A Tavola Bistro — Restaurant in Whitby

We were excited to try this place so we went for our anniversary dinner. The ONLY good comment we can make about A Tavola Bistro is that the food is tasty. The portions are insulting and the service is horrid! Our server (no idea his name because he didn't bother to say or stay long enough for us to find out) cared more about his tip at the end, rather than the service we received or our satisfaction. For $38, seafood linguine....

First I asked for veggies instead of pasta and I got 2 rounded slices of zucchini, a slice of carrot, and 2 string beans. There was 1 small scallop, 3 small shrimps, about 7-8 muscles. I was astonished and couldn't believe the appetizer size meal that was in front of me. I called the server over and asked for some more vegetables. I asked for more zucchini and green beans. A few minutes later, another server brought a plate with green beans bathed in butter, with ends attached. They tasted like they had been microwaved with their bouncy chewy texture! I didn't eat it. When the server came back to ask if we wanted dessert, I told him that the meal was a disappointment enough. He seemed surprised and I told him about the "extra" veggies being beans only with ends not removed. (Not extra; this was a sub for the linguine. Even if they had declared in the beginning that there would be an extra charge for the veggies that would have been ok). He cut me off mid sentence and said "I will go talk to the chef".

10 minutes later he comes back with the bill and walks away. When my husband was paying I asked "so what happened with chef? You said you were going to talk to him but we didn't get any feedback". He said "well the chef said he gave extra veggies and that was enough. He's the owner, I'm just the server". When we did NOT tip him, he protested and said "so now I have to end up paying for it even though I did the best I could". NO! he didn't do his best. There was zero passion or care in the service he provided. I have been to enough fine dining restaurants to know the difference. Service is service. This was NOT service. Furthermore, it was a total waste of $100. My husband had the steak; it was just OK for $42. The Keg is so much better and it is not considered fine dining as this overprice pretentious place.

I left hungry. Let me point out that I eat very small portions to begin with .... that is why I substituted pasta with veggies and did not order an appetizer (I usually end up taking half my meal to go). So the fact that I left hungry after a $38 meal says a...

Having worked downtown T.O. for the last decade or more, I've become accustom to a vast number of dining opportunities, at all levels of expense. However, living in Whitby for over twenty years, we've found that there's an undeniable lack of quality restaurants; not a fan of big chain establishments since it's rarely about the food. A Tavola Bistro is one of the rare exceptions. Strongly Italian based but with a certain non-traditional flare, the meals- starters through to the dessert and espresso, were truly delicious. We started with the classic focaccia, simply herbed and drizzled with olive oil and a great way to start the meal. Not to dense as some can be and full of flavour. The table beside us went with the fig and honey dressed bread and it was visually spectacular; will certainly try that next time. I had the pasta special with lamb and my wife had the grilled vegetable salad with chicken. The pasta, which was fresh made, was perfectly cooked al dente and the sauce was full of flavour and loaded with shredded lamb. The grilled vegetable salad was very fresh and colourful, the chicken was tender and juicy. Desserts were the cannoli and the lemon curd. Cannoli shells were crispy and the ricotta filing had a touch of coffee and chocolate; delicious. The lemon curd was topped with fresh fruit and based on a graham cookie layer; not quite as tart as I would have expected, but still very, very good. The service was attentive yet not overbearing; nice and friendly but not fake. It seems that the servers are well trained at 'reading the table' offering the right amount of attention. The atmosphere is warm; the lighting is dim but bright enough to read the menu. The restaurant is obviously clean and the furniture and decor tasteful. A few more soft surfaces to absorb sound would be my suggestion; it wasn't too busy during our visit but I can imagine that when full, the sound level could make a conversation a bit challenging. Overall, a great experience and I highly recommend visiting. Exceptional food quality, friendly and attentive staff, clean and comfortable decor- what more could you ask for? Go see...

Went for an 80th birthday . it started off with them not having enough dining space and resorting our reservation to fold up garden chairs. When the meals came, my meal was wrong I told the waitress this isn’t what I ordered and then she began to argue with me. I then said I’m not eating what I didn’t order. Then the manager came out and said to me “what did you order sir?” and I said the veal chop she goes no, You told the waitress you wanted the lamb chop. There is no lamb chop on their menu. However, there is rack of lamb a completely different dish. How veal chop and rack of lamb is confused I don’t know. The manager continued to argue with me that the waitress was correct and I was wrong and that I had ordered a lamb chop which is not on their menu. Which they then apparently decided to substitute what I didn’t order with another lamb dish called rack of lamb. I did not eat a dinner while my family feasted at my mother-in-law’s 80th birthday. They didn’t offer the birthday girl even a piece of cake and to apologize for me, they took the meal that I didn’t eat off the bill. They wouldn’t even comp me a glass of wine for ruining my evening. I don’t mind paying any amount of money for a great fine dining experience, but when you’ve ruined a milestone birthday get together, it is not acceptable. I will never go back, and I will do my best to tell my family and friends about the horrible...