Came here for a birthday meal. It's in Belmont so parking is always a challenge and we often course came on a very rainy night. It's a popular restaurant so it is definitely on the noisier side. We were off a bit in the corner which did help this a lot. Our server was wonderful. Very attentive service. My only complaint sadly was the food. The beet salad was delicious but my carbonara pasta was so peppery I really couldn't taste anything. Otherwise it was a good experience! read more

What an amazing experience! This restaurant was a treat. It's been on my list to try and I was excited to finally be able to go. After leaving my friend and I got in the car and talked about how great of an experience it was. The atmosphere is intimate and has a local small restaurant feel. Which is a great selling point for me. And would make a great spot for a girls night out or fun date night. It is a small restaurant that has a small dim eating area and bar in the back as well as a space in front with a bar along there kitchen. It fills up fas, especially the window seats in the front of the restaurant. Due to the fact that it is a small space it can get fairly loud so if you would like a more intimate dining experience. Attire is anything from dark jeans and a nice shirt to business casual. Also side note they seems like a great place to dine alone. They have seats at the bar in the front and the back which both would be a great place to casually dine alone without feeling rushed. The service is five star worthy. Clearly they are not only properly staffed but they chose the right people. Any time our glasses got close to half way someone would walk by and fill it up. Between each course they brought us new flatware and made sure we had whatever we needed before it was needed. We never felt like we had to wait for anything but at the same time didn't feel they intruded on the meal. Our server made sure to stop by when we stopped digging into our meal but not as though they were rushing us out. Also, she boxed up our meal and told us she would keep it to the side for us due to the small tables. It was impressive that she would keep it to the side as well as be able to keep it straight with a full restaurant! It was the cherry on top of an amazing dinner. The food was phenomenal. The scallops were perfectly cooked, the pasta tastes as though they are hand makes the dough (which they probably are) and each course brought it's fair share of flavor. The sauce I had on my pasta was spiced to perfection. Our pasta noodles melted in our mouths. Our dessert was fantastic. The limoncello gelato was a great treat to balance out the acidic tomato flavors. Overall, an amazing dining experience. I will be going back and I'm already excited to eat this meal again. read more

See all

Wonderful food and staff. We eat here at least once every time we're in Charlottesville.

We went to dinner tonight at Tavola, while visiting Charlottesville for our 10 year anniversary. It was the best meal we have had in a long time. We made a reservation (which I highly recommend) and arrived to a line waiting for the restaurant to open. Noah was our waiter and expressed great customer service throughout our meal. We ordered the burrata appetizer, with a glass of wine and the watermelon spritz. We then ordered the bolognese and I had the pasta special, gnocchi with crab and mushrooms- all were flavorful and fresh. We then ordered dessert with the tiramisu and lemon bar special, also phenomenal. The flavor, atmosphere and flow of the meal were perfect! We highly recommend! read more

This place was AMAZING. I came here with a friend a few weekends back. The food was amazing we ordered several dishes. The staff was attentive, on point and gave amazing recommendations. It was really busy inside so it was on the loud side. We sat at the bar which you are kinda crammed in there shoulder to shoulder with strangers. 1-2 less chairs at the bar would be nice for comfort. The carbonara I also think could have used a little more sauce and not so pasty but that could be a personal preference. Other than that I would highly recommend going here and can't wait to come back and splurge again read more

See all

Incredible Italian food. Ambiance is cozy and intimate - no rezzys, so come earlier or prepare to wait! Luckily, you can snag seats in the bar area and sip on a variety of beers, wines, or cocktails as well as get some appetizers to get you ready. I love the carciofo: artichokes, goat cheese, garlic. Main menu - you really can't go wrong. Pastas are my favorite and honestly a really amazing representation of how good the restaurant is overall for me. I love the pappardelle bolognese - their pasta is house made! I'm telling you, the stuff comes out piping hot and just stays hot and fresh the entire time. The beef and pork sauce is savory and not too over seasoned, but really brings out the quality of the meat. I was stuffed after eating this. Next on my list is to try their desserts! read more

