Taverna

I love this place! They seem to have it dialed in here. The bar is fabulous, the food is amazing and even the staff was 5 star! The calamari was perfect, the salads we got were so good and the pork shank dish was delicous. The budino, a salted caramel pudding is so, so good — don’t share.

Wonderful food, amazing hospitality. Very relaxed atmosphere. Greg was my waiter. Ask for him. Cool dude. I’ll be a returning customer.

We came here on a Tuesday night around 7 pm; it wasn’t crowded at all and we were seated right away.
We were given bread with a tomato-​olive oil which was insanely delicious. I normally try not to eat the bread when it comes before the meal, but I could not resist soaking up every last bit of it!
We ordered a few of their specialty cocktails which were so good! I have often thought of them and wished they weren’t so far away so I could grab another.
I ordered the Neopolitan pizza. It was the perfect individual size pizza, I think that it would have been okay to split, but I had just enough to take home for lunch the next day.
The pizza was fantastically cooked, and my favorite thing about it was that it was served with hot oil (spicy-​hot) to drizzle on the pizza. I pretty much poured the hot oil all over my pizza because it was so good!
Our service was really great and we would be happy to return if we were ever in the area again!

We were really excited to try this place for an anniversary dinner. We came in around 4PM and it was extremely quiet in the restaurant. However, it still took the staff almost ten minutes to seat us because they were busy talking amongst themselves. Once seated, menus were tossed at us and we were left alone. I watched at least seven members of the wait staff attend to the two other parties that were in the dining area and walk past us without a word. After almost twenty minutes of waiting and trying to flag someone down, we walked out. Unbelievable. I would expect more from a restaurant with such high reviews.

I am giving Taverna three stars because I have eaten here three times, each visit of decreasing quality. Basing my rating on my most recent experience alone would earn the establishment one star.
Due to the wait for a table, my eating companion and I accepted the offer to be seated at a high-​top table. Big mistake. (Admittedly, I should have known to make a reservation for this somewhat popular spot). Our waiter was clearly overworked and distracted, leaving us without any service. There was no silverware, plates, or napkins set up at any point during our meal. We resorted to swiping a few napkins from the bar, and silverware was brought out after my entrée was placed in front of me (such a tease). We ordered two beers and calamari for an appetizer. Eventually, our server brought us a bread basket but the calamari order never made it to our table as a result of the utter anarchy embodied by their disjointed, undisciplined staff.
For an entrée, I ordered the chicken canneloni, which was like a cream and spinach smothered Italian enchilada. My boyfriend ordered the Quatro Stagione coal fired pizza. The toppings (mushrooms, prosciutto, eggplant, artichokes) were arranged in quarters, rather than spreading a little of each ingredient around the entire pie. It may have been due to our negative experience to this point but neither of us enjoyed the canneloni, and we were not blown away by the pizza. I liked the artichoke slice the best.
Despite this experience, I highly recommend the potato gnocchi and the spinach ricotta agnolotti entrees. The chicken parm is also good, served as the Thursday special. The beers are fairly priced for what Taverna is going for.

Pretentious bartenders and over-​inflated drink prices. Don’t waste your time and money here.
Here’s why:
Last time I visited this place was during UD Alumni Weekend 2015. I met up with some old college friends here one evening, and wanting to dabble in a little undergrad nostalgia, ordered 2 shots for a buddy and me called, «Scooby Snacks.»
The young, brunette female bartender I placed my order with, responded to my request by condescendingly replying, «we are not a college bar.» Though she preceded to make the shots, she then slapped me with an arbitrary drink bill that was equivalent to about $ 10 per a 2 oz. shot, post gratuities. Not wanting to cause a scene over this bartender’s lack of professionalism, I quietly paid for the drinks, but will be sure to never return to this place.
Don’t waste your time and money here; you will be paying NYC/​DC prices for sub-​par service at this pretentious, college town bar. There are plenty of better options for restaurants and bars in Newark, DE, to choose from.

