A Tavola Bistro

A very small intimate bistro, this is without question one of the very best dining experiences you will ever have! The food is fresh prepared daily, only fresh made pasta and the most incredible fish dishes you could imagine. The service is impeccable and they really know their stuff.

My wife wanted tapas so I found this little place and decided to give it a try. We came out incredibly impressed. The service was great, wine selection was great and food was fantastic! Have been back several times and it’s now one of our local favourites.

What a find off Garden St in Whitby, practically nestled in a small suburb corner plaza. The food here is consistently fresh and fantastic. I won’t spoil too much (they have a spiel they like to share with new diners…) but everything is hand-​made from scratch using high-​quality ingredients and fresh meat and fish.
I’ve been enough times to have almost everything on the menu and it’s been excellent. I love the pesto bruschetta to start, although the salads are very good as well. It’s often hard to choose entrees due to the sheer number of specials, but you can’t go wrong with any of the house made pastas, or the whole fish specials.
On top of the great food, the service is consistently awesome. All this comes with a price of course — they are busy! Every Friday and Saturday night sees walk ins sent away at the door. Book ahead!

A small intimate bistro I wouldn’t have found accept for Unilocal.It was as reviewed by others. Almost everything is handmade and very tasty. Lovely waitress was both charming and knowledgeable. We ate more than we should but it was worth it. Looking forward to coming here again.

Tavola’s service is friendly and knowledgable. The menu is dynamic and every dish I’ve tried has been exceptionally fresh and flavourful! The calamari is so tender that it truly highlights how accustomed we’ve become to eating frozen seafood elsewhere.
From the freshly baked breads to the handmade pasta and cannoli, each course is a delicious delight!

This is an amazing restaurant and worth a visit if you live in the Durham region. Fresh, handmade pasta, with organic locally grown produce. The last time I had pasta this good was when I was in Rome 5 years ago. I was shocked that the food was this good coming out of a small restaurant in a little plaza in the suburbs.

Service staff excellent. Sausage trio over cooked and served Luke warm. Very small with tables squeezed in.
The staff was enthusiastic with their menu which is quite extensive using natural ingredients. My wife’s dinner, the special, whole fish was good. Although average we would try it again just because of the staff.

I can’t say enough great things about A Tavola. My family went 6 or 7 times since they opened this year and I believe we tried almost every dish on their summer menu.
We were so excited with the new fall menu that we tried it immediately. It’s the same fantastic quality we’ve come to love. There is nothing like their homemade pasta. The gluten free options are phenomenal and make it our go to place for any allergies in the family.
The service can feel a little awkward at times, as one reviewer mentioned, younger male servers who seem to not be completely comfortable yet but the last time I was there they seemed to have hired a server with a bit more experience and she was great.
And really, once the food comes and you’re enjoying it with family and friends a not perfect but still good waiter is the least of my worries.

Been twice. I do like this restaurant as there are not many places with fresh prepped food in Durham. It loses stars with me because of the service and a few small things. The service isn’t bad but it hinders my return visits. It’s difficult to enjoy a quiet meal here. I think they are still trying to find what level of service the staff is comfortable with. The young men don’t seem to have any previous experience but are expected to provide a higher end service. There is a lot of server interaction. Other than a quick quality check, I don’t want to talk with a server but rather enjoy the meal with my company. The first visit, the server seemed very nervous and read details of the food that I don’t think he quite understood, there was a lot of information to listen to. I do enjoy some information of the food, but if you get a detailed summary of much of the menu, it starts to feel like a lecture, intrusive and ever ending. It is also a small restaurant, so if there are other tables, you hear the same speech over and over again. On our second visit we heard the same information 5 times. Being knowledgeable of the food is great, but if I don’t have questions about it, I don’t need to know. I also felt like the fish was being pushed on us.(Chef highly recommends) It was suggested to us 3 times, while our order was taken. Made us feel like «push the fish, it’s on it’s way out» situation. While we never take issue with the food, the service and small details are overlooked. I do feel like they are trying to create a fine dining experience in Durham but details like professional menus, cloth napkins, clean writing on the blackboard outside (messy & smudged both times), should have oil & vinegar bottles on the tables with more bread & less intrusive service need to be addressed.

Out of the way location in a small plaza! Very friendly service. Knowledgeable family owned and run bistro that take pride.
All homemade pastas, breads and desserts. Gluten free available.
Yum!

Took a drive here last night with my wife for a late dinner. The location is a little tucked away, but once inside you could be anywhere but the frozen wastes of Ontario as you are welcomed warmly and seated.
The décor is tasteful, soft music is playing and and there is a spotless open kitchen in the back bustling with activity. We order drinks, then go over the menus. Nothing on the menu seems to be left to chance or simply a placeholder. There is a wide variety of Mediterranean dishes, and as it turns out the list of daily specials is longer than the menu!
My wife orders the octopus salad with some chickpea fritters, while I have the rice balls. The octopus was fantastic– had just a bite. Would have ordered it but wanted to save room for the pasta course. The rice balls were great too– crispy on the outside and creamy in the middle. The chef send out some potato fritters as well! These had a very nice sauce with a hint of spice.
Then for me it was on to the seafood ravioli. I believe they were stuffed with grouper and ricotta-​what a great combination. The ravioli was accompanied with mussels and beautiful little clams all in a tomato sauce. It was mentioned that the ravioli (and indeed all the pasta) was hand-​made.
For our seconds, my wife and I both ordered the lamb shank– hers with mashed potato and mine with saffron rice cakes. Wow. Incredibly juicy and tender! A little orange peel grated on top gave the lamb an exquisite flavor.
Feeling rather full at this stage yet remaining undaunted– my wife and I ventured into the realm of dessert. Classic tiramisu for myself and what seemed to be a lemon meringue parfait for the wife. Astonishingly we finished even these without immediately slipping into a food coma. The tiramisu was excellent– but the lemon flavor in my wife’s dessert was truly stand out!
The service was top notch, and the chef very clearly loves his trade. It seems like he makes a point of ensuring all his guests are happy (and well fed).
This place just opened, and I think it’s safe to say its a hit! Will definitely be back.