Vivilore occupies a historic ivy-covered brick building in the Englewood Arts District of Independence, Missouri, where dining and retail share the same address. The name comes from Latin — viva for life, lore for story — and the space backs that up with three floors of retail above the restaurant stocked with local art, antiques, and home decor alongside the dining room. A courtyard garden with flowers and plantings runs alongside the restaurant when weather allows.
The kitchen works in American modern territory: crab cakes, coconut shrimp, and wild mushroom cheesecake to start, house-made pastas like lobster mac and cheese and tagliatelle bolognese, and a handhelds list built around a chicken salad sandwich, corned beef reuben, and French dip. Salads and soups round things out, with a bar pouring cocktails and wine alongside the food.
Vivilore opened in August 2012 under a brother-sister ownership team and changed hands to new ownership in 2024. An adjacent event space, The Mandarin, hosts private gatherings on the same grounds.
The kitchen works in American modern territory: crab cakes, coconut shrimp, and wild mushroom cheesecake to start, house-made pastas like lobster mac and cheese and tagliatelle bolognese, and a handhelds list built around a chicken salad sandwich, corned beef reuben, and French dip. Salads and soups round things out, with a bar pouring cocktails and wine alongside the food.
Vivilore opened in August 2012 under a brother-sister ownership team and changed hands to new ownership in 2024. An adjacent event space, The Mandarin, hosts private gatherings on the same grounds.