La Traviata

Recommends

jcb1975

Joined 7 years ago

Great food, but lackadaisical service. For years this had been one of my favorite restaurants in Austin. The food is almost always excellent and until the past year the service was also. The service now is quite awful. The past few times my husband and I have gone we have been disappointed. The staff is not very knowledgeable about wine and gets testy when asked for fresh ground pepper. I felt pressured to buy the most expensive wine to simply increase the bill and therefore the tip. There was no reasoning of why it was better with our choices, just the explanation that it is better than the others. I am very sad to say I wont be back unless the staff becomes what it should be. The impeccable food and good wine list is ruined by inattentive and/or snotty wait staff.

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goats_milk

Joined 8 years ago

Delicious. I don't like the atmosphere much - it's a bit noisy with a trendy feel - but the food is so delicious that I think it's my favorite Italian restaurant in Austin anyway. I've been here four times and none of my entrees has been less than spectacular. The carbonara was memorable. The appetizers have been less so but still good.

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foodiekg

Joined 7 years ago

Wonderful Downtown Lunch Spot. I discovered La Traviata late last year, and I have been a frequent visitor since! Lunch seating is never a problem, and the food is INCREDIBLE. For something light, I would highly recommend either of the sandwiches on the lunch menu, possibly my favorite sandwich I've ever had. My personal favorite is the calamari pasta. I've never had non-fried calamari that didn't taste like rubber, but it was cook PERFECTLY. Great business lunch location.

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lesleakirk

Joined 8 years ago

Chef Gilcrest is a Genius!!!. We've been going to this restaurant since its opening several years ago. We dropped in one day for lunch and found our "staple" restaurant. When guests arrive from out of town we MUST take them there. The chicken parmesean is WONDERFUL! The duck is mouth-watering. The fettucini with mushrooms is so good that I often get an extra order to take home. My favorite is the tiramisu.....that's the stuff that dreams are made out of. Chef Marion Gilcrest is amazing! The staff is always attentive and the management is excellent!

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jrkemp

Joined 8 years ago

Nice surprise!. My husband surprised me for my birthday in June, 2005. And what a great surprise! I had the special that night with shrimp, scallops, and many others included. Pasta had to have been freshly made! Our waiter was great, the appetizers were different and light (fig brushetta), and the wine selection was very good. We enjoyed it so much, we had to eat dessert (lemon tart with blueberries and cream). A gem in downtown Austin!

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sameer_melissa

Joined 8 years ago

LA TRIVIATA IS ITALIAN DONE SO WELL!!. What a great night out! Not overpriced. The atmosphere is loud but warm- not obnoxious. The food is DELICIOUS! The Fig appetizer is a wonderful idea! Lamb Ragu-mouth watering! Calamari Plattanesca-seasoned to perfection! Nice wine list-we had an oustanding French White. Waitstaff is friendly, knowledgeable and efficient. (I don't how they squeeze-passed each other in this little restaurant, but they're good.) We're looking forward to our next chance to visit this wonderful restaurant!

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christab

Joined 8 years ago

Best Simple Italian Food in Town. Spaghetti Aglio Olio is fabulous, better than we have had in Italy or NYC(we used to live in Little Italy).

The pasta is always perfectly cooked, never over or undercooked. The Veal Picatta is some of the finest I've ever had and the daily soups are just that. Handmade daily, delicious and savory. The Profiteroles with ice cream and chocolate sauce is wonderful. The atmoshpere is sophisticated, intimate, and unpretentious. It is not generic, large, an dimpersonal, like so many restaurants in Austin. My only complaint, and it is a small but necessary detail, is the salami we were served last night with our appetizer was very low quality, sub-standerd even to the hard salami that Oscar Mayer sells in places like HEB!

I would expect to be served a nice Sopressata, or Mastro salami for 4 thin sliceseving and $6.00 price.

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overman

Joined 9 years ago

Drunk Owners. I work downtown and have been to this place for lunch and dinner on numerous occasions. The food is decent Italian and well priced, but the waitstaff and mangement seem to be often disorganized and under the influence of their vino.

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ophelia_chafigoulline

Joined 9 years ago

great italian for austin. my husband and i tried la traviata for the first time tonight. great urban ambiance, quite romantic. the prosciutto di palma was wonderful. the spaghetti aglio olio was excellent- esp paired with the tommassi pino grigio. will probably come again. (the server was very knowledgable and helpful)

Doesn't Recommend

hans_longfellow

Joined 11 years ago

GREAT Food HORRIBLE noise. The food was great. Had to wait a while to get it, but overall it was excellent. Our waitress was very nice as well. The MAJOR problem with this place is how loud it is. The room is very narrow. One side of the room has a stone wall which makes for horrible acoustics. We had to yell to have a conversation, and we could barely hear the waitress. Plus some mornon across from us was on his phone the whole time yapping like an idiot. If they hung some rugs or paintings...or simply put something over the brick wall, then I would consider going back. Otherwise just go futher South on Congress to a really great Italian place.