Outstanding college town Italian food here. Normally, the fare in college towns can be big on quantity, low on quality. You get both here. The fried calamari was very good, and the braciole over polenta was a 4.0. My paiisans all enjoyed their meals, and you can be loud here a la frat house. Magna cum laude, or perhaps, cum rowdy, but Taverna is very good, you can hang out and talk, or debate the meaning of existence til they close. read more

Fabulous place in the midst of the university area. Wait times were long so we sat at the bar area and from the get-go the service was top notch. 1) Bartender/Server - this woman knew her job and she took pleasure in doing it so kudos to her for being an asset to the place! She was very courteous and pleasant. 2) Food - went for a Napolitana pizza and chicken ravioli; great size portions (not a pile of food like other places) and very fresh and tasty. I'd say it was the best pizza I've had thus far in the US. The ravioli's tomato sauce had a zing to it with the mushrooms that I also enjoyed. 3) Ambiance - fabulous, the place was lively and you could tell there was no trash crowd or rowdy college kids. The decor and feel of the place also got me into the dining groove. Overall 5 out of 5 and it's become my spot to pop into whenever I'm visiting DE. read more

I've tried this place multiple times on a Sunday evening and sit at the bar. This has to be the worst bartender of all time. Seriously slow and inattentive and frankly refers to her customers as "love" - seriously offensive. Also the food when it was finally served was cold and bad. Never again "love" read more

A bit pricy for college students to enjoy on the regular, but hands down the best brunch on Main Street. The breakfast flatbread was one of the most satisfying things I can remember eating. Definitely will be back on another Sunday! read more

I sent the following comments to the restaurant after a very unpleasant reservation experience.... given the mix of reviews here on Yelp, I'd consider other options before eating at Taverna. My wife just tried to make a reservation for tonight (12/19) for 4 people and was informed you don't accept reservations for parties smaller than 5. She was also told that if we wanted to come tonight to come early because there were a lot of reservations on the book already. I don't understand this policy, because unless you have tables in the shape of a pentagon, most tables I've ever seen seat people in multiples of 2. A party of 5 requires 3 2 person tables, or a table for 4 with someone crammed in at the end. Which is not comfortable for anybody. I guess you are not interested in my business, because there is a lot of competition in the Newark area where I could go and have a similar meal.... Caffe Gelato and Soffritos to name 2 plus a plethora of other places such as Iron Hill and Klondike Kates which while not Italian, have decent food. It will be a cold day in hell before I set food in your restaurant. I'll be sure to let all my friends know about your "elitist" attitude and lousy customer service. read more

We were really excited to try this place for an anniversary dinner. We came in around 4PM and it was extremely quiet in the restaurant. However, it still took the staff almost ten minutes to seat us because they were busy talking amongst themselves. Once seated, menus were tossed at us and we were left alone. I watched at least seven members of the wait staff attend to the two other parties that were in the dining area and walk past us without a word. After almost twenty minutes of waiting and trying to flag someone down, we walked out. Unbelievable. I would expect more from a restaurant with such high reviews. read more

Bustling new addition to Main Street that'll have me coming back. The server we had was knowledgeable, attentive but not over bearing, and helpful. Food was terrific - perfectly seasoned and executed. The calamari app was super fresh and some of the best I've had, and the pizzas were thin, crunchy, and creative (perfect with the red wine on tap too!) Looking forward further excursions to Taverna and exploring the menu some more. read more

Three words::: SWEET. WHIPPED. RICOTTA. oh my god I dream about this amazing appetizer!! It's the sole reason I go, and every time I'm continually amazed by the additional items I order. read more

Demetrius may be the best waiter I've had in years. Very good food and a classic yet rustic ambience. Food was fresh with a wide variety to suit all palets. A definite return next time around and hopefully with the same attentive, mannerly and thorough waiter. And extra star just for him. read more

Went in here for lunch the other day and it was delicious. The atmosphere was nice and quiet (but that might have been because it was right before Christmas) and the staff all friendly and attentive. I ordered the grilled artichokes and a grilled cheese and everything was perfect! My husband's burger was a bit overdone but he still enjoyed it and our friend's pasta was just what he wanted. We all cleared our plates and would gladly return. read more

Great upscale restaurant in Main Street. Staff were very gracious and professional. I like everything we ordered- calamari, calamarata and carbonara. The bread dip was also really good. Definitely a go to place if you want a good ambiance, food and service. read more

