Tavola

Excellent service. Food was AMAZING!!! We ordered a bunch to all share and I have nothing but great things to say about every appetizer and dish. Highly recommend dinner and would love to return if I am ever back in the area.

If I could give this place 10 stars I would! We had a group of 11 people, and they were SO accommodating and welcoming. The service was amazing. The food was absolutely delicious. Their cocktails were original and super fresh. Great ambiance. This restaurant literally made our trip, thank you for being such an awesome establishment!

My husband and I tried Tavola for the first time on a house hunting trip last week. Our food was delicious and our server went way above and beyond to suggest things we might enjoy while
In Charlottesville. The wine director came over to our table to welcome us and provided excellent wine recommendations. We could not have been happier with our experience! Can’t wait to get settled in Charlottesville and make Tavola a regular stop!

First time I was here, I sat at the bar and ordered the Carbonara. The portion was perfect (not too big like so many Pasta places) but the actual taste was amazing. Followed by Cheesecake and some nice conversation made this a place to try again. I have now been there a 3^rd time and each one provided some of the best italian food I’ve eaten in Charlottesville. Last night was LInguine with Clams. Perfection. I found myself eating as slow as possible to enjoy every bit.

Delicious food with great service.
Just visiting but Tavola is one reason I would love to move to awesome Charlottesville.

Another great visit to Tavola. This time the star was Reta, our server. Her service was exceptional. She was truly invested in our experience. She made great recommendations with vast knowledge of the menu. My only complaint; the burratta W/​arugula pesto was off the menu this one night! Aggggghhh!

I held Tavola up as my favorite restaurant (anywhere) for years after having dined there many times in the first year it opened (2009 – 2010). I went there again in 2014 and had a nice meal. This Thurs. I went there for the first time since moving back to Charlottesville and given the experience we had, it is no longer the restaurant it once was.
The service we received at the bar was ok at best – the waiter drank two glasses of wine in front of us but was mainly competent. When I asked if one of the two vegetarian dishes could be made without dairy, he refused because it would compromise the kitchen’s «integrity.» I get that most nice restaurants don’t dig the plant-​based diet, but being totally unwilling to prepare anything vegan does not make me want to return and be treated like that and pay over $ 100 for two people to have dinner.
So I ordered three contorni (vegetable side dishes) for dinner as well as the bruschette for an appetizer. I remember the vegetables being ambrosial; these were undersalted, greasy, and lacked acid. Even the fennel, which had orange slices in it, was bland. There was no care or attention in these dishes. My husband had the pork milanese and he enjoyed it a great deal, as well as the burrata appetizer. Our wine, a $ 38 aglianico, was far less good than wines from Southern Italy and Spain I’ve had at Lampo and Mas that were $ 10 less.
I’ve been stunned at how resiliently good Mas is, and the newcomer Lampo is also a delight. They are both, in my view, better restaurants and less expensive. The Tavola of last Thurs. was not worth the money and definitely not vegan/​plant-​based friendly.

Excellent service and delicious fare! My boyfriend and I got there at 9:30pm and were seated immediately. Our waiter Stephen was so great, we had a hard time selecting a white wine to complement our meal and he so patiently allowed us to try almost all the options by the glass until we found a good one. We started with the cauliflower side which was perfect, then shared the sea bass entrée (a little too charred for me) and the shrimp pasta with the gorgonzola-​butter sauce, sooooooo good! I’d highly recommend and I’ll definitely be back.

We went to Tavola for drinks, having heard about the great cocktail menu, and did end up with 2.5 great cocktails. Another 2.5 were okay, and one was downright awful (a roasted lemon may sound like a good garnish, but don’t be fooled). That’s about par for the course, we’ve found, when getting adventurous with cocktailery, but the big downfall of this place was the bartender, Christian. Evidently this guy had won some local accolade for a drink he invented. Good for him. That did not, however, entitle him to treat a couple of big spending, pretty booze-​knowledgable folks like we were taking up space at his bar. He strutted and barked and only used his precious copper-​coated bar ware and basically was the opposite of the kind of professional but friendly barkeep that we look for. Okay drinks, but a bartender who was way too full of himself. Moving on…

