Tavira is a well-kept secret. While it may seem underrated because it's not hip and new, the two times I've visited, this Portuguese restaurant has been busy. It's tucked away into the ground floor of an office building. There is plenty of parking, which is appreciated. They are open for lunch and dinner, which is worth keeping in mind. Service is excellent. Servers are trained to serve properly. Also, I hadn't visited in months, and one of the servers, Horis, remembered me, which is nice. They take care of their customers here. The ambiance isn't quite that of a Massachusetts Portuguese restaurant, but Tavira does embody an old-world feel. Food is also excellent. I've had the garlic shrimp, pasteis de bacalhau, piri-piri chicken, suckling pig special, lamb shank special, and the pistachio and chocolate lover's cakes. Everything has been delicious. The roast suckling pig is the standout and you must order that if they have it on special. I'm looking forward to returning to try the pork shank and cod dishes. Presentation of all dishes is beautiful. The wine list is nice, especially as I love Portuguese wine. If you are dining with companions, I highly recommend a bottle. They do not have a cocktail list but do have a full bar. On Friday nights, there is live music, which is appreciated. While this restaurant might be as close as I can get to the city of Tavira for the time being, I'll take it. The amazing food and service ensures Tavira will be on my regular rotation, and it should be added to yours as well. read more

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My boyfriend brought me here for a date night, and our first challenge was actually finding the place. It wasn't the easiest to locate, but once we figured it out, there was plenty of free parking available. Just a heads-up that you do have to enter through the underground garage. When we arrived, the restaurant was pretty empty aside from a few older guests, so initially I felt a little out of place and wasn't quite sure what to expect. However, the customer service definitely made a great impression. Everyone was friendly and professional, and our server was very knowledgeable about the menu and did a great job explaining the different dishes. As for the food, everything we tried was genuinely tasty. My biggest issue was really the portions, particularly the sides. My snapper came with what felt like less than a handful of Brussels sprouts, while the fish itself had so many tomatoes on top that I swear I had more tomatoes than I did sides. The snapper still tasted good, but the proportions of everything on the plate just didn't make much sense to me. The lamb was flavorful and had a really nice grilled taste, and the mushroom ravioli was also delicious. Again, though, the portion left me wanting just a little more. It came with three ravioli, and I feel like even four would have made the serving feel a bit more complete. Overall, the food was good, the service was excellent, and we enjoyed our date night. I just wish the portions matched the quality of the food a little better, especially when it came to the sides. Nothing was necessarily bad--I just left feeling like a few small adjustments to the portions could make the overall dining experience much more satisfying. read more

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Service was almost nonexistent. Only time the server tended to us is to order and give use the check. Never ask how meal was or refill drinks. Wife got sick before we even got home. Took her there for her birthday and the experience was not great. Will never dine there again. read more

Don't be fooled by the strange location (and be patient attempting to find the parking lot!!) This place is worth it! Wonderful food and friendly service. Definitely makea reservation, it can get crowded. Love the warm bread, we inhaled it. I went with seafood everything and it was fresh and delicious. Prices are very reasonable considering the quality of the food. Highly recommend. read more

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Tavira is a very pretty restaurant with a main room and a secondary room that is quieter. It served hands down one of the most delicious bacalhau I have ever tasted. It is the version with salted cod, cream, cheese, onions and olives. But the night we went, there was a problem with either the staffing or the kitchen because we had to wait forty-five minutes for our appetizers and another thirty minutes for our entrees. Note: Make sure you drive towards the back of the building on Chevy Chase Lake Circle and turn left into the covered parking lot. That lot gets you directly into the restaurant. read more

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I'm surprised by the high reviews. I've been to Portugal and none of the food here reminds me of there. I see another reviewer who's Portuguese commented the same. It's located at the ground floor of an office building and you enter by the parking garage. We went on an early Friday evening and there were others in business suits and clothes, probably most patrons are from the office above. Immediately the entrance was a turn off and as you enter, there's a musty smell. The ambiance reminds me of an old banquet hall. The food came out quick, but the quality and flavor was lacking. We had ordered a fish special and it was overcooked and became very fishy tasting. The waiter was super friendly and helpful and offered to replace the dish, so we tried the other special. The dish came out within 2 minutes and we just looked at each other and just knew this couldn't be fresh. The food tasted like higher quality airplane food, very much banquet-style where the dishes are pre-cooked and just warmed up in the microwave. The prices are too high to be serving pre-cooked food! One star for the food and ambiance and an extra star for the service. read more

