Excellent service and delicious food. Great special occasion choice. Absolutely no complaints. I love the back bar area too.

Oooo I love this Italian restaurant so so much. Slightly Pricey-er than what most college students are willing to drop on food, but the PERFECT spot to make the parental units come and pay :)) they don't take reservations so you have to get there super early or risk waiting an hour or so. 5pm is a good meal time, and worse comes to worse there is a small bar that serves snacks in the back! GREAT Italian food that makes your soul smile. Don't skip out on dessert: get the tiramisu. It's like eating a cloud of chocolatey coffee goodness sent from the Heavens above. read more

tavola - Seared scallops with beet risotto - Italian Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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My family loved this place. Standouts were the salad verde and the desserts. Drink specials excellent. Perfect service. All entrees were very good but mine the shrimp pasta dish a little undercooked. The location is noisy and fun and accommodates small children well. We found this one of our best Italian meals ever! read more

The food was excellent, but the owner is rude. He lacks compassion and doesn't display core values.

Excellent food, outstanding service (despite that it was busy, and festive (noisy) atmosphere. We ordered the raucci and eggplant entrees. The raucci was a slightly bit creamy, and the sauce in the eggplant dish was a hint salty. The two desserts that we ordered were fabulous! Overall, 4.5 stars read more

I dream about the burrata appetizer at this place. That appetizer was the star of the meal to be honest. The burrata was creamy with a delicious pesto sauce with a side of sundried tomatoes that added the right amount of acid. The crostini bread was crispy and a perfect vehicle for the burrata. As for the rest of the meal, I got the melanzane alla parmigiana-flavorful but nothing to write home about. However, my husband really enjoyed his bucatini. It was delicious and authentic tasting. Overall, tavola was a great place for date night and very cozy. We cannot wait to be back! read more

Tavola now takes reservations and restaurant seating has expanded into the bar. In addition, there is take-out. Early in the evening, it was packed. Hence, the kitchen is really overloaded. This affects service and causes long waits for orders to arrive. Whether it has affected the quality of the food is a bit subjective. The menu was reasonable but the entrėes were not interesting. Appetizers were flavorful as were the pasta dishes. A narrower wine list held diverse wines at reasonable prices. The worst part of the experience was the extremely loud music which made conversation at the table and with the server virtually impossible. Our request to lower the volume had limited result as someone would raise it back. So, take it or leave it... read more

The pasta here is unparalleled in the city! love Tavola and highly recommend!!! Only drawbacks is it is so popular so getting a reservation can be a challenge, and they don't do carry out. read more

Disgusting customer service. We made a reservation here by phone. When we arrived, they told us that they had no record of our reservation and that there were no tables available. I understand that mistakes happen. If they had sincerely apologized for the mistake, I would have left and thought nothing of it. Instead they insisted that I had never called the restaurant -- that either the mistake was mine, or else I must be lying. Honestly I don't know what happened. Maybe a staff member forgot to make a note of my reservation. Maybe a customer picked up the phone as a joke and pretended to take my reservation. Either way, it is a restaurant's responsibility to know who answers their phone. So when a customer travels to the restaurant for a reservation that does not exist, you should offer them some basic respect. read more

My husband and I made a reservation for Valentine's Day. We did not have any advance notice that we'd be limited to a $70 per person prix fix menu that featured hardly any Italian food at all. In addition to being comically overpriced for the minuscule portion sizes, the food was only so-so at best. The salmon was woefully underdone, and the steak was overdone. I do not intend to return and am confused about why this place is so highly praised. read more

When we first moved to town, folks RAVED about this place and we couldn't wait to try. It was not great at all. The servers were rude and short. The dining room was full of flies. The food was bland and over-priced. For what looks like a simple Italian place, it's didn't hit the mark. I'd be embarrassed to recommend this place to anyone. read more

We've eaten here many times before. Tavola has always been one of our favorite restaurants in Charlottesville. This time was a disappointment. Service was very slow and not very helpful. Everyone understands and shares the Covid concerns. However, it should still be possible for diners to receive quality service since prices are the same. We brought our own expensive wine. The two servers opened it. They never poured a glass. We had to ask for new glasses when they opened following bottles. There was no decanting. We were charged full corkage fees. We hardly ever saw our servers (the young lady was very curt.) Because they are now trying to serve outside, all the doors were propped open, making it very cold in the back dining room. I wish we had been told this was the situation and we could have planned accordingly. (At least the diners outside had heaters.) The food was still very good...that did not disappoint. I think diners and servers need to work together to get through this hard time. For the $400+ that we paid for our meal, it should have been a more pleasant event. read more