Tavola's food and service are absolute perfection. It fills up quickly; I strongly recommend reservations. Drinks are very good too. The food is fresh and very tasty. I ordered the clam and corn chower - best I've ever eaten. Seafood pasta is delicious. The bolognese is excellent. Such a good place. It is a refurbished old house, so ambiance is a bit noisy. Food is so good. It is my fav restaurant in Charlottesville. read more

I love this place. Like, really really love it. It's probably my favorite restaurant in all of Charlottesville. The quality is always spot on, the flavors amazing and the vibe is just perfect. I recently learned I can't tolerate dairy, and He is 7 years allergic to shrimp (aren't we a fun pair?) There is usually a wait (no reservations taken) so we love to go and just hang out in back at Cicceti, the wine bar in the back. Our quoted wait time was about twice as long as actual, which is always great right? But again, we were happy to wait. He had a dealers choice bourbon drink and I had a bubbly brut rose, of course. For dinner we started off with the bruschetta trio and carpaccio. Both were ahhhhmaaaaazing. Like melt in your mouth delicious. For entree he had the fruit de mar (no shrimp!! They were so nice to up the other yummy stuff!) and I the scallops with beet risotto (naturally dairy free). Can I say YUM any louder?!? For dessert we wanted something and the cheese plate sounded so good, but of me...no dairy and hating this life adjustment. So, the chef put in two sheep cheeses plus two cow cheeses and it was beyond amazing. I know we probably weren't their easiest customers, but they met our every request and we're so appreciative of our server and the chef's patience! read more

tavola - Pan-seared scallops and beet risotto - Italian Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

See all

We were in town visiting family and decided to have a date night here the Friday after Thanksgiving. We ordered several plates to share: bucatini all' amatriciana, linguine alla carbonara, pork milanese and the brussels sprouts. The food was all really good but our favorite dish was probably the bucatini. The pasta was cooked perfectly al dente and everything was coursed nicely and came out piping hot. The service was also exceptional. The only reason I am deducting a star is because the restaurant didn't seem to have any exhaust so the whole restaurant smelled like fried oil and at one point the whole room was foggy with smoke. My husband wore his barbour jacket to dinner and it is still kind of stinky several day later. Would still absolutely recommend coming here, but maybe wear clothes that can go in the washing machine! read more

Our party of three visitors to CHO found Tavola for an early dinner on Friday. Quite busy & we had no reservations, so sat at the bar, which worked out perfectly as we could watch with great interest the bartending talents of the skilled staff making so many creative & exotic concoctions. Big props for the brown butter bourbon cocktail. Dinners included a vegetarian version of bucatini all'amaratriciana (nicely spicy), the king salmon, & a pappardelle bolognese that the diner pronounced the best he's ever had, including a legendary dish in Rome. Everything was very good. Great cozy atmosphere. We would return! read more

tavola - Menu - Italian Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

See all

-What you need to know in a sentence: Like you're eating homemade Italian food but in a restauran -Ambiance in threeish words: if you had a wine cellar and exposed kitchen in your minimalistic dining room -Treated like: the waiters and bartenders cared as much about quality food and experience as the owner would -Must try: Bolognese! House speciality -Other random tidbits: you can't make a reservation, but they have a back room where you can grab a drink while you wait read more

tavola - Scallops and beet risotto - Italian Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

See all

0/5: condescending owner and staff, terrible service, and overpriced food im often understanding of miscommunication with restaurant service (I've worked in the industry so i get it), but it baffles me that an owner and waiter with so much experience could talk down to patrons the way this restaurant did. tavola, take time to reflect on your service and explain quickly why it is that you say discrimination isn't tolerated in your restaurant, yet you continuously paint the justified frustration of your patrons as "anger" and making a fuss? Also stop with the canned responses and actually apologize read more

0 Stars I have heard great things about Tavola and was excited to go only for me to be extremely disappointed with my experience. The waitstaff and manager were extremely rude and condescending, completely dismissing our valid concerns. They neglected our table (one of the few minorities dining at the time) while we watched multiple tables that were seated after us eat and pay before we got our entrees. They are not a POC friendly establishment unless you are looking for waitstaff and management to humiliate and embarrass you!!! Do not eat here read more

