Italian Restaurants in Seattle, WA

Cascina Spinasse is a bustling, high-end Italian restaurant near the corner of 14th and Pine that serves rustic Northern Italian fare in a cozy, comfortable setting. Garnering much acclaim for its traditional cuisine of the Piedmont region of Northern Italy since opening in 2008, Cascina Spinasse features a warm, open kitchen where diners can watch the head chef and his team create simple, refined dishes using authentic techniques from Piedmont. Dishes such as the heart-warming tajarin al ragu o burro e salvia and rabbit meatballs are firm favorites with Seattleites, while the hearty cavatelli lavished with chanterelles and the rapini ravioli with pine nuts are close seconds. The adjacent bar, Artusi, offers an impressive list of Italian wines, grappas, and other libations as well as small plates and aperitifs.

1531 14th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122, Phone: 206-251-7673

Set in the downtown Hotel Vintage Park, Tulio Ristorante is an elegant wood-paneled restaurant with exquisite hand-crafted detailing and white-linened tables serving inspired-Italian-with-a-flourish fare. Known for its authentic cuisine and attentive service, Tulio features a centrally located dining room with an open kitchen and wood-burning oven, and a private room upstairs that resembles an aristocrat’s library. Lunches are frequented by professionals who come for a daily fix of delicious Italian fare like sweet-potato gnocchi with sage butter, crispy duck with marinated figs, marinated Washington lamb sirloin, or pasta alla chitarra with braised pork, ricotta, and rosemary. There is also a variety of pizzas, calzones, and pasta on the lunch menu as well as freshly prepared salads and hearty sides.

Kimpton Hotel Vintage Seattle, 1100 5th Ave, Seattle, WA 98101, Phone: 206-624-5500

Comfortable and unpretentious, Serafina is an Old World Italian restaurant with a multi-regional menu of traditional Italian cuisine and fine wines and has been a Seattle favorite for years. Tucked away in the Eastlake neighborhood and one of the leading culinary draws of the area, along with the adjacent Cicchetti Kitchen and Bar, which is perfect for pre-dinner drinks, Serafina draws inspiration from the rustic traditions of the Italian countryside to produce an eminently satisfying menu. Signature dishes include pumpkin-leek ravioli, homemade veal meatballs, slow-cooked lamb shanks, and braised rabbit with Parmesan polenta as well as wild-mushroom risotto, steamed mussels, and ragu of duck, veal, and pork. Desserts include sweet profiteroles and a decadent chocolate-hazelnut torte, and the charming vine-entwined courtyard is ideal for alfresco dining in the summer.

2043 Eastlake Ave E, Seattle, WA 98102, Phone: 206-323-0807

Helmed by a husband-and-wife team, Altura (which in Italian means both “height” and “profound depth”) is a modest, cozy spot on North Broadway that serves stunning seasonal Italian cuisine. Hailing from the private dining club The Ruins, chef and owner Nathan Lockwood brings his penchant for rococo decadence to Altura – complete with an angel hanging from the rafters – to make diners feel like they are in another world. In addition to the decadent décor and excellent service, the cuisine is just as spectacular, with Northwest seasonal ingredients gone Italian rustic to create dishes such as Ellensburg lamb rack with braised neck, Salish Sea halibut, and Muscovy duck with crumbled amaretti and caramel-roasted turnip. Diners can assemble multiple courses from the menu or sample the chef’s tasting menu, which features five plates with small bites in between.

617 Broadway E, Seattle, WA 98102, Phone: 206-402-6749

Intimate, romantic, and adorned with Renaissance artwork, Assaggio Ristorante is a refined yet informal trattoria that brings the best tastes of Italy to Seattle. Owned and managed by larger-than-life proprietor Mauro Golmarvi, Assaggio’s elegant high-ceilinged, partitioned, and beautifully adorned dining room takes diners on a journey back to Renaissance Italy while they savor ambrosial cuisine such as pappardelle bosciaola with marsala and barolo wine, capellini donato swathed in a meaty Bolognese, and perfect lamb agnello osso buco. The fennel and green apple salad with pecorino Romano and truffle oil offers a lighter touch, while the desserts are simply to die for. The cuisine is accompanied by a curated list of fine Italian wines with both familiar and lesser-known labels on offer.

2010 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98121, Phone: 206-441-1399

Located in the heart of downtown Seattle, Barolo Ristorante offers a mix of timeless, Old World northern Italian dishes served in an intimate and elegant setting. The long window room decorated with Murano glass chandeliers and soft candlelight sets the scene for the excellent cuisine to follow, which is prepared with locally sourced natural and organic products and presented with contemporary flair. The innovative menu features modern takes on classic Italian cuisine such as antipasti and cheese plates to start, followed by local clams in a rich Arneis wine broth, plump house-made ravioli with hearty fillings, and natural shoulder tenderloin steak. Dessert is worth the calories – try the warm panettone bread pudding – and the impressive wine list includes more than 300 notable labels and varietals from around the world, including Italy, California, Washington, and Oregon.

1940 Westlake Ave, Seattle, WA 98101, Phone: 206-770-9000, See the Map

Aptly named, Bizzarro Italian Cafe is a lively, long-running Italian trattoria-style eatery serving casual Italian fare in a stylish, eclectically decorated space. Opened in 1986 by chef and visual artist David Nast, the alternative Wallingford Ristorante has been serving loyal customers and serious food people for more than 20 years and continues to remain a stalwart in the Seattle dining scene. Boasting red brick walls, ceiling-suspended furniture, and gilt-framed artworks, the engaging restaurant offers delectable Italian cuisine made with the finest ingredients ranging from gnocchi in pork sugo di maiale and pappardelle pasta in an effusive elk Bolognese to a hefty lamb shank served in a fig-based demi-glace on top of a polenta cake and braised kale. Daily specials rotate on the chalkboard and Saturdays are always packed, so be sure to reserve a table.

1307 N 46th St, Seattle, WA 98103, Phone: 206-632-7277

Named in honor of M. F. K. Fisher’s 1942 paean to eating simply, How to Cook a Wolf is a tiny neighborhood eatery with a barrel-vaulted ceiling and copper lighting that serves sophisticated Italian-Mediterranean fare. One of chef Ethan Stowell’s enterprises, How to Cook a Wolf celebrates small plates and uncomplicated rustic pasta made with natural, locally sourced ingredients and prepared with earthy precision. Signature dishes include pinky-perfect duck with beets and mandarin oranges, orecchiette pasta with cauliflower, garlic, and anchovies, and trofie pasta rolls with creamy parsley-walnut pesto. The wine list features easy drinking and fine wines from various regions in Italy, as well as Prosecco and Champagne for a touch of fizz.

2208 Queen Anne Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109, Phone: 206-838-8090

Famously sophisticated eatery and timeless landmark on Seattle’s dining scene, Il Terrazzo Carmine has been serving sumptuous Italian classics for over two decades. Owned by the Smeraldo family, the elegant restaurant oozes class with beautiful décor, soft candlelight and classical guitar music, and jacketed waiters answering to every need. The menu features out-of-this-world Italian dishes such as ravioli di capriolo filled with venison and wild mushroom sauce, a pepper-encrusted New York steak with shoestring potatoes, garlicky racks of lamb, and noble cioppino as well as a range of handmade pasta and platters of antipasti. The restaurant features an outdoor courtyard for alfresco dining in the summer and a comfortable lounge known as Intermezzo Carmine, which serves handcrafted cocktails, small plates and snacks, and happy hour specials.

Merrill Place, 411 1st Avenue South, Seattle, WA 98104, Phone: 206-467-7797