Wife had heard about this place so when in Tampa we thought we give it a try. Started off with Fried bread. She is was amazing. One person got octopus appetizer which they described as good. Two of the party had spaghetti and meatballs other two got chicken parm. They were both just ok. My particular parm was slightly overdone, sauce and spaghetti accompanied it. Sauce did not have much flavor. Same was said for the two who loved the meatballs but sauce and spaghetti were again ok. First time ever to Italian restaurant where to fresh Parmesan cheese or pepper offered. Found this strange. Pizzas looked great. Wish I would have ordered that instead. If we go back I would try the pizzas. read more

Ava is always a good time. Happy hour goes til like seven and the food is amazing. This was my first time trying the La Bestia pizza and it was excellent. I usually get the Funghi which is also delicious. The pork belly was crispy and cooked to perfection. The outside seating is covered and comfortable and the vibes are good. The bartenders and servers are attentive and I always have a good time. read more

Ava - Pork Belly - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

See all

This place is super cute ! Definitely a great spot for a date to rekindle your love. The booths are super comfy and large (definitely try to request one) We went on a rainy Saturday and it was not busy at all. We did make online reservations but we definitely didn't need one. Host was super friendly and helpful. Our server was super bubbly and kind! She made awesome suggestions on items to eat. We ended up getting two apps and 1 meal and a side dish and it came to $85. The calamari came with two different dipping sauces and we had a great big helping! Very light and just enough crisp. PLEASE order the bruschetta. The tomatoes were very delicious and super fresh. I'm not sure what they did to it exactly but had a nice chard taste to it. Definitely a great spin. The lobster fettuccine had a great light flavor with a ton of lobster! We split our meal, the chefs were even kind enough to do it in the back for us. I think it would have been nice to have completely bread, and I wish they had a wider/better wine selection. But over all would definitely recommend! read more

See all

Food is terrible. No idea why anyone would ever eat here. Try Olive Garden. Everything tastes like nothing. Lighting money on fire.

This place is not bad, but it's not special. The food is good but not amazing, and not worth the price in my opinion. I have been here twice and both times left underwhelmed. There's certainly better Italian food out there. read more

Was seated right away by friendly host upon checking in for a large party of ~12 on a weeknight at 7:00 PM. Great outdoor seating with overhang to protect us from the light drizzle that started later in the night. Cool atmosphere inside the restaurant as well. Very lively environment. I only got a picture of the pasta I ordered, with a beautifully prepared poached/soft boiled egg (believe using sous-vide). The dish was cohesive and very delicious. The party ordered many appetizers and entrees, and quite a few desserts also. Drinks ordered included neat whiskey, cocktails, bottles of wine. Serves kept the water glasses and drinks topped off all around. 5/5 had a wonderful experience for a large group and will definitely return in the future. read more

Ava - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Went for dinner on a Friday night. The service was prompt. The waiter took our drink order. The drinks took a while to get to us. After the appetizer came we hardly saw the waiter. Finally entrees were put in. The kitchen dinner service is slow. We had the veal parm. Which the the pasta was over cooked and mushy. Also the risotto needed salt, shrimp were very tasty. Yet the ny strip was ordered medium. It came "leather" very over cooked. The decor and overall setting is really nice read more

We spent New Year's Eve at Ava's. We had a private room for a group of 20. The pre-fixe menu was enticing, the food was delicious, the atmosphere was warm and festive, and the service was outstanding. I highly recommend, especially if you need a place for a large group. read more

Ava has a beautiful set up . It looks good. Nice lighting. The menu is extensive. Lots of unique Italian dishes. Drinks are fine. Service was adequate. The chairs are not really comfortable. They are woven like an old outdoor patio chair except we we inside. We ordered a charcuterie board but it did not have the grill bread it was suppose to have. It was substituted with no explanation. The main dishes were pretty good. Not exactly my taste but nicely prepared. We were there fairly early and my first two choices on the menu were no longer available. That was strange for a Saturday night. I hope to try this place again when everything is available. read more

