So we've been to Tavira many times, and decided to go for my wife's birthday. First let me say we had one of our best meals ever, we remarked all the way home. Clams, steak, fish, sides all perfect-plus. But the service this time was disappointing considering it was a special meal and the waiter was SPECIFICALLY told so. Different servers kept passing through, which was fine, but the tempo felt hectic not relaxed and main guy seemed missing at times. And no "little extra something"to acknowledge the birthday. We still love the place (for food) but not sure what happened that night. Not sure how/if you flag tables for attention, but this night was a service miss. The young guy seemed overworked, maybe under trained. Not offered the usual after-dinner cordial...others were... read more

Very good food but the restaurant does not know how to prepare food that isn't extremely salty. We've been there several times previously and this has not changed. Even a request to make a dish salt free or low salt was not honored. There is a major difference in pricing between the regular menu and the specials. While a difference is understandable, the amount of the difference is greater than one would expect. Highly recommended to people who don't mind lots of salt in their food. read more

One great aspect of this restaurant is that it you can wear jeans and a nice top for a more "chill" night, or dress up a bit and have a romantic date. We ordered two of the specials including lamb shank with pork tenderloins, and then a tuna steak. Incredibly delicious. The wine prices were cheapter than I expected, and they are great at recommending wine. The icing is the nice, quiet yet impressive music in the background (we went Friday night). The only reason the place loses a star is that the place wasn't too busy, but the service was pretty slow. The servers definitely knew everything about the menu, but it took a long time to put in our order. That being said, I still highly recommend it! read more

Portions were small, just warm, and arrived late. Waiter got two of our entrees wrong. Waited a long time for the food Expensive. read more

Excellent. We wanted to go out but decided to order a dinner that tasted as good at home as the restaurant. Beef tips were perfectly prepared, potatoes, fresh veggies... yummy. Next time we'll dine there so that we can try dessert. read more

Quiet ambience, excellent staff. We enjoyed calamari appetizer (whole calamari in a wine/garlic sauce), lamb shank that fell apart, grilled tuna in pineapple glace, and shared one slide of pumpkin cheese cake. One bottle of vino verde washed everything down. Great meal. Look forward to returning. read more

The first time I went here, the food was okay. The second time, the food was absolutely awful and the restaurant was freezing. Nope

On our first visit to Tavira, we dined with two other Boomer-aged couples. We were pleasantly greeted, and service throughout the evening was attentive without being intrusive. It's easy to carry on a conversation, but the lighting at our table, located in a corner, was inadequate. Food was universally praised. The branzino special was nicely grilled, de-boned at the table, and seasoned perfectly. The arroz Valenciana was outstanding - terrific flavors and ingredients - a wonderful take on paella. It also was enough for two people to share unless one has a big appetite. I look forward to returning soon. read more

We had an excellent time at Tavira. The staff was friendly and the food was excellent. We can't wait to return.

Like many other reviewers here, I doubt I'd have discovered Tavira without the benefit of Groupon. The ambience is much more pleasant than the basement of an office complex has any right to be. On first glance, the menu wasn't particularly inspiring -- very cod-heavy -- but our enthusiasm picked up once we heard the specials. First, we had the chorizo in some kind of strawberry-wine reduction, which was maybe the best fruit-meat pairing I've ever had (which, granted, is like being the tallest building in Wichita). We followed that up with the roasted red pepper stuffed with goat cheese (can't recall whether that was a special or off the menu) and some kind of cod stew which was fine but doesn't particularly stand out in my memory. I'd definitely return, discount or no, to try another seafood dish and perhaps the desserts. read more

I eat dinner and takeout lunch at least once a week from this authentic Portuguese restaurant - a hidden gem in the lower level of the 8401 CT Ave building. The food is diving and the service great. The cozy decor and private rooms allow for an intimate lunch or dinner. LOVE it!! read more

Had my birthday dinner here with a crowd of 26. Loved the ambiance, very intimate. The service was amazing!! They were very friendly and helpful! The food was delicous! Had the Peri Peri Cornish hen and fries. It was perfect. Also tried the lamb off my friends plate, OMG I'm going back just for it. The drinks were great, had just the perfect mixture of alcohol, Lol. All in all a 5* rating read more

Wonderful food. Especially the grilled calamari. Gracious service and a comfortable dining room where you can actually hear each other and have a nice conversation. read more

Not worth the price. Lamb shanks at $45 with tomato sauce on top - had better at $20. Creme brûlée was taken out of the freezer with a glazed top - came out after 15-20 mins after finishing dinner. Very bad service - had to call server twice before wine glass was refilled. Avoid. read more

The food is delicious. The staff is professional and friendly. Best restaurant in DC area.

