Consistently excellent food & good service

We've eaten at Tavira at least a half dozen times with as few as 2 and as many as 6 in our party and the food is consistently excellent. Service is very good, wonderful variety of Portugese dishes, it has become a favorite. Highly recommended.

Phenomenal food

All seafood was cooked perfectly--not overcooked in the slightest. Flavors and ingredients were fresh and of good quality. Staff was attentive but not overly. A great find!

Amazing food and even better service

A place is a bit hard to find, but once you did, you'll never forget the experience. Prices here are a bit high, but nothing outrageous for DC area. Servers are very knowledgeable about the food and drinks and generally make great suggestions if you ask them. Also, specials is it's own separate menu and they change them daily.

Wishing we'd gone sooner

Have known about Tavira for a long time, but despite living nearby, had never gone until this weekend. Service, courtesy of our waiter Perez and others, was wonderful. Cod fritters and shrimp with garlic appetizers were both very good. Steak de la casa was very good, cooked to order and served with excellent thinly-sliced potato chips (we had to order a side order for my wife and the kids). Have seen some complaints about this from others, but the specials were reasonably priced comparatively at $30. My wife had the suckling pig, which she very much enjoyed. Fried milk for dessert was delicious. Definitely recommend.

Wonderful Romantic Dinner

last weekend took my girlfriend for our anniversary in that place. We had a romantic quiet table in a corner near the fireplace. Glass of Portuguese young wine, light appetiser, fish like a main course (Dorada was great, bacalao was delicious but a little bit salty and we were forced switch plates because I don't care :)) and desserts. Oh my god! never gonna forget orange pudding! Everything was exactly the same like I saw that in my mind. Service was very professional. Good job guys, we had a good time!

Rip Off

It is my worst dinning out experience ever. The waiter introduced their "Today Specials" without telling us the price. We were very unfortunate to have ordered two entrees and one appetizer from the "specials" he recommened. It turned out to be 40% more expensive than the most expensive dish in their menu. Befor paying the bill, I asked the waiter to explain the extreme high price. He told me that the owner set the price and he/she was not available. An hour later when I called the owner's number on a besiness card the waiter gave me, the waiter answered that he is actually the manager. Be careful, ask the price before ordering in this restaurant.

Portugese treasure

Tavira is a treasure of Portugese cuisine hidden in the basement of a suburban office building. High quality dining in an elegant setting. We liked the extensive menu choices and careful, individual preparation that went into each dish. This is the opposite of a crank-em-out chain restaurant. More expensive than some chains, but worth it. Many good value wines available too.

“Do not mind the location”

yes do not mind the location.... restaurant is inside a parking garage, but as soon as you walk in you forget where you are and enter what turns out to be a very nice restaurant. The seafood and steak were delicious. the waiting stuff courteous, attentive and even entertaining. Some people might find it pricey, but remember you are in DC and it is worth it.

“Definitely coming back to Tavira!”

Last night we went to Tavira with a small group. Strangely enough we all ended up with fish/seafood dinners, but everyone loved their dinners. Our waiter was very helpful, particularly when it came to wine selections as none of our group was very familiar with the Portugese wines on the menu. I had the Camarão à Alho (Sautéed shrimp in white wine and garlic) appetizer which was fantastic, and the Caldeirada à Ponta-Gorda (A traditional Portuguêse-Madeiran fish stew with shrimp, clams, mussels, sea scallops, sweet bell peppers and potato) for the main course. Would order either or both again in a minute.

good food, attentive service

By the time we arrived at the restaurant, it was pretty packed (lucky us that we made a reservation). After being seated, a waiter delivered us the specials, that was an impressive list. So, my friend and I decided on having lamb chops, and I had corvina-highlighted by the waiter. It turned out as he described-a very mild fish with just a right quantity of garlic in the souse. For dessert we splited a poached pear. Chocolate cake sounded good, but thought it might be a bit heavy since we almost licked our plates :). The service was very attentive. Besides our waiter, other staff stopped by our table to check on us. The check for 2 of us was slightly higher than $100, and absolutely worth it. If you plan to treat yourself-just go for it!

Hard-to-find, this is a gem of authentic Portuguese food.

The service was wonderfull, the wait staff was so friendly, knowledgable and helpfull, food was delicious and well crafted. This is a gem of a restaurant and deserves more attention from WASHINGTONIAN restaurant goers

Surprisingly BAD

I admit I went there just once, but it failed my "Whopper test," meaning that I would rather have gone to Burger King and had a Whopper instead of dining there. Service: We had a reservation, but still waited more than ten minutes for a table. (The couple before us said they had waited more than 20 minutes, and they had a reservation, too.) Also, when we were finished, it took f o r e v e r to get our check. Food: So-so at best. Not nearly worth the price. "Fluffy-centered cod fritters?" I found them cold and dense with grease. My entree was bland, meager and uninspired. I do not understand how Tavira remains in business.

Wow! What a surprise.

Very good & underrated (by the jaded "professional" critics if not by real people ). The food, including a $30 3 course fixed price special, is a bargain by DC standards. The wine list is not for snobs but is reasonably priced. The service is knowledgeable, efficient and friendly. Yes, it is in a bank building - so what? You are not eating in the parking lot, and the old world decor is attractive, as if you are taking a little trip to Europe

Fabulous Food & Service

A hidden gem in the Bethesda/Chevy Chase area! The food is always excellent and wine selection good. The servers are very attentive, but not overly so. You cannot go wrong having any fish dish they prepare or daily specials. The owner, Duarte, is very hard working and very attentive to customers.

Fit for Foodies, Good for Groups, Romantic, Special Occasion

Comments: perfect meal - We ordered the specials (two different fish dishes and the sucking pig), which were fresh, perfectly cooked and flavorful. Our waiter was extremely knowlegable about the menu and made wonderful recommendations for wine pairings. Note to the Restaurant: Our waiter, who comes from Spain, was attentive, knowlegable and professional. I have never been disappointed by the food at Tavira, but occasionally have found the service challenging, but not this time.

Great food. Great service. Wonderful restaurant

My girlfriend and I thought the restaurant was amazing! The music and the atmosphere was very serene. My girlfriend said it reminded her of being in Italy. The service was fantastic and the food was exquisite. I ended up paying about $115.00 for a bottle of wine, an appetizer, and two entrees, but it was well worth it. I would highly suggest it if you are trying to take your significant other out for a nice romantic dinner.

Excellent Portuguese food!!

If you want to have a taste of the excellent Portuguese food and wine, Tavira is your restaurant. I love the Portuguese salted codfish!!