See all

We loved everything about this place. We had a nice time sitting outside . Outstanding customer service , excellent fresh pasta and pizza . Lovely for appetizers and drinks , celebrating our wedding anniversary and bdays this was definitely romantic . They are pet friendly and upscale. Very spacious place with different areas , beautiful kitchen! You can watch them cook ! read more

See all

Good food, bottomless mimosas, easier parking than I ever dreamed of in this neighborhood... and, we felt trendy-hanging with the decidedly younger brunch bunch in the room. Yep-that makes for a pretty awesome Saturday! We had a reservation at 11:45 a.m. and had to wait about 10 minutes-not bad at all. It was my first time here and I liked how bright and light it was. There's tons of seating, both inside and out, and those tables filled up quickly. We were six-seated at a table for four-but we made it work. (Everyone was close to the mimosas) The staff was super friendly-though it felt like they were maybe stretched thin-just a bit. I'm sorry I didn't take pics of the menu. (I blame the mimosas) It was bigger than I expected and we all tried something different to eat. Everyone liked theirs. I had the Florentine omelette-which was huge and so fresh and tasty. You can get home fries, grits or fruit with it. I was too full to even touch the melon medley (yeah, mimosas). So, the mimosas (did I mention them?): $20 for all you can drink in two hours. They come standard with oj but for $2 more you can get cranberry, grapefruit or pineapple. I settled into the grapefruit groove and never strayed-but I've gotta try the pineapple next time. And yes, there will definitely be a next time (s). There's a free parking garage just south of the restaurant-covered and super close. The posted signs suggest a three hour limit. That gives you an hour to rebuild after the two hour mimosa limit-or time to walk around to other nearby SoHo spots. I'm eager to come back and try the pizzas they're known for-and also, for many more brunches. See you there! I'll have a carafe of pineapple mimosas waiting for ya. read more

See all

Overall, a pretty terrible experience. Decided to dine out on Thanksgiving. Were seated around 6:30. The staff was obviously anxious to leave. So they brought our entrées with the salads. Then acted surprised when said that we wanted to finish our salads first. After finishing our salads, they served us the same entrées, barely warm. Pretty lousy treatment. read more

Ava was a great experience. Went with a party of 4. They offered a table side truffle gnocci pasta, made right in front of you. It was expensive but worth it! The bread service was good. My short rib pasta was delicious , I'd rate this place a 4.5/5!!! read more

I came for brunch on a Sunday morning and it was pretty busy. The brunch menu doesn't have that many "breakfast" options so I ordered the Margarita pizza. It was yummy but for the size it was overpriced. The server was sweet but it took a while to get to our table and even give us water. It is a cute vibe but not sure I will be back - maybe I would come to try their dinner. read more

See all

I really enjoyed Ava primarily because our server was such a joy. He really helped us understand the history of the restaurant and had some funny jokes about the restaurant like how the brick oven is named Isabella and she could be quite fiery sometimes. Who is also extremely knowledgeable about the menu and had great recommendations on drinks. The food was delectable. I had their handmade pasta which reminded me of being back in Italy, and their drinks were handcrafted and delicious. I highly recommend for date night, it's such a romantic ambience for sure. read more

See all

Good was amazing. We went for brunch and the drinks were great. And atmosphere was beautiful and my little girls name is Ava and it was kinda special to her. read more

See all

This place was packed on a Wednesday night which is usually a good sign. Plenty of parking available, make reservations.. you won't regret it. I ordered Pork Shank, it was good but on the saltier side. I think that's a norm here, had the same issue on my previous visit. To those who care, not a single staff/server wore a mask. I don't know how i feel about it. Service was slow, they were busy. My server was quite busy, felt bad for her really. Also, they raised their prices $$ Overall, it was a decent meal. Could be a lot better considering my entree was $35. read more

See all

We have always wanted to try this place and finally were able to snag a reservation and get over there. The place is super nice and has a great vibe to it, and the staff is amazing. Our waiter was super attentive and we had a good experience. The food itself is pretty meh. You can tell it's high quality ingredients, but everything lacked in flavor and any wow. To be fair, that may just be a personal preference, that I like everything overly flavored. It is a little pricey for the overall experience. I'm glad we went, but we most likely won't return. read more

