I ate here with a Houston friend and a few local friends. The big draws were that we were at The Ginger Man and it was nearby, and Tuesday is half-price bottle of wine night at Taverna. This was by far my best experience at Taverna; our waiter was dynamite, the service was excellent, and all our food was great. Two of us had the grilled swordfish special, one the grilled yellow-fin tuna special, and 1 the steak special. We all tasted each other's meals, and they were all very good. Since the wine was half priced, we decided to go with the more expensive ones. If we bought a normally $40 bottle, then we'd save $20, but if we bought a normally $80 bottle, we'd double our savings. That's the type of logic caused by having a few beers before going to dinner. I don't remember which white wine we picked, but the red was a Super Tuscan, and it was really nice. Two of the people in my group are wine buyers, 1 a wine rep, and I'm just a former lush, so I deferred to their choices. We shared a chocolate thing with a runny middle among the 4 of us for dessert, and it was also really good, and enough for all of us. I don't know if they just finally got their act together here, or if we were just lucky this week, but my opinion has changed greatly for the better. read more

I've been here twice now and have always had a good experience. The service here is great, from the moment you make a reservation (not necessary but nice for a big group) to when you leave. Our server tonight was super attentive, which I love. I always get the risotto when I'm here and have yet to be disappointed. The specials are always good and everything is cooked to perfection. To be honest, the sangria and tiramisu are my favorite items here. Please try either one (or both) if you decide to stop by! read more

Service was awful, they brought the wrong food and the burger had no toppings or sauce.

With a rustic-yet-modern Italian decor, prime location, and specials that help connect the hipster crowd with the young urban professionals, Taverna has something for everyone. That is, if you enjoy half-price pizza happy hours and $1 brunch mimosas (and who doesn't?). The $1 Mimosas and Bellinins weekend brunch special gets the most attention, and for good reason (just make sure to get there before 11 AM, and be prepared to be on a list). But if you manage to wait it out, they don't disappoint. The brunch special meshes nicely with an awesome breakfast menu, including an addicting Fri....Fritata....Fritatta..Frittata? Yea, Frittata. The breakfast potatoes are equally good. While the bruschetta on the dinner menu is somewhat unspectacular, the focaccia bread is delicious. The pasta and risotto dishes, however, are where Taverna really shines. I have yet to eat a risotto dish at Taverna that has disappointed; each dish offers a creamy, dense portion with a variety of ingredients. The Fiocchi al Gorgonzola e Pera is what puts Taverna into 5-star territory for me. It's a combination of pear bits, walnuts, arugula and Gorgonzola draped with a sweet cream sauce. I try to trace my eyes to other parts of the menu, but the dish just keeps me crawling back. Try as I might, I can't pull away. I give up, Fiochhi, you have me in your clutches. read more

We visited for brunch on Sunday morning and we were the first ones there. We ordered the create your own omelet (ham, mushroom, onions, and spinach) served with breakfast potatoes and garlic bread ($10), and the vanilla French toast served with mascarpone and fresh fruit ($8.95). Both dishes were delicious. The omelet was big and the fillings were properly cooked. The breakfast potatoes were full of flavor, possibly the result of being cooked in pancetta. The French toast was the best I have ever tasted. The center was soft but not soggy (as many previous French toasts) while the corners still retained a slight crunch. The mascarpone was a good compliment to the sweetness of the toast. To make things better, the bellinis and mimosas were only one dollar. The prices were awesome, especially for the big portions and the quality of food. Our server was friendly and the food arrived in a timely manner. I highly recommend it. read more

Great place to come for last minute brunch with little to no wait time. We came in with 9 people and were sat right away. Great chicken and waffles, pasta and pizza options along with omelettes, Benedics and more! Service was slow, but the food came out right away. Outdoor seating available. Overall, great options and atmosphere. read more

