This is a special place I always take out of tow family when they come to visit. I pair it with a drive along Lake Washington, stop here, and then head back to West Seattle via I5 for the view. The neighborhood itself is beautiful. I do this is because the staff is amazing. They're welcoming, friendly, and accommodating. The space itself has a lot of natural light and sophisticated, but not stuffy. At night they light candles and the atmosphere turns magical. The menu rotates with the season, something that I personally enjoy as it shows they can be playful with their takes on traditional Italian dishes. You can catch the owner walking around and the head chef hard at work. This personalizes the space for me, and that means a lot for a neighborhood establishment. While some of the dishes may seem pricey, they compensate that with having great wine selection so you really have a unique experience. Last I was there I had the beet ravioli with poppy seed sauce. It was exquisite. Very quintessential Seattle neighborhood restaurant. read more

Omg an absolute must!! I got the gnocchi and my cousin got the brick oven pizza, I had to resist licking the bowl! I strongly recommend to start with the Cesar salad- super impressed with everything I had from start to finish. read more

Cafe Lago - I got the gnocchi and in the background is my cousins brick oven pizza! Highly recommend - Italian Near Me - Seattle, Washington

First night to Seattle, great food, online reservation is nice. We had a great time. On a pricey side tho.

An elegant neighborhood restaurant serving perfect Negronis, antipasti and whisper light house made pasta in bright, flavorful sauces. Really can't ask for anything more. It's the kind of place you return to. Not trendy but classic/modern. No loud music, just the beautiful symphony of conversations, kitchen noise and clattering plates filling the room. Chef's kiss. read more

Homey spot for quality Italian food. The bread was a great combination of fluffy and chewy. Split the artichoke salad and the fettuccine with meatballs, which was a good amount of food for 2. Artichoke salad had lots of crunchy snap peas and texture but not a lot of flavor. Went for the meatballs because we saw praise for them online- they were tasty, not life-changing. We were pleasantly surprised by the quick and attentive service- they even brought out both the salad and the pasta split in two separate plates for us. 5 stars for service, 3 stars for food. read more

The bread and olive oil is to die for, i honestly wish i could buy a bottle. The pasta tastes fresh but not gummy. Service is amazing even when they are full, have never disliked any waiter there. Steak is very delicious but i think they may have a new chef who is still learning because the last time it tasted different and took a while but our server was extremely helpful and gave us free drinks due to the wait! My favourite place in seattle. read more

I have to admit, I would never come here except my Airbnb is closed by and I definitely didn't ordered the right stuff. I had mixed salad - okay. Nothing special and I was craving steak. It came in a lump of burnt and slight over cooked on the outside. The insides was soft and delicious but most of the steak was chewy and hard to swallow. Disappointed. And the steak cost $30. Uff. Not coming back. read more

Disappointing. The delay on food was over an hour and 10 minutes!!! The wait staff knew and was alarmed but nothing was done to offer us another glass of wine or even apologize. Once the food finally arrived the quality was good. But we didn't expect to sit with nothing for an hour in between the salad and main. Wow. read more

As a neighborhood regular, I live for Monday "happy hour" with $10 wood-fired pizzas and a $5 house wine. Really it's an all-day, special Monday menu - no particular hours. Lovelovelovelove! I've seen nothing but the best from Café Lago. Excellent service and quality eats. read more

Our family has been visiting Cafe Lago practically since it opened, and it has remained our go-to across the decades, for many birthdays, anniversaries, and, lately, random Monday or Wednesday night treats. Even when Cafe Lago is at its busiest, being here always feels like coming home. We rarely stray from the antipasti and gnocchi, with a few other pastas or pizzas thrown in...even after the dozens and dozens of times we've had these, just as good. Cafe Lago is not flashy or showy--just good food, good people, and a good place. read more

