Tavolata

Belying Belltown?s meathead stereotype, this is where food-obsessed locals hang out late night and chefs eat on their night off. Sit at the long, industrial bar or cozy up to the open air front window with a glass of wine from the 100% Italian list. Chef/owner Ethan Stowell?s (Food & Wine Best New Chef 2008 and owner of sibling restaurants How to Cook a Wolf and Union) melt-in-your-mouth beef carpaccio is a requisite prelude to his delicate, handmade pastas. (He grinds his own wheat for the pasta.) Always bustling, expect to find yourself in down-to-earth company at Tavol?ta dishing on one of Seattleite?s favorite topics ? its flourishing food scene. Pros: Great happy hour, incredible pasta, fresh ingredients Cons: The bill can add up quickly more

I was so disappointed by this restaurant. I had read their website online and was actually excited to go and eat here. But once I arrived, I was definitely let down. My friend and I have traveled all over the US and eaten at great restaurants, but this place really just made the whole day horrible for us. Pros: Nothing Cons: Everything more

The last three times have disappointed - and I can now say we are done with Tavolata. Our server had a horrible attitude, and couldn't have mastered the art of arrogance and disinterest any better if she tried (i think her name started with an S, not sure though). The Gnocchi was awful - I mean worse than Stauffers. Hockey Pucks in a dish with layers and layers of cheese. Looks like E. Stowell has been too focused on his empire while this place falls by the wayside. Bad food and bad service. Again - don't waste your evening out on this this place. more

Once again, I have heartburn from eating here because it was so good that I cleaned my entire plate. The food is always ON, the drinks are great and I have always had good service! Love Tavolata! more

Let me say, as someone who lives in Belltown, I used to adore Tavolata for it's casually sophisticated decor, prompt service and reasonable prices. It used to be the hidden gem in belltown where locals can eat authentic homemade pasta in a chic, modern atmosphere. But I fear, as this place has become a faint shadow of it's former self... About a week ago, I took a friend to Tavolata on a Thursday night around 8pm. Despite the restaurant only being half empty, we were told it would take 45 minutes to get seated, so we decided to have drinks at the bar. After 15 minutes, we decided to order some olives to snack on while we sat on the bar. The olives didn't arrive until 30 minutes later. Olives. How hard it is to scoop olives from a jar?? Once we finally got seated, we had to instruct our waiter to bring us basic dining essentials like silverware, water, bread and napkins. On each of these requests, he forgot so we had to flag him down again, where he would apologize and forget again. Finally when we got all the before mentioned items, we had to wait an additional hour for our food to finally show up. And when the food did show up, it was mediocre if that, not at all what I remember the food to be. I suppose what irked me about the dining experience was the lack of empathy by the staff. They really didn't seem to care whether we waited 2 hours for our dinner or we had to ask two times for water and silverware. At the end, the bill came out to be around $100. You could probably go out for Thai food 4 times for the same money and probably get much better service. Or spend a tad more and go to a high end steak house. I'm sure many people will have mixed experiences about Tavalota, but a place is only as good as it's last experience and mine was awful. Mediocre food seasoned with terrible service. Everyone, think twice about bringing a date here because you'll be at the mercy at some very arrogant, incompetent and indifferent servers. Pros: Trendy atmosphere Cons: Not enough servers, noisy, slow service, can't make reservations more

great food, interesting flavor combinations, fun atmosphere, cool to watch the chefs cooking. we loved it. Pros: food, flavors, fun setting Cons: loud, busy more

I've had friends who love this place and don't love this place. Thought I'd try it out to create my own opinion of Tavolata. Went there with my girlfriend last Wednesday, stood there for a couple of minutes at the front wondering if we were supposed to seat ourselves or wait for someone to acknowledge us. We were approached by an employee who sat us at a nice wall table. (no reservation) A couple minutes past and our server was at our table greeeting us. I have to say, this girl was great, can't remember her name but knowledgeable of the menu's and very friendly. To start we had the beef carpaccio. Fantastic! Also had the Bufala mozzarella w/ olives. Forgetable. Cheap, dense, and chalky. Entree course was tagliatelle carbonara. Before I say this I'm also Italian, a great chef, and work at a high end Italian restaurant. So mabye my standards are a little high. This pasta was something you'd get out of a freeze dried package at Safeway. The seabass was served whole and deep-fried, a fun dish for you and a date. The taste was good, but I'd rather have a nice filet. The wine list was short but decent, had a nice bottle of tuscan red for $40. I have to say I wouldn't go back or recommend this place to a friend if they were looking for great food. The atmosphere and service was great though. Pros: Ambiance, service, Cons: Food more