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This place just hits the spot for yummy Italian food in a casual yet trendy restaurant. I have seriously never been able to find any good risotto at any other restaurant before I tasted the heavenly delight that is Taverna risotto. Usually, the special risotto they have on the board is a creamy dish with various fish and seafood mixed in. This, along with the seafood risotto on the regular menu are my favorites. The balsamic chicken risotto is delicious as well. The Tomato Basil Bisque soup is incredibly appetizing, with a touch of sourness and a rich hearty tomato-ey flavor! I've been branching out recently, trying their spaghetti cabonara, bolognese, and gnocchi and I am pleased to say they are all very tasty. Going for lunch is pretty awesome because they give you a free focaccia bread that will leave you wanting more. Lastly, but not least, they have a great Sunday happy hour before 3pm with $1 mimosas or bellini's. Of course they are small, but make a good reason to come and try the food. Hint: You can make reservations for brunch to avoid waiting in the long lines. read more

Go if you want to sit around chatting over a cup of coffee or bottomless mimosas with some friends. For a texas restaurant, they do sort of pack it in here European style, and the location is prime. Don't go if you're expecting an awesome breakfast -- you really don't get what you pay for, and I just ordered basics... eggs, potatoes, toast, sausage.... read more

Taverna- what can I say? You have never let me down! I have made at least 5 visits to Taverna by now and am still impressed. I had my birthday/graduation party here in December (same week of Christmas) and they were able and willing to accommodate our party of 20. If you've ever tried to book a dinner during that week, you pretty much get laughed at. Great place for a party under 20! FOOD/DRINKS: Everything is amazing but definitely try the risotto dishes! BRUNCH: Equally amazing! The food was fantastic! My only complaint was- I know the mimosa's are only $1, but the waitress kept refilling mine when it was still half full and charging me for another one....kind of strange. It does get really busy for brunch and you are lucky if you can snag a table outside. They are also pup friendly on their patio! read more

I've been to Traverna many times over the past few years and had I ever felt compelled to review it, it would have received 4 solid stars. However, my recent experience has made it two. Trust me...there are enough options for food downtown that also have great drink deals, that you can easily avoid this spot. Overcharged, didn't catch it. When I did days later, didn't really seem to care, but did say "sunday brunch things just get crazy and people make dumb mistakes." Uhhmm....story below. Sunday, my boyfriend and I wake up early and think, we have a friend's wedding at 4pm, we should get brunch and a couple bloody mary's to start the day. We should have stuck to the plan. Instead we end up at Taverna. The mimosas for $1 were lovely. However, once I wasn't quite done with one and she came to refill it leaving about half in the little single service carafe which she did NOT leave at the table! But no real complaints as it was only about .50 so no bother I suppose. Food came and it was pretty good. My eggs Benedict with crab was a bit more fishy tasting than I would have liked, but not so bad as to send back. Time for the bill...HERE is where things get hairy. She takes my card and comes back then says, "oh this isn't yours." The waitress then returns with my bill and my card. I tip 28% as the waitress was great and we stayed at the table a pretty long time. Come today, Wednesday, I take a look at my bank account. Wait, what? I have two HARD charges, one for 72 and one for 51, then an additional pending charge for 56. Hum...So I know the 56 pending is my original food bill, then the 72 was my total with a $16 TIP. The 51 dollar charge however, I'm confused about. So I call. Tavernas initial response from a manager was, "let me look into it." Cool, I'm still happy and fine, but taking some time out of my business day is starting to irk me a bit. Traverna calls me, I'm paraphrasing here: I'm sorry, we don't see any charge except for the 56 & 72, but sometimes, Sunday brunch being so hectic, sometimes mis-charges happen, but are not reflected on accounts." The manager says without any sense of business or accounting knowledge apparently and definitely selling me off coming for Sunday Brunch. I respond, "I'm happy to go to my bank and have a certified copy of my statement sent to you." She again insists that she doesn't see a charge under my name for that. But does see a charge in that amount for a guy named Albert. Somewhere in all of this she tries to tell me that charges sometimes get put on by mistake, but aren't reflected or are taken off. I think this is interesting because I can actually see the charge, clearly it's reflected in my account. Being a former banker I know the difference between a hard and pending charge. I explain it to her that unless they did a refund or void transaction that I was legally obligated to know about, this charge will not come off. She asks for the last four digits of my card and says she will call back. Call number 3, low and behold, I was charged for another customer's meal. Again she tells me how crazy brunch is. I should mention when we were seated only two other tables at the patio were seated. Yeah....super crazy. I do get the idea here that she does NOT want me or anyone else to come to sunday brunch because it's "SO CRAZY" Anyway, by now I'm thinking, "I've been understanding and respectful to this person, how about being invited back for complimentary meal, a free dessert or cocktail." NOPE, nothing. She did offer to refund me the money for the charge of the other tables meal. But that's it. And they never would have done that if I hadn't looked at my account and noticed 3 charges for taverna in one day. Needless to say, I will be sticking to moonshine or Paggi for Sunday Brunch or ANYWHERE else. Traverna has been kicked off the, "solid, consistent, good value DT restaurant" and knocked down to, "I won't go unless I have no say what so ever in the matter and it's someones birthday whom I enjoy tremendously." Great location, not worth the hassle. read more

