A Tavola Con (r)

amazing resturant!!! everything was more then perfect.the pasta is more good then italy... the piza ia also very tasty, and the salad so fresh with so much vegtables. for desert i ate the best panakota i ever had.also the place is beutiful,clean and good music for the atmosfare...and the staff were so kindly... its feel like im in europe. if you come to rishikesh dont miss that expirience....

Simply amazing! Pizzas are just like in Italy, it’s definitely the best pizza I have had in a long time! Atmosphere is very cozy, the place os difficult to find but it is away from the noisy town. Staff is courteous, service is fast. Prices are also very affordable. And they also have cute rabbits :) Highly recommend to everyone! Best dining experience in Rishikesh!

A Tavola con Te was recommended to me by Maria, an acquaintance from Columbia whom I met in Dharamsala. She told me that an Italian couple had just opened a restaurant and guest house in Rishikesh and that they made wood fire oven pizza, so I had to go there on my first evening in town.

The owners are from Milano (Milan) and have recently moved to Rishikesh. The property is up an alley off of the main road, so use TripAdvisor's directions or GoogleMaps and follow the signs up the alley about 1oo meters and look for the gate with a sign on your left. From there you meander another 50 meters or so past some houses and through a garden to the restaurant and Namaste Guest House.

They have a small terrazzo (terrace) that is nicely done with bamboo roof and decorative cement pillars, overlooking the garden, giving the dining area a rustic feel, and making me feel as if I were in an agriturismo in Italy. There are also a couple of tables on the grass under the stars (or sun), but no indoor option.

They serve pizza from 5:30 PM on, so do not expect it any earlier as the oven is lit around 3PM and takes a couple hours to reach the proper temperature. I ordered the "Buffalo", a 14 inch pizza with imported Italian (Vesuvio) tomato sauce, mozzarella di bufala (buffalo mozzarella - a specialty of Campania, Italy), and fresh basil leaves, a favorite of pizza napolitana (from Naples, Italy) lovers, which I am one.

My pizza was very good although a little dry because the tomato sauce was very thinly spread and the heat of the wood oven had dried it out. A little more sauce (or fresh tomatoes) or some olive oil (preferably olio picante) drizzled over the top prior to serving would have been wonderful, but I wolfed down my pie nonetheless as it was very tasty and the best pizza I have had since I was in Italy last. 

My wife, being from Napoli (Naples), would complain about the crust because Neopolitans (napolitani ... my wife will kill me when she reads this because she is actually Sicilian and refuses to admit that her family has lived in Naples most of her life) are pizza snobs because pizza was invented there and Naples admittedly has the BEST PIZZA IN THE WORLD. Pizza crust in Naples is a science and nowhere else on Earth will you find such soft, yet crisp on the bottom crust and fresh, flavorful toppings as you will find in Napoli.

The crust at A Tavola con Te is definitely "Northern Italian", indicative of pizze (pizzas) in Rome and north and considering the fact that Il Pizzaiuolo (pizza maker) is from Milan, appropriate to the situation. I prefer the crusts in Naples, but who am I to complain because it was very good, not burnt, and crispy but still a tad chewy. Bravissimo!

I returned a few days later for my birthday dinner and everyone wished me well, very thoughtful of them to remember! I started with the pumpkin (zucca) soup, which was creamy, rich, and excellent, but just lukewarm, not hot, and accompanied by four slices of warm bread.

For my entree, I had the vegetarian lasagna (250 rupees/$4.00), a decent size slab that was, again, not very hot and layered with pasta, melanzane (eggplant), bechamel and tomato sauce, and cheese. The eggplant was a bit chewy and the lasagna needed a little more mozzarella, but otherwise it was quite tasty.

Having had the panna cotta after my previous dinner, my birthday dessert had to be the tiramisú (170 rupees/$2.70), layers of savoiardi cookies soaked in espresso, and encased in sweet mascarpone cheese, then sprinkled with cocoa powder ... delicioso!

On my next visit I tried the Pizza Vegetariana (260 rupees/$4.10), coming topped with mushrooms, eggplant, onion, bell peppers, spinach, tomato sauce, and mozzarella. Again, the pizza was very good, but a bit dry and with a negligible amount of mozzarella. Being 50 to 100 rupees (80 cents to $1.60) more than the "average" equivalent pizza in many restaurants in India, I would expect a bit more sauce and cheese, even if they are imported and more expensive than the varieties most Indian restaurants use.