"We only require reservations for 5 or larger" was what I was told when I called to make reservations for a party of 4 at 7:30 on a Saturday night. This is poor customer service and annoying. I will take my out of town guests elsewhere. read more

Stopped here for lunch on a Sunday. The decor is wonderful and the waitstaff is great as all the other reviewers have said. We also received bread with sun dried tomato oil which was great. We ordered an appetizer of bread and roasted peppers and a margarita pizza. While everything was delicious, the pizza was just too small for us considering it was $13. On the other hand their draft and bottled beers are very reasonably priced $4-$6. They have a large selection of craft beers on tap and even more in bottles. Overall, it's a wonderful place but I still think its a little overpriced for the size of the dishes. read more

Great food, great service, nice setting. I was in DE for a work trip and this was the best restaurant I visited during my stay. I will be going back when I visit next. read more

We come here pretty often and the food is usually great. But tonight was just ughhhh! Three of us ordered the shrimp linguini special and the shrimp was not good! Super rubbery and the dish was salty as hell. Service was incredibly slow to boot. It'll be a while before we're back which makes me sad. No one even asked why we had so much food left on our plates. Bye Taverna :-/ My tummy hurts! read more

Came here last night with a group and whoever made our reservation certainly picked the right place. I'm based in Philly so I'm not down in Newark often but this meal has me wanting to come back. We started off with the whipped ricotta which was incredible! I highly recommend anyone get it- the grilled bread it comes with is amazing too. And if you don't get it, the sauce/oil dip they bring with the bread is great too! It's nice and light, it took a lot in me not to just keep eating it and save room for my meal. I was torn between getting the gnocchi fra diavlo and the rigatoni and sausage. Two other people in our group got the gnocchi so I decided to go with the rigatoni. I am so glad I did, there was just so much flavor and the portion is very generous and filling. Both women who got the gnocchi loved it. The other women I came with got margarita pizza which they said was great. While I was so full at this point I opted out of dessert but they make all of their desserts in house so next time I will have to come to try the tiramisu :) One woman in my group got the nightly special, the key lime pie semifreddo, and we all had a taste and it was so good! I hate key lime pie but the semifreddo was nice and light and had pieces of the crust- overall it was very good! The only remotely non-positive thing I have to say is that it took a long time for us to get someone to take our bill with our money. But honestly the service the rest of the night and the food was so great that it wasn't bad enough to take this down from 5 stars. read more

Love their pizzas and seasonal specials! Have been here a handful of times and each one was a very positive experience!

Wonderful place to spend an evening. Food has those deep, lingering flavors that we all crave. Staff has been taught to make customers feel welcome and special. Portions are just right, not skimpy and not ridiculous. We tried various seafood items and all were cooked very well. Sides were: can I say YUMMY? Pizza was thin crusted and came with imaginative and delicious toppings. Try this place. Often. read more

Great atmosphere in the back room, but a little tight up front. The food was superb. Went with a group of 4. We all for different types of dinner (pizza, pasta, meat dish, etc) and all were fantastic. The service was fantastic and friendly also. Would definitely recommend and will be back for more read more

My husband and I ate here two night's ago as we were driving north. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal. We shared the following: Veal Meatballs as an appetizer, followed by the SPINACH RICOTTA AGNOLOTTI with shiitake mushrooms, truffle butter, and lemon and added a side of Caponata (a slightly unusual and sweeter recipe but delicious). It was all superlative and was plenty of food for us! A glass of super Tuscan wine complimented our choices. And Angela, our waitress was charming and very knowledgeable. Next time we stop in Newark, Delaware we will definitely have dinner here again! read more

I was in town with my daughter for a lacrosse tournament. I saw reviews that were good. Theres a reason they are good. Our servers were great. The food was really good. All in all there is nothing I can say negative- like at all. Were never in DE aside from Rehoboth but I had dinner here last night and lunch today. Solid place. Pizza was really good as well as the pancetta mac. If I'm ever here again- they earned my business. read more

Stopped in for late Sunday lunch today with my husband and two sons after a swim meet at the University. We had a great antipasto platter and the grilled artichokes, my older son and I had the spicy grilled shrimp, and my husband had the pork and greens sandwich. Everything was very good, and many steps above most of the other offerings in town (caffe gelato is also very good). I don't find myself in Newark often but would definitely return to Taverna. read more

