Tavolino Ristorante Italiano

We enjoyed a yummy dinner.
The short ribs are a must.
The cheese board with wine was a great value.
The pizza is wood fired.
The atmosphere is upscale.
Although most of Tucson is casual, this is a place you can dress up for.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

So impressive - from the service to the atmosphere. The pasta experience is exceptional - beautifully prepared choices. Wines from Italy are well represented.

We went to Tavolino to celebrate a birthday and had requested a table in a quieter area because we had three members of our party with hearing issues. Our request wasn't honored (or considered?) and we were seated right in the middle of a crowded noisy room. We did have wonderful service from Bella and the dinners were terrific. The "music" playing in the background was a bit strange when it broke through the noise and did nothing for the ambiance. We have eaten at Tavolino several times and this is the only time I'd rate it a 4 rather than a 5.

i am from out of town and come to the gem show once a year and this is by far my favorite restaurant

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We were somewhat disappointed, our dishes were ok, in fact the sea bass was not good at all. In the past the food has been good and service too, this time it was not

We've frequented Tavolinos since they were located at Ina & Oracle. Last night we were celebrating b'day for a 97 yr old and had asked for a quiet table, knowing that's not a real possibility. They called us ahead of time to advise that there would be several large groups and it would be extra noisy. We coped, especially the b'day girl. Food was not up to standards (kind of blah) we've come to expect, might have been due to the two large tables. Wait staff was attentive, and Dustin entertained with some magic tricks at the end of the meal - he's always excellent. For the 98th party we will likely stay home, but we'll be back to Tavolinos as it's typically a good meal.

Jerry was our server he was excellent. I had the lasagna, it was ok a little burnt on top. My husband had the seafood and spaghetti- good and brothy. Our salad was tasty but too salty. I know we had better so we will be back.

The Italian food here is outstanding.... authentic...like dining in Italy. However, the service suffers a bit, as there are not enough waiters to handle the customers lately. The servers on duty are excellent. It is not their fault. I still rate this restaurant 5 stars, hoping it is just a temporary issue.

First, ordered a chianti classico riserva. It wasn’t riserva( a higher quality). For a $75 bottle of wine it was watery and no tasting characteristics of even a below average wine, horribly overpriced. Ordered the tavolio salad with a barely discernable vinegar and oil too. More a water dressing. Ordered rigatoni funghi. Funghi = mushroom, mushroom sauce. Barely discernible taste, again, watery sauce. Must have heated it in 1 1/2 minutes, no blending of flavors whatsoever. Seems Tavolino ( formerly a higher quality and consistent quality in past years). Must be focused on profit , definitely not quality!

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 4

We absolutely love this place! Process are reasonable, pasta is fresh made that day, for Temecula and they will pair your wine to the meal! Their table bread and oil is fantastic! They were very accommodating, especially with our infant, and the atmosphere was very pleasant. We will definitely be back and have yet to find a dish we wouldn't order again.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Great service and food!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We dined at Tavolino on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. The food was fine, but the restaurant was infested with fruit flies. My date swallowed a bug in her wine. We pointed to the busser that there was another crawling inside my wine glass. He agreed, but said he was sorry. The manager lamely compted us for one glass of wine for a ruined evening. The Tucson health department should force this restaurant to shut down & thoughly clean everything before continuing to serve meals under these unsanitary conditions. Fruit fly infestation is completely unacceptable for any place serving food.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 3

Good food and excellent service!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

On a cold day I expect a restaurant (especially Italian) to feel warm and
Cozy. I realize the staff is going from dining room to a hot kitchen and they’re warm, I get it. But, when everyone in the dining room is still wearing their jackets, that’s far from cozy. It was cold inside.
Man, oh man, I remember this place as a great place to dine, white table cloths with an a cool Italian vibe. What happened?
This evening was a huge letdown. Especially when I went on and on about what a great place it is to an out-of-town guest who had never been there. I have not been to Tavolino for a while and clearly things have changed. My rare steak was medium well, the service was extremely slow…ON A TUESDAY!! Two tables that entered after us were served before us. We ordered vanilla custard, sorbet, and gelato for dessert. Our server returned twice to inform us he was mistaken on what flavors they had available. Then, when the sorbet arrived (by the host, not the server) he apologized and said that they had none of the other flavors the server had mentioned. Okay, whatever it’s fine I thought but what happened to the gelato? We did get the “Italian” custard which was a basic Mexican flan labeled as Italian. Okay, we’re in the Southwest, we’ll eat it. But one of us ended up without desert and we weren’t going to wait any longer. What a letdown.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 3

Service: 3

We had an early dinner at Tavolino on a Friday night, and what a great experience it was! We sat on the patio (which, we learned, is dog-friendly) and had the caesar salad, eggplant parm starter, chickpea fries (light, fluffy, crispy) and squid ink pasta. Everything was exactly what we needed and wanted. The server was also a gem - so kind and helpful, and oriented us to the menu and wine list. So lovely!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5