So, we had eaten at Lago several times before The Incident. Each time the food was good, but not worth the price. I never ordered the pizza because it is ridiculously priced and I won't spend that much on something I can make at home ... granted, I don't have a wood burning oven. But you know that I mean! The place was always loud and the service was always marginal. Then! The event that brings us to one star! My husband and I go on a busy night. We show up in the middle of dinner rush: 7:30. There's a crowd waiting. We put our name in and are told 30 minutes. Hubby and I are talking, laughing, enjoying each other's company, until we check the time. Hm. It's been 50 minutes! Hubby checks with rude hostess and we still aren't the next in line. Something at this point told me to ask about what has been 86'ed for the evening. Turns out everything I was interested in, and then some! What? You need to tell people waiting! Put up a chalkboard or something. So we storm out, to little fanfare, and head somewhere else, that sucked, incidentally, and I can't even review it because it's gone. Arg. Bite me, Lago. read more

I have a certain level of ambivalence about this place. On the one hand, the chairs are uncomfortable, the table too low, and the giant single room with the tile floor and bare walls make for an echoey, noisy place. On the other hand, their lasagna (sorry - "lasagne") is made of homemade (restaurantmade?) pasta that is akin to filo, with a fluffy ricotta that transforms it into lasagna mousse (hat-tip to Keith), and the ravioli is downright flavorful. The antipasto and freshly made bread are also worthwhile. Next time I'll probably just take the tray of lasagna (sorry - "lasagne") to go. read more

Let me start by saying this place really deserves a five star rating, however our waitress was SO RUDE that I am giving a four star. The entire service team with the exception of our server was bright, cheery, and happy to help while our waitress acted like she was doing us a favor by taking our order, her service ruined the experience. We walked in after making a reservation for seven people four days prior and our reservation was not on the books. The hostess assured us that she could fit us in, and put some tables together for us. Our waitress was rude right off the bat when we asked questions on the food, or even asked for water. If you're having a bad day, stay home. The food was magical, seriously. The lasagna deserves its praise and the Monday gnocchi with vodka sauce was only $10 and was very tender and delicious. I got the linguine clams, worth the price. The toast was fire toasted and the clams were fresh and the pasta homemade. Yum! The Panna cotta dessert is super creamy and has great pear slices on it. read more

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When I read that Cafe Lago was voted as having the best lasagna by Seattle Magazine, I just had to try it. While it was indeed tasty, something was lacking. It consisted only of noodles, sauce, and cheese. It would have been so much more interesting and delicious with meat sauce or some veggies, like spinach and mushroom. I won't order this dish again. The clam pasta was really good however. The noodles were handmade and had the most amazing, chewy texture. The portion size was skimpy though. More noodles please! read more

Ate here in the evening, lured by the positive reviews and promises of home-made pastas. The 3 of us were solidly underwhelmed. On the plus side, the server was very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. On the negative side was nearly everything else. The heirloom cherry tomato and mozzarella Pizza was mostly thin crust without a lot of cheese or sauce or flavor. I know that's the style of course, but for Neapolitan pies, I much prefer Via Tribunali which doesn't have so much excess (bland) crust. The pastas were similarly middle of the road. The bolognese was a stunningly bad value at $17 or so for a medium sized portion. There was nothing to dislike about it, but also nothing to latch on to as the flavors were so bland. Another pasta special was close to $19 (if I recall) and wasn't any more special. Pasta places are challenging because there is always an element of "I could have just cooked that at home" to deal with. Especially when you are getting up into the 4-star restaurant price range ($17-19 for a small pasta order with no sides). That's not to say some places aren't worth it. Sauces bursting with fresh tomatoes, or herbs can make a dish stand out. Not so here. So overall, the 3 of us weren't impressed and resoundingly agreed we wouldn't return. I'm much more partial to a special hole-in-the-wall kind of place (Cafe Vignole comes to mind and it's far cheaper too). Lastly, I ordered a dessert wine and a biscoti and we all agreed their bisoti was too much of a cookie (too sweet) and didn't blend with the dessert liquor as promised. My dining cohort, who lived in Italy said the cookie-like biscoti would never fly there. 2 stars, read more

