Villa Taverna

We ate in the refined elegant bar. Service was superb, as would be expected at this exclusive club. Everything was prepared to perfection. Truffles were abundant in both the appetizers and entrees. My date had the sea bass, while I had the pork loin. If the opportunity presents itself to return to this private gastronome nirvana, I will run there.

Villa Taverna is one of the most wonderful places I have ever been! The food there is absolutely amazing and the décor is simply magnificent! I highly recommend the tomato soup.

Went here for a private party last night… was my first time attending though I had heard a lot about it.
Wow.
Hands down the best seabass /​cut of fish I had in years. It was perfect. Like seriously perfect.
Staff was delightful. Very cute place.

I was a guest of 3 members at this Club. Truly a treat for experiencing a classic, place. I wasn’t impressed by the menu or the décor, but you knew you were somewhere nice, where people that make the world turn have a meal while enjoying privacy, and conducting business. It reminded me of the city club but much much nicer. tony is phenomenal!

I love Villa Taverna! My boyfriend’s parents are long-​time members of the club, and I am lucky enough to be able to go and eat here. I was last here for Rich Aurelia’s private wine tasting and dinner which of course was amazing.
The interior is beautiful and elegant. Definitely not a place for jeans (and make sure men wear a jacket!). Both the food and service last time I went were amazing, as well.
I haven’t been by to check out the new bar/​more casual part of the club, but I am going again tonight so will update this review later on.

I was the tag along and got a chance to eat here. The food was amazing and as you would expect at a private diner club the service was top notch. Hope I will have a chance to come back again.

This place is pretty amazing — if you get a chance to eat here, definitely don’t pass it up. As another Unilocaler mentioned, the exclusivity of this private dining club definitely lends some street cred. The front door is discreetly located in the alley that runs along Aventine and once you enter the first door, you’re greeted by a second set of heavy doors reading «members only». The food and service were amazing. Definitely the best caesar salad I’ve ever eaten — the dressing and croutons tasting like they had a hint of truffle. I was lucky enough to eat dinner hear as part of a wedding rehearsal dinner, would love another opportunity at some point!

I used to take Villa Taverna for granted but as I get older, I realize that this is part of the old school charm that is disappearing. Jeremy and Tony are really great and the food has gotten better. If you want something casual, the back room is good for jeans and no tie. No exceptions are made for the front room. But that’s what makes this place retro-​cool. Plus I have learned that my out of town visitors enjoy going to a private dining club and running into big time Washington politicians. It adds to my, how shall I put this — street cred???

I have never wanted to belong to a private club before. It’s really not my style. Except perhaps the PYC but that’s for a different review. The Villa Taverna has a distinct charm about it that changed my mind. I want to belong here.
I recently held a private dinner for some clients here and fell in love with the ambiance, the staff, the music, the food. Jeremy, the events manager and host was exceptional. We had a couple snafus that evening (thanks to some of MY staff) and while I was a bit of a wreck over the situation, Jeremy took care of everything with a calm smile (and a full glass of wine for me). I am looking forward to holding more events here and figuring out how to become a member of this delightful historic place.

Apparently the life-​long chef has passed away and they have done some real updates to the menu. It’s now seasonal, several choices. There is a new events guy (Jeremy) who is very accommodating and took care of most of the planning. We had lamb or halibut. The lamb was delicious and others were very pleased with the fish. The staff is just super-​nice, and Tony is STILL there!

Went here for an event tonight for Vernon Jordan. The Villa was quite cool. The staff friendly and quite cordial. The décor and paintings reminds me of 16^th century.

I’m sort of up in the air about Villa Taverna. First off, it’s a private club, and the memberships are quite pricey. The place itself is quite small, with a couple of dining rooms — sort of a maze effect. The décor was nothing special, just very simple and well done — great linens, heavy silver and crystal — that sort of thing, which I happen to like!
Service was exceedingly polite — almost obsequious. I got a kick out of the way they took the ladies’ orders first, and then turned to the gentlemen (as they put it). Unfortunately, the food is kind of boring. It’s very classic San Francisco — petrale sole, sand dabs, crab salad, celery victor, chilled asparagus. All were very well prepared, but again, kind of boring.
If you’re into spotting local polticians and the movers and shakers of SF, this is your place. However, it’s not the kind of club I’d be interested in joining.

This place is really bizarre. People are old-​fashioned polite (I swear two senators wished me good afternoon in the lobby), service is like you’re at your rich grandpa’s house (Jeeves with an Italian accent — let’s say Jeevio — serves you) (was that offensive?) (or just really dumb?), and you pay on account (i.e. no bill at the end of the meal). My canneloni was superb. The crème brûlée, though, was terrible. It wasn’t fresh, as evidenced by the globbiness beneath the cracked shell.

Had dinner here last night. It was a retirement party for a friend.
First of all, this place has all the mystique of Club 33 in Disneyland. It’s hard to find ad when you do find it, it’s just a door in the alley. If it weren’t for the valets I would have walked right past it. Actually I did walk right past it but then saw their jackets with the logo.
The space is very small, but well used. Great décor, especially for the holidays. The staff are very friendly, very efficient and very Italian. The bar is upstairs and was meagerly stocked. Minus 1 star.
Dinner was underwhelming. It got me to today, but not back there for another. I had veal scaloini and it was as bland as a rice cake just not as dry. Minus 1 star.
Desert was a nice tiramisu and the coffee was excellent. It was fun to get into what was billed as an exclusive place but like I said, underwhelming.