I enjoy sitting at the bar, chatting with the friendly bar tenders and eating a casual dinner of sides (the grilled artichokes) and a pizza (which I also order with the egg on it). I don't eat meat, so if I am in the mood for an entree, I will order the spaghetti and tomatoes. If I am headed into Newark, this is my go to for a drink and a bite. read more

Just jumped to my favorite restaurant in Newark. The food tastes like traditional Italian, but elevated just enough to make it distinctive. I had the Ricotta Cavatelle with shredded braised pork and smoke mozzarella. My wife had bracciole and said it was some of the best she ever had. The veal meatball appetizer was amazing. For dessert, I attacked an espresso semifreddo. They also had "vino on tap", which meant you could get carafes of three different wines. We had the Malbec, which was nice. All around amazing. We will be back - likely multiple times. read more

Our dining experience was ruined before we ever ordered anything. I had heard good things about Taverna and decided to take my girlfriend here for Valentine's Day dinner. Realizing Valentine's Day was on a Friday this year, I made my reservation a MONTH in advance. We arrived to the restaurant early, around 7:30pm with the intention of having a few drinks before our table was ready. To our surprise the host informed us that our table was ready if we wanted to be seated right away. (I was thinking perhaps they were slower than expected due the snow storm the day before.) We were then walked through the dining room towards the back of the restaurant and we saw our "table" which was situated against a back wall. These "tables" were 5 skinny, little planks of wood set side by side like sardines. It was ridiculous. I could barely move my chair back and sit down without bumping into the customer seated next to me. There was barely enough room for the hostess to fit between the tables to place the menus. It was as if we left Taverna and grabbed a table at Hibachi. I shot the hostess a look of "are you kidding me" and she smiled and said "we are really busy tonight". I thought "Oh yeah? That's why our table was ready 30 minutes early?" Our server (can't remember his name) was pleasant and very knowledgeable of the menu and informed us of the specials, which sounded delicious. Taverna has an impressive wine menu and a great craft beer selection. We settled on two craft beers and the shrimp bisque as appetizers, which was terrific. Unfortunately the soup sat for a few minutes because it was delivered without spoons. Our waiter eventually brought them over and apologized. We finished the soup and tried our best to conversate, which was a challenge considering I could hear every single conversation going on around us. It felt like we were on a blind group date. While ordering, I asked our waiter what their most popular dish was, because I couldn't decide, and he couldn't give me an answer, instead saying "they (Taverna) are so good at everything". He finally recommended the FREE RANGE CHICKEN "SALTIMBOCCA" and my girlfriend had the BUTTERNUT SQUASH TORTELLONI. The chicken was delicious but the roasted potatoes I ordered on the side were luke warm at best. The butternut squash was tasty but incredibly sweet. It was covered in cinnamon and brown sugar and was more of a dessert than an entree. When it was time for dessert, the waiter suggested the BUDINO because it's a lighter fare and we were both stuffed, which was quite delicious. The dessert was also served without utensils which were eventually brought to us after we asked the food runner to bring them for us. Another thing about the experience is we felt we were being rushed out. A day beforehand when the restaurant called to confirm the reservation, they said "we have your table reserved from 8pm to 9:30pm, plenty of time to enjoy yourselves." That is a first. I've never heard a restaurant put a time limit on a reservation. The waiter had removed my entree dish the moment I set my fork down and he apparently hovered nearby and asked my girlfriend several times if she was finished so he could remove the plate and herd us out of the place. Before her fork hit the plate after her last bite he was there to scoop it up and drop the dessert menu. The final bill came to $80, not bad for 3 craft beers, 2 soups, 2 entrees and a dessert. However, our dining experience was incredibly flawed by the table arrangements. We simply could not fully enjoy ourselves being seated practically ON TOP of two other couples. At one point, our server was greeting the guests next to us and while in between the tables, his rear-end bumped into my water. We sat and watched an entire dining room of couples, just like us, enjoying their dinner at booths and full sized tables. If I made my reservation a month in advance, when did those folks make theirs to get a normal table? Last year?!?!? Taverna should be ashamed of themselves for seating guests like that. I understand trying to capitalize on such a busy evening but the section we were sat in should have been reserved for walk-in clients only and those without reservations. We might go back again some day but it won't be on a special occasion, that's for sure. read more