I found it hard to rate this location. I would honestly give it 2 - 2.5 but I am a harsh critic on Italian food, especially coming from NY where it is the best place to get authentic Italian food. That said, there were some positives, that made me feel less harsh today. Location: It has the potential to be the hotspot in the area buzzing with people. The reason I came here was because I was at the library all day and had a meeting later in the evening and was starving. It was the only food place in walking distance. This place does NOT do happy hour! Tragic. moving on. Food: First thing you should do is tell your waiter that you DO NOT WANT any bread for the table. The reason I say this is because it was piss poor. The bread was gummy and almost still moist if that even makes sense. Instead of butter they give you olive oil, which personally I like better than butter anyway. Even if you could get passed the "bread" or whatever that is, the oil is literally plain oil, I'm pretty sure its the same they are using to cook back in the kitchen. It is terrible. No flavor. I mean come on there are so many flavored oils or even add in some flavored vinegar... anything except what was served to me! I had the caponata bruscetta as an appetizer. I dont know why but I assumed that the dish would be warm. I guess that is my personal misjudgment when I ordered. In any case, I thought it was flavorful. I really enjoyed it. I order the Giardiniere pizza because it was one of the two things they tote about their brick oven pizza and fresh pasta and since I wasn't in the mood for pasta I said this has to be good! If you do decide to spend 20 bucks for a 15inch thin crust pizza then go ahead, but eat it hot. Any by hot I mean within the first 2 minutes after they serve it to you. As it sits, the crust starts to absorb all the sauce and the end of the pizza gets too soggy and your toppings slide off the pizza as you are trying to pick it up. Okay not ideal, but the flavors were there. I really enjoyed their fresh tomato sauce. It really was so tasty. It had the perfect balance of onions and basil and it was NOT overloaded with cheese. Just a 1-2 small dollops on each slice. Personally i don't like too much cheese on my pizza because it can sometimes over power the other quality ingredients in the dish. Lastly, the bill. It was pretty pricey for what I ordered. Another downfall. So in total it was an ok version of an italian restaurant. Not a place where I would seek out for diner, but not a complete waste if you are in the area and in the mood for italian or just food in general. read more

Dang it. I want to give it four stars, because the gnocci is so good, and the atmosphere is so awesome and comfortable. But service still means something to me, and the service for our table was disinterested and almost rude. We had several people waiting on us, so it isn't just one person. But when I am going to drop $100 for just myself and my boyfriend, and my table is spending upwards of $500, I sort of want someone in the restaurant to be happy that we came, that we chose them. Even more so when we bring in a group of friends who we have recommended the place to. We don't get to afford such things very often, and the occasion was special. When the waitstaff makes us feel sheepish and like we shouldn't have come, not like welcomed guests but more like Kramer barging in unwanted yet again, it doesn't make for a comfortable go-to Italian craving. That being said, the gnocchi is to die for. It might be the best in Seattle. And the panna cotta is no small potatoes either. read more

A cozy intimate restaurant that has been in the Montlake neighborhood forever, and probably the place that first introduced me to thin crust pizza cooked in a super hot wood-fired hearth, back in the 90s when I was but a naive little nerf ball in a big city for the first time. The menu here is fairly diverse with various antipasti, pastas and pizzas, and a pretty great selection of wines, beers and cocktails. The pizzas are very good, especially the margherita and the caprino. If you're getting either, you may have to look carefully at the antipasti because the ingredients on these two pizzas seem to be fairly common in the antipasti too, so beware overdoing it. A note on customer service at its finest: I was here once with friends and I ordered a pizza. At some point during the tossing of the dough or the pie's short stay inside the oven, a little oval-shaped hole developed in the crust, close to the middle of the pie and about the size of a thumbprint. The server brought it out with sincere apologies...I didn't care, I was hungry as a horse and it didn't affect the quality of the pie at all. About 10 minutes later, the server returned with a brand new pie in a to-go box, explaining to me that the cook (whom I believe is also the owner) felt really bad about the first one and gave me this second pie, unsolicited, on the house. I looked over at the kitchen and she made direct eye contact with me and apologized non-verbally; I answered, also non-verbally, that she was so nice and her pizzas are delicious. That's pretty impressive for a restaurant owner to run things like that. read more

