Pleasantly surprised! We have eaten here twice now. I believe the food restaurants on main street are few and far between because let's be honest it's a college town/street. We stopped in here with a friend the first time and got really unlucky with our wine selection 0/3. Each time we asked for a bottle the waitress would leave and come back to say they're out of stock. We eventually took it as a sign to have seltzers or beer. The door was actually really good and fairly priced. definitely a place I would come back too. The apps were great and the entrees hit all the marks. read more

Stopped at Taverna for dinner as part of our return to the university. It was amazing! I had the spicy shrimp, my son had the chicken parmigiana with a side of garlic fries and my husband had the Neopalitan pizza. Our order arrived quickly and the food was delicious! My shrimp was just the right amount of spicy- the kind that you feel at the back of your mouth rather than a frontal assault. My son devoured his meal in record time. The fries were very tasty- they went home for a snack for later. My husband enjoyed his pizza but he was looking for a plain cheese pie - this one had some extra cheese. We'll definitely return here. More to try! read more

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One star for fast seating and one star for my martini. Got the fried mozzarella and the meatballs and would not recommend due to the tomato sauce having no flavor. The bathroom was disgusting, looks like someone threw up and there was no toilet paper in either stall. There were no hand napkins either. There was five servers/busters clustered by the food window by our table which took away from the restaurant atmosphere. read more

Taverna - meatballs, fried mozzarella, martini - Italian Near Me - Newark, Delaware

Just improve your food sucked and you need to make the food more cooked but that was all a joke. Your food was the best food I've ever had in the world. read more

Everything we ate here was amazing!! I definitely recommend coming here if you are in Newark, DE.

Had a ressie here on Mothers Day yesterday & they were very busy. We were seated on time. Ambiance was great. Table was clean. Service was pretty good. Food was good & served hot. Not a huge drink / wine by the glass menu but it was fine. Looking forward to stopping back again when visiting UD. read more

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Had the Beef Meatballs, they tasted microwaved and burnt, could barely cut them. Tasted terrible

I haven't eaten in every restaurant in Newark (yet) but in my opinion, Taverna is the best. As a New Yorker, I have eaten in some great Italian places. Taverna stacks up well. Try the spaghetti and tomatoes and you'll know what I mean. Italian cooking is best when it's simple; good ingredients prepared well. read more

Fabulous. We tried the artichoke appetizer and it was great. The garlic bread was some the best we have ever had. All of our meals were outstanding. Drinks were great. And the desserts were really good too. Our server was very efficient and while it did take some time to get drinks delivered, the place was packed so completely understandable. Highly recommend. read more

Awesome all around! Delicious authentic Italian food in a lovely environment with wonderful service. Love it there! read more

Taverna - Mama's meatball appetizer- delicious! Just like my Italian mom in law's! - Italian Near Me - Newark, Delaware

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Good food. Good service. Warm ambiance. The whipped ricotta was interesting but wouldn't order it again. Truffle garlic bread was so light and airy. Salads are delicious. read more

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I went to Taverna for dinner with my son. After dropping off my other son for college at UDel! Taverna's ambiance is nice. Hostess and wait staff professional and knowledgeable. Drinks were great. Everything was delicious. We got the truffle garlic bread, Bibb salad with marinated onions and honey walnuts plus grilled salmon, fried calamari that was truly fresh and with a lemon aioli. Really yummy! The Thursday special, Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, could use a bit more salt or seasoning. Will definitely return. read more

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The whipped ricotta appetizer alone was enough for me to want to go back. If you like ricotta, definitely get the whipped ricotta. There was plenty of it to go on the bread that came with it and also enough to add to my pasta entree. I had the Calamarata and bf had tbe Manicotti with a side of meatballs. The pasta was very good, especially with the added ricotta. We had plenty of food that we both took home leftovers for another meal. The meatballs were all beef, so that was pleasant for the bf who doesn't eat pork. The marinara sauce was flavorful, so we will definitely be back to try the pizzas. They had a seasonal Downeast cider on tap, so that was also a plus since we really enjoy Downeast ciders. read more

Attentive service, excellent food, and a manager that took the time to "touch" every table! Everything I expect in a good restaurant. read more

Taverna - Carbonara - Italian Near Me - Newark, Delaware

I used to love this place, was the first thing I tried in Newark when I visited with family. Food was excellent (this is in august of 2021). Went again more recently (and got the same meal) was watered down, flavorless and seemed like it lacked effort. Okay, just a mistake then, I come back another time for my birthday with my girlfriend, we both order the same meal, again, watered down, flavorless. I don't know if there was a change in recipe, management, or ingredients - but whatever it is, it absolutely needs to be resolved. For now 3 stars, I'll definitely try it again in the future to see if any improvements have been made. read more

Delicious food! Good wine list. Service was fantastic. Cool atmosphere. I would highly recommend it.

