I went here after work on day with one of my friend for beer and apps. The beer was fresh and the app was to die for!

I went there four times in the past year for luncheon. It is the closet Italian restaurant and I usually went with the group. Their food are nothing to write home about...... Service is a joke, took the waitress 10 minutes to get my drink, 20 minutes for our food, and less than a minute for our bill, and we get the same waitress every time we went. Next time I will drive further down to Princeton area..... read more

Wasn't expecting much based on the reviews, but we had a good time here. Drinks were good, food was tasty, service was maybe not stellar, but perfectly fine. The building is old with a cool character, nice for hiding away on a snowy night. Actually, with the amount it had snowed, I wasn't sure we'd be able to get out of the parking lot, but yay for my gutsy Corolla. So we have our new local pub, which is cool, as it's just around the corner from us. Give them a try, you might be pleasantly surprised. read more

The food is excellent here. The appetizers are great too. I've never had a bad meal here. The building is a landmark so it's not a roomy modern restaurant, but the character is great. The barteners are awesome too. I highly recommend La Taverna. read more

I love this place! Lori the bartender was awesome and very kind. The food was excellent and the Victorian style look is so comforting. This is my new spot and my wife agrees. Highly recommend this place. Leave the kids at home and enjoy yourself! read more

This place had a very friendly and warm atmosphere. I went here for an anniversary dinner with my boyfriend. It is a good place for a dinner date. We skipped the appetizers and went straight to the main entree. There were so many good choices but ultimately I went for the cheese ravioli in marinara sauce. It was a good thing I chose it was delicious. The wonderful thing is it comes in either a small or large size so if you are on a diet this is a good thing . I really enjoyed my dish. My boyfriend ordered the chicken parmigiana. I tried it it was great I love the balance of everything; the chicken, the sauce and the cheese. The only thing I would change is the size it was a massive amount of food. I would say the price of our meal was a tad expensive but worth it. I will definitely return at some point. Bottom line great food great service great staff. Go here for a happy dining experience. read more

If there are specials the waiter should tell you. He did not. I overheard the barmaid tell her customers all the specials. So the waiter probably would have sold a better meal and gotten a better tip. Also with pasta you dont offer parmesan at the table?? I probably would have been just as good at the diner down the road read more

I love La Taverna. The food is great and the prices are average. The staff is so cheerful and helpful. The atmosphere is great...bar or cozy in the restaurant section. Music is outstanding on weekends. Fun times here for sure!! read more

Found this very cozy place on way to my sons shop, have been back 4 times and I already greeted by name and food and drinks are outstanding.big plus is real Italian bread. John east brunswick read more

Door Dash delivered one of my best and hottest take out orders to date La Taverna's appetizers clams, sweet potato fries and buffalo chicken wings were delicious read more

Bad food, bad service...stay away. Got two chicken dishes and they tasted so bland and were so tough. Waitress never even checked on us...took 30 min after the meal to get out. Like I was held hostage. read more

What was suppose to be a great evening with friends turned out to be a disaster!!!!! First what restaurant does not have mint leaves for a very popular drink mojito????? Second we order our drinks, then waited for our server to come back over so we could order appetizers, finally order was taken, then we waited for our entrée to be placed, & we waited & we waited, yea finally order taken. One of the specials was short ribs in some kind of sauce, sounded so good, so my girlfriend & I ordered the short ribs but specifically stated NO SAUCE, bring it on the side. Now when we asked her how they were cooked, confidently she said BROILED. Not the case they were cooked in this extremely SALTY sauce, hell even the mgr said he tried them and also stated "they were very salty" then he said ok what else can I get you so we both ordered T-bone steaks MED WELL.. We get the steaks and not to our surprise they are RARE/MED RARE. So off go the steaks to be cooked to our liking (mind you our husbands are eating and at this point getting very frustrated), well out come the steaks and guess what WELL DONE!! Needless to say we DID NOT EAT them. Now we go out very often and normally IF there is a problem (very rarely) the restaurant tries to rectify the problem, yes they did at the end take off the steaks, but NO ONE came over and said "What happened to your steaks?" My goodness act a little concerned ya think. Now I am a mgr for a very large restaurant chain and when there is a problem I'm very concerned because without my guests I would not have a job, well maybe that's why they weren't that busy. And also just to let you know my husband had the Veal parmesan , and was left on the bench in the parking lot and trust we didn't leave it because we forgot it!!! Just to let you all know this was NOT our first time to the restaurant they defiantly know us because we are somewhat regulars!!!! NEVER AGAIN!!!! read more

I have eaten at this place numerous times and never had a bad meal. Everything is always fresh with great sauces! The hot wings are amazing and I get them for lunch often! read more

Best food in area friendly courteous service, place to go for a great time.have ate here many times never disappointed. What more can I say ...try it you will like it. read more

