Amazing food! That's all that needs to be said. Drinks, appetizers, dinner - all wonderful; and the atmosphere is lovely, too.

Good service, good food, good location, good atmosphere. Not 5 cause a little salty and underdone. read more

Primo Grill - Wine and bar - Mediterranean Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

How can you define consistent culinary excellence, repeated over many years? Two words, actually. Primo Grill.

This was my first time visiting Primo Grill at its current location. My previous experience at the original location was underwhelming: a chunk of overcooked salmon on a bed of bland lettuce. Whilst Primo Grill is still a far cry from fine dining, the menu offers some culinary creativity that does not disappoint. A starter of beets with goat cheese was a simple but very tasty delight: cold baby beets with goat cheese and a zesty beet and champagne vinegar reduction. To follow was tagliatelle with an elegant pork ragu. This was some of the tastiest pasta I have ever had. I don't know if they make it in house, but it tasted as if it might have been. I am British, and we Brits are passionate about sticky toffee pudding. This is a divine dish, but one that can become over sweet, heavy and downright cloying on the palate. Primo's proved to be almost fluffy in texture and not oversweet--well done Primo. The ambiance and decor are inviting and the general feeling is welcoming. I particularly liked the mural over the bar. Service from Frankie was attentive. Thank you! Definitely worth a return visit! read more

First time eating at this place. Parking is a pain, especially on a weekend evening. We ordered mussels, calamari, beets, and brussel sprouts for our starters. The mussels tasted fresh, the beet salad with feta was pretty solid. The brussel sprouts were OK. They were cooked with bacon and the main issue is that you didn't get enough of the bacon taste into the brussel sprouts but that may be just the inherent issue with brussel sprouts. The calamari was OK. For mains: we had a pizza, taglietelle with pork ragu, Niman Ranch prime New York steak, muscovy duck, and a penne with vodka sauce. The taglietelle was excellent. The duck was OK, slightly overcooked. I've had duck before where the meat isn't blood-red and it's still very tender. This wasn't it. It was slightly chewy. Same with the steak, pretty good but just on the other side of slightly overcooked with the steak not quite as tender as it could be. For dessert, we had the panna cotta, the apple hand pie, the hazelnut brownie with ice cream, bourbon chocolate cake, and a olive oil cake. The desserts were very good although I have to admit a little disappointment in the hand pie. I think I was expecting something similar to a Hostess fruit pie. Not like I was expecting a bunch of artificial chemicals and preservatives with no natural ingredients and no real fruit like the Hostess pies, but that I was disappointed that there was no sweetness at all in the pie. Not in the apples used in the filling nor in the crust. It was just sort kind sour and the "crust" outer layer mushy and bland. Overall, a pretty decent meal. But not where I'd be jonesing to come back to. read more

I don't know I have never review this restaurant before because I've eaten here a number of times and never had a bad bite. Went for a Friday night dinner and couple of drinks. We had Caesar salads, my husband had the swordfish and I had the capellini with mushrooms. Everything was literally perfect. Pace of service, drinks pretty and well balanced(Primo Sour and Blood Orange Cosmo), the salads-- so simple, right level of dressing, fresh, and of course the entrees were delicious, perfect portions and pretty on the plate. The cappellini with mushrooms was unbelievably good. The mushrooms were so chewy and woody kind of meaty without meat, flavors were mixed--tart, garlicky, buttery...mmmm. The swordfish dish was beautiful, deliciously grilled piece of fish and served with broccolini and a few roasted vegetables/aïoli. Our server was super nice, and the whole thing had service fee included so it was just easy breezy. The place is always busy so I definitely would recommend a reservation. If you're looking for a nice dinner out in Tacoma, this is definitely in my top five suggestions, you will not be disappointed. read more

I really wanted to love this place, but it just fell a bit short. I got a short rib dish that I felt I could produce at home without much effort. My husband's pasta was...terrible. The sauce was incredibly watery and lacked flavor. However, the appetizer of calamari was delicious and the sauce that it was cooked in was delicious. Additionally my friends pork chop was one of the best I've ever had. Actually, the best part of the meal - in my opinon - were the desserts we got at the end! They were all great and we got three. I would also give accolades to the service - which was very good and attentive. read more