FYI - I am much harder on Italian restaurants than I am on others because Italian food is my passion and expectations are exceedingly high, particularly when Italians are in the kitchen. So do not get me wrong by thinking I was unhappy with any of my meals here because I was not and they were the best I have had in my two months in India. A few minor tweaks and this place will be THE BOMB ...

1. They could use some antipasti on the menu (bruschetta, cheese platter, olives/grilled vegetables, insalata caprese, etc) and bread because the pizzas and pastas are not filling enough on their own. 

2. The lights are a bit bright on the terrace at night, so some lower voltage bulbs and candles or lanterns would provide a cozier, more intimate feel.

3. Portions could be just a tad bigger for the price and attention to detail, ensuring that food is appropriately warm and not too dry, will go a long way in satisfying hungry customers.

I really want this restaurant to succeed because the owners are extremely nice and have positive, professional attitudes, the location has great "bones", the food is very well done, and the prices are reasonably fair. Please visit A Tavola con Te and tell them CombatCritic sent you because I want to come back next time I am in Rishikesh ... a presto (see you soon)!

CombatCritic Gives A Tavola con Te 8 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More BOMBS Are Better!

Amongst the best pizzas I've had! It had a perfect thin crust and the extra topoungs we asked for was the perfect quantity & mixed well with all the other toppings! The young band of boys running this place have been trained very well. They are well informed and attentive.

The restaurant is situated in a quiet dingy lane out of no where, but was extremely pleased with the experience. The owner was Italian who taught the staff and left back to home country. The staff has learnt well and really enjoyed the wood fired pizza. The staff went out of the way to help.

I come here all the time because the food is so delicious! I've traveled in Italy and have some close Italian friends who cook for me back home sometime but I have NEVER had Italian food as delicious as from this place! This place is amazing, everything was phenomenal. I highly recommend everyone comes here for the best Italian food in India (and possibly anywhere). My favorites are the pesto verde pasta, funghi pizza and chocolate mouse! 😋

A hidden home/pizzeria in tapovan. Was more difficult finding it in the rain. First thing you notice about this place is the ambiance, the rain made it better below the hut like structure. Ordered a pizza and tiramisu. Their pizzas as wood fired. The taste was good, tiramisu could have been better. The service was excellent. Really nice place to hang around and pass your time and unlike most other places in rishikesh this one is quite peaceful.

Found this place on Zomato and it was worth it. Dishes from Pizza to pasta were of amazing taste and for me the show stopper was tiramisu as I have tried it for the first time and it was very delicious l. the service was fast. It is a must visit place if you are in Tapovan, Rishikesh.

Tucked away exotic Italian restaurant. I love that you have to walk through small roads to get there. It's on the expensive side, the serving size was small, but all well made. I had the Insalata Fresca which was fresh and well dressed. The Aglio Olio pasta with its chilly infused oil, finished with tastefully salty parmesan. And the Bianca Quattro Formaggi pizza, with its thin and crispy crust and umami salty Gorgonzola. I had my fill of tasty Italian cheeses for the week! The atmosphere wasn't that great since they didn't open the upstairs during lunch time so it was quite a small crammed outdoor space and a dark indoor space, with furniture that didn't seem comfortable to sit and hang out for long. But I'm already looking forward to going back for more deliciousness! They also do free delivery if you'd rather skip the atmosphere

Definitely a very nice Italian restaurant, with pleasant ambiance and delicious food: Minestrone, Pizza, Pasta, Tiramisu - all very much recommended (no wine of course...) The food is quite expensive in Indian terms (a Pizza would cost between 4 to 7 euro), however the portions are fairly large and can be shared. So, I would recommend this place... only if you are not coming alone. For example, it would be more than nice to have soup as a starter and then half a pizza and half a salad. But the owners are completely inflexible as far as the menu is concerned. After have been there a couple of times, I found out that just a pizza is too much carbs with nothing fresh alongside, and just a salad is a huge pile of vitamins with no "spark". There is no option, for example, for a side salad, and any attempt to ask for anything off the menu is doomed for failure. The owners are not interested to listen. So, come as a group! ... or eat somewhere else nearby at half the price.

It’s awesome Italian restaurant… and we had a pizza the real taste of cheese…this is mouth watering..and finger licking…

Lovely Pizza outlet serving authentic Pizzas made in a wood fired oven. It's located off the main road, but the place has a nice green ambience about it, & is pretty quiet too. You'll love the laid back ambience & the tasty thin crust pizzas offered by the chef. Don't forget to rate the salads here, or their Lip smacking Tiramisu.