Taverna Novo

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Italian at Its Most Considered

Taverna Novo on Beekman Street is Saratoga Springs' answer to serious Italian dining — an intimate room where the food, the wine, and the people running the room all pull in the same direction. The restaurant has earned Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence and was singled out by the guide as one of nine standout wine restaurants in all of Upstate New York — a distinction that says as much about the depth of the cellar as it does about the kitchen.

Readers have taken notice too. Taverna Novo has been voted Best Italian and Best Fine Dining in the local Reader's Choice awards for multiple consecutive years, with recognition extending to Best Desserts and Best Waitstaff — the kind of repeat performance that reflects consistency, not a lucky season.

The Wine Is a Destination in Itself

At the center of the wine program is owner Patti Novo, a Certified Specialist of Wine. Her expertise shapes not just the list but the culture of the place: Wine Wednesdays, curated wine dinners, and private wine classes — offered by reservation for groups of up to 16 — all trace back to her. The classes walk guests through Italy's most important wine regions, making them as much an education as an evening out.

Italian cuisine and Italian wine are inseparable here, and that philosophy runs through every weekly program the restaurant offers, from the Sunday Supper Club to seasonal cocktail features.

Small Space, Big Demand

Taverna Novo is candid about what it is: a small, intimate space where reservations are not just recommended but genuinely necessary. Patio seating opens in warmer months, and the bar is also reservable — useful to know during Saratoga's famously busy track season, when tables fill weeks in advance. The staff's attentiveness, consistently called out in reader awards, is easier to sustain at this scale, and it shows.

For anyone seeking Italian dining in Saratoga Springs with real wine credentials behind it, Taverna Novo is the obvious place to start.