This cute little restaurant tucked away in West Seattle is an absolute gem. The food is easily some of the best Italian food I have had in Seattle, and the atmosphere is perfect for a nice date night with bae. You can tell that everyone working at this establishment cares about providing a quality experience for all of their patrons. You can't get much better than La Rustica. read more

This is a note to the owner of La Rustica about an unfortunate interaction we had with a staff member, Nadia. I'm submitting this on behalf of my husband who called today to make a reservation so we could share a great Italian meal with some friends new to West Seattle. When he called, Nadia answered and my husband asked to make a 7:30 reservation. He was told "we don't take 7:30 reservations" and pressured for an alternate time. It seemed odd, but knowing there must be a reason, my husband said that was interesting but inquired as to why they don't take 7:30 reservations. This, apparently to Nadia, is simply an inexcusable question to ask and made her feelings about this clear to my husband by telling him first, "I don't need to give you a reason", second by recommending that "this is not the restaurant for you". Taken aback by how rude Nadia's demeanor became, he then stated that we have eaten there several times and really enjoyed it (hence the reason for wanting to share the place with new friends). To this, Nadia mumbled and hung up on my husband. To the owner, we would like to let you know that we have enjoyed your restaurant very much in the past and will look forward to this issue being corrected. To put it simply, this restaurant is much better than the extremely poor service received from Nadia. It is very unfortunate to have a staff member detract from your business in this way and we hope to return when changes have been made. read more

Super cute place. Very intimate & inviting. Was here for Valentines Day. The owner is friendly & comforting. Had amazing baked oysters & then veal oscar. Their wine selection is plentiful. Will be back for sure. read more

La Rustic is one of those restaurants that I suggest when people ask for a quiet, romantic, and locals only kind of place. I'm a person who loves to hear the recommendations from the servers and I haven't been disappointed! read more

What a wonderful place. Hidden on Beach Road just south of Alki, this tiny Italian restaurant was the most authentic Italian I've seen in town. Tables are packed close together, but there is a great vibe, perfect garlic bread, and attentive service. The risotto was flavorful, the sausage spicy, and the manicotti delicious. In our sadly Italian-starved metropolis, this place gave a great taste of Central Italy. Highly reccommended. Just be sure to get there early, or you'll probably have to wait! read more

I hate to rate it five stars because I want to keep it a secret. But I love this place and want to see it around for years to come. So go, eat and enjoy! It is a small and noisy place but that is part of the charm of a true Italian restaurant. Everyone from the staff to the patrons seem to be enjoying their time there. It's like a family dinner if everyone in your family liked each other! read more

crowded, worth the wait, consistent with the quality, lots of awesome flavors. Killer sunsets accross the street. Eat dinner, stare at the sound, and feel content read more

I would come here for special occasions to make it worthwhile for the price but to be fair, their food is so good! Try the chicken parmigiana! Small and intimate restaurant. Options for outside and inside seating. Definitely not a place you would go to if you're in a rush but everyone is friendly. Beautiful view of the water outside! read more

Not only is it the best Italian food in West Seattle, Julio is the absolute best person. They accommodated special needs, went out of their way to make the evening special and can I say again it's the best Italian not just in West Seattle but the greater Seattle Area. AMAZING!!! read more

Very good food! Very quite. Very cute. Great wine. Really nice owner. Will defiantly be bringing family here when they come to visit.

Highly recommend this adorable place! Small but so cute and their service was top notch!!! And of course their food was AMAZING!! We celebrated an anniversary and I must say it's a very romantic stop! We will be back very soon! read more

La Rustica in the summer is our favorite place in West Seattle. Warm salt air, sunshine and a patio filled with flowering plants, fountain and great food and wine. We love going there because it reminds us of Tuscany. The soft, garlicky bread is to die for. The lamb shank special is worth the price. Entree portions are huge - we usually get one entree and one pasta dish and share them. The inside of the restaurant is cramped, yes, but it's also terribly romantic. Where else can you find live ivy growing in through a window and across the wall, just like you're in a courtyard in Italy? The owners are genial and the menu has lots of choices. We've gone here for many romantic dinners and also taken friends and family, who have all loved it. I've never had a "bad" experience in the 10 years I've been going here. Giving it four stars for the tiny, non-accessible bathroom and lack of reservations. If you don't get there by 6pm, be prepared to wait. read more

