For almost 200.00, one would expect a decent mealVery subpar.Oh and while they ask how they can make it better, contact them, they don’t actually respond,We use to love this place .Does this look like carbonara?
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
A. M.
Let's start with the positives: Delicious food with an intimate, charming old-world vibe close to the water in West Seattle. Tasty vegetarian options (including penne with eggplant and saffron gnocchi). Very fresh greens for the salad, which was perfectly dressed. It could be an excellent date-night choice. However, the service/wait staff could have been more polished in a few instances, but I have seen an overall decline in service throughout the industry (I worked in it; these days, it's tough to recruit people, and the turnover is high, so I get it). I was happy to be able to make a reservation, but you have to provide a $50 deposit (which is credited toward your bill). My guest arrived early, but I was less than 10 minutes late; however, they would only agree to seat him when I arrived. I felt bad about that since it was his birthday. Finer/better restaurants should make you feel welcome and special. This one fell short, but the food was so tasty that maybe this could be overlooked. I'm on the fence about returning to bring out-of-town guests, though.
C K.
When we walked into the restaurant, there was a wave of musty/mildew-y smell in the air. The decor is dated and a bit downtrodden. The service was well intentioned. The food reminded us Kitchen Nightmares. Vegetables were sad and soggy. The chicken parm. was dry and chewy. The sauce was tasty. The bread was loaded with raw garlic but no salt so lacking taste. It seems to be popular with the boomer crowd so maybe we're just not the target market for this place. It was quite cold in the dining room so dress warm if you do go.
Joline Ruesseler
We just celebrated our three year anniversary at La Rustica and it exceeded all expectations. The food was delicious but the service was everything you could ever wish for. We even got a moment to talk to the chef/baker and she left such a positive impression! Our waitress was funny and polite and amazing! Will definitely come again for special occasions and the only reason why I say special occasions is because this place is so special that I want to have a place for special moments
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, Gnocchi Allo Zafferano
Joan Watkins
Quaint setting on Alki. Food was excellent. Service attentive.Neighorhood parking a little sketchy.No view which is sad. Noisy when full with overhead music. Will make reservations again.
What should I say that everyone else hasn't already said? The staff are super friendly, but the food isn't memorable and def overpriced. I will say that the chocolate cake is amazing and the owner is def very proud of her recipe. She will come to your table and even talk to you about it. So that's nice. But the rest of the food....sorry but it just doesn't live up to the hype/price.
Morris Williams
Great food, great staff, a lot of fun. Ate too much.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Connor C.
Excellent authentic Italian food in an adorable setting. Couldn’t ask for more. Saffron gnocchi was 10/10.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lawrence Cebula
Wow what a meal. The food, the service, and the atmosphere were all top notch. We'll be back, and hope they'll have some gluten free bread next time.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Keith Hildesheim
The food was good but the pace was very slow and we didn't get our food for almost an hour. Then it seemed like our server forgot about us and we ran out of drinks. Probably would have loved it otherwise.
Delicious cuisine. Quite a variety, with several non-pasta entrees including inventive daily specials. The fresh pasta is so tender. Excellent service. Owner interacts with guests and bakes the most wonderful desserts. Chocolate Decadence Cake is amazing. Be prepared to wait a but, since the restaurant is quite small and popular with locals. But it is so worth the wait!Vegetarian options: Great salads and vegetarian pasta dishes
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chocolate Decadence Cake, Gnocchi Allo Zafferano
Tamara Smith
I love this restaurant! Their mushroom risotto is amazing and the pasta is always fresh. They go out of their way to be friendly and give good service. It's an institution. We went late one night right before they closed to get desert and even though they had locked their doors, they opened up to dish out the tiramisu and made my night. It was delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu
Annie Ramsey-Shearer
We came for dinner last week and I must say I was quite underwhelmed. We had heard such great things and it’s been on our list for a while. It started off good but then I found a hair in my appetizer which kind of made me lose my appetite and our waitress, while kind, was SO energetic and loud it wasn’t really the same vibe as the restaurant. It was a little too much and quite frankly annoying. And the restaurant is absolutely tiny so it was so loud by like 6pm I could barely hear myself talk. I enjoyed my pasta dish however my mom ordered the carbonara and it was not good. Definitely don’t order that. I would sadly probably not return.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
Annie R.
We came for dinner last week and I must say I was quite underwhelmed. We had heard such great things and it's been on our list for a while. It started off good but then I found a hair in my appetizer which kind of made me lose my appetite and our waitress, while kind, was SO energetic and loud it wasn't really the same vibe as the restaurant. It was a little too much and quite frankly annoying. And the restaurant is absolutely tiny so it was so loud by like 6pm I could barely hear myself talk. I enjoyed my pasta dish however my mom ordered the carbonara and it was not good. Definitely don't order that. I would sadly probably not return.
Lauren M.
What's better than a local, cozy, family run Italian joint? Not many things. La Rustica hits that sweet spot of offering a homey yet elevated dinner out. This is classic bread on the table, side salad and red sauce pasta hits a very specific spot in all of our hearts and stomachs. Our bread was quite raw, which helped keep my intake down. But my pasta, the baked penne was so deeply flavorful. The sausage felt kind of like a throw away or forgotten about, even if not intentional. It was whole, not sliced, and not warm. But the pasta and sauce were piping hot and delicious. I tasted my friends dishes and they, too, were yummy. The steak pasta with its winey sauce and the manicotti, like a cheesier take on lasagna. Past the kitschy decor and "the hits" menu, the staff here are the true stars! The amazing service and great personalities made us feel welcomed and wanted. Plus, who doesn't love a giant wooden pepper grinder shaped like the space needle?
