La Tavola

I love Italian foods, especially seafood and pasta. This is my first time in little Italy restaurant (I have been to deli before). They had good review so we decided to take an advantage of restaurant week extension for one of our friends’ birthday. It was not crowded at all in the beginning but after 7pm there were several huge parties arrived and our serve got really slow.
So restaurant week dinner menu comes with 3 course, appetizer, main and dessert. I picked raw beef with arugula for appetizer. I love arugula in general so it was already plus. Dressing was little strong for me but it was decent.
So main… I love squid ink pasta. I do. It’s hard to find, so I was excited. Also it said its white wine base. I’m not big fan of cream or tomato sauce base pasta so I was excited too. However… Pasta was way passed al dente in my opinion… Pasta was gooey and sauce was pretty no taste. I asked for fresh black pepper, red chili peppers and Parmesan cheese which helped a lot. The original menu comes with crab meat and squad so I assume it is better. I can tell pasta was homemade but it was way too soft for me.
My dessert was tiramisu. I don’t like too sweet so it was pretty good sweetness for me. However, I like my tiramisu has stronger espresso taste. I did not taste much espresso.
Manager was super nice. The bartender was very nice to help me picking a drink for me though unfortunately I did not like it at all. And he did not charge my drink in the end.
Maybe because it was restaurant week menu? Or just they were understaff and too many big parties at the same time? Because they are very nice people, it makes me more disappointed that food especially pasta wasn’t that great especially a lot of reviewers said the squad ink pasta was great… Maybe I should give another try with regular menu…

We traveled from NJ to try this restaurant because it had. such great reviews, but it was totally disappointing. Couldn’t even order a glass of Merlot because they don’t serve it by the glass. The gravy was so bland, barely had any taste and the cannoli had dried fruit, nuts. Not to mention the noise level and not romantic.

My friend and I went here because we had got the group on they had. I ordered the spinach ravioli and she ordered the gnocchi with pesto sauce. The ravioli was really good! You can tell the spinach tastes fresh. The gnocchi was just okay. It was a bit on the softer side and not as firm as my friend had hoped.
The dessert we got was amazing though!!! Highly recommend the Tartufo al cioccolato mmmmm:)
The place is a bit pricey, but overall it is worth a trip back!

Fantastic time. A fine dinner with friends. 8 of us attended and 8 of us had a wonderful experience.
The potato enocchi, the lasagna, chicken parm, frutti de mar, all was delicious and prepared from scratch.
Excellent service, our waiter was also the bartender, due to the slow night. He was the best.
And if you’re a odd drink enthusiast, they had the most interesting selections. Chamomile grapa was so cool and I finally tasted Compari. Not for the weak.

Came here on Christmas with my mother. With that being said, I’m not sure if the menu we had was specific for Christmas or their everyday menu. I chose this place because I LOVE italian food. This place had dishes I’ve never heard of (and also could barely pronounce) and almost every dish had something in it that I don’t eat (I’m picky. it’s me not you.) The service was exceptional, I enjoyed having our waiter. My mother ordered the Spaghetti Neri al Granchio
and I the Lasagna Bolognese. My mother LOVED her food. My lasagna was just, eh. Not horrid, not spectacular. I’d love it if they had more options on the menu but it’s not my place, it’s theirs. The price was GREAT! (For both of our meals, my wine and a salad it was about $ 60). Overall, it was a solid place. Definitely different then your everyday Italian chain, that’s for sure. Their menu items are definitely unique! Great place to get something different than the well-​known Italian dishes.

I will definitely be coming back to this place.
But only after a good paycheck. The food is delicious, but its definitely on the pricier side. I got the linguine with all different types of seafood and my boyfriend got the black spaghetti. Both entrees surpassed my expectations and the server was super nice and attentive.

Pretty nice restaurant, I must say. Very big, relaxed atmosphere, and delicious food. I spotted two minor problems, however. Firstly, the wait time. There were only a few other tables occupied, but there was a longer-​than-​usual wait time on everything – including seating. The other problem was the fact that the place wasn’t very child-​friendly. There was a kids menu – with 3 dishes on it. Other than that, the place was not very well geared towards young children.
Overall though, nice place.

