STELLA

I had heard and read enough about Spinasse to arrive with real expectations. I showed up fifteen…read moreminutes before opening on a Thursday, no reservation, and found only a handful of others waiting. Got a seat at the bar without issue, which is always my preferred way to dine solo. From the first moment the hospitality was warm, engaged, and genuinely attentive. The bartender who took care of me throughout the evening set the tone immediately. Approachable, knowledgeable, present without hovering. The space itself matches that energy. Beautiful and considered without being stiff or self-important. An Aperol Spritz to open, well made, and the evening was underway. They started with a complimentary amuse bouche, a small but meaningful gesture that signals a kitchen paying attention. Bread followed and it was exactly what good bread should be, fresh, rustic, full of flavor. Then the Salsa all'uovo con cavolo arrived. Rich, earthy, and deeply savory, with the bitterness of the cabbage playing beautifully against the velvety egg sauce. Sophisticated without being fussy. The pacing between courses was handled exceptionally well, something that matters more than most restaurants seem to realize. The cavatelli con spugnole landed next. Rich, perfectly balanced, the kind of pasta dish that reminds you why handmade matters. Then the Salsiccia di agnello in pasta sfoglia, a lamb sausage in puff pastry that walked the line between buttery and flaky on the outside and deeply savory and herbaceous within. Notably they served the jus on the side so you could add as needed without risking a soggy pastry. Thoughtful execution. On the wine side I put myself in the bartender's hands for a white and a red to pair across the meal. Both were spot on. Their Italian list is well curated with strong options by the glass. A panna cotta to close was a clean, quiet finish to a meal that needed no grand statement to land. Spinasse is exceptional without ever reminding you that it is. The food and the service are the point, full stop. No performance, no attitude, no gap between reputation and reality. Exactly what a great restaurant should feel like.

Adam our server was so kind and helped us curate our order to make our first time at Spinasse a…read morenight to remember. Our order with pictures in order: 1.) Cavatelli al guanciale; pasta with pork, garlic, and kale. A great compliment to the butter and sage pasta, the pork being so soft and flavorful. 2.) the Cavolfiore con bagna caoda; a roasted cauliflower with an anchovy sauce and lemon. Did not think that a vegetable could be the star of the show, but with that sauce, it was our favorite. Loaded with flavor, every bite was perfect 3.) Tajarin con burro e salvia; butter and sage pasta. The fine cut literally melted in your mouth, best to eat first while it's warm. This is a dish that stays year round on their menu and was highly recommended by our friends. We ordered the pastas in the half order which was perfect for 2. Your order comes with complimentary bread which you can ask for olive oil on the side for. Will definitely be back!

Cute and rustic

Antipasto Misto Della Casa

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Aperol & Paper Plane

The Pink Door

4.4(8k reviews)

0.7 mi•Downtown

Food and service are always great...... but why am I always seated at the bar????…read moreI am by myself for lunch there is hardly anyone seated at the tables. I ask for a table as my back is affected by my feet. I am told there is only bar seating available. There was hardly anyone here at this time. I have been here with two people ( my wife) and am always seated at a table. Been coming here for years for lunch as I live out on the Olympic Peninsula maybe 70 mile trip. Usually I am on a shopping expedition.

Simply Seattle's Best. The Pink Door is still my number one place to dine if visiting Seattle for…read morethe first time, or only in town for less than 48 hours. The Pink Door is nestled in Post Alley amongst all of the top area attractions, and even with the Pink Door being a tourist favorite the staff still find a way remind locals why it's a forever favorite. The service is extremely excellent, the entire team is courteous and accommodating. I highly suggest making a reservation to ensure you're able to be seated that day. The restaurant is whimsical, charming, inviting, and offers great views both inside and outside. The food is spectacular. There is no picture or video that does the food or experience that can capture just how spectacular The Pink Door really is; I still highly recommend!

Beautiful main room

Clams pasta

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Linguini alle vongole

La Fontana Siciliana

4.2(758 reviews)

0.9 mi•Belltown

I love this place especially in the winter when its not as busy and the inside gives that warm and…read morecozy vibe. The food is fantastic. The service is great Its solid Sicilian cuisine. You have to appreciate this and not come here thinking all Italian food is OlIve Garden.

