Ava Restaurant
Ava has limited seating, reservations may be inside or outside. We attempt to accommodate special requests, please let us know what your preference may be in the "add a special request' field. However, we can't guarantee all table requests. We look forward to serving you. Ava will have a special $75 per person Limited Menu on Valentines Day. You can find the menu online at avatampa.com.
Safety precautions
- Surfaces sanitized between seatings
- Common areas deep cleaned daily
- Digital, disposable or sanitized menu provided
- Sanitizer or wipes provided for customers
- Extra space between tables
- Waitstaff wear masks
- Diners must wear masks unless eating or drinking
- Sick staff prohibited in the workplace
- Staff temperature check required
- Contact tracing information collected
Popular dishes
Chicken Parmesan
chicken cutlet, spaghetti, mozzarella, granna padano, pomodoro
5 reviews
Braised Octopus
fingerling potatoes, fennel, saffron sofrito
4 reviews
Sea Scallops
pistachio arugula pesto, red pepper butter, fried capers, lemon foam, garlic bread crumbs
2 reviews
Featured specials
Valentine's Day Special Menus & More
Ava will be offering a special 4 course menu for $75 a person. The menu can be viewed at avatampa.com.
Service was on point!!
Poor customer service from the moment we walked in. Host was not welcoming, our server, although kind, was clearly overwhelmed with her tables and could not keep up. Took her 10 minutes to greet us, by the time our dinners came we still did not have our bottle of wine, and it just went down hill from there. We watched another party walk out because no one ever came to their table, wish we would have done the same. Yes, there are off nights, but this was a mess. Won’t go back.
ordered a reserve bottom , waitress said they were out, no recommendations on another reserve bottle to order, pizza was soggy, cheese plate was gross. Probably won’t be back.
Very good ambience and great food with service
I have been to Ava before and really enjoyed it, but this time it was just meh. The good: shrimp scampi appetizer was great (a bit salty, but I like that), sirloin steak (tender and flavorful), dessert (yummy, can't remember what it was called but they were little donuts with something to dip them in). The "enh": broccoli soup (not flavorful), bruschetta appetizer (way too bready, like eating a pan pizza), truffle/spinach pizza (this was okay, but after the bruschetta having such thick bread, it was just overkill.) We also had to eat outside, even though we'd made the OpenTable reservation. The ambiance was not as nice as I remembered (possibly due to having to eat outside, it was cold, and and there being two separate tables of college students behind us trying to hook up ---not that I care, but it made everything louder.) Also, our waitress was not very attentive (our drinks came well after our food got there). Overall it was "okay", but for the price and what we received/experienced, the value just isn't there. I don't plan to go again.
At times we have loved Ava, this time they were off their game somewhat... we were celebrating a birthday and I noted that on my reservation and when I called to change the number of guests from 5 to 4 a few hours before our reservation.
We told our server we were in no hurry and ordered a cocktail and appetizers before ordering wine and dinner and yet our entrees came out literally on top of our appetizers.
I ordered the filet cooked medium and it was delivered rare, even after it was sent back it still came back rare.
We asked for more bread with our meal and the bread was dropped at the table after dessert had been eaten (Cannoli seemed to have just cheese for filling, like they forgot the sugar!).
And finally, there was zero mention of the birthday we were celebrating!
Our server was friendly, but overall the experience was “off” for a celebratory birthday dinner for four on a Friday night that included appetizers, cocktails, wine, dinner and dessert.
I would not normally take the time to write a less than glowing review, but open table sent me an email asking how it was...
Great food and service! Had my Bucatini pasta, the best!
Waiting 15 min after my reservation to sit and they didn’t sit us but other parties where coming after us and they were seated right away!
Wonderful Italian Food & great service!
We were treated so nicely and the food was fantastic.
Can’t wait to go back.
If you haven’t been then you’re missing out.
Very poor service. Restaurant is fully packed and minimal servers to tables. Server took our drink/food order and then never returned. The food took 45 minutes to come with no one checking in on us to refill drinks. This place is a last resort spot when it comes to brunch.
By far one of the best meals I have ever had. Perfect ambiance and night
We dined at Ava's New Year's Eve. It was a fixed priced menu but the options were numerous. Each of our selections were well presented and very good. I would recommend this if you are dining in SoHo Tampa.
It was very disappointing. It was not shown that they would only offer a NYE menu. The server said they were supposed to be calling all reservations to confirm and let them know - never received a call. When we arrived and found this out, was too late to go anywhere else on NYE so figured we would stick it out. The value was terrible for the portion sizes and options, had to ask numerous times for plates, and the food had no taste. The person who appeared to be the manager kept walking across the street to another restaurant every 15 or so minutes.