No doubt in my mind is this a 5 star place. The food is amazing, the drinks are amazing and Josh the GM is absolutely amazing. One of the best experiences I have had dining in in Austin. HIGHLY recommend the gnocchi dish. We walked in without a reservation and were able to sit at the bar or in Baci Room with a drink to wait for our table read more

Strong $2 bellenis and mimosas. Options for pescatarians and vegetarians. Great customer service. Sat immediately for Sunday brunch at noon. Definitely a must even though street parking is limited definitely make use of the parking garage on Cesar Chavez read more

Taverna - Italian Near Me - Austin, Texas

Not worth the price at all. Generally speaking, average service, average quality food, and incredibly overpriced. The lamb dish was burnt and the seafood risotto with scallops and gulf shrimp had the most minuscule amount of seafood in it. In fact, I think my shrimp count equaled ONE, just cut up in itsy bitsy pieces...quite ridiculous for a $16 risotto. For me, a telltale sign of a good Italian restaurant is their tiramisu. This one had nuts in it. NUTS. As if the solitary shrimp chopped up in the risotto wasn't offensive enough, there are now NUTS in the tiramisu? Really.... Oh, and our meal was incredibly late, due to some "computer glitches". The waiter did apologize but nothing was comped. Other than being on a balcony with a good over-priced bottle of wine and people-watching, this restaurant had nothing to offer. I would not go back. read more

This placed saved my birthday. After an awful experience at Kenichi, Taverna picked up the slack. Stomachs grumbling from poor sushi and crappy sake, my boyfriend and I happened upon Taverna and its lovely little outdoor patio and had to obey the stomachs calling out for quality food. The servers were very friendly and helpful. We sat outside on the romantic patio and enjoyed a great atmosphere, a very tasty pizza, and polite fellow patrons (as opposed to the screeching sorority girls sitting next to us at Kenichi). I loved the food, and it was reasonably priced (for a more-upscale establishment). They have a great wine selection. There's a fantastic 2005 pinot noir by Chalone that they actually sell for LESS than local stores - unheard of. I highly recommend checking it out. read more

I generally avoid Italian places because my family is Italian, and usually I am horridly disappointed by the food. Taverna is the exception - oh my god are their risottos good- I tried the pesto risotto, truffle oil risotto, and the balsamic risotto - all three were perfectly cooked and nicely seasoned. Out of the three, I think my favorite was the truffle oil risotto with Parmesan though - giant slivers of Parmesan along with tons of truffle oil poured on top. Wow! For 13 of us, with 13 entrees and 20 mimosas, the bill was only $190. Because we were there for a graduation party, our waiter even comped our 5 desserts. WOW! From other reviews I was slightly afraid of the waitstaff, but we had nothing but good results - waiter was attentive, nice, and knowledgeable AND they held our table for 13 even though we were 20 minutes late. 3 WOW's! read more