I tried the lamb shank. it is fine, but not unbelievably great as some of the other reviews suggested. Pastas were very good and all entrees came with salad, which is a good thing. Suggest you ask them to bring salad after entrees. Warm bread was good. Service is excellent. if you go after 6 pm, you'll be stuck in a tiny prison (bar) waiting to be called for quite a long time. Bring something to read. I like the spicy squid for appetizer. No tiramizu, can you believe it? We brought a bottle of wine and paid corkage, but also found the house wine was quite drinkable. Staff is very nice and helpful!! read more

We had a delicious dinner on a Sunday evening. Service was excellent, food great, and we love the cozy space. We don't eat red meat, so unable to comment on lamb dishes, which seem to be a patron favorite. But the pasta, salad, wine and bruschetta were delicious. read more

It's noisy, cramped and takes no reservations, but we like this place. The food is great. My wife is stuck on the manicotti--best ever, she says, so we don't go too far afield in the pasta department. I have sampled the pizzas and meatballs and lamb shanks, all of them pleasures. One of the three destination restaurants in West Seattle. read more

I have lived in the neighborhood for 11 years and still fantasize about the Filetto al Gorgonzola ..Filet Mignon with Gorgonzola! Incredible! The Arrabiata is also amazing... Eat here you will become a very happy person read more

We have been going to LaRustica since it opened years ago in the 90's. The food has always been incredible. I think the spot is a bit small but it works. The location is great (limited parking) and a great place to bring your guests from out of town. read more

This is one of my favorite places in West Seattle...or all of Seattle for that matter. Great food, great service. The owner is fun to talk to. Highly recommended especially on a nice summer evening. read more

Delicious pasta and good service! I had the tortellini with peas and prosciutto in a cherry tomato cream sauce and it was amazing!! Get a table by the window to enjoy the sunset with dinner. read more

Spent my 50th birthday here last night and it was perfect! If I couldn't be in Italy this was the next best thing! The Caprese salad was amazing with homemade buffalo mozzarella! Can't wait to go back! Oh and the view is spectacular!! Best Italian I have had in the city! read more

That much yumm with a view for that little $$, you win with me all the way! Suggest it to all who have not given it a try. So good!

We just moved around the corner from this restaurant. The locksmith and our contractor all suggested this restaurant. They both advised, "It's the BEST Italian in Seattle!" They were right. Great service and AMAZING food. I had a tiramisu martini and the lasagna. The lasagna had a new twist (boiled eggs). It was delicious! Def going to be regulars here. read more

I have never been so full in my life! Food was so good I couldn't stop eating.... I love coming here on summer evenings, sitting outside to enjoy the sunset, and over indulging in their amazing food. read more

We went here for a graduation dinner and the food was great! A little bit of a wait but well worth it. The food was great and the prices were reasonable. Thank you for a great evening! read more

I'm not sure where people are eating Italian to rate this place five stars. Let's start from the beginning...we called in to make a reservation for six people for my wife's birthday, they asked us to call if anything changed. Well, two of our friends had to cancel last minute. I called the restaurant, explained the occasion as well as the situation, and was told that they would no longer honor our reservation and that the wait was "quite long"...plus the girl was rather snarky about it....strike 1. Our friends get there before us and get a table for four right away. We meet our waitress, briefly, who brings our friends drinks and takes our order...twenty+ minutes later, she brings the drinks. An hour later she brings out the dinner; not one visit to check in between those times. This severe lack of attention continued throughout our experience...strike 2. We had to ask the girl who was grating our Parmesan to ask our server to get us another bottle of wine...suddenly she appeared. At this point we've been at the restaurant over two hours. We get the check, $298...ok, fine, if we had been at a place with much better food and service. The icing on the cake? She charged us for two of the wrong beers (ordered amber, got a lager) when we only had one, and it wasn't the right one...strike threeeeeeeee! I didn't feel like waiting another 30 minutes for her to come back and then rerun the cards, so I simply tipped my standard 20% and we left. I sincerely doubt we will be back, ever. Overpriced and underwhelming, unfortunately. We had been wanting to eat here; we REALLY wanted this to be a better experience. It just wasn't. Ps. Not homemade pasta, we asked, they use BARILLA. read more

Fabulous meal. Wonderful service provided by Nadia with a lovely table on the patio. Highly recommend this fabulous place.