I liked Primo a lot more than I thought I was going to: the service was polite, attentive, and 5 star. The ambiance is nice- upscale enough for a date without being stuffy. The food was fresh and prepared well- I ordered the chicken under a brick and really enjoyed it. When you can do simple well, it's the mark of a good restaurant. My only complaint would be menu variety: a good portion of the menu is pasta and pizza- this makes sense, because they have an awesome wood fired oven, which is cool! However, It would be nice to see just a few more of their protein dishes- there was one option each for steak, pork, lamb, chicken, and fish. I saw on facebook that they typically have 3-4 weekend seafood specials, which I would love to see on weeknights. Were that the case, I would be a regular diner. read more

Really good food and staff! I've been coming here for date nights and girls nights for the past 8 years and it's one of my favorite places for a good meal! It's very consistent and I don't think I've ever had a bad dish. There bacon Brussel sprouts are my favorite appetizer and the calamari is my husband's favorite and I enjoy how they rotate/change the main entrees with what's in season. I'm gluten and dairy free and they are always very accommodating. Only downside here is the parking is really terrible. read more

Primo is one of my go-tos for a nice meal out. During the pandemic, they are not providing dine in service. Their entire menu, including bar/cocktails, is available for take out, curbside pick up only. We recently ordered a meal (fried Brussels sprouts, buratta salad, pizza, pork chop, and Moroccan cocktail). The online ordering system is easy to navigate. You can order in advance for a set time later in the evening. They were practically waiting for us when we pulled into a parking spot along the side street. We felt very safe, the staff were excellent, and the food was delicious and worth it. I hope they continue to do good business and are able to continue post-pandemic. read more

Decided to make dinner reservations for Valentine's day, it's not a tradition but we've just both been busy with work and life, so I decided we needed some time together, just us. Unfortunately since I'm not a regular when it comes to this day, there were not very many reservations available but luckily this establishment had a few spot left, so I grabbed one. We didn't know what to expect, we hadn't heard much about the place but we where very familiar with the previous establishment (HOT) Walking in, it was very romantic, maybe because it was Valentine's day? Dim lighting, candles and kind of rustic like. The host at the door hands me a white lily and I'm sold.... ahaha, j/k! So when I booked the reservation it was counter seating only but we were upgraded to a table. The menu was what got us excited but then they bring out the Valentine's menu and we ended up both ordering off of it:) For starters, we ordered the pan roasted calamari, garlic saffron sauce, asked for some bread because we couldn't waste the delicious sauce! We shared their Primo caesar and the portion was very small, it barely filled the plate it arrived on and we happened to glance over at another table and their portions for both their caesars were much larger, more sharable sizes and they each had a plate? Weird. For our main courses, off the specialty menu, I ordered the grill ahi tuna and Hubby ordered the scallop dish. Both dishes came out looking and tasting so yummy!!!! I shared some of my tuna with the Hubs though, as his dish only had 4 scallops, yes they were on the large size but considering the cost and plate, a 5th scallop would have helped, a little. We ordered our standards drinks, we don't stray too far on those and we both enjoyed them. Overall, we will definitely be back! We had great service and the food was amazing! The only reason, it wasn't a 5 star is due to the portions on a couple dishes we had, but maybe that will change on our next visit. read more

Primo Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

I haven't written a review in ages, but Primo deserves it. I've been many times and their food and drinks are consistently excellent. Last night was my latest visit. I'm doing an elimination diet for diagnostic purposes and can't eat almost anything. Both kitchen and server accommodated my needs kindly and promptly. The food made me so happy, after days of gloominess. This restaurant is fabulous! Go and try anything, because everything is good. (I was born and raised in Italy. I wouldn't call their Italian-inspired fare authentic, but it's overall quite good. Much better than many restaurants that claim to be Italian, while they more honestly go for "Mediterranean") read more

Excellent food and service. Cool space. Great for special events, unique, fresh, farm to table cuisine. Hip, casual environment