Overall, it was a very disappointing experience especially considering it was a first visit.
Always spectacular
Our meals were expensive and not tasty at all.
Interesting place in general but not what one would expect for a quality Italian restaurant. Fire grilled chicken for chicken Parmesan just don’t seem to go together. Has a younger crowd vibe. Service sub par.
Very nice evening. Great service and the food was excellent.
My father hated the chix parm and spaghetti
All of us liked everything very much
When I walked in to at 9:00pm to be early for my 9:15 reservation they told me they were closed and couldn’t do anything a put it. I let them know that both OpenTable and Apple Maps have them open to at least 10pm. He said yeah thanks for letting them know but we can’t do anything about it. We left very unhappy!
Very good food, felt like we were a little rushed to leave.
Very clean restaurant! Cool laid back and trendy!
The food was amazing! Truffle, spinach cheese wood fire pizza was one of the most flavorful I’ve experienced ! The braised rabbit on the gnocchi was delicate and so tasty in the white wine sauce, truly an Italian mom made tasting dish. The fresh home made noodles are incredible!
A must eat place when visiting Tampa! Make the time for a meal!
Cheers to you!
Slow service and wait staff was very forgetful
Great food and great service. Ava has a great vibe.
Don’t have a bad thing to say about staff or service team, extremely polite and didn’t have a single issue during service. The price point for the quality of food is what disappoints me here, I don’t think the food we ate warranted $150 Bill. We got 2 entrees, 1 app which were disappointed to see the warm ricotta come out as almost a table spoon size portion for $9 and then a moderately priced bottle of wine. Overall not terrible but nothing that warrants a return, for half the price you can go to Bella’s or a similar price point Forbici which has much better food.
I am not one to complain about food, but this was terrible and not worth it. The pizza’s egg was not cooked yet the crust and topping were burnt; the steak was expensive and only a few strips.
Trendy inside but poor food experience.
Food was fine. Service was terrible.
Great location and outdoor dining spot. Service was excellent. Pasta and chicken parmigiana dishes were excellent. Only negative was the pizza - which was completely undercooked and basically raw. They definitely need to cook the pizza longer.
Food was excellence!! Sangria was great! Love this place.
Anna served us well. The food was excellent! The place was clean and beautifully decorated for the holidays.
Great food & atmosphere. Outside seating had a plenty of discs between the group. Want to go again for dinner.
Atmosphere is alive, outdoor option available. Indoor is pretty loud even without full capacity, but good vibe.
Not a bad fired pizza, nothing worth your time.
I had heard exceptional things about this place. Some of the best Italian in Tampa, some of the best on SoHo. Turned out to be SICKENING undercooked food, rude reception (wait staff was polite). Medium = Purple core at Ava, edible but so is a ballpark tartar burger. Not what was on the menu.
We were both sick after our time there. Avoid anything with cooked meat! Saving grace would be the pizza, as wood-fired ought to be. Otherwise avoid the meat, seafood and the other undercooked dishes that'll end your night quickly.
We went this past Saturday December 5th. Our server was attentive and prompt. The food was fast and absolutely delicious. The ambiance is perfect for a date night or special occasion. And the management team is exceptional, especially Steven. One of my absolute favorite spots in Tampa.
Our server was not very good, she rarely came buy to check on us.
Food was average
The food was really good, we really enjoyed every plate. Highly recommend the short rib ravioli and the glazed salmon. We also had the tiramisu and it was awesome. Grace, our server, was really nice and always made sure to be around. They have the option to make reservations inside or outside, which given the situation it is great. All servers were wearing facemask which was a plus. We felt very safe.
Great service and incredible food! They were very accommodating to our last minute thanksgiving reservation and we had a wonderful waitress to top it off. It was our first time at Ava, but definitely not our last!
A fantastic find for a quiet (and COVID Safe distancing) Thanksgiving!! A wonderful traditional meal with all the sides for the hubs and a house made butternut squash gnocchi for me (vegetarian). Stephanie was amazing,friendly and wonderful......definitely made our holiday a little more special. WE WILL BE REGULARS here!!! On a scale of 10......Ava is a 10++++!!!!!
Went for Thanksgiving, the service was great, Anna was lots of fun, the Ava Old fashioned was fantastic, the food was ok, I would for sure return again to try the regular menu.
FAQs
You can order delivery directly from Ava Restaurant using the Order Online button. Ava Restaurant also offers delivery in partnership with Postmates. Ava Restaurant also offers takeout which you can order by calling the restaurant at (813) 512-3030.
Ava Restaurant is rated 4.5 stars by 1374 OpenTable diners.
Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable. Due to local restrictions, this restaurant may not be accepting reservations at the moment.