The food and atmosphere were great. The service was great too, except that servers did not place the plates down gently and made noise. It was the same when they came to pick up plates. read more

I really like Tavira. It is a very unique restaruant with such a great variety of food. The food and drink is great but a bit over priced, waiters and servers were very nice overall. read more

This restaurant is tucked away in an office building down stairs. It has a great atmosphere very knowledgeable waiters. The food is nothing but excellent and the wine also a taste of the Mediterranean flavor. There is no rush while your enjoying this dinning experience. Will return for another special occasion. read more

I love the ambience of Tavira, the menu is varied, you can get good wine, and it is one of the few places you can have a quiet conversation. The staff are solicitous. You are left alone and not hurried. I go there many times. It is a small elegant surprise. read more

We just ate in this restaurant.we reserved for 6:30 pm,came 6:00pm.we were sat in the back behind a closed door ,with draft and noise.must be behind the kitchen.we tried to ask for another table ,there were several tables for two but were told that they were all reserved because customers ask for specific table when they reserve.( we reserved in yelp ,there was no way you can choose a table number.)and really customers know the table numbers? I have eaten in better restaurants with no problem choosing seats.during dinner a couple came and was being sitted in the table for 2 beside us but refused and sat to the one next to us.really?we called the restaurant and spoke to the manager doardo after we got home and complained why we couldnt pick the table .he said all tables were reserved and he knows all his customers and knew were they want to sit.i never believed this foolishness.we really were discriminated upon,given the worst seat .if you are not white,dont eat in this place,you will be discriminated upon.i will never come back to this place.doardo and hostess,please dont fool your customers.you just ruined my valentine's day.we are not idiots!!!! read more

Wonderful place, nice selection on the menu. Staff was friendly and attentive. Waiter had good entree recommendation. Service was prompt. Will definitely be back. read more

Probably the best food I've ever eaten. We order 7 entrees between our party of 6 to share. Each dish was spectacular. The calf's liver was unbelievable, the bass was the best I've ever tasted. The lamb shank and lamb chops sealed the deal. The appetizers were so good, we ordered more. We can't wait to come back. By far, the best flavors and variety are the best we've ever had. The Old Fashions were perfect. The restaurant is quaint and elegant. Looking forward to next time! read more

I've eaten here twice in the last several years and the food and service are fabulous! A must for authentic Portuguese food!

The food was good, service was good, would have rated it four stars but the waiter added the tip to the bill for a party of two. It's probably because we were using a Groupon deal and he didn't want to risk us tipping based off of the remaining balance versus the actual bill. I probably wouldn't come here without the Groupon though. read more

Good Europe's style cooking. If you want to try a piece of Mediterranean style salty cod fish. I highly recommend this place.

Been looking for authentic Portuguese cuisine. Pretty close. Delicious. Nice atmosphere. Found a new place to kill as "saudades."

Again, like others have said, don't let its location in a basement of an isolated office building in posh suburban Chevy Chase discourage you. The atmosphere and decorations are elegant and comfortable. Ask for one of the smaller more private dinning rooms. The staff is attentive and kind. Best of all, the food is fresh and delicious, whether it is the shanks (the lamb shank and pork shank on separate occasions were mouth watering), chicken breast, vegetables or even burgers for the kids. Prices are reasonable and they have great $25 and $30 fixed menus. Hands down no-brainer. read more

A forgotten gem for us. Dinner last night was a true treat. Service was superb, as always. We were eating light so enjoyed one their special salads, a marvelous potato soup, Chourio brought to the table in a flaming dish, and an excellent Portuguese Syrah. "Light" included a poached pear desert. That desert would justify visiting Tavira just to have the poached pear. read more

We found this restaurant to be elegant and classy, yet comfortable and affordable. The food was served and presented with care and exquisite touches such as a fresh flower garnish on our dinners, and our dishes were excellently prepared. The background music is a high quality combination of traditional Portuguese (I think) and tasteful contemporary American pieces, at a volume that lets the diners have a normal conversation. The pleasant décor contributes to a delightful ambiance, and best of all, the prices are reasonable. We will be back and will feel confident in bringing others with us for an enjoyable dining experience. read more

In sum: Pretty average food with lackluster service in a tired space. Pros: wine list has some reasonably priced, tasty wines; room is relatively quiet. read more

My husband and I ate here a few weeks ago using a Capital Deals coupon. We loved the intimate atmosphere, the food was fresh, and the wait staff was attentive but not intrusive. I'm a gluten intolerant and don't eat red meat. T here were plenty of menu options available for me. We wound up ordering way more than the coupon allowed and enjoyed it all. I highly recommend ordering a desert because it comes with a complimentary and delicious glass of port - a great way to finish a meal! My only complaint was that my salmon was a bit dry. Be aware that the entrance is difficult to find; it's on the side street in the underground garage. We plan to go back with my parents. read more

A wonderful restaurant, from the hostess to the waiter to the food and wine. Especially the food! our group had everything from a veal shank (falling off the bone) to fresh halibut to puri-puri chicken. All were fabulous. We were a group of 8 and were seated in a semi-private room, which was just perfect. We definitely will return and I recommend this restaurant to anyone! read more

Tavira is a first class restaurant. The food is absolutely amazing as is the service. Our waiter, Alvaro, was very attentive, knowledgeable about the menu selections, the specials and their methods of preparation. If you are not familiar with Portugese cuisine, try the Portugese Tasting Menu. My wife (family from Madeira) and I are always happy to recommend Tavira to friends and family. Tavira has an extensive wine menu, I liked their vinho verde. For dessert, I had their crème brulee, which was topped with caramelized brown sugar and was heavenly. I only wish that I lived closer, so that I could visit more often. In any case, it is well worth the drive! read more