Came to Tavira fully expecting to just nibble on bread and drink wine (veggie options seemed unlikely), but wow--I was wrong in the best way. The Penne Vegetarianas was chef's kiss--loaded with flavor, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives. Then the server casually drops, "Want to try a seasonal beet salad that's off-menu?" Uh, yes please. Also, the vibe here is classy without being stuffy--dim lighting, live music in the background, and the kind of place where you feel like you should've worn nicer shoes but no one makes you feel bad about it. The staff was super chill and really went out of their way to take care of us. Plant-based folks: don't sleep on this place. It's fancy, friendly, and actually veggie-friendly too! read more

Tavira Restaurant - Vegetarian Pasta - Mediterranean Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

This is a hidden gem! Stunning authentic Mediterranean and Portuguese food, expert waiters, and beautifully set tables. We last visited for Mothers' Day and it wowed us. read more

Nice ambiance however food is very disappointing. - Portuguese "fish stew": for $34, this has just a few pieces of overcooked seafood and none of them taste fresh. The only thing positive is the broth - Grilled sardines as appetizer: fishy - Seafood skewer: unlike the picture on website, with Fewer pieces of food. And they are tasteless. The chunk of fish also has a strange texture and smell. - Dessert poached pear with ice cream: the "poached" pear is barely cooked and very hard. The syrup tastes like cough medicine Overall, all dishes seem to have issues with either quality of ingredients or skills of execution. Maybe it is just a bad day. read more

After coming to this restaurant, I had a real interest in visiting Portugal. Booked a ticket 2 weeks later. Imagine the impact a restaurant needs to have in order to have a person curious enough to visit a Country! Make sure to try the Nata pie. read more

Tavira Restaurant - This was an amazing find! Fantastic food and service. Make sure to true the Nata pie. It was a bit hard to find, but totally worth it. - Mediterranean Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

Another delicious meal and fine service at one of our favorite local restaurants, Tavira - fresh ingredients carefully spiced for the perfect Mediterranean style diet that we favor. Enjoyed the Friday evening live music too! read more

Solid 4+ stars for a weeknight dinner for 2. Beef medallions and veal were excellent, preceded by a delicious beet/feta salad. Great cocktails and very kind service. Free parking in rear lot. read more

Met n exceeded our demanding criteria. Our favorite No. DC restaurant..their many splendid fish dishes keep us returning

Found Tavira in the lower level of a garage - surprising layout, but has personality. Place filled up even midweek, which says a lot. Portions are generous, flavors hit reliably, though the pace can lag when it's busy. Worth the stop when you want something a bit different without over-the-top. read more

The food and service were excellent, but separate checks are not possible. Our server said they usually collect all the credit cards and divide the bill evenly. That's not fair to folks who don't have appetizers, expensive drinks, and/or dessert. It is a huge hassle to try to figure out who owes what, then pay person by person. Most restaurants I've been to in the last year cheerfully provide separate checks. That's diner-friendly! A classy restaurant like La Tavira should make every effort to accommodate their guests. read more

Excellent food (seafood especially) in this cozy, European-styled cafe. And love the Spanish guitarist on Friday nights!

Service was slow no vegetarian options too much oil used in their dishes Good deserts Bathrooms aren't great Low lighting Very quiet read more

Disappointed by our visit, especially since this is meant to be a Portuguese restaurant. No greeting on arrival, 20 minutes just to receive menus, and over an hour for food. Steaks ordered rare arrived cold and overcooked. Wine was brought already poured, rather than served at the table from the bottle. The food is clearly overpriced for the quality. Some staff did apologize for the delays and admitted the food wasn't up to standard, which we appreciated--but overall, the experience fell well short. It's also obvious the owner doesn't read or care about customer feedback. The same issues appear again and again in past reviews, with no visible improvements. Honestly, I can't trust the recent 5-star ratings, there's nothing about this experience that justifies them. read more