Came here on a cold Sunday night and wasn't surprised to see the dining room was only half filled. I dined with three of my friends and we started off with the focaccia appetizer. Highly recommended if you love dipping in balsamic and olive oil. It was piping hot and the perfect combination of crispy and doughy. I couldn't get enough of it! It's also a good size for 3-4 people to share. I was only impressed with half of the entrees ordered. Thankfully, one of them was mine! I ordered the risotto with diver scallops, grape tomatoes, and lemon confit. The plate was served with two perfectly seared scallops and they were amazing. It was my first time having risotto so I can't compare to anything, but I enjoyed it immensely. My friend next to me ordered the pan seared sea bass and it was so good, I couldn't stop digging out of her plate. I've never had such well-prepared sea bass! My other two friends ordered pasta dishes and I was less than impressed with both of them. Can't remember the names of the dishes but one was a scampi and the other was a truffle cream. They were both served with the same type of pasta and I wasn't a fan of it. Too thin and too soggy! We also ordered the carrot cake and creme brulee for dessert! Highly recommended :) read more

The bartenders are really great the food is great. I had Jose and Jeff take care of me and my friends last time and the experience was phenomenal read more

I have heard about this place time again, thus it as about time I checked it out. I met up with a girlfriend at 10am on Sunday and had no trouble getting a quaint table outside. (By quaint, of course I mean Small, but at least we were outside.) Our first order of business was to order up a round of those $1 Mimosas/Bellini. A deal that can't be beat, although I will say as the place got busier, the speed at which you got your mimosa slowed considerably. Maybe they do this on purpose, ha...The bellini was a big hit since it was slightly frozen. Mmm. Every single menu item looks great, including the lunch menu. However, the instant I saw the breakfast calzone (on special) I knew I had to have it. A calzone? for breakfast? Yes please. It was the size of a football, and stuffed with eggs, sausages, and peppers. Incredible. Forgive me, because I don't even remember what my gal pal ordered, I was too engrossed in my own meal. This place can get pretty packed, so if you like hustle and bustle, sit inside. Otherwise, you can pick outside, but be forewarned the tables are right on top of one another. Just saying, after a couple of mimosas, conversation can turn delicate -and you better be comfortable with your neighbor overhearing. Taverna is pretty inside and out, our server was friendly and the food and drink were thumbs up - overall it was as solid experience. I would sum it up by saying that if you are wearing last night's clothes, want to pick up a date, and drink cheap booze, then head to Union Park. If you want to drink champagne on the cheap at a nice place with your girlfriends, or your Mom, come to here instead. I would also like to stop by this place for a nice lunch or dinner date - it has that vibe, and I suspect from my peak at the lunch menu, the food would really be top notch. Tip - park in the garage that's kitty-corner from Taverna on Lavaca, because it's free. Or really, just take a cab, it might be a better idea ;-) read more

I think the people that gave this place 5 stars where drunk on the $1 mimosas, took out their phone and wrote a review without sober reflection. If you read their reviews it is true, every person says something about them. Meh. Chain, No Flavor to Food, Restaurant Organization Bad, Service Quality Good. Service = My friend and I were walking by and decided we would try this place due to the crowd. Weird Right? I was fine with the 30 min wait time. After 40 we were told every table that was being cleaned was for us. It took a few tables but we got one. We had 4 different people waiting on us, it got confusing who to talk to after a while. Drinks was one male, food was another female, bread was another male, and plates off the table was another female. Mind Blown, I know! Food = Not Impressed. I can't remember the name of what I had but it was a cream sauce with chicken, mushrooms, and ruffle oil. It tasted like a high quality frozen dinner. The pasta was very limp, way too much sauce, and all you could taste was the truffle oil. The chicken was OK. I was not impressed. Not worth $15. Spaghetti with turkey meatballs. It LOOKED GREAT! It sadly had NO TASTE. IT was weird. It looks like they make everything there in house but forgot to add the spices, salt, and pepper. It had chunky veggies in it, which I like, but it didn't matter. There really was no flavor. The turkey meatballs were OK, nothing great. I have had better and cheaper places. Bread = It is not the fresh baked bread your are thinking. It reminds me of the old 90's Friendship bread. I looked at everyone's plates and I have to say, nothing looked amazingly awesome. Presentation of the food here lacks big time! I don't see a reason to return unless I just want to get wasted on $1 mimosas on Sunday, but who am I to say anything, their business model seems to work splendidly. read more

Saturday brunch at Taverna is the only cure for my hangover. Great place for a boozy brunch!!! Love the service & Josh was awesome!