Very good… black Linguini with crab meat and spinach in white wine sauce is their most popular dish, and it was very good. The menu helps with wine pairings for those intimidated by wine lists. Nice ambiance, low lighting and quiet dining room, and excellent service.

We were in town for Johns Hopkins Family weekend and chose to stay in the Inner Harbor near Little Italy — so the big task was figuring out which Italian restaurant to try. I narrowed it to La Tavola, La Scala and D’Allessio’s, but ultimately chose La Tavola because it is also Zagat rated, and their website says pastas are made in house.
It turned out to be an awesome choice. Our party of five shared their Frito Mista and an antipasto for starters. The fried calamari, eggplant and other vegetables was greaseless crisp and tender — including the whole tiny tendrils, not just rings or strips, on top of a delicious garlic aioli. The eggplant was razor thin — delicately crisp and tender at the same time– almost like a potato chip but better. For entrees: Spaghetti Neri (squid ink pasta with seafood), Gnocchi, Linguini all scoglio, linguini with mushrooms and fresh truffles, and I chose a seafood dish in white wine sauce (white version of the linguini ala scoglio sans linguine), served with 3 slices of garlic bread with which to soak up the heavenly garlicy broth. All were delicious. Gnocchi were super light– hubby was happy. Wines seemed reasonable at $ 9/​glass for a Montepulciano.
Desserts were a cheesecake and vanilla gelato with espresso on top. Perfect sweet ending. I would return here without hesitation!

This was the first restaurant I’ve tried in Little Italy and it was amazing.
The happy menu has enough selections for the finest palates. And the wine selection was generous.
Staff and owners are attentive and not overbearing!
What a wonderful dining experience!

I stopped in here to escape the heat and humidity at around 5:30 on an early September Wednesday. Sat at the bar and asked Jamie (not sure about spelling) for a recommendation for a dessert and beverage. She suggested Prosecco Royale and that was very yummy — perfect for a hot night! I could not resist the cannoli dessert as you really cannot get good cannoli in Minnesota. Theirs are rolled in Pizzelle cookies with little bits of dried fruits and pistachio. Really, really good!

Thanks Unilocalers! You didn’t steer me wrong on this one. Went there last night for dinner with a colleague. She’s Italian and she kept raving about our meal. Can’t remember the name of the dish but it had all kinds of seafood yummyness in it like shrimp, scallops, mussels and clams in a wine broth. Delish! Service was excellent. I left one happy Greedy Girl.

I’ve been here several times. The food is always good however the last time, the service was a bit disappointing. We had a reservation and still had to wait for more than 10 minutes to be seated. The service at the table was also slow. For example, our waiter was cleaning up other tables instead of coming to our table to get our drink orders.
But again, I cannot complain anything about the food. Their seafood pasta is amazing– so much fresh seafood!
I think I will definitely come back if I get another groupon but not sure without.

This place felt really authentic Italian, and my friend and I decided to stop in here on Sunday morning because it was one of the only places that was open. Without any parking problems, we sat right at the bar and listened to our bartender’s funny stories while other employees of the restaurant stopped by to say hello, including one of the owners.
I was a bit surprised that we were the only people at the restaurant at first, but I’m sure it was too early for most others, and according to our lively bartender, evenings are when the action happens! Lucky for us then — we had all the service on us!
The owner of the restaurant recommended I try the black spaghetti with crab, and I am so glad I did! My friend ordered a creamier pasta, so if you’re looking for a light and healthy meal, you might want to look elsewhere (or realize what you’re getting yourself into). With the start of bread selection and olive oil, everything does taste amazing.
Since it was National Ice Cream Day and the reason for us going out to eat, we absolutely had to order the affogato. Now this was the perfect combo of espresso, vanilla gelato, and Baileys (no judgies!). I highly recommend it. And the bartender had me cracking up the entire time as she «fought» with the espresso machine :)
Not to mention, the owner bought my friend and I shots to celebrate my friend’s new job! Excellent service and food — definitely recommend!

La Tavola is a solid italian choice if you’re in Baltimore. The portions were pretty big for the price and very tasty. House made pasta and fresh seafood options. The dining room was simple and the service was decent. We took an Über over here so I don’t know how the parking is, but it didn’t look that easy. Luckily they have a valet option if you are driving over.

