Our first time at this restaurant: host was nice and they had live music. When we saw the menu was small, we knew the food was going to be good. Our waitress was nice and helpful recommending dishes (we couldn't make up our minds!) We ordered the pesto gnocchi to share. It was heavenly! Their bread was fresh out of the oven and the rosemary hummus was so good. Chicken piccata was very rich in flavor and the portion size was big. Strozzapreti alla Norcina was so good! Creamy and rich in flavor. Noodles were made in house. The cannoli was loaded. The amarena cherries were delightful Note to add: we showed up at almost 8 pm (closing time is 9) people were showing up around 8:45 and our host was ready to seat them. It was nice that they didn't have a dining cutoff like other restaurants. I noticed a lot of DoorDash orders, which again emphasized on the good food. Overall a great experience, great staff and entertainment. Great food. We will definitely be coming back to try the other dishes that peaked our interest. read more

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I wish I could give 6 stars, this was an amazing dinner and would highly recommend. I booked a very last minute table for 10 for work, and the team was extremely accommodating to getting us in. The food was truly fantastic. The antipasto board was so detailed and the dinner exceeded all expectations. I got the halibut with polenta and capers and I WISH I could have eaten all of it. The fish was perfectly cooked, the dish was perfectly balanced. I wish I lived in Olympia because this would be a new go-to place. It was a very cozy restaurant with a large bar and extensive wine selection. Perfect for an elevated client dinner. I truly can't stop thinking about this fish and can't wait for the next time I am in Olympia! read more

Basilico Ristorante - Italian Near Me - Olympia, Washington

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Amazing food, attentive service and a chef who really cares about you enjoying your meal

Perfect date night restaurant food is excellent service fantastic. The overall experience is unmatched in Olympia

I have been exploring the area restaurants and knew I'd found a gem as soon as I opened the restaurant door! I started with the calamari and lemon aioli which was deliciously fresh. The dish was small but was a perfect beginning. Then had the Papperedelle Al Cinglide. Excuse my spelling! The combination of the house made pasta and meat sauce was memorable. i ordered a Negroni, in fact I had two over the course of the meal. The host and staff were attentive and friendly. I will be back! read more

Delicious gourmet dishes in a hole in the wall Italian theme. Service is slow, especially for larger groups. I understand Italian custom to not be in a hurry and stay awhile to enjoy the full course meal. However, three hours for an 8 top is excessive, and our orders were incomplete. Our waitress couldn't keep track of what we ordered. read more

We arrived with a reservation. Immediately were sat. Then we waited. And waited. And waited. Not one hello, not one we will be with you shortly. 25 MINS later someone came after we asked. Ordered food and wine. 10 mins more and our wine appeared. Then immediately got appetizer (very bland calamari) that wasn't hot. Asked for olive oil for the bread. Never came. Then. 55 mins later received entrees. Again had to ask. Again. Not hot. Food was decent but would never return after having a 3 hour meal with almost no service. Sad. Hire another waitress instead of having two hostesses to sit people who can't get served. read more

I had a CRAVING for lasagna. This lasagna was next level. With many meats and cheeses stuffed inside, the flavors combined with the most satisfying marinara lathered upon the dish like gravy. The noodles were pastry-like and the entire lasagna was GINORMOUS in portion. Hands-down, this was the best lasagna I have ever had. Walking into the restaurant, you are transported into a 5-star restaurant where service is as good as the food. The staff attended to every need and quickly. Plates were cleared and water was filled frequently. read more

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Recently visited this Italian place in Olympia. We walked in and were transported to italian cafe kinda warm cozy setting. We ordered their charcutrie boards (delicious) along with their gnochi, crab ravioli and everything tasted fresh, flavorful and delicious. You could make out that pasta was freshly made when it had minimal but tasty ingredients giving u amazing flavors in every bite. All in all highly recommend this place and I will be here more often now that we have discovered this gem of an italian place in Oly. read more

The food is authentic as I imagine food from Italy to be. Such delicious items on the menu. The service was first class. And the ambiance was real. read more

The calamari appetizer was very good. All four of us were very disappointed in our entrees. They seem to be proud of their homemade pasta, but to us this was the worst part of the meal. It tasted stale: hard and rubbery. Too bad, we had looked forward to a nice Italian meal and for the price, we should have gotten one. read more

The food was amazing! Ambiance was cozy. There was live jazz music and the service was excellent. read more

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Used to be really good. Went last night, ordered the duck. WORST DUCK EVER!! Over cooked and dry. If you go- stay with the pasta dishes. They fo them well. read more

Absolutely amazing Italian food. Best in Olympia and I've eaten in Rome, the benchmark to match.