Word of warning - this is not your typical "laid back" Austin place. It definitely has the air of "pretty people" - my group happened to go on Valentine's Day for brunch. I recommend making reservations, it was packed. The pros - the bottomless mimosas were cheap and kept coming. The service wasn't super quick, but it was decent and our waitress was friendly. It was a busy day. I ordered the fried eggs with truffle oil with sausage and potatoes. It was actually better than I expected - good flavor and hot. A bit overpriced for what it was, but I'm guessing you make up for it with the drinks. You are paying for ambiance. You're getting a bit of "east coast flair" without the east coast prices. Great happy hour drinks, for sure. The cons - Perhaps there's a tad of east coast pretension here. The food isn't as great as something you'll find in NYC's Hell's Kitchen, but it's pretty good. We felt like we had walked in on a mini fashion show. I need to go and have dinner, I've only been to brunch and happy hour. I'll definitely go back and I'll bet I'll enjoy it, and just ignore the designer duds. read more

The $1 mimosas and bellinis are really the main reason to eat there. This place is just a bunch of hits and misses when it comes to food. And really, the misses outweigh other times where I just have satisfactory food. My bf tends to get the chicken risotto dish and seems pleased, so maybe the do have a few good dishes. And their foccacia is pretty good. An onto the misses - their french toast was thin and not very good at all almost like sliced raisin bread you can buy by the loaf at the store the only redeeming quality is that they give you a scoop of marscapone cheese. And although cheese makes everything better, marscapone can only do so much. I also find their polenta very lackluster and overall poor in taste. As for ambiance I wouldn't say that its as horrible as other reviewers have suggested. I tend to go for brunches and usually there is a mix of people some higher maintained than others, but by no means obnoxious. My suggestion is that if you like cheap good drinks accompanied by food - go, but if you like good food accompanied by drinks then eat somewhere else. read more

I didn't get off on the right foot with Taverna, but it ended much better. I was looking forward to brunching on their fabulously European-esque patio with my mom and boyfriend. We made eye contact with a few servers, not sure if we just pick a spot or need to go inside; they said nothing so we claimed a table on the patio. Over saunters a server: "Uh, I'm sorry, but you can't sit here. These three tables are reserved. You'll need to go inside to see the hostess; she'll seat you." Huh. The three tables weren't pulled together, they weren't marked as being reserved, and no one informed us we needed to see the hostess first. So we skulk inside where we're informed there aren't any more outdoor tables - ergo, I can kiss that patio goodbye. Which is odd, because I saw more than three open tables out there. I guess those were top secretly reserved as well. Shortly after we're seated, the gaggle of 13 sorority sisters (*~*Kappa Kappa Gamma!!*~*) arrive and I overhear that not only had they not specifically requested to be seated on the patio, but that they also would prefer to sit indoors. OMG you guys, I was like totally about to pitch a fit because I like totally could have sat happily on that patio with my yummy $1 bellini. But they ultimately sat outside and I got over it when I started thinking about the food prospects. Our server had a sense of humor and made entertaining whooshing noises when handing over the drinks and food. Kind of like a five year-old playing with his Matchbox car. Endearing, really. I tried the (apparently new) New Orleans beignets, which weren't quite up to par, but the sauce...oh my lord, the sauce. Coffee-flavored, creamy and rich - everything I wanted. They got my boyfriend's order wrong, but his ham & Gruyere omelet was delivered at light speed. My mom loved her frittata and the breakfast potatoes were full of rosemary flavor. I've still got my eye on you, patio, so I'll be back at least one more time. read more