We sat at the bar next to another couple who were lavished with attention while we had to work to catch the attention of servers passing by us for refills of ice tea and cocktails. The couple next to us were offered foccacia bread. We were not. They were given a complete description of the dessert menu while the menu was placed in front of us as the server was walking by. We eventually ordered the hand pie, which was strawberry rhubarb. It had unevenly cooked filling which was cold and an unevenly cooked crust, which was burned on the edges and undercooked in the middle. Overall a very disappointing experience, especially for a $200 tab. read more

Small portions, high prices, bland food. Might as well go to Olive Garden. At least the breadsticks at OG are good.

It had been our favorite spot in Tacoma since the first time we ate there. We've never had a bad experience. To the contrary it has stayed consistently good. The staff is warm and inviting, the drinks are well balanced and the food is excellent from appetizers to pastas to pizza. If you are in Tacoma it's a must. Stop reading this and get over to Primo. read more

We picked up dinner these evening for contactless take out and they bring to your car curbside. The dinner was OUTSTANDING! We had the Caesar Salad, Caprese Salad with Burrata, and Campanella Pesto Pasta. We also got a bottle of the Walla Walla Vintners Rose. Delicious! Loved everything! Love the expanded Menu and will be back soon! We highly recommend this lovely Grill. You will not be sorry! Primo Grill is one of our favorite Tacoma restaurants and they are coming through for us during this Pandrmic! read more

Primo is home of the first meal I ever had as a new Tacoma resident. As someone who has frequented farm-to-table restaurants all over the east coast, I was excited to see the listing of local food producers they source from on the menu. It is clear that the chef cares about producing high quality meals. My entire experience at Primo exceeded expectation. I tried two of their featured cocktails, both of which were well thought out and crafted. The server was highly informed and engaged, and all of the food my table ordered came out steaming hot and well cooked. The calamari is a wonderful appetizer, and I was more than pleased with the fungi pizza I ordered as an entree. I would order all of it over again and recommend any of it to friends. For me, Primo served up an experience that matched the worthwhile price tag. Primo would make a wonderful location for date night or taking family out for a nice dinner. Go go go! read more

Primo Grill - Strawberry fields cocktail. - Mediterranean Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

This is our first visit since the move from the Pine St location. With the lost of their wood fired oven, the item we ordered just did not have the same flavor. We ordered the calamari and it was prepared very similar to the old recipe. Good, but not the same. Will need to try their pizza to see if the gas oven is as good as the wood oven version. Unfortunately the similarity with the old place ended with the appetizer. My ribeye steak came in almost medium when I wanted it medium rare. Could have been from the browning of the cheese topping. Overall, still a good dish. Kudu for the well prepared sides. The pasta dish was flavorful. But, it was over cooked. The lack of feel when biting into the pasta was a minus. I am hoping the new resturant is still maturing its new kitchen team and menu and this is not the norm. The wait staff was as good as ever. Will return to see if there are improvements and hope to upgrade my review to its previous four stars. read more

Primo Grill - Ribeye steak with bacon Brussels sprouts. - Mediterranean Near Me - Tacoma, Washington

See all

I was there last night with two friends for the annual Dining Out for Life fundraising event for PCAF. Everything about this restaurant says class. The service is above standard without making you feel "hovered " over, the menu was varies with local meats, produce and fruit that is seasonal. I had the rack of lamb, and it was cooked perfectly and the grilled Brussels sprouts were delicious. I started with the Black Manhattan that was perfectly blended. The prices are on the high side but the perfect place for that special occasion. read more