I went here for lunch after a dress fitting for my best friends upcoming wedding. We had a pretty big group of about 15 but they had our reservation and table ready on arrival. The table was set near the kitchen open kitchen area where you can see the cooks and food coming up. It wasn't too loud, but it also wasn't overly busy since it was the middle of the day. Our server was friendly, helped with recommendations and was on top of all orders and drink refills. I ordered the butternut squash soup of the day to start- I was hoping for a little bit more flavor, but it was decent. I got a pasta dish with a vodka cream type sauce that was delicious. The pasta was perfect and slightly al dente and the sauce was delicious. I'm a big eater so I could only say I wish there was more, but with the soup I wasn't still hungry. I would highly recommend overall and I would return if in the Newark/Wilmington area again. read more

Taverna - Italian Near Me - Newark, Delaware

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Visiting from Scottsdale I wanted to find something local and yummy! We started the night with sparkling rose - fantastic. We then ordered the calamari - one of the best I've ever had. The jalapeños give it a nice touch and spice to it. I then got the organic chicken ravioli - it was good but not great. I wouldn't order it again but I thought it was still very good. The waitress was incredible - so sweet and welcoming which seems hard to find at other restaurants! read more

Ok so this place is starting to grow on me. The only reason is because of the grilled salmon salad. It's seasonal, but it's so good. Get it, but it is 14 bucks. read more

Meh, I got the Braciole once. It was supposed to be the best thing on the menu and I didn't even like it. I commented to the waitress about how dry it was and they took it away before any of the members of my party were able to try it. read more

Dined at Taverna with a colleague from work for lunch during Restaurant Week. The service was great with friendly staff waiting on us from start to finish. The atmosphere is charming and rustic. I ordered the market special soup which was chicken noodle and I also had spaghetti and meatballs. The food was delicious. The meatballs tasted homemade and fresh. The fresh bread, baked daily at the restaurant, was also very good. The pasta was cooked just right and the soup was tasty as well. I would like to try the brunch that others are raving about and also their desserts. read more

Really good meal and service. Pizza crust was crispy and the sauce flavorful. Pasta simple and cooked perfectly. The hostess was super friendly and dinner service was great (which is especially notable given we walked in with two grumpy kids at 9p on a Sunday). read more

Great place, much nicer than I expected on the Univ. of Delaware's Main St. Reasonably priced too. Drinks were perfect, a well curated beer list and nice selection of wines too. My Taverna Salad was fantastic (and I'm not much of a salad eater) - three kinds of lettuce, chickpeas, red onion, and other treats bathed in a perfect vinaigrette. My friend's kale salad was a big hit too. Go for the pizza, one of the best I've had (special of the day featured coppa, tomato, spinach and a mega-dose of cheese, nicely charred thin crust. Oh yeah...). Pastas looked great too, my other friend's pappardelle was a rave for her. Nice room too, not too noisy, really comfy. Eat here! read more

Very tasty fare. We had a pretty big group and they were able to handle us well with drinks and all. I had the saltmbocco. It was very good.

There really isn't a better place to eat on main street (for a sit down restaurant), the pizzas are great and the drinks are decent. I live in the area and frequent when UD is off session as main street gets busy. It's also just expensive enough (i.e. not chipotle or mcdonalds type) that not too many students go for anything beyond drinks and you can usually find a table even on friday nights during school session. read more

service was good , drinks were strong , garlic bread sticks and sun-dried tomato oil.. yummy ! Veal meat balls Yummy ... spaghetti carbonara was so disappointing thou :( read more

The food was great and the service was on point. The only complaint are the pens that restaurant hands out to sign the check they were unusable. Go for the uniball. read more

Food was very good. The atmosphere inside is too. We tried it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. We had the fried calamari and mozzarella carrozza for appeitzers. We had the Margherita and sausage coal fire pizza for main meal. Delicious. Will go back and try some other entrees. read more

Had a wonderful lunch today with our college group of girlfriends. We loved our veal meatballs on polenta, sautéed artichoke hearts, pepperoni flatbread, arugula pizza, and chopped salad. We had a delightful meal and Dimitrius helped to make it perfect. He and the serving team were attentive and friendly. Perfect afternoon! All of our choices were scrumptious. We will be back, read more

Wow! First time but definitely not our last. The manager, Eric was gracious and welcoming. Our server, Taylor, was knowledgeable and friendly. Checked on us without being overbearing. Wonderful ambiance. Polenta app was incredible. Meatloaf with garlic mashed and haricot vert delicious. Please don't let the outside construction deter you from the gem within. read more

The "on tap" wine is wayyy to cold so I think it is cheap wine they are hiding. Overall wine selection is meh.