Tavolàta Capitol Hill — Restaurant in Seattle

My husband and I were really looking forward to dining at Tavolata Capitol Hill because we wanted a special place for our Friday date night and we liked the downtown location a lot. The reservation was easy to make and it strictly specified that there was a fee for any cancellations after 12 hours before the time of the reservation, which once again set us up to think we were going to have a really special dinner. Unfortunately, everything else didn’t meet the bar the establishment tried to set so high. We were greeted by a chatty host who, after taking a quick look around the room, pointed us to the first available table he saw that was right next to the exit door, in front of the reception desk. To my question whether there was a better table available he answered ‘maybe at the bar’ which was hmmmm surprising? Shouldn’t you keep tables for your reservations? Next, once we sat, we were given one set of paper menus we had to pass back and forth for 15 minutes while we were waiting for someone to come up and talk to us, my frustration growing by the minute. Once the host/waiter was finally available, he started joyfully talking about some lamb ragout special they had that night clearly not giving a damn about how we felt about the whole thing. After another minute of debating whether to leave or stay we decided to go and wandered into Via Tribunali down the street where we were taken great care of without any reservations or cancellation fees. The food and service were amazing! The next morning I forgot all about the failed Tavolata dinner overjoyed by the election results until I saw an email in my mailbox from the manager Gabe Hodges, who was curious about how we liked our experience. I replied explaining what had happened and my frustration with it all, expecting some sort of response. Well, little did I know that Tavolata’s concerns with their customers satisfaction were just as empty as their strict reservation policy as I never heard back a word. It’s clear to me that Tavolata is trying to be something it’s not - a fine restaurant that cares for their customers and strives to create an outstanding experience, while at the end of the day it’s just another mediocre joint you stumble in in the middle of the night because everything else is closed and the overpriced pasta is on the...

Won't be going back, used to be my favorite Italian restaurant. I have been here at least ten times and used to highly recommend it to everyone I knew, but I won't do so anymore.

I tried making reservations for a Friday night, for a special anniversary occasion. Could not reach anyone by phone, could not find any information on the website about any closures or special events. When I tried to make a reservation online, the restaurant did not appear at all, but didn't say that reservations or particular times were unavailable. I tried several more times to reach someone there unsuccessfully by phone that day and the day before. I left work early so that I could arrive by opening time (5:00 p.m.). When I arrived to the Capitol Hill location, I was told that the entire restaurant was closed for a special event. This was frustrating because I had tried several times to find that information and it was not posted anywhere and the restaurant had not been answering its phone earlier in the week.

I immediately went to the Belltown location instead. There was a wait of almost an hour. I asked if there was anything they could do to fit me in slightly sooner considering the issues I had with the Capitol Hill location. The employee I spoke to was rude and not very understanding, and said that he wouldn't do anything to assist me under the circumstances. If he had shown some concern, even if he hadn't done anything to accommodate me, I wouldn't be writing this negative review.

With this level of disorganization and poor customer service, I cannot...

We were two families on our first visit to Seattle and looking forward to dinner at Capitol Hill’s Travolata. Once we were seated, our waitress came over and looked as if she couldn’t be bothered with any of us. Our questions about the menu seemed to put her in an ill humor. The hand on hip and rolling of the eyes should have tipped us off that this was not going to be a good night, but we were so happy to be together that we chose to be optimistic. She took our order which was delivered by a different waitress who said she would take care of us the rest of the evening – things were looking up. Surprisingly, our appetizers were delivered by the original waitress who was crankier than before and just walked away when we asked for salt and pepper. Evidently, the notion of stopping by a table to see if everything is fine (which it wasn’t) is more than should be expected at this establishment. Tired of the rude and absentee service from both waitresses, we cancelled our plans for ordering entrees, paid for what we had consumed and left very disappointed at the way our evening turned out! At our hotel, we mentioned our experience to the concierge and, shaking his head, he told us that they have heard so many stories of people receiving awful service at Travolata that they steer people away from eating there. I have since re-read their reviews and noticed that awful service seems to come up quite a bit, so be forewarned! Ethan Stowell may be a great chef, but if you want to be sure that you will have an enjoyable evening – this is not...