Visited after a friend told us they have the best cocktails in town. We got there just as the bar opened and were reluctantly waited on by the bar staff. The lead bartender was a prima donna (he had recently won a «best cocktail in town» contest) who barely acknowledged our existence as we had a couple of drinks. I like bartenders who enjoy talking to customers and talking shop, especially when the bar is empty.
And the drinks? A solid B average at best. The coffee-​infused Negroni wasn’t nearly as good as a classic Negroni, and something we ordered with grilled lemon was just precious and awful. The Aviation with Crème Yvette had too much maraschino, and was made after the bar staff consulted someone in the back.
Bottom line: The restaurant may be great, but if you’re looking for a great cocktail bar with personable bartenders, keep walking. (Our research continues… The Whiskey Jar is really good.)

Far and away our most favorite restaurant in Cville. The insalate verde is DELICIOUS and their handmade pasta is to die for. The primavera pasta is my favorite I think. Everything is so so good including their amazing gelato selection. They also offer wine by the glass, carafe, or bottle which is nice. It’s does get loud and busy and they don’t take reservations to plan ahead. There is a cute bar in the back with delicious cocktails where you can wait.

My favorite Italian in town. I will dream about the mussels here… They are just so good! I always enjoy the specials, and even the veggie sides are amazing (get the artichoke) There is a back bar that you can sit and have a drink while waiting for a table– or just hang back there and get appetizers. The music is also great. Next date night we’ll be there!

Ahhh Tavola, you have my heart. I wish I could eat at this restaurant every single night but alas we were only in Charlottesville for the weekend. We walked in on a Saturday evening and were lucky enough to find 2 spots at the bar. The staff was so kind and helpful. Not a frown in sight. People really seem to love working there. We got to see this first hand as the bar seemed to be the place where everyone congregated. It is also an open-​concept kitchen so you got to see it all.
Our dinner included:
Bruschette. The one we had was good. After seeing a couple of the other appetizers, I would have probably ordered something else instead. My dining partner liked it a lot more than I did, though. So, that was good. :)
Bread plate — a half loaf of baguette and oil with seasonings.
Pappardelle ragu — I wanted to lick my plate. This was the best pasta and sauce I have had in so, so long. The pork melts in your mouth and the pasta is just perfectly cooked.
My dining partner had the most glorious cocktail (the name? I can’t remember but I’ll post a pic) and I had the lager. Great food. Great drinks. I wish this restaurant was in my town!
To the owners — you’re doing a great job. Your staff is lovely and your food is delightful. Thank you for giving us a great final dining experience in Charlottesville.

The food and service I experienced was great! I was in Charlottesville for a meeting and my colleague Unilocaled some cool places to eat for dinner. Though a little further from our hotel than we thought, the walk was worth it. It’s a cute little restaurant with an intimate feel. Our waitress was on it as soon as we were seated and she was so helpful and attentive.
Now, the most important part, the food. We were on business, so, yolo, right? We ordered the bruschetta trio, small but delish. The Caesar salad we shared was okay, I could’ve made it. I ordered their version of shrimp scampi, but I forgot the name and my coworker ordered the carbonara. Aaand, last but not least, the brussels sprouts. We thoroughly enjoyed everything and had no room for dessert. But, the waitress was kind enough to tell us about good dessert spots on the walk back if we changed our mind!
I will say that the servings are somewhat on the small side if you’re used to huge servings and plates are at least $ 20. So keep that in mind. Also, I went on a Tuesday night, so I am not sure if the service I received is duplicated like this on a weekend. But, it’s worth a try!

Great service, great ambiance, and some great food. I liked my husband’s meal better than mine. I’m curious to try it again another time.

Small restaurant, casual atmosphere, great food, and high prices. Would be an easy 5-​stars if I was grading just the food alone, but the prices knock off a full star.
The menu changes infrequently and most staples stay the same. Favorites are the ragu, steak, and branzino. Most of the food here is great, but pretty much all the pasta dishes are way overpriced. Portions are on the smaller side (for everything) and even the veggie pasta options are all $ 20+. For most guys you’ll need more than your entrée if you want to be full. The restaurant is tiny and casual and not all of the pasta is house-​made, so its unclear what you’re paying the premium for. Fortunately the food is great so you don’t leave angry, just surprised.
No reservations and there is almost always a wait. Horrible place for a big group, don’t even bother. They have a nice hipster bar behind the restaurant where you can grab some appetizers and drinks as you wait for your table, so its actually a very pleasant place to wait if you’re not in a rush.

