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Volterra

5411 Ballard Ave NW, Seattle, WA | Map it  

98107 47.667800 -122.385001

(425) 336-1679 | View Website

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Top Italian restaurant on Historic Ballard Avenue

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About Volterra

  • Tuscan Inspired Menu
  • Best of Citysearch 2005, 2006, 2007
  • Reservations Recommended

Inspired by the warm, traditional Tuscan hilltop town by the same name, Volterra features the bold-flavored, Tuscan-inspired menu of award-winning Chef Don Curtiss.

Chef Curtiss has a long history and following in the Northwest. He received acclaim as "One of America's Most Innovative Chefs", from Wine Spectator while serving as the opening chef of Andaluca. He was also named "One of America's Top 26 Chefs" by Italian Cooking and Living.

Volterra's dining room is inviting with rich red walls; chocolate-brown leather and textiles; and dark woods offset by alabaster light fixtures hand-carved in Volterra, Italy.

"Don Curtiss' lush, imaganitive eats bring a breath of fresh air to the local Italian restaurant scene." Zagat America's Top Restaurants 2006

"That fine tuned quality is part of the welcome suprise that is Volterra." Nancy Leson, Seattle Times  View Less
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Features

Neighborhoods:
Ballard, Adams
Price:
$$$
Cuisine:
Italian
Categories:
Catering, Restaurants

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Restaurant Special Features:
Dine At The Bar, Fine Dining, Group Dining, Notable Wine List, Outdoor Dining, Late Night Dining, Brunch, Family-Friendly Dining, Romantic Dining
Payment Methods:
MasterCard, Discover, Visa, American Express

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Reviews for Volterra

KenW273

Member since May, 2012 View Profile
2Reviews
0Photos
Joined 27 days ago
5.0
May 03, 2012

I recently attended a big birthday bash for a close friend of mine at Volterra and I was very impressed with the restaurant, food, and service. I started with the Oil soup which I really enjoyed and then I ordered the Wild Boar even though I was a bit skeptical but it was absolutely amazing! Hats off to the staff and the chef for creating such a great dining experience. We plan on trying their brunch very soon.

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CherryPickerSuperman

Member since Sep, 2011 View Profile
7Reviews
0Photos
Joined 8 months ago
5.0
September 07, 2011

Nice for a special evening. You can do no wrong here. Eveyrthing is very delicious and they have a nice selection of wines to go with your meal. I dont even think its too expensive for what you get. When I came back from the dentist once, I treated myself to a very nice meal with some friends, but I had to get pasta only because my teeth hurt too much (at the time).

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amandaericson23

Member since Jun, 2011 View Profile
2Reviews
0Photos
Joined 11 months ago
5.0
June 22, 2011

WOW!!. Went to this place on a friday night with a few friends. The food was amazing we ordered a couple bottles of wine with was great. The service was very attentive and very friendly. All in all had the best time!!

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Keithpup

Member since Jun, 2002 View Profile
3Reviews
0Photos
Joined 10 years ago
1.0
September 16, 2010

Volterra, the food is bad but at least the service is worse. We arrived excited to try yummy Tuscan food. We had made our reservation telling them we were celebrating our anniversary and yet in an empty dining room they sat us literally right next to other people, explaining "they were so booked up".

We should have left then, with an extra hundred dollars in our pockets and minus the food poisoning.

Our unhelpful, cold, and rushed waiter (why so rushed? no one was there!) couldn’t suggest anything for appetizers "everything is good" is his advice. So we ordered Oil Soup and Bruschetta, can’t go wrong right? Also we got a couple bar drinks.

Just trying to enjoy our evening we start to chat taste some olive oil on the bread, good tasting ok, get our drinks, the waiter stops by again and again asking if we want to order the main course because "the chefs are waiting" (warning two I should have left) so we decide to get a pasta dish (fresh pasta mmm) and a wild boar special (sounds good, let’s try it).

those two arrive, I don’t feel well but I was thinking maybe it’s the smoky smell from the ladies next to us, (how many packs a day does it reach that level of stink?) he brings my wild boar and the first of the three chops is amazing, the next two are (no I am not exaggerating or kidding) completely covered in browned (because of the sauce) fat, thin ribbons fat, not a speck of meat. NOW the waiter cannot be found, I sit and watch my wife enjoy her meal pick at the 3 baby carrots and 6 small potatoes (delicious) and try and try to get his attention/ FINALLY he comes back I tell him the Wild Boar 30$ special is all fat he gets pissed at me (cause I cooked and butchered it?) and say you should have told me earlier I could have fixed it, I am thinking "how about you stop and check Mr. one table to help lousy Russian waiter guy?

Next he shows up and without a word gives us dessert menus, (eh) and without asking brings this apple cake dessert (it was a heavy cake, no apple flavor, a heavy sweet syrup and whipped cream, not good, wife had been planning on ordering tiramisu but I played along, and saw they planned on making me pay for my all fat wild boar. thanks!

So I went home sick, but not full of great food sick, just goodnight wife I am going to be sitting on the toilet until 2 am sick,

Just say no, to re-volt-tera.

Go down the street to anywhere else, heck I think there is a McDonalds not too far.

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CChan

Member since Aug, 2009 View Profile
2Reviews
0Photos
Joined 3 years ago
5.0
August 09, 2009

Evening to rememeber. We had my friends' graduation dinner here. The food was great and the service was attentive but not pretentious. We had a couple bottles of wine, one of them tasted funny and they gladly exchanged it for a new bottle.

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