Honestly it was alright, I had a good dish but my family did not. They spilled our bowl of pasta and burnt the bread on one of our dishes. The jazz music playing live was great but the experience at the restaurant was honestly meh. read more

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Ok, so I've never personally been here to dine in, but I have had takeaway. The food is absolutely AMAZING and very authentic. I've personally had the cavolini di Brussels (fried brussels with a spicy Calabrian sauce) , Verdure Arrostite (roasted veggies) and the Caprese (tomato mozzarella salad). All were mouth watering and never any leftovers to be had lol. I also work in the area and we refer people here all of the time asking for Italian food. Guests are always thrilled with the food and service they receive here. There's not one single guest that hasn't raved about this place. The ambiance is quaint and romantic, so all in all I would say it's fantastic! read more

Great food and service. The interior could be better for a good place as this one. But, it's my favorite restaurant in the area.

Our waitress was friendly and helpful and accommodating. The food was very good! Pasta tasted great. I had their salad that was a one of the specials for the night, grilled pear salad with candied walnuts, Gorgonzola cheese, and grilled pears with a vinaigrette dressing, very delicious! Only real issue was the lighting, it was kind of dark in the area we were sitting in and was hard to see the menu. Overall pleasant experience and would like to try some of their other options. read more

Fine Italian restaurant. Excellent wine choices. Hostess and servers are at your service with an honest, genuine willingness to make sure you enjoy your meal. The food presentation was fitting for the remarkably delicious choices we made this evening. We will be back! read more

Went in at 4:15 pm, which was touted as Happy Hour. There were two other people in the restaurant. The hostess said, "I'm going to pour water and then I'll come back to seat you." She then proceeded to pour water at three tables WHERE NO ONE WAS SITTING while we patiently waited to get seated. When she went to fill up her pitcher, we LEFT. WTF?? The restaurant smelled musky and weird, too. read more

I find it kind of annoying when I see a review that raves that a place is "authentic." To me, that's irrelevant; either a place is good or it's not. We spent a couple of weeks in various places in Italy in November. Several of the places I'll dream about (good dreams!) the rest of my life. I think all of them were "authentic" Italian, but not all were fantastic. None were anywhere as bad as our meal tonight, though -- not even the seafood stew that left a stench on my hand that woke me up when my hand got near my nose for the 3 nights following that lunch. Our bill tonight came out to $330 for two. Full disclosure: it did include a $70 bottle of wine and it was a special multi-course deal for Valentine's Day, so maybe expectations contributed to the disappointment. It was not good, though. The first course was appetizers, including a large, cold, dense shrimp wrapped in rubbery prosciutto, a fishy tasting crab dip on a small buckwheat pancake, four thin slices of lamb on arugula and some Manchego cheese with a quince jam on top. The cheese was good. Our pasta courses (lobster ravioli and a mushroom artichoke gnocchi) weren't particularly good or bad. My husband and I both ordered steak for the main course. They didn't ask us how we like ours cooked. They both came out medium to medium-well and tough. As for ambiance, I could hear music from time to time, but it was hard to hear over the sick guy at the table next to us snorting all night. He was probably afraid to cancel since the restaurant warned that you'd be charged $170 if you canceled within 96 hours. I really do want the restaurant to survive, but they need to do better. I found myself feeling sorry for the people coming into the restaurant as we were leaving read more

My favorite Italian spot. The ambiance is fantastic, as is the food. I always get the Wild Boar Ragu which is a staple of theirs. The noodles are always al 'dente and the rich meaty sauce is delectible. The wine choices are vast and, I must mention that the staff is simply great. read more

Excellent food, great staff . All the family members enjoyed our selections for the night. The staff make sure we had a great experience

My partner and I decided to try this restaurant in downtown Olympia because I was craving pasta and I'm a Celiac. The food was fantastic and I had lots of choices, I even got gf bread with dinner. We'll go again as often as possible! Bon Appetit read more

I only wished that we had found this place sooner. The food was amazing and just so flavorful. Truly authentic Italian cuisine and the homemade pasta is just to die for. Everything was delicious and I just didn't want the meal to end. Our server was fantastic, very attentive, with great suggestions, and was very knowledgeable about everything my inquisitive husband asked. I would highly recommend dining here for a special Italian experience. read more

