Garden Bistro 24 At River Hill - LATHAM

I met some friends here for dinner. We started off with drinks, I got a blackberry fizz mocktail. I wanted the crispy fried Brussels sprouts for an appetizer but unfortunately they couldn’t be prepared without the unagi sauce, and I’m vegetarian. The paper menu shows clearly which items are gluten free but not which are vegetarian. I was dining with a gluten free companion and while there were multiple entree options, there were no dessert or appetizers that were gluten free. I had The Vegetarian pizza: cauliflower crust, kalamata olives, tomatoes, banana peppers. Incredibly good, especially that crust! 12 inch pizza, good size to eat half and take half. Also had a slice of carrot cake with strawberry sauce. Perfect size, not a honking piece that makes you sick. Moist and lovely cream cheese frosting. I was disappointed that the desserts listed on the website weren’t available (coconut cream pie, creme brûlée, chocolate lasagna. Total about $50/person with drink/entree/dessert. We did also have a medical emergency at my table and the staff reacted calmly and quickly to call an ambulance. There’s something I don’t put in many of my reviews! Just a note on covid precautions. Their website makes it sound like extensive precautions are taken but no staff were wearing masks and no masks were enforced for patrons in any way. The website was one thing that made me less uncomfortable about eating there so I was a bit disappointed by that. The food was quite good though, the dining experience was very nice, excellent friendly service. Plenty of parking.

FOOD 5/5 ATMOSPHERE 5/5 CUSTOMER SERVICE 5/5 CLEANLINESS 5/5 OVERALL EXPERIENCE 5/5 I ordered the new veggie burger with a side of kale and quinoa salad.The best part is that you cannot tell the difference from a real burger to a veggie. It actually tasted far better as it was so much lighter and easier to digest. Being a Nutritionist and owning Fitness studio, it is nice to see there are healthy alternatives that allow you to enjoy the same great taste with no negative effects.

We had a celebratory lunch at Tala for my daughters college graduation today. The restaurant, staff, atmosphere and food exceeded all of our expectations. We arrived earlier than planned and had 1 extra guest with us so we were worried, but the staff was extremely accommodating. The waiter we had was polite, professional informative. Our specialty drinks were delicious and we all loved the meals we ordered. Large portions and so flavorful. We especially loved the calamari and quinoa/kale salad. The waiter brought out a giant cookie with ice cream and a sparkler on it for my daughter and the cookie was large enough for everyone to have a taste. Thank you for making my daughters day extra special. ‍

I can’t say enough wonderful things about this restaurant! Have visited this establishment many times and each time has never been a disappointment! Just recently had the chicken piccata and it’s next level delicious! Edamame dumplings? To die for! Service and atmosphere is exceptional!

I have dined at Tala a few times in the last 2 weeks ... Atmosphere was amazing under the tent.. The Food was AMAZING and Service also.They were Practicing all COVID Guidelines. I would recommend stopping by for an enjoyable evening.