A Tavola Gastronomia Siciliana — Restaurant in High Peak

We had booked a double 50th birthday meal and we all turned up, were guestured to sit along two tables along the back of the room, myself and my brother in law either side of the smaller adjoining table. Some ten minutes later the chef came out of the back and without any 'excuse me' explanation or anything just grabbed the table and pulled it back with our legs going with it!

Sat there bewildered we asked why and they said (in fact, told us quite loudly and rudely) that particular table had been booked and our booking was only for 5 people and not the 8 we had indeed booked for. They told us they don't accept bookings for that number of people.

Though when we made the booking, we had it originally for 8pm and because we increased our party size to 8 people they informed us we would have to come at 8:30 because of the size of our party! We confirmed this and duly attended at 8:30

We were treated as how you would expect to be if you were a drunken rowdy rabble of idiots.

Only we were sober, entered in quiet anticipation of the supposedly fine cuisine and were engaged in the normal light hearted (not loud and leery) banter that precedes a family meal.

It was astonishing and quite bizarre

The chef was rude, very argumentative and quite frankly, embarrassed us in front of the other diners

I see from other reviews that the food is nice but the customer service was appalling, and for me, will not recommend nor dine there in future

Very...

This is the 4th time I’ve been to A Tavola, first two times in Reddish and then we followed them the 45 minute drive to New Mills. First time in Mew Mills was lovely, I ordered the octopus tentacle for starter and veal sirloin for my main, it was fantastic. Second time around, as I enjoyed it so much, I ordered the same again. Octopus was “ok” but chopped up for some reason. The veal, I asked for medium rare, but as I started to eat it, it was blue ! I left half of it and I mentioned It to the waitress, she said she would tell the chef. Finally in exchange for my £28 veal steak I was asked what I would like, I asked for a grappa, £11/£22 depending on quantity. I was given the £11 glass which was less than a mouthful. After paying the bill of £250 (For 4 people) we had to ask for the complimentary limoncello that was being offered to other diners at the end of their meal. It wasn’t typical of a traditional Italian limoncello, very watery rather than a sorbet. My husband also noticed that other diners with the same dish were offered parmesan cheese, of which he was not. The management seemed too busy “sucking up to the regulars” as we noticed the time before …. and the friendly atmosphere from Reddish seems to have disappeared. I must say that our waiter “young guy” was amazing and I couldn’t fault him. Quite pricey but I don’t mind paying for good food/service. I won’t be returning, such a shame but a let down especially by the...

I can not recommend A Tavola strongly enough!

It's rare that I'm moved to write a 5 star review but A Tavola (New Mills) is an absolute gem in the heart of the Peak District.

We arrived to be given a choice of tables by the staff and the atmosphere was lively but not loud. Having never been before, and faced with an extensive menu our waiter was knowledgeable and pointed out particular dishes that would suit us. All good. Were we upsold drinks? Absolutely! But gently and in good humour!

The food was to die for. The focaccia was light, fluffy and moist and seasoned beautifully with sea salt, rosemary and garlic and the portion size was generous. Ravioli was deep and rich with tomato and braised beef and a hint of pecorino purely Sicilian in every flavour and nuance.

Unusually, when we received our bill we noticed our starters hadn't been included in the bill. We questioned it and were told they were comped because of the wait. We didn't notice a wait and had to argue to pay the full amount. I don't think I've ever fought to pay for a meal before but this one was worth every penny (and then some).

Thanks A Tavola for a wonderful gastronomic treat. We can't wait...