We had a meal for two, 'date night' at 'La Tavola' last night. When we arrived, we were greeted in a friendly manner by the Italian waitress; she took us through the bustling restaurant to our table. It was a busy Saturday night, and the atmosphere was great - buzzing, happy, and a true authentic italian style. We were given a good amount of time to read over the drinks menu - not too long - but not rushed. Our waitress knew the cocktails that were available for the evening. They aren't listed on the menu as they are 'drinks specials'. We chose an Espresso Martini and Cosmopolitan to start the evening whilst we chose our food. The menu is full of classic / typical Italian choices, and they offer a fair range of vegan and vegetarian options, gluten free choice could be better. We opted for the garlic mushrooms and capresse salad for starters and vegano La Tavola pizza for main. The Mushrooms were 5*, they were in a very tasty creamy, garlicky, white wine and parsly sauce. The quantity was perfect for a starter, and it was presented nicely. The Capresse salad was also delicious. The amount of mozzarella, tomato, and basil was well balanced and very tasty. Presentation had been carefully arranged around the plate in a typical Italian style. Our waitress noticed quickly when we had finished and cleared our plates away. We ordered some wine that was promptly brought to the table, offering for us to taste before fully pouring. The waitress was friendly and engaged in a conversation about the restaurant and its background and about the menu. This, we felt, showed very good service, given how busy the restaurant was; she didn't make us feel rushed or that she was too busy for conversation. Our pizzas arrived, and the slight adjustments to the order had been carried out so that our pizza was perfect and as ordered. The pizza was delicious, quite moist, and better / easier to eat with a knife and fork, so if you prefer your pizza less moist- I would suggest this is expressed when ordering. For dessert, we opted for the vegan cheescake- a very tasty, creamy vanilla cheesecake with a crunchy biscuit base. A real treat. Overall, the whole evening was a very pleasant evening, we left happy, full and satisfied. The service was brilliant, the food was delicious and the atmosphere was buzzing. The only criticism would be the cushioned bench seats we sat on were damaged. Probably from cleaning, I imagine. It would be very inexpensive to cover this temporarily until it is fixed properly and it was a shame to have it like this for customers. There were also a couple of missing ceiling panels. These small issues impacting the overall classic and modern aesthetics of the restaurant. Other reviews stated about dogs being welcome- I'm not sure this is the case, there were no dogs. To be honest, I don't think it is suited for dogs being a cosy, busy restaurant with no outdoor seating. There is no wheelchair access unfortunately, you have a small flight of stairs to enter the restaurant. We would definitely recommend, La Tavola, a small hidden gem in Southwick.