Tasty Tavola: Authentic Neapolitain, Italian Restaurant
Posted: February 7th, 2012 | Author: LumDimSum | Filed under: Foodies & Dining Scene | Tags: Alberto Alboreggia, Alla Osteria, Assaggi, Fat Burger, Italian food, La Pizza, Neapolitain, Starbucks, Sureno, Tavola, The Grand Summit, US Embassy | No Comments »
Situated on the second floor of The Grand Summit above Fat Burger and Starbucks, close to the US Embassy and Diplomatic compounds lies yet another high-end Italian restaurant named Tavola.
With a branch in Beijing and one in Shanghai, Tavola sells itself as “an exclusive Italian restaurant offering authentic and modern Italian cooking” set in a premium location with private VIP rooms, an open kitchen, and a central showcase dining table to emphasize their dining concept of Tavola, which means “table” in Italian.
LumDimSum Snapshots of Tavola Italian Restaurant:



They have an Italian chef named Alberto Alboreggia and their style of cooking is “authentic Neapolitain dishes using specially selected cuts of meat, seasonal fresh vegetables and herbs… Only authentic Buffalo cheese, imported from Italy is used in our Pizza dishes”.
We came for lunch during the Chinese New Year holiday and despite the rest of Beijing looking pretty desolate, Tavola restaurant was surprisingly busy. One of my favorite thing about Tavola is their complimentary bread. It’s the same dough they use on their pizza and it’s just so tasty and served warm, fresh out of the oven. They have a nice wine selection and their service is solid. Our server was Filipino, so it was nice to have a fluent English speaker for a change, ready and willing to recommend dishes and understand our requests perfectly.
Between three of us, we ordered three pasta dishes and one pizza to share and it was perfect. I ordered the Spaghetti tossed with Clams, Crab Meat and Red Mullet Eggs Roe (RMB 108), which was light, yet flavorful and the spaghetti was cooked perfectly. We ordered the Boscaiola Pizza (RMB 128) topped with mushrooms, cooked ham, Pancetta Ham and imported Buffalo Mozzarella cheese from Italy. It was big and with imported Buffalo Mozzarella cheese, you can definitely tell a difference between this high-quality, authentic Italian pizza and most of the other, cheaper pizza chains in Beijing, but the middle was soggy and I would still say the best authentic Italian pizza in Beijing is found at either Sadler or Sureno. Being a pasta girl myself, I also managed to steal a bite of the Spaghetti with Lobster and Cherry Tomatoes (RMB 198) which was pricey, but also excellent and soaked with plenty of lobster juices and flavor.
LumDimSum Snapshots of Tavola’s Italian Dishes:

Spaghetti tossed with clams, crab meat and Red Mullet Eggs Roe (RMB 108)
Boscaiola Pizza (RMB 128)- Mushrooms, cooked ham, Pancetta Ham and Imported Buffalo Mozzarella cheese from Italy
Linguine with Lobster and Cherry Tomatoes (RMB 198)
Review of Tavola Italian Restaurant: 2nd Floor, The Grand Summit, Section B, Liangmaqiao Diplomatic Mansion. No. 19, Dongfang East Road, Chaoyang District, 朝阳区东方东路19号亮马桥外交公寓会所2层; Tel: 85325068
Best Part:
- Probably the restaurant that serves the best complimentary bread in Beijing - soft, doughy pizza bread warm out of the oven is such a simple treat, and yet done so well.
- With a head Italian chef, they boast authentic Neapolitain dishes.
- I recommend their pasta dishes. Spaghetti was cooked perfectly and we all know timing is everything when it comes to getting pasta right.
- Our waiter was Filipino so his English was perfect and he was very personable and professional. Definitely higher than the average standard of service you find in Beijing restaurants.
- They offer an extensive wine list with excellent, knowledgeable sommeliers.
- Very stylish, elegant design. Tall windows on both sides of the cylinder shaped restaurant allows plenty of natural sunlight for lunch guests and they also showcase a very intimate dinner atmosphere with nice lighting and ambiance.
Comments:
- It is a bit pricey, but we all know that imported ingredients cost an arm and a leg so I suspect Tavola is importing a lot of the ingredients they use. Generally, I would say it is authentic Italian and for those who love Italian, Tavola is a great find.
- They offer set lunches from RMB 108-138 and set dinner menus from RMB 480-758.
- We didn’t get to order any dessert, but I hear their assorted dessert platter is incredible. Definitely a reason to go back!
- Tavola is a great option for a nice Italian dinner, but with so many Italian restaurants in Beijing, I think it’s tough for Tavola to stay afloat. When I went for lunch, it was pretty busy, but I’ve also been to Tavola on nights where our table is one of the few in the entire restaurant. I suspect Sureno in The Opposite House gives Tavola great competition and one must also take into consideration the many cheaper Italian options in town that serve pretty authentic and affordable Italian cuisine including Alla Osteria in World City, Assaggi in North Sanlitun area and even the many La Pizza chains all over town.
Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)
- Food: 8
- Atmosphere: 7
- Service: 7
- Overall Experience: 7

























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