Ava - Bruschetta - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

See all

My partner and I went to Ava for Tampa Bag Restaurant Week. There is a special menu that you have to ask for for this event. Ava Dip- My favorite dish of the night. Served with thick slices of bruschetta. I liked that the bruschetta was soft. The dip was amazing! We finished the entire thing Meatballs - Good. The sauce was creamy Blueberry Spritz- I didn't have this but my partner said it was good. Hanger Steak- served with mashed potatoes and asparagus. The asparagus was small and wasn't my favorite. I think steamed broccoli would have paired better with this dish. The bbq sauce that was on the steak was a little too much for me. I like my sauce to be light. The mashed potatoes was the perfect balance to the saltiness of the steak. The steak itself was cooked perfectly and the cut was amazing. Margarita Pizza - We ordered this but got so full on apps we decided to take it home. Tiramisu- This was fantastic! Torte - Fudge cake served with ice cream. I actually thought this would be a moist cake. Not for me but great for fudge lovers. Service was mediocre. Our waitress was nice and would check up on us once a while. I do like my table to be cleared when my next dish comes out. I don't like having a pile of empty dishes next to me. read more

See all

Came here with a group of 4 Friday night, had to make a reservation few days in advance. Location is great and there is a garage you can park for free if you are dining at AVA. I didn't have high expectations due to low reviews on Yelp. We were definitely positively surprised. We ordered apple walnut salad and fungi pizza to start with. Both dishes were great and enough to start for 4 people. Pizza was delicious, with right crust/topping ratio. I ordered eggplant pasta and was delicious, absolutely loved it! They also have many other vegan and vegetarian options, very extensive menu for non meat eaters. I had mocktail mojito with strawberry and was great. I asked not sweet and was exactly how I asked. They do have extensive wine menu as well. Service was great, guy who served us was absolutely amazing and friendly. Was amazing experience. Dessert was pretty good as well, gelato and chocolate torta, love it. Again we shared amongst 4 and was more than enough. They have unique dishes like rabbit gnocchi and lamb bolognese. Menu is definitely great. Will be back! read more

See all

Stopped in for happy hour and had a great meal. Such a cute spot with great service. Definitely recommend the Funghi pizza. read more

Ava - Funghi & La Bestia pizzas - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

Ava is a cute venue. The ambiance is nice and it wasn't loud (soft music was playing). At first, service was a tad bit slow but it did pick up as the night went on. I ordered an old fashioned but got it smoked (I think it was like $1 more). The drink was pretty stiff but that's how an old fashioned should be. I wouldn't recommend more than 2 unless you want to be carried out of the place. The star of the evening was the bruschetta appetizer. 10/10 I would highly recommend. I got the Pappardelle alle Bolognese for dinner and it was good but I think it could've used more sauce. All in all, I would recommend to try this place out while in Tampa. #thebrunchinbabe read more

See all

My family and I recently went there for Saturday brunch at 10 am to surprise my sister in law for her birthday! The food from the brunch menu was AMAZING & the portions were huge, even for the kids meals. My sister and I tend to look up menus ahead of time and although we were excited for the brunch menu, she was very sad. We wouldn't get to try their bruschetta, which looked incredible. The staff was so attentive and even had her bruschetta made even though it wasn't on the brunch menu! I'm so glad they did because it tasted fantastic! They had such a cute atmosphere and vibe there. We will definitely be returning. read more

Ava - Breakfast Pizza - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

See all

Waiter was super nice and attentive. We got sat right away. Some of the food came out undercooked and had to be sent back but we ended up getting free dessert out of it which was nice. Complimentary bread. Overall good experience read more

See all

We had a great experience here Friday night. We were able to get last minute reservations for 5. We arrived on time and had a wonderful waiter named Jacob serve us. We ordered some wine and appetizers: we ordered the bread service with whipped ricotta, ravioli fungi to share, the apple gorgonzola salad and meatballs. Everything was magnificent. The bread is actually fried and that whipped ricotta was to die for- with honey and garlic! So good. The fungi ravioli was so beautifully made with the bachamel sauce and crisp onion shaves with plenty of mushrooms. The meatballs were delicious and the tomato sauce delightful. For the entrees - we had a meat pizza, the fungi pasta (that came with a soft boiled egg-amazing!), the special fish of the day which was a snapper with cream sauce, gnocchi and asparagus and the salmon, that was amazing (can't remember what was on it). It was all delicious!!! And Jacob was attentive and made sure everything was good. We did also order the Nutella peanut butter amazing dessert. Great shareable. All, so very good! Would surely come back! Sad I did not take food images. read more

