Tavolino — Restaurant in Athens

We ate at Tavolino today for lunch in a large group of 10 (first time any of us had tried the restaurant). We made reservations almost a week in advance and even called the morning of to verify we could be accommodated, and indeed, there was a table reserved for us when we arrived. Despite the reservation, it seemed the staff was over-whelmed/not prepared. The server described the dish as a gnocchi and chicken & a salad with house dressing. She described the full portion as a “large plate” and so most of us ordered the half portion. We received the salad within 20-30min, however, the main course took another hour. We arrived at 11am and were not served the main course until almost 12:30. Not only that, it appeared they forgot the chicken part of the dish, we were only served small, saucer-sized plates of gnocchi. (Even the “full portion” was very small, just served on a larger plate). None of us had the nerve to complain bc it seemed the staff may have had some mishap or were overwhelmed? But they offered no apology or explanation for the wait/skimpy portions/missing chicken, so perhaps not? I know higher end restaurants tend to have smaller portions, but this was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a meal. We all left hungry and then went to actually buy lunch.

On a positive note, I will say, the quality of the food was 5-star. The gnocchi and salad/house dressing were delicious. They were also able to accommodate a vegetarian and a gluten free member of the group (this was also information that was shared in advance so they had time to prepare).

If I were to return to the restaurant again, I would make sure I had no where important to be for hours, and I would...

If visiting, new to the area or lived here for entire life, visit this amazing place!

I convinced my picky eater husband that I was going to have dinner here, with or without him. I've tried for months to get him to go. Im not a spontaneous person either and tend to settle for what I know rather than try new things. But I trust Emily (the owner) and trusted what she was, literally, bringing to the table.

So tonight, we jumped off cliff and we were NOT disappointed. My husband and I spent time enjoying each other, enjoying the atmosphere and most of all, the food.

The papperdalle with pork ragu was amazing. I hadn't had it before and it was fabulous. I kept getting "thumbs up" from my husband. He also enjoyed the squash-potato soup-a lot.

For dessert, he had the Affogatto and I had there- cheesecake with a caramel espresso topping. Again, thoroughly enjoyed the desserts.

The atmosphere is also an important element to note. It is a smaller restaurant to allow the owner to keep up and manage on the personal level. It allows Emily to see all of her customers, keep her food fresh (made while you are there) and reduce food waste.

We will...

Absolutely Fabulous! We’ve never been to Athens before, just stopped to visit family over the weekend. We were looking for great food….we found it at Tavolino, exceptional real Italian. We try to visit Local restaurants whenever possible (99.999%) of the time. Quaint and intimate, reservations only(don’t let that sway you, make the call you won’t be disappointed). Now, the food….drum roll please very delicious, authentic home made pasta. Dinner tonight, Meatballs and pasta, I am not a pasta person…however if I had homemade every time like this I would be converted to eat pasta a lot…the flavor was noticeable better then any I’ve had before… Funny, she has a t-shirt, “biggest balls in Athens, Ohio”, very true…meatballs were huge the marinara sauce perfect. Desert, death by cannoli’s and vegan lemon cake with blackberry reduction both were yummy, for me though the Vegan Lemon was sensational! Atmosphere, small and intimate….perfect, Tavolino is not loud. The owner and staff are lovely and personable people, I feel privileged to have met them. ...