This place gave my taste buds new life. The date with the wife started with our very pleasant waiter, Ryan. Who doubles as Jared Leto. Anyways, I ordered the Fra Diabolo and the wife had the spaghetti and meatballs. The funnest part was when we ate our pasta at the same time and looked each other into the depths of our soul while chewing this pasta masterpiece and just knew this was the BEST PASTA WE HAVE EVER put into our mouths. Highly recommend. This place has potential to impress anybody. read more

There are 4 negative reviews on here from the same table served on 12/28. I was seated next to this table and their account of what happened is the opposite of our experience and what we witnessed.I was there when the owner and waiter were speaking with them. They could not have been nicer trying to answer their concerns. They offered free desserts to the whole table and kept asking what they could do to make the issue right. The table was unaccepting of their apologies and their offers to make it right. Our experience was a wonderful experience dining experience and our waiter Dallas was terrific! We can't wait to come back!!! read more

I am glad this place took reservations because I could tell it was definitely a gem in Charlottesville on Mother's Day weekend. Service was great and we never waited long for water, to order, or anything else. We started with the bread and olive oil, an aperol spritz, and some red wine. The food portions were perfect and I loved the ragu and the eggplant parmesan. I honestly wish I could have tried everything on the menu. read more

Great bartenders and staff, their food is to die for. Smelled amazing in there the second we stopped in. Very beautiful atmosphere too. Great place! read more

tavola - Pineapple infused gimlet - Italian Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

See all

Have been dying to try Tavola and it did not disappoint. My husband started off the night with an Old Fashioned and I got a glass of red wine per the waitresses recommendations, and they were the perfect way to start the meal. The burrata appetizer was DELICIOUS and the arugula pesto & sundried tomatoes were the perfect complement. His pork was perfectly cooked and my eggplant parm was light and so yummy. We got the pappardelle bolognese to share because we couldn't decide what to order, and the homemade pasta combined with the beef and pork sauce was *chefs kiss*. Tavola is a fantastic date night spot, and I can't wait to come back and try more of the menu. read more

tavola - Burrata - Italian Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

See all

Really enjoyed our dinner here, best Italian we have had in Charlottesville. Ambiance was perfect, not too loud and and service was also top notch. Can't go wrong with homemade pasta and tiramisu! read more

I came here for dinner with a couple of friends after hearing raving reviews (and accidentally walking in thinking it's the restaurant next door, the Local, at least five times). I will say upfront that since I could only eat vegetarian (they didn't have any fish options I can eat) my review is skewed. My friend and I shared the primavera pasta and the first pasta on their menu (tomato sauce and chili oil) without the meat. I think the primavera pasta was a lot better than the latter. There weren't a ton of veggies in the primavera but it was easy to eat, creamy but not too cheesy. The tomato pasta was... meh. I know they brag that's it's made in-house but to be honest I think it's no better than pasta I had anywhere else. We also tried their dessert - the chocolate dessert and cheesecake. The chocolate dessert was not good at all, as it was not soft and seemed like it was frozen before. The cheesecake was better but I wouldn't return for it. Lastly, I don't think I've ever seen such small portions for pasta, especially the chili oil pasta. Overall, I think the place is average and a bit overpriced for what it is and I won't be returning. read more

tavola - Small portions (chili oil pasta) - Italian Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

This is hands down the best Italian food we've had in America. My husband and I were visiting Charlottesville, and based on many reviews, knew we had to check this place out. We heard many great things about the food in Charlottesville in general, but up until our visit to Tavola we were not overly impressed. I'm glad we ended our trip on a high note. The tiramisu is incredible. Make sure you save room! read more

love this place. the location, the music, the bar, the food is absolutely the best in Charlottesville. There is so much heart in each item you can tell how thoughtfully everything is prepared. The pasta is incredibly fresh and every time I've dined here, I've had a magical evening. Definitely the perfect place for a solo dinner at the bar or for celebration a big event. read more

tavola - the entrance to the restaurant - Italian Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Awesome experience overall. Fast and friendly service. Great cocktails. Not too noisy for a Saturday night. We ordered the beet salad, bread and olive oil, a lobster pasta special, and the carbonara. They surprised us with a Caesar salad that didn't have a home, which was delicious. Carbonara was extremely peppery, a bit too much pancetta, we would not order again. Wife loved beet salad. Lobster pasta was good. Ordered tiramisu for dessert which was divine. Overall 4.5/5 read more

