was made to try the fried shrimp by a curious customer and it was very delicious and I never eat shrimp! Sports on the tube or if your lucky cartoons ;p
And chill music to vibe to. Come on down!