My husband and I just visited La Taverna in Dayton, NJ and it was the best meal we've had at a restaurant since the restaurants opened for outside dining. They had 2 outside seating areas, larger parties were seated in the gravel lot and parties up to 4 were seated on the elegant patio. The patio had a more classy feel to it, while we felt the gravel lot was not the ideal they made the best out of their situation. Our waitress was a nice girl but she was either slow or super busy; we waited about 15 minutes to order our drinks and then what felt like eternity to place our food order. While service wasn't the greatest, the food and drinks were exquisite. I love a good cocktail and the Double Pear Martini was the perfect starter drink for my appetizer course, while my husband settled for the Angry Orchard. For our appetizers, we ordered the Taverna Meatballs and the Mussels and Clams Sauté. The meatballs were melt in your mouth delicious; I've never had a meatball that amazing before and the peppers and onions were cooked to perfection to give you that snap you need. My husband ordered the Mussels and Clams sauté and all he could say was mmmm. The pancetta, garlic and white wine sauce was phenomenal; he orders this quite frequently at different restaurants and La Taverna's sauté is hands down the best he's ever had. The first round of bread we got with our appetizers was warm and buttery, loved it! The second round of bread wasn't anything to comment on, they probably ran out of the initial bread they gave us because they were closing pretty soon. For our main courses, we both ordered different types of homemade ravioli and for drinks I ordered a glass of the white sangria, he ordered another angry orchard and Crown Royal on the rocks. My husband was more daring and tried the lobster ravioli with the brandy mushroom cream sauce while I was more safe and ordered the cheese ravioli with the vodka sauce. Scrumptious! Absolutely delectable! This is the first time we've gone out to eat in a while that we have no complaints about our meals. Everything was prepared beautifully, came out nice and hot. We cannot wait to go back! read more

We went here about a year and a half ago, and I remember both my husband and I were very impressed. Everything was good, from food to service, kind of hard to find in this area (sorry, we're spoiled from Manhattan restaurants.) So we went back for dinner only to find that it's a completely different restaurant! Now it's another dime-a-dozen Italian restaurant with a predictable menu. Must be a different chef 'cause the quality of food went WAY downhill too. Coconut shrimps were disgusting. The batter was way too sweet. Barely edible. Their mozzarella and tomato salad was pitiful. I know we shouldn't have ordered it since it's winter and tomatoes suck, but it wasn't even about the tomatoes. The worst quality mozzarella I've ever had at a restaurant, literally on the level of shrink-wrapped Polly O. My husband's Tuscan roasted chicken was totally overcooked. He took a bite and sent it back, and he really doesn't do that often. He also specifically told the waitress to leave bell pepper out of his entree due to his allergy, and we found two big pieces of roasted red pepper on his plate. My grilled salmon was also overcooked, but I was too hungry to send my entree back. The dessert was the only decent dish. We ordered Kahlua cheesecake and were reasonably happy with it. Overall we had a pretty bad meal and will NOT be going back. Too bad 'cause it's one of few restaurants that we liked in the area. read more

Decided to try this place out since it was only a few miles from where we were and saw decent reviews. I had driven by this restaurant a bunch of times and always wondered if it was good...and by golly I am kicking myself for not going earlier. The food was delicious! I had the veal saltimbocca, my husband and friend had the chicken parmesan and our other friend had a custom request which they made perfectly! The fried zucchini appetizer was delicious although the smaller than shoestring size of it made it a little messy to eat. The service was good although it was a little bit on the slow side with getting the main course...one of our friends was so hungry she filled herself up on bread...can't blame her...it was actually very tasty and hard to resist when it is in front of you! The spring mix salad was also very tasty and wasn't drenched in dressing which is always a plus. Best part was that the prices were reasonable! I will definitely come back in a heartbeat and you shouldn't hesitate to either. read more

Bar staff 8/10, serving staff 6/10, food 5/10. Unfortunately if owner is there, be ware of his rude attitude (maybe he is racist, who knows?) Bar staff is very friendly as we used to go there quite frequently. As paying customers, we were treated disrespectfully only by the owner. Maybe he needs to learn about customer service from some of his staff. Or maybe was unable to digest the idea of anyone of a different background enjoying themselves.... Who knows? But we are definitely not going there again. read more

The food was okay; however, the sevice was awful. Our waitress disappeared halfway through our meal and we never saw her again. There was a party on the main floor and I guess she decided to help with the party instead of the tables upstairs. We were totally ignored and had to find another waitress to help us. As we were leaving we saw our original waitress so we expressed our unhappiness with her service. She just shrugged her shoulders and said she was busy. Oh they also do not give free refills on fountain drinks. That is not posted on their menu. read more