What was going on in Austin this weekend? I feel like there was some super cool L.A.-ish convention downtown that I did not know about. Walk in at 12:55 to put my name in for a table of four. First of all, get a better system for finding the reservations. If you are packed, having a little girl with a side mullet wander around looking for random parties is not the most efficient way to get your tables flipped. I watched three two-tops sit open for more than 10 minutes, assumedly because side-mullet was looking for the parties whom were supposed to be placed. 45 min. later I get a table. An EXTREMELY cramped table. Frankly the space was made even tighter by the overweight person at the table next to me, whom when she dumped her own drink in her lap, slammed in to me, knocking me sideways with her chair. $1 mimosas...I can't complain, but they are not super strong. Whatevs...can I complain if they are only $1? I had the special crab salad, which was good if not mostly lettuce. Service left something to desired. I would go again, I just want to get there earlier to actually enjoy what looked to be a yummy brunch menu. Overall, service left something to be desired, but I get that it was busy. Note to patrons - the city hall parking lot is free until 5 PM on Sunday. read more

No love here. From the hostess stand to the bar to our table. Rude, rushed, forgotten. Service is incredibly inconsistent, inside space is pedestrian, and the food. Big deal. Is it me or is 2nd street needing A LOT more soul. And what kind of Italian restaurant can't make a friggin' Bellini? Amateurs. read more

Tepid is the word of the day! The first time I came here was a few months after they had opened. I was in a lasagna mood that day and when it came it was COLD in the middle. Like refrigerated cold. The waiter asked if I wanted to have it sent back to be heated ! I declined this generous offer and ordered a lighter something since I wasn't all that hungry anymore. When the bill came the new meal was comp'd but the lasagna was not! And then didn't return to Taverna for a long time. Anyway, I went back for lunch yesterday and got the salmon risotto that was the special of the day. It was not spectacular, and went mushy tepid pretty quick. The spinach quickly cooled to a chewy mass of not so goodness, and in general, the flavor was forgettable. The food does come back to you pretty quick, but I think I would prefer an extra few minutes of applying heat to things. read more

We went to Taverna for the first time last weekend, and we had a so-so experience. After we were seated, we were told by our waitress that they were out of bread and mussels. The bread was bad news, because we were starving. To make up for the bread, she offered some Focaccia bread from the appetizer menu instead, which was cool, because it normally costs $4.50. Unfortunately, we were not impressed with the focaccia; it seemed like it was just a plain pizza crust. Next it was time to order. Their menu has quite a few interesting choices, and we asked a lot of questions from the waitress. She was very helpful and did her best to answer all of our questions. My friend was frustrated with the menu's abundance of cream based sauces and lack of tomato based sauces. She ordered one of the pasta dishes with tomato instead of cream based sauce. There was nothing special about that. The butternut squash gnocchi was good and their breakfast pizza was OK. The best part of the meal was the dessert: Balsamic Ice Cream with Strawberries. It was delicious and subtle. Overall the food was OK, and while the server started out great, we felt a little neglected through the meal. We will not be going back, there are just too many other places to try. read more

Way too expensive for the amount of food you get. It obviously depends on what you order, but yeah, not worth. Tastes decent though

I always say that I'll give any restaurant a second try, I did that here and it failed again. Both in costumer service and food. Our waiter spent more time flirting with his coworkers than he did with any of his tables. I think we saw him to take the order and give us the check, he never stopped by to ask about the food. Agh, the food. I had a seafood linguini, it was tragic. The pasta was served too al dente and the seafood was almost non-existent. Our bread was stale and the appetizer tasted like it was re-warmed, poorly. The only thing descent in the whole meal was the ice tea, which an assistant accidentally poured into my lap and all over my white shorts (now ruined). No manager came over to apologize, just the assistant who made the mistake. Accidents happen, but a manager should at least stop by and offer a free desert or something. But we got none of that. My opinion, subpar food and terrible service. read more

Taverna is a good, not great, restaurant. But sometimes that is exactly what you need for a casual night out. The chicken risotto is creamy and filling. The small pizzas are a nice snack. I always get the Margherita pizza. For dessert, the Budino di Cioccolato (aka warm molten chocolate cake) was oh so yummy. The location on 2nd street is nice.....away from the noise and chaos of 6th Street. (Does that last statement make me sound old??) And the outside patio is great for people watching on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon. read more

