Tavolata

Was really looking forward to trying this restaurant last night! But, after waiting for an hour and a half for a table (party of 4), and watching friends of the chef be seated when we should have been.....we questioned both the hostess and the chef. The hostess only offered to seat us when the next opening was available and the chef essentially invited us to leave for questioning their customer service. Sooo....we did! The most amazing thing is we ended up at Restaurant Zoe, and were seated and eating within 25 minutes! Delicious!! We mentioned that we had been somewhere else waiting a long time, and two people (unprompted) both said ""You must have been at Tavolata"". So it must be a regular occurrence. Pros: Wouldn't know Cons: Customer Service more

Tavolata is the perfect example of the ""buzz"" and ""hype"" overshadowing the truth. Tavolata is highly overrated and almost every aspect of the meal was dissapointing. Both cocktails were sour. The mozzerella appetizer had lovely prosciutto, yet the actual mozzerella ball was dry as a bone. The garden salad was drenched in what seemed like Four Monks red vinegar dressing. The fettucine was fairly pleasant - I expected the much-vaunted ""home-made"" pasta to be better than it was - there is a fine line between al dente and undercooked. The bacon, egg, and onion sauce on the fettucine was good. This was after we were wrongly delivered a seafood linguine. The highly anticipated and positively reviewed TBONE steak was our main course. Ours was ... so dry it was hard to believe. The juices were nowhere to be found. While it was flavorful and seemingly medium-rare...it was dry and chewy. Pros: Dessert lemon donuts Cons: everything else more

I went there after some friends raved about it. I'm a huge fan of pasta & authentic Italian food, (NOT olive garden! Good Italian!), so I was excited to hear they make their own pasta. I was pretty dissapointed though as the meal wore on. EVERYTHING was overly salted to the point that salt was the only thing you could taste in almost every single dish. I went with my boyfriend & another couple & we ordered family style. No one was satifsfied at the end of the meal & the bill was ridicuous. I'm fine with paying more than average prices for a great meal but this place is not worth it. The pasta was bland & just salted to death. We ordered fish & the only thing oustanding about the dried out fried fish was the price of the dish & the salt content. I wouldn't recommend this place at all. The only thing I liked was the ambiance & the bread. more

You will get great service, with everyone from hostess to bartender to server being EXTREMELY knowledgable about the food and wine list. It is not only a comfortable and attractive place to bring friends or family or date or EVERYONE (see center gathering table!), but every bite makes you want more. Stuff yourself people! It is more than worth it. Menu is imaginative and fresh and priced well. I can't say enough about how impressive it is. You can lounge for hours or just take in the relaxed atmosphere for a small bite. Either way...you'll be back! more

Tavolata is not for the faint of heart. Others might be turned off by the soaring conversations and if a hostess wasn't at the door the exact moment the guest arrived but isn't it about more than that? Tavolata is not about pretentions. I have dined at Tavolata many times now and overall it's a feeling and a taste. It is the revolution on the idea of the modern restaurant and frankly, some don't get it. Yes, the Tbone is perfection, yes, the bucatini is truly al dente, and yes, the veal cheeks are the best appetizer I've ever eaten (4 times). If you go, you must try the octopus salad, share the lamb strozzapretti and gorge on the pork chop over fiddle head ferns. Yes, you may have to wait for a table. Yes, your dinner may run long and no, the cooks are not afraid of a little cheese (grated extremely finely often looks like more than it is). When it comes down to it, Tavolata is a great restaurant for those with great attitude and a willingness to try something new. Pros: it's in the center of Seattle, good portion sizes, good value Cons: reservations for 6 or more more

I've long been a huge fan of Union and Ethan Stowell's fantastic culinary skills so I was delighted to hear he was opening a new place in Belltown. Tavolata does not disappoint. As a friend of mine said, it's the most authentic Italian food I've had in Seattle. That may be a stretch and I can't vouch for authenticity but it's certainly delicious! The T-bone steak is large, perfectly cooked and as good as any I've had at top local steakhouses. The rest of the dishes were equally delicious and our group of 6 was treated like family (of course we were lucky enough to have Ethan himself serve our table). I was pleased with the wine list but admit it might be nice to have a few big-name, higher end Italian selections for those who know exactly what they want. Our experience was fantastic from start to finish and I continue to send my friends and colleagues. I will certainly return again and again. Pros: exceptional food, swanky decor, energectic ambiance Cons: can be crowded, potential for serious overeating more

