La Tavolata — Restaurant in Artesia

If you need one reason to visit La Tavolata, go for the endless bread.

Social Distancing Review

Celebrating my mom's 75th birthday, and finding La Tavolata reopened for dine-in, I made reservations for us on her special day. She loves carbs, so why not go all in on bread & pasta?

Once inside, we were seated and our order taken. Quickly, round one of the aforementioned complimentary bread arrived at our table. Deliciously crispy, wonderfully toasty - I felt no guilt in eating more bread than I've had the previous month or two. I preferred the tomato herb, but good news being, I don't have to pick between the two. We ended up having three rounds total.

Melanzane al Forno- Panko-crusted eggplant baked with mozzarella, penne pasta & sauteed vegetables. The melanzane was a bit disappointing. The Panko breading & eggplant didn't stick together when sliced into, creating a slimy mush. The penne pasta was fine, and the sauteed vegetables maintained their crunch.

Fettuccini Compleanno- Spicy pink sauce, shredded chicken, Andouille sausage, tasso ham & shrimp. The spiciness actually came from the sausage, so for those not into heat, simply separate it from the main dish. The fettuccini was perfectly al dente. Chewy, with a bite. The creamy pink sauce doused the ample amounts of meat, and was delicious sopped up with the complimentary bread.

Service was good. We were seated at a middle table, social distancing spacing being observed. Parking is via a shared lot at the Artesia City Plaza, and can be hard to come by during peak hours. La Tavolata is located between Pirates Kitchen & Cha2O.

La Tavolata satisfies the carb tooth! With a varied selection of pasta & unlimited bread to eat to your heart's content, La Tavolata is a great eatery in the city of Artesia. I already have designs on having the Pappardelle Vodka next, which will be in the very near future. 24 Hour Fitness opened back up, and I'm putting in the reps in preparation for the carb craziness to...

I've never been the hugest fan of Italian food. I'm not sure why, but it takes a LOT to impress me. In all my years living in Cerritos, I had never been to to this place. I usually go to either one of the chains (Macaroni Grill) or get fancy and go to A'roma. Anyway...

My friend and I came here starving and were very enthused about the complimentary bread. The plain buttered bread was whatever but the bruschetta with tomato on it was really good! Neither felt fresh out of the oven like others mentioned but it was later in the evening - it still tasted freshish.

We also had the calamari to start which was well made and not at all rubbery. Calamari is either good or bad and La Tavolata's version gets a thumbs up.

The pasta I ordered was a special so I have NO idea what it was called. It was two giant noodles stuffed with shredded chicken and came with avocado and the pink sauce. In terms of flavor, it was fine. A little bland, and the edges of the pasta were crispy, like they'd been in the oven too long. That was a bit sad. It didn't make me want to hurry back or anything.

Service was good - they were very attentive. Prices were average and portions are for normal humans, not a whole family. I actually would have finished it if we hadn't eaten the appetizer.

Ambiance is a tad romantic with the low lighting but overall I was...

I've been coming to this cozy little pasta café for almost ten years, and it never disappoints. The portions are just right, and the flavors are incredibly well balanced. The atmosphere is intimate and comforting, given their relatively small size—which is a huge plus in my book—and the waitstaff are very friendly and personable. When they say traditionally prepared Italian food with quality fresh ingredients, they absolutely mean it. This is a restaurant that chooses to hone what they have with precision, no need for bells, whistles, gimmicks, or branding.

Of course, there have been a few changes over the years, such as the frutti di mare having more of a tomato base now and the prices going up a bit (understandably; there have been some rough years recently, especially for small restaurants), but I think it's still worth every penny, and I continue to recommend this place to whomever I can.

It's best to make a reservation whenever possible, and don't hesitate to try some of their specials, especially if there's a fruit caprese or burrata appetizer. Both the aforementioned frutti di mare and the scallopine di pollo ai funghi are my usual go-to choices, but you really can't go wrong with anything on their menu. I always look forward to my next visit; may there be many...