We read a good review in our local paper, so decided to give it a try. What a disappointment! We started with the fried Calamari which was about the worst I ever had. Plain and chewy, We also had the crab and artichoke dip which was nothing to write home about either. We went with a group of five. Two people had the Veal Parm which was not good at all. The Shrimp scampi and the stuffed chicken "special", was not much better. I had the grilled salmon and left half of it on my plate. It was dried up and fishy tasting. I really can't think of one thing we enjoyed here. Way to ruin a Saturday night with the family! Needless to say, we will NOT be back! read more

OMG!! Perhaps the worst dining experience ever--certainly recently. Gave it one star because some of the food was OK but would have given no stars if that was an option. They took my reservation on the phone and we arrived on-time. When the owner (also the host) took us to Siberia (upstairs) to dine, I asked if we could be seated downstairs where one could get a better feeling of the restaurant and it's coziness, and there were plenty of table for four that were unoccupied. His gruff reply was "other people called before you so they are reserved! I went back downstairs to find him and ask again--now there were more unoccupied table. Same story. I asked how he knew that the others were even going to show-up as they do not call and confirm reservations. He banished me back upstairs where during our meal and to the end, we were the only people upstairs which created havoc for our capable waitress. In short, the owner is RUDE and simply doesn't care about his customers. As we exited, I told him that his attitude was a shame as some of the food might have been good-enough for a return visit. After suggesting that hose who show up on-time should be seated somewhere other than Siberia, he reiterated that he doesn't do business that way. I told him that we would not be returning and his response was "I don't care, get out of here and don't ever come back"! The final straw was he called one of the women in my party an "asshole". Upon reading some other Yelp reviews, it seems that his behavior is "standard"--too bad because insults are not warranted for a nice night out. And, what full-service bar doesn't have ANY dark rum?? read more

I like this place a lot and find the selection to be small, but in a good way. no one wants an overwhelming menu and its nice to see select dishes that have a finer focus on the details to a good meal. I've heard some mention of the lunch menu being completely different, but I cannot comment on that. What I can comment on is the dinner menu and the fine dishes I've had. My all time favorite is the Chilean Sea Bass with this whipped butter or maybe its a whipped olive oil...I have no idea, that sits on top of it and just melts....yum. the Cajun Scallops are great, and they really do make a great chicken pot pie. I've tried many dishes here and have all been pretty successful. Another fine addition is a really great martini list. I personally think they make a good Washington Apple Martini. If the menu doesn't please your taste for the night, then by all means listen to the staff when they present the specials. You will most likely find a great appetizer and a delicious meal from that choice. Desserts....Dark Side of The Moon. Enough said. A good meal, bit pricey, but a nice cozy place that gets pretty cool on the late night with some live music. I love the four setting tables facing Georges Road. I think those are the best seats personally. A high top at the bar is cool too. Anywhere with the fire place gets a little on the warm side, but that's just me. I like the windows. Oh....I almost forgot the fresh bread and pesto dipping sauce....too easy to fill up on. So good! read more

Born and raised in Brooklyn and used to getting good food.....we planned a repast following my father's funeral... I booked it over the phone site unseen...little was available in two days notice ...The owner was so accommodating and reassuring I booked everything over the phone ..no deposit needed. When we got there that day (I never even called to confirm) everything was ready...we had a rough start because our guests were stressed and some were from out of town and had only 40 minutes to eat...they bent over backwards to help us. Food was excellent... Service great and we had MANY last minute requests that were handled immediately. i will definitely make the trip back to enjoy some great food!!! read more

While my husband and I always enjoy the food, until recently we only formally dined there. We now go, when just the two of us, to the bar area where Jess makes and remembers our drinks, and we eat. If before 6pm starters are half price and an excellent value. Love their French onion soup. Last time for a lite dinner had an iceberg blue cheese bacon and tomato salad - and added grilled shrimp. Finally a good local bar / restaurant with good food and service. read more

Every time I have gone here, whether its for happy hour (best watermelon martinis - EVER!) or for dining, I have always had a pleasant experience. The waiters/waitresses are attentive and they always come back to make sure you're okay. Food is excellent and the atmosphere is quite nice. On Fridays, they have live music which is always a treat. The menu changes, which always leaves room to try new things. Try their evening specials. It's always a treat to try something new that's not from the standard menu. read more

After reading the aforementioned reviews you assume this place was fairly good. You couldn't be more wrong. Right off the bat it was hard to tell where the main entrance was. After walking in and waiting a few minutes, my girlfriend and I were informally greeted by a man who was just smoking a cigarette in front of (what I assume to be) the front door. After being seated the waiting staff was pleasant and attentive. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming. But then the food came.... The salads were over dressed and were actually browning. The chicken parm was mediocre at best. My girlfriend ordered a chicken in cream sauce that was repugnant. The sauce lacked any and all flavor; and the chicken was rubbery and inedible. I had to spit it out. Over all I can't see how this place stays in business and I would highly suggest staying far away to avoid possible food born illnesses. All in all this place is a perfect equation and a terrible execution. read more