Wow! What a disappointment. We were so looking forward to Tavolata. Having traveled in Italia, extensively, we were hoping for an Italian experience in Seattle. It was not to be had. It began with the sous chef looking for a seat for us - the hostess was no where to be found. Once seated, our waitress questioned our choices and was slower than the winter thaw. Our secondi piatti sat in front of us (and our neighbors plates in front of them) for far too long. The wine list is a complete embarrassment for an Italian establishment. There were copious amounts of sauce on the pasta and what's with the cheese? Way too much on the pasta and not an offer to shave as you wish. There are many kinks to work out - give Tavolata a try in six months. Maybe by then, the menu and service will be smoothed out. Pros: Nice, but cold, interior design Cons: Food preparation, wine list, service - need I go on? more

I went to Tavolata last week and was left wanting for more. First, we were told to wait an hour, while there were open tables in the restaurant. OK, don't take reservations. But we felt that there was no reason or explanation for why we couldn't sit at the open tables (if you don't take reservations, the open tables are truly open, no?, or upstairs. Anyway, I went with a few friends and we shared quite a few dishes. Few made the mark that they aimed for. Underseasoned antipasti fell flat. Pastas were too aldente (I've done my time in Italy and know the toothy goal but this was underdone). Anglotti was so underdone, with thick pasta, and over lemoned, it proved a low point, instead of a high point, which I personally wanted it to be. Their carbonara is tragic. The pork lays limp, boiled, not crisp and nice, and the sauce pools at the bottom of the plate. Too much pasta water? The dusting of pecorino was but a whisper, not enough to account for the underseasoned pasta. I really liked the ricotta gnocchi, all around. Nice olives, califlower, very tasty. Cons: Longish wait for tables more

The food is solid and the ambience is funky and fun. We went late night to be sure to get a table and unfortunately found the service lacking. They were all huddled under the stairs eating pizza instead of servicing their tables. It didn't help to hear them complaining about their customers as you walked by. We had two good pasta dishes, with great sauces and taste, but the pasta was too al dente. Just a few seconds more of cook time and the food would have gotten huge raves. And in fact the next day after a quick trip to the microwave it did. Firm is good. Crunch not so much. I will definitely be back to see if the kitchen just had an off night and wanted to get to the pizza before it got cold. Pros: Great ambience, late night and good solid pasta sauces Cons: Fresh pasta is great. Just cook it right. more

I love the ambiance and that the kitchen is open until the wee hours. I love the concise menu and wine list. Pros: Great food, late kitchen hours Cons: Occassional trendster saturation in the bar more

Waited too long for a table, but worth the wait. Great prices and amazing pasta. Went late so it was nice to know they serve until one pm. Awefully noisy, but fun date place. Will be back Pros: Food Cons: Noise more

Went there for a birthday party and had a lot of fun. I would definitely suggest the Rigatoni! It is to die for. Service was great! Pros: Love the vibe more

I?m not sure where to begin so I?m going to make this short & sweet and hopefully to the point. The food was outstanding! Every time I talk about it I get hungry, which wasn?t how my party left Tavolata?s. It was highly recommended by my boss who?s frequented many Seattle restaurants. I was a still a little skeptical because it?s Italian and I?ve lived in Italy for 6 years and have had lots of diverse Italian food. I finally went and if it wasn?t for the exact directions we probably would not have found it. It?s on the west side of 2nd w/ an Italian flag above the door. If you?re going north and pass Battery Street you?ve gone too far. There?s no sign and it may be dark so you can?t see it from the street. Seating is communal and limited. It was Monday around 7:30pm and got seated quickly which I fell we were lucky because it was a packed house. My boss went on a Thursday and was informed it would be a 45 minute wait so be prepared. They don?t take reservations unless you are a party of 8 or more. Service was great but some might think it slow. It was the close to an Italian evening. In Italy dinner is normally 3 and 4 hours, our evening was 2 hours. Everything is prepared to order and you?re encouraged to take your time. This isn?t a good choice if you need to be somewhere else that evening. The menu is small with a wide selection. Our appetizer was not what we were expecting but it was delightfully different. The lamb and pasta dish was fabulous and the main course a 2 lb T-bone was superb. We had no left over except the bone which they did box up for us (for dog?s or soup stock if you?re into that). The portions are large and the waiter encouraged sharing. They have an excellent wine list to compliment your choices. Overall the prices were not the cheapest but food and service will keep us going back for more. Pros: Communal Dining, Great Menu Cons: Price, Unfinished wood benches more