Solid Restaurant! We left our son at UD and had a nice family time at this venue last night. Good food, great atmosphere and friendly service. I have to say that I had the best fried calamari of my life at this restaurant. The other plates were good but nothing out of this world. Also, the portions are very generous and the presentation was great as well. I will definitely come back to this place and try something different next time around read more

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I've been here for dinner quite a few times and finally tried out brunch. Brunch was as wonderful as dinner. I was so surprised that the sausage Sammie was as big as a burger! The bacon aioli really brought everything together and it's one of my favorite things to order. read more

Taverna - Breakfast Flatbread - Italian Near Me - Newark, Delaware

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Delicious Italian food in warm atmosphere! The vibe on this restaurant is one of my favorites. Open kitchen and dim lighting! Perfect for celebrations and date nights! The pastas are off the charts delicious and they have a beautiful presentation! The wine list is also perfectly paired with all their dishes from pastas, pizzas and seafood items. This restaurant is definitely on the rotation schedule! read more

Taverna - Italian Near Me - Newark, Delaware

Have to get the tomato cream sauce. Hand cut fettuccini rigatoni and the gnocchi are the best pastas here. read more

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The food was amazing and we may have had the fastest service I've ever experienced, even our server was surprised at how fast our food came out. read more

Wonderful evening atmosphere with unique dishes compared to the rest of main street. I especially liked the lamb meatballs. Our server was wonderful :) read more

Everything we've tried here is delicious - service with a smile, nice spot to treat your university of Delaware student to when you are in town visiting them! read more

FIRST OFF, BEFORE I START SAYING ANYTHING. PATRICK IS AN ABSOLUTE SAINT AND AMAZING INDIVIDUAL. So me and my girl were feeling some rustic Italian food when we stumbled onto tavernas. At first glance I thought it would be your typical Italian restaurant but oh boy was I sorely mistaken. From customer service to quality of food I guarantee this place will blow your expectations out of the park. The ambiance with accompaniment of scents that make you feel like you're getting wine and dined in the back alley of Italy's finest restaurant is just the beginning of the amazing dining experience that taverna provides. What're you going to do? Make pasta at home? F THAT! Go to tavernas. Ask for Patrick. P.s. they got an amazing drink selection specifically the old fashions. How ya dooooooin 5 out of 5 tortellinis read more

Terrible, terrible service. It was an effort to be acknowledged by our waitress. It was an effort to place a drink order and then she wasn't interested in taking our food order. And we had to get up twice and go find her to pay our bill. I'm not coming back. read more

I was in town for the night during a road trip and this restaurant was a great find! Their cocktails were amazing and everything we ordered was super tasty! Our waiter was super nice and had awesome recommendations for us. The sun dried tomato oil that came with the bread was incredibly delicious and made in house! read more

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Have eaten there several times, at the bar and tables. Food has been, as expected, delicious. Service has always been good. Waiters/waitresses were friendly and accommodating . The only downside is the parking. The restaurant is in an area with apartments, so parking is limited. read more

Excellent flavorful and tender Calamari, Steamed Clams with plenty of garlic, baked Salmon over potato's, Veal Marsala, Crispy Meatball and pepperoni pizza. All delicious and plentiful! read more

Taverna is an excellent choice for casual yet classy Italian on Main Street in Newark. I visited a couple nights ago and was starving, so I probably ordered too much food. They offer a bunch of coal-fired pizzas, pastas, and protein-centric dishes. We started with fresh bread and olive oil. It was so good they had to replenish our basket! Up next was the mozzarella carrozza app, which included battered brioche, pesto, tomato sauce, and provolone cheese. It almost tasted sweet in a way to me. It was unique for sure and definitely a cool app to try. Next up was a Caesar salad ($9) split two ways. It's made with eggless dressing. I loved it! All the romaine was so fresh, and they loaded it with cheese. No piece of lettuce was left behind. For my entree, I went with the Monday special -- homemade lasagna ($19). They use béchamel instead of ricotta, and it's SO good. I'd highly recommend visiting on a Monday just for that dish. I ate half and boxed the other half up for later that night. It warmed up well too. Their desserts sounded amazing but I was too stuffed to consider ordering any. Maybe sometime in the future! read more

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The first thing I ordered was an appetizer of veal meatballs. The meatballs had good taste but were puny. When I spend $11 on an appetizer I expect more than 4 meatballs. you can read the rest of the review here: https://travelmystery.blogspot.com/2022/11/taverna.html read more

More like 2.5. Service was good. Food was mediocre. My kids cheese pizza was actually pretty good. I got carbonara which was more like aglio e olio rather than carbonara. (Honestly one of the worst "carbonara" I've ever had) calamari was ok except the Mayo sauce on it. Fries were not very crisp. My wife liked her gnocchi. Also unsure if there was any nuts or peanut oil or something like that but my daughter who got tortellini with butter sauce broke out into hives. read more

I came here after I was told amazing things about this place! We made reservations ahead of time, so we were immediately seated. The waiter was very nice and helpful! He helped us to decide between several options. We were first served bread with this amazing tomato and oil dressing. For the main course, we ended up ordering the eggplant flatbread appetizer, four cheese pizza, and the special pasta of the day without the meat. Everything was so delicious. The waiter, knowing my friend and I were splitting all the dishes, was thoughtful enough to bring us the pasta dish already split into two bowls. I honestly could not have asked for a better evening. For dessert, we had the cheesecake, which was highly recommended by the waiter. It was very rich! Overall, I had a fantastic experience here and I would recommend to anyone in the area. read more