I'm sure every review will say to order the bread service. Yes! Order the bread service! Don't miss it. The rest of the meals were delicious as well. The branzini was a stand out. It is a lovely and beautiful restaurant. We dined on the patio. Thank you to our excellent waiter, I'm so sorry I can't recall his name. Top notch professional, knowledgeable and patient. read more

In short: the food was really tasty, not the cheapest prices, and the service was TERRIBLE. We had reservations on a Saturday night. When we were seated, it took 15 min before anyone came over. As soon as our server greeted us with water, we put in all of our food/drink order because we weren't sure when she would be back. It took 20 min for the drinks to come out. After our app came out, she needed to double check what my husband and I ordered. Okay, so that means she still hadn't put our dinner order in. When our food came out, a couple people had salads, and there was barely any dressing. We waited so long for her to check on us, that we had to go inside and grab someone. Throughout the dinner our server was hard to find. All in all, we got there at 8:30 and didn't leave until 10. And that was with putting our order in ASAP. On another note, I have heard the happy hour prices/options are great. read more

The appetizers were good. We had the fried bread, bruschetta, and meatballs. The house Bolognese was very good. I was in a party of 10. The shrimp scampi was creamy based FYI. The service was slow but the waitress was nice. We sat outside on the patio with the heaters which was warmer than eating inside so I love that. read more

See all

Saturday brunch with 5 others for a bday celebration. Openly I was disappointed with a limited brunch menu on a Saturday. 20% gratuity added to every check so the service was what you would expect, lacking. Our table wasn't set properly so my wife had a napkin and 1 knife while I had 2 knives. ?? We had to ask 3 times while our food was sitting in front of us for a fork. My wife decided to go to another table to get ketchup for her omelette. Asking would have been useless. The food was ok. No reason to go back. Way too many other good places in the area. read more

Had a big group of 9. Great service with a cool vibe where the owner and staff were very responsive to everything. I had the lamb that was amazing sorry I ate without picture but beautifully plated. Also had the Holy shit Batman whiskey drink that was an old fashion-esk great drink. Thanks Ava nailed it. read more

The food quality has dramatically dropped. My mussels smelled bad. The pizza was awful. The service was also lackluster and clearly not interested in being there. We used to love this place but will not be returning. read more

We have always loved Ava, but this last visit was so impressive that it led me to create this review. Our dishes were tremendous. Freshly made and tasted so authentic. Having recently visited Tuscany, we have been craving great Italian that doesn't kill the budget, and this was the perfect fit. Try the ravioli, pork shank, gnocchi and baby amarone (wine). read more

See all

We are very disappointed with our experience, except for our servers. We made reservations for our anniversary, the hostess tried to seat us at a small table inside the door (it was cold and rainy in Tampa today), there were two other 4-tops with only two patrons, they didn't have food yet and there we no additional settings, why should we settle for a cramped table in an awkward location when other couple had more comfortable tables. We asked for a different table but were refused twice, before the manager offered us a table in the bar. This table was directly under an AC vent and was FREEZING. I wanted to leave, but the server/bartender--unfortunately I don't remember her name and it's not on the receipt, offered us another table on the patio in front of the fire, we took it and were comfortable. Our server duo we very attentive, professional, and knowledgeable. The food was not their regular menu which I didn't know ahead of time, the NYE menu was limited with nothing that really appealed to us, yes, this was another missed opportunity to leave. My husband ordered Seven fishes, which he enjoyed. I had the Butternut Carpaccio, which was uncooked, I wouldn't order it again. The bruschetta was delicious! I returned my rum and coke because it tasted weird (I think it was missing coke syrup), the replacement wasn't better and the cannoli's were as hard as a rock! I've eaten in Naples, Italy a few times and the food we had at Ava's restaurant does not resemble what I ate in Italy. Overall, this was probably the worst dinner experience we have had, being on our anniversary made it worse. The manager who mover us to the freezing table at the bar never came back to check on us, even though he walked by us a few times. Checking on us and making us feel important might have added a few stars to this review. The two servers who waited on us had excellent customer service skills but the manager had minimal. read more

