Taverna

I’m disappointed by the quality of food I had here. I’m an eggplant parmigiana queen, & this was one of the worse that I have had. My eggplant parmigiana was down right bad. It must have been made a day in advance. Reheated & greasy. No flavor & mushy. My side of pasta was flavorless & the pasta was overcooked. The only reason why I’m giving them three stars & not two, is because my husband’s lobster bolognese was actually pretty good. It lacked heat (spice), but still good. Might try it again, but doubt it.

River Oaks district across from Equinox
Valet or garage available
Pluses
–easy to find location, upscale
–great beet salad, light with blood orange and pine nuts $ 15.50
–pizza is just amazing — crispy and ample cheese to the edge of the crust $ 15.50
–nice bar area
–cozy atmosphere with comfortable seating
–nice and quick waitstaff
Areas of improvement
–not sure perhaps a side of fresh herbs for my pizza

New Italian in Houston, which has a nice atmosphere and keeps busy. Could do with valet parking outside rather than down the street. We sat at the bar which is our thing — we were well looked after and I had a Beer and the eggplant parm which was excellent. My wife had the risotto with seafood and she really enjoyed it. We were full so skipped dessert but we would certainly return.

They don’t call this a risotteria for nothing. The truffle mushroom risotto is rich and delicious. Lunch entrees aren’t cheap (~$ 20) so I like the option of adding a $ 3 side salad or homemade soup of the day. Service is super attentive. The mall it’s in is beautiful with plenty of covered parking.

I went to Taverna tonight and service was great! Besides the fact that I forgot my wallet at home and they wouldn’t serve me alcohol :(I understand that they were following the laws. Our waitress was super sweet, checked up on us just enough without bothering us. The food was delicious and came out very timely! Also a huge thing I noticed, the tables are perfectly spaced. It doesn’t feel like you can hear the conversation of the table next to you. I would totally bring clients here for lunch or even potential dates. It’s very interesting though, the owners of Toulouse and Taverna are the same, but I had the complete opposite experience at Toulouse. Toulouse had terrible service with cramped seating and very bland basic food in my opinion.
Oh oh! I’ve always been skeptical on eating at Italian restaurants because the portions are always so huge, but at Taverna the portions are perfectly sized. You’ll be satisfied but not feeling 12 sizes larger.

Very nice brunch at Taverna. The restaurant is spacious, and it fits in perfectly with the new River Oaks District (as does Taverna’s sister restaurant Toulouse in the same shopping center).
The service was prompt, nice and courteous. For brunch, they offer both traditional brunch items (eggs benedict, omelettes, French toast, etc.) and more Italian pastas and pizzas. We went for the more traditional Italian, and I ordered the risotto with shrimp, asparagus and prosecco – it was delicious and very rich, not a light brunch at all. I would recommend. The beignets that we ordered as a sweet appetizer for the table were also very good.
I’m a big fan of their $ 2 MIMOSAS. So good! And a nice perk, especially given that it’s not a cheap restaurant.
The only frustrating thing is the parking – there are a couple of rows of parking right in front of the restaurant, but they’re reserved for valet – so you either have to drive to the back to drop off with the valet or park in the garage and then walk back to the front of the the shopping center to Taverna.

Hope they keep it up. Pastas were really tasty. Server was great. Super attentive without being creepy.

I was glad to hear Taverna was coming to Houston since I usually visit it for brunch when I’m in Austin.
Its situated in the River Oaks District facing Westheimer next to the recent opening of Steak 48. Valet for Taverna in the evening is in front of Steak 48, so as to not get scolded when you self park your vehicle in front of the restaurant.
The menu is pretty much consistent to the other locations, Dallas, Ft. Worth and Austin. Service both times here where friendly, accommodating and interested in your overall experience. Also, the manager was friendly, personable and seemed to appreciate the feedback.
Both times I was here, the food and cocktails were great and consistent. Whats especially nice about Teverna is they are willing to modify the menu items to accommodate your particular needs and execute it to perfection. For example, I got the caesar/​kale salad with a few tweaks and added the salmon. Its the first anything with kale I’ve eaten and really liked. Big kudos! What’s particularly nice about this salad is they have these little deep fried sardines they add that propels this to a great dish.
My second visit was this morning for brunch. My eyes veered in on the eggs benedict, breakfast potatoes and recommend adding the crab meat. The eggs were perfecting cooked at the correct temperature and runniness of the yolk and washed it down with an illy cappachino.
In reflection, this is another nice add to the growing restaurants in the area and would recommend others to come in and try it out.

Having recently opened this Monday I was a skeptical on how the whole experience would be, but I was pleasantly surprised at how organized this new restaurant was. You would have never been able to tell it just opened besides the fact our awesome server kept telling us that fact. From the first sip of wine to the last bit of my boyfriend’s pizza I was overwhelming impressed with the quality and taste of the food, ambiance and care that our server took. The other nice thing was that the restaurant was able to accommodate our dietary restrictions. I am dairy-​free and was recommended the bolognese pasta (without cheese and butter) and it not only had an incredible flavor, but was the exact temperature (no joke) that I like my food to be at. My boyfriend is gluten-​free and had one of their pizzas with gluten-​free crust. The topping were fresh and the crust had a fantastic taste (which is hard to find with gluten-​free). If you are looking for a great Italian restaurant inside the loop, this place is a definite MUST to try. Will be back soon!

I had the chance to experience Taverna for the soft opening and everything was exceptional! I am Italian, and I literally felt at home. The food is delicious and reminded me of my home country. The pasta is home-​made and I just loved the ravioli! Pizza is AMAZING! And the Tiramisù is incredibly good! Not to mention, impeccable service and stunning location in the heart of the River Oaks District. I can’t wait to dine at Taverna again!

I am Italian and it felt like being home! The food was great and authentic! The service was impeccable! Honestly my fave Italian restaurant in Houston!

Amazing place for Italian food– I lived in New York for 3 years and have been to a lot of nice Italian restaurants. The food here is excellent, first class Italian. Charred Octopus appetizer is a must try– it’s so tender that even my husband (a non-​seafood lover) loved it all the way! Vongole in Bianco is another good choice! Entrée keeps to impress — make sure you order Catch of the Day! I had so many Frutti de Mare and it’s definitely on my top 3 list. Tenderloin is super great as well for meat lovers! Dessert is even better — please make sure you order the chocolate mousse!