Terrific pasta, love the specials Service was good,…read moreambience excellent Would come again to try other menu staples

Indoor dining area

Tiramisu

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Nighttime dining in the courtyard

Due' Cucina - Capitol Hill

4.3(884 reviews)

1.0 mi•Capitol Hill

If you want an authentic menu, that's definitely the place to go with Italian music playing in the…read morebackground. However don't expect a server to serve you. You have to order at the register and they'll call your number or your name when your food is ready. I had the spaghetti carbonara which was simply amazing and well cooked Al dente. I definitely recommend checking it out. I loved the food so much that I went again to try another menu item which was the ragu and it surely didn't disappoint.

The good: portions are large and prices are lower than expected. Financial and tiramisu were very…read moregood. Takeout was quick. The meh: carbona focaccia sandwich was a salt lick. The short rib ragu and bolognese were 2x pasta to sauce, which was surprisingly dry given they were swimming in oil. Pasta is obviously homemade and tasty. Next time we'd plan to eat in the restaurant rather than doing takeout.

Ambience

Suppli Al Telefono

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Suppli Al Telefono

Sansonina Ristorante Italiano

4.7(511 reviews)

10.2 mi

Great service provided by all staff, amazing food, and at a great price. This is our go to…read morerestaurant for Italian food and has been for years. Thank you!

First things first, if you are from around the way you probably remember this spot as the old Pizza…read moreHut...I know, I know. But trust me when I say they transformed this space into something really beautiful. If you ever went to the old salad bar back in the day, you would never recognize it now. It looks great! My sister brought me here for my birthday dinner because I had my heart set on Italian, and she delivered. From the moment we sat down the service was wonderful. I genuinely felt taken care of the whole evening. For dinner I ordered the chicken fettuccine alfredo, which is my go-to at any Italian spot, and it did not disappoint. The portions are generous too, which I always appreciate. I also had a Greek salad and enjoyed every bite. My sister's only note was that the anchovies in her Caesar were pretty bold, but honestly, a traditional Caesar has anchovies in it. That's kind of the point! I ordered the tiramisu to go and I am so glad I did. It is my favorite Italian dessert and this one hit the spot. Yum!! Overall it was a really lovely birthday dinner. My sister picked well and I will definitely be going back.

Their bar and entry

Bruschetta

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The bruschetta was the perfect starter

Lupo

4.5(365 reviews)

3.6 mi•Fremont

Seattle has completely revamped their pizza experience over the last 5 years. It's almost as if…read morethere was some sort of city council committee that was tasked with elevating the goods of the local dough purveyors in order to attract citizens from far and wide to The Emerald City. Let me tell you, Lupo is high on my list of "Best 'Za In Seattle", and it will be on yours as well. The waiter told us something about how they're "fancy pizza but not stuck up" (not a direct quote), which fits right in with Seattle gastronomic philosophy. It's worth trying to get here early in the night, because it can be difficult to get a seat. And you want to have some time to sit down and enjoy this pizza. Make sure you wear your best sitting pants though, because you're in for a meal that will make you progressively adjust the belt loops as time goes on. I'm sure that there are plenty of top notch pizzas across the menu here, but the Caesar salad may have been a best-in-class item. The dressing was perfectly balanced with just enough anchovy taste, and there was exactly enough of it on every bite. Instead of having croutons in the salad, they had a heaping portion of toasted breadcrumbs that made each bite so much more interesting. Caesar himself would be proud. All of the pizzas sounded great, but I was pretty sure that they would be able to execute on a cacio e pepe flawlessly here, and I wasn't disappointed. The initial bite was everything that I could have hoped for. But I would make sure that you demolish this pizza promptly - it's not one that's great as leftovers. I think that is the case for most pizza of this style anyways. I am ridiculously excited about coming back to Lupo in the future to try more pizzas. If you are currently reading this and haven't been here yet, I strongly urge you to close this review and head there immediately!

Easily one of the best Neapolitan-style pizzas we've had in Seattle. The crust, the sourdough…read moreflavor, and the perfectly balanced toppings all just work, and we're already thinking about when we can go back. Honestly bummed we waited this long to try it. We ordered two pizzas, a funghi and a margherita, and added burrata which was 100% the right call. The funghi had this deep earthy mushroom flavor that was just so satisfying. The margherita was simple but spot-on, and the burrata added this extra hit of creaminess that took it over the top. Both pies had a generous amount of parmesan that was honestly perfect. We're usually the people who leave the crust behind but we ate every last bit and wanted more.