Fantastic. Everything was so delicious and tasted fresh. We got to the restaurant around 4:30 to wait out-- I'd recommend getting there at least 15m before opening to make sure you get a seat because it's tight. THE FOOD IS SOOO GOOD. Definitely recommend the seafood pastas. I'd recommend the shrimp over the mixed seafood although both were amazing. You can't go wrong. The seafood appetizers are also really good albeit on the pricey and not too much on the plate. Only reason I gave 4 stars and not 5 is because, although the food is absolutely wonderful, I didn't find it life-changing. But a solid choice for dinner. read more

See all

We have nothing but wonderful raving reviews for our dinner at Tavola. From the wine, appetizers, homemade pasta, fried artichokes, branzino, pasta vongole. One of the most amazing diners we have eaten and incredibly reasonably compared to NY!! Don't miss it! read more

See all

I'm ashamed that its apparently taken me this long to write a review for Tavola. Easily one of my favorite restaurants in town, Tavola is a must for any italian food loving peeps. First some things to know. Tavola does not take reservations. I highly recommend you not go with large groups. Tavola is best experienced in small groups, particularly romantic dates. Tavola is a small restaurant. It has a nice bar in the back, with killer cocktails for those who desire them. But you cant get the full menu at the back bar (small plates are apparently available) so if you want to eat a full dinner you will be waiting for a table. Tavola opens at five and within 20 minutes of opening you can expect half the tables to already be occupied. Service is exceptional with staff who are polite, prompt, and well-trained. Foodwise, i highly recommend the burrata app. There's normally a rotating bruschetta trio that are tasty but pale next to the awesome pesto burrata. You will want some wine or drinks to help ease you into your dinner and Tavola has great selection of wines, available by the glass, carafe, or bottle. I've had the pasta carbonara and the frutti de mare and both were exceptional. The carbonara was more filling though and i think i would get that again in the future. For dessert, I absolutely recommend the tiramisu. Soft and tender, it melts in your mouth and you will be very happy with your selection. Tavola is easily the best italian in town. You will pay for that quality so I recommend you save Tavola for special occasions. Just make sure you arrive or early or be prepared for an 45 min to an hour wait. read more

See all

OK overpriced entrees. Average tasting, small and predictable beet/arugla/fried goat cheese salad. Brother can you spare some bread with that. Two cocktails - a gimlet and cosmo that were like flavored fruit juice. Not sure if bartender forgot the alcohol ? Service very average but they include a 20% tip even for tables of 2, so I guess they don't need to do too much but fraternize with each other, take the order and deliver the food. Honestly, Yelp is usually pretty dependable when a restaurant has this many stars. But I would not recommend this restaurant. read more

Tavola it's one of my favorites from a long time now and that it self shows competence and truthful quality. The food is accordingly, the service is adequate and the ambiance is neutral. read more

Great legitimate Italian. Wonderful service. Treated royally for my wife's birthday.

My wife and I ate here for dinner on a busy Friday night. When we made reservations several weeks prior, the only option was to sit at the bar, which was perfect. The food highlights were the mussels (app), the scallops, and the eggplant parm. Bonus was the Tiramisu they brought out with a candle to celebrate my wife's birthday. Service was solid. The only negative was that it got smoky inside when they prepared certain dishes in the open-air kitchen, however, this should not deter anyone from dining here. read more

Absolutely the best restaurant in Cville...atmosphere is warm and inviting and the staff ooze with passion about the food/drinks/hospitality. Everything is amazingly fresh and so incredible that you have to go frequently to appreciate many different appetizers and entrees. read more

