a tavola

a tavola had really good service, it was a busy friday night and we didn’t have a booking, the boss (i presume) was quick to find us a table. half themenuhas italian names and he was more than happy to explain to us what each dish was and went through the daily specials etc. the food was alright, nothing too special and the portion sizes were a bit smaller than expected.

actual rating: 3.5

we were lured in by the intimate and moody setting on a saturday evening and seated on a long share table where we were served by some helpful staff that kept changing our cutlery and plates all the time (fancy treatment ooooh)! themenuwas printed out on a small cute card to accompany the daily specials, definitely a nice date ambience and conversational atmosphere!

the food was nice but expensive. we had the fried salame veneto, polenta, parmigiano which wasn’t particularly amazing for $20 and the special eggplant/mozzarella which was yummy! the rigatoni al ragu, pork, veal, chicken, tomato was quite good, bit like a fancy bolognese but for $29.

great wood fired pizza place. menuis very simplistic and the food was delicious. i wasn’t hungry enough to add a salad, but they looked delicious as well.
you must try the meatball and spaghetti. homemade pasta and a giant meatball. you can’t go wrong with that.
great beer and wine choices compliment any pizza you decide on.

exceptional and authentic italian pasta dishes!! staffs were super friendly and clearly explained themenuout for us.
trying any of the pasta dish is a must! we ordered the scallops to start off with and these were cooked exceptionally well!! highlight of the day was definitely the papadrelle dish
thank you for having us, it was a lovely experience!

came for my birthday dinner and i’ve got to say - i was a bit disappointed with the service. i had made a booking prior to visiting the restaurant - and when my partner and i entered i tried to say my name and time of booking however, the waiter shut me down and told me to wait as he went to attend another customer at table.

fast forward 5 minutes or so - another waiter came to show us to our table - which was at the bar section (again i was not impressed since we had already made a booking, plus there was a back section that looked really nice and candle lit but i didn’t understand why we got the bar if we were already booked in the system).

now to the food - themenuis a bit confusing since it’s all in italian but the waiter will come around and explain it to you when you order.

we ordered three dishes - i’m not 100% sure with the exact names but they were quite nice.

the handmade pasta was delicious and you could tell it was handmade. something i would definitely recommend!

next we had a mussels pasta - that was quite average.

and last but not least - a lamb dish. though the lamb was very tender and nice i didn’t actually enjoy the sauce that went with it...

overall:
service: 2.5/5 - i felt disregarded most of the time and the atmosphere was not welcoming (i felt as if the waiters had a pretentious outlook/ feel)
food: 3.5/5 - has some stand outs but overall wouldn’t return even if it was just for the food
ambience: 4/5 - very nice and cozy / dimmed light place - however i didn’t get to explore the back seating area.

would i go again? no i wouldn’t - i think this is the type of restaurant where you would want to go to explore once just for the experience but not necessarily “crave” or return.

(plus it was quite pricey as well)

a tavola is usually packed but when you go to a tavola for monday lunch, you get the whole place to yourself! if the weather is good, then the tables at the back is so nice to enjoy your meal. the portion of pasta was surprisingly big - twice bigger than other places. themenuis well considered and it's hard to choose what to order. i think they have large selection of wines too. next time i would like to try other dishes...the staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. when we were leaving the restaurant, three staff were making pasta on the tables!

hand made pasta
fresh cheeses
high quality ingredients.
excellent service
nice atmosphere
not a vast selection onmenubut recommend ordering off the specials board.

our first night in syndey we were recommended to try this place. i had booked a few weeks in advance being easter weekend, and we were treated so well all night by all the staff. themenuis short but packs creativity and flair showcasing the very best of traditional italian cuisine. we indulged in burata mozzeralla, polipo with a beautiful potato puree and pumpkin fettucine with honey bugs. we also had the fish of the day which was fresh, delicious and also wines to match. dessert of figs with marscapone and chocolare ganache with salted caramel and mirangue were highlights of the night washed down with a barolo grappa. could not recommend this place any higher. when you match perfect service with traditional italian food you cannot make for a better experience. well done tonight to the staff and kitchen.

in a city with such a high standard of italian cuisine, a tavola stands out to be the best of the best in sydney. their fresh handmade pasta and daily specialsmenuare executed to perfection, making a tavola a restaurant that is very easy to fall in love with.

hands down, my favourite restaurant in sydney. i have been coming here for years and it is consistently exceptional food, service and ambience. 

the staff are delightful and make a real effort to ensure that your experience is of the highest quality. they are always knowledgeable about themenuand have never failed to recommend the perfect accompanying wine. 

i find it hard to go past any of the ragu pasta options which make my mouth water just thinking about them! the red cabbage salad is also delicious and a beautiful balance of flavours and textures. not to be missed is the unforgettable cremino al cioccolato which is life changing. the most indulgent dessert i have ever had. please do try it!

i cannot recommend a tavola, darlinghurst more highly and hope it stays around forever!

this is now in my top 3 sydney italian restaurants - pendolino (an la rosa actually) and sagra are my other two. love love love that the pasta is so so so fresh and love that themenu(while minimalist) highlights fresh produce with some modern twists.

love this place! been several times and it sure doesn't disappoint.menuis simple but very tasty dishes! we had the rigatoni ragù, pappardelle with tomato base with mozzarella and a bowl of green cos lettuce salad. absolutely delicious. good portion sizes and attentive wait staff as well. the only critique is the fact that it's a bit small, and can get really packed! but i guess it's worth it!

if you’re looking for some authentic italian just a stone’s throw away from the cross, look no further than a tavola. this polished little gem in darlinghurst ticks a lot of boxes on my checklist, from its bare bonesmenu(most of themenuconsists of ever changing blackboard specials) to the friendly, patient wait staff who explain the dishes to you (helpful when most of it is in italian) and finally, the understated decor, with touches of modernity like the trendy copper hanging lights and a huge, luxe marble table downstairs.

i was here last month and often over the winter.  the place is nice and close to home when weather or traffic is really bad.  the restaurant is small and cute with these old looking tables.  themenuis very limiting as there are only about a half dozen items on it.  however, the cooks have been very accommodating swapping sides for me and my gluten and dairy free guest.  also, they have gluten free pasta!  the cost can be a bit on the higher end, but not much more than most restaurants in this category.  the big draw back is the limitedmenuand those hard seats.  i think they could use some seat pads.

who says italians cant cook lamb! seriously these guys nailed it. firstly it was cooked perfectly, and by perfect i mean tender and pink in the middle and cutting like butter, and secondly it was full of flavour. accompanied by butter fried jerusalem artichokes ( ten times better than an potato. believe me!) and some crispy sweet potato cubes and chips. the inspiration for a tavola (meaning “to the table”) derives from head chef and owner eugenio maiale’s childhood. a tavola is one of the loveliest, sexiest italian eateries i’ve encountered in a city already spoilt for choice. on a busy street, chef-owner eugenio maiale gives reason to pause for house-made pasta and the timeless pleasure of unfussy italian dishes.the small printedmenuis short – two olive spuntini (snacks), three entrees, three pasta, three salads. it’s supplemented by a daily blackboard, mostly inspired by th