what a wonderful place! stopped by this restaurant on the advice of the locals from montefredone…read morewhere we traced our family roots...they had a price fix of 10 euros for lunch, a super bargain compared to some of the other restaurants we visited where the food was a pale imitation...actually had the best gnocchi i've ever tasted...had to hold them down on the plate they were so light..smothered in luscious cheese infused tomato sauce...topped with a beautiful green basil leaf...still can't stop thinking about it....fried and fresh anchovies, grilled sausage, pork chop, escarole sauteed in garlic and oil of course...topped off with a delicious local greco wine...good size indoor dining area with beautiful outdoor patio...if you are in the avellino area, put this address in your gps...do yourself a favor and go to this wonderful off the beaten path restaurant!

Great meal, superior service, outstanding value ... as good as it gets for the price!…read more My iPhone decided to go on the fritz again while my wife and I were spending the night at a hotel in Mercogliano, a hillside town about 30 miles (50 kliks) and a world away from Naples, Italy, after visiting the famous mountain top abbey called Santuario di. The Abbey of Montevergine has been the site of religious orders dating back to the 12th Century and sits almost 5,000 above the base of Mount Vesuvius and the Bay of Naples. It was reportedly the hiding place of the Shroud of Turin during World War II and is home to the massive and celebrated Byzantine painting on wood of the "Madonna" (Blessed Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus). Anyway, back to my crappy iPhone. We were searching for a place to eat on TripAdvisor (because there was a dearth of reviews in the area on Yelp) and found an excellent option, Pizzeria La Tavernetta, which appeared to be in close proximity to our hotel, Hotel Mercurio. However, when I clicked on "Directions", both Google Maps and Waze could not pinpoint my location even though "Location Services" was enabled on my iPhone. So, we decided to do it the old fashioned way and ask the hotel desk clerk. He took us outside and pointed to the restaurant next door and sure enough, it was La Tavernetta ... HOOAH! As we entered, we were greeted warmly by the pizzaiolo and one of the owners apparently. There was a smattering of occupied tables in the large dining room and a party of about 35 celebrating a birthday at the long table next to ours. I began to become concerned after 10-15 minutes of being mostly ignored by the waiter and thought about going elsewhere, but I knew he (the only waiter) was overwhelmed by the large group and decided to wait. Am I glad we did! The owner came over and apologized shortly thereafter and the young waiter was nothing less than superb from that point forward. We started with a bottle of mineral water, the local red wine, and the antipasto San Valentine (€8), a massive plate (plates actually) filled with various salamis, prosciutto, guanciale, two medium balls of mozzarella di buffala, two bruschette (plural of bruschetta, which is prounounced brew-sket-ah, not brew-shet-ah as most Americans do), black and green olives, as well as marinated and roasted mellenzane (eggplant), mushrooms, and carrots. Accompanied by a basket of bread, it was a feast in itself, well worth the €8, and we nearly filling before our main courses arrived. My family comes from a town about ten miles away and the wine was a bit drier than the local wines made there, but it was dark, fruity, and robust, an excellent value at less than $5 a bottle. I had been craving my favorite frierielli (broccoli rabe) and sausage pizza for over a month and seeing it on the menu had no other choice even though they have a nice selection of primi (pastas), secondi (meat dishes), and contorni (side dishes - potatoes, vegetables, etc). The pizza was as big as any I have had in Naples, the home of the best pizza in the world, and one of the best sausage and frierielli pizzas I have had, including Naples. The crust was perfect, thin yet firm and slightly crispy (unlike Roman pizza which is like eating a cracker with tomato and cheese) and was well covered with fresh mozzarella, broccoli rabe, and large chunks of fresh, sweet sausage. The waiter read my mind and offered "olio piccante" (a spicy olive oil flavored with peperoncini) before I could get the words out of my mouth, adding just the right amount of spice to accompany the perfect pizza. My wife had the baked scamorza, a stronger tasting cousin of mozzarella found mostly in Southern Italy, and porcini mushrooms (€10) and again we were not disappointed. Two large melted balls of cheese topped with just the right amount of sauteed porcini mushrooms was filling and delicious. We stopped to talk to the owners, brothers I take it, on the way out and were treated to a small complimentary glass of "digestivo", in this case a local green liquore reminiscent of absinthe, but made by the abbey monks from herbs found on the mountain slopes near Sanuario di Montevergine - a perfect ending to an outstanding meal! Unlike many reviewers here and elsewhere, I give five stars rarely (as you can see from my rating distribution). My ratings are based strictly on "bang for the buck" and for €33 plus tip, this was a meal deserving my five-star rating and I can safely say that Pizzeria La Tavernetta is "THE BOMB"! CombatCritic Gives La Tavernetta The Coveted 10 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

The perfect place toneat pasta, pizza, meat and whatever thing you want. Nice waitresses and a…read moreperfect old and classic room.