For almost 200.00, one would expect a decent mealVery subpar.Oh and while they ask how they can make it better, contact them, they don’t actually respond,We use to love this place .Does this look like carbonara?
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 2
Let's start with the positives: Delicious food with an intimate, charming old-world vibe close to the water in West Seattle. Tasty vegetarian options (including penne with eggplant and saffron gnocchi). Very fresh greens for the salad, which was perfectly dressed. It could be an excellent date-night choice. However, the service/wait staff could have been more polished in a few instances, but I have seen an overall decline in service throughout the industry (I worked in it; these days, it's tough to recruit people, and the turnover is high, so I get it). I was happy to be able to make a reservation, but you have to provide a $50 deposit (which is credited toward your bill). My guest arrived early, but I was less than 10 minutes late; however, they would only agree to seat him when I arrived. I felt bad about that since it was his birthday. Finer/better restaurants should make you feel welcome and special. This one fell short, but the food was so tasty that maybe this could be overlooked. I'm on the fence about returning to bring out-of-town guests, though.
When we walked into the restaurant, there was a wave of musty/mildew-y smell in the air. The decor is dated and a bit downtrodden. The service was well intentioned. The food reminded us Kitchen Nightmares. Vegetables were sad and soggy. The chicken parm. was dry and chewy. The sauce was tasty. The bread was loaded with raw garlic but no salt so lacking taste. It seems to be popular with the boomer crowd so maybe we're just not the target market for this place. It was quite cold in the dining room so dress warm if you do go.
We just celebrated our three year anniversary at La Rustica and it exceeded all expectations. The food was delicious but the service was everything you could ever wish for. We even got a moment to talk to the chef/baker and she left such a positive impression! Our waitress was funny and polite and amazing! Will definitely come again for special occasions and the only reason why I say special occasions is because this place is so special that I want to have a place for special moments
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, Gnocchi Allo Zafferano
Quaint setting on Alki. Food was excellent. Service attentive.Neighorhood parking a little sketchy.No view which is sad. Noisy when full with overhead music. Will make reservations again.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pollo Parmigiano, Fettuccine Alla Carbonara, Chicken Parmigiana, Risotto Zazzicchia
What should I say that everyone else hasn't already said? The staff are super friendly, but the food isn't memorable and def overpriced. I will say that the chocolate cake is amazing and the owner is def very proud of her recipe. She will come to your table and even talk to you about it. So that's nice. But the rest of the food....sorry but it just doesn't live up to the hype/price.
Great food, great staff, a lot of fun. Ate too much.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent authentic Italian food in an adorable setting. Couldn’t ask for more. Saffron gnocchi was 10/10.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wow what a meal. The food, the service, and the atmosphere were all top notch. We'll be back, and hope they'll have some gluten free bread next time.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was good but the pace was very slow and we didn't get our food for almost an hour. Then it seemed like our server forgot about us and we ran out of drinks. Probably would have loved it otherwise.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 4
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Delicious cuisine. Quite a variety, with several non-pasta entrees including inventive daily specials. The fresh pasta is so tender. Excellent service. Owner interacts with guests and bakes the most wonderful desserts. Chocolate Decadence Cake is amazing. Be prepared to wait a but, since the restaurant is quite small and popular with locals. But it is so worth the wait!Vegetarian options: Great salads and vegetarian pasta dishes
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Chocolate Decadence Cake, Gnocchi Allo Zafferano
I love this restaurant! Their mushroom risotto is amazing and the pasta is always fresh. They go out of their way to be friendly and give good service. It's an institution. We went late one night right before they closed to get desert and even though they had locked their doors, they opened up to dish out the tiramisu and made my night. It was delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu
We came for dinner last week and I must say I was quite underwhelmed. We had heard such great things and it’s been on our list for a while. It started off good but then I found a hair in my appetizer which kind of made me lose my appetite and our waitress, while kind, was SO energetic and loud it wasn’t really the same vibe as the restaurant. It was a little too much and quite frankly annoying. And the restaurant is absolutely tiny so it was so loud by like 6pm I could barely hear myself talk. I enjoyed my pasta dish however my mom ordered the carbonara and it was not good. Definitely don’t order that. I would sadly probably not return.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 3
Service: 1
We came for dinner last week and I must say I was quite underwhelmed. We had heard such great things and it's been on our list for a while. It started off good but then I found a hair in my appetizer which kind of made me lose my appetite and our waitress, while kind, was SO energetic and loud it wasn't really the same vibe as the restaurant. It was a little too much and quite frankly annoying. And the restaurant is absolutely tiny so it was so loud by like 6pm I could barely hear myself talk. I enjoyed my pasta dish however my mom ordered the carbonara and it was not good. Definitely don't order that. I would sadly probably not return.
What's better than a local, cozy, family run Italian joint? Not many things. La Rustica hits that sweet spot of offering a homey yet elevated dinner out. This is classic bread on the table, side salad and red sauce pasta hits a very specific spot in all of our hearts and stomachs. Our bread was quite raw, which helped keep my intake down. But my pasta, the baked penne was so deeply flavorful. The sausage felt kind of like a throw away or forgotten about, even if not intentional. It was whole, not sliced, and not warm. But the pasta and sauce were piping hot and delicious. I tasted my friends dishes and they, too, were yummy. The steak pasta with its winey sauce and the manicotti, like a cheesier take on lasagna. Past the kitschy decor and "the hits" menu, the staff here are the true stars! The amazing service and great personalities made us feel welcomed and wanted. Plus, who doesn't love a giant wooden pepper grinder shaped like the space needle?