Cafe Tatti — Restaurant in McLean

I have very mixed feelings about this review, because we had a very positive experience actually at the restaurant and the food was very good. That being said, the management certainly leaves a lot to be desired. I wanted to host my book club at the restaurant because the book was set in France, so I emailed management and asked about making a reservation for 12 people. They wrote back and said that for such a large party, they would require a $50 minimum per person to hold the table. I thought that was completely unreasonable given that that would basically require each person to have an appetizer and an entrée, and we weren’t meeting until 7 PM when many of us would’ve already had something light for dinner minus 1 star). Instead, I decided to just book a reservation online for eight people, which is all that had RSVP’d at the time. It was a Tuesday night and when we got there and there were literally three people in the entire restaurant, two women at one table and one other person eating alone. When we arrived, they had a nice table set up for us inside, but since there was no one sitting outside, and it was a beautiful evening, we asked to sit on the patio. They accommodated this request and the surroundings were lovely, and the food was quite good. We ordered about six appetizers for the table and then each person had one drink. The staff was very friendly and attentive and when it came time to pay the bill, we asked the waiter what he preferred, could we all just split the bill evenly or did we all need to pay together? He said it was no problem for us to just split the bill evenly among everyone at the table, so we each gave our credit card. When he returned with our credit card slips, we inquired if gratuity had already been included since it was a party of more than eight people to which he said it had not so we each tipped individually on our bill, which was about $20 per person. I believe each of us tipped around five dollars, which is well within reason at a little over 20%. So, the waiter ended up making $50-$60 for our table, on a night when he would have made nothing because the restaurant was completely empty.

All that being said, we enjoyed ourselves so much that another member of the book club reached out to the management the following week to inquire about us meeting there again the following month. Since they didn’t have many choices for vegetarians, she wanted to know if there were possibly any other options that may not be on the menu. Now, here is the other reason for the loss of another star, the manager wrote back to her, and said that we left a mess at the table (which is completely ridiculous and untrue), that we didn’t tip enough, that we didn’t spend enough per person at the restaurant, and that we cost them too much in credit card fees by splitting the bill. That may be true, but the waiter should have said something, or the manager should have expressed this at the time, if they didn’t want us to split the bill. The other things are just ridiculous to me, seeing as how the restaurant was completely empty, you would think that they would be thankful for the patronage. It is unfortunate, because everyone there was really a fan of the surroundings and they would have had lifelong repeat customers, but I don’t anticipate any of us will be going back.

Edited to add: My apologies, we had 5 appetizers (2 orders of tartines, the burrata, a charcuterie board, and the pate). Also, yes, I realize I indicated that you “wrote back” to my friend, but realized it was a phone call. I do not lie, do not accuse me of doing so. Also, we demanded nothing, the group of 7 of us arrived and we sat down, ~15-30 minutes later 4 more guests arrived, each 1 at a time as they finished their workday and joined our table. We weren’t sure if they would make it due to work demands. We are all female physicians and working mothers, so it can be hard to predict if everyone will make it or they get caught up. Again, you had literally NO OTHER CUSTOMERS, so not sure why you’re...

It's such a nice place, nice staff and the Chef is just such a welcoming person who made my evening very relaxing. I got a great table. I enjoy my sole that was with every mouthful a truly light and wonderful dish. Just the right amount of veggies and every touch to the dish just heaven. Presentation was so inviting as well. I really found the place to be a no brainer return visit. I loved the menu from appetizer to desserts, great choices. From chocolate mousse to burrata. I would've loved the duck confit but I it was missing from the menu. The veal schnitzel sounds tasty and exciting too. Not much I didn't like, in fact nothing. Everyone in my house wants to join me next time. Great spot. I traveled a while to try it and I'd come...

My friend took us here last night and it was such a pleasant surprise. It's a quaint little family owned restaurant. The service was excellent, the chef came out to welcome us and make dish recommendations. The food was amazing, fresh, fragrant, delicious. We ordered the Tagliatelle Bolognase, the seafood special with sea scallops, shrimp, mussels, in a lobster sauce with capers and kalamata olives. We also ordered a delicious salmon dish. Such a lovely, cozy evening, with great food! The restaurant across the breezeway was bustling, but they must not know how amazing the food is here or they would be coming here over...