Tazza Kitchen Scott's Addition — Restaurant in Richmond

Having visited off and on for years, I think it's about time I offer an update to my review. I'm leaving my old one below, so you can see the difference for yourself.

Tazza kitchen is a farce of restaurant. There used to be mostly good nights with the occasional off-night experience, but now it's consistently bad.

Tonight, I ordered a Kale & Chili's Salad. 10$ for effectively 8oz of kale with a light shaving of cheese on top, with a handful of pine nuts. You'd think this was healthy but no, it's drowned in oil & vinegar. Note that in my description of the CHILI salad I never mentioned what kind of chili there was: It was absent entirely. What was present in its stead was a strange occasional grit, unexplainable by any of the ingredients, so it's likely the kale was not washed properly, leading me to feel dirt between my teeth. Sickening.

To top it off, the Honey Harissa Vinaigrette bowl ordered by my partner was sadly all vinaigrette. You'd expect it to be sweet & spicy with a little sourness but then you must not be familiar with tazza, where the only consistency is disappointment. It's like the cooks in the kitchen have misplaced every single tablespoon and measuring cup, and have given up on measuring entirely. This bowl had less than an ounce worth of goat cheese on it, despite that being the "protein" for the dish that consisted of maybe a cup of pearl couscous with 4 sliced cherry tomatoes, for 14$ of course because no dish at tazza has less than a 3x markup.

Even the drinks were poor. My redwood, usually a favorite of mine, lacked the normal boozy orange goodness and instead tasted like a tic tac, I imagine from over-pouring the simple syrup to cut cost. As well, the "Permanent Leave" might be the only aptly named thing at Tazza, as it did make us want to permanently leave this place with it's perfume-esque, candle-like profile. One sip and my partner's nose crinkled, which the bartender seemed to take personally, neglecting to return to us after. She would even talk to the people on our left, then our right, and leave. Charming.

While the place looks quite trendy (or was when it opened half a decade ago), the minimalist decor has the unfortunate effect of offering a thousand hard flat surfaces to echo off of, making it loud enough to not even be able to enjoy a conversation if the restaurant is even half full.

Honestly? Close down. Make room for something better.

Previous Review: Cocktails are great, venue is gorgeous. Staff always friendly and helpful. Food can be anywhere from average to great, depending on the night. I've been served really great pizza there before, but I've also been served pizza that was burnt on the crust and raw...

Had a 3-star dining experience with 5-star service from our server, Rose. The place has a solid and diverse menu (meaning meat options for me and vegetarian for my girlfriend). It's got fun, snappy decor and seems like the kind of place to celebrate something; definitely not the right vibe for a quiet dinner. It's pretty noisy and tables are pretty close together. Great for people watching but not intimate conversation.

The okra appetizer was a bit on the not-warm side but very tasty, and when the entrees came out my girlfriend's spaghetti squash was nice and hot and my shrimp tacos were just shy of being downright cold. Good flavor, but...cold tacos, no bueno. The side of black beans tasted like canned chili and was also tepid at best. When Rose collected our plates and asked how everything was, I spoke up and said I wasn't going to make a big deal but my tacos were cold and suggested they'd probably been quickly prepared and then sat there while my gf's more involved dish was made. Didn't expect much from that but Rose came back to the table and said she's talked to the kitchen and I was right, they got their timing off and so she comp'd the tacos. (This was a Friday night, there wasn't an empty table in the whole place, so the kitchen was clearly under pressure.) She also didn't charge for the club soda I had instead of regular water, which was also a surprise. Note to the management, if you're listening: Rose is the reason I'd give this place another shot. Good food is great and all, but when someone goes out of their way for the customer, that makes an...

Finding a place to bring your 60+ year old parents from out of town can be challenging, especially in Richmond. There are so many things to consider. Is there good lighting? Is it too noisy? Does the menu have fiber? Are the people there too "edgy"? Will it be too expensive on their fixed incomes? All of these things crossed my mind when trying to find a place to take them out to eat.

Fortunately I went with my gut and choose Tazza as it has one of my favorite happy hours in the city. We got there and immediately got my favorite drink, a redwood (only $5 on happy hour). After a cocktail, our waitress came by and she was just edgy enough to make my parents feel cool and hip but not too alternative to make them feel like they were in a real city. The menu had a huge variety of different options and each person at the table was able to get something they were thrilled with. The conversation was lackluster but that was due us having little to talk about, not because they couldn't hear.

When the check finally arrived and I pretended to reach for it prior to them snatching it off the table, I was pleased to see that the bill for 4 people to eat was very reasonable. They even left a 18% tip! (which is like 30% for anyone under the age of 40).

Overall it was a lovely experience and we truly enjoyed our time there. I am definitely looking forward to...