Italian Cuisine, Seattle

This restaurant was recommended by other VT correspondents. I went to this restaurant for dinner last summer in August 2005. The food was excellent. I had the seafood pasta-amazing, and the kids had the lobster ravioli. We liked the food so much that we went back the next day for lunch before we left Seattle. We will definitely come back to this restaurant again the next time we're in Seattle.

If you love Italian food as much as I do, head for the Pacific Place Shopping Center on 6th and Olive. Il Fornaio Ristorante combines a traditional Italian restaurant with a fun Italian bakery and cafe, connected by a large spiral staircase.

The food is delicious enough to make an Italian return, and the atmosphere balances formality with relaxation, typical of Seattle.

This is not a stop for a budget traveller, but you could certainly do worse!

Favorite Dish: Pollo Toscano: Rostisserie wood-smoked chicken with rosemary. Yum!

Tulio is one of the older Italian restaurants in Seattle, and has a great reputation.

I was impressed with the service. Not overly attentive, which can be annoying, but just right. When our appetizers were served, the waiter divided them into our individual appetizer plates, which was quite handy!

The atmosphere was nice and classic too.

The 5th Avenue theater is just down the street from Tulio, so it is a popular pre-theater restaurant.

Favorite Dish: Funny - In Italian restaurant none of us ordered pasta. But they had a smoked salmon ravioli that sounded delicious.

The 2 appetizers we had were delicious: Asparagus w/ prosciutto, and the most delicious gnocchi I've ever eaten.

Two of us had the rib eye, which was good, but it was the ricotta whipped potatoes served with the steak which made the meal.

This restaurant is right by the waterfront at pier 70. Great veiws of the Sound and Elliot Bay.
The decor inside is really homey and whacky! There is a train car inside the restaurant that has tables for two. Other 'tables' are made from old brass bed frames. Really fun and funky for the whole family.

Favorite Dish: My absolute fave is the Manager's Favorite. It's spaghetti with half mizithra cheese sauce and half marinara sauce. Bellisima!

I'm a meat and potatoes and pasta kind of guy. I don't care what the food looks like or how fancy is the restaurant. Just put a big pile of good, cheap food in front of me, and I'm happy. The Olympic Pizza Restaurant has been serving those kinds of meals to its neighbors on Capital Hill since before I arrived in Seattle-25 years ago. There is nothing special about this place--really. Absolutely nothing except good food, cheap prices, and a friendly, long time staff who know all the regulars.

The restaurant is located in a little tourist-free commercial area on 15th Avenue East, near Volunteer Park, not far from the cemetary where Jimi Hendrix is buried.

Favorite Dish: Spaghetti and meatballs. My wife usually has a chopped salad, and white wine when she agrees to go to such a dive. They also serve good pizza and lasagna. You get what you pay for.

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This is a slightly up market restaurant, but the prices are really reasonable. The service is good and the staff really tried hard to make me a "lemon lime and bitters" :)) The decor is nice and warm and if you get a seat by the window you can see the space needle from it. I would recommend this place.

Il Fornaio is a chain of Italian restaurants in California, and their branch is Seattle is probably the best one in the chain.

Located at the Pacific Palace mall, you can choose either to eat at the atrium (bakery), casual risotteria or the fancy looking main dining room.

The beef carpaccio is sublime and the pasta's are made fresh. It does get busy during lunch hour (I went there on a Friday) so expect a bit of a slower service. Overall though a good restaurant that offers good value for money.

This restaurant I never knew about until I moved to Queen Anne a year ago. A small treat tucked away at the bottom of queen anne hill downtown. Absolutely one of the top italian restaurants in Seattle. In a city this size there is so much to choose from but if you are in town and want to have a nice romantic dinner with some of the best food, wine and service then try this place on for size. They may even have specials going on, friends of mine paid for a package where a 5 course meal and a limo ride was included.

I used to live near LaVita E'Bella, had passed it many times, but the outside had never given me any reason to go in. Then someone was talking about how good and inexpensive it was, so 2 friends and I decided to give it a try. We were plesantly surprised. The inside is nice an cozy - dim liting, dark colored walls, black & white photos of 60's actors. The waiter was accomodating and funny, and suggested a great, cheap bottle of wine.

Favorite Dish: We started with Funghi Bruschetta, and it was great! I had Lasagne, which was also delicious. One of my friends had a mushroom ravioli, that was also quite tasty, and my other friend had one of the specials - pasta (similar to fettuccini noodles, but called something else) with herbs and prawns - also very good! And the total per person, including 2 bottles of wine was only $40!

Small gelato ($3) was a scoop of berry melange and a scoop of coconut so fantastically rich and flavorful that I couldn't eat it alone and had to share. There were several outdoor tables pleasant for people watching and enjoying the sunny day.

The glass case is lovely...about 14 different gelatos that day - very difficult to choose!