I want to start by saying that I deeply regret ever stepping foot inside this restaurant. First of all, the location is bizarre--it's inside an office building garage, which already felt off. But that's just the beginning of what turned out to be a truly disappointing experience. When we walked in, we were seated as usual, but after sitting down, we weren't greeted, offered water, or even given menus. It felt strange, but I decided to wait a few minutes. Five minutes passed--still no menus, no water, no greeting. I eventually had to get up and find a waiter just to ask for some water and menus. That alone was outrageous. When the waiter finally brought the water and menus, they left immediately without asking if we needed anything else, as if they were in a rush to escape. At this point, the experience was already heading toward a 3-star rating, but things only got worse. About five minutes later, a server finally came (without us having to ask this time), and I ordered mussels and a steak with chips. The mussels took 45 minutes to arrive--even though there were only a few other diners, and one table was already getting ready to leave. The mussels were disappointing at best. If I had to rate them on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give them a 4--and that's being generous. The sauce tasted canned, and whether it was or not, it certainly wasn't anything special. After finishing the mussels, my father and I waited another hour for our steaks. An entire hour! It was outrageous. And sadly, it still wasn't over. Both steaks arrived dry as a desert and severely overcooked, even though we had both asked for them rare. They were poorly seasoned, and the butter served with them added nothing to the flavor. We were extremely disappointed and asked to send them back, clearly stating once again that we wanted rare steaks--not well done. After a short 10-minute wait (we had already complained about the long delays), they brought us new steaks. But even then, the quality was terrible. My steak was still well done, and the chips tasted burnt. The entire experience was awful. I highly do not recommend this restaurant. If I could give it zero stars, I would--but unfortunately, that's not possible. read more

Came here again with my boyfriend and this place didn't disappoint! We came on Sunday and it was quiet, which was nice. Great place to ring in a quiet date night without the hassle of going into DC. read more

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They claim this to be Portuguese food, far from it. I'm Portuguese and can tell nothing Portuguese about this place. Not one staff member spoke Portuguese, first red flag. The bread was chewy raw in the middle. Caldo verde was a puréed mess, garlic shrimp tasted like wine. I ordered a burrata over a salad (definitely not Portuguese). The burrata inside was coagulated not the creamy center when you cut through it. The prices were outrageous for the quality of food. Don't understand how they're getting good reviews, definitely people that don't know Portuguese and don't mind paying high prices for slop on their plate. I would give it zero stars but not an option so they get 1 star but not even deserved. read more

Good food in an upscale environment! Convenient parking in Chevy Chase Lake area that is soon to have a Metro connection. Place settings include cloth napkins that are relatively rare these days. Excellent menu with a range of starters, entrees and desserts. Service is respectful but a little slow. Fridays feature live music. There is also a set menu with a fixed price on some days. Certainly worth trying out. read more

These are some pictures from my last visit to Tavira in Silver Spring, Maryland. Still an amazing restaurant with wonderful food and ambiance. read more

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The food was excellent and represented our experience in Portugal earlier this year! Service was spot on. It was a week day night so the ambiance felt like private dining for our couple birthday date. We plan to go again. Follow the gps directly to the garage and restaurant is easy access - free parking. read more

Delicious food and wonderful service! Delightful lunch on a busy day. The quaint tables made for excellent ambiance.

Very good food and service. Enjoyed Portuguese wine and dishes. The calamari is delicious. Old fashioned dining rooms feel very warm. Free parking a plus. read more

Some may have doubts choosing to go to a restaurant that is in the basement of a building and that had no windows to the outside because Tavira is all that. BUT you are making a big mistake by not going to this really fine Portuguese restaurant! We have dined at Tavira a million times and have tried a lot of their dishes, all of them have been quite good and served in generous portions. On our most recent visit, the perfectly grilled calamari was soft and served with an olive oil& balsamic dressing that you really have to mop up with that bread- that-you-said-you-were-not-going-to-have. I opted for the grilled branzino with sautéed spinach. For many, the whole fish may seem daunting to eat but if you're adventurous enough-- it is a must! Others in our party had the more traditional bacalao dish which was served with olives, onions and red peppers; veal medallions; and liver with onions. Service is always appropriately attentive. read more

I ordered through Grubhub today. I had ordered cod beignets. It is not the name of the item. It was unsalted cod with nothing else. Very unpalatable. And I ordered a fish stew with cod, plenty of bones and not very good. Do those people have a problem with online customers? read more

Old-fashioned kind of place. Service was pleasant but disjointed. Most disappointing was the food. Very bland overall. Steak was overcooked. Disappointing. read more

A wide variety of interesting and tasty selections cooked and presented skillfully A neighborhood gem read more

Beautiful ambience, nice staff. The food has rich flavors. But, the beef/steak was very tough. For sure this was not marinated in advance. The desserts are delicious, though very small portions. read more

