Tavi

Tavi is definitely a unique culinary experience. The menu itself is eclectic: it is difficult to tell the ethnic origin of any particular dish other than it is middle-eastern. The spices and garnishments were uncommon, but not so uncommon to be too exotic for a normal palette. All of the dishes came out quick and were well prepared. Our server recommended the fried chicken hummus as it was their best selling dish. Without a doubt, it was a good recommendation. The only negative comment that I have, and this is a negative comment about most restaurants today, is that iced tea was off. It wasn't a flavored ice tea. It just wasn't the traditional southern iced tea. On the other hand, the Moroccan hot mint tea was a worthy replacement. I couldn't help but notice that this place only had a 4.3 rating on Google. After taking the time to read the negative reviews, one can only conclude that the reviews say more about the person leaving the review than the restaurant. The one-star reviews were about minor and petty issues thus suggesting overly demanding and entitled reviewers. No one should want customers like that.

Great food recommendations from the staff. The menu seemed pricey, but the portions are huge. Very nice dining room, we will definitely be going again.

Everything about our dining experience here was phenomenal. Mark provided the best service we’ve had in a very long time. He was fun and friendly and definitely made our dining experience one to remember. The food is top tier. Every fish we had was cooked to perfection, if you love an authentic Mediterranean meal this is the place for you.

I've been a couple of times, and the care and effort are clear in every dish. You could make a meal off the starters easily, and there are tons of vegetarian friendly options, which my girlfriend appreciated. Will be back!

Gave this place a second shot, and it didn’t disappoint the second time around. We ordered a bunch of plates to share. All were very good. The shrimp dumplings, halloumi, bbq shrimp, Brussels, and crispy skin chicken were all enjoyed. The cook on the chicken was absolutely perfect. I liked the harissa flavorings on the dumplings as well. Our waitress was attentive and knowledgeable about the menu.

Soooo good! Words can’t describe. Just go try! Jay took great care of us and is an amazing chef! We went for my mom’s birthday and she loved everything.

Had a wonderful experience at our two trips to Tavi. We were happily served by Miss Tessa, who I think is the best and most knowledgeable server we have ever had. Honestly the best service. The food was delicious and due to Tessa’s help I was able to jump out of my comfort zone and try amazing food. Will definitely be coming back.

I ordered (for pickup) two “shared plate” items from the menu, two hummus plates. I paid the surcharge of additional money for “extra pita” for both. I was shocked to see that each hummus comes with one pita only and “extra pita” meant just one more pita. I called to make sure I hadn’t had a mistake in my order and I had not. I am beseeching management to rethink this ratio of hummus to pita as it gives the feeling that Tavi is stingy and corporate. I used Tavi for a graduation event (catering) and the generosity at that time 1.5 years ago made me think that they would be a long time favorite. Things have really changed. sadly.

This has always been a 4/5star place- but tonight was very disappointing. Our first round of pita was t hot- the fried chicken hummus...chicken was not hot and you could tell it had been sitting for a while. Why you ask? Because they were severely understaffed tonight. if you don't have enough server help, don't fill up and sell out your restaurant. I don't fault the servers, I fault the management. Not the best experience...cold food and slow service. Our server had at least eight tables, and two parties of seven people. You just simply cannot be at all tables simultaneously and provide good service.

My wife and I enjoyed a Sunday afternoon lunch at Tavi in downtown Covington. Tavi features Israeli/based Mediterranean cuisine with a contemporary twist and succeeds on a high level. Surroundings are bright and stylish and feature a well appointed dining room, a patio outside, and a full bar. Service was welcoming and efficient, with our server Diamond explaining all the menu offerings and taking excellent care of us today. We decided to share several delicacies and enjoyed the baba ghanoush, fried chicken hummus, and Wagyu brisket sandwich. Accompanying pita bread was tasty, perfectly done, and warm from the oven. Our drinks were a Mythos, a Greek beer, and a fruity non-alcoholic "wake-up" cocktail, both of which were refreshing. Interested in an original take on Mediterranean cuisine? Try Tavi in Covington.

Was came to Tavi because everything else was closed...and I'm so glad we did! The food here is amazing. Everything we had was delicious. The best thing was the chicken thighs on aromatic rice. The chicken was cooked perfectly and tasted great. The rice was phenomenal. The spices they add to the rice made it so flavorful. I would come back just for the rice! For dessert, we had the chocolate and tahini mousse, which was so tasty. Tavi has amazing food, great service and a warm atmosphere. Make sure to try it out!

Superb food and cocktails. Excellent service by Mark. He had great product knowledge of food and individual ingredients. His EVERY recommendation was spot on. Mark created a superior dining experience for US!

Tavi is the kind of cuisine I would never say no to and is my absolute favorite! Let's start with the pita bread which came out super warm and puffy! It made the perfect vessel for the fried chicken hummus which was my favorite bite of the day! This dish was so comforting and filling. It hit the spot in the best possible way! The chicken and rice was interesting and flagrant. But the lamb.. the lamb kabobs stole the show! We can't wait to come back to try the dinner lamb. They also have one of the best desserts in the city. Do not skip the cheesecake!! Apparently reservations are a must here! We didn't make one and tried our luck during lunch. Besides the snippy attitude for not having a reservation I promise you it is so worth it. (Disclaimer: The place was by no means empty. However, there were a couple of tables readily available and Everyone else was welcoming and kind)

Had a great dinner with coworkers. The meze was very good. Flatbread with feta was excellent. Kofta kebab was overly salty and over done hence the minus 1 star. Shrimp was also slightly over salted. Rest of dinner was very good including the bass, lamb shank, grilled shrimp, brussel sprouts, hummus with lamb, halloumi. Service was excellent. Ambiance was excellent. Want to go back and try their deserts! I will consider giving a Star back because overall it was a great experience.

We went for Mother's Day food good . It was a party of 6 the only bad thing was two meals came out and we waited for the rest of the meals I hope it was because they were short safe or they just messed up I will try them again

Great service and great food! We got almost every hummus and a couple of additional small plates. Lamb ragu hummus and fried chicken hummus were probably our top two but everything was so good!! I've previously been and wasn't as crazy about their entrees but it's been over a year so can't speak to that now.

Everything we ordered was amazing! We went for an early dinner on a Friday, it wasn't crowded and had lots of natural light coming in from the large front windows. Great ambience! We will definitely be going back

Wild mushroom hummus was very delicately done. The flavor was infused into the hummus ever so gently. The oil was as virgin as it gets making the flavor so good. The wild squash was tangy and sweet! The lightly minted moussaka was tangilicious!!! The baba ganoush used eggplant that was really tender and it showed in the taste. The practical magic cocktail made of bay leaf vodka, lillet, spiced pear and cucumber was only slightly sweet but totally divine!!!the mockly drinks - eye opener was tangy as promised for thr discerning patron while the housemade pomegranate soda gives the right need for having more. Our hostess , Tessa, was amazing!!! She explained everything perfectly and was very insistent on us ordering the three course so that they can keep bringing the dishes in sequence - hot and made sure that we did not exhaust our appetite. The kebab was so juicy - it literally melted in our mouth. The pida had bread that was literally melting in my mouth. The falafel was neither too chunky nor pasty - just the right crunch and airiness to appreciate the flavor and when coupled the mint tahini - divine!!!! Dessert with Bloodorange Sorbet and the Cheesecake was amazing too!!!!The ambiance is really amazing with clean and updated modern look!!! This place is a gastronomic heaven and one for the books if you come to this side of Louisiana!!!

Cute atmosphere. I especially enjoyed the fried chicken hummus. What a interesting yet delicious combo!

Service is absolutely phenomenal and food is delicious at a reasonable price! Beautiful décor but honestly we prefer ambiance that's a bit more romantic: It get's loud due to all the hard surfaces and would benefit from sound dampening. Lastly the 2 tops along the half wall are cramped especially if you're planning to share small plates. Overall we really enjoyed the experience and will be back!

Great meal every time. Jan is the best manager in the business. We live the humus and the chicken is delicious. I have yet to find an entire I have not enjoyed.

Outstanding dining experience! Great service! Extensive menu! Lovely atmosphere! We were four in our party, everybody ordered something different, and all were thrilled with what we received. Great cocktails, too. The only thing I might do differently is not go on a Saturday night because the place was jam packed. Didn't bother the staff at all though. Our server, Mark, was very attentive and took it all in stride. Friendly and chatty but not overly so. He made us feel like we were his only table. Can't wait to return to Tavi!

The wife and I are here last year for Valentine's Day and it was wonderful so we tried again this Valentine's Day and we're very disappointed. I hate that this happened but it was night and day, I don't think we will go back again. We started out arriving at 6p and didn't get any bread for almost 30 min and the appetizer never came out . I ordered the lamb chop special and they had barely any meat on them . We are very disappointed!

We stopped into Tavi for lunch on a weekend getaway. Our meal didn't work. The complimentary pita was very doughy and undercooked. My husband's sandwich was equally heavy and off balanced with tasteless beef stuffed into doughy pita and barely enough slaw to bring the much needed brightness. The hummas was good.

Service was good. The fried chicken hummus is always delicious. I've had the hanger steak 3 different times and the first time it was great that's why I got it a second time. The second time it wasn't as flavorful with the spices and so when I went back a 3rd time I got it again because I enjoyed it so much the first time. The third time it was so tough and chewy that I wouldn't even try again. I was so disappointed. I'd stick to the chicken hummus. The portion of that is good enough and is pretty fulfilling.

We ate here a week after eating at her sister restaurant, Shaya. The food was just as good. This time we had a lamb burger, shashuka, fried chicken hummus and a kids chicken and fries. The service was great! We arrived during a shift change so we had a few different people approach our table during our visit. Y'all need to go. The food here is not something you will get anywhere else. Since we had our little with us, we sat at a regular table instead of in the bar. The dining area was clean and we were able to hear each other speaking. We enjoyed our visit and can't wait to go back to either location!

Friendly wait staff. Food is absolutely outstanding. It is on the spendy side, but very well worth it. The $15 for three appetizers is a great deal. The pitas they serve are the best I've ever had. The walls of them are thick & fluffy. If you're so inclined, there's quite a variety of vegetarian options.

Very good food and excellent service. The Mezze appetizer components were all excellent. A great way to start a meal and experience a wide array Israeli sides. I had the Israeli Salad and added grilled chicken. The salad was good, but I thought that the ratio of cucumbers to tomatoes was off. It was nearly entirely cucumbers. However, everything was very fresh and well plated. The chicken was hot and delicious. The interior was bright, clean, and pleasant. Definitely recommended.

MUST TRY THIS RESTAURANT!!!! Celebrated a birthday here with my family. The heirloom tomato mezze was delicious and fresh. The fried chicken hummus lived up to the hype. A table favorite was the brisket sandwich! The staff was very informative and patient with us deciding on which items to choose, since most of my family have not eaten this type of food before. I plan to return here in the future!!

Great time! Food was very good and affordable. Bartenders are creative. Recommended.

To be fair this review is mainly on the appetizers and first visit. I came here with another couple and we decided to just order appetizers and share everything including a salad and the shrimp plate. We made reservations for a Saturday night, which I recommend because it was very busy. The decor is plain but feels very Mediterranean, it is loud just because of the layout and the walls are bare. We ordered the wild mushroom and fried chicken hummus, our favorite was the wild mushroom. We also got the Israeli salad, Mezze, and shrimp kebabs. We also had 4 cocktails, overall there was plenty of food, the best part was the hummus! The shrimp kebab had one skewer of small shrimp but for $24 was expecting something more? The Mezze plates didn't blow us away either, It wasn't bad but not great, I would come back for lunch or happy hour, I will come back to give the main courses.

Awesome food I haven't had anything there that I didn't like the brussels sprouts are awesome the pita clouds, phenomenal the fried chicken hummus is to die for. It's a wonderful place to go. Very quaint Ambience is wonderful people are very Accommodating Zach behind the bar is phenomenal. Thanks for a wonderful experience Tinnie

Where can I start? Love the place, service, test, and quality of the product which keeps driving me back. Everything we ordered was delicious my favorite is Lamb Hummus & Brussels sprouts. Chicken kabobs weren't on the dinner menu, but you can add so we got shrimp and chicken kabobs super delicious and tender. Large plate we got chicken leg & thigh and when I say it was perfectly cooked that it just falls off the bones and is infused with flavors. If you haven't tried Tavi encourage guys to try. It is a little pricey, but the quality and test can offset the price.

Great spot for a girls lunch! Delicious and pretty restaurant! Great hummus dishes! Homemade pita was incredible!!

Good food. Prices are a bit out there tho. Fries as a main filler for a $36 steak plate for a hangar steak is kind of... unexpected. The apps are good. Did the flight of Mezze. Nothing disappointed flavor wise. The fresh Pitas were great as well.

Amazing food, cozy atmosphere and great service! A must visit if you're in Covington.

Great restaurant with generous and delicious portions. Reasonably priced. An absolute must visit spot.

Yummm!!! My new favorite place to eat in covington. Everything was fresh and so flavorful. I know the ingredients were clean because I usually have joint pain after I eat out and I didn't that night. So good and can't wait to go back. Highly recommend a reservation, it fills up quickly

Excellent food! Fantastic server will definitely be back. Hidden gem in downtown! Must get the fried chicken hummas!!

This is a new restaurant, and reservations are strongly recommended. We recommend Fried Chicken Hummus, Crispy Halloumi, and Arayes (lamb-stuffed pita). Flatbreads looked very good, too.

Already one of Covingtons top restaurants. Best hummus and pita I have ever had and I have had plenty. Everyone in our group raved about their entrees. The service by Chris was excellent.

Followed another Yelpers review and ordered the Mushroom hummus and that was the one dish at the table everyone was raving about. (And it wasn't just the vegetarians either.) Be sure to order the crudités too. (You won't find it on the menu! The fresh, hot pita bread was delicious. Be careful not to fill up on that though. The entrees did take quite some time to come out but we didn't mind. Just know this isn't the place to come to if you are in a rush. Finished off the meal with Tavi's king cake. Definitely worth trying. I loved how it wasn't overly sugary but still sweet. Last but not least, this is NOT the place to come if you're looking for a quiet restaurant. It is loud! They've done an amazing job with the design of the space but the sound just bounces from wall to wall.

Great place, food is amazing! Our waiter was on top of it, very attentive. The pita was coming in hot! Staff is very accommodative!! Drinks very good and strong.

If you love Shaya, then you will love Tavi! Heavenly fresh wood-fired pita continuously served throughout the night. The hummus is like no other. Might as well order all of them if you go with a big group but our standout was the Wild Mushroom. The flavor combination with the sage and brown butter was to die for paired with the creamiest hummus you've ever had. Oh and the Saz-Arak was delicious and service was on point! So happy to have Tavi on the Northshore!

Great food, great service. This was our first visit to Tavi and we really enjoyed it.

Both dishes (arayes & sujuk flatbread) for lunch were delicious, and if you aren't starting your meal with the fried chicken humus you are missing out! The service is quick and staff is knowledgeable about the dishes. Reservations are recommended especially for dinner service. The restaurant can get loud if it's a full house, but that won't stop me from going back.

First impressions matter, when I enter a business, no matter what it is, can you at least try to be pleasant. All I got was a missable face, no welcome, I offered just the two of us. Reply was "can you be finished by 6:30" . It was 5:20. There must be a shortage of service trays as all drink orders of two or under, came by hand, hygiene must not be a worry here. Food was way over priced, so called feta cheese flatbread came and all I can say is if this is a Turkish style pide, long way from it. No need to go deeper with the food but could.

Service was excellent both times I've been- very attentive waitstaff which can be hard to find in today's restaurants. Mushroom hummus was hearty and rich- don't skip it! Our table ordered the hangar steak, sea bass, & chicken quarter for entrees. The hangar steak was to die for! Voted the best dish at the table! The sea bass was pricey and to be honest very disappointing. It had so much curry overpowering the flavors that I could taste nothing else and tasted for like more like an Indian dish than what I was going for. My friend who ordered the chicken barely touched the meat since it was so dry and overdone. The dessert was truly a star on its own though. Forgot the name but it was supposed to come with orange blossom gelato and instead they had to sub for a caramel gelato- still excellent and a very special treat!

Super cool ambience - white, blue, simple. Walked in on a Saturday around 2:30 pm. About 1/2 full of diners. We sat at the bar. Ordered a couple of alcoholic beverages on the menu- both were pretty good. Ordered the chicken hummus as an appetizer. We would likely get this EVERY time we go. AMAZING. Decided to just split a flatbread - we chose crawfish. Was good but just can't outdo that hummus. Will try and frequent this place as many times as possible!

3 is for the hummus and they were very accommodating. The hummus was really good and the bread was hot, plentiful and taste was pretty good but not great. The food other wise was not great. Not saying it was bad... but not great. The prices were average, expensive. Not sure if they were having kitchen issues but I was a bit disappointed. Full disclosure, I'm a tough critic so take it for what it's worth. I would really give it a 2 but the hostess was so accommodating and gave us a last minute reservation. I hope it was just an off day.

Food was delicious Service was attentive Ambiance lovely location and great renovation to old covington

My second time; dinner for one first, and lunch for two the second. Does not disappoint. I am unfamiliar with Israeli food but have eaten good Mid Eastern before. Service was pleasant on both occasions. Mark was excellent in explaining the menu for our lunch date. The server at dinner was great but they were very busy that night. Of course a couple of old men tables were capitalizing on the Servers' time by trying to be humorous and witty. I was in no hurry and was soaking up the beautiful, yet simple/clean ambiance. I had the Sea Bass $$$ the first time. Very delicious and I didn't mind the price considering the freshness and preparation. For Lunch, we tried several things, Sujuk, Tahini, and Israeli salad. The Tahini was creamy and sat in a 'bowl' of hand made Hummus. Excellent with the fired oven Pita bread. The Sujuk was something I had wanted to try since seeing the photos. Good but not my fav. It reminded me somewhat of a Lamb calzone-like thingie. I was expecting a little crisp, a little spice. Israeli salad is da Bomb when you add the grilled shrimp or chicken skewers. We got both and split the salad. Leftovers came home in our own takeout containers. Get with it people and stop throwing these things away. Bring a small gift bag with a couple of clean containers and reduce your impact.

Happy the northshore got an Israeli restaurant! Fresh pita bread is being made around the clock to go with all of the delicious hummus options. The Brussels sprout app was perfect. The hanger steak large plate had a lot of potential but wasn't cooked to the temperature we ordered it, and then the potatoes served alongside the steak weren't great either. We had multiple apps that made up for it and enjoyed our night. Our waitress was not friendly until the last 10 minutes of our night but she could've been having a bad day. The food made up for it. I think we had a 3 star night but this is probably a 4 star place overall. We'll be back.

We had the opportunity to try out this fairly new spot recently and are so glad we did. Overall, it was a great experience but there were a couple of things worth commenting on. For starters, when we heard about this place we were specifically told ahead that it was very loud when the place was full which made for challenging conversation. So we went for a time we thought it might be quieter at midafternoon. We have to say that, at 60% capacity, it was still pretty loud and can imagine with a full room why someone would comment on that. And part of the reason for that was that the seating was too close. Perhaps a little more room and some carpeting would help absorb sound. THAT BEING SAID, let's get to the good things - the service was excellent and the staff were friendly, professional, and very knowledgeable about the menu and - if they didn't know - they asked. We ordered the Lamb Raghu Hummus right away and - wow - that was an absolute home run. That by itself could have been the whole meal. Add to that the wood-fire cooked pita and you've got a bough to keep you satisfied for days. We also had the Shakshuka which was a nice combination of flavors, and the Lamb Kebab - which was also delicious and had a bit of a kick. Would definitely repeat that! The servings were all a very generous size and left us with no room for dessert. Again, overall a great experience and will certainly be coming back.

I would give five stars for everything at Tavi. We had a very relaxed, delicious lunch will definitely go back and try more new things.

We ate here for the first time last night after hearing some mixed reviews. We are big fans of Shaya so we were excited for this concept on the Northshore. They did a nice job with the small space and everyone in the restaurant was extremely friendly. As with Shaya, the pita and Hummus were fantastic- we ordered the Tahini Hummus at the recommendation of the waiter as well as the crispy halloumi. Unfortunately, the rest of the meal was downhill from there. We ordered the Ribeye and the Salmon for main courses. The ribeye was extremely dry and chewy (cooked medium rare) and the salmon was raw in the center. I would go back for the small plates but unless they make some changes would not recommend the mains.

I went and ate at TAVI for the first time this last weekend with a few friends. The food and service was great. Our server was a sweet girl with a very southern accent and she went over the menu with us and explained the menu items that we did not understand. She was patient and answered all of our many questions we had about the menu to make sure we understood what we wanted to order. She also let us taste a few wines before we decided what kind we wanted to order. The Lamb Burger and the Fried Chicken Hummus both were delicious. And the pita was hot and yummy. The ambiance was a little dull and the restaurant was a little noisy, but I will definitely be back!

Amazing food and atmosphere. Very busy but food is to die for especially the mushroom hummus