Between 3 and 4 stars probably. (If I’m honest, I mostly didn’t love this restaurant as much as others mostly because of the price point and ambience.)
Bottom Line: Pretty darn tasty, and everything was housemade, but the price point is a little too high, and the restaurant seemed to be trying to give off a fancier vibe than it actually was.
Food
We’d order the polenta mushrooms and cheese as an appetizer, and it was yummy. The mushrooms were cooked perfectly to bring out the most flavor without them being too shrunken, and not too much cheese was added. I think that this dish actually could’ve used a little bit of salt to bring out flavor, but I appreciate that it was not *over* salted, as is frequently the case. The house bread was good, but not superlative.
For an entrée, I ordered the black spaghetti with crab and spinach, and it was my favorite dish of the night. The noodles tasted fresh, and were cooked al dente, and not oversauced. The crab, as one would expect in Maryland, was fresh with large chunks.
I was underwhelmed by the combination seafood platter that was a cup of mussels, littleneck clams, and scallops with grilled shrimp on the side. While the seafood was good, it was nothing special.
Ambience and service
The restaurant didn’t have a comfortable convivial atmosphere, even though the décor made it seem like it was trying for Italian charm. It may have been because it was quiet in the restaurant. While the service was print, helpful, and attentive, it had more of a compulsory, salesperson-​like feel the a warm one. The servers also seemed a little too eager to clear plates, and consequently took our silverware before we were finished eating, as well as some remaining food before we could stop them.

Highlight was the antipasti Italian. Lots of mixed olives, two stuffed pickled red peppers, various meats. I had a grilled whole snapper which was excellently prepared and had that nice charred taste. Served over a lettuce though which did display all fish but didn’t add much to the dish as a side. At $ 28…it was good but a bit more than it should have been. My wife’s shellfish pasta had a red sauce that was unremarkable but great load of clams and mussels. Kids are welcome here with a small menu. Some good beers and wines.
The space is only… ok. Nothing remarkable or quaint… or intimate about it.

I went back and had the gnocchi. AVOID. Chewy and bland! See below for full review and order the squid ink pasta people!

I was in Baltimore for a day trip with my other half and we found La Tavola while searching Little Italy for some quick Italian food. The place was practically empty during the lunch hour, which meant no wait and a nice table by the window.
I ordered the spaghetti «chitarra» al amatricana with sauteed pancetta and onions tossed with spaghetti in a tomato sauce. My boyfriend ordered the linguini alle vongole, which is linguini sauteed with little neck clams in a garlic basil white wine sauce. I thought my spaghetti «chitarra» was delicious. It was a simple dish but the flavors were well-​balanced and the sauce was an actual sauce and not some watered down version of a sauce. I think the best Italian dishes are sometimes the most simple, like my spaghetti «chitarra.» You don’t need a lot of additional frills to make it taste good, just well-​cooked fresh pasta and a beautiful tomato sauce. And that’s what La Tavola did.
And wow, the linguini alle vongole… so many clams! Clams surrounded the circumference of the plate, so there were probably 15 – 20 little neck clams in total. The white wine sauce was delicious and the clams, together with the pasta in the sauce, tasted like a classic Italian dish.

The food here is good, our server is very friendly, but the host is RUDE!
We came here last sunday around 8:30pm without realizing that the place closes at 9:30pm. When we walked in and said table for 2, the host gave us a what-​are-​you-​doing-​here look and looked very reluctant to seat us. I understand if the kitchen is closing or if the table setting are taken away, but he never said anything about it. By the way, after I sat down, I realized that they stopped setting the tables at that point already and a lot of tables do not have utensils on them (really??)
After we got our water and are looking through the menu, I took out my phone to look through pictures that others have taken to decide on what I want to eat. The host made a snobbish comment about me looking through the Unilocal pictures. He did act slightly friendlier after our food were brought out.
Changing gear– the food itself was great! we had one of their beet salad (can’t remember the name) and the squid ink pasta. Both are very good. The pasta is definitely something to try. It comes with a generous portion of lump crab meat. Their olive oil that came with the bread is herb-​infused and tasted amazing. Our server is very attentive and friendly.
Even though the food was excellent and service good, I don’t think this is somewhere that I would consider going back again when I’m in town. A host is the first impression of a restaurant. Even though the food and our server are both excellent, the initial first impression made the whole experience much less enjoyable. We felt like we’re doing something wrong.