The food is always fresh and delicious! Had fried calamari and misto salad this time. The calamari…read morewas so tender and cooked perfectly!!

Came here for dinner with my daughter, based on the reviews, and was not disappointed. This…read moreestablishment has a very charming vibe, with a back patio that's cool and quiet, away from the street. Its location near the amphitheater entrance of the Pompeii Archeological Park makes it very easy to find. The food was fantastic, the pasta was perfect. The service was absolutely top-notch as well. I highly recommend this restaurant for a casual evening with friends, or a quiet evening with a date.

This is by far the best restaurant that I have been to throughout my entire Italy experience. The…read morefood was so delicious, and the house wine was a great value! The desert was heavenly, and the pasta is home-made. But the number-one best thing about this restaurant was the service. Our server, Roberto, went above and beyond to ensure that my family had exceptional service. He speaks incredible English, and he even made drawings for my kids! I will definitely be coming back in the future, and I insist anyone coming through Pompeii visit.

This lovely Italian place left my group of friends and I with smiles on our faces and overstuffed…read morebellies. This restaurant is in what feels like a cave? It's all stone inside it seems like. Our waiter knew just enough English and we knew just enough Spanish/ Italian to get by. The menu here is QR code, but there is little cell reception there for our internet to work. Overall the food was delicious. This penne was so cheesy and tomatoey. The mussels were cooked in a simple salt and pepper broth really allowing their natural flavors to pop. Both the mussels and the lemons were from the Almafi coast!

This was a great meal! My husband and I shared an appetizer. I got the cod fish gnocchi which was…read moreso yummy! I liked our meal and had a good time. We went on a Wednesday and were confused as to why only a few tables were full and mainly tourists but, it may be because it was during the week.

This place is absolutely gorgeous. The service was impeccable and Raffaele provided service that…read morewas beyond amazing and he recommended delicious dishes. I got the lobster spaghetti and the appetizer with different kinds of seafood(I forgot the name). Overall, I was very delighted with my experience here, especially with Raffaele.

Amazing! Fresh! Delightful! Very quiet in November but still open. Very happy we went in. Best…read moremeal I've had in 5 days in Italy.

We came in one night for dinner while staying nearby in Naples. The place is small so seating can…read moretalk a little while. But the staff was friendly and we were able to get a seat without too much of a wait. I'm giving this restaurant 5 stars primarily because the offer something very unique. A vegetarian Ragu with seitan. This place is known for great ragu, which is meat based. But they offer a vegitarian version that was very good. I got a mushroom pasta dish that was very tatsy and filling. I could only eat half due to how filling it was. My wife got an Aperol spritz and I got an italian beer. If we were back in the area we'd likely stop back in to rty other options on their large menu.

Great restaurant, especially for their pasta dishes. My waiter was also super friendly and patient…read morewith my American self when explaining to me all the different kinds of pastas they had and which ones were freshly made. He even had some sample dry pastas with him to physically show me as a little demonstration, which I thought was really nice and appreciated very much. I ended up ordering the fresh scialatielli with ragu and ricotta (€13.50), which was simple yet tasty. The fresh pasta was cooked very well with a classic preparation. They also gave a generous amount of parmesan on the side. I also tried the fresh lemonade, which was very lemony and slightly fizzy for additional refreshment. The place is somewhat small inside but I was able to get a table without any wait. The kitchen is right next to the seating area, so it's kind of cool to see the cooks right there. Overall, Tandem is a great place for pasta dishes with very friendly service.

What a pleasant surprise! Well-placed signs and GPS brought us to this great lunch spot…read more Wonderful service and savory food (even for me a vegetarian who does not like mushrooms) The roasted veggie apps the waiter brought were a tasty surprise only to be outdone by the fresh roasted red peppers we crushed on top of 2 different, flavorful pasta dishes. Highly recommend this spot. We were glad we found it en route to Bari

We arrived late for lunch - they were closing. Graciously, they stayed open and served us a very…read morenice meal. We were simply passing through the town, but this was a great stop!!