I think 'meh' covers it. It's the kind of meh you get when the pizza is $18 and about 1/3 as good as the $10 one at Tutta Bella. Limp. Limp is the only word that describes it. And I love Neapolitan pizza, so - yeah. The bread was okay. The salad was fine. Hapa Boy liked but didn't love his lasagne - it was a little underwhelming after the build up. It tasted like whipped ricotta. Not much pasta there, really. Mostly there is a lack of oomph around here coupled with a 'We are a serious restaurant' vibe that feels unearned. They are insanely busy for some inexplicable reason, so I'm sure they're not going to cry if we don't come back. So we won't. read more

Reading other reviews on this restaurant sounds really schizophrenic: love, hate, love, hate. I'm glad I didn't read anything here before coming because I don't think I would have given this place a fair shot. Decor: Understated, simple, minimal, classic. I liked the feel of it. People could wear something casual or slightly dressy. Drinks: A lovely mix of wines and mixed cocktails. Since it was a warm evening, I decided to have a Lago Lemonade. Light, refreshing, boozy. The perfect summer drink. Food: The Pomodori al Forno is absolutely to die for. I don't know what they do to those tomatoes but they're roasted to perfection. That, mixed with the herbed goat cheese, is the best combo. For my main, I had the fettucine with meatballs. The only hitch in the night was that one of my meatballs was cold in the middle. They quickly took it away and replaced it immediately. Other than that, it tasted great. I also stole a few bites from my companion's plates: Gnocchi - soft & pillowy. One of the best gnocchi dishes I've eaten. Parpadelle Bolognese - a classic case of me liking someone else's dish! The sauce was amazing (my mouth is drooling thinking about it now!), the wine in the sauce was so flavourful. Carbonara - My brother had been here in the past and had the Carbonara. It wasn't on the menu, but the kitchen was kind enough to make it for him. Pancetta, nom. This was a great restaurant and I would recommend it. I don't mind paying extra for handmade pasta, cooked al dente, with rich/flavourful sauces. This isn't the Olive Garden after all. The quality difference is apparent. read more

On my recent trip back home for Christmas, some friends wanted to meet up at Cafe Lago for dinner. I agreed to go, despite my previous experience over the summer and mostly because I was way burnt out on heavy holiday eats....so Italian anything sounded fantastico. I'm happy I did. Because it was yummy, yummy, yummy. Our service was much improved, and everything from the antipasto plate to the caesar salad to the pizza to the pasta and tiramisu was lovely. And just how I used to remember it. :-) read more

Ate dinner here tonight. Fresh bread, good wine. Salad and olivata bruchetta for appetizers. Steak and fettuccine & meatballs for mains. Too full for dessert. The pasta was the best I've ever had. Highly recommend. Will be back. read more

Fold the paper used as a table cover to avoid papercuts. Serious! Order the Pomodori, it's delicious. That's the only thing I'd recommend on the menu. Everything else I tried seemed to have some sort of "twist" to it that my taste buds weren't impressed with. Caesar salad was sweet, marinara sauce was sweet, pasta was oily/buttery, beet salad wasn't seasoned well, chewy/moist-ish bread came with flavorless oil, thelistgoesonandon... I've always been on a quest for better Italian food than I can make. Wish I had more to say food-wise. Seems like they "rely" on fixins/natural foods like cheese, clams, etc. to add flavor to the dish. Atmosphere is comfy, cute, and inviting. There was a moth on the wall that kind of freaked me out. I'm sure it's gone now. Portions are a little small for the price, service is friendly but took a while. Parking was easy peasy. read more

The food was all fine, nothing spectacular, but the feel of the place was nice and neighborhoody. I liked my lasagna, and my dinner companion liked her pasta. Unfortunately it was all grossly overshadowed by a gauche move by the waitress: when she brought a second glass of wine she poured the remaining wine from the first glass into the second glass. I was totally horrified. Have never seen that done before and hope to god to never see it again. Won't go back. read more