This was a spur of the moment decision to eat at this restaurant and at first I thought it was a great idea because it looked amazing. Nice and cute and quiet. The smell was a bit off and my fiance didn't care for that but I tried to assuage her fears and said it might be just old wood or tables. The waitress was lovely and she was very kind. The food came out and it was completely hot garbage. It smelled rancid or like an old rusty cast iron skillet that had hot sewage poured into it. I am a large man and I don't turn down food however I couldn't eat what that they served to me. What a swing and a mess. I'm fairly certain that the chef that was working the night of September 20th was not a real chef. I'm fairly certain he was someone filling in just plating food that was already slightly prepared or something. I will never ever ever ever ever ever go to this restaurant ever again what a waste! read more

Basilico Ristorante - Italian Near Me - Olympia, Washington

A first class dining experience. Our collective ordered 3 different entrees, 2 appetizers, cocktails and wine: all were excellent. The Insalata Mediterranean and the deep friend Brussels sprouts were great starters. Our fresh pasta mains; Pappardelle al Cinghiale, Strengozzi alle Verdure, and the special 3 cheese tortellini were all very good. The cinghiale paperdella was to die for. We asked our VERY competent waiter to recommend a wine and she hit the mark with a nice blend that didn't break the bank. The service was remarkable, especially considering there was only 1 waiter for the entire restaurant! Decor and atmosphere was utilitarian Italian. Also well done. Highly recommend . One of the best restaurants in the Olympia area. read more

Absolutely delicious, authentic Italian cuisine! We started off with a couple of delicious Brussel sprout appetizers, each had a yummy homemade pasta main, and had the most wonderful spicy cinnamon chocolate mousse for dessert! Loved the selection of Italian wines and options to taste a few before committing. We definitely plan to return! Jennifer was our server and was incredibly helpful, kind and provided great service overall! read more

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My boyfriend and I have been in search of great Italian food in the area since we moved here last year and Basílico is THE BEST we've had since visiting Italy. The familiar tastes of rustic Italian food were elevated to perfection. They greeted us with the incredible homemade bread and compound butter, each with so much flavor. While we waited for our meal to start, we took in the stunning atmosphere of classy music and lovely oil paintings. Then we ordered the fried calamari as we do with just about every restaurant we visit and WOW! This had to be the most perfect calamari we've ever had. From the light bread coating to the flavorful lemon aioli, we melted into this dish. Along with our appetizer, we each had a cocktail that had a diverse flavor profile and stunning balance. We then moved to our gorgeous entrees, the hand made fettuccine fungi, and the wild boar gnocchi, and were so impressed with the complexity and wholeness of the flavors. Every forkful was more delicious than the last and the portions were very generous. Our server recommended a glass of red wine with the gnocchi that blew our minds, and the Prosecco I ordered was so crisp and bright. Our server and the owner seemed to be the only front of house staff working, and they were fantastic! Each stepping in as host, bartender, buser, and waiters, we were immediately impressed with their speed and attention. From start to finish, Basílico was everything we hoped for and more! We will absolutely be coming back and look forward to trying more of the menu! read more

Food and atmosphere were great! Our server was very nice and accommodating. The lasagna was tasty and the portions were big. They had an extensive wine list. A perfect place to spend our anniversary. read more

We sailed into Olympia, my wife and I, to meet friends for dinner. We went to Basílico to dine. The dining experience was excellent. The excellent service enhanced our dining experience, from the warm bread served individually to each plate to the wine pairing suggestions. The food was excellent, mostly northern Italian dishes. The ingredients were fresh, prepared well and served elegantly. Truly a dining experience. We will be back! read more

Excellent service. Bread and oil/hummus comes with meal. Bread was a soda bread, good but surprising choice for Italian restaurant. We had 2 different pastas both were quite good, not amazing but good. Very relaxing jazz music and old style bar venue atmosphere is great and romantic. We went because of coupon in the mail so was quite affordable as well. Prices are comparable to other nice Italian restaurants. Happy to find another option for decent Italian in olympia. Most dishes mid $20s. read more

