Best Restaurants for Outdoor Dining in Oro Valley

Our server was fabulous. We were hotel guests and made a reservation. We were early for the reservation and the hostess/manager said they couldn't seat us. No problem, we said we'd just go get a drink at that bar. She said that was not allowed. First time I think I have ever heard that. We went to the lobby bar, had a great drink from a bartender that created the pear martini my wife had. Very nice. And he got the tip that the bartender in the restaurant didn't! My wife had the short rib and I had the pork chop. Both cooked perfectly and very flavorful.

The food was fantastic. The lasagna and Branzino entrees were delicious. We tried the zucchini appetizer which was also a treat for the tastebuds.

We were a party of three last night and made reservations to sit on the patio. We prefer the patio because it can get pretty loud inside. Our waiter, Alec made the evening - he was simply outstanding. We ordered two appetizers because we had to have the Cold Smoked Salmon (which is out of this world) so we added the Steamed Mussels. To our delight, the mussels were fabulous. My husband ordered his usual - the fish and chips. The fish is lightly battered and is delicious. We've recommended Wildflower just for the fish and chips. The Pork Scallopini and the Short Rib Ravioli did not disappoint. Of course, we saved room for the Banoffee Trifle for dessert, my favorite! Our granddaughter was very impressed the restaurant lived up to our hype. Again, thank you Alec for a wonderful evening!

Minor "glitch" early on remedied by restaurant Zoe McCarthy in superbly professional manner. Food fit our Wednesday night requirements perfectly- food board we split for four and four appetizers/pizza/salads (not all, we are seniors), plus the bottle of wine and we left happy (as opposed to happily left).

Vivace continues to be one of the finest dining experiences in Tucson. Over the years the location has changed, both times for the better, but the food is consistently excellent. Their most popular entree is the crab stuffed chicken breast, and it has been my go-to dish for about 30 years.