Cute little neighborhood restaurant. The food is pretty good but the prices seem a bit much for the portion sizes at least for the appetizers and salads and such. The pizzas are actually a pretty decent size. Service is attentive and the ambiance is clean and nice. read more

Café Lago is definitely a place to stay away from if your wallet's feeling a little dry, or on the other hand a place to come if you're trying to drain someone's wallet. The place is dimly lit to create that romantic ambiance, which is nice if you are on a date but makes it a bit hard to read the menu. That said, this might have been the reason we got their "famous" lasagna and were surprised when it came with no meat and all cheese. Apparently we didn't read the item correctly. The lasagna pasta was perfectly made with fresh pasta and creamy fluffy cheese, however I felt it was a bit too cheesy (all cheese) and definitely not enough pasta or marinara sauce... making it a bit dry. My friend got the "Fettucine with Meatball," which was a bit pricy for what it was. 20$ for four meatballs and some pasta with marinara sauce (which by the way was the same marinara sauce on the lasagna)... granted the pasta was delicious and freshly made... but I am not sure it was worth 20$. If you go here I would definitely suggest starting off with the Antipasto plate to share, it's delicious and the eggplant with balsamic vinaigrette is worth DYING a happy death for. All in all this place has a very limited menu, one page to be exact. It lacks variety, and the place is situated in a residential area making it less of a fancy dining restaurant but more of an upscale family restaurant. The parking for Café Lago is located across the street and on the residential streets nearby, very easy and accessible. The pasta here is tasty and fresh, portions are a bit small, parking's good, but overall I'm not sure if it's worth the money... I've definitely had better for a cheaper price. read more

I really wanted this to be great - I mean, handmade pasta? Mmmm...but the Gnocci was NOT the best in Seattle. It was way too gooey. I'll have to edit this once I find out what my bf had - but I do think he didn't like it. edit: The bf had the Romana pizza and said it was good but he only got it because the pasta's looked boring and there are lots of better and cheaper pizzas in seattle. We stumbled in here craving italian food, not knowing anything about it and now knowing about the high prices. We decided we didn't mind though if the food was good enough. Too bad it wasn't. About $20 per plate and the food is barely average. The only thing I liked was my wine - something like Assini Rossi? La Spiga is so much better and cheaper. read more

I'll have to echo what some of the more critical reviews have already said regarding the lack of bang for your buck when we went. The lasagna was good (not great) and it really didn't have much going on except for cheese, pasta and some tomato sauce. My pasta with scallops was pretty much the same thing. For $20 bucks a pop i expect a lot more going on than just tomato sauce and a starch. Its really not that hard to add some fresh herbs, garlic and mushrooms to give it some flavor honestly. The service at the restaurant was really good however. The best part of the meal for me was the blue cheese starter salad which was excellent. It didn't look like much when it was placed on the table but it was surprisingly good. read more

We decided to go to Cafe Lago a friend's birthday dinner. We got there a few minutes before our 8pm reservation for 8. After waiting for the hostess to return she told us they had over booked and we would have to wait until they had enough tables to put our reservation together. We waited 30 min to be seated, for a reservation that was made a week in advance. Slow service bringing the bread, taking orders, and bringing drinks. When our food was finally brought out it wasn't all served at the same time. Our table was never checking in on to see if the food was ok and they had the hardest time splitting our check. Overall the food was delicious but the service left much to be desired, especially when paying $20+ for pasta. read more

Usually if you are hungry, you go to a restaurant. If you are hungry do not go to cafe Lago. You will leave hungry and ripped off. I ordered the ravioli and my girlfriend ordered the gnocchi. Both were 20$ EACH. Therefore we expected to at least have left overs, let alone be able to share with eachother. How wrong we were. Both of our portions were very small. On my plate of ravioli I honestly counted 10 pieces of pasta. Her gnocchi was about the amount that would fit in a can of soup. Both came out quickly and at a lukewarm temperature. This leads me to believe they just whip up huge batches of the stuff and spoon it out over the course of a night. We left hungry after paying 40 plus dollars for lackluster food. Avoid. read more