What a wonderful little restaurant! Mom's birthday dinner means eating out with my parents and sister, enjoying the full width and breadth of the cocktail menu, and generally having a great time. No let downs this year! First, the cocktails: 1 Black Manhattan, 1 Orchard Crush and 2 Moroccans and 1 dirty martini. The moroccan was sweet and tart, and my sister just had to have two. My black manhattan was so good it was passed around the table twice! The dirty martini was STIFF, but good! The calamari was fantastic, and the rustic bread perfect for dipping in the sauce. The fungi pizza had an amazing crust, (mmm thin crust) and no one was disappointed. The main course servings of pasta were not large, but after our indulgent appetizers, no one was complaining. (The duck risotto and the salmon asparagus fettuccine were particularly good!). To finish off the meal HOME-MADE LIMONCELLO. I was so excited, I skipped dessert. My dad joined me, and the four of us were able to share two glasses of limoncello, and two desserts. A caramel cake and a flan. We started our meal at 5 o'clock and the place was deserted. By 7:30, it was packed full on a Thursday night. There is no parking lot, but plenty of street parking. read more

See all

I absolutely LOVE it here. The atmosphere is eccentric being on 6th Avenue, it's not too trendy though. The customer service is excellent, one of my favorite restaurants to frequent. I'm so happy they are able to stay open throughout the COVID shut downs. read more

I love this place! Very accommodating and the food is fantastic! The food is always fresh and the service is superior!

The food here was good,but the portions are small and overpriced. We left hungry. the real problem was the service. It was lousy. We drank our drinks and had to continually try and get someone to get refills. Once they took the order, the food came out. they didn't serve the women of the party first (proper etiquette). That's when we felt ignored. Had to get a different waiter to get a dessert menu, and then he disappeared. It's no wonder they have an automatic gratuity because after the service we got, they definitely would not have gotten 20%. I've spent less money at restaurants and had way better service, left full, and still had money in my pocket. read more

Dinner tonight was fabulous. We have been Primo fans since day one, but haven't ordered takeout since COVID started. I'm sorry we didn't do it sooner, because it was a wonderful dinner! The chop is our favorite dish, dine-in or take-out, and the Cesar is the best we've had anywhere. Charlie knows his food, and we hope this place remains part of the 6th ave scene for years and years to come! read more

Love this place and great atmosphere! Their cocktail menu is excellent and they really take their time to ensure your drink is made just to your liking. The bread is fantastic along with the calamari such great flavor. You cannot go wrong with their pasta dishes either! One of Tacoma's best restaurants! read more

Atmosphere and service were impeccable. This is a local gem worth trying. Polenta and cauliflower were an amazing start. Pork chops were outstanding. Chutney was a perfect addition and savory vegetables were a great compliment. Sticky Toffee pudding is to die for and a must read more

Six of us went to dinner and found ourselves seated at a counter all in a line. Not really the dining experience we were looking for. Seems like they might let you know that beforehand. No complaints about the food other than it needed a little salt. The staff was great and did offer to move us to a table but we were already halfway through the meal so we didn't want to go through the machinations of moving all our things at that point. I'd go back but I'd make sure we had a proper table reserved. read more

Excellent food! Great service. They even made a homemade chocolate milk for my 5 year old child. Very consistent (came here 3 times and they were great every time). Highly recommend! read more

4 stars only because making a reservation for a birthday party was a little difficult. It took 4 different people just to make sure we were set for my large party. Other then the little stress trying to sort all that out once we arrived on the day of the reservation it was great service. We had a later reservation due to many people in my party getting off work late and they didn't really push us that hard to get out of the restaurant past the hours. Drinks seemed to be a big hit with my group and from what I heard everyone loved the food, especially the steak! Thank you to the wonderful server who took great care of us ! read more

I should start by admitting I'm not a seafood person so that eliminates two thirds of the menu. Unfortunate, because the non-seafood parts of the menu are pretty limited. Service was pretty slow for a non-busy night. The lemon aioli with the chicken dish was really good. read more

Gotta go 5 stars on this one. I've dined at Primo on 3 occasions & each time have been more than impressed with the food. Everything we've ordered is delicious. Favorite starters are the grilled bread with balsamic, burrata cáprese & a sautéed calamari in a white wine & butter sauce - seriously amazing. Usually I go with a pizza as my entree (fog & prosciutto or mushroom ) with a Cesar on the side. Pizzas are also happy hour which has great deals on food & drinks. Ambiance is nice & cozy, service has always been pleasant. (Just FYI 18% tip is included in your bill). Lastly, don't skip dessert -cheers. read more

