La Traviata
| Address: | 314 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701, USA |
| Phone: | +1 512-479-8131 |
| Site: | latraviatatx.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 11:30AM–2PM 5:30–10:30PM Closed |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
A
A Private User
Salute to the wonderful people at La Traviata for making my birthday dinner extra special. Fortunately, our lack of reservations did not stand in the way of us popping in to this Austin Italian gem. There was a decent wait for a table but we were able to find a spot at the bar which, truth be told, is preferable when I am in a social mood. I love chatting with fellow patrons, with the bartender, and the casual feel of dining at the bar. The menu has many classics, some with a twist, and it is not terribly expansive. This, in my opinion, is a good sign. Do a few things well. Oh, do they. We started with the Beef Carpaccio. It was the best I can remember having. Arugula, pine nuts, shaved parmesan, and truffle oil. The surprise? Fried radicchio wedge. Crazy, I know, but it was silly good. The bitter crunch of the radicchio really put an amazing dish over the top. Yum. It paired wonderfully with an ’09 Valmorena Barbera d’Asti. We also shared a salad with beets, orange segments, and goat cheese. Tasty, straight forward, no surprises. Then, we asked both Ryan, our gracious server, and Marion, the super charming owner, to recommend a pasta. Both said the Carbonara was a must have. It is something I would never let myself order normally, but it was, after all, my day to spoil myself. Great presentation: a nest of spaghetti tossed with pancetta, onion, cream, lemon, and served with a locally farmed egg yolk on top. So decadent. So delicious. So glad we split it. Marion shared that the dish is traditionally a hangover cure. Um, pretty sure it could cure anything. We finished the meal with a cantaloupe champagne granita and tiramisu. Any plans to stay out were put to rest with the Carbonara, but I was not complaining. We so enjoyed our time at La Traviata. Thank you to Ryan and Marion for making it extra special! Happy belly, Happy Mama, Happy Birthday.
AL
Allen Todd
Frankly, I dont see the allure of the place. To begin with, the place is so noisy that its difficult to have a nice conversation - but we figured we are here, what the heck. We ordered a bottle of wine and an appetizer along with the entree. The wine was very good, however it was pricy considering paying $40 for a $15 bottle of wine. Thats par for the course tho. We received the appetizer, bruschetta, and one needed a steak knife to cut it. The flavor was rather bland as well, but not as bland as was to come. When we received the entree the presentation was less than appealing- large pile of cheap spaghetti with a few strands of spinach and very little seasoning. It wouldnt have had much flavor at all had it not been for the tough and chewy shrimp scattered sparingly about. The scallions were also over-cooked, very mushy. We had to ask for Parmasian just to add some kick. This place is certainly not equitable on a quality/ value ratio. If the service would have been extraordinary ( it was better than average) and the atmosphere quiet and quaint, with better than average food Id have been happy to pay the $100 tab for two. However, The food is average to less than average, the atmosphere unromantic, and everything is over-priced without delivering equal quality. I could throw everything together at home for $1.98. I wont go back.
MA
Mahesh Paolini-Subramanya
Its the little things here : - The ragù bolognese is veal/beef/pork, and has barely a whiff of tomato, not unlike the RealVersionThereof™ (i.e., in Bologna) - The wine list is long on inexpensive reds (again, a fairly common touch in northern italy) - The "fried polenta" is surprisingly light, as is the "gorgonzola sauce" it sits on (a light cream sauce. who knew that such a thing existed!) - The service is friendly, and doesnt push the expensive stuff on you I could go on, but Ill stop here. The bottom line - this is the kind of place that you can find yourself coming back to, if only for a glass of wine, over and over again. Yet again, very Italian :-) Mind you, one non-Italian thing, the servings are AustinHuge™. Be warned :-)
GA
Gabriel Sone
This restaurant was beautiful and quiet with excellent and truly kind service. That being said, my wife and I found the food lacking outstanding flavor and was left with the overwhelming feeling that it was just okay. Though ingredients were fresh and presentation was pleasant, the amount of food and flavor just wasnt there. Im no culinary expert, but Ive had Italian food around the US and Europe, and felt the flavor and portions didnt justify the price of some of their higher priced dishes. Honestly, its a nice place to dine with an ambiance for a professional or romantic outing, but the food isnt something I can say you must eat here. Gave them a fair shot from the bread, recommended salad, wine, more expensive dishes, dessert and coffee.
PR
property jack
Walking into this cute little place I was hit with the desire to order wine (I dont even drink wine). The ambiance of the place is warm and inviting. We started with the warm bread which was serviced with mixed olives and oil. It was warm and morish. My partner ordered the Veal picciata which he loved! I ordered the soup of the day which was a three mushroom soup and it was incredible my partner also love it, which was a surprise. I also ordered the ravioli of the day which was a three cheese and beet ravioli with basil pesto and the most decadent cheese sauce Ive ever experienced. We had a show on the other side of town and the server organised for our meals to come out straight away. I cant recommend this place enough.
RY
Ryan Lee
Went for our anniversary. We just walked in off the street, there was no space available and there was an hour wait. We came back after wandering for a bit looking for something faster, and got lucky. We were seated immediately upon our re-arrival and told that someone else had cancelled! We then told the woman who sat us (possibly the owner, she seemed in charge) that it was our anniversary and she brought us free champagne. The food was incredible, I ordered the spaghetti carbonara (which was everything everyone says it is) and my wife had an equally amazing spaghetti dish. The food was great and we would definitely recommend this place and eat there again.
CO
Colin Sullender
La Traviata is delicious. While a little too pricey for a poor graduate student to frequent, I came here for a Friday date and was quite impressed by this small restaurant on Congress. The wait staff was able to seat us earlier than our actual reservation and was extremely attentive throughout the night. I got the Fettuccine con Funghi and was pleasantly surprised by the flavor. Its honestly one of the best pasta dishes Ive ever had. The fresh bread tasted great dipped in the sauce. My only complaint was the surprisingly loud noise level, which made it almost impossible to hear each other at times despite being across a small table.
A
A Private User
I picked this restaurant based on all the amazing reviews....We arrived a little late, but called to advise them of this..they rescheduled are reservation and were very accommodating. We were then greeted by the most charming French waiter who helped us with our wine selection. My husband ordered the tenderloin with prosciutto and I ordered the chicken parmigiana! It was SO GOOD! We finished our meal with the chocolate hazelnut torte and the tiramisu....our meal was so wonderful, from the service, to the atmosphere, to the amazing entree and dessert! By far, the best dining experience that I have had in a very long time!!!