I moved to Seattle (Belltown) six months ago and took to eating out quite a bit to make up for my short list of friends here. Nearly every place I had been overpromised and underdelivered. But Tavolata came through on every item and every facet. I love the simple decor and unique layout, it was ""perfectly full,"" and the prices were inline with what I had come to expect from 4 years in Chicago and 12 years in DC. My girlfriend was in town from Chicago, and it's already a given that we'll be back next time she's in town. I give high marks to the octopus and white bean salad and the veal strozzapreti. But whatever you do, save room for the light and scrumptious lemon mini-donuts for dessert! Pros: menu, atmosphere Cons: none! more

This restaurant rocks. We invited some friends to join us for dinner last week, and were absolutely blown away. the food was fresh, perfectly executed, and the service was amazing. We started with proscuitto and parmesano-reggiano. It was silky, and delicious. We sampled a number of pastas, appetizers and desserts, all of which were flawless. HIGHEST possible recommendation here. Pros: Great food, flawless service more

I had such an amazing experience. My well informed server, Sasha, was lovely and gracious. The meal was amazing, the ravioli was so incredible that I have told everyone I know about it. The atmosphere, the food , the wine and the service made my evening one that I will not soon forget. I hope that anyone reading this goes immediately. more

This place is always ""on."" It's located in the heart of Belltown and makes for an ideal dinner locale before a night out. I often dine at the bar and get exceptional service from their very friendly bartenders every time. It's also fun to chat with the owner, Patrick who is willing to accomodate our special menu requests. It's definitely one of the ""It"" restaurants and located in a high foot traffic area of the city. Knowing that Seattle folk find waiting more than 10 minutes for service unacceptable, this place tries really hard to meet the demands of their customers. Most importantly, the kitchen staff consistently maintains the integrity of the preparation and presentation their menu requires. I had one of the best steaks I've ever had and it was cooked to perfection and made our palletes scream. The beet salad is my favorite to date and the wine list delivers every time, too. I love it here! Pros: Great food, scene, ambiance, nice bartenders, exceptional cooks more

A breezy evening in search for a meal brought us to the doors of a darkened elongated hallway of a room.... more

A breezy evening in search for a meal brought us to the doors of a darkened elongated hallway of a room.... more

A breezy evening in search for a meal brought us to the doors of a darkened elongated hallway of a room. Lights flickered ethereally, brining an ee... more

The space is great. Minimal, sophisticated. You feel like you're in an ""It"" spot. The food was quite good. Nothing spectacular but very good. The hostess was very nice. So why the low rating? The service. Here ""attitude"" is the word. We got our bill at 8:02. It's printed on the check. Finally we were able to flag our server down at 8:55--for whatever reason we had been placed on her ""you are dead to me"" list. When we did get her attention she swept by, picking up the check and our two credit cards. No conversation, not a word, not even the customary, ""split it?"" She was back shortly, dropped off the receipts and was off. Not a word. No eye contact. No thanks. Nothing. Amazing. I honestly cannot remember the last time I tipped under 15% let alone a min of 20%. I tipped $3 in the hope of sending a message. A word to patrons and the owner, might want to avoid Sasha's section. There's too many great restaurants in our city these days to put up with this. Pros: Food, Atmosphere Cons: Service more

My husband and I were there with another couple on a Saturday night. The host quoted us a wait of 45 minutes and we were sat in 30, after having a drink at the (busy) bar. If a restaurant is turning people away, it is probably because they are busy enough to not be worried about going out of business. As it happened, we were ready for a loud, trendy, busy atmosphere and that is exactly what we got, and what other people should expect in Belltown on a weekend night. Our server, Teresa, was very professional and knowledgable about both the wine and the food, and she helped us pick out exactly what WE were looking for (not just her favorites), and knew the right moments to be present (or absent) from our table. The butternut squash agnolotti and the T-bone were our top picks. Our only dissapointment was the white bean bruschetta, which seemed a little pricey for what you got. If you are looking for authenic Italian this is not it- there is a healthy dose of America thrown in- but it's also not the Spaghetti Factory. Also, they stay open until 1 am, which means the next time I'm hankering for a bowl of pasta late at night, you will find me in Belltown... Pros: service, late-night, food Cons: loud...but what do you expect with concrete walls? more

We went to Tavolata for dinner on a Friday night. For the genre of restaurant and the price charged, the service was awful and the food was absolutely mediocre. Overall, we thought the waitress was amateurish in the service industry, has absolutely very little knowledge of the food she was trying to sell and the food itself was not all that was raved about. It is not worth it. I would not go back. Pros: Great location Cons: Mediocre food, awful service sold at high value more

This was high on my to try list and it definitely didn't disapoint! They serve family style over three... more

This was high on my to try list and it definitely didn't disapoint! They serve family style over three... more

This was high on my to try list and it definitely didn't disapoint! They serve family style over three courses. There were four of us and we barely... more