The entrees are wonderful, however, zero pasta or bread is served with your meal. The "bowl" of soup was pretty good but very skimpy on the shrimp / fish/ scallops and the portion was very disappointing. Overall, everyone in our group of 14 was kind of surprised that our meals ($24-$29) didn't come with anything... read more

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! read more

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The service was very disappointing. Very slow and sassy. I ordered an unsweetened tea and the server told me "this is an Italian restaurant, we don't serve tea." It really rubbed me wrong. read more

My favorite restaurant! Staff and food are always excellent!!! I go there frequently and often take newcomers who then turn into lovers of Tavola. The servers are very attentive and the food never fails to meet my expectations. Don't miss the experience! read more

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Delicious from start to finish. The chefs do an outstanding job creating dishes with flavor and finesse. All the appetizers were amazing, especially the shrimp, the mussels and the artichokes. The entrees were equally delicious (rockfish, eggplant parm , fra daviola pasta) and the desserts (we shared all of them) were all winners. All the servers were attentive, quick and professional. A truly exemplary meal. I look forward to returning. read more

For me server service is very important- and I got that! There were enough items in the menu for a vegetarian like me. Loved the flavor of all food. read more

We ate here for our anniversary this year and I am so glad we did! The food was great! We got the antipasti Misti to start and it was delicious. I got the Capellini Fralin Diavlo, and it was amazing! My partner got the carbonara and gave high praise. For dessert, we split an espresso and a slice of tiramisu and it was the perfect way to end the most perfect meal. Our server Beth was awesome! She was super sweet and made sure we were taken care of without hovering (which I really appreciate). She was super knowledgable and her service was fast too. The interior was cozy and romantic. As we left the restaurant, I turned to my partner and said "that was the best meal we've had out in a long time!" He concurred. Thank you for the amazing anniversary dinner! Tavola, we love you, and we will be back! read more

The food was good, but unfortunately not that memorable. We picked this location on our quarterly pilgrimage to the area for our wine pickup, after reading it's incredible reviews - we wanted house made pasta. As it turns out, only one of their pasta dishes contains "house made" pasta. MAJOR letdown. They don't take reservations and you put your name on the list as walk-in style only - thankfully they have a very large back bar area which makes waiting less gruesome - AND you can transfer your drinks from the back bar to your seating when it's time, perfection! We were a bit disappointed to be honest that we couldn't find a nice, bold red wine from their list. And we definitely but the bartender through the works trying to find one that fit our palate - she was gracious to our requests and we did end up picking a bottle. After about 40 minutes we were told that spots had opened up at the bar for dinner seating if we would like. We weren't feeling picky so we decided bar dinner seating was fine! As we meandered through from the back bar to the dinner side we noted a few two-person tables that were open however... curious indeed. We started with an order of the mussels which I will say was the highlight of the evening. The size of these mussels was NEXT LEVEL. I honestly thought about them the next day, highly recommend. I did end up ordering the one house-made pasta dish, because that's the entire reason I wanted to come here - fresh pasta... it was just OK. It was a pappardelle ragu and nothing special. My friend opted to order one of their standard Milanese dish (breaded pork, etc) and her dish was very good, per her. Then, after being a bit disappointed by my pasta adventure I of course couldn't resist ordering dessert. The dessert was good! But flagging down one of the servers to acknowledge us so that we could actually order said dessert: not great. Keep in mind we are sitting at the bar, so it isn't as if staff wasn't plainly in sight the entire time. We actually had to audibly say "is there any way we can order dessert or is that no longer an option?" The staff was just standing around talking this entire time mind you, so it wasn't as if they couldn't SEE us. We ended up with Chestnut Cheesecake and Chocolate Torte. We liked it, but the overall attentiveness (lack thereof) of being diners at the bar was beyond infuriating. It kind of ruined our otherwise OK dinner. read more

One of the triumvirate restaurants in a small Belmont cubby hole. Portions are generous, not gut-busting; the tiramisu is made in-house; and all the flavors fall under the general category of rustic Italian cooking, meaning locally sourced ingredients used in creative ways. Read http://charlottesville29.com/tavola/ when you get a chance - there's lots of good stuff about how chef Michael Keaveny and Tami Keaveny have put their hearts and souls to making the food as punchy and fresh as possible. Some days, you want Raising Cane's and Panda Express; other days, you want food that the Italian nonna that you never had would have made. The fra diavolo is divine: lots of fat scallops, shrimp, and mussels in a tomato sauce with a surprising amount of spicy kick. I've always associated Italian food with tomatoes, garlic, basil, and GOBS AND GOBS of cheese (I grew up on cafeteria-style sliced pizza with little neon orange puddles of oil. Cut me some slack), but I'm still searching for whatever it was that gave the tomato sauce that perfect amount of spice. I don't think it was chilis, but definitely some kind of pepper. Tiramisu was excellent in a way that only ladyfinger cake soaked in espresso and then doused with cream can be excellent. I'm running two miles on the treadmill tomorrow for tonight's indulgences, but it was so worth it. My one (minor) complaint has to do with the structure of the cooking area - it's all out front, not encased behind a door or behind a small plating window, so all the smoke, grease, and other oil smells waft out to the tables nearby. I'm sure they've got some state-of-the-art ventilation system going on, but sometimes the smell of smoke got overwhelming, especially when they were whipping up the mussels in a hot pan. Just try to pick a table closer to the door if you can. Also, the prices are a little steeper than their next-door neighbor, the Local, but the food is so well-made and everyone, from the waitress to the host, was so hospitable. I'd definitely come back. read more