Long table perfect for larger groups

Cacio e Pepe

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Cesar Salad

Brunello Ristorante

4.3(480 reviews)

5.0 mi•Roosevelt

Family-owned & operated

Wheelchair accessible

We had a fantastic meal here. The lamb special was tender and flavorful, the penne vodka was rich…read moreand perfectly balanced, and the lobster stuffed ravioli was absolutely delicious. Everything tasted fresh and beautifully prepared. We finished with dessert and espresso, which were just as impressive. The lemon cake was light, fluffy, and perfectly citrusy, and the tiramisu was creamy and indulgent with a lovely chocolate drizzle. The espresso was smooth with a great crema and paired perfectly with dessert. A special shoutout to our server Manuel, who was outstanding. He was warm, attentive, and made the experience even better. We also loved the small, cozy atmosphere -- it felt welcoming and charming, the kind of place where you want to sit, relax, and enjoy your meal. We'll definitely be back

FOOD POISONING ALERT…read more I'm 8 months pregnant and came here on Mother's Day with my husband and toddler, hoping for a nice family celebration. Unfortunately, it turned into one of the worst dining experiences I've had in a long time. I ordered the seafood linguine special, while my husband had the veal marsala. The seafood in my pasta immediately tasted off -- especially the clams and mussels, which seemed old and likely frozen for far too long. Even my toddler, who normally LOVES seafood pasta at Italian restaurants, refused to take a second bite after trying it. I enjoyed seafood pasta from many other places but could barely finish my food that day. Later that night, I developed severe abdominal pain. At 8 months pregnant, any cramping is terrifying, and I genuinely thought I might be going into labor. After hours of pain coming and going, bloating, gas, vomiting, and diarrhea the next day, it became pretty obvious the food was the cause. Ruined Mother's Day and caused unnecessary stress during pregnancy. I will never order seafood from here again.

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Mezzanotte

3.9(166 reviews)

4.2 mi•Georgetown

I was here for a work party and loved the food. Upon exploring the website, we saw their Nonnakase…read moreoption and decided to splurge on a reservation when we had family in town. BEST IDEA EVER. It was legitimately one of the best dinners I have ever had. There were 9 courses total, and everything the chef brought out was incredible. The service was wonderful and personal and attentive from the chef to the bartender to the wine director. So while I already would recommend this place to any serious fan of Italian cuisine, I cannot speak highly enough of the Nonnakase experience. Absolutely worth every penny. Also the bathrooms are delightful. Great vibe, don't miss out.

Mezzanotte has really great food. we tried the caesar salad, the house bread, and two pastas- the…read moresage butter and the ragu. we also tried the hot honey carrots. We looked up bottle ratings and prices, i will say some of the wine on the menu was a little pricy. But everything we ordered was delicious and well seasoned, worth the price and the wait. they seemed to be having a party in their patio area which i think might've slowed service down a bit- our pasta took a while to come out. That aside, it was a great experience! i will definitely be back to mezzanotte!

Bar

Bucatini All' Amatriciana - IG: @nelson_eats

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Bucatini All' Amatriciana - IG: @nelson_eats

Barolo Ristorante

4.0(1.4k reviews)

0.6 mi•Denny Triangle

Came here for happy hour on a Friday night and were able to get a table for two relatively easily,…read morealthough it was busy. During HH, they offer 50% off bar menu items, which is a spectacularly good deal. My partner and I ordered the carbonara and the ragu, and both were very good but the carbonara was amazing (flavorful, creamy, not too salty or cheesy, decadent without feeling too deadly). The tiramisu is a very good dessert with a nice strong espresso flavor and not too much sweetness. Our waitress kindly checked in right before 7pm to make sure we had any additional orders in before happy hour ended, which is a mark of excellent service. The bathroom is clean and brightly lit. I'd be happy to come back!