My first visit to Tavola was during the UVA-​VT football weekend.
We were able to get a table there around 9 pm on Saturday because we were all leaning towards a late dinner after a long day of tailgating and football. Tavola is in a nice part of town and was pretty easy to get to. When you walk in, there are a few tables in the front where guests can dine and I’m pretty sure there is a back bar if you’re just looking for a few drinks.
We were sat at one end of a long table in the front dining area and were actually sharing the table with another group at the other end of the long table. This was probably the only negative thing I can say about my experience here. I’m sure under many other circumstances that would have been fine but the people seated across from us were obnoxious and loud. BUT. Other than that, our experience here was great! Service was quick and extremely helpful with whatever we needed so that’s a plus!
We all started off with drinks — one glass of wine and three cocktails for our group. They didn’t have the largest selection of cocktails but they did have very unique ones — including a LOT of gin drinks. Me being a gin drinker myself, I was happy to see gin getting some love on the menu.
For the food, we began with the pancetta-​wrapped shrimp and the trio of bruschette. The pancetta-​wrapped shrimp were awesome. I know anything-​wrapped shrimp can be tough but they killed it. My favorite first plate was the bruschette trio, though. One was traditional with chopped tomatoes, herbs, and olive oil. The other two were a little different but very enjoyable. There was a mushroom-​centric bread and a seasonal one that some sort of pumpkin-​based spread that was sweet but really good.
I ordered the linguine alla carbonara for my entrée. It was a pretty heavy dish but man it hit the spot big time. There was so much flavor going on with the sausage, pancetta, pecorino romano and black pepper all mixed into the pasta together.
We skipped out on dessert because we were all full after our entrees but the selections they had looked good! If you’re in Charlottesville for a night or two and you’re looking for a nice sit down meal, I can’t recommend this place enough. They’ll take care of you!

I’ve been wanting to come to this restaurant but the location wasn’t convenient for a college student like me. I ordered linguini alla carbonara and my friend ordered maiale milanese. Both of us were very satisfied with our meals. The linguini was cream based but was rather a little spicy because of black pepper. The house made sausage was remarkable. My friend’s dish was also delicious. The breading was thin and crispy.
Pros:
Delicious!
Fast service
Open kitchen (I love this because you can see what the chefs are putting into your dish.)
Elegant interior (best for date nights!)
Cons:
Pricy ($ 20 – 26 for pasta or entrée)
Must make reservation or bar seats are available for first come first serve
I recommend to people who are looking for a place for a good date night! Their wine selections are great too;)

I liked Tavola a lot. The drinks were excellent (the back bar is probably my favorite place in Charlottesville) and the food was tasty. However, you have to pay for bread and olive oil ($ 3, but still– given the cost of everything else that should be a given) and the prices for simple pasta dishes were absurd, given that the pasta was clearly not made in-​house. I know how easy it is to make pasta. There’s no excuse for a restaurant to charge as much as this one does and not take that step. They either need to lower their prices or raise their standards– preferably both.
Come to the bar for drinks and snacks (they have a delicious snack menu back there), then leave and go somewhere else for dinner.

Amazing, crave-​worthy Italian cuisine in a bustling, cheerful space. We went on the recommendation of friends who know how to dine well in Charlottesville. The wait was on the long side, about 45 – 50 minutes, but the hostess was so nice and we enjoyed some wine and appetizers in the separate bar space while we waited. Despite how busy the restaurant was, the wait staff was very welcoming and attentive. We will definitely visit again the next time we’re in town!
She Said: A generous serving of burrata with arugula pesto and sundried tomatoes tided me over while we waited to be seated. My bucatini all’amatriciana was more than worth the wait — the sauce was so flavorful and my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I’m usually not a huge fan of tiramisu but here it was delicious — light and delicate.
He Said: One of the liveliest Italian meals I’ve had; a great balance between the seasoning of the bolognese sauce and the natural flavor of the house-​made pappardelle. Wonderful service and lovely ambiance in Old Charlottesville.
Food: 5, Service: 5, Ambiance: 4