One of my favorite places for a night out. Excellent food, the right size portions for being able to enjoy an appetizer and a dessert, great atmosphere, always excellent service staff. Basically everything you could want in a restaurant. While it feels fancy, you feel just as welcome in jeans and a T-shirt. Prices are great too for the quality food you get. Save room for the panna cotta. Just do it. read more

Very good but generally a little bit overpriced and rather small portions. I ordered the lamb chops and my wife had the smoked salmon fettuccine. Both dishes were good but the lamb chops were nearly cold when they arrived and 7 fingerling potatoes were low in number. Ordered side of bread to fill it out. Our son had a pizza which was good, not great. We've had better down the street not too far. The service was also ok, not super. Perhaps they were not thrilled that we didn't order the absolute most expensive items on the menu. 18 percent service fee which is cool but you then pay sales tax on top of the service fee. Tax on tip? I don't usually tip on tax so... probably would come back again once but not routinely. Better deals elsewhere in town but again, good food. read more

We discovered this place while I was in town to see my nephew play football for the University of Puget Sound a couple of years ago. I liked it so much that we go there every time I'm in town to watch a game. I fly up from San Francisco at least three times each season. The service had always been fantastic. The seafood is fresh and absolutely delicious. The beverages are spot on, from beer to wine. I also like the ambiance and feel very much at home. I'll be in town next weekend to see my nephew play football and we will definitely have dinner here. read more

See all

Always pleased with Primo. Food was great, service was prompt, and drinks were stout. This is the 3rd time we've celebrated an anniversary at Primo, and it's always a great choice. read more

One of the first restaurants to break Tacoma out of the mold of boring American cuisine is keeping up with trends with the fried cauliflower on a mezze-style plate (two food fads in one dish). The heavy cauliflower was sensibly contrasted with three zesty dips and fluffy pita flatbread. The menu still had an older (but not too old) trend of Brussels sprouts. The many fats introduced by frying the sprouts and adding bacon were beautifully counterbalanced with acidic balsamic and sharp shallots. Unlike the appetizers, the mains were only fatty and old school hefty. The gnocchi were in a soup of butter and desperately needed something to brighten the dish. Without a single light element, the grilled brick chicken was a heavy pan-fried chicken with hearty fried fingerling potatoes, dark broccoli, fatty pancetta, and a thick lemon sauce that was weighty. The Bourbon chocolate cake was a rich torte, but desserts are supposed to be dense. read more

We drove by and the beautiful chandeliers and paintings caught our eye, so we yelped Primo and then decided to stop. Got inside with enough time to enjoy some Happy Hour selections: Gimlet, Caesar Salad and Fig/Prociutto Pizza. EVERYTHING WAS AMAZING. Griffin the master bar tender was beyond kind and welcoming and really engaging in between his shakes and stirs. For dinner we chose the traditional Ragu and Salmon fettuccine. Both AMAZING. Will definitely be back. read more

See all

This place has been on my bookmarks for a while. I finally stopped in on a Friday night without a reservation and was able to be seated at the cook line with my date. It was an awesome experience getting to watch the Chef and his team work a completely packed floor on a Friday night. They looked like true professionals, not even breaking a sweat with a 600 degree oven right next to them. We ordered a green salad, the cauliflower flatbread, the jumbo scallops and the butternut squash ravioli. Everything was delicious and I left feeling satisfied, but not overly full, which is a perfect combination for dessert. We didn't get dessert, but would love to try some in the future! The pictures of the desserts in some of the reviews look great! read more

My honey is a steak lover and I wanted to find a different spot then our usual respectable asado Across the street so we came here and it did not disappoint us . We ordered the calamari for appetizer it was not breaded but actually really good along with the sauté just wish they offered free beard for dipping . I ordered the homemade fettuccine asparagus lemon sauce with salmon delicious my honey got the rib eye loved the taste of the char. Overall great food the bill was a little high it came to 80.00 but definitely worth trying if your beat quality good read more

Primo Grill - Mediterranean Near Me - Tacoma, Washington