Good food here! Sofie had some fresh made ravioli that was perfect! Very delicious. I had linguini with mussels. Oddly, this was served with meat sauce. This was good, but not «I’ve gotta come back for this» good.
I told this to one of the workers. She said the best tactic is to ask the waiter which pasta is made fresh that day. Evidently, my pasta was not. Well, linguini — what’s the big deal about that? Stuffed ravioli? Well, that is different.
I had a martini. It came with no olive. Isn’t that odd? Do you suppose my server ate it on the way? I didn’t ask about it. I’m such a wimp. Now, a week later I am still missing that olive and didn’t have the courage to confront my waiter: «Where the hell is my olive? You call this a martini?» No. I cowered and said nothing. It was like having a cup of cool Hendricks gin. I suppose that’s all I really wanted anyway.
I was surprised that this place serves such good food but has the ambiance of a chuck wagon. You know, square wood tables in an open area with pop music. The place was pretty noisy. Sometimes when I have a second martini my ears will ring. That may have cured it. The food came quickly.
I’d recommend you come to this place and order the ravioli and a martini. Tell the waiter you want a martini with Hendricks gin and an olive. Then tell him you also want Steve’s olive that he neglected to put in his martini on April 1^st of 2016. That will give you two olives. If he quibbles with you, show him this review and tell him Steve said, «It’s okay.»

Visiting from Scottsdale I wanted to find something local and yummy! We started the night with sparkling rose — fantastic. We then ordered the calamari — one of the best I’ve ever had. The jalapeños give it a nice touch and spice to it. I then got the organic chicken ravioli — it was good but not great. I wouldn’t order it again but I thought it was still very good. The waitress was incredible — so sweet and welcoming which seems hard to find at other restaurants!

The calamari is amazing! The rest of the food looks decent too, but I just get the calamari.
Tried the grilled cheese once and that was really disgusting, so don’t ever get that.

We come here pretty often and the food is usually great. But tonight was just ughhhh! Three of us ordered the shrimp linguini special and the shrimp was not good! Super rubbery and the dish was salty as hell. Service was incredibly slow to boot. It’ll be a while before we’re back which makes me sad. No one even asked why we had so much food left on our plates. Bye Taverna :-/​My tummy hurts!

Went for dinner with friends and had a terrible experience. I eat here often and have never left disappointed. We were told a 30 wait, but waited over an hour. We watched other tables be seated and fed and pay their bill before we were fed. Food finally came and was horrible. Shrimp was overcooked and tasted old. It is normally great, not sure what’s up but it will be awhile before I return. I am bummed. I will be at Two Stones…

Great food for being out of NY and wanting to get an italian feel. Overall great service, watresses always smiling and knowledgeable about their menu. I Know in NY when your in the mood for something different that waitress better have a great suggestion. This resturant provides that. Check it out for yourself

Let’s start with the Con’:
OK. Moving on to the Pro’s
Cool ambiance — Check
Great Menu — Check
Awesome — Wait Staff Check
On to the menu.
Great for Brunch (Only on Sundays)
I wish the Nutella and banana stuffed French toast was a menu regular vs the occasional special. The also serve Man-mosa’s; a manly alternative to mimosas
The eggs Benedict are stellar.
Appetizers and sides. Best calamari I have ever had. Best Brussels sprouts I have ever had.
Dinner Entrees: Braised Pork Shank. Simply amazing fall off the bone good. Orecchiette Mac and Cheese. Better than I had hoped. I typically avoid pasta dishes (because I’m weird like that) but I would have this again.
Dessert: Try the tiramisu and/​or the spiced donuts (seasonal)
Reader’s Digest version; If you haven’t eaten here yet, you need to.

Taverna is a godsend. Newark is less than spectacular when it comes to food options, but Taverna stands out from the crowd as an excellent all-​around restaurant. Great wine and beer on tap, delicious appetizers and salads, perfect artisan pizza and pasta, indulgent desserts, all with creativity and excellent service. I’m tempted to knock off a star because their vegetarian options have often been less inspired than their meaty meals, but in the last few months it’s clear they’ve been working on that as well.
Whenever I get depressed about the Newark restaurant scene, I need only remind myself of Taverna to know that there’s hope. Best restaurant in town.

I ate here with my best friend last week, i would have to say it is the best service I have ever had! We left like a 60% tip, that’s how great the service was. This is a really really beautiful restaurant, kind of petite but has great décor with a dim light setting. The kitchen is open for us to see and it looks super rustic. I love it :) We got the veal meatballs as an appetizer and they are SO GOOD. Tender and delicious, in love with them. Then I got this pizza I cant pronounce and my friend got one too. They are baked in a 900 degree brick oven! It was the best pizza I have had so far. Then you get to make your own Bellinis and bloody mary’s. Only problem i had was they put the juice and fruit purees on the table top so it made my drink warm. I don’t like warm white wine and juice. I just asked for ice though. But overall another perfect spot for me to become a regular!

