Tavira Restaurant

This may become our favorite resto now that Christina’s has gone away.

We met some out-of-town friends here for dinner Friday and were treated to live guitar music in the main room. We sat in an adjoining room bc 2 of us wear hearing aids and are bothered by ambient noise; conversation was made easy.

Food, by all accounts, was very good. Three of us went for seafood, which is the store’s specialty; I had a steak offering, Portuguese style - lots of gravy. Presentation was not lost on any of the dishes but none of us ever thinks to take pictures, sorry.

One notable on the menu was poached pear with ice cream for dessert. Great for sharing and quite special.

AND - all the tables come clad in white tablecloths with white cotton napkins. Also candlelight. Twenty years ago, this was the norm, but today it’s a rarity and a gesture that, to me, indicates a proprietor’s commitment to a total dining experience. No one gets 5 stars out of me without them. Sorry not sorry.

Add to this covered parking in abundance just a few steps from the store’s door and you have the makings of a drama-free, thoroughly enjoyable evening. We will obviously be back.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

We recently dined at Tavira and had a bad experience. Cod Pie – Came with a delicious sauce, but unfortunately contained several fish bones, making it unsafe to eat. Mushroom Risotto – Bland, unseasoned, and poorly plated. For the price, it was a letdown. Roasted Monkfish with Shrimp & Mussels in Saffron Sauce (served with rice) – Absolutely delicious. Perfectly cooked seafood with a rich, fragrant sauce. Bread & House-Made Butter – Warm, fresh bread with creamy, flavorful butter was a delightful start to the meal. The musicians playing selections from Latin America and Brazil were the highlight of the atmosphere — lively, skilled, and uplifting. The service was terrible and very slow. The server had broken English, almost incomprehensible, and the inconsistent food quality made the experience uneven. We don't think we'll visit Tavira again.

The food and service is amazing here!! We first came to celebrate our wedding anniversary earlier this year, then went back with friends last week. We had great experience both times. Go, you won’t regret it.

Dining at tavira felt like taking a short trip to Portugal i ordered the frango a piri piri grilled chicken with a spicy marinade that packed just the right amount of heat the chicken was juicy and the flavor from the piri piri sauce was outstanding

We visited tavira for a family dinner including our kids and the experience was exceptional the atmosphere is very family and friendly with quiet relaxed vibe we ordered pasteis de bacalhau codfish fritters as starters which were very crispy on the outside and flavorful inside that was very good recommend

Tavira restaurant immediately impressed me with its classic and european ambience and warm lighting are the game changing i ordered bacalhau a bras a portugues cod dish and it was great and so tasty and the servers were knowledgeable attentive and made fhe excellent wine i enjoyed it the overall experience was so beautiful

We went here for a catered event, and wow were they ill equipped to serve a large group. Service was extremely slow with nobody competently taking charge and the meal took about three hours. We had two five year olds with us who were quite hungry and they did not get their food first, despite us asking if theirs could be expedited. My husband and I ordered the steak medium and medium rare, both were well done and dry. The sides had no discernible seasoning. The Caesar was underdressed and also lacked flavor and freshness. The appetizers were equally underwhelming. The bathroom in the lobby area didn't have a changing table and wasn't especially clean. Sounds like there was maybe a recent change in ownership/management, absolutely not anywhere near a 4 or 5 star establishment.

We have a neighbor several houses up from our place. She is a first-generation American of Portuguese ancestry. She makes wonderful codfish cakes, Bacalhau, I mean, excellent. We were driving into DC, looking for a place to eat dinner before checking into our hotel. I found Tavira. Once seated, we looked at the menu. My wife took a photo of it and sent it to her. She replied a few minutes later....order everything! We started with Sardines Escabeche, then shared two entrees between us: Bacalhau Pobre and Bife de Casa. The food was good, not excellent, and the service was efficient and pleasant. Perhaps we ordered the wrong thing.

This place is not worth it. We got Garlic Shrimp and the only taste was old lemon. Grilled Salmon, same deal, tasted like old lemon. Portuguese steak tasted like olives. The bread was stodgy. The chips had a good texture, but needed salt. I can't say anything else positive about the food.

The vibe is definitely tailored for an older crowd.

It seems like some other reviewers mention new ownership. The quality certainly does not match the 4.5 star rating as of this review.

We came to this restaurant for the first time and we’re so impressed with how authentic and fresh everything was. We had an amazing lunch and the waitress could not have been more helpful and knowledgeable. Can’t wait to go back.

I do not recommend this restaurant. A few days ago I went and ordered a Valencian rice and part of it was burnt and the other part raw. For dessert, I ordered a pastel de nata and it took like 15 minutes to arrive at the table. Plus, the bottom of the pastel de nata was like chewing gum, as if it had been microwaved. About 3 years ago I visited this restaurant and the food tasted wonderful, and now it seems they've changed staff or something, but it's not the same anymore. I went wanting to have a good experience and all I experienced was a huge disappointment.

Unfortunately highly disappointed. We went based on the reviews and were surprised by the dishes we were served. We are all Portuguese from Tavira, this was not Portuguese food. The caldo Verde was just water and spicy!? The bife a casa came with burt chip fries, and the bacalhau was an extremely small serving. All of this to say that the price doesn't equate to the quality and experience.
One of the female servers tried to fix the situation but there was no going back.
I wouldn't even give it 1 star.

We returned from a visit to portugal and we wanted to revisit the wonderful food we had in porto and lisbon at this “Portuguese and mediterranean” restaurant in chevy chase. It’s in the basement level of a medical office building so no windows, resulting in a dark, and closed-in feeling decor. On the other hand, the welcome from the staff was warm and inviting. We were seated immediately, orders were taken, and our starters and drinks arrived quickly. We liked our server who explained the menu and the specials nicely and was attentive throughout the evening. Our problem was with the food. We didn’t expect to have an authentic meal like we had in Portugal but what we received was bland and disappointing beginning with cod fritters which were tough and tasteless to our mains that had none of the character or spiciness that we had enjoyed so much. If you aren’t familiar with Portuguese food you may not mind; as i said the service was fine and the prices are not outlandish for the neighborhood. But the food is not memorable.

Incredible food and even better staff! Thank you Ricardo for making our evening amazing! We can’t wait to come back.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Went for lunch and both the food and service quite underwhelming. Nothing we had was delicious—bland piri piri chicken, tasteless fish, terrible gaspacho. Could it be because the longtime owner and chef are gone? Seems like it’s going downhill.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 2