A'tavola — Restaurant in Idaho

Consistently rude staff. Decent food that's not worth the price. Good selection of French cooking items.

Service

Service is by far the worst part of this place. For a few months my partner and I were going to the location and were even trying to establish a routine of visiting on Saturdays for our couple's weekly meeting. Throughout the string of visits the customer service was not that good. The middle aged server with a brunette bob cut had an attitude that we couldn't shake and the other employees were not hospitable.

Lisa Peterson was exceptionally rude to us the last time we went. It was a work day and my partner and I had decided to grab breakfast then hang out for a couple of hours. We bought a full breakfast for both of us. We went to a table and then set out to do some work. After we sat down, my partner grabbed a drink at the coffee shop. In total we had spent about $60 that morning. Around the two hour mark, Lisa came over to our table and told us that we would either need to "scoot together or leave". She proceeded to demonstrate how to combine our cups at our table as if we weren't capable of comprehending what she was talking about. This was supposedly because of the "lunch rush".

I'm not one to normally Karen, but I was pretty surprised to be treated that way. After our interaction with Lisa Peterson, we packed up everything and decided to leave. Before leaving I made my way to the front to tell Lisa that she had lost us as a customer for treating us the way she did. I told her that the staff were consistently off-putting and she proceeded to argue with me telling me that "She doubted it (they were rude)", and saying that "Now wasn't the time for this feedback." I was taken aback. She made no attempt to either listen to what we had to say, or try to keep us as customers.

One of the people at the front of the restaurant witnessed the discussion. They ran into us while we were leaving and were blown away by Lisa's reaction toward us as she had overheard the conversation.

What's funny is that in passing we've brought this story up with a handful of our friends. It turns out that some of them have had very similar experiences unfortunately.

At the end of the day, I understand that we shouldn't be loitering, however I've seen people stay and work just as long if not longer while going there. What's strange is that we had been visiting consistently and were planning on making it a part of our routine. It's a bummer, because the place has so much potential but the staff spoil the experience.

Food quality

The food is above average in quality, but exceptionally pricey. The enjoyment to cost ratio just isn't high enough in my opinion. I'd rather go to Janjou and just get some pastries and quiche.

Cleanliness

It's clean.

Atmosphere

The music was quite eclectic. Inside is poorly laid out. There's not that much seating and most of the space is taken up by strangely laid out products that are practically piled up in the middle of the store. It feels a little too packed with goods to feel cozy.

The best time to visit is most likely in the Spring or early and late summer to take advantage of the...

A’ Tavola in Boise is my favorite Idaho food-related business. Whether you live in the Treasure Valley or are just visiting, you need to check it out. There’s nothing else like it in the entire state. It is a food enthusiast’s dream!

A’ Tavola means “at the table” in Italian. Italy is near and dear to heart of the owner, Lisa Peterson. There is a link in the comments that explains how her business came to be.

Everything about a A’Tavola is inviting, starting with the entrance. There is a beautifully landscaped patio with outdoor seating. When you enter the doors and turn to your right, you will find the most wonderful Bakery. In addition to a large array of desserts, there’s a great coffee menu. The bakery case and surrounding counters are filled with lots of wonderful options to choose from. The Whiskey Pecan Bar is a customer favorite. I love Lisa’s homemade cakes and cookies.  The best German Chocolate cake I ever ate was Lisa’s.

 A’ Atavola is stocked full of wonderful food and kitchen related items. It’s a great place to buy something special for yourself, or a gift. The wall on the left features, Lisa’s personal Cookbook Library, which you are welcome to peruse. There are also cookbooks available to purchase in the store.

A’ Tavola has a nice Breakfast and Lunch menu, as well as a large cold case full of items to choose from. It’s a great place to meet friends for breakfast or lunch, and pick up some thing to bring home for dinner. Some of my favorite items are the salads, soups, large variety of Enchiladas, and Lisa’s famous Tuna Salad.

A’Tavola a wonderful deli case, full of items from various vendors, as well as a number of housemade items. A couple of my favorites are Lisa’s Pimento Cheese Spread and  Caramelized Onion Dip.

A’Tavola also has freezer cases full of wonderful items that include soups, appetizers, entrées, desserts, and other items. There’s a well-stocked cold case full of delicious beverages too.

A’Tavola also offers Catering and Culinary Food Tours! One of the things on my bucket list is to take one of Lisa’s trips to Italy or France someday.

Highly Recommended!!!

Location: 1515...

Pros- Clean, friendly & helpful staff, beautiful atmosphere and a wonderful respite from the smoky & hot outdoors. However, there is available beautiful outside seating in the mornings to enjoy in a garden-like setting. Inside, find a complimentary library to peruse as you relax.

Be sure to visit in the fall/winter holidays as they open a larger connecting space with treats for the eyes!

You can order coffee from the deli counter and/or pay for all of your purchases at the coffee counter. After ordering, you are given a table number flag, so the staff can bring out your food/coffee. No need to clean up afterwards, as they will buss your table for you.

The Croque Monsieur was delightful with accompanying vinegrette-dressed greens. The vinegrette was bright and not overpowering. I had the mexican coffee with oatmilk , which proved to be perfectly balanced and satisfying.

You can spend an enjoyable time looking at all the imported items for sale and count yourself lucky to buy a few. Flowers, candles, gifts, cold items, frozen items, wines, coffees, pastries, deli salads & proteins. . Cons- Be sure to check your credit card balance before arriving. Prices are high! Image a piece of cooked salmon at $14.95, by itself, no sides! Also small jars of sauce for $12.99. Unfortunately, this means this is a once or twice a year stop and cannot be a regular visit because of the expensive items.

My sandwich was unfortunately dry & had very little ham inside.

There is a constant and annoying bell ringing, that went on for my entire stay. I'm told it is to alert the staff of pickup orders from the kitchen and such, but there must be a better way to do this without grading on the nerves of the customers, or is this to drive us out and prevent "camping".

Before 9am, and they ran out of plain croissants? They should be having adequate stock thru lunchtime. ... I did enjoy myself and would definitely return once I can pay off my credit card balance...