by Mike M. on First off its called Viva Toro! Not viva EL toro! Nonetheless, Viva Toro is a very decent Mexican spot in Willilamsburg with (here's the kicker) a MECHANICAL BULL! Its a very fun spot if you take the right group of friends. Or if you want to go with a girlfriend! it is a nice date spot because the ambiance is great, but as the night goes on people come in to drink and ride the bull so you will have to leave if that's not your thing. If you are on a fun date you will stay to laugh at the dumb people who go on and fall off! As for the food it is somewhat over priced as are the drinks, but that is yuppified Williamsburg! Can you find better food in Park Slope or even Clinton Hill! PROBABLY, but this is more of a spot to go for a different look to a typical date or dinner! I went on a Saturday night and it was definitely for real because they had a DJ and homeboy was on point! He went from Latin jazz (around 10pm) to old school New Jack Swing around 12. Me and my date actually stood there after the meal and had drinks and it was like doing two things in one. TRUST ME you can go early and eat a quiet dinner on a Sat and if you stay long you will get a club experience out of it! No matter what do the mechanical bull!!!
by Jason R. on This is a great place to go out to dinner with a big group. Food is good, especially their peking duck, thats my favorite dish. Love that after all these years its still popular. Really like that its loud and dark, this is all part of the ambience here. The only thing I can complain about are the way the reservations work. You basically have a reservation to wait. So if you reservation is at 9 you probably won't be seated until 9:45pm. I think thats tactic they have to get you to spend $ at the bar. Other than that, never had a bad meal here.
by Glendora Harney on The venue is certainly beautiful and the events they hold here certainly make full use of the ambiance and generally are fun. However what's always a pain is the club nights that happen here. Lines are purposely held long to make it look happening, and the sad thing is it seems to work. I don't understand why so many people bear lining up at this place. Most of the time I always see the line full of single guys who are denied admittance unless they're with a female companion or are willing to shell out the hundreds of dollars for bottle service. Granted this is typically the case at most places, however it seems the guys who line up here are fully aware and willing to go through with this process.