How I heard of this place: My friends Zach & Cynthia boasted about the romantic, intimate setting at Cafe Lago, while raving about the fresh, house-made pastas and delicious food. Type of cuisine: Fresh Italian food, pasta handmade each morning and thin-crust, lightly topped pizzas baked in the apple wood fire each evening. Antipasti, including salads, pizza, pasta and dessert, are tastily and pleasingly served each night. Ambiance: A casual setting, tall ceilings with white-painted walls, sparsely decorated, and windows lining the front and one side of the establishment, intimate seating for couples and tables set up for larger parties, Cafe Lago makes everyone feel at home, comfortable and satisfied. Black and white photographs lined the wall directly ahead of me, and cascading light fixtures dimly lit our table. Glassbaby votives in vibrant and engaging colors lit up each table and the counter top directly underneath the framed photographs. The large, stainless steel applianced kitchen, while busy and engaging was quiet and composed as more and more patrons entered the restaurant. Short walls separated the space in the large room, giving the sense of more intimacy and romantic feel to the diners, while the whispers of music gently echoed in the background. What I ordered: Our party of eight was offered an endless supply of sliced rustic bread and fragrant olive oil for dipping. Our appetizers included the little salad ($4) off of the happy hour menu: large cut leaves of Romaine lettuce topped with four very crispy and golden croutons, and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper tossed in a light, lemony dressing; the happy hour biscotti and espresso ($4), and the happy margherita pizza ($8). Off of the antipasti menu: grilled eggplant ($6.95), marinated in olive oil, tomato, balsamic vinegar, garlic & parsley, served with a wedge of gorgonzola cheese; Pomodori al Forno ($8.95), San Marzano plum tomatoes slow-roasted in the wood fire oven until caramelized & intensely flavored, served with Laura Chenel's herbed goat cheese & crostini; a salad special ($7.95) consisted of sliced red beets, topped with arugula and a ball of hazelnut crusted, warm goat cheese. Main entrees: linguine with rapini ($19.95); two ravioli dishes ($19.95 each), one steak ($24.99), the oft-recommended house specialty lasagna ($19.95), delicate pasta layered with ricotta, béchamel & tomato sauce, the gnocchi ($19.95), tender potato dumplings served in a tomato, vodka & cream sauce, topped with mozzarella cheese, an entree-sized pizza margherita ($17), marinara and garlic, topped with mozzarella & basil; and one little sandwich ($4) off of the happy hour menu, a meatball sandwich, served alongside a small mixed green salad. For dessert, we had three chocolate truffle cakes ($7.95 each), a light truffle cake, served with espresso-crema inglese, two lemon tarts ($7.95 each), a thick, smooth lemon custard in a flaky almond crust, topped with honey whipped cream and one order of the panna cotta ($7.95), a creamy and silky custard infused with lavender atop an orange sauce. What I loved: The appetizers, unanimously agreed, were purely marvelous! Everything sampled was better than the one before it, and the second bites of each attributed to that fact. The grilled eggplant, steakplant as we coined it was raved about throughout the entire meal! The light Caesar dressing, the warm goat cheese combination with the peppery arugula and soft beets, the freshness of the pizzas margheritas, the roasted tomatoes...everything surpassed any expectations we may have had. Of the entrees, I most enjoyed the pesto sauce drizzled through the marinara over the ravioli and the slight hint of bitterness in my broccoli rapini dish. The one roasted clove of garlic in my dish, and the crispy diced garlic atop the light olive oil sauce ended the meal with a punch.The caramelized onions over the buttery steak and the light, creamy, lasagna. There were no complaints from anyone. For dessert, while we enjoyed the sweet tartness of the lemon tart and the light, fresh flavor of the panna cotta, the favorite across the board was the chocolate truffle cake, with its dark chocolate, mousse-like consistency and melt-in-your-mouth texture. Why I loved it: Everything was delicious! The appetizers, entrees and desserts, nothing was left to be desired. The dimly lit space was cozy, intimate and romantic. The service quick and the food as fresh as fresh can be. Cost: Average to high ($17-$24.95 for each dinner entree) read more