Who knew that a black tea (or was it sweet tea?) brine could make pork so freaking tasty? Sadly, the bone-in pork chop with braised cabbage and whipped potatoes was on special, so chances are that y'all won't get to know what I'm talking about. Sucks for you! I split the Italian Sausage and pepper pizza to start, and I'm glad that I don't work close by, because I think my poor waistline would be in serious danger of ever-expanding due to their half-price pizzas during happy hour. read more

My boyfriend and I came here for our first night out and we were greeted so kindly by the hostess and the manager of the store. Quality food and service!!!! Will be coming back! read more

This is MY FAVORITE brunch place in Austin. And brunch is my favorite meal! So this place holds a very special place in my heart. Also mimosas and bellinis under $2! And good tasting ones at that! I have always come here with someone and I am always able to convince that someone to get something different than me so that we can share two meals. I'm a lucky girl. There are always a lot of people here for brunch, but I still don't ever have to really wait that long. My absolute favorite combo is the Classic Eggs Benedict with crabmeat and the Vanilla French Toast. I've gone once for happy hour and that was great too. A good place to pass the time if you are going to a concert nearby at the ACL Moody Theater or are waiting out traffic. It has been and still is one of my favorite places in Austin! read more

Won't be going back for sure. Slow service, unhygienic practices, and very overpriced food. Seated quickly but it took about 20 minutes to get our salad and even though we told the waiter we were starving, he never offered to bring us bread until he brought our salads, and then took another almost 7-8 minutes to bring us the bread, which was mediocre at best, and I LOVE bread. We ordered 2 pasta dishes and a pizza and it took about 50 minutes for our meal to come out. Seriously, we were SO hungry and figured we could have been out the door in 50 minutes, not just getting our food. While we were waiting for our food, we saw a waitress walking on the kitchen counter with her boots right where they kept the clean plates and served your food while she was getting the specials boards down off their racks! Ick! Having someone's boots a few inches from my plate grossed me out! The food was good but nothing I couldn't live without eating again, especially at those prices. The salad was $4.50 and was a small plate of mixed greens, a few tomatoes, some red onion rings, and a couple croutons for $4.50. For $15, we got 9 medium-sized (about 1 1/2" diameter) tortellini-type butternut squash pasta! So for almost $20, you got a very small salad and a very small serving of pasta. Food was way overpriced and underportioned. When we were talking about reading restaurant reviews as we waited forever for our food, the waiter overheard us and proceeded to say (I'm paraphrasing) that he couldn't understand people who would leave a bad restaurant review because it was kind of pathetic that they didn't have anything better to do with their time. Well, if it means nobody else spends a bunch of money on a very mediocre experience, I'll spend the time! Just can't see any reason to go back here for the food, value, hygiene practices, or service. *Note* I wrote to the restaurant about my experience and they never bothered to respond. read more

Soooo, my girlfriend and I popped in after a morning at the dog park. Mulberry is our usual spot but we were early so we thought, what the heck. What most folks don't know is that she and I put our time in when it comes to Austin Brunches. We both use to work in a VERY popular brunch place that opened at 9a.m. both Sat. and Sun. I slang mimosas and specialty coffees and cursed and threw tickets back at the servers for three years while she served for even longer. We get it. But this guy...ugh. We were hoping his hang-over would wear off at some point but he was ruining our breakfast so much we actually paid the tab for our mediocre food and walked up to Mulberry to try and salvage our weekend experience. Taverna is one of those places I forget I hate til I'm there again. The last time I was there we waited over an hour for our table when we were quoted 45min. We were three Mexican girls at the bar top. Easy to find. Never called. After our quote time we were told they could not locate us after we had said we would be at the bar, but we were hungry so we held out. Of course, drinks were cheap but the food was meh. This place is not worth the wait or the frustration. If you are downtown on a Sat. or Sun. take the time to walk around and go up to Mulberry. Space is limited but the prices are close for WAY better food and they have $3 mimosas along with smiling waitresses. read more

