Vivian's Millennium Cafe

10968 Ventura Blvd.
Studio City, CA 91604

http://www.venturablvd.com/vivians-cafe
Vivian's Millennium Cafe on Twitter
Vivian's Millennium Cafe on Facebook

I realize I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but Vivian's is the bomb. Great food, great service and the best prices on my quest so far add up to a can't-miss brunch experience.

This was my second trip to this wonderful cafe; my first visit happened a week or two before I started this blog—in fact, the way I raved about Vivian's pancakes caused my friends to suggest that a pancake blog might be a good project for me. So far, no complaints on my end!

Vivian's did not disappoint in the least. For starters, my friend and I arrived just after 11 on a Sunday but were able to sit immediately; the outdoor patio was filled, but their 10 or so indoor tables were almost empty. We wanted to sit inside (more about that later), so this worked out perfectly.

The second way in which Vivian's scored bonus points even before we got our iced coffees was that the outrageously fantastic white chocolate macadamia nut pancakes I'd gone crazy for on my first visit were again on the "specials" menu. Whoo! It was definitely a good day for this pancake fanatic.

Less than a minute after we took our seats, a server took our drink order and promptly delivered our iced coffees, which, like before, were very good—tasty but not even a little bitter. We looked over the menu (available online in PDF form; click here to check it out but note that it may download to your computer if your browser is not configured to automatically open PDF files—but yay, Vivian's, for making the full menu, including pricing info, available online) and quickly settled on their Pancake Combo:  two eggs, two pancakes, two pieces of bacon AND two sausages. My friend ordered Vivian's signature banana pancakes; I of course got the white chocolate macadamia nut pancakes. Less than 10 minutes later, look what we received:

Pancake Combo with banana pancakes:

Pancake Combo with white chocolate macadamia nut pancakes:

It was like Christmas in August! The food was just fantastic; the "combo" dishes were all cooked to perfection, and, oh, my, those pancakes!! They are the richest ones I've had on my quest so far, but in the best possible way, exactly the way you want if your goal is to indulge on Sundays. The texture of the pancakes is perfect, light but still dense enough to stand up to butter and syrup, and the in-batter toppings are beyond divine. I adore those white chocolate macadamia nut pancakes. I kneel before them. They. Are. AWESOME!!!

That said, if you're looking for a variety of exotic pancake concoctions, you won't find it at Vivian's. The two we ordered are all that's on offer beyond regular buttermilk pancakes and the "Ultimate Pancakes," seven-grain oatmeal pancakes with walnuts and granola—and the white chocolate macadamia nut pancakes I had were on special. (Though, based on my two Sunday visits so far, they appear to be a regular Sunday offering and may be offered on other days as well. I would hope so!) 

As mentioned above, the service at Vivian's is top-notch. Our servers were extremely prompt and attentive but not at all invasive, and even as the cafe got more crowded we never felt as if we were being rushed. In fact, when we finished, our plates were removed and we were offered refills on our iced coffees, which we accepted, as we both needed a little time to rest after demolishing all that glorious food.

And the prices almost certainly will not be beaten. Our order of two Pancake Combos with fancy-pancake substitutions and two iced coffees came to less than $28 before tip. $28 for bacon AND sausage AND fancy pancakes!! Vivian's also has a presence on both Facebook and Twitter, and subscribers to one or both feeds get access to many specials that could reduce your bill even more. Oh, Vivian's, you make my carb-loving heart sing. 

But this is a review, so I have to be honest and say that even though Vivian's has more than enough to offer to keep me coming back again and again, it's not perfect. The first time I ate there, my friends and I sat at the outdoor patio. The setup is really nice—lots of tables, lots of shade, very comfortable. However, they allow smoking in this area, which not only surprised me but made my meal quite unpleasant at times. On the other hand, my friends, who are also nonsmokers, were not bothered by this, and the fact that we couldn't have been seated on the patio when we arrived yesterday suggests people in general are less bothered by this than I am. So while I will never again eat on that outdoor patio, I will concede that the smoking may not be an issue for everyone or even a majority...but if you are like me, you will want to make sure you sit inside when you visit so that your meal will be as enjoyable as possible.

Vivian's also has no real parking lot (there may be parking in the alley behind the restaurant, but even if there is, there is likely not much), so you have to find street parking. Both times I've visited we've had to park several minutes' walk away. This is certainly not a deal-breaker, not least because even a little exercise after a huge breakfast is a good thing, but be prepared to hunt for parking when you go.

Although Vivian's has some flaws, it's one of my favorite places so far based on their crazy-good pancakes and incredible prices. I will be going back many, many times...so I hope they save an inside table for me!