Tavolo Italian Ristorante — Restaurant in Batesville

Update for 2023 WOW. After my below review, we hadn't really been back. Went this week and WOW. Tavolo was amazing. The bread was hot and fresh. Olive oil was still wonderful. Salad was delicious. I got a creamy shrimp and gnocchi soup and it was so, so wonderful. Daughter chose spinach ravioli with red sauce. Husband picked bowtie noodles with a spicy cream sauce and, though spicy, really good. I don't think I have any complaints. Well, maybe that I wish my glass of Rose was bigger, but, I mean, it was a regular size glass.

I can definitely recommend Tavolo now.

2021

I wanted to like it. I really did. A nice Italian place in Batesville? Sign me up! Unfortunately, that wasn't meant to be. The bread was old, chewy, obviously set beneath a warmer. The salad was a bed of lettuce with one olive slice, one tomato cube, no discernable cheese, and drowning in ranch. My husband's spicy fettuccine was spicy...by way of canned jalapeno slices mixed in. I guess jalapenos are Italian now? Combined with chewy chicken and a bland sauce makes for a bad time. My manicotti tasted like mostly mozzarella. None if the delicious ricotta that I've come to expect in manicotti. And finally, the sauce tasted like it came straight from a jar of Prego.

On the positive side, the portions were nice for lunch, the olive oil for the bread was wonderful, and my minestrone soup was great. Also, my husband commented that this was one of the few places in Batesville that didn't burn their tea.

We will be back. They're new and are probably still working out the kinks. So we'll give it another shot, but so far, I'm not impressed, most unfortunately.

Eavesdropping, I heard someone talking about how wonderful his sandwich was so I'll give that a shot next time. And the hostess and waitress...

Update: due to the unprofessional response from the owner of this restaurant they get zero stars. This restaurant is not authentic Italian (I'm from an Italian family and know the difference) and are charging their customers exorbitant prices for mediocre dishes under the facade of "authentic Italian cuisine." These responses speak volumes to the community as well. Avoid wasting your money here please. You'll be left disappointed and they obviously do not care.

I ordered a delivery with no prior knowledge of this restuarant so this is an unbiased opinion of the food presented. My order consisted of the "create your own pasta" option along with a salad and roll. My first try was a bite of the house rolls. It was unimpressive, tough to chew and stale so one bite was all I could manage before I put it back. But I still had hope for the meal. The Chile Jalapeno Sauce was bland, to say the least, and I had to season the pasta with my own personal herbs to get through a few more bites in hopes it would get better. It did not. The jalapenos have zero heat to them so I'm unsure why they're even being used in the dish. The chicken is bland and, yet again, unremarkable. The salad....yet another no. Over all, this meal left me just sad in general. There is no passion or presence to be found. Because there is nothing memorable about this restuarants food this will definitely be my one and only visit. There are much better options out there to spend your hard...

It is my opinion that this restaurant is not that great. I will reviewed it for what it is, a lackluster establishment with a prolonged history of bad service, bland food, and ingredients that taste like the cheapest option from the supplier. I have eaten all over the world and I can tell you (also by having had an Italian room mate/friend who's parents owned a dining establishment Verona Italy and have visited him on several occasions) the cuisine was lackluster, and a husk of what "authentic Italian" from my experience is truly is. I guess to say that a real Italian chef has a passion for a good meal, the chefs passion for his art give the meal soul and flavor that give depth and layers of flavor to explore on one plate. It would seem that the passion is non existing at Tavolo and the meal you receive may be ok, but it has missed the mark for authentic by a long shot.

Full disclosure I previously gave this a 2 star rating, but then the owner decided to Facebook stalk me, messaged me, and demanded that I take it down. Through a serious of messages I explained why I would not take it down. I did modify it to one star as I felt he tried to bribe me to take it down, and and belittling me in the same messages. I would at this point recommend all people to stay as far away as possible, though if you eat there and Don't like it. Be prepared for some hateful messages...