I like this place a lot, especially for brunch, but I have a good experience only about every other time going. For starters, if they aren't busy this place is great for groups. They won't sit you until your entire party is present, however, which drives me nuts considering how late my friends usually are (guilty, also). Their mimosa and Bellini specials are awesome, but the Bellinis are definitely better tasting than the mimosas, which are mixed in a container ahead of time so they tend to lose their bubbly. This past weekend, I went with some friends for brunch and something came up right after I ordered so I had to run. When the food arrived, I asked the person who delivered it to the table (who was not our server) if I could get a to go box. I also asked for my check early because I had to leave and gave her my card. My friends had asked for another round of mimosas as well. She said she would let our server know. I got my food boxed up within 10 minutes but it took at least 15 minutes for our server to come back with my card and check, by then, we asked the status of my friends mimosas and the server said he had no clue about them. The entire time, the server was very short with us and clearly did not want to be there. I was also disappointed about how being in a rush to leave was not a priority to them. The biggest annoyance about the entire day was how I was asked to show my ID at least 3 times. While we were waiting for our table at the bar, we ordered a round of mimosas. Despite having an empty glass and never even leaving the bar area, when I asked for a second, I was asked to show my ID again. By the time we sat at the table and ordered a third round, we were asked to show our IDs a THIRD time, despite all having empty glasses. I understand the need to check IDs, however asking at least three times in one sitting is excessive. read more

Last week I had a mole on my ass biopsied. The nurse who cut off the sample slice acted less disgusted than my waiter at Taverna whenever I dared ask him for a refill of water or ketchup for my fries. read more

We came here with a big party, and they did a really nice job of getting all our food out, the server seemed to have his spiel of the dinner specials down, and they had no problems splitting the bill up 16 ways or whatever ridiculous number we came with haha. I believe I got the Fruti di Mare something or other. It was pasta with seafood in it. REALLY tasty, and my friends' Saffron Risotto and Paglio e Fieno [green and white noodles with chicken and mushrooms] were also really good. One thing I remember though, is that this place gives authentic Italian portions. And by that, I mean I've never been to Italy before, or any European country for that matter, but I know for sure that those were no American-sized portions. I'm not saying they give you too little, but for me it was probably just right. And for me, that's not enough haha. You know what I mean? When what will satisfy you, and what you really truly honestly need are not the same? And this is why America is so large... but for the record, it was good food so I wanted more! Be seeing you Taverna. Btw if you take the bus to get here, make sure you don't walk the COMPLETE opposite direction down 2nd street when you arrive at the stop. We had some issues... read more

Showed up with a medium-sized group around 5 pm on a weekday to a completely empty Taverna. We were seated in the dining area, and when we inquired about happy hour, we were told that we could only get those deals in the bar. As people were still arriving and shuffling around, I asked if we could just buy a drink at the bar while we waited. No, she says. You've already been on this side. Happy hour is for over there. I said, "Well, the idea is that we'll stay over there until we finish our drinks, then have a meal later." NO, she said. Like, what, am I BRANDED after having walked on this side of the restaurant first instead of that side? The entire place was empty! How about using your grown up brain to make a judgment call rather than mindlessly enforcing rules that, at that moment, were meaningless. CAVERNOUSLY EMPTY RESTAURANT. Had it been up to me, I would have left. There are a bazillion restaurants in this city and I don't have time for nonsense. Don't piss me off because you just can't STAND to give that chintzy ass discount. They kept our business because it was too much of a pain in the ass to mobilize people to go elsewhere. The waitress didn't apologize for the silly inconvenience, just kind of stared nervously, like the half-trained 19 year old that she is. Good job, Taverna. You're about 209th on my list of places to return to. read more

Located in downtown, i give this place an a+ for both service and ambience but as for the food, I was disappointed. Try three appetizers which included a bread base, cheese base and meat, none of them were memorable. With the price mark being on the higher side, i would have rather have spent my money down the street at Second bar, where the food actually has some effort put into it. Our food appeared to be prepared by a culinary student on the first day of culinary school and i would say does not represent the Italian cuisine nor give it justice. As severely disappointed as i was with the food, I will give them credit for the service -which was just okay. Will i come again? Nope. The food was not terrible and it was in fact edible. Personally, if i could do it better then it is easy to say, the food was simply not good read more