This was about my fifth visit to Basilico since they opened. It's a place I go to once a year for pampering and an adult atmosphere--those are the things they do best. Plus their noodles-- excellent noodles. Pros: Grown-up atmosphere, adult music (and when I asked them to lower the volume, the waitperson was nice about it, instead of what I usually hear at other restaurants: "Sorry, we can't"). Superb service. I was there mid-week and there were five people working the small dining room. Our water glasses were never empty, and crumbs were wiped off the table after the appetizer. All of the waitstaff were either pleasant and/or efficient. I was there for a birthday celebration-- the server asked at the start if we were celebrating anything-- and the dessert we ordered came out on a specially decorated birthday plate-- nice touch. Excellent noodles--tender, not smushy, not too al dente- delightful mouth feel and flavor. The table next to us had ravioli, and it looked like a very generous serving. Next time, I'm getting the ravioli! Ordered a vegetable pizza off the happy hour menu as an appetizer and it was very good, and could easily be an appetizer for three people. Cons: The music is too loud, even after being lowered. The customers are too loud and/or not enough noise baffling and/or tables too close together. It was really lovely being there before it got filled with people whom I could eavesdrop on from two tables away (that's not Basilico's fault--I'm putting in my plug for diners keeping their conversations to within the confines of their tables!). The tablespoon of chickpea paste served with the bread was a little too little for two to share-- if you're going to do something nice for customers like give a spread for the bread, please don't skimp! The bread wasn't delicious, wasn't warm-- had a slight metallic taste that I associate with baking soda/powder (?), and it was no challenge to leave the bread on the plate uneaten. The mushroom pasta, with pancetta didn't have much flavor beyond the pancetta. Last year I had a mushroom pasta that had intense mushroom flavor (truffle oil?) and that dish was memorable-this one, easy to forget. The lasagna was heavy on the pasta, light on the ricotta and sauce--so seemed a little dry, but had very good, intense flavor. The cannoli at $14 for two, were a major disappointment compared to what I've had in NYC and Boston. These had very thick, chunky shells, an odd mix of flavors, the bland filling was too thin and too little of it compared to the amount of shell. Not a pleasure at all. Note about tipping: another reviewer mentioned feeling conned into overtipping. Our bill came with a piece of paper explaining the tipping system. Basilico automatically adds a 10% tip, and if you want to tip more, tip more. (I was also surprised that the bill arrived in a tacky plastic Discover Card check presenter; not in keeping with the gentle elegance of Basilico). read more

i've eaten here several times and been happy with any of the food i've ordered. i hope last night, November 19, '24 the service was absolutely horrible. it was at least a half hour before we got our bread and glass of wine and an hour before we got our food. The ambiance is cozy and intimate. read more

This place is great, even as take out. It's too bad it's just on the pricey side. So hard to go here very often.

What a great place for a quiet dinner. As much as I dislike downtown Olympia (trash, graffiti, etc) this place is a real gem, it's clean, open, and quaint. Staff wear masks and hand gel is provided at the checkin station. They accept reservations for dine-in as well as take out orders. Seating is comfortable and the atmosphere is intimate but not stuffy. We had the Pancotta Frutti for desert and it was amazing. I took a picture of the desert menu because the Mousse is described as "sensual chocolate" and WTH, that's just cool. A 10% gratuity is automatically added to the check, you can contest that with a manager or opt to add to that as you see fit. read more

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We dined here last week and it was truly spectacular. The pasta is homemade and we watched a cook making ravioli from scratch. There are so many items on the menu that it was hard to choose. I settled on the wild boar ragu pasta, and my friend had the fine egg noodle pasta with seafood sauce. Both were excellent. The service was wonderful as well. Our server was well informed about the menu and could answer all our questions and helped us select the perfect wine to go with our dinner. I am looking forward to my next visit! read more

My daughter and I had a lovely dinner and evening at Basilico Ristorante. The food and service were both excellent. My daughter is gluten free and I'm vegan. We both had wonderful options and we loved our choices. Highly recommend this restaurant. Kind, attentive, professional staff and fantastic food. We'll be back and thank you! read more

Really good Italian pasta and meat entrees, together with strong fish and vegetarian fare. Service is a little slow, but attentive. Ambiance is good--dark wood and dimmer lighting, but nothing very special appearance-wise. Definitely a reservation-only spot. Small, and always busy. read more

First time in. Had a reservation, no issue with being seated. However while waiting to talk to the host, noticed a weird smell by the front entrance, not sure if the carpet was wet or what happened. Should have been a cue to leave however I figured maybe a spill had happened and it was a one-off. Service was fine, no issues there. There was a service charge on the bill, guessing that's to guarantee the wait staff are tipped? Not a huge fan of that, if a business wants to ensure their staff is paid well then pay them a living wage. I always tip 20% but if service happened to be terrible, I shouldn't be obligated to. Food was so-so. The caprese salad was overpriced at $16, fried calamari was good. Seafood pasta was bland. Cocktails were tasty and interesting. Gave it a shot but unfortunately don't think I would return. read more