I'm visiting Seattle this week and I'm staying across the street near Barolo Ristorante. They close…read moreat 11, & I called an around 10pm and was very respectful about it ...I literally said, "I know it's late, please let me know if your kitchen is closed. I can just do takeout." I tried to order the fettuccine de mare, listed at $29 (no extra fees on Toast), but they told me it would be $43. That already didn't make sense. Then the server says, "We actually have 50% off happy hour until 11, come in and dine." So I came in. Ordered a drink, escargot, and a steak medium rare. The escargot came out fine. Then... nothing. 39 minutes later (at 10:45pm), the server asks if I'm waiting on anything else. Yes... my steak. She goes to check, disappears, and then comes back with something that honestly felt DISTESPECTFUL. The steak looked like scraps. Uneven, mismatched chunks, all different sizes, with burnt, crispy edges and covered in sauce like they were trying to hide it. It didn't look like a single cut of meat it looked like pieces from multiple steaks thrown together. The plating was sloppy, and the side looked like an afterthought. I didn't take a bite. I looked through it and said, "This looks like pieces from different steaks." She told me she watched them cut it... then immediately followed that by saying she saw them put it under a heat lamp to reheat. So which is it? I work in the food industry. I'm not going to be gaslit over a plate like that. She offered to refire it, but at that point it was almost 11 and they were closing. I paid for my drink and left. Honestly, I wouldn't have been upset if they had just told me the kitchen was closing when I called. But don't invite me in, forget my order, and then serve something like this and try to pass it off like it's normal. Just be honest.

Inside

Charred salad

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Lumache - baked escargot

Haerfest

4.4(78 reviews)

3.4 mi•Wallingford

I booked this place as a birthday dinner for a friend and I had never been before. We were…read morepleasantly surprised by our experience and this was notably one of the better meals we've ever shared together. When we first arrived we were given the option of either the chef's counter or a table. I thought the chef's counter was a unique experience but for the night we opted for a table near the window. The space is intimate and even though there weren't many people there when we first got there, it still gave a warm and cozy vibe (quickly filled up though). The week of my friend's birthday they were only doing Seattle Restaurant Week, which I hadn't realized at first but the menu was amazing regardless. The staff was very attentive to us, constantly checking in on us and making any adjustments as needed. They thoughtfully walked us through our choices and when the food arrived. First we started with appetizers which I thought it was nice that you get to try all them and didn't have to choose one. The salad and asparagus is what you would expect, but they were perfectly done and not overly complex. The stand out was the Seared Tombo, the flavors of this dish were balanced and the fish was clearly very fresh! For our main we both got the halibut option, which came with a side of sunchokes. We had never had sunchokes before but were immediately in love (the fish was cooked to perfection too) but I loved the introduction of not so common ingredient. I thought it was a fun play on traditional "potatoes" almost. I'm glad we were able to try both of the desserts. My favorite was the tiramisu (I always love tiramisu). The carrot cake was more on the dryer side (almost like a cornbread), which isn't my preference but I enjoyed the flavors. Overall, really enjoyed this place and would definitely come back!

Came here for my boyfriend's birthday recently and we tried the tasting menu ($89/person + 22%…read moreautomatic gratuity). FOOD: For the price, I think this tasting menu is a good deal. We got 4 appetizers, a pasta, an entree, and dessert. My fav items were the shrimp in polenta (shrimp was crispy without seemingly any breading, perfectly cooked and flavored) and the lamb skewers (well seasoned and cooked. Big fan of lamb in general). I also liked the deviled egg on kimchi, though it didn't taste like kimchi very much. The salad had too much dressing unfortunately and the crostini was interesting. We got a few drinks but my main impression is that they are strong! SERVICE Service here was so great and friendly. I only saw 2 front of house and 1 back of house so it's a small place. The front of house also bartend and make the drinks. I do wish the front of house explained the dishes a little more when they brought out the food. They told us the name of the dishes but as I was eating I realized it would've been nice to get a better idea of what was in it exactly, or halfway through I'd think "wait what else is in this?" AMBIANCE Tastefully decorated, small, and intimate. It was not busy when we came at all, with only up to 4 other tables having diners. I think this allowed the staff to focus on each table a little better without being overwhelmed. Overall had a good time. I admittedly wasn't blown out of the water but for $89/person for a fancier meal, I would say this is priced right for what you get (food, service, and ambiance included).