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Had a great meal here with a group of coworkers. The vibe is really charming and rustic, with many customers but wasn't too loud. We didn't need reservations and were seated right away on a Monday night. We ordered the following apps to start: -eggplant parm: phenomenal -veal meatballs: average -calamari: lightly fried, just how I like them. -bread bowl for the table: the bread wasn't good but the oil for the table almost made up for it. We ordered the following to share for dinner: -the chicken pizza and the napeolitan pizzas: wasn't too impressed, although I might be a pizza snob. -the rigatoni and sausage: delicious, huge portion. -the calamarata pasta: awesome and huge portion. Overall I would come again although nothing was out-of-this-world either. Thanks for having us! read more

Taverna - The Calamarata was delicious and a huge portion! - Italian Near Me - Newark, Delaware

Good food. The pasta is fresh daily. The calamari is my favorite in the area. The bar staff are friendly and quick. Recommended.

My friend's 30th birthday dinner was at Taverna on a recent Saturday night and we all had a great meal and a great time. The restaurant is bigger than it seems, with an adorable atmosphere that's sort of rustic with lots of exposed bricks. Upon our arrival, we were quickly seated at the table that my friend has reserved, which had been nicely decorated with balloons by the Taverna staff upon my friend's husband's request. Service was prompt and courteous, and I appreciated that our waiter made clear effort to speak loudly enough to be heard by all 10 of us at our extensive table. Drinkwise, they have a great selection of bottles or glasses of wine, including several wines on tap, a decent beer list, and a half dozen (or so) cocktails. I ordered the Blind Pig, a bourbon cocktail with citrus notes that was delicious --- similar to a whiskey sour. For appetizers, my friend had pre-ordered the whipped ricotta and the grilled artichokes, both of which were brought out shortly after we ordered drinks. The ricotta was freshly made and delicious with their bakery-fresh bread (which apparently is brought in daily from a bakery in Hoboken). The grilled artichokes were served with arugula and parmesan cheese and were also excellent. For my meal, I chose the Spinach Ricotta Agnolotti and was very pleased with my choice, although I'm not sure how you can possibly go wrong with stuffed pasta (food inside other food ALWAYS wins), truffles, and lemon-butter sauce. It was a decent portion, but it was delicious enough that I finished the whole plate. BF ordered the Rigatoni and Meatball special and was overall less enthusiastic about his food than I was about mine --- but the portion was huge. My other friends enjoyed their pastas and pizzas as well. We opted out of dessert as we had cake waiting at home, but the restaurant brought a piece of their chocolate cake (essentially brownie-like in consistency) with vanilla gelato and a candle for the birthday girl. I tried a small bite and it was excellent, so I'm looking forward to trying dessert next time I venture down. Parking can be tough since it's on Main St amongst all the other restaurants. I'd imagine it's a bit busier when UD is in session, though it seems more like a place students would want to take their parents as opposed to going with a group of friends. read more

We had reservations last night for 4, and our table was ready on arrival. We had breads and I had wedding soup, which was very good. All of our dinners and desserts were excellent. Our Server, Kylie was perfect. We've enjoyed it here a few times now and it is definitely our favorite for Italian. The ravioli stuffed with hot sausage was tremendous. Thanks for a nice evening meal. read more

The reason for the 1 star rating is twofold. One is that I believe that the shiitake mushrooms in the Spinach Ricotta Agnolotti is the cause of a person in our group to get sick. The symptoms started shortly after eating there and caused over a week of gastro problems. Ruling out any other cause and judging from the symptoms, I feel confident it was the mushrooms. The second reason for the rating is that when I contacted the General Manager, while he was very polite and asked questions, he did not take any ownership that the problem could have been caused by the food. I didn't ask for reimbursement or any special treatment, but would have been reassured if he had acknowledged that it could have been the mushrooms and took measures to make sure it wouldn't happen to anyone else. Instead, it was just a canned company line "we follow strict procedures in the kitchen specifically around sanitation, preparation, and execution." If I believed this to be true, I would not have contacted them in the first place. Just beware as it's bad enough ruin a celebration but being sick for over a week is really unfortunate. Stomach issues are rough and spoiled mushrooms, even a tiny amount could be the cause. read more

The service was great, super nice and always made sure we had everything we wanted. The food tasted good but it is pretty pricey for a pasta dish. Overall, would probably go back but only for a special occasion because of the price! read more

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Great pizza and Ravioli! wow... My family tried this place after visiting U. of Del for a quick bite and I was pleasantly surprised! Forget NJ or NY pizza. This place rocked my taste buds even after driving for hours. The environment is rustic but modern!!! I'll be back! read more

These guys did an amazing job. Came with my sister for a meal and it was spectacular. Server Alexis was knowledgeable and excellent service. Gnocchi is homemade and pesto sauce delicious. Salmon portion a little small but super flavorful. Bread and sauce dip a nice touch..Manager checked on us as we were eating. Good job guys, tough business but you're doing it well. read more