Ava - Butternut squash Carpaccio - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

I have been coming to this restaurant since I got to Tampa (almost 6 years ago) and It has always been hit or miss with both the food and service. I have been for brunch several times and once for dinner. I have had to kindly ask the server to switch out my water glass or silverware because of stains (which sometimes makes me questions the level of sanitation at Ava) but I had the crab cakes egg Benedict and they were really good. I think this place just needs to step up their game, maybe change the menu, offer a weekly deal. Something to spice it up read more

Ava - Crab cake eggs benny - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

We had a reservation for a special celebration dinner and we were seated quickly. The server was attentive and advised us of the specials and took our wine order. The food was excellent. I had the grouper special and my wife had the gourmet pizza special. Before the entree we all had the house salad with a light dressing and it was very good. The fish was cooked perfect the sauce was tasty. The pizza was unique and excellent! As I said, the server was attentive but not overly so. We had a lazy dinner catching up with friends. The one issue with the restaurant was it is very loud and difficult to hear a conversation across the table. But that is the case with many Italian style restaurants. It was our first visit and we left with a great impression. We will return and recommend Ava if you are looking for a casual, lovely dinning experience. read more

The bartender and our waiter was super nice and attentive. Happy Hour Margarita's we're delicious. The Octopus was fresh, perfectly seasoned and grilled. The taste of the potatoes was a pleasant surprise. The fennel definitely gave it an unexpected and interesting taste. I also had a house salad with grilled chicken and it was tender, juice and flavorful and the dressing was delicious. read more

Ava - Grilled Octopus & Ava House Salad with grilled chicken - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

To our surprise, there is an Ava in SoHo. We loved the pizza at the Joinery location, and we're excited to try this location. The decor is very nice and spacious. I started with a ravioli (average) and the bread service, which was the best restaurant bread I've had--the texture of a soft donut with a perfectly crispy exterior. Paired with the whipped ricotta and honey, it's AMAZING. I had to have the Bestia again, but it's not as good as the joinery location(less cheese and sausage). The margarita pizza was very good with pepperoni. Service was okay, but I would definitely return for the bread service option. read more

See all

Happy hour is fantastic. Great menu and prices are excellent. Will be back. The flatbread selections were all delicious and we sampled them all. Ambiance is very nice. Not too loud that you can't have a conversation with friends. read more

Must have gone into this dinner with too high of expectations because I was disappointed. Waitress was anxious for us to order as soon as my party of 6 sat down. There was nothing I ate here that made it stand out from every other Italian restaurant. Saw lots of other tables ordering pizza, but we didn't get any (maybe the mistake). read more

Ava - Shrimp Scampi Dinner - Italian Near Me - Tampa, Florida

I've been here a few times for brunch, but this was the first time I've been for dinner. I was hoping to get to check out happy hour, but I was not aware that was only at the bar. Seeing as we had 6 of us, I did not think that would be possible. It was not very busy at 5:30 on a Tuesday so I was surprised when I noticed it took our server a bit to take our drinks order and deliver those to the table. A couple of us ordered wine, two got Italian soda, and another a mixed drink. The wines were a good pour, but the Italian sodas were not very good. They did not really taste like anything. For appetizers we wanted to try the Bruschetta, Pork Belly, and Meatballs. They informed us they were out of pork belly, but the other 2 were delivered quickly. Meatballs had a great flavor. The bruschetta was on very large pieces of bread and were ok. Across the table for dinner we ordered Fusilli with meatballs, Spaghetti and Meatballs Dinner, Gnocchi with rabbit, gnocchi with meatballs, Chicken Parm, and eggplant parm. Everything was delicious and large sized portions. Overall I spent about $80 on just myself for 2 glasses of wine, a wonderful espresso martini ($15?!?), gnocchi dinner, and split app. A bit on the pricier side. Maybe I'll just stick to brunch here! read more

See all