Best restaurant in Newark.
Plain and simple.
If you want rustic full flavored awesome Italian food, go!

We loved this restaurant, it is our new favorite place. The food is amazing but the service is exceptional. Our server Katie was very knowledgeable about the entire menu and the manager Brian went above and beyond our expectations. Definitely will be back and will recommend to everyone!

I went here for lunch after a dress fitting for my best friends upcoming wedding. We had a pretty big group of about 15 but they had our reservation and table ready on arrival. The table was set near the kitchen open kitchen area where you can see the cooks and food coming up. It wasn’t too loud, but it also wasn’t overly busy since it was the middle of the day. Our server was friendly, helped with recommendations and was on top of all orders and drink refills. I ordered the butternut squash soup of the day to start– I was hoping for a little bit more flavor, but it was decent. I got a pasta dish with a vodka cream type sauce that was delicious. The pasta was perfect and slightly al dente and the sauce was delicious. I’m a big eater so I could only say I wish there was more, but with the soup I wasn’t still hungry. I would highly recommend overall and I would return if in the Newark/​Wilmington area again.

The best dry vodka martini on Main Street! The only place that does them the way we like.
LOVE the mushroom pizza and the perfectly simple roasted artichoke appetizer (which we now order every time). Have been multiple times and every single dish we’ve had is executed beautifully. We’d pick Taverna over Caffé Gelato any day for its food, atmosphere, and service.
One thing I’d like to see change — they serve their red wine very cold here. I’m the first to admit I’m not a wine expert (and I guess there are certain reds that should be slightly chilled), but every time I’ve ordered any red here it is served quite cold.
If you’re looking for good Italian in the area, this is your place.

We were visiting Maryland/​Delaware. This isn’t in comparison to any other main st. restaurants, but in general. We went there with a little bit of apprehension because of some reviews but were so impressed!
1^st — service. Our waitress, I believe her name was Sara if I’m not mistaken, was so great! Friendly, gave recommendations, wasn’t intrusive but still checked after every course, and kept our drinks filled! Such a nice girl!
2^nd — ambience & décor. What an awesome looking place. Loved the rustic feel. The open kitchen is also such a great touch. I absolutely love when you can see them finishing your meal. The whole look of the place gave off a cool relaxed vibe.
3^rd — Drinks. I don’t know much about beer but from the table’s feedback the list was pretty great. Lots of craft beers available. The cocktails also sounded different and super yummy.
4^th — food. Last but definitely not least. We ordered the veal meatballs, the whipped sweet ricotta, the antipasto board (with smoked prosciutto, mortadela, and homemade mozzarella), the veal marsalla, and the corzetti.
They started by serving some nice soft bread with this sun dried tomato oil. So good!
The veal meatballs were great! Very tender and so full of flavor! They were served over polenta so creamy we didn’t even think it was polenta at first!
The antipasto board was good. Smoked prosciutto was great, the homemade mozzarella tasted delicious and fresh, the mortadela was OK but nothing that interesting.
Whipped sweet ricotta… Oh man. Amazing. I am not a fan of ricotta to start with but I couldn’t get enough. The bread that came with that was grilled and was right at the edge of being burnt. Still delicious.
Veal Marsala… The only thing that was a bit disappointing. The veal was absolutely delicious. The only issue we had was really the sauce. It was so thin and barely no sauce really over it, so the Marsala flavor was not very present in the dish. Still tasted OK just not what you’d expect of Marsala.
Corzetti. Absolutely delicious. I wasn’t familiar with corzetti pasta to be honest but thought I’d give it a try. Wow. The lamb served with it was also delicious and perfectly cooked.
For dessert we had the doughnuts which I personally did not try but heard they were great. And the budino (I believe?) Which was fantastic. It had a cookie crumbles, butterscotch, and I can’t even remember what else but was amazing and melted in your mouth. Yum!!!
Honestly besides the Marsala sauce we were extremely pleased with everything and if we are ever in the area again we will have to come back!