Con: they don't take reservations. Pro: great staff and amazing bar in the back with great cocktail. The staff def knows how to make one and we ordered bartenders choice! Great wine list. wished more va wines were offered. We ordered salmon and parpadelle with pork ragu. The parpadelle pasta was tasty but the pork ragu would have been better if it was ground pork perhaps. It lacked a little flavor. The salmon was very tasty and a generous portion. The cheesecake lemoncello was a tasty ending. Would def go back for the cocktails though more than the food. While the good was lovely, I would give it 4 stars. The cocktails deserved 5 stars! read more

My wife and I tried this place for the first time. It is on street with a few other popular dinner spots and the restaurant is tucked in a cozy corner that may make you forget you're in Cville. Despite a minor error in delivering a bruschetta trio instead of what we had actually ordered (a skewered shrimp app), the service was quite good. The paparadelle bolognese main was tasty, but a bit overpriced. We did appreciate the fact that they have the carafe option (vs. just by the glass or bottle), since that is the perfect amount of table wine for dinner for us. read more

I hadn't originally intended on dining here last night--I wanted to try the tapas spot down the street, but there was a super long wait for a table. I popped down to Tavola because I had heard their food was amazing and because they could seat my husband and I immediately. We shared a baguette with olive oil (exactly what you'd expect) and both ordered the linguine alla carbonara. It was absolutely delicious. It's one of those dishes that we went out of our way to take small bites of so we could enjoy it for a little bit longer. My only complaint about our dining experience is that we had to wait awhile for a server to come get our order (probably because we only saw one server covering the floor). Once we ordered our food, though, it came out really quickly. It's worth noting that this restaurant is really small with limited seating space. They don't take reservations, either, so time your visit accordingly. read more

Great dinner! We had Prosecco and Chardonnay, the burrata with pesto and sundries tomatoes, scallops over beet risotto, shrimp pasta, and tiramisu. Everything was delicious and portions were generous. Great spot for a nice dinner out. I like how the restaurant isn't too big so it as a nice cozy feeling with great service read more

tavola - Burrata with pesto and sundries tomatoes - Italian Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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We came here for my birthday dinner while visiting Charlottesville and I'm so glad! We got the artichoke appetizer, carbonara and spaghetti with meatballs. Everything was amazing! Also our server was the best! Amazing Italian food! read more

Food was exceptional. We got a dish with scallops, shrimp, and mussels with a roasted tomato sauce over spaghetti as well as the carbonara dish. Both were absolutely phenomenal. Everything was perfectly cooked and seasoned - the carbonara had an interesting kick that managed to not be off putting to my sensitive tongue. Only reason to knock a star was the service. I don't know if the waiter was new or inexperienced, but he stumbled over the specials and seemed nervous. A small thing, but still. Overall, great place. read more

tavola - Italian Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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The best Italian fare in Cville. You cannot go wrong with anything on menu. The wine list is also excellent and pairs well with the food. Cheers! read more

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Amazing service, wonderful pork cheek special over best polenta I've ever had! Only reason for 4 instead of 5 was eggplant dish that was a bit lack luster. Highly recommend read more

Nothing compares to Tavola it's the best place to eat in C-Ville, but if you don't time it right you may have to wait for awhile. Staff is very knowledgeable about the wine and food and can help you put with any questions. They have nightly specials that range from spaghetti and meatballs to octopus and every one I've tried has been great. You can now rent the back room for private parties. read more

tavola - View of kitchen area. I'm sitting at the bar enjoying some red wine. - Italian Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Everything you could ask for - high quality, local ingredients, innovative dishes, stunning tastes and presentation in a beautiful, cozy atmosphere read more

My uncle Frank, his mother is from Italy , has at every holiday fed us his families meatballs. They are the best meatballs I've ever had in my entire life. I've never had meatballs even come close to that. This restaurant nailed it. I felt like I was sitting in my uncle Frank's living room on a cold winter evening surrounded by our family eating meatballs again. The pasta was amazing. The sauce was completely on point. There's nothing I would've changed about the dish. It's an understated atmosphere but the food speaks for itself. read more

