Tavolàta, an Italian restaurant and wine bar at 524 W Grove St, Boise, offers a lively dining scene. Guests praise focaccia, the romaine spiced salad, and pasta dishes like rigatoni and pappardelle, plus a salumi board. The upbeat atmosphere and attentive staff contribute to memorable visits for date nights and celebrations.
We stopped in last minute on a Tuesday during dinner- I highly recommend reservations! The hostess went above and beyond to find us a table as they were very busy! Tavolata was recommended to us by a friend and we can’t recommend it enough! We both thoroughly enjoyed the food, the happy hour menu, the non alcoholic drinks were a nice touch, and the staff was on it. I do feel like you can keep it casual but you can also get all dressed up to go. I had the beets, the rigatoni, and the focaccia bread. It’s a menu I can’t wait to work thru! ❤️❤️❤️
J
Jovanny Ferreyra
via Google
· 10 months ago
This place suffers the same drawbacks that many modern restaurants do: over priced menu with the justification of "it's the experience you pay for."
Though the table service was good, there are some issues that were present:
1. You might have to research the food options.
2. Seating is uncomfortable, particularly among the bench.
3. Poor layout design. If you're on the bench, you have people facing your back eating and their crumbs/liquids will fall on your backside and in your hair.
4. It's incredibly loud. This is the type of establishment meant for group interactions, not date nights. This is further validated by the fact that you can't buy wine by the glass, only the bottle.
5. The employees are glued to their phones every time they have a second. I counted 6 different individuals who repeatedly would glance at their devices in between interactions or while doing something.
6. Despite a lovely drink menu, the bartenders could use some more training on perfecting their recipes. My fancy drink tasted like straight liquor and nothing more.
7. The food was okay. Despite a nice presentation, there are a plethora of Italian restaurants within a 30 min drive that all provide better taste, portion and pricing.
Lastly, THE ENTIRE PLACE STUNK OF MILDEW/ LIKE A WET RAG THAT WAS USED TO CLEAN REPEATEDLY WITHOUT BEING WASHED IN BETWEEN.
At a glance it's great but at the pricing and experience they strive to provide, they fall short of their intended target and it's quite evident when you look at the finer details.
D
Daci Cheney
via Google
· 11 months ago
I was beyond impressed with Tavolata! My husband and I were in town and this was perfect for our date night. The mood was lively and the food was incredible! The flavor was unique and desirable. The focaccia and the romain spiced salad are a must in additional to the yummy pasta and gnocchi dishes. Also really appreciated the service.
M
Mark Filler
via Google
· 1 year ago
My wife does a lot of research before we visit a city. This was high on the pre-trip/researched list. Plus, she knows I love Italian food. During our random, spontaneous Labor Day trip to Boise, this was definitely one of the highlights. We knew we had the right place the night before, when we tried to get into happy hour, but the bar was full and all reservations at tables had been booked. Note to self to come back. But, our great experience occurred when being told they were full, as Matt apologized for the inconvenience and then coached us on where to go instead (great coaching, by the way). We DID go here the next night, and it was an awesome experience. Food, drinks, specials, staff, atmosphere, etc. Everything was perfect. We had the salumi board, the pappardelle, and the rigatoni. Included are some pics. All were good and you can't go wrong with any of them, but the rigatoni won the food battle in my book. Sounds like a basic dish, but something they do with the sauce makes it high level and different (plus, Matt said it was his go to, and always listen to the folks who have to be there every day). My wife tried a few of the mixed drinks and loved them. I kept it simple with beers. The staff. Behind the bar was Brett and Jemsi (guessed spelling, sorry if wrong). They were personable, energetic, and highly efficient (Brett was low key cool, Jemsi was high energy cool). Our experience would have been great just with them, but we had the luck of the draw in sitting by the servers' well. THAT was where the fun was. I am sure they are great servers too, but Taylor and Bane really added to our incredible experience with their exceptional personalities and witty humor while waiting for their drinks. The atmosphere was elevating and boisterous without being irritating, and we definitely are glad we got to visit here. You can go here for fun, or a classy dinner. Both scenarios somehow work there. I would highly recommend this place, and see you there...the next time we are in Boise.
L
LeeAnn
via Google
· 1 year ago
First time! So excited to finally try this place! Whenever I walk by it looks so cute and lively inside. It was a very quiet Sunday evening for dinner. We were seated immediately, and our waitress was attentive. She was training a second waitress, who was a little abrasive. Then they would each pop over to our table separately, but asking the same questions. Had we ordered drinks. Had we ordered mains....seems like they might have discussed a game plan on how to handle the tables. I totally understand training tho, so not a huge deal!
The food was GREAT. We started with the recommended Focaccia and the olive plate. YUM to both. A generous serving of olives and the whipped spread that came with the bread was amazing.
I ordered the Rigatoni. It includes the spicy sausage and about 2.4 lbs of cheese on top. YUM. The pork spicy sausage I thought was perfect, tho my mom thought it was a little too hot.
We shared the beet salad, it was beautiful. I would pop in here again! It's more casual than I originally thought it was and totally approachable. The wine list starts on the more expensive side tho. I ordered a Pisco Sour and it was amazing!
The music playlist was TERRIBLE, and kind of altered how we felt about our time in the restaurant and our meal. It ranged from Green Day, to ZZ Top, to Kid Rock, to Blink 182 (haha?! what?!?!) it was freakin' weird for an "upscale" italian restaurant. I am docking a star for the distasteful music choices.
via Google