Big disappointment, partially driven by the relatively low return on an extraordinarily high investment. The math - like the pasta - didn't work for me. Our dinner started OK; bread was great, though we had to flag 'em down for more; antipasti was tasty as was our blue cheese salad - both benefitted from a sweet balsamic vinegar that was drizzled over them. But the main course was a huge letdown: the dish listed as Lago's "special pasta" - tagliatelle with bacon and green beans - was an oily taste-free mess. The pasta was rubbery, beans undercooked for the presentation, and the bacon relatively uninspiring. Partly my fault because, in my experience, this is the type of complicated flavor combination for a pasta that would be unusual to find in Italy, where the pasta is showcased and the sauces simplified accordingly. My wife's pizza was average - edible, but nothing special. And at $20 bucks, literally the most expensive pizza in town. Add a salad, a glass of wine and tip and you are in for $50 - more expensive than Venice. My 10 year old son did not like the kid options, so he ordered Gnocchi off the main menu - Zing! Another $20 bucks for a gummy plate of Gnocchi that my son half-finished. Service was slow and, for a place described to me as kid friendly, it was disappointing that the kids plates were not sequenced to take into account the adults appetizers and salads (this was partly Dad's fault for not asking). I've had friends rave about this place, and as one of the longest running establishments on the Seattle restaurant scene, I wanted to like it. But on the basis of this visit, the numbers and the food don't pencil for future investment. read more

Stop the wining and just order a cippola with an egg, the steak with the prefectly gooey gorgonzol' and balsamic redux and ask Evan for a recommendation on the wine list. Feel free to bark out loud, this place when packed, adds some boisterous Italian soul to a pretty stodgy part of Seatown. Don't sleep on JV's tiramisu, and be sure to send some props to the boys and girls in the Kitchen, for doing excellent pizza well before the imitators. Not to many places use nothing but apple and pear wood for their grill and turn out phenomenal pizzas for 17 plus years. "Leave the Gun, take the Cannoli" read more

There is a pitiable dearth of Italian food in this town, so it's a delight to occasion upon a place like Cafe Lago that does it right. They have a pretty dining room, pleasant and knowledgeable servers, a nice, if smallish wine list, and a full bar. They have some of the best pizza in town, and absolutely the best lasagna. Great date restaurant. You can probably do dinner for two with a bottle of wine for around $100. Dinner for two sans drinks will run you $30-$50. Parking's a pain. It's easiest to find a spot on the other side of 24th. read more

This place teeters on greatness. First off, I ordered the sausage pizza. I don't know why, but for some reason, it kept reminding me of the old college days of cheap Tostino's pizza's. I like Tostino's pizza's for what it's worth, but not for $19. The other pizza was the Margarita Pizza. This is where Cafe Lago shines. Just the right amount of sauce, mozz and chiffonade basil. Do they import their canned tomatoes from Italy? The sauce was rich, tangy and vibrant...probably the best execution I've ever had in Seattle. We requested the Margarita pizza crust to be cooked less to avoid crisping and charring of the crust which turned out a lot better than the Saussage. The sausage pie crust ended up bubbling and charred which may have attributed to the Tostino's comparison. Staff was great. Interior was spartan, but tasteful. I think the emphasis was put more on the food than the interior which is always a good thing. I wish we had tried the pasta, since it's supposed to be all hand made. Thought it was a bit pricey for what it was. I'm all about restaurants making a profit, thriving and potentially opening new locations, but things like bread, pizza and pasta shouldn't cost that much. Flour is pure profit. I guess you gotta pay to play, but I've yet to try the other players in the pizza Renaissance that seems to be hitting Seattle. Aside from the Margarita pizza, I wasn't really blown away by the whole experience. It's a good restaurant, but I think there's probably other places that are as good and cheaper. If only I had my own wood brick oven...I have a pretty killer pizza dough formula that I almost had to kill for from a crazy ass chef from Palermo. Anything cooked in a wood brick oven just tastes better anyways. That's the real secret. read more

