Good food, totally over-priced. Last time I was there, the wine was about 4x retail. But if you want to go where the elite meet to eat...

Absolutely the best restaurant in Olympia and the South Sound. I've been to Basilico's over a dozen times in the past 5-6 years and it never disappoints. You have to spend a little more and get some good wine but the food is always so well prepared and tasty. The staff is knowledgable and polite and I love the fact that it's a classy place without the air of stuffiness and pretentiousness. Arlindo and his staff are just old world European style polite, respectful, and classy in a totally relaxing way. Treat yourself sometime to their six wine, six course dinner, a fantastic experience that lasts about 3-4 hours and it reasonably priced. Highly recommended for foodies and lovers of quality Italian food, drink, and hospitality. read more

In short: best restaurant in Olympia. Best service in Oly. Probably best Italian I've had (including several trips to Italy). Do yourself a favor and go there. Don't rush through dinner, the wait staff is excellent and will help you meander through several courses. read more

Food was very good but the place is a touch pretentious. Service was okay but not very friendly. Having eaten in great restaurants all over the world, I'd say the food is on par but the atmosphere felt very stuffy. read more

OMG!!!!!!!!!! Came here with a wedding reception got served family style!!!!!!!! I literally can't say a single negative word! From the salad to the norcina to the lamb ravioli!!!!!!!! Excellent and very knowledgeable sommelier. If I was requesting my last meal I might choose here!!!! The service was impeccable considering we came in a group of 30. If your reading this review eat here now, later, and whenever you get a chance. What an experience! read more

Very disappointing experience. The calamari tasted burnt and the server did nothing. Over all uncomfortable and don't plan on returning.

This establishment embodies the true Italian love and respect for food. Not only in the offerings themselves, but in the atmosphere and presentation. The staff, many of whom are from Italy, present your selections in such detail that you end up feeling as if you're eating the story of a specific region. The ingredients are impeccable, and their attention to food sensitivities is the best I've found - they will even ask if any guest has food sensitivities they should know about as you make your reservation, and their gluten-free menu is available online. All of the dishes we have tried are hearty and delicious, presented beautifully. (I just finished some wonderful pasta as breakfast this morning.) But what I was particularly impressed by was the attention to detail in the service: the wine decanter, the way the server brought appetizer plates with a napkin over his hand, so that they could be picked up to set down without touching them. Combined with the beautiful dark wood decor and the soft lighting, I began to feel as if I were attending some kind of religious ceremony, as though we had all come together to properly worship food. It was a perfect choice for our whole family to celebrate my mum-in-law's birthday, but we've been there on dates as well, and you can imagine how romantic such an immersion into the senses can be. You just have to resist the temptation to eat so much that it puts you to sleep too early. Unfortunately, the shops around this lovely restaurant (a convenience store, etc.) might fool the eye into thinking that it's not as lovely as it actually is. Just come inside and you can forget about all of that immediately. read more

First time here and we loved it. Very pleasantly surprised! Everything is made from scratch and authentic. Recommend the mushrooms as an appetizer, so good! read more

This place is amazing ~ I'm ashamed I have not been here before now. The service is impeccable & the food is so wonderful I will be talking about it until I go again which will be soon! I also am so impressed that the Chef took the time to develop an amazing Gluten Free menu ~ love love love you have a customer for life ~ read more

First time at Basilico, nice atmosphere, friendly service, aplace to come for those w food allergies excellent pastas! Lassagna Bolognese was a great choice. And finally a real cannoli, definitely will be coming back read more

Delicious and authentic! This was my first time to Basilico and I was impressed by the unique and expansive menu, wine list, intimate atmosphere and gluten free options. Braised Bison Short Ribs? Wild Boar Pappardelle? A HUGE gluten free menu? Basilico, where have you been all my life? For dinner I had the Pappardelle al Cinghiale (Wild Boar) and substituted gluten free penne. This dish was to die for! The boar was tender enough to cut with a fork, the sauce was flavorful and inviting and even the pickiest of palates wouldn't have been able to discern this as gluten free pasta. While I don't know the various red wines I enjoyed as they were ordered by the bottle by others at the table, I can attest that they were all fantastic. I'm so looking forward to returning to this gem! read more

This is our go-to restaurant for special celebrations. The food is always delicious, they have a wonderful wine selection, great cocktails, and impeccable service. It's always a treat to dine there, especially when the owner waits on us! read more

Basilico is a great choice for out-of-town guests. The food is consistently delicious - particularly the marinara pastas and meat raviolis. And oh the seafood tagliatelle! The pastas are unbelievably fresh and delicate. The wine list is quite nice - includes an abundance of interesting wines at all price points. The ambience is nice and, while the service can be a tad bit slow, they are always gracious. The owners have been in the U.S. just six years (from Italy, obviously). They know how to feed people... the body AND the soul. read more