Tavira was very busy dealing with a large party when we arrived. Nonetheless, they promised us a table (we did not have reservations) in 15-20 minutes. It took a bit longer but we sere seated and despite the large party, service was excellent, the food hot and tasty. They even apologized and thanked us for waiting. All in all, a nice evening out. read more

Food is excellent; very well prepared and nicely plated. Our party of four each had a different fish or seafood entree, and all were fully appreciated. Service this time was not quite as attentive as it has been in the past, and I agree with an earlier reviewer that more needs to be done to lower the noise level (perhaps different wall covering or carpet), but these deficiencies did not spoil our evening materially. If these were attended to, Tavira would rate all five stars from me. read more

We ate at Tavira about 15 years ago and it was not good then. Lately, we saw a favorable comment by Tom Sietsema, the WP restaurant critic, and decided to give Tavira another try. Unfortunately, not much has happened to the food in the last 15 years - it is still rather poor. We started with minestrone soup which was overcooked and lacked any taste. The vegetables were in a state of complete disintegration and the pasta was limp and mushy. The main courses included Dorado (fish) and Veal Marsala. The baked whole fish ($30) looked great, and the waiter de boned it. Unfortunately, the gorgeous looking fish had no taste. The house lemon/oil sauce was too strong for delicate seafood, and a few squirts of lemon could not help the tasteless fish. I suspect it was not fresh.and was not properly frozen. The veal Marsala was in-edible. The meat was tough, full of grizzle and we asked for a sharper knife hoping to salvage some of the veal, but to no avail , The few small mushrooms floating above the meat were just OK. We were so disappointed that we skipped the desert offerings. read more

Very chic restaurant. Great service and good-quality seafood.

Exploited or a Deal! A few days ago I purchased a groupon for Tavira for a party of 4, 3 course fixed price for $99. I had been there twice before including using a groupon. I did not bother to look at the menu link on the groupon page to my chagrin as I remembered using a prior deal which had worked well. After booking, I went on the Tavira website, looked at the menu and didn't see the fixed price menu. I Invited some friends and the four of us went to Tavira this evening. Boy were we shocked when we saw the fixed price menu. There were only 4 entrees - no beef, one pork shank, a ravioli, a chicken in sauce and a fish of the day, salmon. Appetizers were two salads and a soup and the deserts were a cake, crème caramel and sorbet. The food was ok but the whole experience - a major disappointment. Now I know I did a dumb thing by not looking at the menu link when I booked this particular groupon deal. Of course it never occurred to me that there were multiple deals for Tavira including a $15/$30 discount deal with access to many more items from the regular menu. I talked to the manager and politely suggested that this type of extremely limited menu offering was not a good advertisement for this restaurant and was actually a turn off. I've used groupons and restaurant.com offers before, but had never encountered this type of situation. Is this "caveat emptor" or should my friends and I feel exploited. read more

This quickly became my favorite restaurant when I moved into the area about 7 years ago. I love the ambiance and the Mediterranean options on the menu. The first time I dined her was probably my first introduction to Portuguese food and everything was marvelous. My favorite appetizers are the mussels and the goat cheese stuffed pepper. For entree, there is always a wonderfully prepared Bacalhau dish on the menu. Unfortunately, I removed a star because our last two visits did not go well. On each of these two visits, we came in for a late dinner (perhaps this attributed to our experiences). On the first occasion, I dined with my husband, and nearly every food item cam out cold or under-prepared. We had to send so many items back that it pretty much ruined the dining experience and the waitstaff was generally unapologetic about the whole matter. The next time, we brought our entire family out to celebrate a religious holiday. The food again was underwhelming, and the worst part was that I had ordered a duck entree that was on the specials that evening and instead was served a Bacalhau dish. I insisted that I had ordered the duck because I recalled giving instructions on how I wanted it prepared. Rather than either correct the mistake or accommodate the misunderstanding, the waiter insisted that I had ordered the fish and that I should keep it because it was a good dish. This same waiter had also appeared exhausted and generally unhappy about having to wait on our table toward the end of his shift, so I unhappily conceded. Given the price of the entree and our final bill, I was really unhappy with our overall experience. When we reached the parking lot, my husband said, "I'm not sure why you like dining here so much. That was awful." I had no response. In any case, I'm hopeful that these two experiences were anomalies and this little gem (along with others in North Chevy Chase) withstands all the coming changes with the purple line station's slated demolitions for redevelopment. It truly is a great family restaurant. read more

I give two stars for effort. The wait staff were superb and the setting was (despite being in a basement) quaintly sweet. The wine list was well thought out and reasonably priced. We had glasses of the house Portuguese red and it was quite good. The food, however, was substantially under par. The potato and kale soup was wan. The rockfish tasted as if it had been frozen. I'm sure that the artichokes in our appetizer were canned. The sauteed spinach was way too greasy, and the peri-peri chicken lacked bite. read more