Even if you're just walking by this Montlake restaurant, you get a sense that there's something dreamy about this place. The unassuming and elegant interior could be it--but following a meal you know that the dreamlike quality comes from the carefully prepared and delicious food. The Caprino pizza--simply topped with caramelized onions and goat cheese--is my favorite, and it's still wonderful cold if you've managed to save some for breakfast at home. The meatballs, too, have a special place in my heart. When you come here, it's best to remind yourself that this is the Italian food you've been dreaming about--no pinching necessary. read more

This place has the most expensive pizza in Seattle. However, I'd probably pay more for it. The crust, sauce and topping ingredients are the best and freshest around. The toughest part is figuring out which pie I want to order. The Caesar salad is top shelf as well. I've been trying to crack the code on the dressing for years but haven't even got close. Believe it when I say this place has the perfect combination of atmosphere, menu selection and friendly staff. The only bad part is when the check comes; $18-$20 for a 12" thin crust pizza is rich, especially since I easily mow down an entire pie on my own. My favorite pizza is the Caprino, favorite pasta is the lasagna (handmade every day) and of course the Caesar salad. If anyone has the dressing recipe, I'd give you my left nut. Try eating at the bar if you can't get a table. They have good beers, tasty cocktails and complimentary mixed olives to fill up on before the food arrives. Oh and don't forget your checkbook. You'll need it. read more

Went on a Monday night, right as they opened. The service was minimal but very good which is how I prefer it, honestly. We started with the pomodori, which was delicious. I would go back just for that. The goat cheese worked very well for me with the roasted tomato and bread! My ravioli came out barely over lukewarm. By the time I had gotten halfway through, they were cold. I let my server know and asked if they wouldn't mind reheating them. Instead they brought me a whole new hot dish! We also got the Ramona pizza which was delicious. I loved the crust! The food and the service was good and I was happy that they addressed my concern in such a prompt and good manner. My only concern was the oil that came with the bread. It was completely tasteless and didn't look too appealing either. I would love for them to change their dipping oil or at least add some balsamic to it! read more

Bought a gc for this from the Stranger on a whim since it's on my way back from work. Man, this place is kept so dark in the evenings. I know people like mood light and all, but I prefer a smidge brighter.... but of course what really matters is the food. The pizza was wonderful. Just was I was looking for last night. 15", supremely thin crust, fresh ingredients. I got the Magherita pizza and I asked for them to put two eggs on top. I was so happy that the waitress didn't even blink at my request (I wonder if a lot of people ask for this?). The eggs come out perfectly, with the whites cooked and the yolk runny. If you've never tried this on pizza, you should try it out here. I agree with people's assessment that the prices run on the expensive side. But my Margherita pizza was priced ok-ish at $17. There was no additional charge for the two eggs I got on top, and I left so happy that it was worth it for me. This isn't the kind of pizza you get via delivery. This is much better pizza. I think it's probably worth a try once if you're into thin crust pizza. read more

My husband and I came here for our anniversary. First, I should say that I was aware from reading other reviews that it would be pricey for what we would be getting, but we're always willing to pay more when something is totally homemade. I had to order the lasagna after hearing so much about it. It was perfect. The homemade pasta is feather-light; like nothing I've ever had before. They layer it with bechamel, and ricotta and top it with perfect, simple red sauce. I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the bechamel, but it was so light, it really gave the dish more depth. My lasagna was $19.95 and it was definitely one serving. No left-overs. My husband had the Margherita pizza, which was very good, but not anything I'd recommend as a meal. It's pricey (I think it was $17.00) and tastes more like a flat bread that you would eat as an appetizer than a full meal. The wine list is great. The service was great. The restaurant was simple and clean; very approachable. Overall a good experience. read more