Tavi’s Salumeria — Restaurant in Gulfport

I initially posted this on Facebook and wasn’t going to post it anywhere else. However, only hours after posting the review the owner ( or whoever runs the Facebook page) blocked me. This is incredibly immature and petty and shows that they do not care about constructive criticism. Based on this I’m giving them 1 star instead of the 2-3 stars I would have given based on the food and atmosphere.

My wife and I were excited to try this place since she is from Italy originally and we don’t have anything here like their salumerias. However we were both a little disappointed, especially considering the very high price point for a sandwich shop.

Both sandwiches were okay, definitely not bad, but for $15 apiece they were underwhelming. I ordered the Sicily and there was no trace of the burrata. I saw maybe two or three little scraps of cheese and I’m pretty sure they were part of the feta spread. They certainly weren’t fresh and creamy like I’d expect out of burrata.

My wife’s sandwich was the Rome. It is supposed to have stracciatella which is shredded mozzarella in fresh cream. Instead she got what looked like a small amount of melted creamy cheese which I assume was the pistachio cream and tasted nothing like real stracciatella (also Italians don’t melt stracciatella on sandwiches according to my wife.)

Both sandwiches had an extremely small portion of meat. The Sicily was mostly greens and peppers and onions with a very thin layer of meats. All I could really taste was the peppers, onions, and pesto. The Rome just tasted of pistachios and honey.

The bread on both says it’s focaccia and it definitely was not that. Mine was a wheat bread with roasted peppers in it and hers was more like a ciabatta bread.

I’m not sure if they were just out of items and substituting but if that was the case we should have been informed upon ordering.

Overall we left very disappointed. I may try them again in the future but at $40+ for two sandwiches and some chips it’s probably not going to happen anytime soon.

We were also disappointed that’s it’s not a true salumeria. Normally that would be something akin to a butcher shop that sold lots of fresh and cured meats and cheeses and sometimes bread and pasta. Calling a sandwich shop a Salumeria is a bit misleading. I hope eventually they can expand and sell some of these other...

From the moment we entered the restaurant everything was great. We were immediately greeted by the chef and sou chefs who were busy preparing food for other customers. Tavi one of the owners and chef welcomed us by treating us like VIPs by describing each sandwich one by one on the menu so passionately with a delightful European accent. For a moment I felt like I was in a quaint little European deli in Italy. He explained that all of his cheeses, breads etc come from Europe. I was struck by how much he loved his restaurant as well as paying extra attention to preparing each sandwich to perfection and with a great desire to offer his customers fresh food that is unique and delicious to the area. We purchased two different sandwiches one was the homemade meatball the other was the Rueben which was the special of the day. We also, purchased two bags of chips that were not just any chips. They offer a variety of different chips that are specially ordered from different areas of Europe as well. Another item that did not go unnoticed was a variety of different beverages such as European beers as well as sodas from New York. A variety of delicious desserts are also available so of course we had to add a tasty little pastry to finish off our order. Everything was absolutely off the charts delicious! At the end of our meal, Tavi surprised us with offering us a cup of freshly made coffee which was extremely delicious!! Yum. Finally, a restaurant that offers something different, healthy and unique to our area. It was a totally wonderful experience and we can’t wait to return. I can’t tell you how excited we are that Tavi and his wife opened up such a wonderful little restaurant for everyone to enjoy on the MS Gulf Coast. Thank you so much we will be back for more...

As Bill Heder's SNL character Stefan would say, "This place has everything!" Somehow the owner has combined the best of several things to create a unique experience in food, service, and atmosphere. First, the food: the Verona (home of Romeo and Juliet) had me feeling the love. Don't tell my sister, but Tavi's meatballs were better than hers. His staff lavished a rich, fresh basil-forward pesto on warm focaccia that had a fantasic thin and crisp exterior. Normally I wish for less bread on a sandwich; this focaccia was so fantastic, I would not have complained about more . . . The service had all the genuine-ness and quiet reserve of the finest dining establishments AND the warmth and welcome you might receive at a neighborhood diner where you're a regular. Lastly, as one who has served in various types of restaurants, I love to observe the energy and flow of the staff behind the counter as they prepare food. Everyone seemed tranquil, attentive, and caring as they worked. There are some beautiful pieces of equipment in the food prep area that are all immaculate. The walls are adorned with large, lovely art; the expediter greets you immediately upon entering, the owner offers first-timers an in-depth presentation on menu items (homemade olive salad, mortadella imported from Italy, etc.), lovely people behind the counter take your order with patience, care, and a smile, then make your food. The only thing I would've changed about this visit: I should've taken home a few bags of new-to-me types of chips. There was one with Foie Gras, for heaven's sake! The drink menu was lovely to, with familiar but infrequently seen selections including Aranciata and...