We wanted to like this restaurant but we were disappointed. The ambiance was pleasant and initial service was friendly. We ordered grilled calamari and the Tavira Salad to start. Bread was okay but butter didn't taste or look like real butter- sort of like a nondairy spread. Calamari was undercooked and the salad consisted of a standard leafy green mix with a few slices of beet, canned hearts of palm and some other unidentified vegetable. Dressing was a bit of balsamic vinaigrette drizzled on top. Totally unremarkable. Then began the long wait for our entrees- close to 40 minutes during which no one checked in with us or offered more wine,etc. When we finally flagged someone down we were told that my branzino always took 30 minutes, which the server had neglected to mention when we ordered. But after another 10 minutes, the entrees finally appeared. Yep it was a whole branzino that I needed to dissect myself --while it yielded a few nice bites it had so many bones I finally gave up. The accompanying roast potatoes were undercooked, and the spinach was swimming in oil. My husband's lobster ravioli was afloat in what looked like cream of tomato soup. Pasta was gummy and barely had a hint of lobster flavor. Really disappointing experience all around, especially since it was quite pricey- north of $130 for 2. We complained to the manager about our experience and she did take $20 off the bill, but we would never go back. read more

Sadly, the new ownership has reduced the quality of this wonderful restaurant! Went for lunch ordered a salad and a burger, nothing else on the lunch menu was of interest all other options were pasta dishes. Well the burger - was actually 2 super thin burgers cooked together so only 1 side of them actually hit the cooking surface and then they were cut in half and placed on 2 "slider" buns!! How about 1 normal thickness burger on one bun - novel idea!! Was asked if I wanted ketchup for the greasy fries i said yes and was brought an old dirty bottle of ketchup (see for yourself in the pic). No plans to return (at least for lunch) to a place I used to dine monthly! May try dinner again, hopefully it will be better than this experience!! read more

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Have been a long time customer for over 20yrs Even through COVID ! The guitar music on Friday as an added bonus. This for pleasant and attentive. I have never had a bad meal read more

I was excited to finally visit this restaurant after hearing about it from coworkers. The innovative dishes were delicious and visually appealing. The attentive staff made us feel valued. read more

We decided to try out Tavira after seeing all of the good reviews. The restaurant is in a unique location but parking is available in an underground garage where your ticket can be validated. Our server was friendly and took time to explain the (extensive) specials menu. We ordered the artichoke hearts special to start. It was pretty underwhelming-the portion was acceptable, but the artichoke hearts were sitting in a pool of melted butter/garlic sauce. All we could taste was the butter, nothing special. I ordered the fish stew, apparently a typical Portuguese dish, and also happens to be the most expensive dish on the menu at around $30. What a mistake. The stew was so tasteless. The calamari, scallops and shrimp were extremely rubbery and had zero taste. I actually couldn't believe how bad it was and left most of it behind. Good thing they brought bread to the table because at least that was edible. My partner ordered one of the steaks and he said it was fine. Nothing special about it. Maybe we made a mistake in item selection and should have ordered our main dishes off of the special menu? Tavira seems like a restaurant that may have been good at one point, but has decreased in quality since the pandemic. Unfortunately, we won't be giving Tavira a second chance. read more

I absolutely loved the food,service, ambiance. I especially loved the attention to each customer, the lamb shank, pina coloda, grilled calamari. Just a 5 star encounter and the live music was just the perfect touch to the over all experience. read more

The epitome of a 3 star restaurant. Let me first stress that nothing was bad. There was no surprise cold or burnt food. The service was fine. The decor was okay but a little out of date. The food could have used some more spice. I understand some european food is bland but the caldo verde just tasted like potatoes and the bacalhau á pobre could have used some more salt and flavour other than just fish and onions. As a fairly decent cook I feel like I could have made a lot of the dishes I had at home, which sort of defeats the purpose of going out. I would have liked to see some more complexity. read more

Oh it's like I just walked into a Portugese wine cellar for a meal! Meal Quality: I ordered their Tamboril na Cataplana (monkfish with shrimp & mussels on saffron rice) and it was decadent! All was prepared perfectly and was adorned in a delicious sauce! Aesthetic Appeal & Atmosphere: The restaurant is located at the base of a commercial building. The interior is bright, pleasant, and is reminiscent of a Portugese town restaurant on the ocean. The tables are nicely set and they do have two rooms for large parties Service: It was prompt and accurate, just not of a formal nature of what I would expect of the place Meal Quality: 5 Aesthetic Appeal & Atmosphere: 5 Service: 3 read more

Tavira Restaurant - Tamboril na Cataplana - Mediterranean Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

I came here with my boo and found this place nestled in what looks like a business building. We ordered the grilled squid appetizer and it came out way too fast! Must have been pre cooked since it didn't have the characteristic char I was looking for. The sauce it was in was tasty. I ordered the rack of lamb at medium and came out perfectly. Most restaurants help you clean the bone part but this place does not. The lamb was tender so that's great but the flavor could have been more unique. The side of veggies were quite sad. read more

Tavira Restaurant - Rack of lamb with mashed potatoes and veggies - Mediterranean Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland