This is my Google review from Thursday’s pre-birthday dinner in Göteborg for old buddy Lars Olemyr’s upcoming 60th birthday.

Even though Tavolo is probably one of Gothenburg’s largest restaurants, the atmosphere is nevertheless remarkably informal and cozy. Much thanks to how beautifully lit and thoughtfully decorated the enormous dining hall is. In a previous life, the space where Tavolo resides today was a stable. Whether the ginormous white horse head is a tribute to that epoch, or, to Coppola’s cinematic triumph “The Godfather”, is up to you to decide. Regardless, there’s no denying that it’s quite spectacular.

There was certainly no shortage of ambient noise during our meal, in addition to the curated music played over the restaurant’s sound system. Yet we never experienced it being too difficult to achieve a normal dinner conversation between our table’s six guests. Portions were generous, and our orders were nicely presented and promptly served.

Given a choice, I would likely pick a different venue if I wanted a quieter, more intimate, romantic dinner. That said, Tavolo certainly offers a memorable dining experience for a group of friends, colleagues, and families. Last but not least, I must mention that the bartender on duty created a most elegant Manhattan! In my humble opinion, Tavolo is highly recommendable.