La Taverna Cocktail Lounge — Restaurant in Caldwell

OVERPRICED and OVERRATED. I visited La Taverna, not because I wanted to try their food or people were raving about it but for The Office Trivia night. To begin, finding the entrance was an adventure within itself. They have a BAR sign marking hanging on a wall but the entrance is about 50 feet away, hidden. We followed the crowd and were able to make it inside. The host was welcoming and greeted us as we entered. The restaurant is on the left, La Taverna is in the center, and the bakery on the right. Once we made our way inside La Taverna, we waited about 10 minutes to be seated, which we expected because of the occasion. Once seated, we waited 30 minutes to actually be attended to. The service the rest of the night was slow. I don’t know if they were understaffed or they underestimated the magnitude of the event. The bar menu had 2 prices on it, the HH, Happy Hour and the regular pricing. We ordered the $19 Neapolitan pizza, which during HH is $10, nearly half the price! Aesthetically, it was beautiful.; but, once you take a bite, all your aspirations of having a decent meal take a spiraling downward freefall into a pit of despair and disappointment. I only swallowed because it was instinct not because I wanted to. I’ve had better microwavable pizza at a quarter of the cost. I don’t think it’s even worth the $10 during HH. We had contemplated ordering the $19 wings, also, but when we asked how many came in the order, they said 7! I am glad we didn’t. They had placed bread on the table which was stale! Stale bread at a restaurant with a bakery attached to it! I was speechless. Sadly, aside from the limes in the margaritas, it was the best thing I ate all night. I’ve eaten at many places, but La Taverna, by far, is the most overrated and overpriced for the quality of food they serve. It is a total rip-off. Would I go back? Yes, but only for The Office Trivia and I would eat before getting there. On the bright side, the $5 margaritas for the event were decent. I did not try any of the $15 + drinks they had. Calandra’s and any of its associated stores, etc. are overrated. Yes, they were once the only name in the bakery business but there hundreds of better bakeries now at a fraction of the cost. I don’t mind paying top dollar for quality food, but this isn’t the case...

I feel sorry for the owners of this restaurant. They put so much effort into the physical ambience, marketing and social media exposure. Though the group of people I was with had a good time with each other, it was apparent to all of us that the service was beyond horrendous, it was rude, abrubt and inattentive. At no time did the waitress/bartender inquire as to whether we needed anything else. Her demeanor was off putting and classless. We had to flag down servers to order drinks that never came or to get utensils , while the food got cold. Our water glasses sat empty for the entire dinner. The pasta offerings were cold, overcooked, and sticky. Our dinner plates sat on our table so long (when we were finished eating ) that we finally placed them on an adjacent empty table where a bus boy trashed them without asking if we wanted anything boxed. No one asked if we wanted coffee or dessert. The group and I often have dinners around the region, and we agreed that we have never encountered such horrible service - ever! My empathy to the owners who obviously want a great reputation. Train your staff on common courtesies and provide fresh food on the table. Big...

I came here for the Devils event, food and atmosphere was good, however for a die hard sports fan that goes for beer, and I'm talking about Domestic Draft Beer like 16oz Glass of Budlight is way overpriced at $7.25 a glass when most other places will charge from 2.50 to 3.50 for a Domestic beer. if this was a craft beer il understand but over $7 for Budlight is way overpriced and with Devils event I'm sure it was not sponcer by Bud cause other wise that should have beer specials. I was shocked when I saw the high bill ones I checked out, had no idea after ordering 2 Buds I would be gypped...