I've had my eye on Tavola for a while! This restaurant has been on my list for a really long time, so I went for an anniversary dinner. First off, even though they do not take reservations, there was absolutely no wait. In fact, our food came out maybe ten minutes after we ordered. SO FAST! The atmosphere is also very nice, has a local restaurant vibe, and the workers were all pretty nice to us. I was REALLY satisfied with the quick service. The pasta was pretty good - not the best I have ever had, but not unexpected for the price. I ordered the carbonara, which was the perfect amount of creamy. The noodle were a little hard, but the sausage and the cheese helped a lot and overall the dish was not bad. In my opinion, the bucatini was a little flavorless - the meatballs did not have much sauce and the pasta was also slightly undercooked. However, I would love to come back and try different pasta dishes. read more

tavola - Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

See all

Oh boy where do I start with the hostility of Dallas and he say that black people dont tip... "watch them they dont tip" he say to his fellow waitress who smirked at us and she was not the best. So then the food is ok expensive and the shrimp was tough and maybe not so fresh, i left a few pieces. The rest was good food but Michael is a nasty man he dont like color of people if you know what I mean. You can see it in his eyes lordy! read more

We had a great anniversary dinner. The atmosphere in the back part of the restaurant was dark but comfortable (we were asked if we wanted back or front dining room but didn't know enough to have a preference). We would probably try the front next time. The waiter was very friendly and attentive. He allowed us to take our time ordering as we weren't in a rush. The wine list had good variety and we picked a bottle from Tuscany. The grilled shrimp appetizer was very good. We had the eggplant Parmesan and the crab gnocchi with a side of broccolini and both were excellent. For dessert the coffee gelato affogato was a perfect ending. Thanks! read more

Tasty Italian food! We dined outside during the global pandemic. The outdoor isn't much to look at (adjacent to a gravel road with views of a nearby garden), but the existence of the patio at least gives you the option to eat outside. I ordered a carafe of the Vietti 'tre vigne, the lasagna special with sausage and escargot, and we split an order of Brussels sprouts. The wine was a bit too acidic for my taste, but it paired well with my entree. The lasagna was delicious. Every part of it was perfectly cooked and the portion was just the right size. I don't normally enjoy parsley, but the parsley reduction was a welcome complement to the dish. The Brussels sprouts were prepared as good as possible (although I prefer them with a bit of spice). Overall, I would highly recommend tavola and we will certainly be back. read more

Great experience and amazing food! Definitely recommend for a date night! We got the carbonara and the ricotta gnocchi cacio e pepe. Both were fantastic! We also got the pancetta-wrapped shrimp with arugula and balsamic. So good! Great wine selection and their mocktails are delicious. Ended the night with amazing tiramisu! Their reservations fill up quick so you need to plan ahead. read more

Don't let these low quality cell phone pics fool you, this place is delightful! As someone who comes from a family of Italian restaurant owners, this place has a great balance of quality food, creative drinks, and rustic charm that make it such a delight to enjoy every time we go. This is a celebration spot for us, so it's something special we do once a year, which tells you something when we could go any place in town to celebrate! P.S. We also ordered a tiramisu, which got eaten before I could snap a pic. read more

See all

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;) read more

tavola - Maiale milanese(thin and crispy breading! Yum) - Italian Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

See all

Not really as I had expected. The place was indeed small with maybe 7-8 tables in all. We sat at the table by the corner window. It could be cleaner for one thing... Good thing we came early (5 or so) for an early dinner, because the place filled up quickly. I had the linguine with littleneck clams. The clams were big and not gritty. The dish itself? meh. The sauce was liquidy, salty, garlicky, and salty. The pasta noodles didn't really taste like anything else. And overall, well, not very impressed. Just average. I expect more for the price. We finished with a tiramisu that took a long time to bring it. It was extra creamy and nicely flavored. Great to share. Would I come back again, though? maybe. or maybe not. read more

tavola - Linguine with little neck clams - Italian Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Tavola was highly recommended and we really liked the atmosphere but waaaay overpriced for sure. The pasta dishes were good and fresh with good portions but wow, the prices. The tiramisu was "bussin'" but the other sweets were "mid" according to my teens. I trust them, they know good food. Would I go again? Probably not. But, maybe a good place to take a date if you are willing to spend the cash. Again, loved the atmosphere and it's cool being able to see the guys in the kitchen creating. read more