What a wonderful meal. Fresh made pasta. The service is excellent. Gluten Free menu. Excellent wine list and also serving beer. The parking is just ok but for downtown Olympia it's to be expected. If you like Italian cuisine this is the perfect place for you. read more

I can never say enough good things about this restaurant. After a very bad experience across the street at Acqua Via, we walked out and decided to try and see if there was any chance we could squeeze in. My wife talked to the maitre de and told her about what happened and that we had tickets to the theater in 45 minutes. We were seated immediately and waited on by multiple staff members. The food was GREAT and the wine selections fit perfect. We got in and out, had a really amazing diner, and still made our show. read more

Decent food, great location. Very good service. I got a spinach pasta dish in a red sauce with seafood. $23 but I think it was worth more like $16. 2 overcooked shrimp, 2 mussels, a few pieces of fish, and perfectly cooked calamari. But overall lacking something. The pasta was food, but also lacked any significant flavor. My fiance got another pasta dish in a cream sauce with sausage and mushrooms. Although I just now asked him what was in it and it took him a while to tell me. He said that the pasta was good but he has no desire to go back. I agree with him. It was about $60 for two entrees and a coke, including tip. read more

Excellent service and exquisite food as always last weekend. Really surprised to see any critical reviews as this restaurant is a gem that stands out for authentic Italian fare in the South Puget Sound area, offering flavor combinations that can't be found anywhere else. Reservations are definitely needed due to popularity-- we came for an early, early seating and every table was full by 5pm-- clearly we are not alone in our estimation of Basilico's quality and customer care. Perhaps others are looking for more standard Americanized Italian fare...but our tastebuds enjoy being surprised. Appreciate the attention given to gluten-free options, as almost every menu item has a GF version-- so many dessert options rather than just the standard GF creme brûlée. read more

My family and I went to this restaurant for a joint birthday party (my sister, father and BIL). All things considered, we really enjoyed our evening here. Anyone who truly loves Italian food will enjoy eating here as the pasta is freshly made and all the dishes are authentic! The staff is friendly and very helpful if you have any questions about the menu. It's a bit on the pricy side but given the freshness of everything, it's worth it. The only slight downside is the actual restaurant itself; the fact that the location is very small and a bit crammed puts a damper on the ambiance. But other than that, I would very much recommend this restaurant to anyone who loves Italian food! You'll enjoy eating here! read more

The best Italian food south of Seattle and north of Porland -clearly either big city class, or, genuine immigrant with skill. Of course they hand make their pasta and now how to put it together. Sammy the owner (we just met) use to sell wine and knows how to stock his cellar. He speaks the languange (Italian) but the food speaks for itself. We tried the ravioli, the chicken marsala, the eggplant, the anitpasta and he threw in a tremendous desert. This place is not inexpensive but you won't mind the price because you get what you pay for. Small, need to park on the street and look for it, and better make a reservation. However, I know understand that Sammy is not running the place any more so the above is now 'advisory,' and may or may not be misleading. We'll have to check the new people out. read more

Had dinner here three times. Each time the food, the service and the attmosphere was excellent. Look forward to going here again.

It is a pretty small place, maybe 50 seats so consider reservations. That being said - Pasta is made in house, awesome wine list. Order anything on the menu and you'll be in love. read more

My husband and I ate here for date night. The food was sub par, especially for the price. Would not go back.

My wife and I went for date night and the food was amazing. We can't wait for our next trip.

The real deal. If you can't appreciate the authentic high quality and attention to detail in the Italian dishes here, go to Olive Garden

If I was rich I would eat here every night. I'm not. But I still eat here when I can and when I want to treat myself to high quality carbs and vino. I'm not in the mood to really write a review, but this is my favorite restaurant in Olympia and Giampaolo is the sheet. read more

GF? They have full GF menu and I've never gotten sick. Food is fantastic and wine list great!

