Tavola Hells Kitchen — Restaurant in New York

Today was my first time visiting Tavola, and it was a special occasion for us—not only was it Mother's Day, but we also don’t come into Manhattan often. I was especially excited because I remembered seeing a feature on the restaurant on Good Day New York or a similar show, and it had been on my list ever since.

We ordered a variety of dishes: the Margherita pizza, chicken saltimbocca, gnocchi pomodoro, fried calamari, and cannoli for dessert. The pizza was absolutely delicious—very much in the style of what you'd find in Italy. If you're a fan of authentic Italian pizza rather than the Italian-American variety, you'll love it. My parents even said it was as good as, if not better than, the pizza they had in Italy.

The chicken saltimbocca was phenomenal—so flavorful and perfectly cooked. I’ll definitely be ordering it again, and I’m even inspired to try making it at home sometime.

The gnocchi pomodoro was labeled “soft as a cloud” on the menu, and they couldn’t have described it better. They were light, fluffy, and had a perfect texture—satisfying but not heavy.

The fried calamari was tender and beautifully breaded. I really enjoyed it, although I did miss having the tentacles, which are my favorite part.

At first, we weren’t going to order dessert, but when my dad and I got espresso, my mom went for the cannoli. They brought out three mini cannoli, and they were divine—the filling, the crispy shell, the candied fruit, and a dusting of powdered sugar came together perfectly. Honestly, it was the best cannoli I’ve ever had.

Tavola was a wonderful experience overall. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming, the pricing is fair (especially for Manhattan), and they even have happy hour specials. It’s a great spot for a date or a catch-up with friends. I’m already looking forward to...

Let me begin with the positive: The food was good - I enjoyed my meal - as always. The person who waited on me was courteous & attentive. The service was fine. The thing is, I didn’t appreciate the waiter lying to me. I walked in at 11:30 am on a Saturday, just as they opened for lunch. I was the only one there. When I asked if I could sit at one of the tables set for two that were tucked into the front window areas, (which were more secluded than the rest of the tables and have a view of the street), I was told “no, sorry, both of those are reserved”. As it turned out, they were not reserved at all. They just didn’t want to give them to a single, only a couple. I ate my lunch, in a largely empty restaurant, watching the wait staff seat two separate couples in those “reserved” seats, after they specifically & politely requested them. Just as I had done. After receiving my bill, I told the waiter that I noticed this, and he didn’t know what to say. At first he fumbled with “well, they were reserved”, and then I pointed out that they clearly were not, based on the two couples requests. Further, it was obvious Tavola preferred only couples were to be seated at these front tables. The waiter finally conceded that was true. I said politely in response, “well, then be honest enough to say that - or, if you’re uncomfortable saying that, then change the seating policy”. I waited tables for 12 years myself, and I respect the needs & challenges of restaurant work. This is not about where I was seated. I just don’t think guests should be lied to. It didn’t leave me with a good feeling...

It was a great experience with my family. Our server, Sebastian, was so lively and wonderful. He was very enthusiastic with all of our questions about the food and the history of the restaurant. He was very attentive with our table, any time we wanted to call him over, he'd already be next to our table. He was an amazing server.

The food was wonderful. We ordered the Chicken Meatball Pizza, Spaghetti Ai Fruti Di Mare, and the daily specials the Oven Baked Branzino and Seafood Fettuccine. The thin crust on the Chicken Meatball Pizza was very good, but the crust is a bit flimsy, so I'd be more gentle with it than my brother. The Spaghetti Ai Fruti Di Mare was a perfect mixture of seafood and garlic tomato sauce. My mother loves seafood and she very much enjoyed her dish. The Oven Baked Branzino was cooked beautifully. My father had never had Branzino before and the tenderness and slight lemon flavor of the fish made him very satisfied with his choice. My Fettuccine had a mixture of shrimp and branzino with grape tomatoes scatters thorughout the dish. The tomatoes really made the dish, the slightly sweet but tangy flavor elevated the seafood pasta. It was so good.

We also ordered the Homemade Cheesecake. The body fluffly and thick and the crust had a good crunch and thickness to it. I enjoyed how the cheesecake didn't make me feel heavy/bloated after I ate it, like most...