Taverna Raw Bar & Plancha

MKF

3.0

My wife & I decided to try this place. They happened to have a girls night special on which my wife opted for. I also ordered the fried calamari & the baked fish of the day. The special should be advertised more as a starter or appetizer because it was simply some round melba toast type crackers with a sashimi type pate & although not clear on the menu, came with fries. It was very average & the fries, i'm sure are Costco frozen crispy fries (we did not eat them). The Calamari was not edible unless you truly wanted to choke. I may as well have been chewing on an elastic band. Now for the fish (the Branzino).. That definitely saved the meal & experience because it was baked very nicely & was flavorful. The chef was friendly & nice to talk to however l, our waitress definitely could use a refresher course. To sum it up, (IF) we were to potentially go back, it would be for the fish.

Ingrid

3.0

We decided to try Taverna Raw Bar & Plancha because we saw the seafood tower advertised online, but when we arrived we were told it was from an old menu & is no longer offered. That was disappointing, & unfortunately it wasn't the only item they were out of.

We ordered a Prosecco, but they had run out. To their credit, they upgraded us to a nicer bottle of rosé bubbly for the same price, which we appreciated. We also ordered a dozen oysters but they only had six left.

The food was a mixed bag. The tuna tartare was fresh but needed more seasoning. The clam chowder was just okay. We expected the charred cauliflower to be a warm side dish, but it was actually served as a cold salad. The grilled octopus was underwhelming-just one tentacle-& although we ordered fries with it, we were served a few wilted vegetables instead.

Service was slow even though the restaurant was nearly empty. The servers were friendly & polite, so no complaints there.

Overall, it was a disappointing experience. Between the outdated online menu, several unavailable items, inconsistent food, & slow service, it's not a restaurant we would return to.

Will

5.0

I'm not a sea food lover but my wife is; I came here to please my wife. I had the tuna & she had the sea bass. I can honestly say that I am leaving here a sea food lover after my meal. My wife & I both agree, the best grilled fish in the area. Compliments to Chef Jay. Our server Heather was also fantastic; so welcoming & friendly. I strongly recommend this restaurant for the food, but also the wonderful service & atmosphere. Bravo

Erica

5.0

Friendly, attentive service - even when busy. The varied menu includes tasty gluten-free options, even a cheesecake. The shaded terrace is comfortable. Convenient on-site parking is a big plus. A charming, fun spot for both casual & elegant dining.

Alan

4.0

The three Tartares were OK with the tuna the standout, the salmon good & the beef tasty but not cut fine enough & a little too chewy for my taste. The three thin slices of pork belly were well cooked & tasty. The main course should have been the highlight as it was the rarely available Chilean Sea Bass. The tiny, a quarter pound.or less, piece of fish was totally overwhelmed by a robust Mediterranean sauce. The sauce was tasty but the very expensive piece of fish could have been any well cooked white fish. The fries were not as good as they used to be - standard oven fries available at any supermarket.

L

2.0

I gave this restaurant a second chance last night. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy it, again. 5:30 seating when it was quieter which was good & not too many people, thought the service would be better but it was mediocre. I still have trouble understanding why sides are not included with the main dish like every other restaurant. This increases the price substantially. Money grab. 6 little strips of dry tuna with a side of carrots for about $51 was ridiculous. Server didn't come around much. So much ice in my drink I couldn't enjoy my cocktail...the bathroom was disgusting & dirty. There were spots on the toilet seat & in the sink like someone had puked. Although I don't sit directly on public toilet seats, I took paper towel to clean off their toilet seat before I applied layers of toilet paper on it in order to do my business. Dirty paper towels on the floor, it as gross. They forgot to design a proper bathroom in their concept. Ordered a Ricky bobby drink & never got it, 25 minutes for my friends to get their desserts. They had finished their teas when the desserts arrived. Table was sticky all over & not clean. I would not go back. I gave two chances to be fair but my experience was not a good one.

Olivia

2.0

Unfortunately I have to give a bad review to Taverna. First time last night, was looking forward to it all week, especially after hearing so much hype from others. However I was VERY disappointed in the quality of the food. I ordered the salmon tartare which came with their « homemade guacamole ». My husband ordered the lobster poutine. Surprisingly it came quite quickly, under 15 min, which was suspicious given the time it would take to make fries, prepare fresh lobster, & prepare a tartare.... My guacamole was BROWN. Like muddy green brown. Looked like it was 4-5 days old. I asked 2 servers if it was supposed to be like that as being a guac addict, i know well that not only is guac supposed to be VIBRANT GREEN but also brown=not fresh. First server basically brushed me off saying yeah yeah. 2nd had a worried face & went to ask the chef. (points to her) She returned saying yes, as it is mixed with a brown tamari sauce..... It didnt taste bad, salmon was fresh, however after googling « Guacamole with Tamari sauce », my suspicions were validated : GUAC IS STILL SUPPOSED TO BE GREEN! So not only do I believe they literally lied to me, they served a customer days-old brown-ass guac & tried to pass it off as « its mixed with brown sauce ». Husband also had 4 pieces of shell in his lobster poutine... Went home -60$ out, very hungry but no appetite. The only positives was that young 2nd waitress & my wine was chilled. Never going back. Sad...

Sabrina

5.0

Absolutely delicious food, beautiful atmosphere & good music. must try the Peruvian chicken with aji & the stuffed olives . Can't ask for better food & very friendly service too. Thanks so much!