The consummate family-owned, yet exquisite Italian fine dining experience. The wait staff know the menu and wine pairings inside and out. Pasta is handmade on site--simply amazing. Great seasonal selections, this place is worth the price and not to be missed! read more

Good food, decent service, but no spirits available. I don't drink wine/ beer very often, so it was limited. Pasta was very good. read more

I ordered Caciucco, the Tuscan Style Seafood Stew. First bite, it was clear that whoever prepared it had skill in the kitchen. The scallop was tender, not over cooked or rubbery. Same with the bite-sized portions of fish. Someone had carefully prepared this dish by timing the order within which the various types of seafood were added so all of the components were cooked properly. Additionally, the dish was not over-spiced. A light tomato base, simple, letting the flavor of the seafood come through. I really enjoyed this dish. I tend to look carefully at salads and bread for quality and freshness and the simple salad I had was delicious, not over-sauced, and decoratively laid out on the plate. The bread was warm, fresh, with a light flavor of rosemary. Perfect for dipping in the olive oil speckled with pepper flakes that was brought to the table. Yes, this restaurant has a slightly higher price than others in the neighborhood but the quality makes is worth it. read more

Everything felt authentic. Even my waiter was Italian. If not, he was a great actor. The food was amazing and the presentation was great. The reason I didn't give a 5/5 was the service was slow at times even though there weren't many customers when we went. read more

We have been searching for a good place for my daughter to eat, who has celiac disease. It is very hard to find good food and a restaurant that understands the true meaning of gluten free. My daughter initially went to Basilico with her boyfriend to taste the food to make sure it was where she wanted to eat for her birthday dinner. Sure enough after she ate there, we returned with a party of 16 people. Basilico was able to handle the large party with ease where most restaurants fumble. The food was amazing! The service was perfect, I don't think the night could of been any better. Thank you very much to the family (owners) of Basilico for opening such a perfect place to eat. You will see much more of us. ~Jennifer read more

I can't believe this isn't 5 stars from everyone. I have been there many times and they are amazing! I have been there during the week and weekends and have never had poor service or poor food. I am gluten free so for a pasta place to have a completely separate gluten free menu is fantastic. The best appetizer on the planet is the roasted vegetables with goat cheese. If my husband loved pasta as much as I did I would go there all the time. This is a hidden gem for us Olympians. read more

It was an amazing experience, the food was unbelievably good as well as the atmosphere. If you were in Italy, you can recall the authenticity and exceptional taste!!! read more

Once again had a delicious meal, great service and look forward to going back again. Delicious authentic Italian food. Would recommend to friends without a second thought. Don't miss this opportunity to enjoy great Italian wine that pairs perfectly with the food. read more

First visit. Great food. Lovely atmosphere. If I was local to Olympia I'd be a regular here.

The food was amazing. The only thing we could think about after we left my birthday party is that the service had alot to be desired. I"ll just come right out and say that the service was horrible!. I can't believe that the restaurant's owners stand for this subpar service. read more

My favorite place to go out for a nicer dinner. They have really delicious meat sauce and gluten free pasta- yay!!

I've eaten here many times. The service is always excellent. The owner and his son know wine and consistently make good recommendations. The food is always well prepared. My staple is the wild boar in red sauce with home made pasta. read more

I used to come here semi-regularly before my wife and I had a child and therefore less time and money. I had a chance recently to have dinner here with Joe and Lynn (and Joe's brother) who play the music here on Friday evenings -- nice low key jazzy stuff. As always the service was professional and friendly and the wine was great. I ding the star only because the asparagus ravioli could have used more flavor. As I got deeper into the very good sauce, the flavor picked up until the pieces at the bottom were excellent -- it's just the ravioli itself needed a little something, which the sauce did eventually provide. Overall, I enjoyed my most recent meal at Basilico and plan to come back again. read more

This place must rely on a steady flow of bumpkins who don't know what a good restaurant is. The people working at this place are quite nice, no real complaints with the service... But the food is not easy to distinguish from an olive garden. It isn't even terrible. It's just that every single thing we ate tasted like we'd have been happy to pay $11 for it at a cheap, uninteresting restaurant. The insult here is that an entree with nothing great to say about it can cost $33. Someone needs to explain to these folks that charging a lot for something does not, on it's own, make it good. It just makes it expensive. The seafood portions in the seafood stew are small. And the "stew" is the same tomato sauce that was poured over several other dishes our party ordered. The charcuterie and cheese plate had three cheeses on it that they would not name, but I'm pretty sure they came from trader joes. There is not one seasonal or garden fresh or "just from the farmer's market" thing on the menu. Some items had that hint of "previously frozen" taste.... Lemon sorbet is a fine dessert. But if you charge $9 for it, there is a little heightened expectation there. It should not taste like it was scooped out of a gallon purchased at your nearest bulk food distributor. Not bad. Just not what people expect when they order a $9 sorbet. It should taste fresh, and fabulous, and special. This place is sadly a hoax. I guess people have that combination of politeness and cognitive dissonance once they have spent so much money they can't admit to themselves it wasn't very good, because that makes you into a sucker, and no one wants to feel that way, so they convince themselves this was a good restaurant. Go to Portland and spend half as much at any of the 20 good Italian restaurants there. Even with the travel expense of driving back and forth it will still be a better deal. read more