Having lived in West Seattle for a few years now, we have always wanted to try this place. We drove by on a Saturday night and popped in at 9:50pm wanting to have drinks and a light dinner. Knowing they close at 10:30pm we asked the host if they were still seating and she said yes. We went to be seated in the patio but it was a little cold so we opted for inside dining. As we prepared to sit down at our table inside, who I assume is the manager or owner came by and grabbed the host and dragged her off to say something in her ear. Right afterwards the host came right back to us and said they can't serve us because they where closed. I used to work in the restaurant industy for 6 years and in my experience you don't turn away guests before closing, especially before 30 minutes. This was a first and very disappointing. read more

We enjoyed a wonderful dinner out on the patio tonight: the special salmon entrees and the lucious tiramisu.

Wandered in on a whim Saturday night after reading reviews (Yelp & others)and talking to friends about this place. Reminds me a lot of any one of the smaller locals only places around Florence. Food was stellar, the Chingale in agro Dolce con polente was the hit of the 6 dishes that hit the table...though the venison osso bucco was narrowly second. The wine list could use some more depth, though they did have my favorite Vernaccia on the list, and fairly priced to boot(had to have one then right?). Our server felt a bit rushed, did not really engage with the table, and seemed to be resigned to the whole experience. Julian the owner is a gem of a man, and goes out of his way to accommodate his guests. The only gripe I have about the place is that there the one bathroom that is there is up a series of twisty stairs and in need of some attention...little paint and a fixture wouldn't go amiss... Cheers! Scott read more

La Rustica is probably my favorite romantic outing in West Seattle. It is also from my standpoint one of the best Italian restaurants in the Puget Sound area (and by far the best in West Seattle). The food is really delicious especially the lamb. The bread is also great (not for people on diet though). I also like the fact that the wine list has only Italian wines, not that I am an expert in them (being French, that can be understood) but that makes me feel they are authentic and most of the time the wine I picked was really good, and the owner is actually a real Italian. read more

Delicious pork ribs. And the teramasue was to die for. A bit of a wait to be seated in a very cramped wine room but the food made it well worth it. read more

Best resturant in west Seattle!!! Everything is wonderful and you get an amazing view. Definitely worth the price. Go here!!!!

Great service good food, nice out-of-the-way place. I had the veal shank this visit and it was falling off the bone delicious. The gnocchi was tender, flavorful and not over-cooked. The wine list is a little pricey, but the per-glass value was reasonable. Wish they had a little larger bar since they don't take reservations. read more

This place never disappoints.. Amazing food, amazing atmosphere and one of the most romantic places I've ever been. Come early for a glass of vino in the tiny bar in the back! read more

What a lovely place, with authentic Italian food that was utterly divine, and a gorgeous view of Alki Beach and the Sound. The owner, originally from Italy, was present all evening, and he described the restaurant as his "baby." He devoted time to his customers and enjoyed talking about his food and cooking methods. There were 4 of us, and we had a diverse variety of appetizers and entrees, and everything was delicious. The flourless cake was amazing. Also, they have gluten-free pasta, and their regular pasta is made with Italian flour. read more

Most amazing food, people and atmosphere. If you haven't been here, you need to be. Best dinner & people. Magical!

This place is old, tiny, with no parking, on a busy street, with no waiting space, in the middle of a residential neighborhood. That all being said, do your tastebuds a favor and get there right away. Great date place. Everything was exceptional. The food was perfectly prepared and presented. The taste, incredible freshness and the portions were huge. Service was very good and professional. Timing and attentiveness was spot on. I could go on and on saying how much I enjoyed the food. And I'm pretty hard to impress, food wise, but this food is really good. So definitely don't accept my review. But do go there and make your own decision. I think you will be very pleased. read more

I save La Rustica for special occaisions, but not sure why. Their bread sticks are in my hall of fame. I seldom wander from the Lamb Shanks, but everything I've tasted is wonderful. Great atmosphere, great food, always makes me feel special; especially when I get a seat! read more

+s Ambiance (reminds me of a European cafe) Service, impeccable Pretty good food, 7/10 -s Small May have to wait to get a table read more

La Rustica is the hardest little italian restaurant to find, if you blink you'll miss it. The food however is unforgettable. Fantastic specials, the gnocchi is fantastic. Cozy atmosphere and in the summer theres seating outside, right there on Alki. read more