On many people's list of favorites, with some important caveats. Their staples tend to be better than their specials. We often go with a small group of friends and commonly all choose between: carbonara, pork, and scallops. Other choices have always been "good", but in the end we always end up wishing we'd stuck with our classics--not usually our style. The wine is always great, I find their recommendations are usually spot-on, especially if you sit at the bar and have longer to discuss preferences. Their mixed drinks are delicious but practically booze-free. Even the "stiffer" ones are weak, and sometimes it's hard to justify $10+ dollars. Their addition of a back bar really made their no reservations policy easier. Probably the perfect time to chat up the bartender and get one of those cocktails, since you don't want to drink too much on an empty stomach anyway! read more

First time there, very disappointed in how we were treated!! No reservation on a Tuesday evening 5:30, for two. Was told if we could be outby 730 they could seat us. Not hardly anyone in there. Bar was empty as well!!! Then when someone walked to ask how was everything we had just received our meal and started with a question and the person cocked her head and rolled her eyes!!!!!! I immediately said everything is fine. I was in shock of the behavior in this establishment. First time there. Food was good but I was sick all night long after returning home. We drove an hour to try this highly recommended restaurant. Will never return. There is something to be said about kindness, professionalism and politeness!!!!! May want to try that. read more

I've been coming to Tavola for a few years now for special occasion dinners or to the Cicchetti Bar in the back for drinks with friends. Every. Single. Time. I feel like I've experienced the best drink, meal, and service of my life. It's popular, so sometimes you have to wait, but the hosts/hostesses always treat you like an old friend they're happy to see and invite you to wait in the bar in the back where you can get fun appetizers and some of the most innovative, yet balanced cocktails of your life. The bruschetta changes each time you go, so try it, always a beautiful mix of fresh flavors. The pastas are amazing, contemporary spins on classics. Everything is rich, flavorful and made with fresh ingredients. Even the seafood, IN CHAROTTESVILLE. What a treat. The tiramisu isn't much to look at, but it is genuinely my favorite dessert I've ever had. Tonight, my wife and I had the pleasure of perfect drinks from both Steve and Rebecca, which were followed up by warm, top-quality service from our waitress Sydney. Give it a try, you'll be addicted too. read more

A small, intimate Italian restaurant which obviously takes pride in its food and service. We both ordered appetizers from the list of specials; she a cold artichoke and sausage soup (an unlikely sounding combination, but one that worked); I had a grilled lettuce salad with a light dressing, thin slices of turnip, topped with chopped almonds (also unlikely, but excellent. She had linguine carbonara; I had pappardelle bolognese. Our waitress was knowledgeable and friendly. The open kitchen permitted us to observe that the cooks and wait staff had excellent rapport and enjoyed working together. read more

Could be perhaps one of my best dining experiences ever. You have to look to find Travolta. It's tight inside yet you won't feel crammed. Good wine list to choose from. We started with the Bibb Salad and the pear salad, presentation awesome, tasted even better. Order the bread, you will want to ask them what brand of olive oil they serve with it. We then had the carpacchio, world class. I ordered the pork cutlets and a potato pancake that were to die for. The portions are big, the food is delicious and the staff worked hard together. This restaurant is worth the trip. Fly in, drive in but go. read more

Tavola is a great Italian restaurant in the Belmont neighborhood of Charlottesville. It's situated on a quaint street with half a dozen other eateries. It is in an old house with a very large bar in the back to wait for your table or meet a group for drinks. The cocktails were good and they have Peroni on draft. The main dining area has a lively atmopshere (the open kitchen added a fun element), but also allows for quiet table experience. The bruschetta and burrata appetizers were great, as were our entrees. We opted for specials that had homemade pasta and unique sauces, all of which were great. There are numerous vegetarian options, and our service was kind and attentive. It's a touch expensive, but not unreasonable, and worth the price. read more

We went to tavola for my birthday dinner. Everything was perfect, starting with the insalate tricolore-a refreshing salad with yummy bits of pancetta and an outstanding gorgonzola dressing. My partner had the steamed mussels appetizer. I'm not a fan, usually, of mussels, but these were SO delicious that we shared them. I had the hangar steak, which was cooked to perfection, with a scrumptious rosemary potato cake, and sweet beets. My partner had the pasta carbonara-also delicious and perfectly done. We had tiramusu and castagnelle (amazing cookies!) and the coffee was perfect, as well. The staff was nice and friendly and attentive without hovering. A great visit at a great restaurant. https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g57592-d1516338-r739527029-Tavola-Charlottesville_Virginia.html# read more

Food and service was very good. Bartender pouring a glass of wine was very stingy. With the huge markup on wine, I wonder why this happened. We probably will not return. read more